The morning snow outside Hogwarts glistened faintly on the stone ledges, but Roy's mind was elsewhere.For the last week, quiet rumors had begun to circulate through both the wizarding press and the London financial world:that the Valvas Group — the muggle-founded powerhouse that had taken the magical economy by storm — was "built on manipulation, foreign influence, and questionable dealings."
The whisper campaign had all the hallmarks of Lucius Malfoy's touch — subtle, expensive, and venomous.
Roy had expected as much.The Malfoys had been losing assets, status, and credibility ever since the Rosetti–Flint disaster.This smear attempt was a desperate play — one last throw of the dice from a noble house cornered by its own pride.
The Informant
That evening, while Roy sat in his dormitory with a cup of tea, a small beetle crawled onto the edge of his parchment — glimmering green in the lamplight.
He smiled faintly.
"Rita Skeeter," he said softly. "Always punctual."
The beetle shimmered and transformed into the flamboyant journalist herself, quill in hand and an irrepressible smirk on her face.
"My, my, Roy Valvas — you do attract trouble. Our dear Lucius has been busy, spreading little 'truths' about your company. Claims of exploitation, dark fund transfers — utter nonsense, but very convincing in the right ears."
Roy set down his teacup, calm as ever.
"And what do you want in exchange for this information, Miss Skeeter?"
Rita's eyes gleamed behind her jeweled spectacles.
"Oh, the usual. A scoop no one else has. Something scandalous, perhaps?"
Roy smiled — slow, knowing.He opened his drawer and slid across a sealed black envelope, bearing no crest.
"Then let's trade secrets."
The Snake's Fall
Two days later, the wizarding world woke to chaos.
Daily Prophet Headline:"AURORS RAID MALFOY MANOR — ILLEGAL DARK ARTIFACTS SEIZED."By Special Correspondent: Rita Skeeter
According to the report, an anonymous tip had been sent directly to the Ministry of Magic's Department of Magical Law Enforcement, containing detailed evidence of Dark artifacts and cursed tomes hidden beneath Malfoy Manor.
Aurors — led personally by Alastor Moody and Arthur Weasley — had carried out a surprise search.What they found was damning:rows of sealed cabinets containing cursed jewelry, black market wands, and at least three volumes bound in human skin.
Lucius Malfoy had been fined heavily, his influence on the Wizengamot frozen pending investigation.The Prophet's photographs of Aurors carrying cursed relics out of his estate were splashed across the front page — the same tactic Lucius had once used to humiliate others.
Now, he was the headline.
The Hidden Hand
At Hogwarts, Roy folded the newspaper neatly and set it aside, expression unreadable.His tea steamed softly beside him as the murmurs of gossip rippled through the Great Hall.
"Did you hear about the Malfoys?""Dark artifacts! Can you believe it?""Serves them right for looking down on everyone!"
From the teachers' table, Professor McGonagall looked concerned.Dumbledore, however, simply observed Roy with quiet curiosity — a faint knowing glint in his eyes.
A Whispered Exchange
That evening, in a small unused classroom, the beetle returned.Rita Skeeter emerged once again, wearing a bright violet coat and a grin that could cut glass.
"You, my dear boy, have just made my year. The Prophet's circulation doubled overnight. The Malfoys' reputation is in ruins. And… these other documents?"
She waved two more sealed envelopes Roy had sent with the tip —one on the Nott family, exposing their illegal potions testing on half-bloods,and another on the Parkinsons, revealing their smuggling deals with dark covens in Eastern Europe.
"You're giving me the next decade's worth of scandals," Rita laughed, clutching them like treasure.
Roy's expression remained cool.
"Use them carefully. One truth at a time. You'll know when the world is ready to read it."
Rita's smirk softened for a moment — curiosity replacing mockery.
"And what about you, Mr. Valvas? Why all this?"
Roy looked past her, out the frosted window toward the moonlit towers of Hogwarts.
"Because power isn't about gold or seats, Miss Skeeter. It's about who tells the story."
Rita blinked — then grinned like a cat with cream.
"You really are dangerous."
She transformed back into a beetle and flew off into the night.
Epilogue: Ripples in Power
By week's end, the wizarding world had changed again.The Malfoy, Nott, and Parkinson families were under investigation, their political influence dwindling.
Meanwhile, the Valvas Group was praised in Wizard Weekly as a "model of modern magical innovation," credited for donating resources to the Ministry's "artifact cleanup effort" — a move quietly orchestrated by Narcissa and Bela.
And far from the public eye, in the flickering candlelight of his study, Roy Valvas sat reading a new report from his proxies.
Every scandal that destroyed his enemies now built the foundation of his empire —an empire hidden behind laughter, study sessions, and quiet walks around Hogwarts' lake.
"Information," he whispered, closing the report. "The sharpest wand of all."