bacchusnovels Chapter 227 A three-foot layer of ice doesn't form in a single day.
Chapter 227 A three-foot layer of ice doesn't form in a single day.
Chapter 227 (Bonus Chapter) Rome wasn't built in a day.
"Photography ready, interview ready, recording ready, the interview will officially begin in one minute!"
In the headquarters of The Daily Prophet, Rita stood in front of the mirror, adjusting her business attire.
Meanwhile, the team members around him were busy but organized, making final preparations for the interview:
Photographer Jack adjusted the camera angle to ensure every detail was perfectly captured; sound engineer Lily carefully checked the equipment to ensure flawless sound quality; and intern Tom nervously organized the interview outline, afraid of missing any important questions.
The interviewee is Amelia Borns, the recently much-discussed Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.
The implementation of the Ministry of Magic's new policy a few days ago quickly attracted widespread attention in the magical world and became a hot topic of discussion.
You can hear people discussing these things anywhere—in Pighead Bar, Diagon Alley, or even on a dirt bus.
Some people support the new policy, believing it will bring positive changes to the wizarding world; while others have reservations, worrying that the new policy may trigger a series of unpredictable consequences.
Public opinion on the Ministry of Magic's new policies is divided, presenting a stark contrast.
Sean originally thought the ratio of support to opposition would be roughly three to seven, with most wizards holding reservations or opposing the new policy.
However, with the implementation of the new policy and a series of related events, public opinion seems to have changed dramatically, with voices of support and opposition now almost evenly matched.
This is understandable, as three more wizards have tragically died in their homes this morning, casting a shadow of unease and panic over the entire society.
People began to question whether the existing Ministry of Magic policies were ineffective in protecting their lives, and whether a new, more powerful policy was needed to maintain social order and safeguard the lives of wizards.
Against this backdrop, some wizards have begun to be willing to sacrifice some rights that they originally considered important but were invisible and intangible, such as certain traditional freedoms or privacy rights, in exchange for stronger safeguards to ensure the safety of their own lives and the lives of others.
They believe that in the face of life, some individual rights become less important, and the overall safety and stability of society are the most crucial factors.
In summary, the magical world is currently in complete chaos.
At this moment, the editor-in-chief was giving Rita a final reminder of the things she needed to pay attention to during the interview that day—she not only had to ask Director Burns key questions on behalf of the Daily Prophet's readers, but also had to ensure that the interview would provide the public with a window into the Ministry of Magic's decision-making process.
"Thirty seconds, everyone to your positions!" the assistant on the sidelines reminded them again, and the atmosphere in the team became even more tense, with everyone holding their breath.
Rita returned to her interview position.
Amelia, sitting opposite her, confirmed, "We'll be discussing the long-term impact of this change at the Ministry of Magic, right?"
"If we have time left after discussing the immediate impact of the changes, we will do so," Rita said with a professional smile.
A flicker of hesitation crossed Amelia's eyes. She seemed about to say something more; her lips parted slightly. "I don't think so..."
1
However, before she could finish speaking, Rita swiftly and decisively interrupted her.
"Ms. Burns, I am conducting this interview on behalf of the British wizarding community, so I will not disclose the interview content beforehand. This is to ensure the authenticity of the interview and to be responsible to the public," Rita said righteously.
"Keep quiet, ten seconds left!" said the assistant on the sidelines.
"ten!"
"Nine!"
3
"three!"
"two!"
"—!"
"start!"
"Good morning! Is the Ministry of Magic watching you? To be more precise..." Rita began the interview setup in front of the camera.
Upon hearing her words, Amelia on the other side was first taken aback, then showed an incredulous expression, but due to being on camera and her long-cultivated political expression management, she quickly regained her composure and stared blankly at Rita.
Sure enough, she knew that Phillips's initiative in contacting her for an interview with the Daily Prophet was not for good reasons.
Meanwhile, Rita was still talking to the camera.
"Do you know that the Ministry of Magic is building a database about you?" Rita said, shaking her head. "And they've given it a seemingly harmless name—the British Wizarding Information Database."
"With just a click, any employee working at the Ministry of Magic can access any information about you, including where you were born, where you went to school, what grades you got in various subjects... every single detail of your life is available."
Amelia's complexion was no longer able to remain unchanged.
Although Rita was telling the truth, she could have used more tactful language, or even... omitted these trivial matters.
