Following Cinder' guidance, Maurise walked to the edge of the pitch. A perfectly ordinary, inconspicuous beetle was resting on the railing. Without a doubt, it was an Animagus.
Maurise stared at the beetle, falling into brief contemplation. Was the Animagus transformation really such a common piece of magic? What happened to the claim that there were only seven registered Animagi in all of Britain?
He shook his head and stepped forward. Whatever the case, he decided to first see what this uninvited guest was plotting. He did not actually mind people watching him openly, but this sneaky behavior highly suggested malicious intent.
"Incarcerous!"
Maurise gave his wand a gentle flick. A minuscule, ribbon-like magical rope shot from the tip of his wand, wrapping precisely around the beetle's tiny body.
The beetle scrambled frantically in an attempt to escape, but it could not break free.
At that moment, a rather amusing thought crossed Maurise's mind. If an Animagus took the form of a bug, would their physical body become just as fragile as a real bug? For instance, if he pinched this beetle between his fingers and applied just a little pressure... would it pop directly? Or would it be forced back into its human form?
Rita, of course, was completely unaware of the dangerous thoughts swirling in Maurise's head, but she clearly understood one thing. Her current situation was incredibly dire. She could only pray that this student was merely bored and playing with a random bug, rather than having seen right through her disguise.
However, Maurise's next words plunged her into an icy abyss.
"Rita Skeeter, I know it is you."
Maurise's voice was light and airy, as if he were discussing something entirely trivial.
"I highly doubt you want anyone else to know you are an unregistered Animagus, correct?" he continued. "So, you had better return to your human form right now. We need to have a little chat."
Rita's mind raced. The boy had named her directly. Playing dumb would be entirely useless.
Just then, having finished their rest, Fred and George walked over and looked at the scene with utter confusion.
"Err, Maurise, who exactly are you talking to?" Fred asked.
The moment he finished speaking, the tiny beetle bound by Maurise's spell suddenly expanded and morphed. In the next second, Rita Skeeter landed ungracefully on the grass.
Fred and George jumped back in shock.
"Who is this?" George gaped, quickly regaining his wits. "Wait a minute, how was she a beetle? An Animagus?"
Although the answer was glaringly obvious, Rita had absolutely no intention of explaining herself. She scrambled up from the ground, brushed the grass clippings off her robes, and forced a stiff smile at them. "I was just taking a casual stroll. Do not mind me."
Maurise looked at her as if he were watching a circus monkey.
"I am quite certain the Headmaster has no idea you are trespassing here," he stated slowly. "Perhaps I should go inform him."
Hearing this, Rita cursed internally. This kid was not going to be easy to fool. She immediately plastered on what she believed to be her most endearing smile. "Now, child, let us be a little forgiving. There is no need to tell anyone else about this."
"Alright," Maurise agreed cheerfully. "I can keep it a secret. But to think you are an Animagus... What a surprise! That is incredibly advanced magic. You must be fully registered with the Ministry of Magic, right?"
Rita's smile froze.
"Of course," she replied, her voice taking on a slightly shrill pitch. "Of course I am registered."
"That sounded entirely unconvincing." Maurise chuckled, too lazy to beat around the bush any longer. "Do me a favor, Madam Reporter. I need you to write an article for me and have it published in the Daily Prophet."
Rita's expression instantly became a colorful mix of indignation and disbelief. Writing articles was her job. Being blackmailed into writing one, however, was an entirely different matter.
"My professional ethics absolutely forbid me from engaging in such behavior." Rita suddenly straightened her back, trying desperately to maintain a final shred of dignity.
"Is that so?" Maurise shook his head mockingly. "Then I suppose I have no choice but to inform Professor Dumbledore that a nasty little bug has infiltrated Hogwarts."
This was a naked threat! Rita's eyes darkened dangerously.
The atmosphere grew instantly tense.
Seeing the standoff, Fred and George quickly hurried over to stand firmly by Maurise's side, as if to bolster his imposing presence.
"Madam," Fred spoke up, a hint of amusement playing in his tone. "I highly recommend you carefully consider our boss's proposal."
Rita remained silent for a long time. Finally, she let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, consider me unlucky. I can write the article for you, provided it falls within my capabilities. But we must all sign a magical contract to ensure no one goes back on their word."
"Acceptable. That is perfectly fair," Maurise nodded. In the magical world, the binding power of a formal contract was highly reliable.
Rita swiftly pulled a roll of parchment from her crocodile-skin handbag. Her vibrant green quill automatically hovered over the paper and began to scribble furiously.
A moment later, the quill stopped, and the parchment floated smoothly into Maurise's hands. He scanned the contents briefly.
The terms were incredibly simple. He was forbidden from revealing her Animagus secret to anyone, and in exchange, Rita would write a news article for him. Just those two clauses.
The glaring issue, however, was that the contract specified absolutely no deadline or quality standards for the article. This was obviously a trap. If he signed it, Rita would barely have to pay any price at all. She could simply jot down a paragraph of absolute rubbish to brush him off.
Maurise frowned in displeasure and handed the parchment back to her.
"I have changed my mind," he said coldly. "You have absolutely no sincerity, Madam."
"I suggest you leave immediately before the professors arrive. That is all. Goodbye. Fred, George, let us go." He waved a hand at the twins and turned to leave.
"Wait!" Rita's voice shrieked in panic. "You cannot do that!"
She was genuinely terrified now.
"Then do exactly as I demand," Maurise looked back over his shoulder, his eyes entirely merciless. "You are in no position to bargain with me."
Her little stunt just now had driven whatever tiny amount of patience he had into the negative. He utterly despised people who tried to play clever little tricks.
Rita gritted her teeth in pure frustration. "Fine! We will do it your way. You make the rules." Her voice was terribly hoarse, having completely accepted her defeat.
"Excellent." Maurise nodded in satisfaction.
Rita nervously smoothed her curled hair and asked bitterly, "Out with it, then. What exactly do you want me to write? But let me warn you first, I do not have absolute control over the Daily Prophet. Your content still needs to pass standard publication guidelines."
Maurise pointed at the two flying broomsticks held by the twins.
"It is very simple. Those two broomsticks. I remember the Daily Prophet publishing a highly detailed review of the Firebolt. I want you to write an article reviewing these brooms using that exact same format."
Rita followed his gaze. The moment her eyes landed on the plain wooden sticks, a mocking sneer quickly surfaced on her lips.
"Child," she drawled, dragging out her words. "You clearly do not understand how valuable ad space in the Daily Prophet is. We only report on items of genuine news value. These broomsticks... forgive my bluntness... look like the sort of completely ordinary junk you could pick up in any run-of-the-mill magical supplies shop."
The twins burst into simultaneous laughter.
"You will soon understand just how incredible they are," Fred chuckled.