Rita Skeeter was so frightened she nearly lost her wits. She quickly dodged to the side and immediately returned to her original form.
When transformed into a small insect, eavesdropping was easy, but self-defense was utterly impossible.
Once, Rita Skeeter transformed and was unexpectedly swallowed whole. She didn't even get a good look at what had eaten her.
Of course, she quickly reversed the spell, narrowly avoiding becoming digested remains. But the experience of bursting out of that predator was so harrowing that Rita Skeeter still refused to recall even a fragment of it.
After reverting to her human form, she no longer feared the mysterious bird. Skeeter briskly tidied her golden curls, grabbed her handbag, and prepared to walk out of the alley.
—Better to transform inside the building, she thought.
However, she had barely taken two steps when a voice sounded behind her:
"Rita Skeeter? I hear you're the best reporter for the Daily Prophet and also the one most fond of fabricating stories."
Skeeter raised an eyebrow and swiftly turned around, only to find a young wizard standing behind her. The bird that had landed on the ground moments earlier had vanished.
Her heart skipped a beat, realizing that someone had seen her transformation. If her status as an unregistered Animagus were exposed, Skeeter would face a hefty fine—and possibly prison time.
But then she recalled the disappearing bird, and her eyes suddenly lit up. Her lips curled into an uncontrollable smile and her face was brimming with excitement.
"Yes, of course, I'm the best," Skeeter said proudly. "But my stories are not fabrications—they merely expose the hollow reputations of certain individuals, boy."
"Hmm, uncovering secrets, exaggerating them, and fabricating content to make them sensational…"
Under Rita Skeeter's sharp glare, the boy, Wade, chuckled. "But your writing is excellent. You have a way of grabbing readers' attention instantly. That's why I'm here—I wonder if you'd be interested in a real scoop?"
"What kind of scoop? A personal exclusive with Wade Grey? Don't try to deny it—I recognized you immediately."
Skeeter promptly pulled out a Quick-Quotes Quill and a notepad from who-knows-where, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she looked at Wade.
"Honestly, I've been wanting to interview you for ages but never found the chance. Are your inventions truly yours, or is Terence Murray your ghostinventer? How did you manage to gain the full support of such a renowned alchemist? And—"
Suddenly, the notepad in her hand burst into flames with a loud whoosh. The searing heat nearly singed Skeeter's hair.
She screamed, tossing the burning notepad away.
Looking at the young wizard smiling slyly before her, whose hands were entirely empty and holding no wand, Skeeter's previously eager and flippant demeanor quickly vanished.
The young wizard standing before her, though youthful, was precisely the kind of person Rita Skeeter least wanted to encounter—
Neither an empty-headed fool who could be dazzled by fame, nor a weakling she could bully at will, nor a powerful but kind-hearted rule-follower who wouldn't retaliate even if offended.
"How did you recognize me?" Wade asked curiously. "My photo hasn't been published in any papers."
"I've been looking for a chance to interview you, so last year, around the start of the school term, I waited outside Flourish and Blotts for a few days…" Rita Skeeter admitted sheepishly.
Back then, just as she'd finally identified Wade Grey among the stream of students, something else happened outside the bookstore—a scuffle between Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley.
It was the first time Lucius Malfoy had ever publicly brawled with someone on the ground. Skeeter was so thrilled that she forgot everything else, with her Quick-Quotes Quill flying across her notebook. After the Malfoys left, she even chased after them for an interview.
By the time she finished documenting the event and rushed to submit the story ahead of others, Skeeter remembered her original objective—but by then, the opportunity was long gone.
"The big story I'm talking about isn't an interview with me," Wade said after a pause. "Have you heard about the recent multi-nation investigation into certain dark wizards?"
"I've heard a little," Skeeter admitted. "Word is, they didn't find much—just arrested a few thieves and smugglers. The task force has already disbanded."
"Well, I've uncovered a group operating in the shadows. I've already identified a few of their members and have information on their movements and appearances. I'm certain the Ministry of Magic knows nothing about them. Interested in this scoop?" Wade asked.
In truth, the werewolves might not have had any connection to dark wizards kidnapping underage students, but Wade deliberately left his words ambiguous, steering Skeeter toward that assumption.
He knew that Skeeter, often reprimanded by the Ministry of Magic for her sensationalist stories, wouldn't pass up a chance to embarrass the Ministry—or even Dumbledore.
Rita Skeeter, a vengeful woman, had a history of petty retaliation. In the original story, after Hermione argued with her, Skeeter wrote an article painting Hermione as a manipulative flirt entangling both Harry and Krum.
As expected, Skeeter's eyes lit up, and a broad grin spread across her face.
She instinctively licked her lips and feigned hesitation, saying, "But… reporting on something like this might provoke retaliation from dark wizards…"
"—Do you want to come see for yourself? Or should I find another, braver journalist?"
"—I'll go!" Skeeter blurted out, then added a condition: "In return, you have to grant me an exclusive interview later."
"Deal!" Wade agreed without hesitation.
...
The ship had already set sail.
On the ship, there was a buffet restaurant. Rita Skeeter, disguised as an ordinary housewife with a headscarf, picked up some food. She discreetly observed a group of people sitting together and eating, according to Wade's instructions.
The table was laden with roast chicken and lamb. A thick-browed man was cutting into a steak, which appeared barely cooked. The lightly charred surface gave way to red, raw meat inside, and juices flowed out, staining the plate with a crimson hue.
Skeeter cast a casual glance before quickly averting her eyes. She walked over to Wade and whispered, "It's them, isn't it?"
Wade nodded and said, "There are two more down in the lower deck."
He led Skeeter to the lower deck, where they found the truck.
The two men in the truck still hadn't woken up. The ship's hold was quiet, save for a few workers in orange uniforms checking the stability of the vehicles.
Rita Skeeter whispered, "What's in the truck? Why would they still need guards at this point?"
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⭐Harry Potter: Becoming a Study God (HP:BSG)- +235 Chapters
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA)(⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 460
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