"And this Ministry of Magic employee who can do all of the above happens to be your neighbor. People are increasingly concerned about the powerful 'extreme weapon' that the Ministry of Magic has acquired due to the recent series of murders, and the person wielding this big stick is Ms. Amelia Bornes, the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement."
The camera then slowly pans to Amelia, taking a close-up of her face, and then snaps a picture.
"Director Bones, are we contributing to an extreme Ministry of Magic?" Rita asked, her eyes fixed on Amelia.
Amelia pursed her lips. "I'm glad you asked that question." A smile appeared on her face as she finished speaking.
"Then, Director Burns, may I get an answer to this question?" Rita persisted.
Amelia puffed out her chest and crossed her arms. "Of course, I was just about to answer, if it's alright..."
Her thumbs unconsciously rubbed together. "As I said, I'm glad you asked that question because..." Her lips twitched slightly.
"Many people are asking this question, why is that?"
She paused.
"Because everyone wants to hear the details."
She hoped Rita would give her a reply so she could skip this embarrassing question, but unfortunately, Rita remained unmoved.
"Let's not beat around the bush."
"The obvious fact about this issue is..."
"It is indeed extremely important."
As she spoke, she nodded and looked at the ceiling.
There was nothing there.
She then continued, "The public has the right to know about this."
"But Director Borns, we still haven't heard any details." Rita smiled upon seeing this.
She hadn't expected the enemy to be so easily defeated.
Amelia feigned confusion. "Excuse me, what's the question?"
"Okay, let's say I angered you during the interview. How do I know you won't go back to your office, tap a button, and pull up my profile...?"
"No, no..." Amelia shook her head hurriedly. "Ms. Skeeter, this is not how our Ministry of Magic operates."
"If this database isn't used for this, then what is it used for?"
"Well..." Amelia was momentarily speechless. She loosened her grip and placed her hands on either side of the chair. After thinking for a moment, she replied, "You see, this is a very interesting question... It's used to preserve information, speed up the operation of the Ministry of Magic, protect the safety of ordinary wizards and the general public, and filter out those dark wizards... This is a huge step forward."
"But, Director Bones, since you've collected our information, you'll need it someday." Rita seized on the loophole in Amelia's words.
"That...is not necessarily true." Amelia's hand unconsciously gripped the armrest.
"So, you've gone to so much trouble, wasted so much manpower, and consumed so much of the wizards' time?"
"Collect our information but never use it?" Rita leaned forward slightly.
Amelia leaned back so much that she sank into the chair. "No...yes...no," she stammered, "there will be safety measures."
"for example?"
The editor-in-chief whispered in Jack's ear, who was holding a camera, "Zoom in, give it to Director Burns, she's dodging Skeeter's questions."
Meanwhile, Amelia was still explaining.
"We will consider all possibilities. Of course, this is a very complicated matter; Rome wasn't built in a day."
"Everything regarding the security measures is still under review, but this will take some time..."
"Excuse me, Director Burns, who am I speaking to? Is it the Director of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic and the head of the British Wizarding Information Database?" Rita's words suddenly turned sharp.
"We haven't even discussed the security measures I mentioned yet..." Amelia hesitated for a moment, "For example, I..."
The editor-in-chief, standing off-camera, gave Rita a thumbs-up.
As expected, entrusting this important interview to Rita proved to be the right choice.
If the interview can successfully spark widespread public discussion and arouse readers' curiosity and resonance, then the sales of this issue of "The Prophet's Daily" will naturally increase significantly, and may even set a new sales record.
Setting a new sales record also means... a lot of Galleons in bonuses.
At this moment, Rita was making a final summary of the interview.
"It seems we'll soon need a large pack of watchdogs. Nevertheless, I'm very grateful to Director Burns for taking the time out of his busy schedule to grant this interview to the Daily Prophet."
After saying that, Jack put down his camera, and Rita looked at Amelia beside her. "How was it? I feel that today's interview went very well."
"My performance seems to have been poor," Amelia said somewhat sarcastically.
"No," Rita looked sincerely at Amelia, "Director Bones, your 'Tai Chi' was superb."
The interview quickly appeared on the front page of the Daily Prophet the following day.
More accurately, not the front page, but the entire newspaper.
The entire newspaper article consisted almost entirely of conversations between Rita and Amelia during the interview.
Every so often, there's a magical animated GIF that Jack filmed.
This effect amazed the readers of this issue.
However, that's not the point.
The key point is that after this report was released...