on reste sans visage

Rita Skeeter, ace reporter. Ravenclaw. 7th year.

[astridgreengrass-deactivated201]

     ”Excuse me, excuse me.” Andromeda said half-heatedly, a book in her hand as she weaved through the crowd. While most people moved as they walked, half scared of the consequences of bumping into her and the other half weaving with their own nose in a page, the next passing peer clipped her in the shoulder and her book dropped from her hand and closed as it hit the stone flower. She huffed and looked at the person she’d hit, “Sorry. I’d ought to be more careful as I read.”

[ritamskeeter]

Rita had spent most of the day typing up copies of her newsletter via several enchanted typewriters, and she was now fully immersed in her own thoughts, imagining possibilities for the next issue.  Rita loved the time she spent between classes-- people watching.  Couples who lined the hallways snogging, or cliques of friends joking around intrigued her.  What she couldn't see was that the people in front of her seemed to be jostling sideways, swerving around something in their paths.  Unfortunately, the Ravenclaw was so interested in the patterns of behavior around her, she didn't manage to move out of the way herself.  "Watch where you're headed!" Rita snapped.  As she looked up to see who had so rudely been in her pathway, the blonde faltered to see a Black sister before her.

[ritamskeeter]

Dearest Readers:

It brings me, Rita Skeeter, great pleasure to deliver the new and improved Hogwarts Informational to your grateful hands.  Without further ado, we shall kick off the school year with a bang and get to the facts in the first issue of the year!

Let me ask you this, dears:  What do you get when you put together one Remus Lupin and a charming young lady?  That's right!  You get our resident goody two shoes leaving Hogwarts after midnight to participate in a little rendez-vous action.  The bookish Marauder was seen leaving the castle late one dark night by yours truly.  How romantic it must have been to meet with a stunning witch under a full moon, Remus.  

Now, we all have our sources around this castle, and I'm sure you loves know that I have plenty of my own.  One of my many Slytherin sources whipsered a little something in my ear this week that piqued my interest.  Not only is there nothing interesting going on with the Snoozefest Slytherin gang--pity-- but I've been told to keep my pretty brown eyes locked on the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor houses!  How wonderful to hear that the regular good-guys might be dipping their toes into some delightful mischief.

Last but not least, I did spy one Quidditch player on the field alone late last night.  For now, his name shall be kept confidential... but we'll have to see for how long that lasts.  

Comments, questions, concerns?  Direct them to your one and only resident journalist.

[ofstagsandquaffles]

James knew that Rita Skeeter was no good. She cared about gossip; nothing more, nothing less. And he had just walked onto a field in the middle of the night, offering her the start of any rumor she wanted to spread. “No, no late night practice. Just an evening fly. It’s no more against the rules for me to be out here than it is for you to be.”

He leaned against his broom and actually paid full attention to her for once. Had her makeup smeared? “You can’t blackmail me, Rita. We’re both here. Do you want detention as well? Godric knows what that will do your credibility.”  James’ eyes flickered between hers. They were red. She’d been crying? Skeeter had emotions?

[ritamskeeter]

Meeting his stare, Rita folded her arms across her chest.  She weighed her options.  She could: A) ignore him and go back to sitting by herself on the field; B) go back inside and write a story with some bullshit gossip about the Quidditch captain; or C) respond to James Potter's charming sarcasm-- her credibility, really?  With a huff, she resigned herself to replying.  "Why would you possibly come out to fly by yourself at this time of night?"

She kicked at the grass with the toe of her boot.  The way he studied her made her uncomfortable.  She wasn't used to people looking at her hardly at all.  In fact, she was so used to be the one studying other people, Rita wasn't entirely sure she had ever been on this end of it all.  She shifted her weight to the other foot impatiently.  Somehow she knew that James would insist on using the field, regardless of the fact that she had been their first.

[ofstagsandquaffles]

James was known for disappearing in the middle of the night to go on walks — or, more frequently, rides. His broom was locked up in the shed nearest the pitch, and he would often grab a quaffle to toss around while flying around the pitch. It wasn’t real practice, but it was calming, and tonight he needed that.

A letter had been sent to him over breakfast. His mother told him that Dad was only growing sicker, and that the Healers didn’t expect him to last much more than another couple of months. Time was limited, and James couldn’t even be with him.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts of it. His grip on his broom tightened as he jogged onto the pitch, but stopped short when he saw a girl sitting in the middle of the grass. As he drew nearer, he noticed who it was.

"I never took you as the Quidditch sort, Skeeter." 

[ritamskeeter]

The deep voice admittedly made her jump.  Shaking it off, Rita turned to face the Gryffindor boy.  She stood, walking towards James.  Taking in the broom he held, she squinted to see into the dark behind him.  "Where are your teammates?  Squeezing in an extra late night practice?  Isn't that against the rules?"

She turned away quickly to adjust herself.  She was sure her makeup was running.  Rita hated that she cared how she looked, but James Potter was cute.  And relatively cool.  And she didn't need him telling people that she had been sitting on the pitch alone, crying.  With a smile, she turned back around to face him.  "Wouldn't want Madame Hooch to find out about this, would you?"

