93 Rita Skeeter

My chest burned as it heaved over and over, trying to provide me with the necessary ingredient to keep on running. I turned to look back at the monster draped in red and gold that was currently chasing me. From the expression on its face, I knew there was no escape, and it would chase me to the end of time.

"Come on, Alicia." I gasped with bated breath. "Let it go; it was funny."

If anything, my plea only firmed the resolve in Alicia's dark eyes. She gritted her teeth and seemed to find enough energy to increase her speed even more.

My eyes widened when I saw her narrowing the gap between us. I knew if I could use magic, I could easily get away. But that would be cheating.

As I neared the end of the pathway, I heard Alicia grunt. I turned to see how far away she was, and time seemed to slow as I saw her leaping right at me through the air. I couldn't help but mentally catalog her features. The whites of her wide-open eyes contrasted vividly with her caramel skin, her long dark hair danced about, and her mouth was wide open, showing her teeth like she was a beast about to sink her teeth into her prey.

As she crashed into me, we both went down to the ground in a rolling heap. I ended up face down in the ground, with Alicia on my back.

A bitter, earthy taste filled my mouth, as several leaves had gotten into my mouth. After spitting them out, I complained, "Merlin's Beard, Alicia. What are they feeding you in Gryffindor?"

"Jokes," she ruthlessly replied with an elbow into my kidney.

A loud, excited yowl filled the air as Athena bowled into Alicia and sent her tumbling off my back onto the ground next to me.

"Ha," I gasped, "That is what I like to call karma." Turning over, I noticed Athena had manipulated her new collar, which allowed her to grow back to her normal size, which was getting rather large.

Ironically, Alicia ended up in the same position I had been in, face down on the ground with Athena on her back, looking very pleased with herself.

"Ugh," Alicia groaned while Athena kneaded her paws victoriously on Alicia's back.

"Cheater." She declared while shooting me a glare.

I smirked at her, "Athena and I are a package deal. You mess with one of us, you deal with both of us."

Lying on the ground, I tried to slow my breathing so I could catch my breath. The painful stitch in my side informed me I should get out and run more. Thankfully, Alicia didn't seem to be doing any better.

I held out a hand and gasped, "Truce?"

Alicia eyed my hand for a second, then shook my hand and agreed, "Truce."

When Cedric and Anna arrived, Cedric held out a hand and helped me to my feet.

"Was that necessary? Now your robes are dirty." He said in a disapproving tone.

Alicia and I grinned and looked at one another like we were kids being lectured by an adult. Cedric was always trying to do the proper thing; we all enjoyed teasing him about it behind his back.

"Yes," we cheekily replied in unison, trying not to give away that Anna was behind Cedric, miming him giving us a lecture.

As we left the area, heading back to Hogsmeade, Cedric asked, "So, what now?"

Anna and Alicia eyed each other and seemed to have a wordless conversation.

"Shopping." They declared in unison.

I let out a pained groan to voice my opinion. Cedric, ever the proper gentleman, chose to keep his dismay to himself.

Two hours later, Cedric and I found ourselves inside Gladrags Magicwear, waiting on the girls.

"This is a hostage situation," I fumed to Cedric. "We have been here for almost two hours." I held up two fingers to really emphasize the time. "That's two hours of my life that I will never get back. Two hours being asked about purses, shoes, and robes."

Waving my finger between Cedric and myself, I continued, "We. You and I have been kidnapped and are being held hostage by a pair of crazy teenage girls."

Miming my two fingers in a walking motion, I added in a whisper, "We should go now and get out while there's still time."

Cedric eyed me worriedly, "How hard did Alicia hit you?"

I leaned back into the wooden chair I was sitting in and huffed, "Ok, fine, maybe hostage is a strong word." I craned my neck as if to get a better view of the store. "I'll bet it's a prank or something. They're probably back there laughing at us, wondering how long it will be until we snap. No one could possibly need that many pairs of shoes."

