Chapter 566: The Lineage of Veela

"Of course my sister will do it!" said Gabrielle excitedly.

"Well, I'll give her an exclusive interview. We can go out and talk. That woman makes me very uncomfortable." Fleur nodded.

Ivan, Fleur, Colin and Gabrielle left the room, ignoring Rita Skeeter behind them.

They didn't go very far, but they came to the Muggle Studies classroom around the corner.

It was much larger than the classroom they were in now, but it was also very cold and there was no one inside.

In the classroom, all the tables and chairs were set up exactly the same as in Muggle Studies.

There was no mural on the wall, but there were a lot of colorful pictures showing Muggle figures and landscapes. At the back of the classroom was a huge bookshelf filled with Muggle books.

Ivan knew that behind that bookshelf was actually a secret passageway leading to the sixth floor bathroom.

The way to enter the secret passage was to put a few large-scale letters in the alphabetical order of "PREFECT".

This classroom was well suited for talking and interviews. Usually no one came except for the class.

Although Ivan was already very familiar with Fleur and Gabrielle, he asked many details according to his previous outline.

Colin took pictures of Fleur. They needed some special close-ups of the champions to publish in the paper.

It was to say that as long as Fleur was willing, she and everyone could get along very well.

Perhaps because everyone knows her, she didn't bring up such disappointing topics as the cold, dark decor and overly savory food at Hogwarts. Instead, she was very cooperative and made jokes with Ivan and Colin from time to time.

About ten minutes later, the classroom door opened and Dumbledore planted himself outside.

"You're obviously here, I have to interrupt you four, the wand-checking ceremony is about to begin, Miss Delacour should be there!" said Dumbledore quietly.

"No problem, Professor, we're done here too!"

They filed out. Ivan gathered his things and walked to the back with Gabrielle.

"My sister just told me that you're the first one to ask about girls like this!" suddenly whispered Gabrielle, who looked at Ivan with a smile, her eyes bent in a charming half-moon- "She wants me to keep an eye on you more!".

Ivan was speechless, and it turned out that the two sisters had just been talking about this in French.

But still, what did it mean to be vigilant? The questions he had asked, though detailed, were only necessary for information.

Dumbledore did not go straight back into the small classroom, but stopped in front of a broom closet on the opposite side.

Just as everyone was wondering what he was going to do, Dumbledore opened the door and stepped inside.

Rita Skeeter and Harry were inside, and Harry looked a little excited.

Apparently, during the time Ivan was gone, Harry, Ron, and Hermione came over as well.

As expected, Rita Skeeter interviewed Harry again, even if he wasn't a champion.

"Dumbledore!" cried Rita Skeeter, with a look of delight. She hastily tucked the quill and parchment into her crocodile-skin bag and buckled it on.

"How are you?" he said, standing up and holding out one of his large, manly hands to Dumbledore. "I hope you saw my article from the summer about the International Confederation of Wizards Conference."

"Charmingly unpleasant," Dumbledore said, his eyes sparkling. "I especially enjoyed your description of me as an absolute prat."

Rita Skeeter didn't seem remotely embarrassed and continued, "I was merely pointing out that some of your ideas are a bit outdated, Dumbledore, and that many wizards out there..."

"I'll be happy to listen to the reasoning behind the rudeness, Rita," Dumbledore said, "but I'm afraid we'll have to discuss the matter later. The wand-review ceremony is about to begin. I don't think you should miss it."

They all returned to the room. Besides Fleur, the other champions were already seated. Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, Mr. Crouch and Ludo Bagman were sitting in their chairs.

Ivan, Harry, Colin and Gabrielle sat next to Hermione, and Rita Skeeter settled in a corner.

She took the parchment out of her bag again, spread it out on her knee, sucked the tip of the Speed Dating Quill, and placed it once more on the parchment.

"Where have you been?" asked Hermione quietly.

"Colin and I went to interview Fleur. Harry must have been called by Rita Skeeter for an interview," said Ivan.

"Don't mention it, that woman is terrible. You didn't see what she was writing!" Harry sighed and said, looking a little agitated, "She wanted to hear my opinion on the tournament, but she didn't write what I said."

"You should have known long ago that she likes to lie," Hermione said sharply, also pulling out her quill. "Remember the Quidditch World Cup report, that is, the article about Mr. Weasley, and what he said about the rumors of several bodies being pulled out of the ruins..."

Hearing her reminder, Harry remembered that as well. He knew he should have refused Skeeter's interview.

Ivan looked at Rita Skeeter. This woman could really make a mess. He had to deal with her as soon as possible.

She seemed to have noticed the look on Ivan's face. Rita Skeeter raised her head and revealed an ugly smile.

No one in the room was talking, but her green pen was still writing.

"Champions, allow me to introduce Mr. Ollivander," Dumbledore said, taking his place at the judges' table and addressing the champions. "He will check your wands to make sure they are in good condition before the tournament."

Ivan then saw an old wizard with large, pale eyes standing silently by the window. It was Mr. Ollivander, who looked as strange as before.

"Mademoiselle Delacour, could you go first, please?" said Mr. Ollivander, stepping into the empty space in the center of the room.

Fleur nodded, approached Mr. Ollivander and handed him her wand.

Mr. Ollivander twirled the wand between his long fingers like a baton and it emitted a series of pink and gold sparks. Then he brought it close to his eyes and examined it carefully.

"Not bad!" he said quietly. "Nine inches... uncompromising... rosewood... and it holds..... oh, my goodness!"

"A hair from a Veela's head," said Fleur, "One of my grandmother's."

Hearing her say that, Hermione was quick to record it.

Although Ivan had said earlier that both Fleur and Gabrielle were a fourth Veela, this was far less impressive than when she herself admitted it.

Ron, in particular, went back to staring at Fleur, seeming very attracted to her.

In Ivan's view, on Fleur's trip to Hogwarts, beyond becoming a champion, she was able to attract the attention of a large number of boys, who were fascinated by her looks, which was probably the only thing that satisfied her.

Such was the Veela bloodline, nature made men infatuated with her magical blood.