I do not own Harry Potter. Direct quotes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire will be in bold. Harry Potter belongs to the wonderful J.K Rowling.

Something's Up with Rita Skeeter

Ravenclaws weren't known for being partiers, but they could throw one heck of a shindig when they wanted to. When Charlie entered her Common Room it was to see blue streamers and a table piled high with food. Her fellow House members cheered wildly. "Congratulations, Charlie!"

Charlie smiled. "Thanks, guys."

"You were brilliant!" Eliza complimented. "If the Quidditch Cup was running this year we would have won it for sure!"

"Alright, Charlie. Show us what's in the Golden Egg!" Tommy called from the back of the crowd. A few others chimed in agreement, wanting to know what was so special about the Golden Egg.

"Now hold on," Penelope said sternly. "Charlie is supposed to figure out this clue on her own. It's Tournament rules."

"I'll only open it," Charlie assured the prefect as she took the egg from Hermione. "Just so everyone can see what's inside. I won't accept any help."

"Alright then," Penelope agreed. "Let's have it."

Charlie twisted the top half and went to remove it. "Here goes."

The raven-haired girl caught a glimpse of the empty depths before a horrible shrieking noise erupted from the egg. Charlie hastily slammed the top back on, her heart pounding heavily. "Okay, that wasn't what I was expecting."

"What kind of clue is that?" Tommy asked, rubbing his ears.

"I don't know. Maybe the noise is what I have to figure out." Charlie shrugged. "But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather take a break from the Tournament and just relax for a bit."

And that's exactly what she did. She ate almost everything her Housemates had brought to the food table, she and Hermione played a game of Exploding Snap and they all chatted until midnight.

At that time Charlie went up to her dormitory and collapsed in her bed. A sleepy smile crossed her face and she closed her eyes.

One task down, two more to go.

...

"You know," Charlie mused as she and her friends backed slowly away from the ever-growing Skrewts. "I thought that after facing a dragon I could face these pests. I was wrong."

It was the start of December and it was back to the normal school routine for Charlie. The raven-haired girl crouched behind Harry as the ten grey-armoured creatures scuttled around the pumpkin patch angrily. The students had attempted to put the Skrewts in pillow-lined boxes (Hagrid hadn't been positive if Skrewts hibernated or not) and immediately retreated once the Skrewts began to react negatively to being shoved inside the crates.

"Calm down!" Hagrid bellowed. There were only a few kids left out in the cold winter air trying to catch the Skrewts. The others had fled into Hagrid's cabin and were peering at them from the window. Harry and Charlie cautiously approached a Skrewt.

"The stinger is pointing at us!" Harry hissed, a rope gripped tightly in his trembling hands.

"Just stay calm and loop it over the stinger," Charlie urged.

"Why don't you do it?"

"I faced a dragon a few days ago! It's time for someone else to do the dirty work."

Grunting under his breath, Harry cautiously approached the Skrewt. He managed to loop the rope around the stinger without getting harmed and together the two kids managed to stuff the Skrewt with the rest of his bunch.

"Got it!" Harry breathed, nailing the lid to the box down firmly.

"That certainly looked like fun."

Startled, Charlie whirled around and stared at Rita Skeeter. The woman was observing the injured and exhausted kids with a slight smirk on her face.

"And who're yeh?" Hagrid demanded.

"I'm Rita Skeeter, reporter for the Daily Prophet," Rita introduced.

"Ah. Didn' Dumbledore ban yeh from the school grounds?"

"What are those creatures called?" Rita asked quickly, changing the subject. "They're quite fascinating."

"They're Blast-Ended Skrewts," Hagrid said, his chest puffing out just a bit in pride.

"I don't think I've ever heard of them before. Where did you acquire them?"

Charlie noticed the red flush creeping up Hagrid's face and quelled a groan. She really needed to do something about his monstrous creature obsession and how he went about obtaining them. "They're really interesting!" she piped up to save him. "Aren't they, guys?"

Hermione nodded and elbowed the two boys sharply in the sides. "Uh...brilliant," Harry muttered.

"Very cool," Ron lied.

Rita, however, locked onto Charlie's voice only. "Oh, Charlotte! I didn't see you there. Is Care of Magical Creatures one of your favourite lessons?"

"Yeah." Charlie nodded. She certainly didn't mind the class...although calling it her favourite was a bit of stretch.

"Wonderful." She turned to face Hagrid. "How long have you been teaching?"

Charlie watched as Rita eyed Dean's smouldering robes, Lavender's scratches and Harry's burns. She had a bad feeling about this.

"Two years," Hagrid answered proudly. "An' lovin' every minute o' it."

