Harry Potter and the Hidden Treasure (Volume 3)

Chapter 564 ~~ Wand Inspection And Interview.~~

After the Potions class, Gabrielle went to the library to study with Evan in the afternoon.

They encountered Hermione there, and to Evan's surprise, Gabrielle and Hermione hit it off very well. They often discussed homework together and shared information about Hogwarts and Beauxbatons. Or they simply excluded Evan and whispered among themselves.

Evan couldn't make out a word from those girls' conversation. Many times, he felt as if they were talking about him, as they would glance at him with a smile.

But it was undeniable that their relationship was progressing very rapidly, even quicker than Evan and Gabrielle's.

Later, Hermione took the lead to bring Gabrielle to the Gryffindor Common Room and introduce her to everyone.

Gabrielle's character was very pleasant. She was well-received by almost everyone and integrated into the Gryffindor House atmosphere.

The boys were curious about her sister Fleur, her hobbies, and more.

Evan doubted that if these boys knew Fleur's character, they wouldn't like her as much as they did now.

When they escorted Gabrielle back to the carriage at night, Evan and Hermione bumped into Fleur several times.

The content of those conversations was quite irritating, like hearing Fleur complain that Hogwarts was too cold and the food was too greasy. In short, she didn't fully adapt to life at Hogwarts and didn't enjoy being there.

This worsened Hermione's impression of her, and later she even stopped approaching the Beauxbatons carriage.

Like Fleur, Ron could no longer bear life at Hogwarts.

After becoming a champion, his life underwent tremendous changes. From being an unknown person, he suddenly became the center of everyone's attention, and all his actions were being scrutinized.

This transformation was something not everyone could adapt to, especially because, apart from Gryffindor, Ron was not accepted by any other house.

There was malice towards him from everyone now. Small things and mistakes that might have gone unnoticed before could now be magnified to become topics of conversation in school at any time and be used as reasons to ridicule Ron or compare him with the outstanding Cedric occasionally. This feeling was indeed unpleasant.

Being a champion was an opportunity for Ron, but also a challenge.

As things stood, Ron had not been performing well, and doubts started to emerge about him even within Gryffindor.

However, Ron didn't care about this; he felt content with himself.

He was in a much better position than Harry when he became a champion in the original plot. At least Evan, Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley family supported him. He didn't dream of things like Voldemort, didn't feel pain from scars, and didn't have issues with meeting Sirius.

However, on Friday morning, Ron and Harry got into a fight with Malfoy.

The reason was that Malfoy was inspired by Hermione's S.P.E.W. badges, made badges to support Cedric Diggory over Ron, and all Slytherin students were wearing them proudly.

This fight was very intense. Due to being outnumbered, Harry and Ron were severely injured.

Ultimately, due to Snape's intervention, Gryffindor lost a hundred points, and Harry and Ron were also punished with a week of detention.

Ron looked angry, ready to get back at Malfoy and teach him a lesson.

However, in Evan's opinion, instead of getting entangled in this senseless fight with Malfoy, it would be better for him to learn a few more spells.

"They should stay calm, Malfoy did that intentionally to provoke us!" Hermione exclaimed at lunchtime.

Hermione had been discussing Magic at Hogwarts with Evan in the morning. They arrived a bit late and missed the fight.

"Intentionally provoking us?!" Harry said indignantly. "He's really good at that! His purpose has been fulfilled!"

"I really want to learn that spell from Professor Moody and turn Malfoy into a huge weasel," Ron said.

He pulled out his wand and waved it like Moody, sending out a spark.

"Put your wand away, and don't forget you need to inspect it this afternoon," Hermione looked at Ron disapprovingly.

Ron murmured something and stowed away his wand.

Given that wands were the foremost tools for the champions in the tournament, they needed to ensure they were entirely functional, whole, and unblemished.

Professor McGonagall had just arrived to inform them that according to the agreement between the Ministry of Magic and the school, Mr. Ollivander would inspect the champions' wands this afternoon.

At that moment, the champions would also be interviewed by the media.

In fact, Evan had known about it for two days. He had received a letter from Professor Lupin.

In addition to the Daily Prophet, the Ministry of Magic had also invited Magic Hogwarts for this special interview.

Currently, many were accusing the Ministry of Magic of inaction due to the attacks during the World Cup and the unfavorable handling of vampires. The Ministry hoped to highlight the upcoming tournament and divert public attention.

Under the guidance of Professor Lupin, Magic Hogwarts, founded by Evan, was now the second-largest newspaper in the British magical world after the Daily Prophet, and its influence could not be ignored.

Naturally, this interview task fell upon Evan, Harry, Hermione, and Colin.

Professor Lupin had originally intended to send someone to assist, but Evan declined. He thought they could handle it well.

This morning, Evan was discussing this with Hermione, and they would both complete the report. They already had a general idea, and Harry and Colin would be in charge of filming.

After lunch, Evan and Colin, who had no afternoon classes, briefly returned to the dormitory, grabbed the camera, and arrived early at the room on the first floor.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had Defense Against the Dark Arts class, and it would take them some time to arrive.

When the two entered, there were already some people inside.

It was a rather small classroom, and most of the desks had been pushed back, leaving a spacious area in the center; however, three of them had been placed side by side in front of the chalkboard and covered with a long velvet cloth.

Several chairs had been placed behind the velvet-covered desks, and Evan saw that Fleur and Gabrielle were already seated there.

They were whispering in French, their long silver hair gleaming in the sunlight with a dazzling luster.

Cedric and Krum had not yet arrived. In front of the desks, Ludo Bagman was conversing with a witch dressed in magenta robes.

"Ah, Evan, there you are!" Upon seeing Evan, Bagman approached swiftly. "I am delighted that both your newspaper and the Daily Prophet have accepted the Ministry of Magic's invitation to cover the tournament. Allow me to introduce Rita Skeeter, do you know her?"

Evan shook his head. It turned out that this woman was Rita Skeeter!

Her hair was styled in elaborate curls, oddly stiff, which starkly contrasted with her pronounced jawline. She wore jewel-encrusted spectacles. The thick fingers clutching her crocodile-skin bag ended in two-inch-long nails painted a peculiar crimson, resembling the talons of some kind of beast.