What made things worse was the large grandfather clock in the waiting area. The clock seemed to be mocking me as its fingers seemed to slow down to prolong this experience.

Thankfully, twenty minutes later, even Cedric seemed to reach the end of his patience with the girls shopping. "You know," He said thoughtfully. "Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop is right next door, and I do need to grab a few new quills and some extra inks."

Seeing how quickly I perked up, Cedric quickly added as if he were concerned he was doing the wrong thing. "It wouldn't take long; I would be in and out in a few minutes. We would be back before they knew we were gone."

I nodded and said self-righteously, "You know, we could even pick up a few things for Anna and Alicia, you know, to save some time. If you think about it, us not leaving and getting them some new supplies is kinda selfish."

Cedric seemed to mull that twisted bit of logic over for a few seconds, then nodded. "When you put it like that, we're doing them a favor."

Trying to keep the eagerness off my face, I nodded and agreed, "Exactly."

We both slowly got up, looking around carefully. Once we saw the coast was clear, we fled from our captors immediately.

It didn't take us long to grab some new supplies. Once we had paid, I could sense that Cedric was just as reluctant as I was to leave the quill shop. I don't think either one of us ever wanted to step back into Gladrags again.

"You know," I said enticingly, "That didn't take us very long, I bet we could hit up a few other places, and the girls wouldn't know."

Cedric's brow furrowed with concern. "I don't know." He worriedly said.

"Don't worry," I soothed, "We'll be back before they know it."

With Cedric's conscience satisfied, we left and started exploring the other stores. By the time we had hit up four other places, we had both come to a wordless understanding that we were truly ditching them and not going back.

Cedric worriedly asked, "You think they'll be mad."

As I looked over at Cedric's concerned eyes, I didn't have the heart to break it to him, "Naw, I'm sure they'll understand. Right, Athena?"

The look Athena gave me said that she clearly knew I was lying but would go along with it anyway.

As the sun neared the middle of the sky, I knew it was time to make my way to the Three Broomsticks to see if Rita had taken the bait. It didn't take much to get Cedric on board. We had discussed grabbing lunch there earlier in the week.

For some reason, I felt an itch in the back of my mind at that thought. I had a feeling that I forgot something. Unable to figure it out, I let it go and began to plan my confrontation with Rita.

The Three Broomsticks ended up being a lively place. I understood why Sirius told Harry if he wanted to have a secret meeting, it would be easier to hide what he was doing here rather than at the Hog's Head. The place was pretty packed with Hogwarts students and locals who lived in Hogsmeade.

My first impression of the place was how warm and inviting the place was. A smoky haze filled the room coming from a merrily burning fireplace on the far side of the dining area. Wooden tables filled the middle of the room, with more private booths along the walls.

One thing I was happy about was the cleanliness here compared to the Hog's Head. When I visited the bar last year, I felt like I needed to take a shower afterward. Although, considering how easy it is to clean with magic, the filth there is probably deliberate so they can attract a specific type of patron.

A middle-aged, blonde-haired witch whose hair was beginning to show the faintest hints of grey stepped out from behind the bar.

"What can we do for you?" She asked with a warm inventing smile. "You boys here for drinks, or will you be wanting a meal?"

Since neither of us fancied going back to the castle for lunch, I replied, "Meal, thank you."

Nodding, she turned and waved at the room, "All our tables are full, but I have a few booths available."

Once we got seated, she asked, "Can I get you boys something to drink?"

"How about two of your famous butterbeers?"

She nodded and summoned two bottles with a flick of her wand, "I'll have someone to take your order in a few minutes."

Once we were alone, I noticed an interesting effect of the booths. There was some sort of sound damping spell taking place. The rest of the noise coming from the inn was muted, not gone completely, but reduced to low background noise.

I set Athena down next to me and whispered in her ear, "You know what to do."

