Chapter 918 On the eve of the war
In recent days, Knockturn Alley has become extremely lively due to an article in the Daily Prophet.
The place that was originally deserted and empty, where no one could be seen for days, is now even busier than the Diagon Alley next door.
Especially in front of the Borgin and Burke shop, which was mentioned prominently, sneaky people wearing black hoods can be seen everywhere.
They all came here for their own purposes, but without exception, none of them saw the owner of Borgin and Burke's.
Although the store was open, there was no one inside and it felt chilly when I walked in.
It was as if someone had cast a powerful curse magic here.
Many of the people who came this time were dark wizards. No one knew more about curse magic than them. They dared to conclude that something must have happened in Borgin and Burke's, so it was better not to get close.
But since it was a rare trip, they didn't want to go back in disgrace, so they lingered nearby, waiting for an opportunity that might arise.
Of course, not everyone could be patient, and there were quite a few people who broke into Borgin and Burke's, but most of these wizards never came out again.
Occasionally there are one or two who are lucky enough to have some parts obviously missing. It is normal to have broken arms or legs.
Only then would people remember that this was not a cold drink shop in Diagon Alley, but a genuine dark magic shop.
Such places usually hide huge dangers, and it is not uncommon to occasionally display customers as commodities.
Or perhaps this is also a unique purchasing channel for black magic store owners.
Gradually, few people dared to go to Borgin and Burke's store.
So they turned their attention to the reporter who wrote the report. Since she disclosed so many details in the Daily Prophet, she must know more.
After all, newspapers have limited space and it is impossible to write all the content. Some unknown exclusive news is what they want.
Perhaps they could also infer where the mysterious wizard holding the crown had gone from some inconspicuous details.
But what is strange is that.
The reporter who wrote that story, Rita Skeeter, has been missing since the Daily Prophet was sent out.
A man left the newspaper office, and even the Ministry of Magic couldn't find any trace of him.
She hadn't used the Floo, the Portkey, or Apparated, or even taken the Knight Bus; she had simply vanished without anyone knowing where she was.
Oh no, I should say most of them don’t know.
In a small, shabby wizard pub in Wiltshire, Rita Skeeter hid herself in a large hooded cloak and trembled with excitement.
"Too crazy, too crazy..." She said incoherently, "You are really a genius. You can fool so many people with just a few words, including the person whose name cannot be mentioned.
"Did you see that? Old Borgin was being tortured. He was no pushover. He had no chance to fight back against He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.
"To be honest, I was almost exposed. I swear that man looked into the cracks in the bricks where I was hiding... He must have noticed something. How scary, isn't it?"
Rita Skeeter chattered on and on, pouring glass after glass of wine into her mouth. Thinking of those scarlet eyes, she couldn't help shuddering and drank the remaining half bottle of brandy in one breath.
Although it was indeed dangerous at the time, it was also really exciting...
Not to mention that she had obtained first-hand exclusive information. Who else could hide under the nose of the mysterious man except her, Rita Skeeter... No one, no one could do it except her.
Rita Skeeter sat there in a daze, feeling an indescribable sense of contentment.
"Yeah, it's scary," Kyle, who was sitting next to her, said softly.
“By the way, how did you come up with this idea?” Rita Skeeter couldn’t help but ask curiously, “With just a fake crown, the entire wizarding world was thrown into chaos, and even that man came out… We became household names overnight.
"Damn it, why didn't I think of this idea before? This is much more useful than publishing gossip about old wizards."
"Fake crown?" Kyle raised his eyebrows, stretched out his hand, and a silver crown appeared in his hand.
"Who told you this was fake?"
On the front of the crown is a raven with its wings spread, and in the middle is a huge blue gem that sparkles brightly even in the dim environment.
"Of course it's fake. Everyone knows that the real crown has been lost for thousands of years..."
The closer she looked at the crown, the quieter Rita Skeeter's voice became.
Something is wrong, this thing doesn't feel... fake.
She was not an ignorant witch. On the contrary, as one of the most popular (?) reporters of the Daily Prophet, she had visited the homes of many important people.
Although it was not through formal channels, at least she went there and saw many precious magical items.
This crown gave her the feeling of a mysterious vortex of magic that attracted everything, including magic.
This doesn't look like a fake...
Rita Skeeter's throat moved and cold sweat began to appear on her forehead.
Could it really be the Ravenclaw crown... she thought subconsciously.
In a way, she hoped this was true. The reappearance of the Ravenclaw Diadem, which had disappeared for a thousand years, was a good gimmick that could dominate the front page of the Daily Prophet for many days in a row.
