Chapter 462: Birthday Gift
Chapter 462: Birthday Gift
Rita Skeeter had her own calculations.
She could thrive while being detested because she knew what not to report and who not to offend. An interesting fact was that different people valued the same events differently, and the same person valued different events differently.
She could report on the Malfoy family's opulence and power but would never touch their history of being ennobled by a Muggle king or their close ties to the Death Eaters. She might describe Dumbledore as a "stiff old lunatic" with biting words, but she would never write about his forbidden friendship from half a century ago or mention his deceased relatives.
Unless they were gone.
She developed her unique reporting style through this distinctive understanding of news, standing out in the wizarding world and gaining a loyal following. However, her luck had turned sour over the past two years, leading to several major setbacks.
The first setback occurred two years ago when she encountered a low-profile wizard and misjudged the situation, thinking it wouldn't be a big deal to offend him. She hit a brick wall and was confronted.
The second setback was also two years ago when Lockhart, the bumbling fool, discovered her illegal Animagus secret. She had to act first, using a memory charm to avoid trouble. Later, when she learned that Lockhart was a true master of memory, she was terrified. Knowing her own limitations, she realized her clumsy forgetfulness charm wouldn't hold him for long. She hurried to the Ministry of Magic to register as an Animagus.
Although her reputation worsened, she avoided a more severe punishment, only being fined.
The third setback involved her ambitious project, Defying the Black Terror. After her rival and nemesis was locked away in Azkaban, she had been considering writing a highly influential new book. Regulus Black, a descendant of the ancient Pureblood Families and a potential recipient of Dumbledore's endorsement, caught her eye. He also had a hidden identity as a former Death Eater!
She didn't care if it was true; the story had great selling points. Even more fortunate, both main characters were dead.
The only obstacle might have been Sirius Black, the sole heir of the Black family. If his wanted poster still hung in Diagon Alley, she wouldn't have dared to do it. But the Black was ultimately proven innocent. What a foolish man, wasting over a decade in prison. Rita Skeeter once suspected he had intellectual issues.
But regardless, since Sirius Black was innocent, she no longer feared him. Think about it: the last member of an ancient Pureblood Family, who ran away from home at 16 and never inherited any of the family's connections. What was there to fear?
In her view, Sirius should have been busy maneuvering to restore his family's glory.
However, things spiraled out of control. Sirius Black started sending her Howlers, and then there were rumors of a loyal Death Eater's resurrection and escape from capture. This terrified and infuriated her. When did Azkaban become a sieve?
Damn Barty Crouch! Both of them!
She repeatedly tried to uncover the truth through various connections, only to become more chilled to the bone. She even used a secret piece of intelligence, finally meeting a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Magic, who looked at her as if she were a dead person.
She quickly decided to ally herself with the most powerful wizard she could reach, Felix Hep, offering him all the secret intelligence she had gathered over the years.
She finally realized who she had provoked—she had considered every possibility, even suspecting that she might have caught the attention of some saint, but she never imagined that it would be someone who was already dead.
The servant feigns death, and the master does the same. What a strange obsession is this?
Despite Felix Hep's promise, she was worried that she might be used as bait. If the fish didn't bite, she could end up being swallowed instead. After much deliberation, she decided to go into hiding for a while. Using the pretext of writing a book in peace, she quietly moved to a Muggle community and temporarily cut off contact with the wizarding world.
During a walk, she discovered a newsstand, and one of the Muggle tabloids caught her fancy. Although she wasn't particularly fond of the third edition... she still used some "skills" to secure a position as a trainee journalist.
After a few trial runs, she became the most outstanding intern under the editor-in-chief, and a promotion to a full-time journalist was just around the corner. She had no intention of giving up this identity and decided to convince the poorly dressed editor to grant her a degree of autonomy.
That morning, Rita Skeeter emerged from the Sun's office. She promised to bring the newspaper a significant story every month, in exchange for more flexible working hours.
At noon, she returned to Diagon Alley.
Rita Skeeter took a deep breath, feeling a wave of relaxation. On her way back to the Daily Prophet headquarters, she noticed various posters plastered around Diagon Alley, even covering the wanted notice for the younger Barty Crouch.
Rita Skeeter stared expressionlessly at the dozen or so individuals on the posters. They were the champions of the Triwizard Tournament, and she was familiar with them, having participated in the wand checks and the coverage of the first task. However, it was clear that something significant had happened that she was unaware of.
Half an hour later, at the Daily Prophet headquarters, she learned the details from the photographer's assistant.
The second task!
The magical projector!
Of course, and—Ancient Runes!
After two months at the Sun, Rita Skeeter was well aware of what a projector was, and she even understood the logic behind the 'future world' company.
"Those kids are quite famous now, aren't they?" she asked, smoothing her curly hair.
"Rita, you've missed out on a fortune in Galleons!" the photographer exclaimed.
Rita Skeeter lowered her head, her gaze piercing through her jeweled glasses, "Oh, Boris... news is never in short supply. I did something more important."
"So, um, what do you plan to do now—"
"Of course, to get a piece of the pie!" Rita Skeeter said, reaching into her crocodile-skin handbag and pulling out a dark green fountain pen and a notebook. The photographer stared in amazement at her new equipment as Rita Skeeter subtly adjusted her ouroboros ring, revealing only a dark green band.
"Hurry up!" she said sternly, "Don't tell me you've been idle all this time! Bring me all the photos you've taken!"
...
Meanwhile, Felix was staring at a package delivered by an owl.
It was a birthday gift.
He carefully unwrapped the outer packaging, revealing a birthday card and a cake. After confirming several times that there were no magical traces, he opened the card. The greeting was brief, and the signature was a simple name, Jane, with no surname.
"Strange... did I mention my birthday? And it's a week late..." Felix muttered to himself. His birthday was on April 8th, but it was now the 15th. The owl, with the owl post office's logo on its leg, had already flown away, indicating that no reply was expected.
(End of Chapter)
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