Rita Skeeter's Triumph
Rita Skeeter – Star Reporter
Rita Skeeter had her great coup with the article about the trial of Sirius Black. Alone that he got a trial would have made the headlines for a while, but with the way the trial had gone, she had a sensation at her hands. To have Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived and just eleven year old student, having to defend his godfather because no professional barrister at law wanted to take the case and then win with a landslide like he did was without comparison.
She had seen the look Harry Potter had given Waldimor Innireth, when he had shouted that Black would only have lied if interrogated. No, this article would be her finest piece of journalism. The cold, hard facts. She had thankfully had a dicta quill set up and now had a one hundred per cent accurate protocol. She had planned to spice up things later with her quick quotes quill, but she would refrain from it. Harry Potter was dangerous if angered. That much was certain. The boy had a sharp mind and knew how to present facts. If she didn't know he was a Ravenclaw she would have thought that a Slytherin had been presenting the defence. He had built up the defence from the bottom, secured every layer, pointed out where false conclusions had been made and cemented his deductions with statements from important sources like the Minister of Magic himself.
Citing the reports from Fudge and the warden of Azkaban about the Lestranges' placement there was genius. And then the part from the auror manual; he had made Barty Crouch look like an incompetent fool. Having shown that the basic procedure hadn't even been followed and letting Madam Bones do it ten years later was keeping everybody's attention. Often in trials the barristers didn't manage to hold the attention of the members of the Wizengamot. Harry Potter had known how to do this perfectly. Seeing was better than hearing and having to think what things might have looked like. And she had the photos of Bozo, her loyal photographer who knew when to take pictures. So she knew they had the demonstration of the blasting hex against the dummy, Harry Potter holding up the torn robe for all to see, the moment where he pushed up the sleeve of Black with no dark mark on it and the stare down of Innireth.
Then the interview after the trial, the second one he ever gave and she had been the one who got the first one as well. When she had got the letter from Potter with the request to meet him, she had been eager to follow the request. Having an exclusive interview with the Boy-Who-Lived was something no reporter worth their money would pass up upon. She didn't expect to meet a boy who was as well-prepared as he had been. Harry had made her sign a contract that she would only report on his answers truthfully. Otherwise she could forget the interview. When she had asked why she should do it, he had given her that damnable smile. She knew in a few years that smile would be the downfall of dozens of girls. He had told her that the story would be worth it and could make her the most famous reporter in England. She had taken the risk and it had paid off.
In the interview he had brought up the questions he had in regard to his godfather's imprisonment without a trial. He also informed her about the refusal of Minister Fudge to just grant Sirius Black a trial. He asked why the Minister was so afraid of finding out the truth. Were there corpses in his basement that he didn't want to be found? Had he been bribed to keep Sirius locked up? For him, an eleven year old boy it reeked of cover-up. So what if Sirius Black was innocent and still in Azkaban? Were there perhaps others that got thrown to the dementors without a chance to defend themselves? If so, shouldn't the normal witch and wizard be informed what could happen to them in case the Ministry thought they wanted to look good again?
She had loved his style and had written the article. She could proudly say her article was the trigger to get this historical trial on the way. And this one could be her ticket into the ranks of those that were celebrated as star reporters in the world. She, Rita Skeeter, mostly laughed at as a gossip monger. Well, not this time. She had the story of a lifetime with more background information than the others. She would write an award winning article on the trial and she would get the follow up stories on it. The scandal Barty Crouch, the corruption in the Ministry, the abuse of Harry Potter at the hands of the muggles, the whole story, all facts nothing made up, otherwise Potter would skin her alive. That much was for sure.
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