"You know what, Hagrid? How would you like to be interviewed for The Daily Prophet. We have a zoology section and I think your little Skrewts would be a hit!"

"Sure," Hagrid agreed eagerly. "I'm free this Friday, if yeh'd like teh chat then."

"Sounds good." Rita nodded. "The Three Broomsticks at lunch?"

Hagrid agreed to the arrangement just as the bell rang. The students burst from Hagrid's cabin and the others gingerly made their way up to the castle. Sighing heavily, Charlie joined her friends in the long walk across the sleety grounds. "That won't end well," she said flatly.

"Why would Rita want to interview Hagrid?" Harry asked. "She doesn't seem like the type of person who'd be interested in what Hagrid does."

"I doubt she is." Hermione narrowed her eyes. "She's probably up to something devious."

"Everyone around us is always up to something devious," Ron remarked in annoyance.

"I'm sure everything will be fine," Harry said optimistically. "Even if Hagrid does get in trouble, we can help bail him out. Right now though, I'm hungry."

"Then I'm sorry to tell you you're taking your lunch to go," Charlie informed him. "We're gonna do a little more bonding before moving on to the next step." She reached into her bag and removed the book. "The second step is clearing our minds and being open to the other."

"That sounds...interesting," Harry drawled.

The two siblings entered the Great Hall and grabbed a few sandwiches. They waved goodbye to Ron and Hermione before heading outside again. Harry quickly devoured his ham sandwich before it grew soggy from the damp mist. "Alright, what should we do?"

"Well, I want to know more about you." Charlie glanced at her brother. "I don't know much about your life with Remus."

"Oh. Well, it was great." Harry smiled. "Despite his condition he's a wonderful guardian. He always takes me to London for my birthday and we explore the shops. He encourages me to do my best and taught me that blood status doesn't matter. He used to read me fairy tales every night before I went to bed. Most of them, funnily enough, were about wolves of some sort."

Charlie tilted her head to the side. "How did you feel? When Remus told you he was a werewolf?"

"Shocked, as anyone would," Harry replied. "But it made sense. I always had a nanny on a full moon and he would be exhausted for days afterwards. But it didn't change anything. I knew he would never hurt me. I'm also not as frightened of his werewolf form as I used to be. I know he'll always come back to me, no matter what."

"I wonder what it would have been like if we were raised together." Charlie kicked a stone across the wet grass. "I wonder if we would still become the people we are now."

"I don't know. I sometimes wonder what would have happened if I was the one who got that." Harry pointed at the scar on Charlie's forehead. "I don't want it, of course, and I know it's not something people should be in awe over. But I still wonder."

"I wouldn't wish this on anyone. Not even Pansy." Charlie ran her fingers across her lightning bolt-shaped scar. "It's a burden."

They continued to walk in silence for a moment. "You're handling it well," Harry spoke up. "Much better than I think I could."

Charlie smiled softly. "Thanks. I try. Now come on. There are only two more steps after this one and I want to accomplish telepathy by the end of this year."

"Only four steps altogether?" Harry asked incredulously.

"Oh, please. You people have house-elves who cook and you can teleport. It should hardly surprise you that telepathy can be achieved in four easy steps."

...

Evening fell and it was a few hours before curfew. Having already eaten dinner, Charlie decided to go and visit Dobby. She, Hermione, Ron and Harry walked through the corridors until they came upon the painting of a bowl of fruit.

"Remember," Charlie said sternly to Hermione. "We're here to say hi. We are not freeing any of them."

"I'd hate to think of what Remus would do to me if he discovered I had a hand in liberating the house-elves of Hogwarts," Harry muttered.

Hermione rolled her eyes impatiently. "I won't do anything of the sort!"

Satisfied, Charlie tickled the pear and the quartet climbed through the opened portrait. They entered the kitchen, which was a high-ceilinged room with hundreds of glittering brass pans and pots hanging on iron hooks. A giant brick oven sat at the back of the room and hundreds of House-elves moved back and forth, carting dirty dinner dishes to the massive sink in the corner of the room.

Dobby was quick to spot his mistress and he hurtled across the room, tackling the girl in a hug. "Hello, Miss! Dobby is very happy to see you!"

"And I'm very happy to see you." Charlie squeezed him back. "How's work going?"

"Good!" Dobby exclaimed. "Professor Dumbledore is very kind! He has even given Winky a job!"

"Winky's here?" Charlie asked in surprise.

"Yes!" Dobby grabbed Charlie's hand and led her through the kitchen. The elves beamed and bowed and curtsied as Dobby pulled her along. "Dobby heard of poor Winky's problem and went to help!"

