"Sir!" Gabriel Truman said, taking a deep breath. His voice was loud. "You're just... leaving?"
"Is there a problem?" Nately asked, looking confused.
"So that's it? I'm just... fine?" Gabriel was furious with the Ministry's attitude.
"Yes. It was entirely a mistake," Nately replied, his tone purely bureaucratic.
Gabriel glanced at Albert, then set his jaw. "I need an apology, sir," he said, his voice cold. "Do you have any idea how that letter affected me? Do you know how angry I was when I found out I'd been expelled for no reason? And now you just say 'it's fine' and try to brush me off? Or do you just think a child is an easy person to bully, sir?"
Gabriel's voice grew stronger. The Ministry's attempt to just pat their butts and leave made him furious. Albert's prep work had sunk in, and his trembling voice hardened. "I need a formal apology from the Ministry of Magic. This was your mistake, and it had nothing to do with me. And the Ministry must compensate me for my emotional distress."
"What? I'm sorry?" Nately's expression froze. Even Dumbledore's face was a picture of surprise.
"A-an apology, and compensation, sir," Gabriel said, clenching his fists. "One hundred Galleons."
"My apologies, child. I am truly sorry for the trouble, but... as for compensation... there is simply no precedent," Nately said, his eyebrows rising.
"I don't accept your apology, sir. It's not sincere!" Gabriel shot back. "You just think I'm a child you can push around!"
Nately and Dumbledore looked at each other.
"I think his request is perfectly reasonable, gentlemen," Albert interjected calmly, looking at the two adults without a trace of fear. "I was there. When he read that letter, he lunged at me. I genuinely thought he'd gone mad. It took me a long time to calm him down and suggest he write to Headmaster Dumbledore."
To be honest, Albert already despised the Ministry from his memories of the novels. Seeing them in action only confirmed it. To make such a huge mistake, the least you can do is give a sincere apology, you bastards. What kind of mess is this?
They're just a bunch of arrogant pricks drunk on their own authority, he thought. No wonder Voldemort was able to twist them into such a mess.
"And I agree, your apology has no sincerity at all," Albert said, his eyes narrowing, though he was smiling. "I've met plenty of adults like you, sir. A former teacher of mine was just the same."
Nately's face darkened instantly.
"Of course, you can just keep treating us like children," Albert's smile widened. He clapped Gabriel on the shoulder. "Some people are just like that. Don't worry about it. Go on home. I'll contact you by owl, and we can talk about our studies."
Nately left, his face black with anger. He had no idea what he was walking into.
"Well, goodbye, Headmaster," Albert said, nodding to Dumbledore. "Thank you for helping Gabriel with this problem. I would have felt terribly guilty if he'd been expelled because of me."
"Goodbye, Mr. Anderson. And you, Mr. Truman." Dumbledore also departed.
"Those guys are the worst!" Gabriel said, clenching his fists. "What an attitude! I just... I wanted to punch him!"
"So," Albert said, smiling, "ready to write that letter to the Daily Prophet?"
The moment he'd taken Gabriel's side, a new quest had triggered in his System: [Gabriel's Dissatisfaction].
"Yes. We have to expose this."
"Remember, we split the reward 50/50." Albert wasn't afraid of making trouble. The quest reward was huge: 3,000 EXP, plus an extra 25 Galleons.
"Deal. You write it. Wait... are your family really lawyers?"
"Of course. That's why I'm good at this. Besides, we're in the right. Society sympathizes with the weak, and I guarantee you people will love to read about a Ministry scandal. We'll just make sure the reporter agrees to keep our names and photos out of it. And make sure you keep that original letter from the Ministry safe."
Albert knew just the person for a job like this.
Several days later... London, Daily Prophet Headquarters
Rita Skeeter was brainstorming for today's feature. There hadn't been any big news lately, and it was giving her a headache. People loved big news. As far as Rita Skeeter was concerned, any paper that grabbed the reader's eye—whether the story was true or just exaggerated—was a success.
She was grilling her assistant, trying to find any topic that might stir up some drama.
A short time later, a few letters were placed on her desk. She tore them open—some were hate mail, some were boring tips. But one letter immediately caught her full attention. After reading it, Rita Skeeter knew she had her story. It even came with a photograph of the official Ministry expulsion letter.
A few days later, the Ministry's Improper Use of Magic Office was infamous.
The Daily Prophet feature, penned by Rita Skeeter, portrayed the department as a bumbling, incompetent office that not only made colossal errors but refused to apologize for them, treating its victims with appalling arrogance.
Nately was called out by name, and the poor fool became the target of public outrage.
Rita Skeeter concluded her article by writing that the victim was left "doubting whether the Ministry of Magic could be trusted at all." She revealed that the victim had come to the Daily Prophet to expose this injustice and had received 50 Galleons from the paper as the "compensation for emotional distress that the Ministry refused to pay."
When Nately saw the paper, he suddenly realized his decision in the park had been a terrible one. He remembered the boy's words: "Or do you just think a child is an easy person to bully, sir?"
It turned out that boy was not easy to bully at all.
The article caused an immediate sensation. Nately was suspended (pending investigation), and the entire Improper Use of Magic Office was in chaos, flooded with angry howlers.
Rita Skeeter, with her poison-quill pen, had shown everyone the true power of words. Using Albert's and Gabriel's accounts, she skillfully twisted their story into the exact narrative she wanted, and in doing so, left the Ministry in a complete mess. She didn't have to worry about credibility; the article included a copy of the official Ministry letter. They had no way to deny it.
Gabriel Truman was ecstatic. He had received 25 Galleons as compensation—a sum of money he could never have imagined. And, just as Albert had planned, the reporter never used either of their names.
Albert's mood was also excellent. He had completed his quest and, in the process, gained Gabriel's friendship. They corresponded frequently by owl for the rest of the summer, and Gabriel was able to give him a lot of help with his magic.
As for the Galleons Albert received from the split, he used them to buy a subscription to the Daily Prophet.