Chapter 1243 The Magic World Is Unprotected Tonight

Sirius Black spent a full 12 years in Azkaban, transforming from a once proud and carefree young man into a颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being decadent, dissolute, or颓废) middle-aged man.

“I’m fine, Remus.” Sirius’s complexion had improved considerably, but a trace of pain still lingered in his eyes. “Miss Skeeter, please ask me anything you want to know, and I will answer whatever I can.”

Rita flashed her signature, self-assured, charming smile. "It's really not a serious matter, Mr. Black. You and Rodolphus Lestrange are related, aren't you?"

“Yes, he is my… cousin-in-law.” Sirius paused. “My cousin is the infamous Death Eater, Bellatrix.”

She feigned surprise and exclaimed, "It's her! Bellatrix, one of the twelve core Death Eaters who escaped from Azkaban!"

Her overly exaggerated reaction made Sirius's lips twitch.

"Mr. Black, how did they perform in Azkaban?"

Not only Rita looked gossipy, but the entire Gryffindor cast and crew did too.

Sirius cleared his throat, his tone somewhat contemptuous, "Them... they're no different from those damned Death Eaters, always going crazy and shouting, and when they're lucid, they keep calling out 'Master, Master'."

Rita blinked her bright eyes and looked at him with sympathy. "Being surrounded by such a bunch of lunatics for 12 years, Mr. Blake, you must have had a very hard time, right?"

Sirius smiled and shook his head. "Fortunately, I've always had a firm belief in my heart that has kept me rational. Without that belief, I think I might have gone crazy like them long ago."

Just when everyone thought Rita would take the opportunity to elevate the theme, she suddenly pulled out a small card.

"We have collected some questions from fans of the drama. Now, let's invite the cast and crew to answer the fans' questions."

She looked toward Heller Colbert, who played Godric Gryffindor.

"Mr. Colbert, may I ask about your criteria for choosing a partner?"

Caught completely off guard, Heller was stunned by the question and opened his mouth wide, unable to say a word.

Lupin wanted to help him out of the predicament, but the words were swallowed back down by Rita's "kind" gaze.

In the magical world's media industry, Rita Skeeter is arguably the most unscrupulous person. She claimed to have collected those little cards on purpose, but the cards were so small, who knows if they were even blank?

A fan's question? No, it was her question.

Lupin felt that if he were to help Heller out of a predicament, Heller would definitely turn her anger on him.

“Mr. Colbert, let me put it another way.”

Heller looked at her pleadingly.

What kind of girl do you like?

Lu Ping sighed silently in his heart.

If this show airs, the witches in the wizarding world will probably go crazy.

Heller scratched his head shyly. "Well... I don't really know either."

"Huh?" Rita feigned surprise. "Mr. Colbert, you must be joking."

“No.” Heller glanced nervously at Sirius.

The perceptive Rita noticed the crucial information.

Her malicious gaze fell on Sirius Black. "Mr. Black, you didn't teach Mr. Colbert his answer, did you?"

Sirius looked completely bewildered. "How could that be? We don't even know the questions you...you guys prepared for the fans. How could we possibly tell him the answers beforehand?"

"Whoa..." Rita noticed the panic that flashed across Heller's face as she turned her head. "It seems our big star is quite afraid of Mr. Black."

Sirius turned to look at Heller, who quickly lowered his head, which excited Rita.

Lupin awkwardly tried to smooth things over with a laugh, "Sirius is the boss. Not to mention Heller, who in our crew isn't afraid of him?"

Rita looked at him with a smile. "Mr. Lupin, you seem to be the only exception. You and Mr. Black are old classmates. I heard that you two have a very good relationship. When Peter Pettigrew was discovered, you immediately chose to stand on Mr. Black's side."

Knowing such details, her intelligence network is probably even larger than that of the Ministry of Magic.

Caught off guard, Lu Ping was also taken aback by the question.

Rita glanced at Heller, then at him and Sirius. “The first season of Gryffindor aired last Christmas. In less than a year, the show has already filmed five seasons.”

She looked like she suddenly realized something. "With such an intense workload, our big star won't be squeezed out of any personal time, will he?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Heller nervously said, "No."

He straightened his back, as if gathering his courage, "Mr. Black and Director Lupin are both exceptionally good people. I can assure you that no one in the crew has any complaints about them."

Rita trailed off, "Of course I won't complain. After all, who would mess with Galleons? Am I right, Mr. Black?"

Sirius laughed heartily. "This is the most I've ever agreed with you, Miss Skeeter."

“Thank you.” Rita glanced down at the small card in her hand. “My second question is, Mr. Black, as the most eligible bachelor in the magical world, what are your criteria for choosing a partner?”

Sirius's smile vanished instantly.

Again with her criteria for choosing a partner, she's determined to drive the witches completely mad.

Sirius Black slowly raised a finger, his tone particularly firm, "First of all, I don't like arrogant and spoiled people. I admire humility, tolerance, sincerity, and the quality of treating everyone equally."

Rita shifted to a more elegant posture, gave him a flirtatious wink, and said softly, "Mr. Black, I seem to possess all the qualities you described."

Sirius almost lost control of his expression, and he quickly raised a second finger, "Secondly, that person is definitely not you."

Rita leaned dramatically to one side, her hand trembling as she held up her glasses perched on her nose.

The stark contrast amused everyone.

Humility, tolerance, sincerity, and treating everyone equally—no matter how they viewed it, they couldn't see even the slightest bit of these qualities in Rita.

Sirius raised an eyebrow and slowly raised his third finger. "Finally, and most importantly, I hope my future partner will prioritize family in their life."

This was expected by everyone.

Sirius ran away from home in his teens and never experienced the warmth of family growing up. It was less a hope and more a longing.

Rita clapped her hands lightly. "Thank you for Mr. Black's honesty. If an unmarried adult witch is interested in him..."

She paused, then looked meaningfully at Sirius, who was lounging in his chair. "If you're interested in him, you can leave your contact information in the comments section below. If Mr. Black takes a liking to you, you'll live the life of a dream rich wife."

Sirius was startled and almost slid off the chair.

This show is really daring; they actually put a marriage advertisement on him without his consent.

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