Chapter 307: The Captured Female Journalist
Chapter 307: The Captured Female Journalist
Rita Skeeter never considered herself an ordinary journalist.
She was bold and unscrupulous, willing to do anything to gain fame and uncover the private lives of celebrities. It was through these tactics that she rose to prominence at the Daily Prophet, one of the top three magical newspapers in the British magical community, or even in the entire European Wizarding World.
From a professional journalist's perspective, she was far from qualified. She was well aware that she lacked the qualities a good journalist should possess.
Rita never aspired to expose the dark secrets of the Wizarding World. Investigating such matters was both difficult and unlikely to bring her much fame, and it could also put her in danger.
Instead, she found her calling in uncovering the private lives of celebrities, adding a bit of spice and gossip to the mix, and stirring up public opinion. This was what truly captivated her.
If she were in the Muggle world, she would be categorized as a paparazzi, and not just any paparazzi, but one with no moral boundaries.
To satisfy her desire and sense of achievement, she even took the risk of mastering a high-level application of Transfiguration—becoming an Animagus.
She did not register this transformation with the Ministry of Magic, making her an illegal Animagus.
And it seemed that fate was on her side, as her Animagus form was a small, inconspicuous insect, perfect for covert operations.
This gave her a significant advantage. She could easily infiltrate the private spaces of celebrities, eavesdrop on their conversations, and uncover their secrets, which she would then expose to the public.
This skill propelled her career at the Daily Prophet like a rocket. She joined the newspaper in her thirties and became the deputy editor by the time she was in her early forties.
Now, she was solely responsible for the coverage of the Triwizard Tournament.
While Rita enjoyed spreading rumors and prying into others' private lives, she also had enough self-awareness.
When it came to someone like Dumbledore, the universally recognized pinnacle of wizardry in the entire Wizarding World, she could easily insinuate and spread rumors through others (she keenly observed that the current Minister Fudge did not hold Dumbledore in high regard, and this would not only bring her fame but also ensure the Ministry of Magic would protect her).
However, even these actions, though borderline, could be considered part of the normal journalistic process. If Rita were to directly infiltrate Dumbledore's office to spy on his private life, she would never dare to do so.
So, on this festive Christmas Eve, when the entire Hogwarts was in a celebratory mood, Rita's instincts told her that there was a big story to be uncovered tonight.
Her target from the start was Hagrid, the recently appointed Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts.
After her exclusive interview with Harry, she had set her sights on this unusually large man and had even managed to interact with Hagrid under a facade of kindness. She was thrilled to learn that Hagrid and Harry had a very close relationship.
Any news involving Harry was a top priority for Rita.
Thus, she decided to conduct an in-depth investigation of Hagrid during the Christmas holidays.
However, while she was in her Animagus form, monitoring Hagrid's every move in the Great Hall, a man who made her grit her teeth suddenly caught her attention.
The Yule Ball had just begun when Forrest, who had burned her news manuscript right in front of her and threatened her, got up and left the Great Hall with another female teacher.
Her sharp instincts told Skeeter that there was definitely a story to be found here!
She had been a Daily Prophet reporter for so long and had never been humiliated like this before. Sherlock was the first!
After that, she had been desperately trying to dig up dirt on Sherlock but found nothing.
This Hogwarts Defense Against the Dark Arts professor had an excellent reputation. Whether among the students in the castle or the wizards who had graduated and entered the workforce in the past two years, not a single person had a bad word to say about him.
Even the most venomous Professor Snape hadn't given her any dirt on Sherlock.
This made Skeeter feel like a fly that had found an egg but couldn't find a crack, buzzing around in frustration.
But tonight, she felt her chance had come.
After a brief moment of decision, she left Hagrid behind and secretly followed Sherlock and the female teacher all the way to the garden outside the castle.
To her disappointment, these two were like two silent gourds, not uttering a single word throughout their walk.
Finally, they started talking, and she could tell that the female teacher had a crush on Sherlock. It seemed they had just found a secluded spot to show off their affection.
Not only did she fail to dig up any juicy news, but she also had to endure a full dose of their public displays of affection. Skeeter angrily decided to go back and write a report saying that the professors at Hogwarts were engaging in inappropriate relationships, wasting the salaries provided by the Board of Governors and the funds from the Ministry of Magic, and blaming it all on Dumbledore's inaction.
However, before she could even start thinking about it, she was caught.
Skeeter couldn't fathom how Sherlock had discovered her. The biggest advantage of an Animagus transformation over regular transfiguration was that the transformed animal was indistinguishable from a normal one.
But now, no matter how much she thought about it, it wouldn't change the outcome.
After catching her, Sherlock didn't immediately expose her. Instead, he waited until the early hours of the morning before releasing her in his office.
"Would you like to transform back on your own, or do you need a little help?"
Forcing an Animagus to revert wasn't difficult. Last year, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Sherlock had used this method on Peter Pettigrew when he was in his rat form.
Skeeter didn't dare to play any tricks. Before Sherlock could act, she transformed back into her human form.
Sherlock sat in his chair, looking at the nervous and fidgety reporter standing before him, and spoke with interest.
"I never would have thought, Ms. Skeeter, that you were an illegal Animagus."
Skeeter forced a smile. She no longer had the aggressive demeanor she usually displayed and could only look at Sherlock with a pleading expression.
"Mr. Forrest, I beg you not to tell anyone about this."
Sherlock's face was a mix of amusement and curiosity. He stared at the pleading Skeeter and spoke softly.
"Not tell anyone? What would be in it for me if I kept quiet?"
(End of Chapter)
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