Chapter 384
Rita Skeeter's Escape
Chapter 384 Rita Skeeter's Escape
Rita Skeeter has no idea how many times she has regretted her current predicament, but she knows in her heart that when she stood at the crossroads of fate, it was inevitable for her to make this choice.
There is no way. Curiosity not only kills the cat, but also kills a gossip-loving reporter.
At the very beginning, she was commissioned by Wade Grey to track a group of suspicious werewolves.
On the ship, Rita Skeeter accidentally discovered that some officials from the Ministry of Magic also took this slow Muggle transportation. Without thinking, she eavesdropped for a while, hoping to catch some explosive information.
The news is indeed very explosive.
An official from the Ministry of Magic named Umbridge was so strange in her dress, behavior and speech that even the knowledgeable Rita was amazed.
Umbridge talked at the dinner about how to treat Muggles, Squibs and Mudbloods, and how to eliminate "dirty inhuman monsters" -
"I don't think Muggles deserve to exist - of course, they are here and sometimes they are useful, after all, someone has to do some work."
"So we can be a little more lenient with them - allowing those with dirty blood to live."
"I think that if wizards are able to rule over Muggles, they should exterminate those that are disobedient and keep those that can be tamed, raising them like livestock."
"They shouldn't receive an education, nor should they have the right to wield weapons. It's enough for Muggles to just learn how to work."
"As for those mudbloods born from Muggles, they cannot be allowed to master wands. This is too dangerous for wizards."
"I also hope to push the Ministry of Magic to introduce new policies to strengthen the management of non-human creatures."
"For example, expanding the werewolf capture team and restarting the vampire eradication operation - these are all necessary."
"Giants, veela, goblins, centaurs, and mermen are all strictly managed by wizards... They must prove their worthiness to exist."
"Of course... I think it's better to kill all the giants. The purpose of the existence of these creatures is to prove to us that the Creator is not perfect either..."
Because those sitting next to her were officials of the Ministry of Magic of lower rank than her, who openly or secretly supported the pure-blood theory and hoped that wizards could have more power, Umbridge spoke without restraint.
She really didn't think there was anything wrong with her words. Umbridge believed from the bottom of her heart that they were correct and just. Even if others didn't understand her, she just felt that her words were too high-brow and not appreciated by many people.
It was because of this belief in herself that Umbridge, who was considered by many to be "terribly evil," was even able to cast the Patronus Charm, which further strengthened her confidence in herself.
She did not notice that even these wizards, whom she regarded as her "fellow wizards", showed uncomfortable expressions on their faces when they heard about Umbridge's cold-blooded and cruel measures.
She didn't even notice that there was a tiny beetle perched on the Roman rod that hung the curtains in the corner of the room.
Rita Skeeter wrote down everything Umbridge said - she had a lot of negative information like this, just waiting for the moment when Umbridge fell from power so that she could use it to make a big news story.
How to become a successful gossip reporter? Of course, it depends on the accumulation of little things in daily life.
For the rest of the time, Rita almost forgot about Wade's instructions and concentrated on collecting Umbridge's dirty laundry. The more she tracked, the more she felt that this was a treasure.
However, Rita Skeeter was very concerned about the other party's position as Deputy Minister of Magic, so she had to temporarily suppress it like other information.
But when she returned to England, she suddenly discovered that Umbridge's position was not as stable as she had shown.
Minister Fudge deliberately made trouble twice and handed over the very important work in Umbridge's hands to other people, and asked her to check the quality of imported and exported crucibles instead.
This is basically the work that interns are responsible for.
Rita Skeeter confirmed that this person had been abandoned by the center of power, and immediately was eager to expose the dirty laundry. However, considering that the position of deputy minister had not really been eliminated, Rita first tested the waters with a sex scandal.
However, this time, Rita Skeeter, who was used to exaggerating, hit an unexpected wall even though she did not lie.
Umbridge was as obedient as a dog in front of the Minister of Magic, and she wanted to bark a few times to show her loyalty; but in the Ministry of Magic, she actually held considerable power and controlled many low-level employees.
