It wasn't surprising that Rita was so nervous. This was the first time her secret had ever been discovered... and this particular secret was the foundation of her entire career.
If word got out, she wouldn't just be thrown into Azkaban for hard labor. Even if she somehow got out, no one would ever trust her again.
Her life would be ruined, and any future prospects obliterated.
At this moment, she was entirely at William's mercy. He could deal with her however he pleased.
"William, what do you want? As long as I have it, we can negotiate, Galleons? Or... would you like me to ghostwrite for you?"
Having been caught red-handed, Rita had no choice but to concede and start negotiating.
Rita had navigated the wizarding world for many years, what hadn't she seen?
She was no naïve girl. To her, everything was negotiable, if it wasn't, that simply meant the price wasn't high enough.
Ministry officials? Prestigious pure-blood families?
They were all the same, righteous on the outside, transactional on the inside.
As the old wizard Jack Shay once said:
"As long as you don't kill me with Avada Kedavra, and I manage to survive, we can still strike a deal!"
William was quite pleased with Rita's cooperative attitude. With a flick of his wand, he released her from the ropes and lowered her to the floor.
"Before we proceed, I need to ask you a few questions."
"Of course! I'll answer anything I know." Rita forced a sweet smile.
She reached into her crocodile-skin handbag, pulled out a small mirror, and touched up her makeup. Even in such a predicament, she refused to compromise on her appearance.
Hermione stared at her, dumbfounded.
"When did you start tailing me?"
"When you received the Order of Merlin."
"I mean... how did you know I'd be staying here for Christmas?"
Very few people knew that William had brought Hermione back to the cabin.
"I heard it from Stan Shunpike. He said you took the Knight Bus here during the summer, so I came during Christmas on a hunch."
William was speechless. That Shunpike really doesn't know when to keep his mouth shut.
Never taking the Knight Bus again.
No, wait, the right move would be to buy out the Knight Bus service and fire him.
"How did you get into this house?" William asked again.
"I have no idea. At first, I couldn't even find the house, so I asked around," Rita shrugged.
"I found Lovegood. He wouldn't tell me anything, so I transformed into a beetle and perched on that young girl's back.
"She entered the yard, but the magic kept me out. When you came out, I latched onto your coat and followed you in."
William thought about it for a moment and suddenly understood.
William was the Secret-Keeper of this house. Without his permission, no one could enter.
But since Rita had clung to William's body, it was as if he had unknowingly brought her past the protection of the Fidelius Charm.
William had never considered something like this before, it turned out the Fidelius Charm had such a loophole.
Well, maybe not exactly a loophole, after all, who would ever think a wizard could turn into a beetle and attach themselves to you?
This realization made him understand that even the Fidelius Charm shouldn't be blindly trusted. He needed to find additional protective enchantments to place around the house.
With that thought, William finally relaxed.
With a flick of his wand, the parchment in Rita's hand floated into the air.
He glanced at its contents and couldn't help but feel a twinge of discomfort.
The words were as melodramatic as ever:
..
"A home should be a warm haven, yet this house feels like a prison, one that imprisons a feline maiden."
"I don't know what kind of relationship this cat girl has with Stark, nor do I dare to know. But as a truth-seeking journalist who writes with the sword of truth in hand, I have exposed many false reputations, and this case is no exception."
"Clearly, this little cabin is Mr. Stark's favorite retreat."
"But for our poor cat girl, this is not good news."
"According to a certain wizard, who wishes to remain anonymous, every time Stark returns, strange noises can be heard from within the house."
"Our poor cat girl may be enduring the most dreadful assaults, or even abuse."
..
William's face twitched as he read. "Is she writing a novel or a news article?" he muttered under his breath.
"I hope everyone can avoid negativity. In your replies to me, I only want to see your blessings and love for the cat girl."
"My heart aches for her. What about yours?"
What the…? William was speechless. Rita had only been in the house for a few minutes, yet she had already concocted such a bizarre and dramatic story?
Now this was true talent!
Hermione leaned in, trying to get a glimpse of the parchment. William didn't let her see it. Its contents were clearly inappropriate and mind-bendingly ridiculous.
With a wave of his wand, the parchment burst into flames and turned to ash.
Then, William pointed his wand at Rita again.
Rita raised her hands in fear. "William, I can change it! Don't be mad! I'll write whatever you want, exactly how you want it."
"I don't want you to write anything about me ever again, including anything about the people around me." William gently twirled his wand.
"Understood?"
"Understood!" Rita promised immediately.
Of course, William didn't trust her promise. He still planned to modify her memory so she would forget about Hermione entirely.
"If you want me to keep quiet about your Animagus form, it's simple, help me gather some information in the future."
"You want information?" Rita was stunned, clearly not understanding William's intentions.
She had initially thought he was after Galleons, but this boy only wanted intelligence.
Now this, she thought, was her specialty!
"Exactly. All you need to do is pass on information to me."
"Deal." Rita nodded without hesitation.
William smiled in satisfaction. He was in desperate need of intelligence, and Rita was a top-tier informant.
Her skill in gathering intel far outclassed that of Tonks and Bertha Jorkins.
"I need some information now," William said.
"Who's the target?" Rita asked, her interest piqued.
"Malfoy. What's he been up to lately?" William was certain that the diary was connected to Lucius Malfoy.
"Oh, let me think." Rita pondered for a moment.
"Hogwarts has been facing some trouble lately, hasn't it? Malfoy's been in contact with the Board of Governors, trying to get Dumbledore dismissed."
William nodded slightly, this sounded exactly like something Malfoy would do.
If he played this information right, he could potentially have Malfoy removed from the Board of Governors entirely.
Still, William didn't believe for a second that Dumbledore was unaware of this. The Headmaster's "little birds" were everywhere, even among the governors.
The fact that Dumbledore hadn't acted yet probably meant he was waiting for Malfoy to fully expose himself before closing the net.
Dumbledore always liked playing the long game...
"William, anything else you want to ask?" Rita inquired.
"That's all for now. I'll contact you if I need anything else," William replied.
Rita hesitated for a moment before saying earnestly, "You're the youngest recipient of the Order of Merlin… William, you shouldn't have just this level of fame, it doesn't match your achievements.
"Let me interview you. If you let me manage your public image, you'll be known worldwide. If we work together—"
"Get out."
Rita quickly grabbed her crocodile-skin handbag and stood up, but William's wand suddenly pointed at her head.
"Stupefy!"
"William, what are you doing?" Hermione asked, confused.
"I'm modifying her memory of you," William explained.
There was no way he could trust this kind of matter to Rita's nonexistent sense of integrity. This was a woman with no moral boundaries.
Even if she didn't publish it herself, she could easily hire a ghostwriter to spread a twisted version of events.
"Oh, Hermione, where's Professor Dumbledore's portrait?"
"I put it in the box," Hermione replied.
"I don't have a free hand right now, can you bring it over? I need to consult the Professor about something."
Hermione nodded obediently and went to fetch the portrait.