Chapter 186: Wave effect

As Christmas approached, the festive atmosphere in the castle grew stronger and stronger.

Perhaps because the Sirius Black incident was perfectly resolved, perhaps because the Dementors that had been stationed outside the castle finally left, no matter what it was, this year the Christmas atmosphere at Hogwarts was particularly strong, and people had happy smiles on their faces.

In the Great Hall, Hagrid had chosen 12 huge Christmas trees, and Professor Flitwick used magic to hang small candles and flashing stars on them.

The stars flickered, changing from silver to gold from time to time, and looked extraordinarily spectacular.

The rest of the castle had been set up with the usual magnificent Christmas decorations. Thick streamers of holly and mistletoe were strung along the corridors, mysterious lights glowed from within each suit of armor. A powerful and delicious smell of cooking permeated the halls.

Unfortunately, Ivan, Harry and Hermione were unable to go and see in person.

Madam Pomfrey insisted that the three of them should not leave; they stayed in the infirmary and listened to the people coming to see them about the big changes in the castle.

Apart from Snape, everyone who stayed at Hogwarts had visited them, and Lupin and Hagrid came almost every day.

Even Mr. and Mrs. Weasley had been there, and brought them the latest news of Ron. Ron was recovering very well and should be able to return to Hogwarts after the Christmas vacations.

My only regret was that there had been no sign of Sirius Black.

But the news about him never stopped, in fact, there was almost a furor outside.

At the beginning of the Christmas vacations, people were still berating the Ministry of Magic over the Sirius Black and the Werewolf case, accusing Dumbledore of hiring a werewolf to become a school teacher. The parents of the Slytherin students sent vociferators flying into Hogwarts, and the entire castle was filled with loud echoes.

By the third day of the holidays, the situation began to reverse itself.

It was still an endless stream of owls. This time, there were no more hooting owls, but they were all letters from readers. The owls entered the room one after another and landed in front of the three of them: Ivan, Harry and Hermione. There were so many letters that the room was filling up.

Madam Pomfrey had to use the repelling spell to prevent the owls from entering.

The main reason for this phenomenon was a statement from the Ministry of Magic. Shortly after leaving the school infirmary, Fudge issued this brief statement.

From the statement, people knew that the Ministry of Magic finally caught Sirius Black.

But the outcome was completely different from what they originally thought. Black was innocent, and the culprit was a guy named Peter Pettigrew.

The news, like throwing a huge stone into calm water, instantly detonated the entire magical world, and everyone's interest was mobilized.

The identity of Peter Pettigrew, the truth of the matter, how Peter was arrested at Hogwarts, etc., had become the hottest topic in those days, and there had been much discussion about it in the magic world.

After a brief commotion, people began to explore the details of the incident.

But the statement from the Ministry of Magic was too brief, and even the usually omniscient newspaper "The Prophet" did not have much to give on the matter.

This great event that shocked everyone was very abrupt.

Peter Pettigrew had succeeded in replacing Black, becoming the dark and most evil wizard under Voldemort's hand. But people were shocked to discover that no one knew exactly what he had done, what plot he had planned, and how he was finally captured.

These were all mysteries. Within hours of the Ministry of Magic's announcement, rumors flew throughout the Wizarding World, and there was gossip everywhere.

The names of the Dark Lord, Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew, Harry Potter and Ivan Mason were on every tongue. Every time you walked down Diagon Alley, you could hear everyone talking about them.

Some people said this was related to the truth of Voldemort's failure in the past; others said they had seen Lucius Malfoy's pale face coming out of Fudge's office....

After a brief lull, there was a strong outbreak.

Just when the wizards could not wait, and were ready to spontaneously gather and ask the Ministry of Magic to publicly reveal the truth about the incident, the latest issue of 'The Magic of Hogwarts' newspaper was published.

The wizards who commissioned the paper were delighted to learn that the school newspaper tabloids had detailed reports on the hottest topics in today's magical world.

What's more, they were all first-hand news!

The whole story, the unknown truth between Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, the process of Peter Pettigrew's arrest after being captured by Ivan Mason, and so on. These were all exclusive reports.

One, ten, 100 copies sold, and sales of 'The Magic of Hogwarts' skyrocketed. Orders came in like snowflakes, and people couldn't wait to find out the truth of the matter. Even though Ivan and Lupin were fully prepared, they still printed over 10,000 copies.

With this news and follow-up reports, the circulation of 'Hogwarts Magic' surpassed 'The Daily Prophet' in one fell swoop, becoming the best-selling newspaper in the magic industry.

Under such circumstances, Mr. Barnabas Cuffe, editor-in-chief of the dying 'Daily the Prophet', had written dozens of letters to Ivan, asking for the right to reprint these reports.

Based on the pleasant experience of cooperation in the past and the fact that the other side offered a large amount of galleons, Ivan agreed to let the 'Daily the Prophet' reprint these reports.

But with more time, it had to be a day later than Hogwarts magic.

One day seemed to be short, but it was enough.

Because there was so much to report on Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew, Ivan didn't give the masses everything at once. Wizards who were still dying to know more about the incident were not willing to wait a second, let alone a whole day.

'The Magic of Hogwarts' newspaper was selling more and more, and the wizards who bought it found that its other content, unrelated to Black and Pettigrew, was also really appealing. The opinions provided were really unique, and almost all the reports were exclusive.

The paper was hiring ghosts as special correspondents, and they had exclusive access to knowledge that no one else knew about. This made people more interested in the paper.

Within days, throughout the world of magic, especially in London, with the continued circulation of 'The Magic of Hogwarts', its sales increase stabilized somewhat and it was able to compete with 'The Daily Prophet', gradually becoming one of the most important newspapers.

In other European countries and remote areas, however, the 'Daily the Prophet' continued to spread the truth of the incident by virtue of its channeling advantages.

With Ivan's reports and under the pressure of public opinion, and despite the fact that the Wizengamot had not yet made a final judgment, Sirius Black was no longer a fugitive, but a worthy hero.

Black became the most famous war hero after the Second Magical War.

To adhere to his own beliefs and fight against the most evil dark forces, he had been in Azkaban for 12 years, unseen and unheard. To protect his friendship and protect the only orphan of his friends, he chose to wear the uncomprehending eyes of the world and pursue the evil dark wizard alone.

Black's stories and actions were praised by all and spread at great speed.

At that time when there were no heroes, he was the last warrior to fight evil, a worthy Gryffindor.