Chapter Text
Rita Skeeter an Autobiography
As easy as it always was and is for Rita to write, a few lines about herself seem to be imposible. It is not the first time that she had to face this problem but somehow it never becomes less.
Every other life always keps beeing intresting for her. But her own ? Nothing she would really want to keep an eye on. And maybe that's the problem. That she simply isnˋt as interesting as everybody else.
These people who sparkle from within. But Rita, well she doesnˋt. Something she really tried to change over the years. But it just wonˋt happen for her. She now waited for 16 years and still her magic moment didnˋt happen.
So after the summer it needs to come. Her sixth year needs to be it. And that is why she decided for Bellatrix Black. Rich, talented, verry sexy and most importantly so crazy everybody notices her. With her Rita will rule without limits.
Not that the people not know Rita. Of course they do. If there is any person who controlls Hogwarts more than her, she would be surprised. The students would kneel for her. For Merlins sake her house teacher made her a prefect last year, because she found out about him cheating on his wife.
So yes she is important. But not in an really important way. Not the way her father wants her to be. Or better the world expects her to be. But this won't matter anymore. The moment she has Bellatrix on her side the world will shiver. They wonˋt be able to ignore her anymore when she is not writing. She will be important in all of her moments. Not just her words.
And her parents who do not care for her writing and just see her as a baby machine to get married of in a good way, to get the family married of to a house of the noble 28. They will have to agnowledge that she made these connections on her own. Not needing them. not needing a stupid husband. No Rita Skeeter needs no one to get her goals. She can do it on her own.
Maybe this could be the start of her autobiography.
Or maybe not.
She will find it. She will find it when she is out of this house and itˋs controll. When she is free in Hogwarts and able to pursue her dreams again.
She just needs one more night to wait. Then the summer is over and she is in the train again. With all these dreams and hopes Rita goes to sleep, not really able to wait anmore. But how would she look to everybody else if she didnˋt sleep enough? Imposible really.
She has a reputation to uphold. A reputation that is so imporant even her father couldnˋt change it anymore. A lesson they both had to learn when Rita wouldn´t give up her long nails and verry colourfull clothes over the summer.
Something that is really not as much of a noble pureblood as her parents want her to be. But even her magic is enough to make everything grow back and make it look like she wants it to be. So at the end it was just a battle of who was more stubborn. She or her father? And of course how long Rita was able to endure the torture for her misbehaving. But in the end it seemd that after one or nearly two month it just annoyed her father to even raise his wand at her, so she won.
That he let it go this easily of course also annoyes her, because it means she didnˋt win anything impotant. Because in the end her father simply didnˋt cared about it enough to really keep it going. So it is more of a bitter win for her. But still a win.
Sheˋs now able to go to the platform as herself because of this. So nobody knows about the possible weakness she has. Not that she has one. But looking compleatly different when comging back to Hogwarts always means something.
Like right now with Stuart Craggy. Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Usually he lookes like the typical pureblood son of a family that has pure blood, but doesnˋt really goes that much back in time. But now he looks like something has shocked his life.
If you would ask Rita, and anyone with a clear mind should ask Rita about gossip, she would say that his secret girlfriend has broken up with him. Or even better, maybe sheˋs pregnant and one of their familiys doesnˋt approve.
Oh yes this is great.
Rita didnˋt write about Stuart till now, even though she nows about his little secret with Kathleen. It simply wasnˋt intresting enough. Till now.
One of the first things she learned about writing gossip is that something in it always needs to be true, so that the people belived you. About this coming story there are two true points. Firts of all, and most important, everybody sees Stuart completly changed on the first day. And as people are, everybody will wonder what happaned to him.
The second true thing is, his secret relationship. Because no matter how much they wanted to hide it. Some people will have noticed about it. Especially when one of Stuarts friends will ask him and he awnsers. People will be able to see the truth there.
And now comes the most important part for her. People wonˋt care if Kathleen really is pregnant. Because now you have the fact of Stuart looking miserable and both of them lying to everybody else. The school will want to belive that Kathleen is preagnant. And Rita will have the fame for finding out.
Exactly how she wants the world to be.
So now everybody who isnˋt compleatly stupid will be alble to understand why Rita needs to look like her usual beautifull self. Because any possible weakness would make them come for her.
She really didnˋt make much friends at Hogwarts. But this is good. She doesnˋt need many. She has enough people who owe her something, or she holds something angainst them, the really important things in life. And of course as hard as it it to admit for her. She has her boys. If she ever told them that she calls them like this, they would give her shit for an entire eternity.
