"I can't help but wonder.. does the person standing before me look more like an Auror or a brutal Death Eater?"
Rita Skeeter continued pressing the accusation, her words sharp and deliberate.
These days, just as people rarely spoke the name of You-Know-Who, the term Death Eater was also seldom mentioned.
The name represented a painful history, a scar that countless families were still trying to heal from.
Even mentioning it was uncommon, let alone accusing someone of being one. If such an accusation were believed, the person involved might as well be handed a permanent residence permit in Azkaban.
Elijah found the claim that he was a Death Eater both ridiculous and darkly amusing.
Yet in a strange way, there was also a hint of truth to it.
If he truly had to be associated with the Death Eaters, then he would stand above them as their leader.
Of course, Elijah had no interest in commanding a group of scavengers crawling through the gutters.
Rita Skeeter's words exploded like a bomb.
More and more people gathered around them, until the three of them were completely surrounded. Being watched by hundreds of eyes made even Rita, who was used to grand spectacles, feel slightly pressured.
Tonks, however, was utterly flustered.
She gripped Elijah's shoulder tightly, her knuckles turning pale.
"Oh no.. John… what should we do?" she whispered, her voice trembling like a taut string.
She didn't actually believe the accusation would stick. But if things escalated, the two of them might be suspended.
No—Elijah might be suspended.
As for her?
She wasn't even a full Auror yet. A simple notice of temporary employee dismissed would end everything.
The intense gazes around them and the constant flashes from magical cameras made Tonks feel helpless and overwhelmed.
The crowd's faces began to blur together, losing their distinct features and becoming shadowy silhouettes.
They surrounded her, expanding outward—or perhaps she was shrinking. Tonks suddenly felt as if she were about to drown in an endless storm of accusations and curses.
Then a firm hand rested on her shoulder.
It felt like a heavy stone, steady and immovable, instantly calming the panic in her chest.
Tonks blinked, as though waking from dizziness after standing up too quickly.
The world snapped back into focus.
She saw Moody pushing through the crowd with difficulty, his messy silver hair sticking out in all directions. She saw Fudge wiping sweat from his face as he hurried forward with a plump woman in pink trailing behind him, trying to drive the reporters away.
And of course, she saw the man standing in front of her now, shielding her from the chaos.
Strangely, although Tonks could clearly make out Moody's face appearing and disappearing through the crowd, when she looked at John Dolores, his figure seemed faintly blurred, as if half hidden behind mist.
"Stand back," Elijah said quietly.
All she could see was his back.
He stepped forward a few paces and looked at Rita Skeeter with open disdain, as though she were something laughably absurd.
A peacock skilled at performing.
No—peacocks were at least beautiful. Rita Skeeter was more like a gaudy pheasant.
Rita felt a flicker of irritation. She wanted to see Elijah panic. She wanted him to be speechless.
"What do you want?" she snapped.
"What do I want?" Elijah raised an eyebrow.
But before he could answer, Fudge and Moody finally forced their way through the crowd from opposite directions.
"What's going on here?" Fudge demanded as he stepped between Elijah and Rita.
Behind him, Umbridge shot Elijah and Tonks a sharp glare, as if scolding them for bringing such trouble upon the Ministry.
"My dear Minister for Magic," Rita said immediately, putting on what she believed was a charming smile. Her bright red lips made her look even more aggressive.
"An Auror from the Ministry of Magic has attacked me, a law-abiding citizen. I'm sure you'll be able to provide an explanation."
She stared directly at Fudge, who immediately felt the pressure.
It wasn't the woman herself that worried him.
It was the public opinion behind her.
If this situation wasn't handled properly, his already shaky approval rating would plummet even further.
"John Dolores! What exactly is going on here?!" Fudge shouted, turning toward Elijah. His fleshy face tightened, his eyes bulging slightly.
"Who—gave—you—the right—to attack—a law-abiding—citizen?!"
Each word came out through clenched teeth, the muscles in his face twitching as he spoke.
"Minister…" Tonks tried to speak.
Elijah stopped her with a small gesture.
He remained completely calm.
"Minister," Elijah said slowly, "I was merely fulfilling my duty. My duty as an Auror."
"What do you mean?" Fudge asked, confused.
Elijah glanced around at the surrounding witches and wizards, silently reminding them to listen carefully.
At last, his gaze returned to Rita Skeeter.
For some reason, that look made Rita suddenly uneasy.
"Rita Skeeter," Elijah said calmly, "do you dare claim that you are not currently violating any law?"
He deliberately avoided revealing the truth immediately. Otherwise, she might try to claim she had only recently become an Animagus and simply hadn't registered yet.
First, he needed her to publicly declare that she was completely law-abiding.
"Of course!" Rita straightened proudly, puffing out her chest with complete confidence.
There was no way she could admit to breaking the law in front of so many people.
"What trick are you playing?" Moody muttered quietly.
He was worried Elijah might escalate the situation too far and ruin his own reputation.
"Perhaps John Dolores really has something on Rita Skeeter," Arthur Weasley said quietly to another Ministry official nearby. "Many of her reports come from… unusual sources."
"You claim you are completely law-abiding?" Elijah said, slowly circling Rita Skeeter.
With every step he took, Rita's confidence weakened a little more.
Over the years, the laws she had broken were certainly not limited to simply being an unregistered Animagus.
Her heart pounded as she wondered whether Elijah had truly uncovered something… or if he was just bluffing.
"Rita Skeeter," Elijah continued calmly, "you wouldn't possibly believe that being an unregistered Animagus is something you can hide for the rest of your life, would you?"
"What?!"
Fudge's reaction was even stronger than Rita's, as if he had just regained his hearing.
"You heard correctly, Minister," Elijah said calmly. "Rita Skeeter has been an unregistered Animagus for many years. Her Animagus form is a flying beetle. Many of the stories she has reported over the years were obtained illegally through that ability."
Rita's face, hidden beneath layers of thick makeup, drained of all color. "No.. that.. that's a lie.."
"Heh~ I believe the Ministry of Magic has methods to verify whether someone is an Animagus, doesn't it?"