Moody smmed his e against the floor in frustration. "We were this close to getting answers, and now this! Those bastards acted faster than I expected."

  Minister Bagnold sighed, her expression grim. "It’s a shame, but we did capture five Death Eaters. That’s still a signifit achievement."

  Barty nodded in agreement. "Yes, but letting the big fish slip away leaves a sour taste."

  Minister Bagnold tilted her head thoughtfully. "That Alex Wilson… wasn’t he the same young wizard who helped us capture four Death Eaters during the Christmas ambush two years ago?"

  "That’s him," Moody replied, still pag the room.

  "Civilian heroes, and they’re Muggle-born underage wizards. Isn’t that the kind of hat boosts morale the most?" Millit Bagnold said with a smile as she turo Crouch.

  "True enough, but... what about Dumbledore? He might have objes. Alex is his student, after all," Crouch replied, hesitating.

  "It’s a good thing, not a bad one. What could he possibly objeoody interrupted, his gruff voice loud and firm.

  "I remember Dumbledore wanting to keep things low-key after Alex’s st achievement. He was worried that too much attention might put the kid in danger," Crouch expined, gng at Moody.

  "Hah! That’s old news! The Death Eaters are scattered, and You-Know-Who is gone. What’s there to fear? As for the usual dark wizards, I’m ning, but they’d barely st a minute against Alex. You’ve seen his equipment, haven’t you? Incredible stuff!" Moody ughed, his eyes gleaming with a mix of admiration and envy.

  Millit nodded, her deade. "It seems Moody has plete faith ihen it’s settled. If Dumbledore has questions, I’ll expin. Now, let’s move on. The remainih Eaters will be dealt with in public trials."

  "Yes," Croud Moody replied in unison.

  Meanwhile, Alex was finally meeting with The Daily Prophet reporter Rita Skeeter once again. "Mr. Wilson, I never imagined you’d think of me first after aplishing such a feat. Truly, I’m honored," Rita said, a sly smile curling her lips.

  Rita Skeeter had built her reputation by uhing juicy gossip about celebrities, but today’s events had brought her to the doorstep of real news. The Ministry of Magic had been buzzing with rumors since dawn. Witnesses cimed an underage wizard had single-handedly defeated five Death Eaters, dragging them into the Ministry’s custody.

  Despite the Ministry’s tight security around the i, a tip-off had reached The Daily Prophet. Skeeter, determio sniff out the truth, had spent hours waiting outside the Ministry. To her surprise, she received an invitation directly from Alex Wilson himself.

  Rita adjusted her gsses, her quill poised above a part. "So, Mr. Wilson," she begaement dripping from her voice, "as an underage wizard, you defeated five Death Eaters this m and brought them to their kell me—was it Slytherin ing that gave you the edge? Or could it be that you had an informant among the Death Eaters? Perhaps this was a trap you meticulously prepared?" Her eyes sparkled with the thrill of specution. "Oh, the secrets you must be hiding! This could be the story of the tury!"

  Alex raised a hand, stopping her iracks. He could feel a headache brewing. Skeeter’s imagination ran so wild it was hard to keep up. The quill beside her seemed just as overzealous, scribbling notes as if every word was gospel truth.

  Alex sighed, pulling a folded part from his robes and tossing it lightly onto the table in front of her. Then, from another pocket, he retrieved a small leather poud ha to her. "Here," he said, his tone calm but firm. "Report exactly what’s written on this part. No embellishments, ras. Just follow the script. Got it?" He gestured to the pouch. "That’s 20 Galleons. Your reward."

  Rita blinked, momentarily stunned. She had been paid for stories before, but never like this—direo-nonsense, and with a literal script to follow. "You’re serious?" she asked, clutg the bag to her chest.

  "Dead serious." Alex pulled out a small from his pocket. With a flick of his wand, he transformed it into a tiallic beetle. The resembo Rita’s Animagus form wasn’t lost on her.

  He pced the beetle in her hand, leaning in slightly. "This is just a little token of cooperation. From now on, I’ll tact you through this. Trust me, w with me will make you famous far faster than you ever imagined."

  Rita stared at the metallic beetle, her thoughts rag. How did he know? Her illegal Animagus ability was her most closely guarded secret. "This...?" she stammered, her voiusually hesitant.

  "It’s nothing special. Just a little tri." Alex straightened up and headed for the door. Before stepping out, he turned back to her. "Well? What are you still sitting there for? Isn’t it time for pictures?"

  "Uh, yes, I uand." Rita Skeeter quickly realized Alex had more in mind tha on. She stood up hastily, tug away the money bag aal beetle she’d been fiddling with, her movements unusually flustered.

  In just a few short minutes, Alex had pletely taken the reins of the versation. Rita, usually the one pulling the strings, was now scrambling to keep up—a rare feat sidering her reputation for relentless probing.

  Wheepped out of the room, the two posed for a few polished half-length photos in front of the Ministry's photographer. After that, Rita wasted no time hurrying out of the Department of Magical Law Enfort’s gate. Ministry staff nearby exged curious gnces. “Is that really Rita Skeeter? The same woman who usually interrogates people to death? Why’s she suddenly ag so effit?” otered, bewildered.

  Vanessa, standing nearby on duty, couldn’t help but join in. “Alex, what did you do to her? She was tearing into us earlier like a Niffler in a jewelry shop. Now she’s quiet as a Kneazle sunning itself.”

  Alex shrugged nontly. “Who knows? Maybe deep down, she’s an introvert.”

  Vanessa raised an eyebrow, but before she could press further, Alex smoothly ged the topic. “By the way, Vanessa, I haven’t had the ce to say it yet—gratutions on being a full-fledged Auror. Moody said your internship performance was the best he’s seen in years.”

  Vanessa’s face lit up at the pliment. “Really? That means a lot ing from him. But holy, it’s all thanks to his guidance. Even as a full Auror now, I haven’t had many opportunities for field missioill stuck doing paperwork most of the time.”

  She smirked. “Though let’s be ho, Alex, you’ve pletely stolen the spotlight this time. The Minister specifically told me t you to her as soon as you came out.”

  “Really? Then we’d better not keep her waiting,” Alex said, nodding. As they started walking, he paused, suddenly remembering something. “Oh, Vanessa, I ask you for a favor?”

  “Sure. What do you need?” she replied casually.