So Hard!

Luna delivered the message and left quickly, as she was going to ride her "little donkey" backwards to deliver Christmas presents from house to house.

William and Hermione escorted Luna to the roadside and watched her disappear into the swirling snow.

The Unicorn gradually disappeared, and Luna's ethereal singing voice drifted from afar, like heavenly music.

Tsk tsk... William always felt that Luna had an ethereal quality to her. If she were to impersonate a charlatan, she would probably be even more captivating than Professor Trelawney.

William took Hermione's hand, crossed the small bridge, and returned to the house.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"What's wrong, William?" Hermione asked, puzzled.

"A wizard has come in!" William pulled out his wand.

He looked around but found nothing.

Strange, he clearly felt that the protective spells he had set up around him had detected the wizard approaching.

Most importantly, he set up Fidelius Charm, so that no strange wizard could enter without permission!

Mrs. Norris, who had been squatting by the window like a woodcarver, suddenly leaned down, bared her teeth at William's back, and gave him a warning.

"A beetle!" Hermione exclaimed in surprise.

She quickly poked it with her wand, and the beetle flew up, ready to run away.

William was taken aback. Beetles in the dead of winter? He seemed to remember something and pointed his wand at the beetle.

"Revelio!"

His wand emitted a blue-white light, which struck the beetle.

The beetle hung in mid-air, its small green body writhing wildly before crashing to the floor.

Another dazzling flash, followed by what looked like a fast-forwarded shot of trees growing:

A head appeared on the ground, followed by four limbs. After a while, a woman appeared.

The woman had exquisite hair, stylish big waves, and wore a pair of jeweled glasses. Her thick, fleshy fingers clutched a crocodile-skin handbag, and her nails were two inches long and painted bright red, making her look like a demon.

--Rita Skeeter!

William recognized the woman immediately.

He raised an eyebrow and laughed.

interesting,

How interesting...!

According to the Ministry of Magic's records, there were only eight registered Animagus in the 20th century, including William.

William knew the number was pitifully small, and there must be a significant number of illegal Animagus.

If Professor McGonagall hadn't known about William's academic progress, he probably wouldn't have reported it.

But Rita Skeeter is definitely not among these eight people.

This means one thing: Rita is an illegal Animagus.

No wonder she always gets valuable information; she's an Animagus, and a beetle at that... No wonder she's a Ravenclaw student.

It's simply excellent...

Pah!

William suddenly felt incredibly awkward. Three consecutive Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor were all Ravenclaw alumni... Rita too... What?

Is the whole world deliberately targeting my adorable American?

Ravenclaw... it's supposed to be a place that cultivates outstanding talent, so why does it seem like it's producing scum?

Shouldn't we clear Slytherin's name and restore their reputation?

William sighed.

"Where am I? How did I get here?"

Rita, true to her journalist background, despite illegally trespassing, wore a bewildered expression, as if she had encountered a time warp and ended up there.

Illegal Animagus is a serious crime, and if discovered, she'll definitely lose her Azkaban annual pass. She'll probably have to feign madness to Confundus Charm.

Rita seemed to suddenly see William and exclaimed in surprise:

"Oh, Mr. Stark, it's good to see you! What am I doing here?"

Is this your home?

She wandered around, carrying a small crocodile skin bag.

"Great, that's it—great," Rita Skeeter said. "Now, let me think..."

"How about an exclusive interview? I've written to you several times, wanting to interview you, but I haven't received a reply."

Now is the perfect opportunity! I guarantee you'll be on the front page of every major newspaper tonight, taking your fame to the next level!

You won't object to me using Quick-Quotes Quill for note-taking, will you? That way, I can have my hands free to have a normal conversation with you..."

Rita reached into her crocodile-skin handbag and pulled out a long, bright green quill pen and a roll of parchment.

She put the tip of the green quill pen into her mouth, curled her tongue, and licked it with relish for a while.

Then she placed the pen vertically on the parchment. The quill trembled slightly, spraying out a large amount of ink that landed on the white paper.

"Come on, do you have a private room, just you and me, for a one-on-one interview... Let's start a wonderful Christmas?"

In just a few minutes, Rita had taken over the reins, as if the beetle had never existed and that she was just an ordinary reporter.

And this was just an ordinary interview.

"A separate room is fine, the living room is perfect." William sat down on the sofa, revealing an innocent smile.

"I know you— Rita Skeeter. Aunt Rita, since you're here, you're a guest. What would you like to drink?"

"Auntie...!!" Rita took a deep breath, feeling as if she had been suffocating.

This is the first time someone has ever called her "Auntie"!

"Firewhisky, no ice, please!"

"Okay, then pour Auntie a Quirrell."

William waved his wand, and the teapot on the table automatically brewed a cup of coffee, which floated into Rita's hand.

"..." Rita told herself: Stay calm, don't get angry.

Her eyes fell on Hermione, clearly attracted by the cat's tail, and she showed a hint of excitement.

This is big news!

Stimulate!

I knew I had come to the right place.

The sketching pen began to scribble rapidly.

William snapped his fingers, and the sketching pen stopped.

Rita was stunned for a moment, not expecting that William could actually... Wandless Magic.

The rumors were true! Stark was incredibly powerful, unlike ordinary wizards.

"Rita, I've heard Uncle Newt mention you," William said softly.

"Oh, that report?" Rita frowned; Scamander certainly hadn't said anything good about her.

This is problematic; preconceived notions can significantly diminish the positive impression and hinder her interview.

"I know you're good at twisting facts, and you always want to create a big news story." William pushed up glasses that weren't actually on his face.

"Oh, William, I think you've misunderstood me about this. I was just reporting the facts."

You mustn't be fooled by that old scoundrel Scamander; Picquery still has his eye on him.

"Being unable to forget someone and having an affair are two different things."

William's smile faded, and he said expressionlessly, "Besides, I don't want to talk to you about this right now."

"You transformed into Animagus and sneaked into my house, what do you mean by that?!"

"Child, I didn't break into your house. I was outside and don't know how I ended up here."

"And you've misunderstood; I had drunk Polyjuice Potion."

"Rita, don't forget I also know Animagus, so I can easily tell the difference between the two."

William glanced at Hermione out of the corner of his eye, then pulled a bottle of Veritaserum from his pocket.

He swayed, and like Snape, drawled out:

"Don't admit it? Just one drop and you'll reveal your secret. Want to taste the saltiness? No additives whatsoever."

"That's illegal!" Rita immediately grabbed her wand.

But William was faster; he flicked his wand slightly.

The cushions on the sofa turned into ropes, binding Rita's hands and wrapping her whole body, suspending her from the ceiling.

"You turned into a beetle and sneaked into my house. It's understandable that I accidentally had a magical outburst, after all..." William said softly.

"I'm still a child!"

"Professor Dumbledore and Minister Fudge will understand me, but you are different, a liar, an illegal Animagus... right?"

Rita gasped; she realized she had bumped into something hard.

hard,

It's so hard!

Much tougher than Scamander!

(Thanks to the generous donors "Hell Cat", "Mulita", and "Ataier" for their generous donations.)