Going into the train she gets an empty wagon and she starts to write her newest story. The drama is significant. To be honest she maybe needs to send Stuart some flowers now. This is exactly the entrance in Hogwarts she needed.
As usual there are the seats resevated for Fabian and Gideon Prewett, also as usual a little late. Both nobody you would think to befriend somebody like Rita at first. They are verry diferent to her that is true. But they make a perfect trio. All three of them are verry charming and good with words, the boys want to create magical traps and pranks. Rita is more for gossip and blackmailing. In the end they are all there for the power it gives them. And like true Slytherins they are really good friends for each other.
Also both are part of the sacred 28th so her father was pleased with her having this company. Especially now when it comes to marriage but thats nothing she worries about. She already has her plan for this. A plan with verry dark brown eyes.
But till then they are both good for her. As a younger girl, before Hogwarts, she never imagined to be the kind of person that says to need their friend. But to be honest they really helped her in all these years and all three of them influenced each other to a more adult like person.
But at first of course her motivation to befriend them was different, they are a year older then her. So she had protection against everybody else in her younger age, when she didnˋt find her way of beeing powerfull yet. These days they stay together because they actually created a strong bond and Rita is sad that they will leave a year before them. Which is something really strange to feel for her.
She unerstands fear. She felt it often enough. Rita also gets desire and power. Rage also of course, sometimes happyness and sadness. But beeing attached to someone ? No nothing she quite gets. But she sees it and she knows how to use it.
At least that was the younger her. Not that she also doesn´t use it these days against people, of course she does. But now she also feels this kind of friendship herself. For these two idiots she choose for herself. And she would always choose the same.
But of course also the magic these two can create helps with her getting along with them. Both of them are the best in their year. And yes Rita does envy this sometimes. But in the end the three of them are a team and she is thankfull for the protection they garant her.
As much as she does for them. Because as always there are people who are not intimidated by words and their damaged reputation, who need the physicall damage aswell. As much as there are people who coudnˋt care less about getting hurt by magic, but give everything for their image. This way they work like the perfect symbiose.
Rita can see this. She knows that even though she has a huge controll over these people, there are often some, like the Flint brothers, that donˋt care for their reputation. And then it is always a good thing to have some muscels standing next to her.
A really good reason to keep the boys around her. But who knows if she still needs them at the end of the year for this. If everything goes after her plan she doesnˋt. Then a far more powerfull witch will take care of this position.
All of this anylising and writing goes down in the first ten minutes she is in the train. She, of course as a young noble pure blood girl, needs to be perfectly on time. This way the whole magic world can see how perfectly raised she is and that she is a great match for anybody to marry. Everytime she thinks the word pefect she can hear her mother lecturing about these things. Her father might actually kill her if she would come late to something like this. Nothing of course the Prewett boys have to thinks about. They simply have other options in the 60s than she does. No matter how modern the wizarding world claimes to be, some things just don't change.
If no WHEN Rita finally has the options, she will always come at least five minutes late. Just to demonstrate the power she then will have and how she is not bond to these stupid rules for woman.
But then finally Gid and Fab enter her wagon and are as loud as always. She didnˋt hear this kind of noise over the whole summer. When she had to go from ball to ball beside to every important lesson about how to be a noble wife in high society. On some of them she was actualy seeing Bellatrix and maybe seeing her in these dark and oh so attention grapping gowns, that really are not acceptable for the noble location, does something for her. But just a litlle bit.
They start to talk about their summer and how different they were. All three of them started to hear rumors about a certain man who claimes to safe the wizarding world like Gellert Grindelwald did all these years before them.
"When you ask me it is complet bullshit. Talking about how us beeing pure blood makes us more important then the other wizards in our world. They act like wer're in the 30s again. It's crazy." , is the fast statement she gets from Gideon. Which means Fab is also thinking it, both of them where only in a few cases from a different opinion.
"Well we all know history and how the muggels nearly killed all of us. But yes when you look at the facts and the specific documents that get used by blood puritst everybody can fastly see how they are used to shape a certain view of wizards against muggels and everybody close to them." Rita adds to the discussion.
"Well this is our Ria how she lives and we missed her. Of course your main argument would be how words are used in the discussion.", Fabian laughes. But in their eyes Rita can see that they were a little worried about her possition on this topic. To be honest Rita doesnˋt belive it will be important in the future. This new guy is just this some guy who wants to be more important then he actualy is.