Athena's green eyes lit up; I had already explained to her to be on the lookout for a magically transformed beetle. If Rita was here in disguise, there was no one better than Athena to sniff her out. I had learned over the years that it was impossible for anyone to sneak around Athena.

"Um. Alex." Cedric whispered in a worried tone.

Looking up, I saw Cedric glancing across the room with a concerned look.

Turning to see what he was looking at, my stomach dropped when I saw what he saw. Immediately that thought that had been nagging me clarified itself. Earlier in the week, when I discussed eating lunch at the Three Broomsticks with Cedric, others were present.

Standing in the doorway was Anna and Alicia who were scanning the room like birds of prey hunting for their next meal.

"Maybe they won't see us," I half-heartedly said.

As if the universe was mocking me, the girls immediately honed in on us right away, and boy, did they look pissed.

"Maybe they're not mad." Cedric hopefully said.

Seeing Anna's blazing purple eyes made me snort, "Oh, I think that ship sailed long ago."

Both Anna and Alicia made their way across the room, every movement filled with anger. Once she got to the table, she pointed her finger at me.

"You." She was so annoyed that she seemed to lose track of what she was going to say.

Alicia took over, "You ditched us," she accused. "Who does that?"

Deciding that the best defense was a good offense, I retorted. "You're damn right we left. Do you have any idea how long you were in there for? Two and a half hours. Did you ever think Cedric and I had some stuff we needed to get done?"

Both the girls seemed a little taken back at my counter-attack. Knowing that momentum was everything, I kept going. "Did you ever think that we also needed to get some supplies? Cedric even made sure to get you both some fresh ink and quills."

Anna and Alicia both looked a little chagrined.

"You still could have told us you were leaving." Anna resentfully retorted as she slid into the booth.

Playing the peacemaker, Cedric interrupted my reply. "I think we can agree that we all made mistakes. Before the next trip, we should work out a better schedule."

Cedric flagged down one of the servers. "How about we get you two a drink? The butterbeer here is delicious."

I inwardly smirked when I saw Anna and Alicia unable to rebut Cedric. Sometimes he can be so reasonable that it is annoying. I could tell they wanted to continue the argument, but it would be like kicking a puppy with him being so reasonable.

Although from the look Anna kept shooting me during lunch, I had the feeling that the next time we got together to duel, she would be particularly aggressive.

All throughout lunch, Athena and I kept our eyes open for Rita. At one point, I even sent Athena out to scout for her, but she returned empty-handed. Eventually, I was forced to conclude that Rita wasn't going to show. Maybe she ignored my letter or had other things to do. Whatever it was, it seems as though I would need to find a better way to get her attention.

Our group hit a few more stores before we called it a day and headed back to the castle. But, something interesting happened on our way to the castle. Athena made a low, throaty yowl that something was wrong.

I glanced down to see what was wrong to find Athena focusing her green eyes on something in the sky behind me. I took a subtle glance behind me, and for a minute, I was confused. There was no one behind me, but knowing that Athena never gets worked up unless there is a reason, I kept my eyes peeled.

Eventually, I saw what she saw. It was only by chance that I caught a glimpse of a tiny dot moving through the air. It was suspiciously shaped like a beetle, or a witch transformed as one. Rita Skeeter was following me.

My mind raced as I tried to puzzle out how she figured me out. She must be cleverer than I thought. However she did it, I now had a nosy reporter following me that I needed to deal with. My mind spat out several options, and after selecting one, I told my friends, "You guys go ahead inside. I'm taking Athena down to the lake. I promised her I would get her a fish as a treat."

My friends were accustomed to me taking Athena down to her favorite spot, so they didn't find it suspicious when I waved their offers to join me. It had been a long day, and they had plenty of homework to do before the following week.

