A Chance Encounter with Miss Beetle

With a week to go before the International Confederation of Wizards convened, Loren and his companions spent the next few days leisurely exploring this international metropolis.

To be honest, New York's public transportation didn't leave a good impression. While the dense network of subway lines and the always crowded carriages were tolerable, the damp, old platforms, the homeless people lying on the steps dozing off, and the strong, pungent smell of urine that wafted over from time to time broke through Wendell's psychological defenses. The next day, he rented a five-seater car through the hotel manager.

Grandpa Bates held his breath and said in a muffled voice, "Even the sheepfold on my ranch is cleaner than this."

Manhattan's skyscrapers live up to its reputation as a steel jungle, and most of the pedestrians on the street are in a hurry, dressed in suits and ties.

But Manhattan is probably also the place where they have seen the most homeless people. Homeless people with dazed eyes drag large and small boxes and sit in a dirty and messy corner with a cup in front of them, waiting for passers-by to give them alms.

Although separated from Manhattan by only a river, Roosevelt Island presents a completely different picture. It lacks the skyscrapers, bright lights, dirty streets, and overweight pigeons of Manhattan. Instead, it boasts apartment buildings in the style of the last century, simple shops, and somewhat fearful geese.

Loren also spotted several wizards in the crowd, looking relaxed and seemingly traveling as well.

Two days before the International Confederation of Wizards convened, they saw Van Gogh's "The Starry Night, "Monet's "Water Lilies," and other oil paintings at the Museum of Modern Art, which they had only seen in books and on television.

Wendell and Monica stood in front of the oil painting for a long time, and even Bates seemed to be appreciating it, nodding and pondering from time to time. His weathered face and deep expression made him look like he had a story to tell.

Hermione and Loren walked together, and Hermione went on and on, explaining to him the origins, meanings, and role of these oil paintings in art history...

"Vincent van Gogh vividly depicted the starry sky, full of movement and change, using exaggerated techniques..."

"The entire scene is engulfed by a surging, turbulent torrent of blue-green, with swirling, restless, and curling nebulae making the night sky unusually active. This surreal scene reflects Van Gogh's restless emotions and his delusional world of illusions..."

The little Witch was like an emotionless memorization machine, reciting information she had seen from who-knows-where in a rigid and methodical manner.

"Shh..."

Loren suddenly raised his index finger and stopped in front of a framed abstract oil painting, adopting a quiet listening posture. "Don't speak, quietly experience the emotion brought by the artwork."

Hermione paused for a moment, then couldn't help but remind her, "But this is just a diagram of the escape routes."

"No, you don't understand..." Loren said meaningfully, "A person's identity is determined by their position, and so is a work of art. Since this painting has been framed and hung on the wall of an art gallery, it means that it is a work of art, just like the Starry Night and Water Lilies."

"Nonsense." Hermione rolled her eyes dramatically.

"Weren't those things you were just reciting also..." Loren suddenly relaxed, stretched, and walked forward. "I admit those oil paintings are beautiful and have a unique aesthetic, but those long passages of interpretation..."

"Speaking of which, I think the paintings in Hogwarts Castle are more interesting, especially Silly Barnaby— "

Loren paused, his eyes locking onto a blond reporter taking pictures in the crowd.

Hermione followed his gaze and exclaimed in surprise, "Miss Rita Skeeter?"

Loren found a booth facing the street at a coffee shop next to the art museum. With the help of the waiter, Loren ordered a mocha for himself, a macchiato for Hermione, and finally glanced at Rita and ordered her an iced Americano.

"Loren Morgan, Hermione Granger?"

Rita looked a little nervous. She had a very strong impression of the two young wizards, especially the boy on the right with black hair and black eyes.

A year ago, she sneaked into Hogwarts to find out the inside story of the Chamber of Secrets incident, but was discovered on the spot by Loren Morgan. She was put into a glass bottle in one go and then handed over to Professor McGonagall. After being interrogated by Professor Snape, she revealed some secrets that were enough to ruin her reputation and destroy her family.

For the next few months, she was detained at the school as a teaching assistant for the Animagus class. It wasn't until the holidays that she made an agreement with Dumbledore: she would come here to gather information for him in exchange for Hogwarts keeping her secret.

