Chapter 6 - The Daily Prophet
James Alice and Tom had to wait for another thirty minutes before the librarian had all the old Daily Prophets for them. There were seven stacks each four of five feet high. James and Alice looked at the stacks with looks of fear on their faces. Thomas looked at the stacks with a look of joy on his face. This was going to take hours!
Thankfully the librarian put them in chronological order, so James took the first stack, Alice the second and Tom the third stack.
* * *
It seemed like hours had passed, and James had only found one
really interesting article in his pile. The headline read BREAK IN AT GRINGOTTS: Gringotts Security Breached.
James read the rest of the article.
Yes, you read the headline correctly, there has been a break in at the Wizarding bank, Gringotts, in Diagon Alley. Investigation continue into the break-in at Gringotts on July 31, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown. Gringotts goblins today insisted that nothing had been taken. The vault in question, #713 had in fact been searched and emptied earlier that very same day. 'But we're not telling you what was in there, so keep your noses out if you know what's good for you," said a Gringotts spokesgoblin this afternoon.
James continued to read, but there was nothing in there about his dad.
He kept going through each edition, looking for something that could have something to say about his dad, and he finally came across something.
"Hey guys!" said James, "I found something, listen to this:
ATTACK ON HARRY POTTER: Hogwarts Headmaster tries to cover it up.
As was mentioned earlier this year, someone had tried to break into Gringotts to retreive something from vault #713. It has been brought to attention, that the contents of the vault were indeed the Scorcerer's Stone. Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, took the stone and hid it in the Hogwarts Castle, with safe guards created to protect said stone by Albus Dumbledore himself, and by six other members of Hogwarts staff. Indeed He-who-must-not-be-named was behind this attach, because the Scorcerer's Stone, discovered by Nicholas Flamel, is the sole ingredient needed to make the Elixir of Life. As there have been reports of evil activity around a specific Hogwarts teacher, who is to remain nameless, it is believed that the broken soul of You-Know-Who has attached himself upon said teacher. This teacher, being controlled by You-Know-Who did indeed attack Harry Potter under the Hogwarts Castle, but Harry, by magic unknown, managed to live through an attack from You-Know-Who once again. Albus Dumbledore did indeed manage to get to the battle between the unnamed teacher, and Mr. Potter, and saved him. As far as is known now, Harry Potter is in the Hospital Wing at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry recovering. He is still in critical condition, but, according to Madam Pomfrey, is indeed to live.
"Wow, you guys. This was the second time that my dad survived Voldemort. He never told me about this. So, if my dad hasn't said anything to me about this attack, I wonder how much more I don't know about. Alice, did you find anything in the second pile?" asked James.
"No, nothing really interesting yet. I did see an article about a flying car, but nothing else yet. I'll keep looking."
"Thanks," replied James. "What about you Tom? Have you found anything?"
"Yeah, loads, but they aren't about your dad. The articles are all about Sirius Black and his breakout of Azkaban. Apparently he was a mass murderer. I would suggest to talk to your dad about that one. There is also an article in this pile about how there was a Hippogriff that was supposed to be executed, but managed to escape, and how Sirius Black yet again escaped the Dementors and the Dementor's kiss. I really think you should write to your dad and see what he has to say about all this. Isn't Sirius Black attached to your family some how?" asked Tom.
"Yeah, I'll talk to my dad about all that. Hopefully he'll tell me what really happened, if he knows at all."
"Ok. I've finished with this pile, and I am going to move onto the fourth pile now. But, do you think that maybe we should get Al and Rose to come and help us here. It might go faster if we have some more people looking," suggested Tom.
"Yeah, sure. Why don't you go find them before you move on. Then I'll help Alice go through the rest of her pile," said James.
"Ok, that is fine," replied Tom. "Alice, why is it taking you so long to get through your stack of papers? Are you going through the whole paper, or just the first three pages?"
"The whole paper!" said Alice, a little exasperated.
James and Tom started to snicker, "You only have to look through the first two or three pages. Those are the only pages that have real news on them. If it was something that we were going to be looking for it would probably be on the first page." Tom was trying to be quiet as he laughed, because they were starting to get evil looks from the librarian.
"Oh, well, now you tell me!" huffed Alice.
So, as Tom went to find Albus and Rose, James and Alice continued to go through the old Daily Prophet articles.