"Donˋt think I overheared this stupid nickname. The exuse of you two having a speaking deficit and not beeing able to speak the t didn't work on me after the first two weeks of my firts year." She uses this old argument of them to quickly change the conversation. Their first day together shoudn't be over looked by such a dark topic.
"Oh our darling RiRi how could you acuse us of such a thing....", Fabian says looking fakely shocked, with his hand on his heart and his hole body thrown in the right 'how could you actually think this from me' position. He's good, but his eyes give away that he is joking.
"...as if we would ever do such a thing, like we would dare to mess with you....", Gideon adds. And when they begin like this Rita already knows it will take a while. But this also means both of them are utterly happy, and at least a bit because they wanted to see her. So she just lets them do their thing.
"...But you know who also has verry interesting not speakable t's in her name..", and this is the moment when she isn't as happy to see them anymore. Of course now Fab had to bring this up. She hides herself behind her hands.
"...Oh yes a verry crazy certain someone. Probably our Ria was already displeased in the summer to not see her on as many balls as she wanted to."
"Yes good, enough. You both will be pleased to hear that I already have a plan what to do about that. And Noo you guys will not get included with it. But enough about me. What did you do that was scandalous enough so that you didn't write it to me."
"Always after the newest gossip, you hear this Gid? Might want you to think we aren't intersting enough for her."
"Oh shut it, you know exactly how I mean it. Also I know that you spoke this Gideon."
Which of corse makes them fake gasp again. Then all three of them start laughing. So hard that Fabian fall of his seat. Then they even laugh more. Rita actually starts to cry out of joy to have them and their hole group again.
After a few moments Fab starts talking again. "Well as you know we went into differnt muggle discos. In one of them there was always the same guy dancing. He was, to not under describe it, hot as fire."
Gideon falls him in the word at this point. "Like really really hot. We know you don't really get that part but RiRi, the things I would do for this man. Wow."
And there it forms in Ritas head. Both of them were all over this guy. But they both seem to be fine with it ?
"Oh no you didn't !? "
"Oh yes we did."
Silence.
Then they start laughing again. This feels so out of order for their life. Out for the sixties. Out for their pure blood commuity and status. But on the other hand, oh so fitting for both of them.
"To be honest, I hate it that we're friends right now. You two would have made me a better writing start into this school year than even the one I have."
"Of course why didn't we alredy ask Fab? Of course she already has a new story. Let me guess you wrote it in the few minutes we were late?"
Both of them look at her waiting desperatly. Whoever said guys are not interested in gossip never met these two. Or maybe it is just a Slytherin thing to be smart enough to know about peoples life.
So she starts telling them.
***
After everything was set with their arrival and the first meal, Rita is finally again alone in her dorm. Of course she managed to get her own dorm without any of the other annoying Slytherin girls that are in her year. As far as she knows Bellatrix did exactly the same. But probably not by blackmailing their house teacher like Rita did. But who knows? The heiress of the name Black could have done everything. And Rita would adore her for everything.
Because of the dorm on her own Rita can speack out all of her thoughts without getting interrupted. So she keeps speaking and her Quick-Quotes Quill, that she managed to hex herself, writes everything down. This way her column is written down verry fast. Nothing in comparison to her first three years where she actually had to write eveything down herself.
And as easily and fast as this the first week of Hogwarts is over. Ritas newest story was a reall hit and everything was going exactly as she wants it. Of course this is the moment when some little unimportant rat was deciding to interfere with it.
She realised it when she is walking down the corridor, annoyed from her last lesson of the day, transformations. Then she hears it, some little second or maybe third years are gossiping. At first Rita thinks that this is great, maybe there will come someting she didnˋt quite catch yet. But no.
"You heard what they say about Skeeter, Cheryl?", the ugly blond on asks. If someone would ask Rita she said that this girl would be verry insecure about herself and thats why sheˋs trying to make herself important by talking about Rita. Of course to get the attention. Everyone listens when her name is on the table.
And this attenrion she absolutey gets, not just from Rita, this Cheryl girl is now also hanging on her lips. Giggeling she says: "Shhh Sarah, you now what they say, how this woman has ears everywhere."
And yes there definetly is some fear in both of their eyes, so at least this is good enough for Ritas ego. But it doesnˋt stop them from talking.
"Yeah, Yeah donˋt be a baby. I heard she is writing so much because sheˋs nearly a Squip. So in the end there is noting really to fear from hear.", Sarah respondes to her. Her hole body language speaking of the triumph she is fealing. Something getˋs really hurt by this, deep inside of Rita. But she pulls it away for now. No pain she is going to feel now.
