Interview 2

Frank was in a bad mood. His last interview had not gone well at all. He had not received a single bit of information to write a story with. He had made the decision not to ever interview a young graduate again... until James Potter agreed to come to the Daily Prophet Main Office. Now, Frank was sure this would also be frustrating, but he was sure people would also be eager to hear what Mr.Potter was up to, especially considering he was a witness to the Diagon Alley attacks.

He took his seat, with James Potter at the opposite end of the long table. "Hello everyone," he started, as usual. The quill was writing everything down. "We are excited today to have James Potter with us. He was a witness to the Diagon Alley attacks committed by unknown terrorists."

"Mr.Potter, welcome! So you were there during the attacks yes?"

James gazed at the entrance to the main office of the Daily Prophet for a few seconds before sighing heavily and entering. It wasn't that James didn't at times enjoy the spotlight, but he enjoyed it for events like Quidditch. Standing under the spotlight of a tragedy was much different sort of fame. Unfortunately, James had a certain tendency to allow himself into being talked into things. He also had a bit of a soft spot for Susan, who he knew would be looking for a good story to pair with this event. He figured he may as well get this over with.

James entered the Franklin's office, shaking his hand in greeting, then took a seat. Franklin sat down on the opposite end of the table, then began his interview.

Mr. Potter, welcome! So you were there during the attacks yes?

James swallowed, organizing his answers to the questions he was assuming he would be asked in his head. "Here we go..." he though to himself.

"Yes, Mr. O'Neil," James replied solemnly, "That is correct."

It was going far better than the last one already.

"Well, we have received very little information from the ministry regarding the Diagon Alley fire. People are speculating the people responsible, with some saying criminals or terrorists and others even saying it was the Death Eaters," Frank said, with a small laugh to indicate what a stupid theory that was. The death eaters had not been active for ages. "Did you happen to catch a glimpse of the people responsible for the attack?"

"Unfortunately, Mr. O'Neil, I did not arrive on the scene until after the attack had started. The Minister had been on scene and dispatched his Patronus to gather help to battle a nasty Fiendfyre curse. I had been in the Cauldron at the time, when his Patronus entered the bar to signal that there was trouble. Rather than evacuate, I entered Diagon Alley to see if I could be of any assistance. When I arrived on scene, there were already a handful of wizards battling the flames."

James did not mention the fact that there had been unmarked bodies on the street. He was a bit uneasy at exactly how much information he should give out. Last thing he needed was another black mark on his record against the Order. He had decided to stick to the facts, and attempt to waylay any detailed or sensitive information. Were he misquoted, he could always charge the paper with fabrication. Were he asked directly about some of the rumors floating around, all he could do was hope to lay them to rest without it resulting in too much damage.

"Marvelous, that was very brave of you Mr.Potter," Frank said, to show his appreciation of James' effort. This was boring though, plenty of people had seen and battled the fire. Frank had seen it too, before he had apparated to his home in London. He was sure James had some more information though, which Frank would get one way or the other. Even if he didn't, the quill was editing everything they said to make it more entertaining for readers.

"Two things Mr.Potter. First, Mrs Bones here at the Prophet seems to think that the attacks were carried out by Death Eaters. I disagree. Who do you think it was who caused the flame?" he asked. "After all, it was fiendfyre, no one accidentally starts fiendfyre."

"...And, there was another curious incident that we're interested in.. Thaor Elldirs was one of the flame's victims. However, his body was never found? Do you have any information about that?"

"Well, Mr. O'Neil," James said in response to his next question, "the cause of the fire is still under investigation from what I have been told; therefore, no one really knows who started it. I would tend to agree with Ms. Bones, however. If it wasn't an attack by Death Eaters, then who else? They have been known to target members of the Ministry in the past, and we all know who own Sparks Bistro. The Death Eaters may be a bit more inactive than they were in the past, but it does not mean that they have by any means disappeared."

"As for Thaor," James sighed heavily, "Fiendfyre is so much more powerful than normal fire. It's entirely possible that there was just no body left to discover after the flames were done with it."

Yes, I know it is under investigation, that's why I'm asking you, Frank thought to himself, starting to get irritated. He did mention the Death Eater's though. "I can understand why you would think so, since Fiendfyre is a dark art, but our readers are not particularly interested in hearing about the Death Eaters. The public pretty much thinks they are a thing of the past now," he informed James with a tired sigh. . "There are criminals out there, not just death eaters, they probably started it," he proposed with a shrug.

Frank was getting tired of this, he leaned forward to ask James the real questions.

"Look Mr.Potter, I know the ministry is short on staff and probably haven't been able to conduct a thorough investigation on this matter. But you are a member of the Order, and they have been able to. What have the Order been able to find out? From my own research, I found that Thaor Eldir had a history of practicing dark arts..." He stopped there to see James' reaction.

"Unfortunately," James said smoothly in response to the first comment, "I am here to convey the facts as I know them...not to tell the public what they want to hear."

"As for questions regarding what the Order may have found," James replied, still smiling politely, "The only thing I can say is that, yes, Thaor had been involved in the Dark Arts in the past. He had been believed to be reformed when he joined the Order."

James winced a bit on the inside. The wording made it sound as if they now believed him to be a double agent.

"Of course, as you know," James continued hurriedly, "the Order is a secret organization, so there is only so much I can reveal."

((I'm gonna have to do some assuming here, as the Order meeting hasn't really gone anywhere...))

[Don't they know that Thaor was responsible for the diagon alley fire?]

Oh, that was good. Thaor was a part of the Order of the Pheonix, Frank had not known that. But it would make it even easier to frame the order for all this mess. He remained calm though, his PR smile still in place. "Yes," Frank said airily. "Most Order members seem to have a history with dark arts."

"Look Mr. Potter, the public is scared and needs answers. The Order calls itself the guardians of the Wizarding World, yet tells us nothing. Whether it is secret or not, you have a duty to tell us everything you have been able to find out about the events," he informed him firmly.

((It's been batted around as a possibility, but not verified yet, lol. I suppose I can assume that he was finally found as being accountable, but I have a feeling the Order wouldn't want James revealing that. XD ))

"So that you can print it for everyone in the Wizarding World to read?" James replied crossly, "Do remember, good sir, that Death Eaters are out there reading your newspaper as well. The public can rest assured that we are doing everything in our power to ensure their safety, but part of that is keeping certain sensitive matters secret and out of Death Eater hands."

James leaned back in his chair, his arms crossed defensively. He was beginning to regret agreeing to the interview, sure that he would mess things up and tarnish the name his father had built. James was beginning to get a good idea of why his father had been so reluctant to talk with the Daily Prophet during his younger days.

((There ya go. Got 'em where every reporter wants 'em. On the defensive. ))