Alice and James tried to get through her pile as quickly as possible. After what seemed, again, like hours, James came across something that seemed interesting.
"Look at this," he said to Alice.
CHAMBER OF SECRETS: Fact or Fiction
Yet again Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry has been aflicted by the Slytherin Heir and the Chamber of Secrets has been opened. The last time this happened it was fifty years ago, and the student in question, Rubeus Hagrid, was expelled from the school after a young girl died. This time Hagrid has been taken to Azkaban, yet the Chamber has been opened yet again, and this time a young first year student, Ginny Weasley, has been taken into the chamber. We have been assured that Gilderoy Lockhart knows where the entrance of the Chamber is, and is ready, able, and willing to retreive the young Weasley girl from the Chamber.
"Oh wow, James. Looks like it wasn't just your dad who was famous in this school. Isn't Ginny Weasley your mom?" asked Alice.
"Yeah, she is..." said James in a troubled voice. "Let's keep looking, and see if we can find more on the subject. This can't be all the reporting they did on this event."
It took no longer than five minutes and they had found another article about the Chamber of Secrets.
POTTER A HERO: The Weasley Girl Saved
As was reported, the Chamber of Secrets has been opened yet again. A young first year Hogwarts student, Ginny Weasley, had been taken into the Chamber, and none other than Gilderoy Lockhart was boasting of his intent to save her. However, it seems that Harry Potter, the boy who lived, is the one who is responsible for saving the young Weasley girl. Ronald Weasley, the girls older brother, gives us a first hand report.
'Harry and I knew that it was my sister down in the Chamber, and that Professor Lockhart was going to save her. We went to his office because we had indeed found the enterance to the Chamber of Secrets with the help of our great friend, Hermione Granger, of course. The girl who was killed fifty years ago still lives in the Hogwarts Castle, and is known as Moaning Mertle. She lives in second floor girls lav. Any way, as I was saying, Harry and I went to find Lockhart packing his bags, and so we made sure to take him with us to save my sister. We got to the toilet and Harry, being a parsletongue, opened the chamber, and down the three of us went. Turns out that Lockhart was just a big fake, because he stole my broken wand and tried to do a memory charm on us, but my wand backfired and that is why he has no idea who he is. Well, there was a cave in and Harry and I got seperated. Harry went on to save my sister, and I tried my best to clear the rocks while I waited for Harry. After, oh, I'd say at least an hour, he came back with Ginny, and he had The Sorting Hat and Fawks the Phoienix with him. Fawks then flew us back up the tunnel to the girls toilet, and now we are fine. That is how you are talking to us now.'
So there you have it, folks. Harry Potter is a hero and saved Ginny Weasley from the Chamber of Secrets.
As James was reading the article Tom had returned with Albus and Rose.
"Hey you two. Guess what I found?" asked James.
"What?" asked Rose.
"I found this article about my mom and dad, and your dad, Rose. Your mom was mentioned too, but only in passing," explained James.
"Woah," exclaimed Rose. "Hey, I recognize that car!" Rose was pointing to the article about the flying car. "My dad told me all about that. Him and Uncle Harry had, for some reason, been blocked from the barrier to platform nine and three-quarters, and so instead of waiting for Grandmum and Granddad Weasley they took the flying car, that Granddad had made, and flew it all the way to Hogwarts. They landed the car in the Whomping Willow, and then the car took off. It apparently saved their life too, but dad turns all green when mom brings that up. I still don't know why."
"Our dad is way more cool than he makes himself out to be," said Al.
"No kidding!" said James. "What about these other years? We still have to look through dad's fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh years at school. I wonder what dad really did?" James was more upset with his dad than in awe, like Al, because he would have like to learn all these things from his dad, and not from old newspaper articles. "Does anyone else want to read this article?" asked James.
"Sure!" said Rose and Al at the same time. The two of them took the article from James and went to a different table to read it.
* * *
Tom went through the pile for Harry's fourth year at school, Alice went through his fifth year, James went through his sixth year and Rose and Al went through the seventh year. The five of them realized that as time went on the state of the wizarding world just kept getting worse. Once they had all gone through their piles they each shared what they found. Tom started.
"Ok, so the first real headline that I found that seemed interesting was about the Quidditch World Cup. Didn't you say last year that your dad went to that?"
"Yeah," answered James.