Soon, Rita Skeeter was retaliated against and even had to flee Britain in a hurry.
Fortunately, her Animagus form was never exposed, and with the invisibility cloak "lent" to her by Vader, Rita's escape was relatively smooth.
Rita used the post office's public owl to send a blank letter to a foreign country, then turned into a beetle and lay on the owl's back, and flew out of the British Isles with the owl.
She was supposed to arrive in the open and inclusive Denmark, but when the owl was flying over the sea, it was accidentally shot down by a Muggle ship.
Rita followed the owl and hit the deck. The poor owl died instantly, but the beetle flapped its wings a few times before landing and landed steadily in a pile of hemp ropes on the deck.
At the time, Rita thought it was just an unfortunate accident.
——Although I have never heard of Muggles eating owls, maybe these guys have a special hobby?
Muggles are just so wild and rude.
Rita Skeeter thought disdainfully, and then wondered how she should continue sailing.
It's not that she can't Apparate, but Rita Skeeter's Apparate level is not enough to support her across the long sea, and she doesn't want the tragedy of separation to happen to herself.
Then, she heard the conversation between the two Muggles -
"How can there be an owl in the sea?"
"Owls are the messengers of wizards. Almost all wizards use owls to deliver letters - pathetic creatures, they are so far behind the times."
Rita Skeeter was startled.
Did these Muggles know about the wizarding world? Did they shoot down the owl on purpose?
Then, she heard heavy footsteps coming towards her, and hurriedly squeezed her tiny body into the gap between the hemp ropes and looked over.
The tanned man leaned over to pick up the dead owl and remove the letter.
"What's written on it?" asked another younger fisherman curiously.
“Strange…” the older man muttered, “It’s a blank sheet of paper.”
He looked at the letter over and over again, and rubbed it with his rough fingers, as if he suspected that there was some mechanism hidden on it.
Then he folded up the blank piece of paper and said, "Maybe it's written in invisible ink—take it back and let them have a look. And this address, too. They need to look into it."
"Could there be wizards living there?"
the young fisherman licked his lips and asked eagerly.
"Maybe." The older man laughed. "If we can really catch one or two wizards, we will have accomplished a great feat this time!"
"Lev, have you ever seen a wizard? Can they really become invisible?"
"I haven't seen it, but I heard that wizards can not only become invisible, but their houses are also invisible - what do you think? Do you want to become a wizard too?" "Who wouldn't want to?" The young fisherman said bluntly: "If I could become invisible, I would go and steal the bank's vault, and then I would never be short of money again."
The older man laughed. "Don't envy them. Maybe one day, we will also have magic!"
The hoarse laughter seemed to ring right next to her ears, making Rita shiver all over.
Perhaps it is because of the Ministry of Magic's long-term vigilance and persistence that the Statute of Secrecy has been deeply rooted in people's hearts. Even a selfish person like Rita Skeeter subconsciously believes that the Statute of Secrecy must not be violated.
Rita felt very uneasy hearing two Muggles talking about the wizarding world in a joking and familiar tone.
The beetle trembled its antennae, and its sixth sense made a tsunami-like sound, urging her to leave quickly.
but……
She didn't know how far she was from the land at the moment, so she didn't dare to Apparate away casually; and because she was confident in her own means of saving her life, Rita finally stayed.
——I’ll leave as soon as the boat docks!
she thought to herself.
——She could just find a bush or a forest to hide in. She was just a beetle, so it was easy for her to hide anywhere. Who could find her?
And after transforming into a beetle, as long as she can control her desire for normal food, she only needs a little bit of bread crumbs or vegetable leaves to survive.
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Not to mention water, a few dewdrops condensed on the glass in the morning can meet the needs of a tiny beetle.
The fishing boat sailed on the sea for several days, and Rita managed to hold back and never changed back into human form.
During this time, she crawled around on the boat, hiding and trying to gather information, and finally managed to piece together the identities of several people.
They belonged to a Muggle organization called "The Organization". Everyone on the ship knew the existence of the magical world and believed that wizards had always been a group of demons who spread plagues, created chaos, started wars, and abused Muggles.
