"Welcome to the midday news," a presenter with rimmed glasses appeared on the TV screen, "A month ago, I thought the Quidditch World Cup was in the next century, but in the blink of an eye, it's almost here."
"A lot has happened during this time, starting with the appearance of international dignitaries on the island, leaving our reporters stretched thin."
"The Queen of England resides in the British Royal Palace on the island, but many politicians and celebrities opt for magical inns, with Prince Charles and Camilla staying in a contrasting ice and snow town; notably, the late Princess Diana, who has been vigorously promoting magical botany for years, stayed at a botanical garden on the other side of the island, closely associated with Kerri Bubbidge, who was invited to the moon."
"Piano poet François Crutoy just finished a concert, revealing he will not perform for the next month, 'A feast for the senses is just around the corner,' he said. Crutoy has a special connection with magic, producing masterpieces since his hands healed, no doubt, magic is his muse."
"The Ancient Runes Society released a new almanac, expanding the original ancient magical rules to twenty-two;"
"Some worried about the storm, our weather team diverted it three days ago, brushing past us;"
"The Selma Lake Monster from Norway suffered from homesickness, magical zoologists Luna Lovegood and Rolf Scamander found it depressed due to the lack of freshwater environments, the water purification department initially refused to allocate a freshwater pool, but two days later, a spokesperson said the issue had been resolved, 'We're keeping it in a bathtub now, the new problem is it's a bit shy, especially around flat-beaked, black-furred creatures.'"
"…A conflict arose between red-haired dwarves from Brazil and Irish leprechauns, followed by American Ilvermorny pixies with little axes. Thankfully, their bows and arrows were confiscated due to being allegedly poisonous; clearly, the island's acting manager is preoccupied with over eight million tourists and her daughter's birthday party. There's a proposal to have house-elves from the Future World Company supervise these unruly folks, which might be a good idea but could lead to more disastrous consequences."
"At dawn today, a robust man on a small boat approached the floating island, stunning over half of the Dakuwaqa mascots (shape-shifting creatures that can transform between shark and humanoid forms) in the surrounding waters with his roar, attracting the attention of island patrols. He claimed to be Hogwarts' Care of Magical Creatures professor and Forbidden Forest keeper, accompanied by an elegant woman of considerable stature; they were supposed to arrive a week ago but got lost, related to the sudden storm…"
After some chatter, the presenter lifted his head, "Let's switch to tourists on the island, Tusk, can you hear me?"
The camera cut to an exterior shot, a middle-aged man with a shiny bald head like it was waxed, appeared on the screen, giving an impression of vitality and loquaciousness.
"Hello, Reed."
"I'm at the memorial museum on the floating island, which documents verifiable magical history from around the world, one of the must-see attractions. It's rich in books and various media, just a cursory look takes two to three hours, also featuring a free restaurant, though I doubt anyone comes just for a free lunch; notably, Mr. Harp, his colleagues, and students occupy an entire exhibition hall—sir, may I interview you?"
Dudley stared blankly at the reporter, dropping the souvenir hat— "Pick me up from the floor! Kid." the hat shouted —he wasn't as chubby as in his childhood, boxing in middle school didn't make him a great boxer or rugby player, but it at least kept his weight in check.
"…Listen, I'm not spending any extra money… What's up, Dudley?" Vernon and Petunia approached, Vernon's mouth greasy, wiping it with a napkin, freezing in place upon seeing the reporter and camera.
"Are you together? A family?" the reporter moved his interest from the continuously complaining hat, "Great, no doubt you're all interested in magic—"
"What?" Vernon bellowed, "Oh, cough cough, yes…" he mumbled, grabbing Petunia and Dudley, ready to leave, but the reporter already handed the microphone to Dudley, "Would you mind answering a few questions? It won't take much time."
Dudley stuttered, glancing around, but the reporter said, "Excellent."
"Where are you from?"
Dudley paused for a few seconds, mumbling, "Britain, I guess."
"Britain?" the reporter's eyes lit up, "I interviewed Andy Murray last week, the first Briton to win 14 championships in the Open era last year, but he's been in
a slump this first half of the year, changing coaches and inviting a former St. Mungo's healer to his team, he and his girlfriend are on the floating island—didn't notice? Not interested in tennis? What a pity, that was one of my proudest pieces, including his relationship with a controversial reporter."
He clicked his tongue, disappointed by the Dursleys' reaction, but quickly recovered, "Well, well, let's continue… since you're from Britain, you must have visited the third floor of the memorial museum? That's the main attraction."