"Well," said Tom, "apparently there was something called the dark mark that was shot up into the sky. You might want to talk to your dad about that too."
"Ok, anything else?" asked James.
"Yeah, loads! There is an article here about your Granddad, although they got his name wrong. I was pretty sure his name was Arthur, right?"
"Yes, that is right," replied Rose.
"Well, here, read this.
FURTHER MISTAKES AT THE MINISTRY OF MAGIC
It seems as though the Ministry of Magic's troubles are not yet at an end, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Recently under fire for its poor crowd control at the Quiddithc World Cup, and still unable to account for the disappearance of one of its witches, the Ministry was plunged into fresh embarrassment yesterday by the antics of Arnold Weasley, of the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office." Arnold Weasley, who was charged with possession of a flying car two years ago, was yesterday involved in a tussle with several Muggle law-keepers ("policemen") over a number of highly aggressive dustbins. Mr. Weasley appears to have rushed to the aid of "Mad-Eye" Moody, the aged ex-Auror who retired from the Ministry when no longer able to tell the difference between a handshake and attempted murder. Unsurprisingly, Mr. Weasley found, upon arrival at Mr. Moody's heavily guarded house, that Mr. Moody had once again raised a false alarm. Mr. Weasley was forced to modify several memories before he could escape from the policemen, but refused to answer Daily Prophet questions about why he had involved the Ministry in such an undignified and potentially embarrassing scene.
"See what I mean?" asked Tom.
"Yes I do," replied Rose. She was really upset about the fact that the newspaper got the name of her Granddad wrong.
"Also," continued Tom, "it seems that there was this thing called the 'Tri-Wizard Tournament' held at the school with two other schools, Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, and Durmstrang Institute. Chosen from Beauxbatons was Fleur Delacour, from Durmstrang was Victor Krum and from Hogwarts was Cedric Diggory, a Hufflepuff, and your dad."
"Fleur Delacour?" asked Rose.
"Yes, I believe that is right... yes," replied Tom.
"That's our Aunt. She married Uncle Bill. Fleur Delacour is Victoire's mother."
"Wow James, your whole family is famous!" said Alice. They were learning so much.
"There is more," said Tom. "Apparently, James, a woman named Rita Skeeter seems to think that your dad was in love with Rose's mom. It says so right here.
Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevey, says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of one Hermione Granger, a stunniingly pretty Muggle-born girl who, like Harry, is one of the top students in the school...
"And then it continues more down here in this article,
A boy like none other, perhaps - yet a boy suffereing all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love ever since the tragic demise of his parents fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girl firned at Hogwarts Muggle-born Hermione Granger...
Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Victor Krum, Bulgarian seeker and winner of the snitch in the last Quidditch World Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys affections...
"That is a load of dragon dung," said Rose. "I've asked my mom, and she says that she has always loved my dad. And, I asked her about Uncle Harry too, and she said she only ever loved him as a friend. This Rita Skeeter woman doesn't know what she is talking about. She didn't even get my Granddad's name right. I don't like her!" Rose was getting all worked up.
"THAT'S ENOUGH!" yelled James. He was so upset that his father was not the one to tell him about all these events in his life. "I don't want to hear any more. I am going to write to my dad, tonight, and hear what he has to say about the events of HIS life."
Alice and Tom were a little taken aback about the whole situation. They couldn't believe that James was getting so upset. These things were really cool, that Harry had done in his life. Alice, specifically, thought that James would be proud of his father, not upset with him.
Rose and Albus, on the other hand, understood James completely. They, too, were upset about finding out about Harry's life through the Daily Prophet.
"Excuse me?" Rose said to the librarian. "Would you like us to put these away?"
"Vat's fine, dear," the librarian replied. "If I do it me self, it'll be done pro'erly." She shooed the five students away from the piles of newspapers, and with a wave of her wand they started to float over to where they belonged.
The five of them walked silently (the long way) back to the Gryffendor common room. They were so busy going through the Daily Prophet articles that they missed lunch, and they were all starving. It was not long until dinner, so they decided to go clear their heads.
James was thinking about what he was going to say to his dad. He didn't want to seem angry, even though he was, because he wanted his dad to be truthful with him. Everything he started in his head just didn't sound right. He would have to wait for a little while, and cool off from his anger. Hopefully a nice meal in the great hall would calm him down and clear his head.
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