And she herself can also stand out because of this.
But the premise is that this thing appears in a safe place, such as Hogwarts, or the Ministry of Magic...
This kind of reporting will allow her to take full advantage.
But the current situation is that this thing is not in a fixed place, and everyone is looking for it.
In this case, she, as an insider, is in danger.
Those wizards who have ideas about the crown will find her and will use various means to force more information from her, including the person whose name cannot be mentioned.
Thinking of the treatment that old Borgin had suffered before, Rita Skeeter suddenly lost her composure and looked around stiffly with fear in her eyes.
It seemed as if the people around them would suddenly jump up and kill them on the spot in the next second.
"Don't be nervous, they won't notice us." Kyle continued to stroke the crown.
Rita Skeeter then realized that although there were people coming and going around, no one seemed to notice the crown in Kyle's hand and they were completely ignored.
"Is this true?" Rita Skeeter asked in a dry voice.
"Otherwise," Kyle said matter-of-factly, "A fake crown can't fool the You-Know-Who."
Rita Skeeter shuddered.
"You were quite calm before, weren't you?" Kyle glanced at her. "You even dared to watch You-Know-Who interrogate Borgin up close. How could you not be scared at that time?"
"No, it's different..." Rita Skeeter poured herself another large glass of wine.
The crown was fake, and if she got caught, the most she could do was apologize, and the matter would be over in two days.
Anyway, this isn't the first time she's published such a sensational article, and she might not even need to apologize.
But if the crown is real, she becomes a mobile vault key, how can it be the same!
Rita Skeeter drank more rapidly, trying to numb herself that way.
Kyle watched from the side without stopping her until she could not drink any more. Then he slowly said, "Go on. They have worked so hard to find the crown. We should give them some more clues."
"I won't do it!" Rita Skeeter refused without hesitation. "Damn it, if I had known this was true, I wouldn't have helped you with that favor before."
"That's fine." Kyle sighed. "Tell me, if they knew that Rita Skeeter's Animagus was a beetle, how long would it take them to find you?"
"you……"
"Also, do you think that if I cancel the concealing magic now, will they try to snatch the crown?" Kyle looked at the wizards around him who were hiding their heads and faces and were obviously not good people.
He casually pressed the tiara into Rita Skeeter's hands, then smiled, picked up the wand and stroked it gently.
"How can I help you?" Rita Skeeter blurted out, the drunkenness in her eyes gone.
"A wise choice." Kyle put down his wand.
"Damn it." Rita Skeeter glared at Kyle indignantly. "I helped you so many times, and you actually threatened me!"
"How about an exclusive interview as compensation," Kyle said.
"What interview?"
"It's hard to say now." Kyle thought for a moment, "But I will definitely not let you down."
"I'll trust you again," said Rita Skeeter through gritted teeth.
It seemed that she had no other choice now. If she agreed, she could at least get some benefits. If she didn't agree, she would get nothing. Rita Skeeter certainly knew what to choose.
And...after getting the crown, she was even more certain that it was the real thing.
She felt her heart beating faster and faster, and she couldn't help but want to put on the crown. As long as she put on this crown... she would inherit the wisdom of Ravenclaw and become the smartest person in the world.
As long as she wears the crown, she will be able to write articles that everyone can't stop reading...
"I advise you not to do this."
In a trance, Rita Skeeter seemed to hear Kyle's voice, and she found that she had raised the crown in front of her eyes and was just a little bit away from putting it on.
"How about giving it a try?" she suddenly thought.
Ravenclaw's diadem is worth wearing just once.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Kyle's voice came again, as if he could see through what she was thinking.
In fact, this is not difficult. Everyone who wins the crown almost has the same idea. It is really easy to guess.
"I know what you're thinking." Kyle continued, "Why don't you guess why I don't wear it, or do you think I don't know that this crown can bring wisdom?"
Rita Skeeter was stunned for a moment. Yes, if this was true, why didn't Kyle wear it?
"I can only say that the crown brings wisdom, but it is also a curse. I even suspect that except for Ravenclaw, anyone else who wears the crown will be tortured crazy by it."
Rita Skeeter didn't understand what Kyle meant by this. She just felt her hand lighten and the crown disappeared.
This caused her to feel a huge sense of disappointment.
Take it back... She couldn't help but have this thought, but her remaining rationality told her that it was better not to do so.
"How can I help you?" Rita Skeeter asked again, trying to distract herself at the same time.
"Just like before, write another article and tell them that the crown has appeared again." Kyle said, "Oh, and remember to add your feelings this time, that is, how you felt when you got the crown just now."
