Despair rose in Skeeter's eyes. She suddenly remembered a secret from the Ministry of Magic she had uncovered a few days ago.
The Senior Undersecretary of the Ministry of Magic was Cursed!
Only a few people knew about this, and even fewer knew what the Curse specifically was.
And she, through her usual methods, happened to know what Curse Umbridge had suffered—she had turned into a toad.
Now, her situation was so similar.
A journalist who barks like a dog… At this thought, her mind went blank, and she collapsed to the ground.
In Hogsmeade Village, the train whistle blew. Dumbledore stood at the window, watching the departing train, his mind filled with thoughts.
Behind him, the sound of disturbed air suddenly appeared.
"You usually don't come, and if you do, it means it's not a normal situation, so you Apparate directly… I'm wondering if this is a vicious cycle."
"You're deliberately slandering me a bit. If it's a generally urgent matter, I always land outside the veil," Howl's voice sounded behind him.
Dumbledore turned around, holding a steaming mug of treacle and wearing a pointed nightcap.
"Do you know how Rita Skeeter gets all those exclusives?" Howl smiled.
"A vast network of contacts? Or anonymous tips from the public?" Dumbledore asked with interest.
"It's Animagus... That fellow used the Animagus issue to attack me in the newspaper, when she herself is a truly unregistered Animagus."
At this, he couldn't help but find it amusing.
"Her Animagus is a beetle!" Howl said again.
Dumbledore's aged hand rested on the warm mug, his fingers lightly tapping the porcelain, making a faint tinkling sound.
Then he looked at the portrait, but quickly averted his gaze.
"Start within the school. If we don't find anything, we can arrange for a check at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters this evening."
Saying this, he looked up, "Howl, would you mind contacting Severus? I'll contact Minerva and have her tell the children not to bring pets to Hogsmeade.
I'll be heading to the Forbidden Forest shortly. Also, just in case, I suggest you take a Sneakoscope and disguise it."
"Whatever." Howl shrugged, his anticipation unconcealed.
"Remember... please don't..."
"I know." Howl smiled easily.
"I won't kill him in front of the children. Wait, we're not even sure if he's a child, are we!"
With that, he turned and went downstairs.
Dumbledore sighed helplessly, finally managing a wry smile. Everyone knew that while it was possible for a Little Wizard to become an Animagus, the chances weren't very high.
Moreover, if someone were to hold a Mandrake in their mouth for a month at school, no Professor would be unaware.
Casting spells outside of school during the holidays would also be easily detected by the Ministry of Magic.
So the probability of a Little Wizard mastering this magic before graduating without anyone knowing was simply too small.
There was an eighty percent chance that Howl's wish would come true, and an outsider had infiltrated the school... He was just afraid that Howl would immediately act, directly dismembering the fellow in front of a group of children, hence the need for a reminder...
As Howl walked downstairs, he happened to run into Harry and Hermione in the Great Hall.
The two still chose to take the Moonlight Fortress, as it only needed to be used as a transfer station to directly reach London.
"Professor Jones, when are we leaving?"
Howl shook his head, "There's been a sudden development, so it might be a while. Actually, you can go back first; Lucifer will open the door for you."
"Oh... no, that's alright. Let's do our homework first." Harry and Hermione shook their heads repeatedly, not in a hurry.
There was no point in rushing. All the teachers had assigned a lot of homework, and even if they rushed back, they would still have to spend time on it eventually.
"Suit yourselves, go ahead." Howl nodded casually.
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