𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗸, harry potter

˗ˋ 140

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED
AND FORTY
✧
-: fifth year :-

── IN WHICH HERMIONE AND 
AVIANA PROPOSE A PLAN

. . .

"You want me to report what he says about He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named?" Rita asked Hermione in a hushed voice, completely unable to believe what she was hearing.  

"Yes I do." Hermione said. "The true story. All the facts. Aviana is..." she swallowed, Aviana's eyebrows raised, "...is much more aware of how the Ministry works and what will rattle them the most, so she'll be leading the narrative, however, she will remain unnamed, by her request. And Harry will give you all the details, he'll tell you the names of the undiscovered Death Eaters he saw there - Aviana can back him up - he'll tell you what Voldemort looks like now - oh, het a grip on yourself!" She added contemptuously, throwing a napkin across the table, for Rita had jumped so badly at the sound of Voldemort's name she had slopped half her glass down herself. 

Rita blotted the front of her grubby raincoat, still staring at Hermione. "The Prophet wouldn't print it. In case you haven't noticed, nobody believes his cock-and-bull story. Everyone thinks he's delusional. And how am I supposed to go about providing truth if you won't let me name her? Now if you let me write the story from that angle-"

"Why would we do that?" Aviana snapped. "There have been far too many stories on that already, which is - and you can write this bit down - part of a smear campaign against a fifteen year old boy, orchestrated by the Ministry which clearly should have had other priorities."

Rita had jumped at the chance to write something down. "And what priorities are you speaking of?" She asked, the Quick-Quotes Quill scribbling it down.

"Well, given the news just a couple of weeks ago, I think it goes without saying that I'm talking about the breakout from Azkaban." Aviana rolled her eyes, and Rita opened her mouth again. "And I am not going to speak of my personal feelings on that. However, I will point out that in the past three years, Sirius Black has escaped, Barty Crouch Jr. has escaped, two Dementors found themselves in Surrey, and now a dozen of highly dangerous Death Eaters have escaped. It's clear that the Ministry should have instead prioritised the maximum security prison they supposedly have control over rather than trying to discredit a fifteen year old, who, by the way, is the last person who would want Voldemort to return." 

Rita nodded. "So you believe that the Ministry-"

"Is entirely useless, yes. Now you can stop writing or else I'll squish you." Aviana sat back. "That is one of the narratives you will take. That the Ministry has been so worried about discrediting Harry, which - considering he's a fifteen year old boy - should suggest something about their own beliefs concerning the return, rather than keeping the rest of the wizarding world safe." 

"There's no market for a story like that." Rita said sourly.

"From the daughter of a Death Eater who is more than aware of what her father is doing and is openly dating Harry Potter?" Aviana blinked. "I think there just might be a market for that." 

"Alright, alright." Hermione interrupted before it went any further. "You mean that the Prophet won't print it because Fudge won't let them." She said irritably.