Chapter 337: No Exclusive For You

Disclaimer: Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

I own nothing but the original characters I make.

"Dialogue"

'Thoughts'

-Author notes-

Chapter 337: No Exclusive For You

Lyra pushed Neville away and looked at the strange woman who was now giving her a creepy smile.

"Oh, I didn't mean to interrupt you, I'm so sorry!" the woman said before pointing her camera and taking another picture.

"Where did you come from?!" Lyra was sure there was no one there before.

"Rita Seeker…" Neville said.

'Now I have to deal with this woman too…' There was no way he would let her keep those pictures, so now he would have to find a way to get them.

"You remember me! I'm so flattered. You must have read the article I wrote about you. Did you like it?" Rita had a predatory smile on her face.

"Rita Seeker… wait! You're the one who wrote that awful article about Neville being a cheater!" Lyra recalled.

"Oh dear… it was not my intention to make your boyfriend look bad. I just write what I see. By the way, what is your name?" Rita asked.

Lyra got nervous. "Me?... I'm…no, wait...we are still not..."

At that moment, the tent opened again, and Barty Crouch entered.

"What's all the ruckus?... Rita! There you are! We've been waiting for you."

"I'm sorry, my dear Mister Crouch. I was held up by another exclusive, but I came here as soon as I could," Rita said.

"Hmph… fine, just hurry and take the pictures of the champions. We can't waste any—" He suddenly noticed Lyra.

"And who are you? Visits are not allowed until the tests are over."

"Eh? well I ... I was… just leaving!" Lyra hurried back outside the tent and got away before things got more awkward for her.

'They ruined my perfect moment with Neville…' Lyra lamented.

Neville watched her leave and shook his head. 'Why do these things happen to me?...' he wondered.

"Mmm… well then, let's get this done. Rita, the pictures!" Mister Crouch exclaimed.

"Yes, yes…" Rita didn't have much interest in some boring pictures. But she was looking forward to writing another article about the Boy Who Lived and his new girlfriend. She just needed to find out who that girl was.

"Very well… everyone, go stand over there and make a nice pose." He indicated to the champions.

"Make sure to hold your dragon out. It would make for a better picture," Mister Crouch added.

"And where is Mister Longbottom's dragon?... Did you not give him one?" Rita gave Crouch a side glance.

"He broke it!" Crouch pointed at the remains on the ground.

"Okay… whatever…" Rita hurried to take the picture. "There, done!" She had someone to find now.

"Excellent!" Crouch glanced at the clock on the wall. "We are on a tight schedule, so we will start calling you very soon."

"Wait, you still haven't told us what we have to do!" Cedric complained. He was sure that everyone else already knew everything about the first test, but he didn't.

Barty Crouch looked flabbergasted for a second.

"Of course! Sorry about that. I will now explain what the first test entails… I suppose we have a few minutes for that."

"I'll take my leave then. I have a few items on my agenda to prepare before the main show begins." Rita Seeker started to make her way out of the tent.

"Yes, Miss Seeker. Make sure to do an excellent job with your coverage of the event," Crouch reminded her. He could not afford for anything to go wrong today.

Rita made a gesture of affirmation and pulled the tent door open before leaving.

While Crouch was distracted, explaining the test to the champions, Neville sneaked out of the tent and caught up to Rita before she disappeared.

"Miss Seeker," he called out.

Rita Seeker almost jumped from the surprise. She had made sure that no one was around and was about to transform into her Animagus form. The last thing she expected was to see the Boy Who Lived running up to her.

"Mister Longbottom?..."

A smile appeared on her face. Rita could imagine what the boy was about to ask of her.

"I hope you are not here to request me not to publish those saucy pictures with you and your girlfriend. Because the public has the right to know."

Neville got closer to her.

"No, Miss Seeker… I was not planning on asking that."

Rita looked at him, a bit confused. She had been sure that's what he wanted.

"If this is about my previous article, I assure you—"

Neville did not stop until he was just a few feet away from the reporter. He needed to be close for this, and she did not suspect anything from him. As far as Rita was concerned, Neville Longbottom was harmless.

"Not at all. I understand you were doing your job… I just need one little thing…"

"And what would th—" Before she could finish her sentence, a silent spell hit her chest and prevented her from moving.

It was a paralyzing charm, just a bit weaker than the petrification curse but much faster and easier to throw without a chant or a wand.

Just a flick of his left hand, and that was enough… he had her.

Without wasting time, Neville took the camera that was hanging around her neck.

Rita was aware of what was happening but could not move an inch.

Neville opened the compartment at the back of the camera and took a small crystal cube from within. This was the storage component of the camera where all the images were contained. It worked similarly to the camera reel from the Muggle version.

Neville took the cube out and closed the camera back up, placing it again where it was before.

A small black circle appeared next to him, and he dropped the crystal cube in there. This was a small pocket dimension created by the powers of his new Deathly Hallow.

He had discovered that if he created an entry hole but no exit, the items deposited inside ended up in a different dimension, separated from everything else.

He could use it to store things, like his broom, and no one would ever find them there.

Now that he had gotten rid of the evidence, he used his wand and placed an Obliviation charm on the reporter.

He had gotten a lot of practice this year and was much more precise at deleting specific memories.

This would leave some gaps in her recollection, but the brain was good at filling those gaps without the need for further action.

After releasing Rita Seeker from the magic trapping her, she appeared very dizzy and disoriented.

"Miss Seeker, are you alright?" Neville asked with an innocent face.

"Uhm?... I…" She glanced at the tent she had just left, then at her camera, before finally moving her eyes back to Neville.

"Mister Longbottom… is there something you need? I have some important work to do."

"I understand. Perhaps we can discuss what I had in mind on a different occasion then." Neville turned around and went back to the tent.

Rita looked very confused. She did not remember having spoken about anything with Neville… and now she felt like she had a headache.

"Great… I had to get sick today of all days…" she grumbled.

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