The air fell deathly silent, then froze.
Lila's smile completely stiffened on her face. The guests stared up at the screen in horror, and a few seconds seemed to stretch out, becoming stickier than honey.
All that echoed repeatedly in everyone's ears was the chilling phrase Rita Skeeter had spoken—human trafficking!
After only a few breaths, Lila's ugly expression suddenly changed. She looked both absurd and sorrowful, like a warrior falsely accused yet unable to defend herself.
Her gaze swept rapidly across the audience, over her most steadfast supporters, her community of shared interests. For an instant, her eyes were like quenched blades, silently saying—
[This is war. Stand with me!]
"Today, right here!"
Rita Skeeter cried hoarsely:
"I will expose the darkest corruption and the most despicable betrayal in the Wizarding World to everyone!"
"Let me ask all American wizards—can you truly tolerate such a vile and evil Chairwoman of Congress taking office? Are you truly willing to be ruled by her?"
On the gradually sharpening Streaming Mirror, Rita Skeeter's enlarged face nearly filled the entire frame. Then she suddenly stepped back, widening the distance to reveal a huge pile of evidence at hand.
Today, Rita was not dressed like an ostentatious parrot as usual, but like a brightly colored Amazon warrior about to march into battle:
The lines of her red-and-black robes were sharp, her monocle reflected a cold gleam, and her hair was piled high, every strand tightly bound into a taut bun at the back of her head.
She leaned forward with both hands braced against the table. Her face bore the professional excitement of a reporter, but beneath it lay genuine fury.
Behind her was a stark white room containing nothing—not even windows—making it impossible for anyone to pinpoint her location from the scenery in