Seeing their pursuer teleport away, Morris and Phoebe exchanged bewildered glances.
"What's the situation now?" Phoebe asked, frowning.
Morris stared at the spot where the man in black had disappeared, then slowly put away his wand.
He had absolutely no clue either.
baffling.
"Maybe he's just an ordinary wizard looking to do something bad? The Hog's Head has plenty of guys like that." He stroked his chin and said, "Or maybe he just doesn't like us and wants to teach us a lesson?"
Anything is possible.
There are a particularly high number of mentally ill people among wizarding communities.
"Well," Phoebe's tone held a hint of helplessness, "It seems Hogsmeade isn't safe after all."
Morris shrugged. "Let's go somewhere with lots of people."
There is no such thing as absolute safety in this world; everyone must always be vigilant against malice from strangers.
With plenty of time to spare, Morris and Phoebe headed to the Three Broomsticks.
This place was much livelier than the Hog's Head, and it was packed with people. Most of them were Hogwarts students, but there were also some villagers gathered in twos and threes, with laughter and conversation rising and falling.
Phoebe clearly preferred the environment here.
" Morris!"
Suddenly, Morris heard someone calling his name.
He looked in the direction of the sound and saw Hermione waving at him from a table in the corner, with Harry and Ron beside her.
Morris turned to Phoebe and asked, "Mind sharing a table?"
Phoebe's gaze lingered on Harry for a moment, then she nodded. "It's alright."
The two walked through the crowd, and Harry and the others moved aside to make room for them.
Harry looked at Phoebe with some surprise, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them, and blurted out, "Are you two on a date?"
"Just out for a stroll," Phoebe smiled and nodded to the three of them, her tone natural, "Hello."
Ron stared blankly at Phoebe until Harry nudged his shoulder, bringing him back to his senses.
"Ah, hello," he said, taking a big gulp of Butterbeer, but he choked because he drank it too fast.
Phoebe seemed completely oblivious to Ron's embarrassment, or perhaps she noticed but chose to ignore it.
At this moment, Morris noticed that besides Butterbeer and food, there were several copies of the Daily Prophet scattered on the table, with circles drawn on them in red ink.
"What happened?" he asked.
Hermione sighed, pushed one of the newspapers towards her, and explained, " Rita Skeeter a lot of articles spreading rumors these past two days. The Triwizard Tournament thing might have given her an inspiration."
Harry added, "We're worried about Hagrid right now."
" Hagrid?" Phoebe said immediately, "Actually, we just saw him at the Hog's Head."
Hermione raised an eyebrow, her gaze shifting between Morris and Phoebe, and said incredulously, "Where are you going on a date? Why not at Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop?"
" Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop?" Phoebe asked.
"I don't like that teahouse," Morris said almost simultaneously.
Well... it doesn't quite match his temperament.
Harry promptly interrupted the increasingly off-topic conversation, bringing everyone's attention back to the important matter, "What was Hagrid doing at the Hog's Head?"
"He's drinking alone." Morris shrugged. "You all know why, so I didn't bother him."
" Hagrid needs guidance," Hermione said worriedly. "He's a qualified Professor of Magical Activities, Hogwarts can't lose him, and I've heard from the professors that he's even neglected his jobs as game keeper and Keeper of Keys."
Morris shook his head.
Hagrid's heart was more fragile than any of them realized.
Harry immediately stood up, his expression urgent. "We have to go and talk to Hagrid. Now, before he locks himself in his room."
He finished speaking and was about to leave.
"Wait!" Hermione pressed Harry down, but her gaze remained fixed on Morris. "I have another question for Morris."
"What?" Morris was slightly taken aback.
Hermione's expression was very serious.
She flipped through the pile of newspapers spread out on the table.
"I've noticed something," Hermione said. " Rita Skeeter has spread rumors about almost everyone. Look at these: Hagrid is a dangerous person with Giant blood, the Triwizard Tournament... She wrote that I was dating both Harry and Krum at the same time, and that Delacour was arrogant, looked down on everyone, and clashed with Hogwarts students."
"That's utter nonsense," Ron muttered.
Phoebe's expression remained calm. "It's foolish to care about what's in the newspaper."
"But this will affect you, won't it?" Hermione looked very angry. "People who don't know you will read the newspapers and think you're that kind of person. Arrogant, conceited, and disdainful of others..."
Her voice gradually faded.
Okay, perhaps Phoebe is a bit arrogant, but she's nowhere near as exaggerated as the newspapers portray her.
"That's not the point," Hermione shook her head, looking back at Morris. "The point is, she didn't say a single bad thing about Morris in the newspapers."
There was a moment of silence on the table.
Harry and Ron fell into deep thought.
Indeed, this was a point that none of them had noticed.
Let alone spreading rumors, Rita rarely even mentions Morris's name in her articles.
why is that?
"Very perceptive, Hermione," Morris gave Hermione a thumbs up. "In fact, Rita Skeeter is afraid of angering me because I know her secret."
"What secret?" Hermione's eyes lit up immediately.
Morris thought for a moment.
In fact, he had made a deal with Rita Skeeter, who would write articles about flying brooms for him in exchange for keeping the illegal Animagus activities a secret.
Should I tell them or not?
"She is an unregistered Animagus." Morris almost without hesitation.
Everyone present was shocked by this answer.
They naturally knew what this meant.
" Animagus!" Hermione's eyes widened as she looked around, her voice low. "What can she become?"
"A beetle."
"Wow!" Hermione suddenly flashed a dangerous smile. "Maybe we can use this to threaten her and shut her up."
Although she pretended not to care, Rita's behavior undoubtedly made her very angry.
"Hmm... give it a try," Morris nodded. "Good luck."
He had originally planned to warn Rita to stop spreading rumors about his friend.
Hermione is reliable; entrusting this matter to her might be a good choice.
After that, the group chatted for a while longer.
Harry, Maurice, and Fleur planned to visit Hagrid at the Hog's Head, while Morris and Phoebe went straight back to Hogwarts.
Despite a few hiccups, the date went relatively smoothly.