Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 128 Bertha Jorkins

Inside the House of Requests, Rita Skeeter, who had finally had the chance to transform back into human form, was carefully observing the expressions of the three young wizards in front of her.

Like the online marketing accounts that Mo Ran had seen before his death, most unscrupulous writers are not unaware that their fabricated stories will cause trouble for others. They precisely understand that words that evoke surprise and disgust are more likely to attract attention, which is why they violate the professional ethics of journalists and do such disgusting things.

"I...I can write an apology letter as a clarification to help Miss Granger restore her reputation..."

"Shut your mouth first."

Ron quickly interrupted Rita.

He was equally furious about the female reporter's actions. But despite his anger, as Harry's best friend, he didn't want his buddy to do anything irreversible in the heat of the moment.

Fortunately, Harry wasn't the type to hold grudges.

After thinking for a long time, he spoke:

"The clarification article can wait. Whether Hermione is willing to forgive you is her business, and I cannot accept your apology on her behalf. Now, I want you to continue doing what you used to do: write a tabloid article about Bertha Jorkins and her two bosses."

"what?"

"Huh what?"

Harry glared at Rita, making her shudder.

“You just write that Bertha Jorkins was able to move between the Department of Magical Execution, the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation, and the Department of Magical Sports because she toyed with Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch’s feelings.”

"This... how am I supposed to make this up... no, how am I supposed to write it?"

“How do you write it? Isn’t this your forte? Listen, Ms. Jorkins first hooked up with her boss, Barty Crouch, after Mrs. Crouch’s death, but as Mr. Crouch’s career at the Ministry of Magic declined and he gradually drifted away from the center of power, she set her sights on someone else…”

Ron was stunned. He had never expected things to go this way and couldn't understand what Harry was going to do.

"And then there's Ludo Bagman. Didn't he used to play Quidditch? He has a lot of fans. You could write that Bertha has admired him since she was a child."

Harry continued:

"More than a decade ago, this Ludo Bagman did something stupid like providing intelligence to Death Eater spies. At that time, Voldemort had already fallen, and Bagman had many fans. The then-chief judge, Barty Crouch, was unable to sentence him as he wished, and the two became enemies. You can make up the rest yourself, the more absurd the better, as long as it makes readers hate Bertha Jorkins to the core."

"Then...then I'll..."

"What? Do we still need to apologize? Of course we need to apologize!"

Harry said righteously:

"A rumor is a rumor. Regardless of the effect of this article, you must write a clarification article after the three-way competition so that the world knows what kind of unscrupulous journalist you really are. Otherwise, you'll be stuck in this jar for the rest of your life..."

"I'll write! I'll write!"

Rita Skeeter answered quickly.

In just the past month, she had almost developed claustrophobia from being cooped up in the glass jar. If she could never leave the jar again, she feared she might choose to commit suicide one day.

And so, Rita Skeeter, forced to work overtime, returned to her old profession.

As the saying goes, there are 360 ​​professions, and every profession can produce an expert. Rita's speed in writing serious news articles is completely different from her speed in writing gossip. In just one night, she fabricated a love story for Bertha Joggins that was so rich and astonishing.

In an article titled "The Untold Romantic History of the Ministry of Magic," Jorgins is portrayed not only as a wicked woman who uses her beauty to manipulate her superiors, but also as someone who, after becoming pregnant with Barty Crouch's son, claims that the child is Ludo Bagman's.

Such an outrageous story did not lead readers to question the authenticity of the article; on the contrary, it greatly stimulated people's imagination.

"Regardless of whether what's written in the newspapers is true or false, Bertha Jorkins has indeed been missing for more than six months!"

“That’s right, that’s right! You see, Barty Crouch wanted to find her, but Ludo Bagman wouldn’t allow an investigation. All signs seem to point to the possibility that Jorkins secretly gave birth.”

"Then tell me, whose child is it? If Ludo Bagman knew that the child in Joggins' belly wasn't his, would he still have covered for that woman? Is it possible that the author doesn't know the inside story?"

"To be honest, none of that matters. The most important thing is that the Ministry of Magic didn't stop the newspapers from publishing this news. This is a real scandal! How could the Ministry of Magic allow such things to be written in the newspapers?"

"It's simple! It's a power struggle! There must be someone in the department who doesn't like Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman and wants to ruin their reputations."

"So, according to you, everything in this article might be fake?"

"It's hard to say, but if that Joggins seduced a higher-ranking official, The Wizarding Weekly would definitely not dare to report it."

"Therefore, there is actually hidden information behind this article."

"What is it?"

"Is there even a question? Neither the Department of Physical Education and Sports nor the Department of International Magical Exchange and Cooperation of the Ministry of Magic are any other departments with little real power!"

......

Mo Ran's plan for Harry was a brilliant two-pronged approach. Within days, the gossip surrounding the Triwizard Tournament had died down. Instead, discussions about Bertha Jorkins spread throughout Europe.