Cherylˋs eayes go wide by this. Because not a lot of people know this in Hogwarts. The question is how this litlle twelve something year old girl would know about it. Cheryl by that moment looks at Sarah like she is a godess. And Rita decides that she has heard enough about it.
Now, maybe if Rita was actually more talented in magic she might walk out right now and hex these two into the next century. But to be completly honest there might be some truth about what these two said. So she needs a plan. And they will pay.
Rita starts walking outside to the trees around the see. If you know how you can finda litlle place perfectly unseen from everybody around. She never told anyone about it. Not even Fab and Gid. There she will plot her revenge.
It is really important that no one else gets to know about her litlle secret with the magic problem. Especially not her parents. The only reason they didnˋt until now, was that Rita blackmailed the important positions so that her marks stayed good enough. McGonagall might be on her with this, but she always has other problems to worry about. That was what Fabian and Gideon took care of for her.
She knows that their younger sister Molly doesnˋt really approve of their relationship. But these two are true Slytherins and Rita is thankfull to have them both. She also knows that it is unusual for a girl and two boys in their age to actually like each other, but they work great together. Helping around to create mischief and power. The only two things the three of them ever wanted.
But this now with Sarah, this is personall. Rita canˋt solve it by having her twin team messing them up. No she will stay to her own methodes. These two girls will hope to have never even heard her name.
For that she will have to make her usual information finding about them. Till now she only nows their look and name. Not even house or real age. So she knows where to start. That is something good.
***
After some research and a week full of work they found out everything they needed to know about these two girls. Which was unfortunately nothing. Both of them where from Huffelpuff, third year and Halfbloods with loving familys. They are both completely usual, grades in the total middle of the other kids, didn't pick any real fights or enemys, no big love ineterst or some envy. Not even a family history. Both were boring and totaly usual. Gossiping about Rita was probably the biggest they ever did.
"Okay so let me get this straight we have absolutely nothing on them and if that is not worse enough we also don't know where the hell they got their information from. Am I right?"
Now usually Rita isn't a real scary person, in well person. But right now the look in Fabians and Gideons eyes tells her that they are actually worried.
"Well let me tell you this RiRi, yes we know nothing personal about them for blackmailing, but this is actually good." Fabian tries to calm her with these words.
But something inside of Rita just snaps with these words.
"Why the fucking hell shoud this be good for us !?", she nearly shoutes into her dorm, "This is a disaster, my ruin and I haven't really started yet and somehow these little, unimportant Huffelpuffs are my end."
At the end she clearly shouted. And started to walk her room up and down again. This hole situation is a dissaster. Nothing goes according to plan. Her hole second week she was obssesed with these two little girls. So she couldn't pick up anything new to tell the world. No insted of that she had to tell one of her back up storys in case something like this happens. She truly is ashamed of herself. Not even to speak about how she didn't come a little bit closer in her plan according to Bellatrix. A disaster truly.
"Okay maybe stop walking up and down the room like your a fucking tiger in a circus. This would probably be great on all of our nerves.", Fabian says again to calm her. Out of the three of them he always is the coolest. Sitting now on the floor, back against her bed and right next to his brothers leg. When you look at him you wouldn't see a worry in the world.
Gideon on the other hand understands her worries more. He is always full of energy. Sitting for this long, it maybe have ben five minutes, for him in the same possition, isn't something you would expect to see. Rita only gives him a few more minutes till he has to walk like her. Then she might sit down.
"Oh no my genius brother", Gideon then somehow nearly shoutes out, like out of nowhere he got what Fabian wanted to tell her.
And usualy Rita would be her calm self and let them speak out, not at least because of her upbringing. But right now she is too far up the edge. She feels really weak and fears how this all will ruin her future where she could do like she wants. Because if this all goes bad then she will need to marry some important idiotic guy form the noble 28. No rescue plan anymore for her. So she interrupts him.
"Well then fucking tell me because I'm going to explode over this."
"We still have plan erumpent horn."
There is a silence. Rita just blinks at them. The boys are looking at her waiting for her reaction. Her ears got the information but somehow her brain can't really understand it. Till it does.
"Oh you evil genuisses.", It all makes sense now. They wouldn't have to have any gossip about Sarah and Cheryl. With an erumpent horn they will easily be expelled. Then they just have to make sure that they know it was Rita who did this to them and find out who started this rumor at first.
"And we can look into it enough that maybe somebody like Narcissa Malfoy would get in the possibility of harm by that. We all can imagine how Druella can get when her precios daughters might get any harm."
