A/N: This is my Round 4 entry for The Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. I am keeper for the Ballycastle Bats. My number was: 3 Emotion: Anger (forbidden: angry/angry).
That stupid little miss perfect, Rita thought to herself as she sat in the glass jar. It was charmed to be unbreakable, and now she was trapped. How in the bloody hell did she figure out my secret?
She thought she was brilliant, Rita did. Becoming an unregistered animagi meant that she could sneak around without anyone ever suspecting her, and she'd get the first scoop. But some how little miss smarty pants figured out her secret. Rita crawled up the side of of the glass jar and banged against it with her tiny beetle legs. It was futile though.
If I ever get my hands on that stupid little witch I'll-
Rita's thoughts were cut off by the jar being abruptly lifted, knocking her to her back. She felt stupid as she flailed her legs, unable to right herself.
"Have you any idea the irony behind you being a beetle?"
The witch giggled. Everyone saw her as little miss perfect, brightest witch of her age, but Rita saw her for the bitch she was.
"Oh that's right, you can't respond in your current form. Don't even think of trying to escape, I'm letting you out and the room is charmed."
The witch opened the jar and flipped it upside down, dumping Rita towards the ground below. In fear, Rita quickly changed into her human form, but still landed on her knees with a thud.
"Feel better," the young witch asked with a sarcastic smile.
How was this witch looked upon as being so good? Rita thought as she pushed herself off the ground into a standing position.
"What do you want, miss perfect," Rita growled out, rage boiling in the pit of her stomach.
"I want you to stop writing. You do nothing but lie and destroy people's lives. I want you to give up writing for a year. And get rid of your supposed 'quick quotes quill because we all know it's a lie."
"Why should I do that," Rita spat.
"Because if you don't, I'll report you to the ministry for being an unregistered animagi."
"You wouldn't."
"Wouldn't I? I just kept you locked in a jar."
"And what am I supposed to do to survive?"
"Figure it out. You've written books, I'm sure you're still getting royalties."
"Not enough to live on."
"Not my problem. And you're going back in that jar if you don't agree."
Rita seethed inside. She had no way to win.
"Fine."
Hermione held her hand out, "I'll take the quill if you please, just to be safe."
Rita glared at the fourteen year old witch. She was too clever and too prepared. Rita begrudgingly handed over her precious quill.
Rita smiled as she read the articles spread before her. They had spiraled from the last article she wrote only a couple months before.
The Boy Who Lies? Fudge: "All is Well"
Dumbledore: Daft or Dangerous
Potter, Plotter? Liar Too?
She felt at peace, laughing at how easy it was to ruin a name with a few words. She missed it terribly, but that witch, Granger, had cracked down hard. Now Rita was sick in a terribly disgusting flat. She had to downgrade in order to afford food. She was sickened, and positive that she couldn't last a year.
"What's next, Rita? It's been months, readers are antsy."
"I'm not writing anything for a while."
The editor spat out his butter beer, "What? No 'Me, Myself, and I' for a while? What does that mean?"
"I'm taking a sabbatical. All this gossip has bored me."
"Are you kidding? You just wrote the article ruining a fifteen year old's reputation and you're bored? Rita Skeeter lives for gossip."
"What can I say darling? Life has bored me. Maybe I'll change my name. Cut my hair, change is good."
The editor was too shocked to notice her glaring into her glass. Little Miss Perfect is ruining everything.
February 14, The Three Broomsticks. Be there at noon. Or else.
The letter, though unsigned, could only be from one person.
What does that bloody witch want now? Rita thought to herself. She wasn't sure she wanted to know why she was needed, but she knew she had to go.
"You want me to what," Rita almost screeched.
"You're going to write an article for the Quibbler, redeeming Harry and telling the truth."
"Why should I do that?"
"Because, if you do this, I'll stop lording the animagus thing over your head. You'll be free to go back to writing and living your life."
Oh how she missed writing, but the Quibbler? And redeeming someone? Being honest was her not her strength. As Rita looked from Granger to Potter, and a took a deep breathe that came out as an almost growl
"Fine," she agreed grudgingly.
Someday I'll get her back and make her life a living hell.
Oh this is too perfect. Why is he visiting so late at night? Rita watched as Severus Snape walked into the building where she knew that Hermione lived with her fiance. And she knew George was out of the country on a trip for work. She began to scribble in her notebook. When Severus left it was nearly midnight and he had a smile on his face. Bingo. A few hours later Rita was smiling at the article in her hand, after watching George storm up towards their shared flat.
Former Death-Eater, Severus Snape's Late Night Visit to Hermione Granger While Her Fiance is Away
It proved to be a late night for the former death-eater and member of the golden trio, as Severus Snape arrived at the Weasley-Granger household early in the afternoon, only to leave a little before midnight with a satisfied smile on his face.
