Poison Pen

Chapter 8: Fallout

Lord Charles read the latest edition of the Quibbler and smirked. The best thing he ever did was passing on Oliver Twist's letter. The Quibbler gave him the chance to ask the forbidden questions the Prophet could not under the political climate at that time. It had been a proud moment when he took over as Editor-in-Chief of the Prophet, but that moment didn't last long.

With the death of the Potters and their political and financial influence, the Prophet slowly fell to the machinations and power of the ministry. Gone were the tenets and principles espoused by the Potters in all their business dealings. Without their influence as major stock-holders, the Prophet became little more than the Ministry's mouthpiece. Thank Merlin, that has now changed.

When Fudge threatened to shut the Prophet down for not following Ministry guidelines, he was confronted in the atrium of the Ministry by the Prophet's barristers and was slapped with a lawsuit for interfering with a private business. Cornelius Fudge couldn't close down the newspaper as the ministry didn't have controlling shares to do so, nor could he prove malfeasance on the part of the Prophet. The rather public confrontation and ensuing embarrassment was enough for Fudge to beat a hasty retreat back to his office, legal papers clutched in a sweaty fist.

Picking up a quill, Lord Charles penned a note to his rival editor, Xeno Lovegood. This Oliver Twist was a breath of fresh air. As the editor of the Prophet, and a journalist to the bone, it was his duty to join the hunt and fan the flames of revolution the Quibbler had ignited.

~~

The Great Hall was buzzing. At the Ravenclaw table, Luna Lovegood passed out copies of the Quibbler to any students who wanted it. All throughout the Great Hall, many were seen reading the strange periodical in one hand and eating with the other. Several scoffed at the rag but more students seemed to be nodding their heads in agreement. If one was paying attention, they would notice that most of those who were nodding were muggleborns. A couple of the 'Claws had family in management and statistical research. They knew where to find the data needed to prove or disprove Twist's statements. The owls would be busy tonight, that is if the headmaster didn't lock down the owlery.

Harry munched quietly on a piece of toast as he listened to the conversation around him. A copy of the Quibbler was glued to Hermione's face. Thankfully, Dobby knew better than to deliver Harry's copy in front of so many witnesses.

"What! I can't believe this," she was muttering. "This cant be right! You mean to tell me my parents are paying for a second rate education! I could've been prepping for a Uni degree for what they are paying for here!"

"What are you on about, 'Mione?" Ron asked through a mouthful of eggs. "What in Merlin's name are you yakking about now?"

With an angry snap of her copy of the Quibbler, she hissed. "I, for one, was told that Hogwarts was the premier magical school in the world. This says otherwise, and if it is true, Hogwarts misrepresented itself and opened itself up for legal action."

"Harry!?" Ron whined, spitting bits of his breakfast across the table. "Has she gone mental?"

"How!? How did he know we made prefect?" she stammered. "We didn't know until a week before the train."

Harry leaned back in his chair, brushing off the half-chewed bits. "Leave me out of it, mate. It's getting late. I have to get to class. Ask one of the Ravenclaws if you aren't sure. They get off on such things." Harry shrugged at Hermione as he gathered up his bag. "Maybe he wrote it on the train and saw you two patrolling?"

~~

Filius Flitwick was well pleased with his House. Ravenclaws were research driven, but they also knew that logic isn't the be-all and end-all of a problem. Given time, he knew that he would be reading research papers based on today's Quibbler article. He chuckled quietly to himself. They should prove interesting reading.