Within the wizarding world, the Daily Prophet is far from the only publication, nor is there any rule stating that only one such newspaper may exist.
Still, when it comes to the most widely known and indispensable presence in everyday life, the Daily Prophet remains unmatched.
Setting aside the quality of its content, with the Ministry of Magic backing it, the paper enjoys a natural advantage that no other publication can rival.
Below it sits Witch Weekly, a magazine dearly loved by its female readers.
True to its name, it targets witches across the magical world. Its articles have little to do with current affairs, focusing instead on topics witches tend to care about.
Its direction is vastly different from that of the Daily Prophet, so there is little real competition or conflict between them.
That said, at certain times its influence is no less than the Daily Prophet's, such as when it comes to fashion trends or popularity polls like whose smile is the brightest.
Mm... Lockhart even won an award from Witch Weekly once.
Next comes the publication famous for its eccentricity: The Quibbler.
And when speaking of The Quibbler, one simply cannot avoid mentioning Ravenclaw's Luna Lovegood.
After all, her father is the editor-in-chief of The Quibbler.
...
Early that morning, Luna appeared right on time at the Slytherin table.
More precisely, she showed up beside the table where Draco was sitting. As usual, Luna had brought along her oddly shaped teacup to freeload for food and drink.
The surrounding Slytherin snakes had long since grown used to this peculiar Ravenclaw student. None of them dared to mock her or step forward to chase away this seemingly lost little deer.
Because she was Draco's tea companion.
Speaking of which, that morning no one saw Pansy or Hermione by Draco's side, something that was exceedingly rare.
It was strange enough to make a few wizards glance outside more than once, as if checking whether the world was about to end.
As for Astoria, who suffered from low blood sugar, she generally did not appear during breakfast anyway.
Which meant that this morning, Draco was alone.
Just as Draco finished pouring Luna a full cup of Gurdyroot Infusion, something that had not been there before suddenly appeared on the table in the corner of his eye.
Along with Luna's slightly vacant expression, it was a copy of The Quibbler that she gently set down on the tabletop.
Draco paused, giving the teapot in his hand a small shake.
"The latest issue of The Quibbler?"
"Mhm, the latest." Luna's eyes lit up as she nodded her small head vigorously.
Luna usually looked as though she were lost in thought, and only when the topic touched on something she truly liked did her normally calm face show such vivid expression.
But very quickly, she returned to her usual state.
To others, that slightly dazed demeanor, paired with her strange behavior and eccentric clothing, was precisely why Luna was so often bullied.
Textbooks secretly hidden away, carrot earrings taken only to turn up later beneath a table leg, and other pranks that classmates found amusing.
Although Luna always appeared unconcerned when faced with such teasing, Draco knew that the ethereal girl simply was not good at expressing her feelings. At times, it was still clear that she felt hurt by it.
Draco, who was neither good at comforting others nor inclined to do so, simply allowed her to share his interests and mooch tea without comment.
Whether it was drinking Gurdyroot Infusion together, or the copy of The Quibbler Luna was now handing over to him...
...
"What's this month's theme? Magical creatures the Ministry has been hiding? Or another bizarre sighting witnessed by some wizard?"
Judging by Draco's tone, the content of The Quibbler was clearly anything but mainstream.
That said, don't assume The Quibbler was some worthless rag no one bothered to read. Well… in fairness, Hermione had thought so too after skimming it once.
In reality, however, The Quibbler's circulation ranked first in the wizarding world. Even the largest and most influential Daily Prophet could not compare.
And the editor-in-chief of this magazine was none other than Luna's father, Xenophilius Lovegood.
"..."
Faced with Draco's teasing, Luna did not get angry. She simply shook her small head gently. With the motion, her strange earrings and hair ornaments chimed together, producing a light, pleasant jingle.
Without saying a word, Luna reached out and pushed The Quibbler a little closer toward Draco.
Already used to her quiet nature, Draco accepted the magazine. But in the very next second...
"Huh? This is—?!"
It was as if he had seen something shocking on the page. Draco's eyes widened in surprise, and when he lowered the magazine, his expression had already turned serious.
No longer touching his tea, Draco looked straight into Luna's clear, bright eyes.
"Your father… he understands what the consequences of this could be, right?"
"He said this is what The Quibbler is."
Luna nodded her head, giving an answer that was somewhat unexpected, yet completely in line with what one might expect.
Indeed, if it were not like this, it would not be the The Quibbler Draco knew. Suddenly, he thought that if Hermione were to see this issue, she might end up reassessing the magazine entirely.
Draco lowered his gaze back to the copy of The Quibbler in his hands.
[The Ministry of Magic Has Concealed the Truth of 'That Person's' Resurrection!]
That was the headline of this issue of The Quibbler...
...
The Quibbler.
This magazine was packed with personal biases and strongly subjective content.
Take the Crumple-Horned Snorkack, for example. A creature that seemed all but fabricated, yet The Quibbler had always insisted it truly existed. There were many such cases like this.
Surprisingly, these Santa-like fantasies instead earned The Quibbler quite a following among children.
Beyond that, The Quibbler had a habit of telling the truth.
Much like its name suggested, it constantly questioned the Ministry of Magic's decisions, and those doubts were often backed by solid reasoning. Perhaps it was precisely this difference that won it the affection of many wizards.
Because of this, The Quibbler's stance had always run counter to that of the Ministry of Magic.
In other words, that was exactly why the Daily Prophet so often described The Quibbler as unreliable, using vague and indirect language.
And this time, The Quibbler had once again stepped forward and spoken the truth out loud...