Harry Potter and the Obscurus

Chapter 121 Using Both Kindness and Strictness

"Hey? Hermione, if Rita Skeeter turns back into human form, won't she burst the jar?"

“If I were her, I wouldn’t do that.”

"why?"

"Because I put a stabilizing spell on the jar, if she insists on transforming inside, even Madam Pomfrey might not be able to save her."

The conversation between Hermione and Ron caused the fat beetle inside the jar to visibly tremble.

A few minutes earlier, this freelance reporter for the Daily Prophet would occasionally buzz into the glass, but as she gradually realized that Hermione and the others were not some joking little wizards, the belated sense of fear made her afraid to express any more dissatisfaction.

As for Harry and Moran, although they had been in an internal voice call ever since they saw Rita, their discussion and concern were entirely about Animagus magic.

"No wonder I couldn't sense this woman before. It turns out that after transforming into Animagus, a wizard really is just an animal. Now I finally understand why your godfather, Sirius, was able to evade the Dementors' pursuit..."

“Yes, I’ve thought about this a lot before, like why such an outstanding wizard as Professor Dumbledore wouldn’t practice Animagus magic. Now it seems that this magic has both advantages and disadvantages. Once you transform into an animal, your spellcasting ability will be completely stripped away. This price is definitely too high for a top wizard.”

"So what are your thoughts now? Do you still want to train Animagus?"

"want."

Harry answered without the slightest hesitation.

"Whether I can do it and whether I can use it are two completely different things. Besides, I may not be able to reach Professor Dumbledore's level in the future."

Sensing Harry's calmness and determination, Mo Ran felt much relieved and replied:

"I'm relieved to hear that, but I think you could be a little more confident."

"How to say?"

“Rita Skeeter’s Animagus is not an animal in the traditional sense, which makes me see an additional possibility in her.”

"possibility?"

"Yes, look at the word Animagus. It's a combination of the English word Animal and the Latin word Magus. Although insects can be classified into the phylum Arthropoda in the animal kingdom, they are still quite different from the animals in people's traditional concept. If we start from this perspective, then perhaps it's not impossible to transform into magical creatures."

Harry was undeniably tempted by Moran's words, but even a master of transfiguration like Professor McGonagall had warned her students more than once in class that Animagus transfiguration was usually limited to non-magical creatures. Because wizarding magic and magical creature magic were fundamentally different in their operation, magical creature transfiguration almost invariably brought about unpredictable consequences.

This made Harry excited, but at the same time, alarm bells kept ringing in his mind.

After a moment of contemplation, Harry spoke to Mo Ran in his mind:

"This proposal is indeed very tempting, but it is also very risky. Perhaps we should consult Professor Dumbledore before putting it into practice."

"Of course."

Mo Ran replied:

"But before that, you can start with Rita Skeeter. Even if her knowledge of Animagus magic is limited, you can use her to influence public opinion and get the Ministry of Magic to put more effort into finding the real culprit who released the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup."

"Okay! Let's do it that way!"

......

Inside the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts, Rita Skeeter, whose Animagus form had been undone by Harry and the others from the small bottle, screamed in terror:

"You can't treat me like this! I'm a journalist, I have the right to report the news!"

"Your so-called report is a malicious distortion of the facts!"

Hermione said angrily.

She looked at Harry as if asking why Rita was released so soon instead of being kept in the jar to temper her spirit.

"Do they have the right to report the news?"

Harry gave Hermione a reassuring look, then smiled and asked:

"Don't you think there are three mistakes in just this one sentence?"

Rita Skeeter paused for a moment, then quickly tried to appear calm and said:

"What three mistakes? Don't make baseless accusations."

Harry said slowly:

"First, you have abused your identity as a journalist; second, your report is fake news and does not deserve to be called news; third, you have no idea that you are now on Hogwarts territory, where we are in charge."

Rita Skeeter's face flushed red and then paled. Just as she was about to retort, she discovered that Harry had already summoned a box with his wand.

"Since we've chosen to grab you directly, we're not here to reason with you. Why don't you take a look at this first, and then think about how you want to talk to us?"

boom!

Before Rita Skeeter could agree or refuse, the giant wooden crate that had been locked was opened.

The thing in the wooden box was none other than a Boggart that Harry had found on Moran's advice.

Click, click, click.

The worn-out high heels on the aging legs made a pitiful sound of decrepit age.

An old woman with a wrinkled face, a body that was almost completely collapsed, and who kept pleading, "Give me a chance," walked up to Rita Skeeter.

"I will write another honest article to explain things clearly to everyone. Please give me a chance."

"Stay away from me...stay away from me."

"Don't lock me up in Azkaban, I'm just a journalist!"

"Make her stop!"

"I even know the Minister of Magic! Let me meet with Minister Fudge, and he'll put in a good word for me!"

