Rita Skeeter's gaze lingered on them for less than half a second. She had no intention of interviewing them at all.
Fred's smile froze on his face.
Watching this, Gerald had already worked out how to turn down the interview.
He had never wanted to deal with Rita Skeeter anyway. Her behavior in the original story made her the wizarding world's foremost purveyor of clickbait. She could turn white into black and write the dead back to life; anything anyone said could be twisted into something completely different under her Quick-Quotes Quill.
He pointed at his mouth and shook his head.
Yet Rita Skeeter's eyes lit up instead, as though she had discovered some incredible material.
"Mr. Green, you don't wish to be interviewed? Are you dissatisfied with the Ministry of Magic's purchase? Or do you think the Daily Prophet isn't worthy of interviewing a genius alchemist such as yourself?"
The Quick-Quotes Quill scribbled furiously: "Gerald Green, a young genius who has barely made his debut and already thinks himself above everyone else, displayed blatant contempt and arrogance when approached by the press for an interview."
"That's not true!"
A clear voice rang out.
Everyone turned to look. Vivian had stood up.
Her cheeks were slightly flushed, and her eyes burned with anger.
"Gerald doesn't think he's above everyone else." Vivian walked into the classroom and set her books on the nearest desk. "He just can't speak conveniently right now. It has nothing to do with arrogance."
Rita Skeeter looked Vivian up and down, a knowing smile appearing on her lips.
"Oh? And what is this young lady's relationship to Mr. Green? A classmate? A sweetheart? Or-"
"I'm his older sister," Vivian said crisply.
That rather surprised Gerald.
Hmm, nice. What a good sister.
Rita Skeeter's quill paused, as though