Twilight Saga characters

created and owned by Stephenie Meyer

And the characters and plotline of

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

created and owned by J.K. Rowling

Chapter 52: Bigger Issues than Rita Skeeter

First thing Monday morning I had a spare, so I headed straight to the library, skipping the morning breakfast ritual. I sat in the library reading the N.E.W.T. level potions text while I checked in on my family. Emmett and Jasper were enjoying themselves with Hagrid. They had just received a shipment of little fuzzy creatures and Emmett was trying to figure out how to sneak one back to Venlaw.

"Surely Rose wouldn't mind one of these – it's so fluffy and cute." Emmett said as he cuddled one to his chest.

"In case you hadn't noticed, Rose isn't exactly into fluffy and cute… I would have thought you'd picked that up after 70 plus years… you'd have better luck if it were mechanical."

"But who could resist this?"

"You'd better leave 'em… They don't take kindly to houses – nearly destroy 'em they will." Hagrid boomed, over-hearing the conversation. Jasper laughed at the fallen expression on Emmett face.

I shook my head. Leave it to Emmett… I should probably check his stuff when I get home. We don't need another disaster at Venlaw.

Next Rosalie… she was rolling her eyes through Divination…

"See how Mars is aligned with Saturn… very interesting – and disturbing… Dark times are upon us." Professor Trelawney droned on.

Dark times are upon us… anyone with half a brain can see that… you have vampires in your school for pete's sake…

I left when she began her usual mental game of 1001 ways to kill Professor Trelawney before class is over…

Finally, saving the best for last – Bella. She was in Herbology with Carlisle this morning, so I got double duty… Of course I wasn't that concerned about Carlisle.

First I checked through Hermione's eyes, but all I saw was her moving through the castle alone, her thoughts in a jumble…she was upset… It looked like she was moving in the direction of the infirmary. Oh no! What has happened? Where is Bella? She wasn't with Hermione. I flittered to Harry. He was in Herbology with Ron and, oh! There's Bella. She looks okay. It is so frustrating looking through a mind with inferior hearing and smell. I switched to Carlisle…

Poor girl. I hope Madam Pomfrey can fix Hermoine's burns. That Bobotuber puss is caustic… I am sure she must have second degree burns…

I paused for a moment to check Bella's vitals through Carlisle. Yes, she was okay… It was definitely Hermione who was not well. I wanted to stay and watch Bella, but I was curious as to what happened to Hermione. She wasn't normally careless or clumsy. I flitted back to her mind again…

Rita Skeeter… that witch… stupid letter with Bobotuber puss…

What? Did someone send her a letter that did this to her? I needed to find out more. Could people actually send dangerous letters through owl mail? I needed to know. I rushed up from my seat in the library and went to the infirmary.

A very agitated Hermione Granger was sitting on one of the cots, holding her hands in her lap.

"I'll be right with you in a minute dear," Madam Pomfrey called from down the room, though she didn't look like she was making much of an effort to hurry.

"Hermione, are you all right." I asked.

She turned to watch me walk in. Her face had been fierce with anger and frustration, but then, as I walked in, she burst into tears. "Oh, Edward… That Skeeter woman… It's so horrible…" she sobbed. "They hate me…" She lifted up a huge stack of partially opened mail she had been reading. "This one" she pointed to the letter beside her on the bed. "was covered with Bobotuber puss… now look at my hands." She sobbed… "I shan't be able to hold my wand properly."

I sat down across from her on the cot. "I'm sorry Hermione…" I didn't know what else to say… I could try to find this Skeeter woman. I knew her scent… but what then? I wouldn't kill her as much as I found the thought intriguing.

"Look at this one." She shoved a letter into my hand… It was made from letters that had been cut out of newspaper headlines… it read:

You are a WickEd girl. HaRRy PottEr desErves BetteR. gO Back wherE you cAME from mUggle.

"And there's more… this one says 'Harry Potter can do much better than the likes of you…' and that one said" she pointed to the one on the bed "'You deserve to be boiled in frog-spawn…'"

I took the pile from her as she broke into a fresh set of tears. "I… don't even… like…. Harry….." she said between sobs "N-n-not… like that…."