“Riddikulus!” (Hilarious)

With a whoosh, the glimmer of light from Hermione's wand transformed the tormented fake Rita into a circus clown. Her eyes, hat, clothes, and quill inflated like balloons, eventually turning Boggart into a fat beetle-shaped celebration balloon, which then flew back into the box.

Looking at Rita Skeeter, who was slumped on the ground with terror in her eyes, Harry walked over and looked down at her, saying:

"I never imagined that what you feared most was being imprisoned in Azkaban. So, you realize that what you're doing now is unethical and illegal?"

You...you are despicable!

"Whoa! Ron, she actually called us despicable."

Ron, who had already conspired with Harry to play the bad cop, reacted quickly. He strode up to Rita, pointed at her nose, and said menacingly:

"Stop wasting your breath on her, Harry. Let's get this incriminating evidence to the Ministry of Magic right away, so she doesn't spout nonsense again. My dad knows someone in the Ministry's Office for Prohibiting the Abuse of Magic, so even if she really does know Fudge, she's definitely not going to get away with it!"

"No, please don't send me there, please."

Rita Skeeter, who frequently traveled between departments of the Ministry of Magic, knew who Arthur Weasley was, so when Ron uttered those words, any remaining hope she had vanished instantly.

“I can help you, really, I’m still useful! I have many loyal readers in my personal section of the Daily Prophet. You can tell me what to write, and I’ll write it!”

Rita Skeeter struggled to her feet as she spoke. Seeing that the three's plan was taking shape, Harry stopped trying to intimidate the wavy-haired female reporter in front of him.

He frowned, rubbing his sparse, unkempt beard with his fingers, and hesitated before saying:

"You just write it however I tell you to? Tsk tsk tsk... You're treating me like the same kind of person as those tasteless bastards in the Ministry of Magic..."

"No, of course that's not what I meant!"

Rita Skeeter hurriedly explained:

"I want to... Ah! Yes! I want to atone for the mistakes I made in the past! I want to clear the names of all those I have slandered!"

"That won't do!"

Harry said again:

"You used to attract attention by exaggerating and fabricating stories in your articles, and now you suddenly issue a statement saying you made a mistake. How many people do you think will buy your story? Also, when did I ever say I was a person of good character?"

Upon hearing this, Rita Skeeter instinctively exclaimed "Huh?", but before she could think further, Harry had already begun assigning tasks.

"I want you to republish an investigative article in the Daily Prophet about the truth behind the Quidditch World Cup and the Dark Mark incident. First, expose Ludo Bagman's involvement in, or even direct organization of, student gambling at Hogwarts. Then, bring up Barty Crouch and his son's past to denigrate his abilities. After you've thoroughly criticized them both, ask the readers—the Dark Mark incident hasn't been fully investigated, yet these two officials organized the treacherous Triwizard Tournament. Will something terrible happen to Hogwarts next?"

"Then I... this..."

"What the heck? I've already given you the juicy gossip. Now, isn't it your forte to come up with all the fancy stuff? I'll give you two weeks to finish this article by mid-January."

Rita Skeeter, who had been about to say something more, suddenly fell silent.

She had heard that Harry Potter was a very talented student, but the cleverness that children displayed in school was simply beneath her notice. Based on her years of experience working in journalism, the wizarding world was rife with self-proclaimed fame-seekers.

Whether it was the so-called "high-ranking officials" in the Ministry of Magic or the elite group known as the "Holy Twenty-Eight," they were almost all a bunch of amateurs. This naturally led her to categorize Harry as another star created by public opinion.

"Who told him to be the boy who survived such a close call? Isn't it perfectly normal for him to have some fans who flatter and praise him?"

But is this really the case?

In the first event of the Triwizard Tournament, even the adult Fleur Delacour and Viktor Krum had to resort to trickery to barely win the golden egg, yet 14-year-old Harry conquered the Hungarian Peak with honor. Considering what he just said, perhaps the title of savior isn't an exaggeration when applied to him.

......

Rita Skeeter was a clever person who misused her intelligence. She hadn't been exposing others' secrets for any ideal reason, and she understood her current situation without much internal struggle. However, her years of experience working in the Ministry of Magic led her to inexplicably hatch a cunning plan.

"Eh... alright, I agree. But you have to promise that after this, you won't pursue my past anymore, and you won't reveal my secret of being an Animagus to the Ministry of Magic."

Almost instantly, Rita Skeeter's words plunged the Room of Requirement into a brief silence. The air seemed to freeze, and Hermione and Ron looked nervously at Harry, wondering if he would accept the offer.

Time ticked by, and just as Rita felt cold sweat about to trickle down her forehead, Harry, who had been watching her with narrowed eyes from the beginning, finally spoke.