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Chapter 300: The Journalist: What's in the Truck?
Chapter 300: The Journalist: What's in the Truck?
Rita Skeeter was startled and quickly dodged to the side, then immediately regained her composure.
While it was convenient for eavesdropping when transformed into a small insect, she had no means of self-defense.
Once, Rita Skeeter was swallowed unexpectedly after transforming, and she didn't even have a chance to see what had eaten her.
Of course, she quickly dispelled the magic and avoided becoming digested remains, but the experience of bursting the predator was so terrible that Rita Skeeter still doesn't want to recall it at all.
After regaining her human form, she was no longer afraid of the mysterious bird. Skeeter quickly tidied up her golden curls and was about to leave the alley with her small handbag.
—I'll transform after entering the building.
Skeeter thought to herself.
But before she could take two steps, she heard a voice from behind: "Rita Skeeter? I heard you're the best journalist at the Daily Prophet, and also the most notorious one."
Skeeter raised an eyebrow and turned around abruptly. She saw a young wizard standing behind her, and the bird that had fallen to the ground a few seconds ago was gone.
She panicked, knowing that her transformation had been witnessed—if her illegal Animagus identity was exposed, Skeeter would face a hefty fine and even imprisonment.
But then, she thought of the vanished bird, and her eyes suddenly lit up. A smile spread across her face, filled with excitement.
"Yes, I'm certainly the best," Skeeter said proudly. "But my news isn't made up; it merely exposes the false reputations of some people, boy."
"Well, digging up people's secrets, exaggerating facts, and fabricating content to shock the public..."
Amid Rita Skeeter's unfriendly gaze, Vaid smiled: "But your writing style is indeed the best, and it instantly captures the readers' attention. That's why I came to find you—are you interested in a truly big scoop?"
"What big news? An exclusive interview with Vaid Gre? Don't tell me you're not—I recognized you at once."
Rita Skeeter immediately took out a shorthand quill and notebook from somewhere, looking excitedly at Vaid:
"To be honest, I've wanted to interview you for a long time, but I've never had the chance—are all your inventions your own creations? Or is Terence Morrow working behind the scenes for you? How did you gain the full support of a well-known alchemist? And..."
The notebook in her hand suddenly burst into flames with a "whoosh," and the scorching fire almost burned Skeeter's hair.
She cried out and dropped the notebook.
Looking at the smiling young wizard in front of her and seeing that his hands were empty, without a wand, Skeeter's excited and frivolous expression immediately faded.
The wizard before her, though young, was the kind she least wanted to encounter—
He was neither a foolish person easily swayed by vanity nor a weak civilian she could bully at will. He was also not the kind of highly capable but kind and rule-abiding "good person" who would not retaliate even when offended.
"How did you recognize me?" Vaid asked curiously. "My photo shouldn't have been in the newspaper."
"I wanted to find an opportunity to interview you, so I waited outside Lythorn Bookstore for a few days before and after the start of school last year..."
Rita Skeeter said awkwardly.
At that moment, as Rita Skeeter finally identified Vaid Gre among the bustling students, an incident occurred outside the bookstore—Lucius Malfoy and Arthur Weasley got into a fight.
This was the first time Malfoy had openly fought with someone in public, and Rita Skeeter was so excited that her quill nearly flew across her notebook. After the Malfoys left, she even chased after them for an interview.
After recording this unexpected event and rushing to be the first to submit her article to the newspaper, Rita Skeeter finally remembered her original purpose, but it was too late.
"The big news I'm talking about isn't for you to interview me," Vaid paused, then said, "Do you know about the joint investigation by multiple countries into certain Dark Wizards?"
"I've heard a little," Rita Skeeter replied honestly. "I heard they didn't find anything significant, only caught a few thieves and smugglers, and the operation has already disbanded."
"Well, I've discovered a group of people causing trouble behind the scenes, and I've already tracked down the whereabouts and appearances of several of them. I can confirm that the Ministry of Magic knows nothing about them—are you interested in this news?" Vaid asked.
In truth, those werewolves might not be related to the Dark Wizards who abducted underage students, but Vaid was vague, leading Rita Skeeter to think in that direction.
He knew that Rita Skeeter had been warned by the Ministry of Magic numerous times for her baseless claims in the newspaper. If there was an opportunity to embarrass the Ministry of Magic or even Dumbledore, she wouldn't let it pass.
Rita Skeeter was a woman with a strong sense of revenge. In the original storyline, after an argument with Hermione, she immediately wrote an article in the newspaper, portraying Hermione as a harlot who toyed with Harry and Krum's affections.
Sure enough, Rita Skeeter's eyes sparkled, and her lips curled into a smile.
Unconsciously, she licked her lips and pretended to hesitate, saying, "But... if I report this news, the Dark Wizards might retaliate against me..."
"Then, do you want to come with me to check it out, or should I find another journalist who's more courageous?"
"I'll go!" Rita Skeeter proposed, "In return, you have to give me an exclusive interview later."
"Deal!" Vaid readily agreed.
...
The ship had already set sail.
There was a cafeteria on board, and Rita Skeeter, dressed as an ordinary housewife with a headscarf, took some food while following Vaid's instructions to observe a few people eating together at a table.
The table was filled with roast chicken and lamb, and a bushy-eyebrowed man was cutting a steak that was only about one-tenth cooked. As he sliced through the slightly charred surface, the red, raw meat inside was revealed, and juice flowed down, making the plate look like it was stained with blood.
Rita Skeeter glanced at it casually and then turned away, walking over to Vaid and whispering, "Are they the ones?"
Vaid nodded and said, "There are two more in the cabin below."
He led Rita Skeeter to the lower cabin and found the truck.
The two people in the truck still hadn't woken up, and the cabin was quiet, with only a few staff members in orange uniforms checking the vehicles' securement.
Rita Skeeter asked quietly, "What's in the truck? Why are they still here?"
(End of Chapter)
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