*Rita Skeeter: A Genius Journalist or Mentally Unstable?*
Two days later, an explosive article exposing Rita Skeeter dominated the front page of The Quibbler.
The report revealed that ever since Rita Skeeter began her career as a journalist, she had published numerous articles deliberately distorting the truth.
To uncover hidden secrets and invade the privacy of her interviewees, she resorted to unscrupulous means, even commissioning Dark Wizards to alter her Quick-Quotes Quill.
The modified quill was exposed as a Dark Magic artifact cursed with the Imperius Curse, granting it control over its user. This quill had a mind of its own, adept at twisting statements and adding sensational embellishments.
It was further alleged that Rita herself had fallen victim to the Dark Magic curse, leading to symptoms of mental instability and incoherent ramblings.
Her blatant disregard for facts, such as believing the words of the criminal Peter Pettigrew and fabricating fanciful reports about the gaming console and Jane Yu, was cited as evidence.
The Ministry of Magic was urged to search her residence, as unauthorized possession of Dark Magic items is a serious offense.
St. Mungo's Hospital was also called upon to admit this mentally unstable individual to prevent any potential harm to others.
Moreover, The Daily Prophet was urged to retract her false reports, demand a refund of her fees, and take responsibility for spreading misinformation.
The publication of this article immediately struck a chord with wizards who had been victims of Rita Skeeter's slander in the past.
They flooded The Quibbler with letters, providing evidence to support the claim of Rita's mental instability.
For several consecutive days, the newspaper's front pages were filled with their submissions.
"I was merely wiping sweat off my face during an interview, and she portrayed me as a sobbing coward who couldn't handle failure!"
An outraged Quidditch player wrote in, stating that Rita's report had subjected him to years of ridicule.
"All I did was mutter something about Dementors affecting business, and she accused me of disrespecting the Ministry of Magic and harboring criminals!"
A shop owner from Hogsmeade complained, claiming that Rita's article almost led to a raid on his shop.
"Armando Dippet, Albus Dumbledore... which of these renowned headmasters hasn't been deliberately smeared by her?"
"Freedom of speech is her get-out-of-jail-free card! She uses it as an excuse to make her articles sell!"
"So it turns out she fell into the path of Dark Magic, resulting in her mental instability! That explains her behavior!"
The wizarding community buzzed with discussion.
After a series of corroborating reports, the consensus was clear: the Dark Magic Quick-Quotes Quill had caused Rita Skeeter to develop a mental illness.
This explained why her articles were filled with nonsensical ramblings and blatant fabrications.
Jane Yu and the gaming console were merely unfortunate victims caught in her crossfire.
"Oh dear, how could I have believed Rita's report? I almost wronged an underage child!"
"Calling an invention a Dark Magic item? That's far too abstract!"
Wizards sighed with regret. Many felt both angry at being deceived and guilty, some even sending apology letters to Jane Yu at Hogwarts.
Hearing these comments, Rita Skeeter was livid.
Everywhere she went, she was met with pointing fingers and whispers, as if she were a rat scurrying through the streets, despised by all.
Her competitors in the journalism field rudely snatched away her interview opportunities and advised her to seek treatment at St. Mungo's if she was unwell.
Even her scheduled interviewees canceled their appointments and refused to collaborate with her.
A few days later, a joint statement from St. Mungo's made her situation even worse.
The statement read:
**[The gaming console is not the rumored Dark Magic item. It contains no curses and poses no harm to the human body.
Furthermore, it has preliminarily demonstrated effectiveness in alleviating certain types of mental injuries during clinical trials.
Take the case of Sirius Black, for example. The gaming console has shown promising results in treating the aftereffects of Dementor exposure.
Healers are looking forward to this magical device playing a greater role in patient treatment.]**
The lead healer in Sirius Black's ward, Hippocrates Smethwyck, took the opportunity to educate the public. This healer had already published several papers on Sirius's treatment plan.
"Curses, jinxes, potions, and various magical creatures all have the potential to harm a wizard's mind."
"The chaotic content of Rita Skeeter's reports suggests she may have suffered some form of mental trauma."
"St. Mungo's welcomes all wizards experiencing mental distress, including Rita Skeeter, to try the latest gaming console therapy."
Rita was dumbfounded.
She hastily wrote an article accusing The Quibbler of being the real source of nonsense.
She tried to prove that she did not have a mental illness and did not need to go to St. Mungo's.
But her article was politely rejected by The Daily Prophet.
Barnabas Cuffe looked sympathetically at the reporter, who had apparently suffered mental trauma, and said as gently as possible:
"Ah—Rita, I know you're under a lot of pressure."
"But you can't avoid seeking treatment. Once you're better, you can return to work. After all, nothing is more important than your health!"
The editor-in-chief had recently received a flood of complaints from readers.
They believed that The Daily Prophet had failed to verify its content before publication, which was highly irresponsible.
And if, under such circumstances, Barnabas Cuffe continued to publish Rita Skeeter's articles—
A single spit from each reader could drown him!
After being rejected, Rita took her manuscript to several other newspapers, only to be met with more refusals.
"But I'm a renowned journalist and author!"
She angrily accused the editors of failing to recognize her talent, unaware that her demeanor only reinforced their belief in her questionable mental state.
No newspaper dared to publish her articles under such public pressure.
After being rejected repeatedly, Rita returned home in frustration, realizing that her career had hit an unprecedented roadblock.
Her reputation was utterly ruined! Everyone believed she was mentally ill!
Her career as a journalist was over!
...
Unlike the despairing Rita, Lucius Malfoy at Malfoy Manor was in an exceptionally good mood.
He had been closely following the trajectory of this wave of public opinion.
What he hadn't anticipated was that this foolish journalist would inadvertently provide free publicity for the gaming console!
It was like a pie falling from the sky!
A boon for the commercial development of the Malfoy family!
As for his business partner, Jane Yu...
He believed he had grasped her strategy—
Seizing the opportunity of Rita's attack on the gaming console, stirring public outrage, swiftly garnering support from the entire school, St. Mungo's, and multiple newspapers, clearing their names while redirecting public curiosity towards the gaming console, steering the narrative, and turning public sentiment from low to high—a brilliant marketing maneuver!
Everything was clearly part of her plan!
He must not let her down. He had to capitalize on this wave of attention to build their reputation and jointly construct their commercial empire!
This was the quality an excellent business partner should possess!
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