"Hermione, why are you reading these?" I asked. That was the worst thing she could do – not only open them, but continuing to read them over and over. It would only darken her mood and lead to depression.

"B-b-because."

"Don't read these anymore." I looked at her sternly, "Do you understand… they will do you no good."

She didn't look entirely convinced, but she nodded her head.

"Just look at your hands, Hermione… what next?" I thought more to myself. What if one of these letters was destined for Harry? I hadn't considered the possibility that someone could reach him through the mail.

Madam Pomfrey had finally made her way over to Hermione and was bandaging up her hands. She looked suspiciously between the two of us… Sure, first Harry, then Krum… now Edward… is she into dating champions only.

I frowned at her obvious belief in that Skeeter woman's article. How could she think that of Hermione after knowing her all these years…. Then it struck me, I could hear her thoughts. Madam Pomfrey must not be skilled in Occlumency. I had stopped focusing on the thoughts of the adult witches and wizards after finding I couldn't read many of their minds….hmmm…

"There you go, dear." She said with a slight tone, "I'm sure you'll be fine." She hustled off giving me a pitying look as she left. She'll chew you up and spit you out dear…

"So, are you ready to go back to class?" I asked her, ignoring Madam Pomfrey's prejudice. "I can walk you to make sure you are safe…" plus that gave me an excuse to see Bella.

"Oh, thank you, Edward." She threw her arms around my waist. It was a mistake on my part to allow it, but she seemed so relieved that at least one person wasn't accusing her of illicit relationships.

Oh my, he's cold… and hard… it feels good on my hands though… wait a minute… She backed up and looked at me suspiciously… what are you?

I had a sinking feeling it wouldn't take her long to figure it out. But I couldn't hide it from her now, and hurrying off wouldn't only make her more suspicious. "Shall we?" I motioned to the door.

Hermione was very quiet as we walked toward her second period class. She had Care of Magical Creatures class with Hagrid and the Slytherins.

"Potter, have you split up with your girlfriend? Why was she so upset at breakfast?" I heard one of the Syltherin girls, Pansy, call out to Harry. I took a sideways glance at Hermione to see if she had heard. It was unlikely, as we were still inside the castle. Besides she was too deep in thought. If she had heard, it didn't register.

Hagrid was introducing the class to the Nifflers Emmett and Jasper had helped him unload earlier today. "I've buried some gold coins. I've got a prize her whoever picks the Niffler that digs up the most. Jus' take off all yer valuables, an' choose a Niffler an' get ready ter set 'em loose."

I watched through Harry as we walked toward the Grand Entrance. Bella took the chain from around her neck, wrapped it around her ring, folded it into a piece of parchment and put it in her bag… We had decided to be open about the relationship, but hadn't made anything official with respect to our engagement, at least not among the students, so she continued to wear the ring around her neck… Close to her heart she had told me once. I smiled at the memory.

"Can you buy these as pets, Hagrid?" Ron asked excitedly, holding a piece of gold in his hands his Niffler had deposited.

"Yer mum wouldn' be happy, Ron." Hagrid said, grinning, "they wreck houses, Nifflers. I reckon they've nearly got the lot now," he added, pacing around the patch of earth, while the Nifflers continued to dive. "I only buried a hundred coins. Oh there y'are, Hermione!" he noticed our approach.

Harry, Ron and Bella stopped paying attention to their Nefflers to watch her approach. That was, until Ron's Niffler returned to him with another gold coin. He was very anxious to receive them, having never had much money in his life.

While we joined the group, Hagrid wrapped up the class, counting each students gold coins – and advising them it was leprechan's gold which disappears. I looked around the grounds… Something seemed off… I noted Madam Maxime watching from her carriage window, but that wasn't what was bothering me. I had a distinct sense of foreboding, as if someone were watching me or something was going to happen. I reached out with all my senses but there was nothing. Maybe it was Hermione's letter on top of everything else that was going on…

"What yeh don' to her your hands, Hermione?" Hagrid asked with concern. She looked like she was going to break into a fresh set of tears, but taking a deep breath, she managed to tell him the story without a single sob.

