"Phew…"
Ethan exhaled deeply, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and felt his body hollowed out. However, more than the physical exhaustion, completing this extraordinary painting filled him with satisfaction.
Scarlet pignt flowed onto the paper, and Ethan took a deep sniff of the paint, which was mixed with the sll of rust. Perhaps because it was derived from animals, this pignt made the painting look even more realistic.
"I can't wait to see the next issue of The Quibbler," Ethan mumbled, carefully rolling up the painting and tying it to the owl's claw along with his reply letter.
"Thank you for your trouble."
Ethan rubbed the owl's plump head with his fingers. The owl cooed contentedly, then spread its grey-blue wings and flew into the sky. Ethan watched it beco a tiny black dot until it was no longer visible.
He retracted his gaze, letting it fall on the subtitles displayed by the system. This was his first ti obtaining a painting with special effects.
"When this painting is used, it can cause a slight red rash to appear on the contact area of the opponent…"
"Although it doesn't seem very powerful, it also says that if combined with the corresponding spell, the painting can be further upgraded."
Ethan mused, his eyes full of interest. Combining spells with paintings was a bit like Alchemy, or those Living Paintings at Hogwarts! After all, simple painting certainly couldn't produce such lifelike effects. It was as if a part of a person's soul resided within it.
Ethan currently had no clue how to do this. He planned to start by previewing his textbooks. In the original work, Hermione, a Muggle-born, was able to learn a few simple spells just by previewing her textbooks. There was no reason he couldn't.
"Further research can wait until I enter Hogwarts."
Coincidentally, the textbooks he had purchased had also been delivered by owl post. Ethan picked up Standard Book of Spells, Grade 1, plopped onto the creaking sofa, and read with relish, quickly becoming imrsed. He truly couldn't understand why, with such marvelous knowledge available, so many young wizards could resist reading and previewing? The mark of a dedicated student burned brightly within his soul.
So ti later.
The Daily Prophet Headquarters.
Rita Skeeter, wearing her reflective, tight-fitting, silk-green jacket, waddled into the office building. Her short, golden curls revealed her large forehead, and her crimson lips looked as if they could swallow a child whole. Her thin eyebrows were always raised, and her eyes, glittering with cunning and shrewdness, darted about, seemingly never stopping their search for a scoop.
Today was the release day for the new issue of The Quibbler. But Rita paid no attention to it. Please, what kind of rubbish was The Quibbler? she thought. It was full of absurd fabrications, and the people in it were all stupid lunatics. The articles published couldn't even compare to a single hair on her, Rita Skeeter. After all, fabricating stories also required skill, didn't it?
Thinking of this, Rita smugly curved her lips, pondering what article she would "fabricate" this ti. Counting the ti, the Savior should be starting school soon; should she write about the tragic death of his parents back then? The title could be "The Unknown Savior! What Was the Truth Back Then?…"
Or, writing an article about that little brat who sold paintings earlier wouldn't be bad either. She could talk about his reckless behavior, combine it with the harsh environnt of Spinner's End, and then subtly hint at Snape, the forr Death Eater and current Hogwarts Professor… Hmm! That would definitely be a sensation!
Rita's eyes glead, her tongue licked her crimson lips, and her Quick Quotes Quill swayed beside her, eager to begin.
Just then.
Rita suddenly noticed her colleagues gathered together, discussing sothing with tense expressions. Her eyes rolled, and she imdiately walked over, leaning seductively on the table, forcefully interjecting into the conversation:
"What's wrong? What happened?"
"…"
Her colleagues exchanged glances. Finally, one person handed her a magazine and said, "Look at this issue of The Quibbler…"
"The Quibbler?" Rita raised an eyebrow, scoffing, "What earth-shattering rubbish has it published now? Why are you all so excited?"
She casually took the magazine her colleague handed her, her gaze inadvertently falling on that page.
The next second, a strong sll of blood assailed her! Thick scarlet pignt flowed as if substantial on the page, and crimson pustules grew on skin that looked like pork; so burst, oozing pus and blood.... The distorted lines seed to convey the pain the person in the painting was experiencing.
[…Long-term flying on a broomstick can lead to a disease called "broomstick rash." It's a bacterial infection that slowly spreads upwards from the buttocks…]
"Ahhh—!!!"
Only when Rita was violently shaken did she realize that the chilling scream had co from herself. At the sa ti, she also discovered that she was fiercely scratching her buttocks and arms in front of all her colleagues! Her exposed skin was covered in red marks.
"…"
A mont of awkward silence. Rita and her colleagues stared at each other, their faces burning red.
"What… what kind of evil thing is this!" Rita shrieked in sha and anger, "No normal publication should allow such a thing to appear in the public eye—"
Before she finished speaking, she stopped herself.
Oh, this was The Quibbler.
Then it was fine.
Another awkward silence. Her colleagues' gazes, seemingly concerned, were actually smirking. This finicky old Witch finally got her couppance, hee hee~
Rita bit her lower lip. Losing her composure over a painting was simply a terrible humiliation! She fiercely stared at the painting again, instinctively shivered, and finally found the artist's signature in the corner.
"Ethan Vincent…? Isn't this the kid who violated the Statute of Secrecy earlier?!"
Rita's eyes rolled, and she curled her crimson lips. The next report would be about how evil this kid was. He was about to go to Hogwarts anyway, and she could subtly express a bit of "unease"… No one would like to have an evil reputation attached to them before even entering school, right?
Heh heh heh~ I, Rita Skeeter, am truly a genius~
Ministry of Magic.
"That idiot Rita Skeeter!!"
The Minister for Magic, Cornelius Fudge, slamd the newspaper onto his desk. The large headline that t his eyes was "Justice vs. Evil? The Soon-to-be-Enrolled Savior vs. The Evil Painter!" The article below published that evil illustration from The Quibbler and described it in detail. This led to a surge in sales for that issue of The Quibbler. It even showed signs of catching up to The Daily Prophet. After all, human nature was curiosity and entertainnt. What? Looking at this painting would cause ntal derangent? Then I must savor it!
Things were already incredibly busy this year with the Savior enrolling. Now there was another "Ethan" who had entered the public eye.
"This female reporter really knows how to cause trouble!"
Fudge said angrily, imdiately ordering, "Write a letter to The Daily Prophet! Tell them to punish this irresponsible report!"
His subordinate nodded, picking up a quill to write the letter.
Fudge stared at the painting in the newspaper; even though it was just a print, he felt goosebumps rise. It was truly evil. Hogwarts truly had many talented individuals this year. But since the other party published it in a "proper" magazine aid at Wizards, Fudge couldn't do anything to Ethan.
"…Forget it, keep monitoring this kid's actions. The rest will be up to Hogwarts."
All in all, no major trouble would arise, right?
Right?
Fudge turned his head, looking out at the clear blue sky, and took a deep breath, feeling a little better. No matter what, the greatest terror was gone. From now on, it would be a ti of peace for the Wizarding World.
***
(End of Chapter)
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