Recalling the agreement she had reached with Dumbledore, and the news she had received during her vacation, Rita's emotions gradually calmed down. She nodded at the two of them and gave a soft hum:

"Don't try to blackmail me with the Animagus issue anymore. My friend at the publishing house told me that your Professor McGonagall has registered several students as Animagus, and I have also completed the Animagus registration form at the American Magical Congress... Moreover, I have fulfilled my promise to Dumbledore."

Loren and Hermione sized up the reporter. Compared to when she was a Teaching Class last year, Miss Beetle seemed to have gained a little weight. Her not-so-long blonde hair was styled into elaborate big curls, which looked very stiff and odd. She wore narrow glasses and her bright red nails were eye-catching.

Loren said gently, "We have no intention of blackmailing you, Ms. Skeeter. Our meeting here is purely coincidental. We are simply curious as to why you are here, after all, this is Muggle art gallery."

As far as he knew, Rita was Pure-blood and had expressed her disdain for Muggle in many of her past writings.

"I'm doing a feature article for The New York Times..."

Rita pretended to casually admire her red nails, but her sharp, upturned tone revealed a hint of smugness.

"Excuse me for interrupting, Ms. Skeeter, but this should be a Muggle newspaper, right?" Loren asked curiously.

As we were talking, the coffee shop waiter brought over their drinks and desserts.

Rita glanced at the iced Americano in front of her, naturally picked up the coffee and took a small sip, her expression calm and composed, as if she had long been accustomed to this taste. "In the wizarding language here, it's called ' Muggle '."

Rita put down her iced Americano: "Oh, The New York Times is indeed a non-wizard newspaper. Millions of people read it every day, and their editors think my perspective is very fresh, and the compensation they offered is quite generous..."

Loren and Hermione sipped their coffee in silence, their thoughts a mix of emotions. An arrogant Pure-blood wizard seemed to have integrated into Muggle society and appeared to be enjoying it all.

Miss Skeeter, having heard no praise or exclamation, waited a few seconds, then silently put away her nails, picked up her iced Americano, and took another small sip. Rita frowned slightly, cleared her throat, and said, "Is there anything else? If not, I'll be leaving now."

Loren and Hermione wanted to hear the information Dumbledore had asked them to gather, but since they were just ordinary students, they couldn't ask questions and could only shake their heads.

Rita laughed cheerfully, "For Hogwarts ' sake, here's a piece of advice: leave New York as soon as possible, and don't even think about attending the International Wizarding Congress."

"What do you mean?" Loren and Hermione looked at her in confusion.

"I don't know the details either..."

Rita shrugged. "But last winter, a lot of Werewolf froze to death in Brooklyn, and a lot of homeless people froze to death in Central Park. To be honest, every year Werewolf and homeless people freeze to death. But strangely, their bodies all disappear."

"The body... is missing..."

Loren and Hermione repeated in hushed tones.

"Yes, the bodies waiting to be cremated at the funeral home and the bodies buried in the Graveyard have all disappeared."

Rita continued, "The Muggle government suspects that someone is trafficking organs, or that an organization is using homeless people for human experiments, and that the bodies have been disposed of. The Werewolf leader suspects that someone is trafficking Werewolf corpses as magical materials... but based on my intuition as a top journalist, these two things might be related."

Loren looked thoughtful. Werewolf and Muggle reminded him of Grandpa Bates.

"In addition, the American Magical Congress has recorded several sightings, including the discovery of Werewolf carcasses in the Brooklyn underground pipes, and the acquisition of a batch of Swooping Evil venom..."

Rita stared intently at the two of them and said with an air of seriousness, "New York is about to be in turmoil!"

Loren and Hermione were both shocked by the news. The venom of the Swooping Evil has the effect of erasing short-term memories. The fact that the American Magical Congress has purchased Swooping Evil venom means that the authorities believe a large-scale magical exposure incident may have occurred in New York.

This is no longer the era of slow travel and distant correspondence depicted in history books. Electromagnetic waves connect the entire world, and cities are filled with countless cameras and recorders, as well as dozens of news media outlets capable of broadcasting globally. For a large-scale magical exposure incident to occur in such a cosmopolitan city of nearly ten million people can almost be seen as the Wizarding World being exposed to ordinary people.

If magic were used to remedy the situation, Aurors in the Ministry of Magic worldwide would have to become Memory Eraser, and the Memory Charm would become an essential spell for wizards to learn.

