Note

We are finally diving fully in the articles.

If you don't want to read the story they are based on in its entirety, and you found the Rita's biased recap of the previous chapter insufficient, I would recommend reading the end of "I could only see you", when Bagman gives a short commentary of what really happened during the task.

Fleur Delacour

A savage creature hiding behind an innocent front

Fleur Delacour, always last. It could be a result of the poor quality of Beauxbâtons' education, an inherent weakness in her character, or even the fault of her inferior status as a part-creature. But none of this is true. Do not assume she is but a vapid blonde for she hides more intellect than she lets on.

While the only woman of the competition has been heard complaining countless times about how it was "too bad" she"always ended up last", the complicit glances she has shared every time with her headmistress tell another story.

Delacour didn't enter in the Tournament in pursuit of glory earned through feats of bravery, like her competitors. No. Like her brethren, this Veela's appetite for fame can only be quenched by male adoration. This reporter firmly believes Delacour could win the tasks but she purposefully fails them for she knows men are weak when faced with a beautiful damsel in distress.

Despite this, the French champion made a noticed entrance in the Tournament, mostly thanks to her abuse of her magical allure. She was heard repeatedly defending herself that as a quarter-Veela, it was difficult for her to control what 'little' allure she had. This reporter would have believed it, but when she specifically asked the champion why she didn't make more efforts, Delacour answered that "[she is] simply naturally pretty" so "[she doesn't] need any magic to enhance [her] appearance".

Could this woman have tried to lie to this reporter? It is a distinct possibility. One could even argue it should be expected since French people are notoriously unreliable. But this reporter believed Fleur Delacour deserved the benefit of the doubt, she was the one the Cup had singled out after all, and not rely on outdated prejudice.

Unfortunately, this reporter's hopes were disappointed. Even Delacour's classmates seem unable to truly appreciate or support their champion, whose self-satisfied smile can be seen flashed at every male who ventures in her vicinity. She can often be found alone and not one member of the French delegation agreed to speak with this reporter on this topic, showing both a clear lack of good-will and a lack of any warm feeling towards Fleur Delacour.

This could only mean one thing: this champion was hiding something from this reporter that even her compatriots disapproved of, bar her half-giant of a headmistress.

This reporter's hunch has been confirmed multiple times by Delacour's general behavior.

During the first task, the champions discovered mere minutes before entering the arena they would have to face a dragon. Where all the wizards competing against her desperately tried to outwit their dragon to retrieve their golden egg, the Beauxbâtons champion decided to use her allure. On a dragon . And she nearly succeeded in charming it!

All the clues point to one thing: Delacour seems to fully embrace her Veela nature instead of being rightfully ashamed by her lack of control over the less than human aspects of her being. Her pride in her lack of humanity was confirmed at the Yule Ball, where she first charmed a complete stranger to dance with her, before leaving him alone and dazzled while she seduced fine British wizards left and right all throughout the night.

This reporter fully uncovered the dirty secret the female champion was hiding during the second task, when she foolishly gave free reign to the full extent of her non-human powers. Let this reporter confirm this for you, dear readers: it is impossible for anyone not possessing one hundred percent pure Veela blood to transform into the revolting half-Harpy shape Delacour assumed during the second task.

Delacour is a full-blooded Veela and as such, she has no place in this Tournament reserved to true wizards and witches who hold at least 51% of human blood!

This reporter has to admit that pretending to be part human is no small feat for a creature and she impressed the French champion managed to maintain the illusion for such a long time. That she managed to fool even Albus Dumbledore until the second task is both awe-inspiring and worrying: what else is she successfully hiding?

For this reporter's discoveries do not stop there. Krum and Delacour, afraid the Hogwarts champions could band together during the second task (forgetting both were British and as such too honourable to commit to such a dreadful course of action), decided to help each other.

Delacour herself is the mastermind behind the collaboration. She approached the Bulgarian champion and let him know that while the Cup wasn't her goal in this competition, she didn't want any of the two Englishmen to win.

The world famous Seeker, keen to gather fame unrelated to his status as a Quidditch player, accepted her deal. He would keep quiet about the serial seductress' enslavement of the next generation of British wizards and in exchange, she would help him win.

This unlikely team identified Harry Potter early on as their main opponent in the Tournament. This reporter can only agree with their assessment: the Boy-Who-Lived proved his defeat of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named at the tender age one wasn't a fluke when he managed to overpower the protection Albus Dumbledore himself had placed around the Cup to get selected as a fourth contestant. This proves that at only fourteen, still three years away from his full magical maturity, the youngest of the four champions is already a force to be reckoned with in terms of raw magical power.

The two foreign champions felt so threatened Krum even volunteered to seduce Potter's friends one by one, to isolate the already lonely orphan. Have no fear, dear readers: such a course of actions caused him no moral quandary considering his well known carnal hunger for children. But Krum overestimated his appeal and soon, both Weasley and Granger were back by Harry Potter's side.

As a consequence, Delcour decided to up her game by taking a leaf out of Krum's book: she started to use her feminine assets on young Harry Potter. Just like Krum went all out during a Yule night of passion with Hermione Granger, in her mind, no sacrifice was too great when it came to luring the Boy-Who-Lived away from the Cup and into her net.

This reporter saw her with her own eyes, posing before the flustered teen in a revealing swimsuit. She was swearing to him the sexual tension that existed between them had awoken a new fire in her blood and this was what had turned her into a full-blooded Veela while under the lake… Fortunately, Hermione Granger intervened before the French champion could take things further.

This discourse can only mean one thing, dear readers: something happened under that lake. Something so unspeakable even Albus Dumbledore tried to keep it tightly under wraps when he translated the Merpeople's reports. He only managed to sanction Delacour with a low score for the second task. This reporter can only guess what horrors this creature inflicted onto Hogwarts most famous student while underwater…

This reporter would like to take this opportunity to remind both of the foreign delegations the age of consent in the British Wizarding World is seventeen and not fourteen.

Unfortunately for the pair, their plan backfired: by focusing on Potter, they overlooked the last contestant, and never suspected Diggory had an ace hidden in his sleeve.

End note

I am not certain how well I've managed to capture Skeeter's tone in those pseudo-articles. Are they too long? too short? Too nasty? Not enough? Too serious? Or too laid-back?

Was it at least entertaining?

Any sort of feedback would be most welcome :)