Rita felt pleased with herself. Destroying this witch was going to be so much fun.
Severus Snape and Hermione Granger's Love Child Turns One
Shortly after Hermione Granger brutally broke George Weasley's heart by calling off their engagement, this reporter noticed a spike in visits from her former professor. And on top of that, she followed him back to Hogwarts with an apprenticeship in potions, under the guise of being able to privately study for her N.E. , which she had to for go when she leaves she was pregnant after being taken captive and raped by a death eater during the bake at Hogwarts.
Now it seemed very suspicious that Miss Granger suddenly started seeing more of her potions professor, so I did a little digging. It turns out it all started when she was late to her usual lunch at Susan Bones' new cafe, and found Severus Snape at her usual table. The hostess tells me that he offered for her join him and then paid the tab, back in June. No one seems to know what was discussed, but he was later spotted outside the burrow that evening, having been invited to dinner, by none other than Miss Granger herself.
There seemed to be more contact between the two, including Hermione leaving her son in Severus' watch on multiple occasions.
This witch went digging, knowing that Miss Granger had been administered a DNA test for her son. It was determined that her son's father is none other than Severus Snape. The witch declined to press charges against him, and even spoke in his favor at his trials. Although the witch claimed to be kidnapped during the battle, one can't help but wonder why she would not want the man that raped her behind bars.
The only conclusion we could come to was that she was Severus' lover the whole time and simply wouldn't admit it in order to avoid marrying the former death eater.
Each article that she wrote only made Rita feel more empowered. That witch was paying for locking her in a jar and blackmailing her.
Trouble in Paradise
Member of the golden trio, Hermione Granger was spotted at dinner with her potions master this evening having an argument. As it was earlier outed that the two have been carrying on a secret affair since before the war, we have been watching. This is their first outing in several months, and shortly a fight broke out. Although I did not make out what they were arguing about, it was clearly a heated argument. I did hear mentions of a lack of trust, could it be that Hermione Granger is already straying? We all know her reputation as being a fickle girl.
Rita smiled as she knew what was happening. Hermione's reputation was slowly dying. And she was only getting started.
The press surrounded the table, and Rita had made sure to get a seat up close, so she could make this difficult.
Once she sat down, little miss perfect spoke, "One at a time please. The minister will choose each individual."
Rita stood in a flash, raising her hand, ensuring that Kingsley called on her. She smiled her usual smile and spoke, "Do you care to tell us when your love affair with Severus Snape began?"
Hermione rolled her eyes, barely visible from the table, but Rita noticed, "There has never been a love affair between us. In school I actually quite despised him. The closest we've ever come to a so called 'love affair' was last night, we were simply trying to have a date. We are parents, and I have less than a year now to get married. We thought it couldn't hurt."
Kinsley called on another reporter who had short blonde hair, and looked like he might be fresh out of school, "What made you decide to try a relationship? And why didn't you send him to Azkaban."
"Those are two very different questions, but I shall answer both. Let's start with why I helped him, instead of sending him to Azkaban. As you know, Harry Potter has worked very hard to clear Severus' name. He was a double agent for a very long time. Although he did many terrible things for Voldemort, he became one of his most trusted men and then fed all of that information to Dumbledore. He was a good man being used by two people. Yes I was captured during the battle, and yes, he did have sex with me without expressed consent. But in that moment, I felt safe. I can't explain it, but the moment his hand was on my skin, everything in my being calmed down, even my magic. I got a son, whom I love very much. I didn't want him to be punished, because I know that he was trying to do the best he could because of the situation. As for why we decided to try being together now, is one reason. Our son Harvey. Things could certainly be easier for Harvey."
"What were you and him already arguing about?"
"That's really no one's concern. We had a disagreement. And that's really all there is to know."
"What of the comments made by Skeeter, about a lack of trust?"
"In every new relationship, there is very little trust to go on. But Rita Skeeter probably heard every word. Do you all want to hear a secret?"
Rita felt her body tense up. She knew exactly what the witch was about to say. Her secret was about to be outed. A mixture of rage and terror filled her whole body and she began to work her way slowly out of the room.
"Rita gets all of her stories, illegally. She's an illegal animagus. Her form is a beetle. In my fourth year, I trapped her in a jar and kept her there. That's why we were able to get her to write an article for the Quibbler in Harry's favor when no one believed that he was telling the truth."
Rita heard the muffled gasps at her confession, but she was almost at the door, almost free. Until she felt rough hands grab her.
Rita sat in her cell in Azkaban. Two years was a long time to be in there alone.
I'll get you, little miss perfect.
"I'll get you if it's the last thing I do."