As I made my way through the Hogwarts ground, I kept my eyes peeled for Rita. Thankfully, she decided to follow me rather than my friends. Once I got to Athena's favorite spot, I pulled out my wand and summoned a fish from the lake.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Rita freaked and hid her beetle form on the other side of the tree when I first pulled out my wand. But, after I pulled a few fish out of the lake, she seemed to relax and crawled over to my side of the tree to get a view.

It took a little effort to keep a grin that kept wanting to emerge from spilling out. That's right, Rita, nothing to be scared of, just a few more inches.

Once I felt like she was in the perfect position, I snapped my wand in her direction. "Stupify."

A red beam of light emerged from my wand and hit the beetle dead on. I smiled when I saw the fat beetle fall to the ground; all my dueling practice has really helped me with my aim.

I pulled out the jar that I had enchanted to be unbreakable, and scooped up the beetle. After securing the jar, I waited for Athena to finish her snack.

A small part of me wondered if I should feel guilty about my sneak attack on Rita. I mean, technically, she hadn't done anything to me. But, the other part of me assured me that this couldn't happen to a better person. Rita was a real piece of work. She delighted in ripping apart lives and tearing down others. I found it a little ironic that someone whose job it is to find others' secrets would have such a damming one herself.

The penalty in Britain for being an unregistered animagus is heavy. It's five years in Azkaban, five years of subjecting yourself to dementors. Even though there are different levels in Azkaban, the worst offenders are subjected to a dementor's presence 24/7, and those with lesser sentences have less exposure. It's still a horrible penalty, it's why I've decided to register when I become an animagus. The penalty just isn't worth the risk. The one good thing about the penalty is that it ensures that Rita will do anything to prevent herself from being exposed.

After tucking the jar into my robes, I headed back indoors. I should have a few hours before Rita comes to her senses.

To that end, I decided to have our meet and greet in the same place I met with Professor Lockart.

While the common room at the Hog's Head doesn't allow for much privacy, their secret backrooms that you can rent do just fine.

After dinner, I made my way down to the secret tunnel where the Silver Spears were located. But, rather than stop at the dueling headquarters, I continued onward to Hogsmeade.

Before I left the tunnel, I snapped on the old hider bracelet that Uncle John gave me, and a rather forgettable illusion replaced me. The bracelet's only weakness was it only provided a single identity.

As soon as I entered the Hog's Head, I could taste a moldy grimness in my mouth. Ignoring the few customers seated around the room, I strode over to the bar where the barman whose head was wrapped entirely in bandages was nursing a drink.

I pulled out my coin purse and set down a few golden galleons. "I need the back room for an hour."

The barman's fingers slid across the bar and claimed the gold. After inspecting the galleons, the barman nodded and pointed his wand at the back wall.

What had seemed like a solid wall, gave way as a door appeared.

"One hour," The barman confirmed in a raspy voice.

Inside the familiar room was a dirty, stained table along with a couple of chairs. Before sitting, I pulled out Rita's jar and a few other things I had specifically gathered for this meeting. After I sat Rita on the table, I saw her antennae twitching, and I figured she was just about ready to wake up. Perfect timing.

After a few more odd twitches, the beetle that was Rita woke up. She seemed a little disoriented as she looked around the jar in curiosity. I couldn't help but smirk when I saw the outrage as Rita realized she was trapped in a jar. She started flapping her insect wings and buzzing angrily around the jar.

I could almost see it when she tried to transform and escape, but her transformation failed in an unbreakable jar. It was then that the real panic seemed to set in. She started making this chittering, clicky sound that was mostly muted by the jar.

Wanting her to know who she was dealing with, I pulled off my hider bracelet. Rita seemed to calm down for a moment as the beetle looked at me with surprise. Her calm didn't last long, enraged that a student took her down, she started buzzing around in small little circles.

"Hello, Rita." I began.

I picked up the jar, twisted the lid open, and laid it on its side. "We need to talk."

The beetle froze upon hearing me speak. It probably came as a surprise that I knew her secret. She stopped buzzing around, landed, and tried to act like a regular beetle.

