Chapter 540: In the News (Edited)

After Voldemort's resurrection, he summoned his former followers and purged the traitors, which didn't disturb the peaceful sleep of the Weasley family in bed. Harry was lucky. When Voldemort called the Death Eaters with the Dark Mark, Harry was still not sleeping, or else he would have been awakened by the pain once again.

The next day, perhaps due to exhaustion, they all slept in until late in the morning. After waking up, they hurried to wash and have breakfast before preparing to go home.

"Take this," George put the clover hat on Tom and also gave him a scarf.

"It would be better for you to disguise yourself a bit. You're famous now," Mr. Weasley said, laughing. "This time, you've made quite a spectacle in front of wizards from all over the world. There aren't many people who don't know your name."

Tom thought carefully and realized it was true. If he were stopped by the wizards who came to see, who knows when he could return home. So he could only accept this disguise and blend into the Weasley family line, trying to go unnoticed.

The outside was in chaos; after all, there were a hundred thousand wizards trying to get home, which posed a great challenge for the Ministry of Magic's transportation. At every Portkey pickup point, large groups of wizards gathered and formed long lines. In the nearby woods, every few seconds, a wizard chose to Apparate.

"After the match ended, it should have been the best time to leave, but very few people were willing to leave. After all, the post-match celebration is also part of the game," Mr. Weasley chatted with the children as they joined the long dragon-like line.

While they waited in line, Tom overheard wizards talking about the parade from the previous night and the grand final fire.

"They say the spell turned dozens of wizards into dust in an instant—"

"A truly devastating power, I swear, the last firestorm was no more than fifteen meters away from me."

"It's exactly like the fire Grindelwald caused in Paris according to legends. I bet that wizard is a descendant of Grindelwald!"

Tom: ...

It was quite strange to hear others talking about himself, and the difference between his rumored image and his real appearance was quite amusing.

Finally, everyone received a Portkey around eleven in the morning and arrived at the ramshackle house before lunch. On the way, they talked about any topic they found, and their voices became hoarse from so much talking. At the end of the rural road was the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley was waiting for them in the front yard.

"Thank God!" When Mrs. Weasley saw them, she rushed towards them. As she got closer, Tom noticed that Mrs. Weasley looked terrible and was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet.

"They've come back! This is wonderful! I was so worried..." She hugged Mr. Weasley tightly around the neck, excited, and the Prophet fell from her hands.

Tom picked up the newspaper and saw the headline that read: "Quidditch World Cup Stadium Turns into Sea of Flames," and the image showed the incandescent red sky.

"The headline is a bit exaggerated..." Tom wanted to mock the title chosen by the editor; it seemed like they had burned down the entire stadium! In reality, they only burned a campsite and part of the marsh.

Mrs. Weasley seemed to be in shock, hugging her children one by one, especially Fred and George. She hugged them so tightly that she almost suffocated them.

"Ah... ah... let go, I can't breathe..." the two brothers struggled in their mother's arms, on the verge of suffocation.

While Mrs. Weasley and her children represented the scene of "disaster survivors," Tom read the contents of the Daily Prophet.

["Dark Wizards' Parade After the Match Leads to Violent Confrontation with Ministry of Magic, Fire Spreads for Kilometers... Dark Wizards Remain at Large, No Suspects Arrested Yet... We Must Reflect..."]

The Ministry of Magic didn't manage to hold the cheerful funeral they wished for, and Rita Skeeter's article criticized them mercilessly, leaving the Ministry of Magic in a difficult situation.

Tom quickly skimmed through the article and noticed many discrepancies with the actual events. It was understandable, with rumors circulating everywhere and Rita Skeeter's personality; it wasn't surprising that she would write anything. But at the end of the article, it mentioned his name.

