"Journalism is organized gossip."
- Edward Eggleston
"Why would she need you?" Rita had left Athene's shop with the promise of returning in a couple of hours so that the pair could apparate to Hogwarts, and now, Athene had to deal with the mood that Enya was in.
"I appreciate that," Athene fell onto her bed, "I like to feel important or, you know, needed."
"Sorry," Enya sat criss-cross on the bed next to Athene, "It's just that that lady always has some devious plan that ends up with someone being hurt."
"I know," Athene may not have stayed up to date on the news, but she knew that her aunt wasn't the kindest with her articles, "What do you know of this tournament thing, anyway?"
Enya fell back against the pillows and sighed, "It's this huge thing. They did it back when my cousins were still in school; you know the supper weird ones?"
"What's so special about?" Athene rolled onto her side so that she could look at Enya, "It's just some stupid competition."
"Nah," Enya looked into her lap, "Beck talked about it once - back before he completely shut down - and it wasn't just the competition. It destroyed the competitors. Each task was something harder, something much more dangerous than the last. Losing meant certain death, whether it be by the task itself or the humiliation that followed."
"Merlin's beard," Athene stared at a thread on her comforter, "Why would they have anyone, let alone children, participate in such an event?"
"I don't know," Enya looked Athene in the eyes, "But the last time that they did this, someone died."
Apparating was always an uncomfortable experience for Athene. That was why she tried to avoid it at all costs, but the expense and the time that it would take to get from London to Hogwarts wasn't an option. So when she grabbed onto her aunt's hand, she squeezed her eyes shut and prayed that this would be a short one.
"Ah," an old voice, one that Athene distinctly remembered from her days as a student, forced her eyes open, "Miss Skeeter, Miss Atkinson, how nice it is to see you."
The halls of Hogwarts hadn't changed since 1991. The warmth and the familial feeling that filled Athene's chest was a welcome effect, and she couldn't have been happier that she had agreed to come with Rita.
"It's a pleasure to be here, Headmaster," Rita's voice seemed out of place in the grand hallway, "Where will we be conducting the interview?"
"Right this way, Miss Skeeter," with a great swoop of his robes, Dumbledore led the way to a decent sized room in the castle where there were several chairs and tables set about. Athene had never been apart of an interview, but she assumed that this would be the perfect set up for one. "Is this to your liking?"
Athene watched as her aunt sized up the room, taking note of Rita's lingering glance at the broom cupboard, "Yes, indeed."
"It is very nice to see you again, Miss Atkinson," Dumbledore turned his attention away from the journalist, "I've heard that your bookshop has done quite well."
"Thank you, Headmaster," Athene blushed at the compliment, "She's certainly doing a lot better than I expected."
"Athene," Rita's voice echoed through the steep arches and pulled her away from the retreating headmaster, "Why don't you set up the camera?"
Athene politely nodded to her elder and made her way over to the large camera boxes that Rita had pointed to. She had never set up a magical camera before as she had never had a reason to, so she reasoned that this would be an excellent learning opportunity.
The young girl hadn't thought that she would ever come back to Hogwarts after she had left three years ago. Her time in these halls seemed so far away now that she had entered the 'real' world, but she would welcome the chance to see the place that she considered home.
In an instant, Rita was beside her, checking to ensure that she had done everything right. "They'll be here soon," Rita whispered as she secured the camera, "I'm going to take them one by one into the broom closet, and I want you in there with me." Athene remained silent, though her mind roared at the absurd idea that her aunt had.
Athene couldn't bear to look at the children that had signed up to die as they filed into the room. Even as her aunt rearranged them throughout the room to find the perfect position for a picture, she wouldn't spare them a glance. She had decided that these children were incredibly selfish to risk their lives, the sanity of their family, and their mental well being for a chance at eternal glory.
The flash of the camera startled Athene into looking up. The group of teenagers was terrifyingly young. It was odd, though, the fact that there were four competitors yet only three schools competing. It was only when she recognized one of the boys to be the Harry Potter did she understand. It was well known to her, along with everyone in the wizarding community, that trouble seemed to follow the boy where ever he went.
