Walton McNeill of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement was Perkin's uncle.
Rita Skeeter was a notorious journalist, highly adept at inventing facts and churning out sensational, highly controversial articles.
Dolores Umbridge, naturally, held a grudge against Damian from his last trip to Hogsmeade Village. Back then, she had been the head of the Office for the Disposal of Dangerous Magical Objects.
Now, she seemed to have been transferred and demoted. Who knew whether Damian's earlier troublemaking had anything to do with it?
A lineup like this clearly spelled trouble.
Damian glanced at the blonde reporter, who had already produced her Quick-Quotes Quill and a roll of parchment. With this mistress of incitement, slander, and distortion present, whatever he said would doubtless be twisted into the exact angle they wanted.
Rita Skeeter noticed his guarded look and smiled revealingly. "Rest assured, this Quick-Quotes Quill will faithfully record everything asked and answered today. I shall write an article based on this material to inform the public of the absolute truth."
Damian said flatly, "I'm injured and can't get out of bed. I can only receive your 'interrogation' sitting right here."
The parchment before Rita Skeeter unfurled of its own accord. The pale-green Quick-Quotes Quill landed on it, instantly standing upright and writing automatically:
"The Quidditch match held at Hogwarts presents enormous safety hazards. The unfortunate student Damian Black was badly hurt when his broom exploded; he has now lost the ability to move about freely. When Ministry officials arrived to offer condolences, he expressed strong dissatisfaction—though this resentment is presumably aimed at the derelict Hogwarts authorities…"
Umbridge paid no attention to Damian's cold attitude; her visit was merely a formality. Rita Skeeter's forthcoming article would undoubtedly claim Hogwarts was rife with hidden dangers.
Umbridge, in her syrupy, girlish voice, simpered, "It isn't an 'interrogation,' Mr. Black. We've simply come to express our sympathy and to ask you about what happened."
She produced a small crystal ball. "Don't worry about any pressure from the school. From this moment on, no images or sounds here will be officially recorded."
Damian immediately knew Umbridge was actually guarding against him, ensuring there was no evidence of their twisted questioning.
"Was the broom you rode yesterday taken directly from the school broom storage?" she asked.
Damian gave a curt nod.
The Quick-Quotes Quill furiously continued writing:
"Damian Black remained notably silent while being questioned by Ministry officials. Was it pressure from the school? Perhaps someone threatened him? After all, he still has years left at Hogwarts; his compliance is understandable…"
Damian glanced at Rita Skeeter's quill. He had barely spoken a word, yet the blasted thing had already filled half a page.
"According to the professors' investigation, the broom fragments contained a highly unstable Magic Resistance Liquid," Damian said bluntly. "It was deliberate sabotage."
"And the person who tampered with the broom was Perkin McNeill," he added, staring directly at the Ministry wizard. "The professors have already confirmed it with him."
Walton McNeill, who had been completely silent until now, cleared his throat self-importantly.
"On that point, our inquiries show that Perkin McNeill only confessed under intense, coercive pressure from the teachers."
"The Ministry is still investigating," McNeill continued smoothly. "The Department of Magical Education and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement have formed a joint task force to look into the matter."
Damian sneered internally. He was certain that with these corrupt officials on the case, they would still be 'investigating' years from now.
The auto-quill sprang into motion again:
"According to eyewitness Damian Black, to protect its reputation, Hogwarts forced an innocent student present to shoulder the blame, believing this would let them sleep easy. Will the Ministry allow such a gross miscarriage of justice? The Department of Magical Education and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement have formed a joint task force; the truth will soon be returned to the public…"
Damian grew irritated. His dark premonition was proving entirely correct. Now that these people were involved, Perkin McNeill would never see the inside of Azkaban.
Damian cut Umbridge off before she could speak again. "I'm tired. My injuries haven't healed, and I need rest. This questioning ends here."
Umbridge squeaked in that sickeningly sweet voice, her wide, toad-like face turning pink. "How dare you! We are Ministry officials investigating a serious incident. You will answer our questions properly!"
The Quick-Quotes Quill scribbled frantically:
"Damian Black has rejected the Ministry's help with extreme prejudice. What could have driven him to this tragic state? He needn't worry; the Ministry will be his staunchest backer—so long as he cooperates, he will be treated fairly…"
Before the quill could finish its fabricated sentence, an invisible force suddenly crushed it. The parchment beneath it was simultaneously shredded into useless, tiny scraps.
Moments earlier, Damian had quietly channeled his runic magic to cast an Invisible Hand. The trio had noticed absolutely nothing.
Destroying the quill and parchment now wouldn't stop Rita Skeeter from writing her distorted story once she returned to her office. But it certainly didn't stop Damian from ridding himself of the two intensely irritating objects.
The sudden turn of events left the three adults momentarily stunned, staring blankly at the debris scattered across the floor.
Recovering their wits, they immediately realized someone had interfered. All three turned their glaring eyes toward Damian.
Damian looked back with a perfectly innocent expression. "Looks like your Quick-Quotes Quill and parchment weren't of very good quality."
Rita Skeeter snapped out of her daze, her jeweled glasses flashing. "My quill! That was a limited-edition Order of Merlin commemorative piece!"
Damian sighed in mock regret. "What a pity. I rather wanted one for myself."
Rita Skeeter's face flushed scarlet with rage. However, none of them had seen Damian use a wand, nor had they felt any traditional magical fluctuations. There was no concrete proof they could pin on him.
Damian said nothing more, closing his eyes to dismiss them. The three officials had no reason or excuse to stay, forcing them to turn and leave.
Walton McNeill brought up the rear. Before stepping out of the ward, he paused, leaning close to Damian's bed.
"If you accept the friendship of the McNeill family," the older man murmured smoothly, "you'll reap a rich reward."
Damian gave him a sideways glance, replying at an unhurried, measured pace. "That depends on the reward. Say... sending Perkin McNeill to Azkaban?"
Walton McNeill's face darkened instantly. "Ungrateful wretch."
He aggressively flicked his heavy wizard robes and stalked out the door, slamming it behind him.
Once the tiresome trio was finally gone, the ward returned to silence.
Damian stared at the ceiling, hoping Dumbledore would show some actual backbone. At the very least, the Headmaster needed to officially expel the culprit so Damian could deal with the boy outside the protective wards of the school...
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