I snorted, "I know it's you, Rita."

When the beetle continued to act normal, I sneered. "Fine, have it your way."

I reached forward and dumped Rita onto the table and snapped my wand at her, "Contarium."

After the spell hit her, there was a bright flash and a blurring of movement, and a curly blonde haired witch with long pointed nails stood before me.

"How dare you," She screeched.

I held up a finger and wagged it at her. Then pointed across the room. Rita's pale green eyes hidden behind glasses followed the direction my finger was pointed. Her face paled at the sight of the camera set up that had captured her transfiguration.

She lunged towards the camera but froze in place when I hit her with the body-bind curse. Her eyes glared at me with murder as I tucked the camera away safely.

"I thought using a camera to expose that you're an unregistered animagus was poetic considering your profession."

Freeing her from the curse, I said, "Sit, we need to have a conversation."

"Do you have any idea who I am?" She thundered.

"Yes," I replied calmly. "Rita Skeeter, a top journalist at the Daily Prophet and a soon to be Azkaban inmate if-you-don't-sit-down."

A brief look of fear appeared on Rita's face at the mention of Azkaban. "What do you want?"

I showed her my teeth and gave her the wolfish grin I copied from my grandma, "Why, Rita. I want to be friends."

A look of confusion appeared on Rita's face.

"After abducting me, you want to be friends." She sarcastically remarked.

"Ok, maybe friend is too strong of a word. How about acquaintances?"

I snapped my fingers, "Oh, I know, someone who can do me a few favors in exchange for not turning a certain unregistered animagus into the Ministry of Magic."

"Let start with how you figured out that I sent the letter."

Rita scoffed, "You think you're the first one to send me a mysterious note. When you write something, a tiny part of your essence sinks into it and I know a spell that can lift the imprint and show me where it came from. Tracking you down was easy."

I let out a whistle of appreciation, "That's pretty clever." I complimented while inwardly determining that I will have to find a fix for that if I ever needed to write another mysterious letter.

A pained look appeared on Rita's face as she gave away her secret. "Now that I told you my little secret, how about you tell me how you figured out that I was an animagus."

"Don't worry," I assured her. "No one else knows your secret, and as for how I know, well, I think I'll be keeping that little nugget to myself."

Rita sagged back into her chair, "So what's this favor you want?"

"For now, nothing," I replied as I waved away her concern. "But, one day, I may ask you to write a story. When that day comes, I expect your full cooperation."

"That's all you want, a story written?" Rita suspiciously asked.

"It will be more than one story," I corrected.

A relieved look appeared on her face. "If that's all you want, that's easy to take care of, to be honest, I expected a little more."

"Well, now that you mention it, I suppose there's one more little thing you can do for me."

I pulled out a scroll and slid it across the table, "I would like you to sign this."

Rita eyed the scroll like it was a dangerous animal that might bite her. She carefully opened it and started scanning the contents.

"It's nothing much, just a contract ensuring you won't try to work against me or mention our little meeting to anyone."

Trying to buy time, Rita clarified, "So you're forcing me to sign this."

I smirked at her. Rita was trying to get around the magic that came standard with the contract. Agreements like this have to be willingly entered into. It's why curses that come along with breaking a contract are so hard to get rid of; when a curse is self-inflicted, they tend to sink more deeply.

"Nice try, but no, I'm not forcing you to do anything; you are free to leave at any time."

Rita gritted her teeth in frustration at me seeing through her intentions. Defeated, she pulled out her green feather quill and scribbled her name on the parchment.

Once she was finished, I reached across the table, grabbed it, rolled it up, and tucked it away

"That wasn't so bad," I soothed.

"What now?" She asked.

I shrugged, "You can leave. When the day comes that I need you to write something for me, I'll be in touch."

"Who are you?" she bitterly asked as she got up to leave.

I gave her my best wolfish smile, "My name is Alexander Fawley. Remember it."