Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter
Chapter Thirty Seven
Journalism
Rita and Kingsley entered the offices of the Daily Prophet. People were milling about the street, eager to get their shopping done before the threatening rain came down. So, leaving the busy muggle street, they entered the office, and a busy scene met their eyes. People were running about trading information and stories.
"Morning Rita!" someone called.
"Morning Ralph. Any news on Umbridge?"
"Not a dickie bird. The old bats hiding away somewhere."
Rita sighed, and she led Kingsley to the end of the corridor, where a small cart was waiting to take them along the corridor. The office was pure green, several cubby-holes for the various subsections of the paper.
"Isn't the editors office at this part?" Kingsley asked.
"Heavens no. This is where the junior reporters work. The senior reporters are along the corridor, along with the editors office. Come on."
With that, Rita hopped in to the cart. Kingsley waited for his head to catch up, then followed her in.
"Please remain seated and keep your hands in at all times." A cool female voice said.
With that, the cart jerked away from zero to sixty in a millisecond. Kingsley screamed as the cart plunged up and down the tracks, doing several loop the loops as it headed to the end of the rail. The cart suddenly jerked to the stop.
"Is it over?" Kingsley asked hopefully.
"No, we're picking someone else up."
And as she said it, a large, bulky woman hopped in, strapped in, and they were off again as the cart plunged down the steep rails. The cart veered to the right hand track, climbing to the top of a rail.
"Now what?" Kingsley asked apprehensively.
"Hold on, and close your eyes." Rita said.
She had her eyes closed already. Kingsley hastily followed suit, and then the cart plunged down a massive slope. Kingsley yelled in terror, as the cart suddenly stopped.
"This is us." Rita said.
She climbed out, gratefully accepted the glass of water from the man beside the track, swallowed it in one, and headed for the editors office. Kingsley staggered out, fell down and glared up at the man as he chortled. He took the glass of water, drunk half of it, then threw the rest over the man. Kingsley then nodded to the man, and hurried to catch up with Rita.
The editor was a funny, lumpy looking man, with wispy orange hair and vivid blue eyes.
"Rita! Come to your old boss!"
He got up and hugged her.
"Good to see you! So, what brings you here my dear?"
Rita sat down on the chintz chair, and looked across at the editor.
"I'm on a mission for Harry Potter."
"And what does the Chosen One have to say to us?"
"He wants you to put out the message of unification, the message that all magical species can coexist peacefully and unite to defeat Voldemort."
The editor laughed.
"Is that all? I can as easily detach my legs."
Rita frowned at the editor.
"Just put out information in the editorial columns or add it on little reports, or put it in as adverts."
The editor narrowed his eyes.
"And what will I get in return?"
"The same as you have been getting since I joined the Order. First information about Voldemort's plans and all the nice, juicy interviews with Harry and his friends."
The editor narrowed his eyes again.
"Or what?"
"Hermione and Ginny, who are both very interested in Harry's welfare, will pay you a visit and they will educate you as to how to behave towards us."
"Oh! Are they Potter's hot Amazon bodyguards?"
Rita and Kingsley laughed.
"Amazons? They've never been called that before to my knowledge. And, while we're on the subject, leave them alone. Harry and Ron are utterly devoted to them, and will not take too kindly to a dirty old man making a move on their respective lovers."
The editor laughed.
"Not good enough."
Rita knew she had to play her trump card.
"Very well. Either do what we want, or I will resign."
The man paled.
"But…but…"
"And as you know, you won't get the good reports. I seem to recall that circulation shot well up when I was giving you the interviews about Voldemort's life and times and the one about Umbridge's dictatorship at the school."
The editor sagged.
"All right, you win!"
Rita smiled at him.
"Thank you."
She turned to leave with Kingsley.
"How did you get that interview about Umbridge with Hermione floating about?" Kingsley asked.
"I made a bet with her that I could beat her at chess. I did, so I got my interview."
Kingsley nodded.
"By the way Rita! There's someone in your office looking for you."
Rita turned to the editor.
"Who?"
"Don't know. A woman of some sort. She kept her hood up."
Rita beckoned Kingsley, and they left the room.
"Who do you think it is?"
"I doubt its one of the Order. Wands out."
They entered the room. Then, the door slammed shut behind them.
"I wondered how long it would take you to get here." The female said.
She turned, lowering her hood. The woman was pure red, and had two horns protruding from her forehead. Rita knew her from her espionage missions.
"Lady Maladi!"
"So, you silly little fools think you can unify the wizarding world? Fat chance."
"How did you get in here?" Kingsley demanded.
"Now if I told you that I wouldn't be able to it again would I?"
"What do you want?" Rita demanded.
"To stop your interfering. Lady Lumiya isn't too pleased that you lot are flitting about making a nuisance of yourselves."
"Forgive us if we hold back the tears." Rita said scathingly.
Maladi laughed quietly. Then, she withdrew her wand. Like her boss's, it was of strange design. It was a normal wand, but with a large blade attached to it. Then, Maladi leapt into the air.
"Expelliarmus!" Kingsley shouted.
Maladi caught the blast on her blade, landed and swung at Rita and Kingsley. Ducking, Rita fired a curse at Maladi.
"Avada Kedavra!"
The blade glowed green and she swung the sword at Rita. A small wooden instrument was all that stopped her being killed. Jumping up, she blasted apart the door, and fled from the room, Kingsley on her heels. Maladi gave chase. They jumped into the cart, and Rita kicked it into motion. However Maladi sprang onto the cart. Rita and Kingsley both started firing spells, and Maladi kept deflecting them.
"You Orders are so interfering, its small wonder why Voldemort would dearly love to see you dead."
Maladi brought her wand down in a slashing motion. Then, Rita did it.
"Flipendo!"
The blue spell crashed into Maladi, knocking her from the cart with a scream. They dimly heard a splash.
"Is she dead?" Kingsley asked.
"Hopefully. But somehow I doubt it."
The cart trundled to a stop.
"Come on before she comes after us."
Rita then led the way from the offices and away from Lady Maladi.
Another edit. Will keep going, and that may inspire me to write some more of Darkness Revenge, whihc will one day be completed!