["Refugee wizards were in panic and hurried to hide in the woods near the stadium, hoping for decisive action from the Ministry of Magic. Unfortunately, they were disappointed. Instead of receiving news that the Ministry had successfully suppressed the demonstration, they encountered a fire that nearly consumed everything. A wizard who preferred not to reveal his name claimed to have lost a twelve-room luxury tent in the fire.

Finally, the sudden rain extinguished the fire, but the dark wizards and Ministry officials had already fled together. Ironically, according to a reliable source, the fire was not caused by Ministry officials nor initiated by the dark wizards, but was set free by a wizard named Tom Yodel. The motives of this person are still unknown, and after the incident, his whereabouts were lost, and his identity remains to be confirmed.

We will continue to follow this story."]

Percy peered over and finished reading the news. For him, seeing Rita Skeeter's name was enough to make him feel aversion towards the article, and the report's content confirmed his suspicions.

Indignantly, he exclaimed, "What does 'fled together with the dark wizards' mean? We saved the Roberts family, and this crazy woman seems to be insinuating that we were colluding with the dark wizard!"

Percy clenched his fist in frustration. "This woman is against the Ministry of Magic."

Percy despised Rita Skeeter to the core, and the reason was simple: her report on the standardization of cauldron thicknesses, which he had invested a tremendous amount of effort into, was described as worthless by Rita. That infuriated Percy.

"Well, we all know what kind of woman Rita Skeeter is," Mr. Weasley interrupted Percy's complaints, taking the newspaper from Tom's hands and reading it.

After reading it for a while, Mr. Weasley furrowed his brow. "Tom, Rita doesn't speak very highly of you... She used a lot of controversial words and made terrible insinuations..."

Mrs. Weasley, on the side, choked.

With wide eyes, she exclaimed, "Tom Yodel, like in the newspaper?! It's you?!"

She seemed utterly astonished.

"Well, yes, I actually tried to stop them, but things got complicated," Tom tried to downplay his actions as much as possible, but seeing Mrs. Weasley's expression, he realized he still had startled her.

"I had no other choice. Those Death Eaters went too far. I think any wizard with skills and a sense of justice would have intervened. Even Mr. Weasley confronted them."

Beside him, Mr. Weasley hurriedly added, "I just took Bill and them along, too. Tom came on his own!"

Mrs. Weasley didn't pay attention to her husband's explanation and just moved closer to hug Tom tightly.

Mr. Weasley set the newspaper aside and said in frustration, "I need to go to the Ministry of Magic. We can't let that woman keep writing this nonsense. We need to clear Tom's name as soon as possible."

He dropped his backpack to the floor and shook his head. "Molly, I have to go to the Ministry."

"I'll go with you. Mr. Crouch will surely need my assistance," Percy said proudly.

Mrs. Weasley sighed sadly. She knew she couldn't stop her husband, so she hurried to prepare lunches for Mr. Weasley and Percy, so they would have something to eat when they got hungry.

"It's not necessary," at that moment, Tom stepped forward and stopped Mr. Weasley, who was about to leave. "This isn't urgent. Minister Bones won't allow the Prophet of Prophecy to spread nonsense. The Ministry of Magic also needs to acknowledge me to clear its own image. I'm sure Minister Bones is already aware; I trust her."

Tom understood that Bones's statement that night had tied him to the Ministry of Magic. Seeing how maliciously Rita portrayed him, he knew that Bones would be more anxious than he was to set the record straight.

"Let's eat first," Tom said, pointing to the stove in the kitchen, where several pots were steaming.

Mr. Weasley considered his decision for a moment and ultimately dismissed the idea of going to the Ministry of Magic for now.

This was a decision that everyone was happy with. Mrs. Weasley smiled immediately and hurried to prepare lunch. Percy changed his expression several times and finally abandoned the idea of working overtime, sitting obediently to eat with his family.