"You helped Winky get a job here?"

"Dobby did."

"That was very sweet of you, Dobby."

The house-elf beamed with pleasure and stopped in front of the brick oven. Winky was slumped on a stool, large tears rolling down her cheeks. Compared to Dobby's neat (although mismatched) attire, she was a mess. "Hey, Winky," Charlie greeted.

The little elf burst into tears.

Hermione hustled over to calm her but it was no good. Dobby smiled up at Charlie and asked, "Would Mistress be liking some tea?"

"Please." Charlie nodded. Immediately, a silver tray was carried over by six house-elves. Porcelain cups, a large jug of milk, a kettle and a plate of cookies were piled on the tray.

Ron was impressed. "Brilliant service," he complimented and snatched up a cookie. Hermione glared at him but the house-elves were delighted. They bowed to the redhead and scurried off.

"Do any of you get paid?" Hermione asked. Harry slapped his forehead as the house-elves gave the girl horrified looks.

"Winky may be a disgraced elf," Winky said angrily, her tears slowing. "But Winky will not be taking pay even if Professor Dumbledore offers it! I is ashamed of being free!"

"And Dobby loves Charlotte Potter," Dobby said sweetly. "Dobby needs no pay."

"But-"

Charlie elbowed her sharply in the side. "They. Like. What. They. Do," she hissed through gritted teeth. "Now please shut up about it!"

Offended, Hermione moved furiously away from her friends and towards Winky. "You don't have to be ashamed of being free, Winky. Mr. Crouch was really horrible-"

At this, Winky clapped her small hands over her ears and shrieked, "Do not be insulting my master, Miss! Mr. Crouch is a good master and right to sack Winky!"

"Winky is having trouble adjusting to freedom," Dobby whispered to Charlie. "She forgets that she is no longer bound to Mr. Crouch. She can say whatever she likes about him!"

Charlie grinned mischievously. "So you can say whatever you want about the Malfoys, then?"

Dobby blinked in realization. "Yes! Dobby's old masters were very bad Dark wizards!"

Charlie was very proud when her elf didn't try to run straight into the fire after uttering the insult.

"You ought to be ashamed, talking that way about your masters!" Winky shrieked.

Dobby puffed his little chest out. "Dobby have new master now! Dobby belongs to Charlotte Potter!"

"You don't belong to me!" Charlie corrected quickly. "You're free to do whatever you like."

"And Dobby would like to stay with Charlotte Potter," Dobby said feelingly.

Winky moaned and buried her face in her hands. "Winky is a bad elf! Winky's family has been serving the Crouches for generations! What will Mr. Crouch do without Winky?"

"Mr. Crouch is doing fine," Charlie assured in an attempt to cheer the elf up. "He's judging the Triwizard Tournament with Mr. Bagman."

The happiness at hearing her master's name immediately faded upon hearing Ludo's name. "Mr. Bagman is a terrible wizard! My master is not liking him one little bit!" she cried.

"Terrible?" Charlie asked curiously.

"Master be telling Winky things...things that Winky must keep secret." And once more, Winky burst into tears.

Charlie sighed, knowing that calming her down would be a futile effort. Hoping that she would eventually adjust to her new environment, Charlie glanced at Dobby. "You know, Christmas is coming up. What would you like?"

Dobby's green eyes widened. "A Christmas present for Dobby?"

"Of course, silly!"

"I already know what I'm getting him." Ron grinned.

Dobby was overwhelmed. "Mistress and friends are too kind to Dobby!"

Charlie shook her head with a smile. "We'll see you later, Dobby."

"Bye, Charlotte Potter!" Dobby waved happily as the children departed (not before being handed a basket of goodies for a snack).

"I can't believe you!" Hermione said crossly as they walked through the corridors. "Those house-elves are working hard for nothing and you just want to let them be?!"

"Yes," Charlie said firmly. "Did you see them? They were happy. Hermione, I don't agree with all of your ideas. I think house-elf mistreatment should be stopped, but forcing them to freedom is wrong and I don't hear a word more of it from you. I'm sorry."

Hermione scowled and glared at the floor. "I suppose it's the same for you two?"

"Oh yeah," Ron said through a mouthful of crème cake.

"Sorry," Harry added.

"Fine. I'll do it on my own. And then you'll all see I was right," Hermione snapped and stormed ahead of her friends.

Charlie sighed and grabbed a cookie from the basket. "Well. That went well."

"You think?" Harry asked.

"Yeah. She didn't scream at us or turn us into rats. I think she'll be fine with us by tomorrow."

"Oh. That's good."

In Harry's opinion, there was nothing worse than a ticked-off Hermione.