"Um…"
"Whom are you interested in? The two great wizards, or the current headmistress McGonagall who pushed for the exchange student program among the eleven wizarding schools? The controversial Defense Against the Dark Arts professor and Divination professor, or another pair—the imposing Charms professor and the Care of Magical Creatures professor? The giant keeper, the smooth-talking Potions professor, the Herbology professor returning as an Auror—"
Dudley tried to say something, but couldn't find an opening.
"Of course, you might be more interested in another group of people, who have profoundly impacted our lives—the Weasley brothers, who spread the concept of pranks to over seventy countries, the most popular magic merchants; the Diggleys, who excelled in medicine and philanthropy; Mr. Malfoy, the head of the first wizard-muggle joint hospital, overseeing the 'Future World' company's thousands of branches, Clemmie Vira managing a research team of two thousand…"
"Harry Potter," Dudley said.
"Harry Potter!" the reporter exclaimed dramatically, saving this name for this moment. "Yes, that name has been mentioned repeatedly, scrutinized by the public. He's equally legendary, playing a key role in the downfall of a Dark Lord, was it Voldemort? Sorry, I'm not good with foreign names… said to be so fearsome that even mentioning his name was forbidden, referred to as the mysterious man… killed many, including Potter's parents—"
Petunia's expression turned odd, Vernon gripping her hand tightly.
"Despite these events being in the 'Harry Potter' movies, haha, I remember some movie clips were used in the memorial because some weren't keen on public photos." the reporter said somewhat sentimentally, "I wonder how Mr. Potter's relationship with his muggle relatives is? You know, people generally think his uncle and aunt are hopeless, but there were hopes for the cousin who seemed to suffer from obesity…"
"Hopeless" Vernon turned a shade of purplish red, Aunt Petunia's lips tightly pursed, a flicker of panic in her eyes.
"I think—uh, the relationship is quite good," Dudley finally got a chance to speak, his first smooth response in the interview. "Their kids play together, they sit and drink beer, watch matches—boxing, football, Quidditch... even discuss Chocolate Frog Cards, Felix Harp and Gellert Grindelwald being the hardest to collect, Ron Weasley's cards are practically a plague…" he rambled on, Vernon frozen in place, Petunia looking equally shocked.
The reporter paused, then smiled, "That's a nice idea." Facing the camera, he joked, "To the film's creators, if you're considering fan requests for a sequel, you might want to take notes." Then he handed the microphone to Vernon, "Sir, I see you've been eager to speak, seeming impatient—"
Vernon suddenly clenched his purple fist, the reporter stepping back in alarm.
"Impatient? Right!" he bellowed, spittle flying, "I'm thrilled! I love magic, our whole family loves magic! Happy now…"
The camera cut back to the studio. "Thank you, Tusk, for the live report," the presenter adjusted his glasses, calmly stating, "Next, we'll broadcast a series of greetings from celebrities, warmly wishing for the success of the World Cup opening ceremony."
In front of the TV, Ron asked Harry:
"Do you really drink beer, watch matches, and discuss Chocolate Frog Cards together?"
Harry shrugged.
"Well," Ron muttered, "I have two Grindelwalds, but don't expect me to trade them to him."
They walked into the conference room, Harry taking a deep breath, facing hundreds of familiar faces. It felt like going back to school, but now he faced a more complex situation.
Fred and George winked at each other, taking off their black magician hats, "Salute to the noble island lord." They wore brown suits with yellow stripes and colorful polka dot ties, looking quite humorous.
"Oh, stop it," Percy said. But the interruption quickly calmed Harry down. His gaze slowly moved across Sirius, Mrs. Bones, Lupin, Tonks, Hagrid, Professor McGonagall, the Weasleys, Ginny, especially Dobby… their gentle, trusting eyes on Harry,
warming his heart.
He tapped the wall behind him, eliciting gasps from the crowd as a giant map merged with the wall slowly appeared, showing the floating island and its surroundings over a thousand square kilometers, with countless ink marks moving across it.
"Here's the situation…" Harry began.
"Where's Hermione?" Percy's wife, Penelope, quietly asked Luna, who cheerfully said, "The Grangers are here."
Penelope looked surprised.
"It turns out," Fred whispered, "even the greatest wizards can't escape the pressure from in-laws. Wish I was there, livening up the atmosphere… I personally think Professor Harp isn't good at jokes."
"Felix is quite funny," Luna said fairly.
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