Rita ignored what the two young wizards were thinking, picked up her limited-edition Louis Vuitton handbag and stood up. "I'm leaving after I finish taking photos for today. I suggest you either leave this city as soon as possible or seek refuge with Headmaster Dumbledore."

"Then, see you at Hogwarts next year!"

After saying that, Rita walked gracefully to the coffee shop counter, swiped her card to pay, and did so quickly and skillfully.

He looked every bit the Muggle expert.

"Loren, will a disaster strike New York?"

Hermione asked with concern.

Loren watched the reporter disappear into the bustling street, then shook his head. "Almost every Ministry of Magic in the world will be attending the General Assembly, with a large number of Aurors accompanying them, and Dumbledore charge. I don't think it will cause any irreparable chaos..."

Hermione breathed a slight sigh of relief, but her heart jumped again at his next words.

"But I'm worried that a potential clash could affect ordinary people."

"..."

July 1994, outside the Museum of Modern Art.

Carriages and horses moved like dragons, and people came and went.

Back at the hotel that evening, Hermione couldn't wait to delve into the Fantasy Book. After consulting Flamel, she began searching the history section for major magical events that had occurred in New York over the past century.

Inside the bright Library, the girl was quietly reading at her desk.

Separated by a bookshelf, Loren conjured two corpses in mid-air.

Both corpses appeared to be middle-aged men. The corpse floating on the upper level simulated an ordinary person who had frozen to death. Its facial expression was a half-smile, and its skin was pale or pink. The exposed limbs had a goosebump-like appearance, and the parts of the limbs not covered by clothing were swollen and bluish-purple, with a clear boundary between the covered parts and the covered parts.

The lower level contains the corpses of Werewolf who have died. The alien Magic Power within their bodies begins to dissipate due to the loss of life and soul. The Werewolf characteristics will fade within minutes. The Transfiguration will last longer on the Full Moon Night, but they will eventually return to their normal human form.

Dry, erect hairs constantly grow out and retract under the skin, sharp teeth grow out and retract into the gums; the Werewolf corpse repeatedly undergoes the process of reverting to its original form after death.

According to Rita, there have been several recent sightings of Werewolf corpses, which suggests that someone has preserved the characteristics of Werewolf corpses.

"What means should we use..."

Loren's gaze lingered on the Werewolf's corpse, occasionally waving his hand to turn it over, a thoughtful glint in his eyes.

By combining previously learned anatomical knowledge with Alchemy, if it were possible to create a pathway for the flow of foreign Magic Power within the corpse, much like a magic circle inscribed with Rune, it could slow down the dissipation of Magic Power.

Loren waved his wand, and a dim light flowed beneath the Werewolf's skin, extending along the aortas of its limbs until it formed a Rune array that connected end to end.

He gently tapped the heart, pumping a weak amount of Magic Power into the Rune array, and the corpse stabilized in its Werewolf form.

However, Loren still sensed the slow loss of Magic Power. Judging from the rate of loss, the Werewolf form of the corpses could only be maintained for half a month. But more than half a year has passed since last winter. Why can the Werewolf corpses in the sewers remain for so long?

On the other hand, Hermione easily found the record for December 1926.

Newt Scamander, a Fantastic Beasts expert, travels the world at the request of Obscurus Books to write the first edition of "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them." He arrives in New York in 1926, where a series of coincidences lead to the loss of his suitcase, causing several Fantastic Beasts to go missing. Thus, he embarks on a journey with a female Aurors from the American Ministry of Magic to find the Fantastic Beasts.

Just then, the first Dark Lord Gellert Grindelwald, was navigating the conflict between the American Ministry of Magic and the Scourers, using them to find the Obscurus with terrifying powers. With Gellert Grindelwald's machinations, half of New York was destroyed by the raging Magic Power of the Obscurus.

Ultimately, the American Ministry of Magic united to defeat Grindelwald, but this also exposed the Wizarding World to the residents of New York. In the end Newt Scamander mixed the venom of the Swooping Evil into the rain, thus averting the crisis.

Nicolas Flamel, a witness to history and a close friend of Newt Scamander, had more detailed accounts of events in his notebooks. Hermione keenly noticed one unfamiliar term.

"The Scourers?" Hermione murmured. "What are those?"