Which theoretically sounds genius. Druella will get crazy over this and Narcissa Black still is young enough to be easily manipulated into this. So yes good plan great even.
If it wasn't for Bellatrix. See now there are only a few things Rita really knows for sure about this desire of hers. And if one thing is clear that the dark witch didn't really care for any person. Besides her little sister and making one of them go through a nearly death situation might not be the best to actually get her heart.
"Yeaaah I see your point there. But I would then also consider how Druella might want to know exactly how these two got to the expensive nearly forbidden magical horn. So we might choose a little less powerful family or more a little less paranoid family for this."
They look at her like she suggested Molly to nearly die. Till Fabian gets a massive grin on his face.
"Oh yes brother", he says jamming his elbow into Gids side "we wouldn't want to get Bellas family poossibly mad at us. That would be a real shame wouldn't it ?"
Oh he feels way to secure about himself. Unfortunately after he explained the situation for his brother, he lookes like an exact mirror of his brother. They tend to do this sometimes.
"Well for a second I was actually worried our little Ria didn't trust our capabilities anymore. But well this I understand. So we choose another family, who will do it."
And with this it was gone. Of course they are going to tease her about it in the future but right now the plan and revenge is the only thing that really matters for them. Yes she has great friends.
***
They bring the horn into their dorm and everything works out perfectly. Gideon distractes, Fabian worked out how to get the forbidan material and all three of them brought it in the dorm. After that the real magic startes. Rita makes the gossip. At first little things just to make an iching for everybody over these girls. Then it gets bigger. Up to a point where the hole school is talking about it.
But not in her usual Rita way where she proclaimes it in the people's face and everybody knows it is from her. No this one is in secret. Nobody has the smallest clue that she started the rumors. Not even McGonagall this time. So it just needs a week for the main teacher of the hufflepuff house, Mr Gualway, to look into the girls dorm and find the forbidden horn.
Of course just half an hour after Blaire Greengrass was in an horrifing acident that should have never happaned within the halls of Hogwarts. But somehow, and nobody can really explain how, the little slytherin girl walked into the wrong house and got nearly killed by an erumpent horn. It works perfectly for Rita.
The moment she hears that both of them will get expelled is one of the best fealings she had this year. Everything working exactly like she planed it with her boys.
Till it isn't anymore.
It's the moday after her big tryumph two days ago. Rita still walkes like she is on heaven and everybody around her is just a peasant pleased with her apperence. And then out of nowhere a hand grabs her and pulles her in an empty classroom. Of course within seconds her wand is on the other persons neck. Besides to that she will still need to talk herself out of this. The chances to get out in a fight and not humiliate herself are way to high to try it any other way. Her hole body is in self defence mode. But then she gets to see her and the other person starts to speak.
It is Bellatrix.
Bellatrix who grabed her and brought her into an <span;>empty <span;>classroom.
This will be interesting. Well if Rita is able to think while this godess of a woman is speaking before her. She looks great, all of hear crazy hair who looks like it has their own life, her eyes full of fire and desire and oh lets not start to talk about her endless legs or her waist that looks so perfectly tiny.
Bellatrix let's her arm go and Rita wouldn't be able to swear that she doesn't let out an to loude noise of displease by that. Which is of course embarrasing and her cheeks go red. But just a little bit. Hopefully Bellatrix doesn't notice. But like to make it good again for letting her go, she starts to speak. With a voice that sounds like Rita would be able to write book over book of her. She has this power and importance in her words that really gets to the blond writer.
"Rita, Rita, Rita. To be honest I didn't quite expexted that from you. Didn't thought you had it in you like that. But apparently you're one of the biggest players in Hogwarts. So I thought the two of us hot girls need to have a little chat." , she says with this sparkle in her eyes.
To be compleatly honest the other girl started to fade out after her name got spoken from these cherry red lips. She never really noticed how good this colour looks on the dark witch. Did she wear lipstick before and Rita didn't notice?
And than she says that Rita is a big one in Hogwarts. Like she sees how important Rita is??? And calling her hot. How is she supposed to think after this?
But she has to. This is her chance. Nothing she can ruin by just looking like a dumb blonde.
"Well it's good you finaly noticed, honey."
Is it risky? Yes.
Did Bellatrix curse people for less? Yes, of course.
Was her flirting worth the little wink in the other witches eye? Yes.
"Oh, I like you. Powerfull, beautifull and puts the mudbloods in their place. Perfect."