"Aaah, don' worry," said Hagrid gently, looking down at her, "I got some o' those letters an' all, after Rita Skeeter wrote abou' me mum. 'Yeh're a monster an' yeh should be put down.' 'Yer mother killed innocent people an' if you had any decency you'd jump in a lake.'"

"No!" said Hermione, looking shocked.

"Yeah," said Hagrid, as he joined Emmett and Jasper in stacking the Niffler crates over by his cabin wall… only finding there was only one crate left to carry. "They're jus' nutters, Hermione. Don' open 'em if yeh get any more. Chuck 'em straigh' in the fire."

It was the same advice I'd given her, but somehow it meant more coming from Hagrid. I supposed it was the shared experience… or maybe the history between them, but I could see in her mind she had decided that was just the thing to do.

Class was over now, lunch break next… It was a relief to be free just to walk over to Bella's side and wait while she fished out her ring. She paused for a moment, looking at it. She made a movement toward her hand, as if she were going to put it on her left finger. Then wrapping it tight in her hand she sighed.

"Let me." I offered, holding out my hand. She deposited the chain and the ring in it. I took it and carefully reached behind her neck to join the ends of the chain together, pulling her hair out from under it, then bending to press my lips to her hair. I sighed, knowing that was as much as I dared. She smiled up and me and took my hand as we headed back to the castle… Hermione's eyes wide with curiosity as we joined them.

I gave Bella's hand a gentle squeeze as we parted by the entrance to the Great Hall. She continued with Hermione, Harry and Ron while I joined Cedric, James, Patrick and Ernie at the Hufflepuff table. "Where were you second period?" Cedric asked… I had missed Herbology, but that wouldn't be a concern.

"Hermione Granger was hurt this morning… some letter coated with Bobotuber puss… I sat with her in the infirmary." I replied.

"Serves her right – the harlot – first Harry, then Krum – and now you if you aren't careful." Ernie said savagely.

"You don't actually believe what that Skeeter woman wrote in the paper, do you?" I asked, "It's a pile of rubbish."

"What about Bella?" Cedric asked. You'd better not doing anything to hurt her.

"Bella is Hermione's friend and my fia…girlfriend." I replied firmly, "I only checked on Hermione because of their friendship – and because it concerned me to hear of someone getting attacked through the mail like that – can you imagine?"

"That's nothing. I've heard of people sending curses by owl. You need a large envelope though…" Patrick commented.

That brought on a whole other area of concern… Could someone put a death curse on Harry through the mail? "What kind of curses?"

"Nothing too big… mostly things like acne and warts…" He said as he took a bite of his turkey.

Cedric caught the concern in my eye and understanding spread across his face. You're not worried about Hermione, you're concerned about Harry, aren't you…

I nodded subtly, pleased that he had figured out this method of communication and relieved he didn't think I was interested in Hermione in any way. He relaxed.

As we finished lunch we all heard from across the hall. "I hate that Skeeter woman!" Hermione burst out savagely, "I'll get her back for this if it's the last thing I do!"

"Is there anything we can do?" I asked Dumbledore at our weekly meeting. Hermione had continued to receive piles of hate mail throughout the week. For the most part she ignored them, swiftly depositing them into the fire. However, she couldn't ignore the Howlers which exploded at the Gryffindor table at least once a day shrieking insults at her for the whole Hall to hear… and they weren't pleasant.

"I'm afraid that is a minor irritant in light of the larger issue – however, we could have her mail delivered elsewhere… I'll talk to her about it. It will likely die down shortly."

"She's really got it out for Skeeter now," Bella said, "She's been doing some investigating. She checked with Moody – it doesn't look like Skeeter has an invisibility cloak… but she must be doing something to get on the grounds. The conversation she overheard between Hermione and Krum was at the lake, away from the judges table… I don't think anyone else could have heard… well other then you." She looked around the room.

"Madam Skeeter is a concern, but not the most important concern…" Dumbledore said sternly, "And Hermione would do well to remember that… I will see what I can do to alleviate her discomfort, but there are more important matters…" I had never seen Dumbledore anything other then sympathetic to the plight of his students. His harshness caught me off guard.

