Chapter 249

Since the matter had been stated so clearly, Allen could think of no reason to refuse, even though he had no interest in the opportunity for fame the woman had mentioned.

"Very well, it is an honor to share lunch with Minister Mr. Fudge," Allen said, forcing himself to speak.

Mr. Fudge nodded in satisfaction and then, leading the way with Professor Dumbledore, walked toward the Great Hall.

Professor Dumbledore turned his head and gave Allen a reassuring look.

And that woman named Rita Skeeter let out a giggle, which made Allen feel thoroughly uncomfortable.

They did not eat in the Great Hall's main chamber, but went to a small room behind the hall.

Minister Fudge specifically had Allen sit beside him.

Facing a table full of rich food, Allen had little appetite, yet he pretended to be very hungry and buried his head in his meal.

Fudge and Professor Dumbledore began to converse.

"Although I have always followed Mr. Finis's progress, the achievements he has made now still far exceed my expectations," Minister Fudge said unhurriedly. "At only thirteen, he has published over a dozen papers, improved five spells, and become the youngest Animagus on record."

Professor Dumbledore wanted to say something, but was interrupted by a female voice.

"This is all because of the care Minister Mr. Fudge and Hogwarts have shown Mr. Finis, which gave an orphan of Muggle birth the chance to achieve such success." Rita Skeeter suddenly laughed, revealing three large gold teeth.

Allen, who had been eating vigorously on the side, suddenly stopped; he was disgusted by what Skeeter had said and lost all appetite.

Professor Dumbledore's expression also turned stern; he gave Rita Skeeter a cold glance, yet Skeeter's smile did not diminish in the slightest.

"This is mainly the result of Mr. Finis's own efforts," Professor Dumbledore said slowly.

"Mr. Finis's own efforts are very important, but the Ministry of Magic and Hogwarts have also exerted great effort in assisting his studies; this is a classic case of success through assistance," Minister Fudge said smoothly.

Professor Dumbledore raised an eyebrow, offering no comment on Fudge's words.

Fudge paid no mind to Professor Dumbledore's attitude; he looked at Allen and said, "Allen, the Ministry of Magic plans to publicize your deeds to let more people know you, so we would like you to cooperate with the Ministry's publicity work in the near future. What do you think?"

Allen's first reaction was to look at Professor Dumbledore, while Professor Dumbledore was frowning tightly.

"Minister Mr. Fudge, I am only an ordinary young wizard, and I have many classes to attend this term; I truly have no time for any publicity. Many students at Hogwarts are excellent; perhaps someone else should be publicized, such as Percy Weasley, who is very good." Allen only wanted to push this matter away as quickly as possible.

"No wonder you can publish so many papers at such a young age; it turns out you love learning so much," Fudge said appreciatively. Then he shifted his tone. "Although third-year courses are important, I believe that with your intelligence and talent, those courses should not be a problem."

"Moreover, you must understand the great significance of your cooperation with the Ministry of Magic's publicity; your deeds will inspire many young wizards and will prompt them to become as excellent as you," Fudge emphasized, placing a high hat directly on Allen's head.

Allen wanted to refute, but he found Fudge's words very cunning, effectively blocking all angles for his rebuttal; he knew Fudge was using his achievements as his own political merit.

"Mr. Finis's current achievements are truly astonishing, but I feel he should be given more time to study, allowing this genius to produce even more results, rather than wasting time on publicity activities," Professor Dumbledore said, neither soft nor hard.

Minister Fudge's face instantly turned gloomy, but in front of Professor Dumbledore he did not dare to explode, and the atmosphere in the room instantly became oppressive.

"Actually, we are all doing this for Mr. Finis's own good,

and I understand both of your feelings; why don't you both take a step back?" Rita Skeeter smoothly tried to mediate.

"Mr. Finis's studies are very important; he does not need to go to the Ministry of Magic to cooperate with publicity, but he must cooperate with some of the Ministry's publicity work at Hogwarts, work that should, as much as possible, not affect Mr. Finis's studies." Minister Fudge quickly calmed his mood and proposed a compromise.

Professor Dumbledore wanted to say something more, but Fudge immediately spoke again: "The public has the right to know about Mr. Finis's affairs; the Ministry of Magic's annual budget for Hogwarts comes from taxes paid by the public, and Mr. Finis's deeds will let the public know the effect of the taxes they pay."

Professor Dumbledore did not refute Fudge again.

And Minister Fudge waved his hand, and the photographer behind Rita Skeeter picked up a camera, taking photo after photo...

After finally finishing taking the photos, just as Allen thought he was free, he smelled a heavy perfume scent; he did not need to guess that the owner of the perfume was Rita Skeeter.

He had just wanted to escape when Rita Skeeter leaped forward to block him, her thick, fat fingers tightly grabbing Allen's shoulders. "There is still some time before class; I think we can use this time to give you an exclusive interview."

Allen looked at Rita Skeeter helplessly; he had not expected this woman to be so persistently haunting.

"I have wanted to interview you for a long time; I have always been very interested in you." Rita Skeeter pulled him to sit in a corner of the Great Hall, where there were only the two of them.

"Ms. Skeeter..."

Allen was quickly interrupted; this woman was terrifyingly domineering. She waved her wand, and a quick-scribe quill and a roll of parchment flew out of her crocodile-skin handbag.

"Finis, I will use the quick-scribe quill to take notes; you won't object, will you? This way I can free my hands to converse with you normally..."

Before Allen could reply, the parchment had already automatically unfolded, the quick-scribe quill fell vertically upon it, and the nib trembled lightly.

"Hmm, where to begin? Let's start with why you refused to cooperate with the Ministry of Magic's publicity at the Ministry!" she said with a smile; Allen thought the three gold teeth in her mouth were very dazzling.

The long, green quick-scribe quill danced rapidly, pouring out a stream of fluent text:

This interviewee is full of spirit and ambition, looking utterly ambitious; his ambitious appearance stings my eyes. I am not interviewing a genius for the first time, but this interviewee gives me a different feeling; this feeling is strange yet familiar to me; he seems like a young Dark Lord...

Allen looked speechlessly at the text on the parchment growing longer and longer; he had not yet said a single word...

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