"What a charismatic quartet," her aunt sauntered through the smoke that the camera gave off before stalking towards the four with her hand outstretched, "I'm Rita Skeeter," She shook each hand vigorously, "I write for the Daily Prophet. But of course, you know that, don't you." These poor kids looked like they would just melt from embarrassment - not that she could blame them. "It's you we don't know; you're the news. What quirks lurk beneath those rosy cheeks?" Rita caressed the lone female's face, "What mysteries do the muscles mask? Does courage lie beneath those curls?" She ran a hand through the other Hogwarts champion's hair.
Athene's heart went out to these children. They were going to spend the next several hours with her aunt and some strange girl that they didn't know while they were asked deeply inappropriate questions for the circumstances. If they hadn't wished that they hadn't signed up for this before, they would once this was over.
"In short, what makes a champion tick. Me, myself and I - and my darling niece - want to know. Not to mention my rabid readers," Rita circled the group like a hawk, though she had already made her decision, "So, who's feeling up to sharing? Mmm?" Athene wasn't surprised by the silence that followed her little speech, she also wasn't surprised when she wrapped her arms around the Chosen One and dragged him into the closet, "Shall we start with the youngest? Lovely."
Simply put, there was nothing lovely about sitting in a broom closet listening to the blond journalist ask the same questions and write down misinterpreted replies. It was the same for each competitor, minus a few of the more personal issues, and by the time their first competitor had left the broom closet, Athene was ready to go.
Rita used a Quick Quotes Quill during the entire process, so Athene was sentenced to sitting still and listening. She listened intently to Harry Potter's interview, though she dare not speak in fear of disrupting her aunt. Athene hadn't ever been so close to someone who had seen so much adventure. She longed to ask him about it, but she would have to be content with her position.
When the other boys stalked into the cupboard, she couldn't help but feel a bit unnerved. They both had a sort of charm about them, but they were much too young and much too interested for her likings. She could feel their eyes on her during each of their interviews, and she could hardly shake the feeling when the fourth competitor walked through the door.
Fleur, as she had come to discover, was a kind French girl who spoke broken English. She was her favorite out of the four, and she couldn't help but cheer for her. Fleur's interview was the most sexualized with questions about her love life flying left and right. Athene couldn't help the anger and shame that bubbled in her chest while such questions flew through the open air.
"Athene," Rita directed her attention towards Athene for the first time since the interviews started, "Why don't you take Miss Fleur out to join the rest of the champions?"
"Of course," Athene stood, mustered a small smile towards the younger girl, and walked out of the cupboard. The three boys were standing around each other in silence, and they all looked in their direction as they approached.
"Why are you here?" Cedric straightened in his seat, "You didn't do anything the entire time."
"I have wondered that as well," Viktor spoke with a heavy Russian accent, "You must have been incredibly bored."
"My aunt has always had an interesting way of doing things," Athene rubbed the back of her neck as she fell into one of the wooden chairs. The group fell into an unsettling silence as they waited for instruction from Rita.
"Where did you attend schooling?" Fleur's voice was soft and melodic, though it held hints of strength despite her broken English.
"Uh, here," Athene gestured to the towering stone walls of the castle, "I graduated back in 1991."
"I remember you!" Cedric nearly fell from his seat in excitement, "You were that Hufflepuff that had all of those Slytherin's wrapped around her finger!"
Athene's face immediately reddened, "I wouldn't say that. I had several friends that were Slytherin, but not all of them."
There was no room for argument, though she could see the young Harry Potter ready to ask her questions. Rita Skeeter, in all of her multicolored glory, walked back into the room, "It's been such a pleasure," Rita vigorously shook each of the contestants' hands, "But I'm afraid that our time is up!" With a flick of her wand, Rita collected all of her things and sent them back to her 'lair,' and Athene hardly had time to offer the quartet a goodbye before Rita had grabbed her hand and apparated away.
Author's Note:
Yep. There we go. Please vote or comment!
Question of the Chapter
Who is more evil: Voldemort or Dolores Umbridge?
Personally, I think Umbridge is eviler...