They hate the existence of wizards, but envy their abilities.
Rita heard them excitedly discussing several times that if they caught a wizard, they would send him to the laboratory for "slicing" and transplant his magical abilities to other members of the organization.
Although they didn't know how to transplant it - as if the magical power was stored in a certain organ of the body - everyone firmly believed that the laboratory could do it.
Even if we haven’t done it yet, it’s because we don’t have enough “research samples”. We will definitely be able to do it in the future!
Just imagining the "happy life" after obtaining magic, people can discuss it enthusiastically for hours, and sailing on the vast ocean doesn't seem to be boring anymore.
Only a beetle huddled in the crack of the wall, shivering as it listened.
Compared with these Muggles, Voldemort actually seems kind.
A few days later, the fishing boat arrived at the shore.
The beetle couldn't wait to fly off the boat and dive into the deciduous bushes on the shore.
Rita Skeeter looked back at the fishing boat and the people waiting at the dock, secretly memorized the place, and flew away close to the grass, the joy of freedom and security echoing in her heart.
After flying far enough away, Rita Skeeter turned back into human form and prepared to find someone to ask what this place was, and then decide whether to Apparate or find a Muggle means of transportation.
"I'm going to have a good meal... I'm going to order foie gras in red wine and French baked snails, with lobster and oysters, steak, and stew..."
Rita Skeeter muttered to herself, feeling that her hungry stomach needed to be appeased.
She used her red-nailed fingers to play with her not-so-smooth golden curls, feeling a little annoyed - it's not easy to find a satisfactory barber shop.
Rita Skeeter tried not to think about anything too dangerous.
"I'm just a reporter." She said to herself: "It's better to leave this kind of troublesome matter to Weed Grey - he also wants to investigate the manipulators behind the werewolves anyway."
"But these guys are Muggles... Never mind, who says werewolves and Muggles can't be in the same group? That's what I found out anyway!"
"Weider Grey and Dumbledore behind him are both nosy people. Even if they find out that I have lied to him, they can't do anything to me..."
Rita muttered to herself as she followed the path in search of an inhabited area.
But this place is extremely desolate. Not to mention people, even insects are rarely seen.
Looking down from a high altitude, this was not the continent as Rita Skeeter thought, nor was it a Muggle country, but just a large, sparsely populated island.
In the middle of the island, there is a large-scale building complex.
But the beetle didn't fly high enough or far enough, so Rita Skeeter didn't have a chance to get a full view of the island from above, so she continued searching in the jungle.
A hidden camera mounted on a tall palm tree nearby turned half a circle, the lens always focused on Rita Skeeter's figure.
Soon after, a sharp alarm sounded from somewhere, along with a man's angry roar:
"What is this? Can anyone tell me how this stupid woman got in here?!"
……
"Om——"
A few seconds later, a shrill buzzing sound was heard throughout the island, and the sound waves spread from the center of the island in all directions.
Along with the sound waves, countless resistance coils hidden around the island rotated at high speed, forming a powerful and invisible electromagnetic field.
The few birds flew away in fright, the wild animals in the jungle began to run wildly, some even crashed into trees, and even the insects hiding in the grass fled in panic.
In the waters near the island, schools of fish quickly fled to the deep sea. A circular pipe was buried beside the rock wall, and streams of boiling hot water were injected into the cold seawater. There was no common marine life on the seabed nearby.
Rita Skeeter, who was walking in the jungle knowing nothing, suddenly felt great pain. Her whole body felt like it was being pricked by needles and bitten by ants. She fell to the ground with a scream, rolling on the ground.
"Ahhhh-"
A shrill scream echoed through the jungle.
The hellish feeling only lasted a minute, but to Rita it felt like a year.
When she regained consciousness, Rita Skeeter immediately endured the pain that seemed to tear her apart, stood up shakily, and performed Apparition.
——She didn’t care about the split body anymore. Even if she was found by Umbridge’s people, she felt it was acceptable.
What was Azkaban compared to this kind of suffering?
"Pfft!"
She turned around twice and fell down.
The magic, usually docile and loyal, now betrayed her will.
(End of this chapter)