Chapter 991: Master Lucius hits a wall twice
Chapter 991: Master Lucius hits a wall on both sides
Less than two hours after the film came out, Lucius personally visited old Batty with full "sincerity".
He waited from morning until noon, and finally until the evening when he was almost off work.
On the way, he went to the minister's office and got a polite refusal.
The reason why Fudge chose Barty Sr. to serve as the director concurrently was that he did not want the outside world to affect the normal operation of the Department of Magical News, at least not during the Triwizard Tournament.
The Ministry of Magic has been busy enough recently. The whereabouts of the three Death Eaters who attacked the World Cup camp are still unknown, and a small number of people have begun to question their abilities. If something like the smear article happens again, it will be difficult to continue to suppress the public's anger.
Since even his "old friend" couldn't help, Lucius had no choice but to wait patiently until the evening.
Gradually, he began to wonder if old Batty had left him out for so long on purpose.
He stood up impatiently and looked through the window at the Department of Magical News, which now had a brand new working environment, for the umpteenth time.
The press releases that were previously scattered on the table have been sorted out, but the newly purchased lockers against the wall have not changed much.
Several employees, who were either reporters or editors, were discussing something. In front of them was a particularly large newspaper template, probably layout for tomorrow's news.
Lucius sat back down in the chair by the door.
Before his patience wore thin, a young employee finally called him in.
"Mr. Malfoy, Director Crouch wants you to come in now."
Lucius suppressed his anger and walked towards the newly opened director's office.
The room is not big. Although the walls are white, the overall style is very simple without any unnecessary decorations, giving people a particularly capable feeling.
Old Batty was sitting at a long dark table, seemingly unaware of Lucius's arrival, and was reading people's reviews of "The Daily Life of Warriors".
There was no cutting off of the beginning or the end, no malicious editing, the main point was the truth, and it really caused a great response.
Wizards began to discuss whether it was necessary to improve physical fitness, or the relative merits of magic and combat, or whether pure-blood wizards were naturally superior.
Of course, the comparison between Potter Warriors and Malfoy Warriors is the hottest topic.
"Cough-cough-"
Old Batty put down the thick stack of parchment in his hand and looked up expressionlessly at Lucius who was sitting opposite him.
He frowned slightly, "Mr. Malfoy, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting."
Lucius gave a false smile, "It's okay. I heard that the Magical News Department has been very busy lately. I can afford to wait a few more hours."
Old Batty's frown deepened, and he seemed to be somewhat disgusted with him.
Crouch and Malfoy are both from the Sacred Twenty-Eight Families, so they are more or less related by blood.
But this was the Ministry of Magic, the Department of Magical Information, and Lucius had only one reason to visit.
Old Batty placed his hands on the table and began tapping them gently.
"Mr. Malfoy, please go back. The current Magical News Department has a firm stance and will not modify any content that has been released without reason."
Lucius clenched his hands into fists on his legs, but still maintained a gentle smile on his face.
"Director Crouch, I believe you have also noticed the controversy outside. I think the Warriors should maintain a proper sense of mystery. This will not only make people more looking forward to the Warriors' performance, but also protect the Warriors from external interference to the greatest extent."
The arrogant and domineering side of his beloved son has been completely exposed, and he must be feeling extremely tormented now.
If this affects my performance, or even if something unexpected happens...
Old Batty suddenly slapped his hand hard on the table.
His tone was exceptionally calm. "Mr. Malfoy, we did not distort the facts, nor did we force the warriors to do anything. Everything they did in front of the camera was voluntary."
Lucius' eyes rolled and his face instantly fell, "Director Crouch, I am Draco's father, and I don't want to see my son get hurt."
His acting was so good that his eyes turned red.
However, Barty Sr. kept his straight face, "No exceptions, Mr. Malfoy."
If the soft one doesn't work, then use the hard one.
Lucius's eyes changed and he stared straight at old Batty opposite him.
Just then, there was a knock on the door from outside.
"Come in."
Gary opened the door and walked in. When he saw Lucius, he straightened his back unconsciously.
"Director, Warrior Delacour went back to the carriage to rest after dinner, but I have taken enough footage."
"Yes." Old Batty handed him the thick stack of parchment in front of him, "I have read the public's comments. Today's film will be edited as usual. After we finish filming the daily life of the Krum Warriors tomorrow, you will be responsible for the live broadcast of the game."
"Okay, Director." Gary took the parchment with a happy face and left the office without even saying hello to Lucius.
A small editor-in-chief dared to ignore Lucius. He now completely understood old Batty's attitude.
No matter how tough the tactics are, I'm afraid they won't move this iron-faced and impartial director in front of me.
Instead of continuing to embarrass yourself, it is better to find a way to eliminate the impact.
The hypocritical smile on Lucius's face gradually disappeared, replaced by that familiar arrogance.
"Director Crouch, I want to take over all the advertising space in the Daily Prophet for the next month."
There was a slight change in old Batty's eyes, as if he was mocking or playing with something.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Malfoy."
He quickly returned to his previous expressionless state, "I can't help you with this request. All the advertising space has been taken in advance."
Lucius clenched his fists again, "By whom?"
"Mr. Black."
Him again? !
The anger in Lucius' eyes seemed to be about to burst out at any time, "Director Crouch, when did he get the advertising space?"
Old Batty looked him in the eye calmly, "Just yesterday."
"Huh..." Lucius sneered, "I understand, Chief Crouch."
After this whole day, he finally saw through everything.
What there is no precedent for this, what happened just yesterday, in fact, all of this is false, old Batty simply doesn't like himself.
"I think I should be going, Chief Crouch."
"Please take care, Mr. Malfoy."
Staying here would only be a waste of time, so you'd better stop humiliating yourself.
Old Batty looked at Lucius's leaving back, and a moment of disgust flashed across his eyes, as if he saw a rag that had been soaked in dirty water for a long time.
Maybe it was because of Lucius's former Death Eater identity that he could claim that he was under the Imperius Curse and then pay a large sum of gold Galleons to get away with it? Of course, the old Barty, who hated evil, would not look down on such a person.
……
……
