Chapter 90 "Hype"

Upon hearing Abernathy's question, Rita felt an icy sweat trickle down her back, making her shiver involuntarily.

Quickly, Rita responded, "If this lord is just an ordinary young wizard at Hogwarts, it won't attract readers' attention. However, if you can give this young wizard a strong or mysterious background, it changes everything!"

"Consider this – if this young... gentleman named Wentworth were connected to an esteemed wizarding family, this article could become highly sensational! It could even imply that Dumbledore has a special interest in a young wizard from a prominent family. The Ministry of Magic would also find such a story intriguing!"

As a reporter, Rita began to grow more excited.

Amidst her fear, she realized she might have stumbled upon a significant scoop, and this excited her.

Listening to Rita's words, Abernathy fell into deep thought.

Wentworth's background had been discussed by Abernathy, Rozier, and others earlier.

Ultimately, they decided not to reveal Wentworth's status as the Grindelwald family heir too soon.

The primary reason was that Wentworth was currently at Hogwarts.

Aside from Rosier, he was far from the rest of the group, making it impossible for them to provide constant protection.

furthermore, once Wentworth's true identity became public, he would undoubtedly become a target for many.

Dealing with an 11-year-old future leader of the Alliance was much easier than contending with former enemies seeking to harm him.

Therefore, Wentworth's true identity needed to remain a secret from most people.

With these thoughts in mind, Abernathy's gaze towards Rita acquired a tinge of malevolence.

If keeping Wentworth's identity under wraps required it, this reporter would have to be silenced.

Rita was the first to sense Abernathy's intentions from the expression in his eyes.

She was aware that Abernathy didn't attempt to hide his murderous intent.

She felt as if death was knocking at her doorstep.

In moments of extreme tension, some people's minds freeze, but others become hyper-alert.

Rita mind belonged to the latter category.

As the room grew colder, and Abernathy's murderous intent became increasingly apparent, Rita Skeeter's mind raced.

Suddenly, she felt a surge of relief and excitement. She had an idea.

"My lord! After reading the contents of this press release, I suspect you want to build up hype for this young Hogwarts wizard, am I right?"

Seeing Rita sudden joy and hearing her words, Abernathy nodded in astonishment.

With Rita Skeeter's guess confirmed, she became even more confident.

She continued, "My lord, your foresight is truly remarkable. Building up his fame is indeed crucial! Leave this task to me; I'm a professional in this regard!"

Observing Rita newfound confidence, Abernathy inquired, "What do you propose, then?"

With a sense of relief, Rita Skeeter responded, "My lord, there's an art to generating hype! Simply writing about this new student and praising him effusively won't grab readers' attention. Few will even bother to read it, and those who do will quickly forget it."

"To create buzz, we need to make it controversial."

At this point, Abernathy interrupted, "That won't work; suggest another approach."

Undeterred by Abernathy's refusal, Rita continued, "How about stirring up controversy?"

Abernathy displayed a keen interest, urging, "Explain in detail."

This piqued Rita enthusiasm even further.

She picked up her red wine glass and took a sip before elaborating, "My lord, we can do this: find another newspaper and publish a new article debunking my piece in The Daily Prophet."

"Describe the events of that night as Dumbledore protecting the best student ever at Hogwarts. Highlight how remarkable the young wizard is, even exaggerate it!"

"Following that, I'll keep writing in The Daily Prophet, contradicting those claims. We can have several rounds of this, and it will make the topic red-hot! It will boost not only the wizard's popularity but also the general excitement surrounding him."

"That's how you build up hype!"

As Rita concluded, she sounded even more confident.

Both Abernathy and Auston had expressions of revelation.

Seeing their reactions, Rita couldn't help but smile once more.

After absorbing Rita's proposal, Abernathy felt a bit perplexed.

Although her plan seemed like it could yield better results than Rosier's analysis, something still felt off.

After a moment of silence, Abernathy stated, "We'll need to return and discuss this further."

"Of course, take your time!" Rita Skeeter hastened to reply.

She wanted Abernathy and his group out of her house as soon as possible.

Once they left, she could put her plan into action.

However, Abernathy seemed to have seen through her intentions.

He smiled slightly and raised his wand, pointing it at Rita.

"What did you just do to me?" Rita exclaimed in fear, although she couldn't feel anything, she was terrified.

Abernathy calmly replied, "Don't worry; I've merely temporarily prevented you from transforming into an Animagus."

Rita's face turned even paler, her newfound confidence evaporating instantly.

"What newspaper do you think would be suitable for us?" Abernathy inquired casually before leaving.

"The Quibbler"!" Rita responded.