Once a ship departs from land, it becomes an isolated island on the vast ocean.
Fortunately, the Book of Friends's locator guided Wade in the right direction.
Far out at sea, a peregrine falcon would stand out too much. Wade waited for nightfall before landing on the ship.
The sea at night was as dark as an abyss. For most people, looking at such waters was far from enjoyable and only evoked fear.
As a result, the outer deck was nearly deserted. Wade chose a secluded spot to transform back into his human form. After tidying his collar, he took a swig of Polyjuice Potion. Once the transformation was complete, he stepped out of the shadows.
Inside the ship, however, was far livelier. Many passengers were there for leisure, and the ship boasted various facilities—sports courts, pools, bars, theaters, malls, and even a children's play area.
Even though it was late, the ship was brightly lit, with plenty of activity. Wade, now in the guise of "Werner," walked among them in a tailored dark blue suit and blended in seamlessly.
He held a book with a piece of locator parchment tucked inside. Following the red dot on the map, Wade wandered for quite some time before finally spotting Rita Skeeter.
The woman was lounging by the pool, enjoying a massage and skincare treatment, her face was covered with a layer of green mask.
If not for her distinctive golden curls, Wade might not have recognized her.
He found a chair outside and waited. Suddenly, his sharp ears picked up a voice:
"How do Muggles tolerate such slow travel…?"
Wade turned his gaze and was surprised to see someone he knew—
Daphne Greengrass of Slytherin.
The blonde girl had her arms crossed, and her face was full of disdain.
Beside her stood a younger girl who bore a striking resemblance to her. However, the younger girl's complexion was unusually pale, and she appeared frail.
"I think it's rather nice… The ship is lively and interesting, isn't it?" the younger girl said.
"But a Portkey would've been so much faster! Astoria, if you hadn't insisted on taking the ship, we'd have been in America by midday yesterday," Daphne complained.
"I don't like Portkeys; they're unpleasant," Astoria said stubbornly. "Besides, I already told you, you could've gone with Mom to America using the Portkey while Dad and I took the ship. You chose not to."
"But you're my sister!" Daphne retorted angrily. "The ship is full of Muggles, and Dad's busy with work. Who would you talk to if I wasn't here?"
Astoria fell silent.
After a long pause, she muttered, "Why wouldn't I have anyone to talk to? There are probably over a thousand people on this ship!"
"They're all Muggles!" Daphne snapped, and poked her sister on the forehead in frustration.
The two sisters bickered playfully as they walked past Wade.
Not far behind them, a pair of blonde-haired parents followed. Their expressions were the same—haughty and aloof, as if completely out of place in this environment.
However, when their eyes fell on their daughters, a trace of parental affection softened their demeanor.
Wade averted his gaze and only looked back once they had passed by.
The presence of a pureblood family like the Greengrasses on a Muggle ship was surprising to him.
If he recalled correctly, the Greengrasses were different from the Malfoys, who clung tightly to their family wealth. The Greengrass family head held a reasonably important position in the Ministry of Magic.
As he was mulling this over, Wade suddenly caught a whiff of a sharp, somewhat overwhelming fragrance.
"Rita."
"Hmm?"
The refreshed Rita Skeeter was admiring her face in a mirror when she heard her name. She looked around in surprise.
"It's me." Wade raised a hand and said simply, "Grey."
Rita Skeeter's eyes lit up. She quickly walked over, sat beside Wade, and stared at his face with great interest. "Transfiguration? Or Polyjuice Potion?"
Wade glanced at her. "Of course, Polyjuice Potion. Why would you think I've mastered such advanced Transfiguration?"
Skeeter chuckled. "I wouldn't think that of anyone else, but you've surprised me enough times. I wouldn't mind one more."
As she spoke, her hand moved swiftly, and the quill in her hand left line after line of text on the paper at an impressive speed.
Wade could tell her hand was just for show; the quill was moving on its own.
"If you're writing anything about me, I'll burn your notebook—and maybe a few other things along with it," Wade said as he rested his chin on his hand.
"Hahaha, of course not!"
Skeeter laughed nervously, shoving her notebook into her crocodile-skin handbag with impressive speed.
"I thought you were supposed to be monitoring those werewolves down below," Wade said with a frown. "How long has it even been? If something happens, you wouldn't even know."
Skeeter's face paled, and she suddenly remembered those glowing green eyes in the dark. Her body shuddered.
"Well, I… um… I also need a break now and then," Skeeter stammered, trying to justify herself. Then, in an exaggerated tone, she added, "You know, I found a major scoop!"
"What scoop?"
Wade asked without much interest, simultaneously wondering if assigning Skeeter to surveillance had been a mistake.
Her Animagus form is indeed convenient... but her personality is far from ideal.
Skeeter leaned in closer and lowered her voice with excitement. "Do you know Umbridge? Dolores Umbridge, the high-ranking Ministry of Magic official?"
Wade raised an eyebrow and looked at her.
Skeeter flashed a knowing, mischievous smile.
"She's on this ship, along with several other Ministry officials. I overheard someone say that Umbridge has an improper relationship with Minister Fudge. And get this—her father was a janitor, and her mother was a Muggle. It's ridiculous! She's always claimed to be part of the Selwyn family."
Skeeter sneered with disdain, her eyes sparkled with gossip-fueled excitement and her very hair practically bristled with the thrill. She couldn't resist reaching for her quill again.
"What's the Ministry doing on this ship?" Wade asked. "Why aren't they using Portkeys?"
Skeeter paused, thought for a moment, then replied, "I think they're accompanying officials from the French Ministry of Magic? Apparently, one of them wanted to travel on this ship... Oh, and Fudge seems to be planning a large-scale event and wants to involve MACUSA."
Now this caught Wade's interest. Unfortunately, when he pressed for more details, Skeeter didn't know much else.
Her energy seemed entirely devoted to collecting scandalous gossip.
Wade sighed in disappointment. "What about those werewolves? Did you learn anything?"
"Oh, that…"
Skeeter rummaged through her crocodile-skin handbag and triumphantly pulled out another notebook, grinning. "I've got everything written down—you're going to be absolutely shocked!"
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