The meal was plentiful, and Mrs. Weasley demonstrated her usual skill in the kitchen. However, some people at the table clearly seemed distracted. Harry looked worried, glancing at Tom every time he chewed a bite. It seemed he had something to say to Tom. Hermione had also lost her appetite, constantly stabbing at the potatoes with her fork, almost turning them into mush. Even Fred and George, who were always cheerful, had worried expressions, despite entering the house in high spirits.

Finally, Harry reluctantly finished his plate. He set the utensils on the plate and pushed it aside, indicating he was full.

"Aren't you going to eat more, dear?" Mrs. Weasley gave him a worried look.

"No, I'm a bit tired. Tom, it seems we've mixed up our suitcases. Could you help me sort them upstairs?" Harry blinked, hoping Tom understood his signal.

"Of course." Tom replied without hesitation.

"Good."

"I'll go too." Ron hastily swallowed the food in his mouth and got up alongside the two.

"I'll go as well." Hermione immediately set down her utensils and prepared to follow them.

"Did you also mix up your things?" Ron seemed confused.

The looks from the people around them turned strange as they addressed Tom.

"Oh, um, Tom borrowed my notes and books, so they got mixed up. Don't worry about it, let's go quickly!" Hermione improvised a unconvincing excuse and pushed the three of them out of the kitchen.

The others stayed in the room, looking at each other.

"We've finished eating as well." Fred and George exchanged glances and also quickly left the kitchen. Now the kitchen, which was crowded a moment ago, suddenly became empty.

Once in the top-floor room, Harry closed the door behind them.

"I have something to tell you." Harry shared his nightmare with Tom and the other two.

Hermione took a deep breath, visibly shocked. Then, she listed a series of reference books and names of people. Ron was stunned and could barely articulate his words.

The reactions of these two were exactly as Harry expected. He didn't have much hope in Hermione and Ron. He wanted to hear what Tom had to say.

Tom seemed calm.

"Tom, what do you think about this?" Harry was impatient to hear Tom's opinion.

What do I think? I can only say that those who know, know, and those who don't, I can't explain it directly to you. Tom couldn't just tell Harry, "Oh, you're a Horcrux of Voldemort, so you can share perspective with him in certain special circumstances," that would only disturb Harry's mindset.

So, Dumbledore's gradual approach was the right one. Everything had a process. In terms of manipulation and understanding people's minds, Tom thought Dumbledore was a master in that aspect.

"Does Professor Dumbledore know about this?" He decided to pass the ball to Dumbledore.

Harry hesitated for a moment and said, "Yes, he does, but..."

"Then that's settled!" Tom slapped his thigh. "Professor Dumbledore has a plan; we don't need to worry about it."

Harry: ...

Ron also chimed in, "Tom is right. If Dumbledore already knows, then there won't be any problems."

The wizards and their descendants from the Order of the Phoenix had almost blind trust in Dumbledore.

Tom brought up Dumbledore, and Harry had nothing more to say. He stepped aside and watched Tom and Hermione leave the room.

"Tom, I have something I want to discuss with you." Hermione lagged a bit behind Tom. Since the start of the World Cup final, she had a thought she wanted to get off her chest.

The only one she could tell this thought to was Tom.

But at that moment, Tom heard the voices of Fred and George.

"Tom, we have something to tell you." Then Fred's head appeared in the corner of the stairs, and when he saw Hermione, he looked a bit stunned. "Oh, did we arrive at the wrong time?"

Before Tom could speak, Hermione spoke up.

"It doesn't matter; you can go first." She squeezed her way between Tom and the twins and quickly went down the stairs.

"So, what's going on? You just gave us a Dumbledore vibe," Tom looked helplessly at Fred and George, wondering why the two of them were here.

"I guess you already know about our bet with Bagman, right?" Fred spoke in a low voice. "In theory, we should have received a large sum of money, but that idiot paid us in Irish Galleons."

George chimed in, "So the money disappeared. I think the chances of getting it back are slim. So you can tell us more about your business plan."

George shrugged and wore an expression of hopelessness.