Wood had only said a few words before the topic, like a wild horse that had thrown its reins, plunged headfirst back into the plains of Quidditch amid Fred and George's excited agreement.
"Weren't Vizet and I talking about Quidditch?" Wood said. "Then I have to mention this roller coaster again... Honestly, the seats on this roller coaster aren't great!"
George nodded repeatedly in agreement. "Yeah! I think the seats on this roller coaster are unreasonable too!"
Fred added, "They should tear out the seats and replace them with a rope, so we have to hold on to the rope. That's the only way to get a sense of danger!"
"Genius! Simply genius!" Wood slapped the table and nodded again and again. "Your idea is absolutely brilliant! It should use ropes!"
"Just think about it! Grabbing the rope to keep your balance, feeling the speed of the roller coaster in the process! Hearing the gale roar past your ears! Merlin's bea—"
Rita Skeeter clenched her fists tightly, her nails almost digging into her palms.
The muscles on her face twitched as she forced out a smile uglier than crying, while desperately suppressing the urge to actually pull out her wand and give Wood a taste of the "special methods" she was so good at.
Vizet was right beside her, smiling, so she still had that much sense. She had no doubt that any "special methods" she used would absolutely fail to escape Vizet's eyes.
Rita Skeeter tried hard to calm herself, her voice sounding as if it had been squeezed out from between her teeth. "Mr. Wood! Please skip the topic of Quidditch! Just say what Vizet did!"
At Rita Skeeter's reminder, Wood's voice stopped abruptly, like a rooster whose neck had been seized, unable to crow.
"Oh!" He blinked