"But she could be doing something illegal." Bella insisted.

Dumbledore chuckled, thought the humour didn't meet his eyes. "Of that, I'm quite certain… she is a reporter. She'd lie about her own mother to sell her stories. But she isn't a Death Eater… nor a supporter of Voldemort."

"But the letters" Jasper broke in "Those must be a concern – couldn't someone attack Harry the same way."

"Yes" Dumbledore said methodically, "There are several ways to send something hurtful by owl, but none of them fatal… Still, perhaps it is best of we keep an eye on his packages as well. He doesn't receive much, so that shouldn't be too much of an issue."

"Only messages from Sirius" Bella said.

Dumbledore looked over at Sirius then "You aren't compromising yourself, are you?"

"I'm very careful." He replied…

"Listen, as we move toward the final task, I want us to be extra vigilant as far as Harry is concerned. There are too many strange things – Crouch's disappearance… your instincts are good Jasper, I also highly doubt he is simply on sick leave… the positioning of Mars… Bertha Johnson still hasn't shown up… the goblins… things just aren't adding up…"

"Karkaroff's mark." Sirius added.

Dumbledore looked at him curiously.

"Harry mentioned it when he visited. Karkaroff was very insistent on meeting with Snape. Harry had stayed behind and overheard. He pealed up his cloak and showed Snape something on his arm. I can only imagine it was the dark mark."

"Karkaroff is a death eater." Jasper confirmed.

"Was a death eater… he left when Voldemort was defeated… I don't imagine he is too pleased with him now. If their marks are more noticeable, that means Voldemort is getting stronger…" Dumbledore stroked is beard deep in thought. "Karkaroff might want to try to get back in his good graces…"

"Would he make an attempt on Harry's life?" I asked.

"He might – though it would be more likely he'd try to kidnap Harry and take him to Voldemort himself…" Sirius said.

"Very true… Edward, please do what you can to not let Harry out of your sight…"

I nodded…

"Thank you. Well it has been lovely," Dumbledore said, suddenly lighter as if the recent discussion had been nothing more then a pleasant visit down memory lane, and suddenly he was gone.

"I still don't trust that Skeeter woman," Jasper said, "There is something unusual about her. Hermione was right – it is strange how she knows so much."

"Could the grounds be bugged?" Bella asked.

"No, remember – nothing electrical works on the grounds…" Jasper replied "And if she isn't using an invisibility cloak, I'm not sure how else she could get close enough to listen in on a conversation, unless she has your power, Edward."

"She would still have to be close." I replied, "And I doubt it…"

"The easiest way is to hide in plain sight… It's amazing what you can hear when you are a dog." Sirius smiled, "Anyway, Dumbledore is right. Skeeter is an annoyance, but not a danger… We need to focus on protecting Harry."

He was right, of course, but there was a part of me that wanted to defend Hermione. She was a good person, and terribly helpful. It was a shame to see her suffering… The matter occupied much of my mind was I lay beside Bella's sleeping form… Something Sirius had said kept coming back to me – "hide in plain sight"… I said it aloud a few times to see if it helped generate any ideas.

I could see how he had done it. Playing the part of a friendly dog… walking up to people as they conversed. Who would ever have suspected? He must have heard a lot on his journeys, gathered a lot of information.

I felt a bit of a kindred bond with Sirius. He was living as I once had, alone, flitting from place to place – among the darker corners of the earth. The first time had been when I left Carlisle and Esme to live as a normal vampire – feeding on the blood of monsters who would hurt innocents… but I couldn't continue. I became as much of a monster as those I took… then when I had left Bella… when my purpose was gone, when my reason for living no longer in sight. I had travelled from place to place – looking for Victoria – my one last purpose to protect… It had not been an easy life. I was glad Esme had found a way to take him in.

"Hmmm…" I heard Bella mumble. My second favourite part of the night was coming… my favourite now since we had instituted our restrictions… "Edward…. Edward" her voice was suddenly clear and she sat up in bed. "Edward, could Rita Skeeter be a shape shifter?"