According to his initial plan, with the strong support of these "European netizens", even if the Ministry of Magic could not find out where Bertha Jorkins was, they could at least find some useful clues by following the trail.

But who would have thought that the saying "true masters are often found among ordinary people" is not without merit?

Among these gossip-loving people, there are indeed a few witches who are knowledgeable in divination.

After a period of trying, two rumors, whose credibility was unknown but which were quite terrifying, spread from the streets and alleys to Hogwarts.

Firstly, Bertha Jorkins was last seen in northern Albania.

Secondly, Bertha Joggins is dead.

Three men can make a tiger; many voices can melt metal.

The power of public opinion is immense, even in the magical world.

In an effort to quell increasingly outlandish conspiracy theories, the Ministry of Magic, under pressure, dispatched Aurors to Albania to conduct a search. However, what they found was shocking.

The investigation, which lasted for several weeks, not only failed to uncover the truth that was enough to set things right, but also confirmed the fact that Bertha Jorkins was dead to the Aurors.

The Ministry of Magic is in complete chaos.

......

Hogwarts was bustling with activity in April.

Besides the students from three schools gathering for the Triwizard Tournament, the castle is also currently hosting two of the most talked-about middle-aged men in the past two months—Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch.

Contrary to expectations, there was no major upheaval or severe punishment from the Ministry of Magic's higher-ups. Bagman and Crouch, who were temporarily residing at Hogwarts as judges, were hardly affected. They had both experienced far more serious events in their youth, and a few minor scandals were not enough to make them feel any sense of crisis.

However, beneath the calm surface often lie turbulent undercurrents.

Most of the naive young wizards were unaware that the real purpose of this farce was to find Barty Crouch's escaped son...

"So, has Barty Crouch said anything about the latest findings from the Ministry of Magic's investigation?"

"Not yet, but he hasn't been able to command those people in the Auror office for a long time, so it's normal that he can't get inside information."

"I see..."

Ron nodded to himself.

Since the article was published, he had become the most concerned of the Big Three about the developments. Because Percy worked for Barty Crouch, Molly Weasley gradually became frantic, and no matter how much Mr. Weasley tried to comfort her, she felt that her son's future was ruined.

So, to put his mother's mind at ease, Ron, who didn't have a particularly close relationship with Percy, unusually started playing the role of a good younger brother. Regardless of whether there was any new news each day, he would take the initiative to chat with Harry so that his older brother, who was concerned about the quality of the cauldron, could write something to his mother to let her know he was safe.

Harry initially found this behavior perfectly acceptable, but over time, he also grew increasingly frustrated with the Ministry of Magic's Aurors' incredibly slow work efficiency.

He sighed and said:

"Hey... if you ask me, the Ministry of Magic these days is really feeding a bunch of good-for-nothings. An employee died while on vacation and they had to rely on a newspaper reader to do divination. After confirming the death, they couldn't find the body for ages. By the time they find some evidence in Albania, that Barty Crouch kid will probably be nowhere to be found!"

Ron was startled by Harry's sudden complaint. He glanced at the empty Gryffindor common room and whispered to Harry:

"Keep your voice down, Harry! It'll be a mess if anyone hears this! Especially Percy! To be honest, if it weren't for Mom, I wouldn't have given him any information. You know, that guy didn't even bother to comfort Mom; he's completely focused on climbing the ladder. Judging by his current demeanor, he's probably already planning what kind of robes he'll wear when he takes over Barty Crouch's job!"

"ha!"

Harry gave Ron a forced smile, then flicked the Marauder's Map in his hand and said:

“The Gryffindor students all left ten minutes ago. Now it’s just you and me in the common room and the dormitories. As for Percy you mentioned, let me see… um, he’s heading towards Owl Tower.”

Ron pursed his lips and plopped down next to Harry.

"To be honest, you shouldn't rely too much on the Marauder's Map. Like we discussed before, if even Dumbledore makes mistakes, then this thing is also..."

"This map never lies."

Harry suddenly interrupted Ron:

"If I don't use this to monitor Karkaroff and Bagman, who knows what they're doing when no one else can see them? Besides, Dumbledore is human; this map only shows who's on Hogwarts grounds in real time. If someone makes a mistake, it's me, the one looking at the map... sigh..."

Harry's voice was interrupted by a helpless sigh. He looked at the map in his hand, then at his friend Ron beside him, whose eyes were full of concern and showed no sign of complaint, and apologized apologetically.

"I'm sorry, Ron, I've been a bit..."

"It's okay, buddy, I get it."

Ron patted Harry on the shoulder and said:

"You have too many things to do all by yourself, and we haven't been able to help you much."

"Um......"

"Um......"

Boys sharing their innermost feelings is always awkward, but after a brief silence, Harry suddenly had a flash of inspiration and remembered something.

He said:

"Well... it's not like I didn't help at all."

"Huh? How did I help?"