Once the ship left land, it became an isolated island in the vast ocean.
Fortunately, the Book of Friends always guided Wade in the right direction.
A Peregrine Falcon was too conspicuous out at sea, far from land. Wade only landed on the ship after night fell.
The ocean at night was as dark as an abyss. Most people looking at such a surface couldn't appreciate it; they only felt fear.
Therefore, there was hardly anyone walking on the outer deck. Wade casually found a secluded spot, transformed back into human form, straightened his collar, and took a gulp of Polyjuice Potion. Only after the transformation was complete did he emerge from the darkness.
Inside the ship, it was much livelier. Many passengers were there for leisure, and the ship offered a variety of facilities like courts, pools, bars, theaters, shopping malls, and children's play areas.
Even though it was late, the ship was still brightly lit, with many people engaged in activities. Wade, currently in Werner's appearance, dressed in a well-tailored dark blue suit, blended in without drawing attention.
He held a book with a tracking parchment tucked inside. Wade looked at the red dot on the paper, searching around for a while before finally spotting Rita Skeeter.
The woman was lying on a lounge chair by the pool, comfortably enjoying massage and skincare services, with a green paste covering her face.
If it weren't for her golden curly hair, Wade wouldn't have been able to confirm he had found the right person.
Wade sat on an outer chair and waited for a while when his ear suddenly caught a sound—
"How can Muggles endure such slow speeds..."
He shifted his gaze and unexpectedly saw someone he knew—
Daphne Greengrass of Slytherin.
The blonde girl said with a look of disgust, arms crossed.
Beside her was a younger girl, though very similar in appearance, whose face was exceptionally pale, and she seemed somewhat sickly.
The girl said, "I think it's quite nice... The ship is lively and interesting, isn't it?"
"But Portkeys are so fast! Astoria, if you hadn't insisted on taking the ship, we would have already been in America yesterday noon," Daphne complained.
"Portkeys are uncomfortable, I don't like them," Astoria stubbornly said. "And I told you, you could have gone to America with Mom using a Portkey first. Dad and I came by ship. You were the one who didn't want to."
"But you're my sister!" Daphne said, annoyed. "The ship is full of Muggles, and Dad has to work. If I don't stay with you, who will you talk to?"
Astoria fell silent.
After a long while, she mumbled, "Why wouldn't I have anyone to talk to? There might be thousands of people on this ship!"
"Those are all Muggles!" Daphne said, exasperated, poking her forehead.
The two sisters, bickering and playing, walked past Wade.
Not far behind them, a blonde couple followed, both with the same arrogant and indifferent expressions, as if they didn't quite fit into the environment.
However, when they looked at their daughters, their eyes showed loving affection.
Wade shifted his gaze, and only after the group had passed did he look back.
It was somewhat surprising to him that such a Pure-blood family would be on a Muggle ship.
If he remembered correctly, Greengrass was different from Malfoy, who guarded their family fortune. Mr. Greengrass should hold a rather important position at the Ministry of Magic.
As he pondered, Wade suddenly smelled a somewhat pungent fragrance.
"Rita."
"Hmm?" A refreshed Rita Skeeter was admiring her face in a mirror when she suddenly heard someone call her name and looked up, glancing around.
"It's me," Wade said simply, raising a hand. "Gray."
Rita Skeeter's eyes lit up. She quickly walked over and sat beside Wade, her eyes fixed on his face, and asked excitedly, "Transfiguration? Or Polyjuice Potion?"
Wade glanced at her. "Polyjuice Potion, of course. Why would you think I could master such advanced Transfiguration?"
Skeeter chuckled, "I wouldn't think that of anyone else, but you've surprised me enough already. I don't mind a little more."
As she spoke, she quickly took notes, her Quill leaving lines of text rapidly on the paper.
Wade could see that her hand was just for show; the Quill was actually moving on its own.
"If you're writing about me, I'll burn your notebook, and some other things along with it," Wade said, resting his chin on his hand.
"Hahaha, why would I?"
Skeeter gave a dry laugh and quickly stuffed her notebook into her crocodile-skin handbag.
"I remember you were supposed to be monitoring those Werewolves downstairs..." Wade frowned. "How long has it been? Even if something happened there, you wouldn't know."
Skeeter's face paled. She suddenly recalled the glowing green eyes in the darkness, and her body trembled.
"I... um... I needed a break too, you know."
Skeeter stammered an excuse, then said in an exaggerated tone, "You know what? I found a big scoop!"
"What news?"
Wade asked, uninterested, while simultaneously wondering if it had been a mistake to entrust Skeeter with the monitoring task.
Though her Animagus form was convenient... her personality was quite unsuitable...
Skeeter leaned in, lowering her voice, and said excitedly, "Do you know Umbridge? Dolores Umbridge, the high-ranking official at the Ministry of Magic?"
Wade raised an eyebrow and looked over.
Skeeter smiled mysteriously.
"She's on the ship too, along with several Ministry of Magic officials… I heard someone say that Umbridge and Minister Fudge have always had an inappropriate relationship, and that her father was a cleaner and her mother was a Muggle… It's ridiculous, she always claimed to be from the Selwyn family…"
Skeeter curled her lip in disdain, her eyes sparkling, as if every strand of her hair stood on end with excitement over the gossip.
She couldn't resist reaching for her Quill again.
"What's the Ministry of Magic's purpose for being on the ship?" Wade asked. "Why aren't they using a Portkey?"
Skeeter paused, then after a moment of thought, said, "It seems they're accompanying officials from the French Ministry of Magic? That official wanted to take this ship… And, Fudge seems to be planning a big event and wants to get the American Magical Congress involved…"
This was the news Wade was truly interested in, but unfortunately, when he pressed for more, Skeeter didn't know much else.
All her drive seemed to be focused on collecting gossip.
Wade sighed in disappointment. "What have you found out about those Werewolves?"
"Oh, about that…"
Skeeter rummaged through her crocodile-skin handbag, then pulled out another notebook, smiling triumphantly. "I've written it all down – you'll definitely be surprised!"
-----------
Machine Translation by: https:// randomtranslator.com/
Read ***+ original & fanfic translations in English, Español, Português, Deutsch, Français, or Русский
Or Translate for free at : https:// randomtranslator.com/translate
Join our Discord: https:// discord.com/invite/XXUR9nkjwa
-----------