[ritamskeeter]

Rita sat on the damp grass down at the Quidditch pitch.  A breeze blew through her hair and kisses her closed eyelids.  It was far too late to be caught out here, but she had decided to take the risk.  

She had only been out there for fifteen, twenty minutes before her stomach clenched.  She could hear footsteps on the grass behind her.  Fearing that a professor had caught her after curfew she scrambled to make an excuse.  "I just needed some fresh air--"

[snxpes-deactivated20141115]

Severus had been sworn to secrecy by Dumbledore - he needed to keep his near-death experience at the hands of Black a secret from everyone, lest the Board of Governors found out that Dumbledore had let a werewolf into Hogwarts and kick Lupin out - but that didn’t mean that he didn’t have some leeway with the Marauder’s secret. He couldn’t outright tell Rita what Lupin was, but he realised that this was the perfect opportunity to point her in the right direction.

He took no insult from her comment about Slytherins, because their stereotype was in place for a reason, and she was right that there wasn’t anything positive she could write about his house. He leaned in closer to her, not so close as to invade her personal space, but so that he could whisper to her in a quiet voice.

"I’m saying, Skeeter," he said slowly, drawing every word out, making sure she was listening. "That perhaps you are focusing on the wrong house for your story of the year. Maybe other, more interesting, stories lie elsewhere. Where you would least -” he fixed her with a pointed stare and paused for a few seconds, trying to convey what he couldn’t actually put into words, “- Expect them.”

[ritamskeeter]

She stared at him, annoyed.  In the years that Rita had known Severus, she had heard him use this dramatic tone a number of times.  The pauses irritated her, begging for attention.

All annoyance aside, she took what he was telling her into consideration.  The wrong house?  For years she had been trying to work her way into the cunning, selfish, house.  And now that she was so close, her source was trying to tell her to look elsewhere?  She thought about it systematically.  If it wasn't Slytherin, that left three more houses to look into.  Ravenclaw wasn't it-- being in the house, you generally knew what was going on, especially of you were looking for it like Rita always was.  Hufflepuff and Gryffindor were both unlikely candidates, which is what Severus had told her to look for.  "So I'm narrowed down to two?  Thanks for the help." Sarcasm dripping from her mouth, she stood and turned to leave.

[snxpes-deactivated20141115]

Though Severus would never have admitted it - partly out of pride and partly because he was hardly aware of it himself - but he was innately drawn to people who needed him. Perhaps it was a pathetic self-esteem issue, or some kind of deeply-buried by-product of his childhood, but whatever the reason, it was undeniable that Severus helped Rita because she said she needed him.

He frowned at her question, and genuinely thought about it for a moment. The tables surrounding them were empty and Severus assumed that he was the cause, out of arrogance mixed with self-loathing, so he had no problems talking to her right there. “Acting strange…” He mused quietly. His mind immediately leapt to Bellatrix Black, because he hated her and how ridiculously unhinged she was. He trusted the Dark Lord’s judgement, but he couldn’t help but think she was going to end up in Azkaban before she was twenty.

If he directed Rita towards her, the chances of her getting caught doing something illegal were astronomical. Rita Skeeter was incredibly observant, Severus knew that, and she would inevitably find something out. “You aren’t conforming to stereotypes, are you Rita?” He asked after a moment, smiling a little at her. “I’m sure your readers don’t want to read about how evil Slytherin house is. That trope is rather overdone, don’t you think?”

[ritamskeeter]

She sat, quiet for a change, and thought about what he was saying.  Truth be told, Rita had not once considered giving her readers anything else to think about the Slytherins.  As far as she was concerned, Jaxon Mulciber was the only decent one of the lot, and even he was disturbing at times.  The problem with this new relationship with Severus was that he was difficult, in all senses of the word. Severus Snape was difficult to talk to, difficult to be around, difficult to understand. 

"Well, what is it that you want me to talk about?  All the good deeds you lot aren't doing?"  She studied him.  As arrogant and disgusting as she found the Slytherin sitting opposite her, she knew he was like her in one regard: the wheels were always turning.  

In her seven years at Hogwarts, Rita had found that Ravenclaws and Slytherins had more in common than the Sorting Hat seemed to think-- they tended to be prideful, smart, and often introspective.  And while Rita was far from quiet, she was always looking for the best angle.  "Anything specific you're trying to get me to see, Snape?"

[snxpes-deactivated20141115]

"I can’t imagine why he doesn’t like you," Severus drawled, not at all bothered by Rita’s slightly hysterical questioning. In a few years, he could see her being an incredibly irritating reporter. He let his chair swing forwards and listened to her plea, admittedly taken in with being her in. She had to be really desperate if she was coming to him for gossip, because everyone knew he wasn’t in any position to know much. Potter and Black had seen to that. And Lily. But he didn’t think about her.

"Alright, alright," he said. "You can stop sucking up to me now." He clicked his teeth together and paused for a moment. He had no idea what she counted as "newsworthy". He fixed her with a blank stare. "I can be your in, Skeeter. Just stop the whiny act. It’s annoying."

[ritamskeeter]

Rita met his cold eyes evenly.  Damsel in distress types almost always worked with guys like Snape.  "Great! Now, has anybody been acting... strange?"  She confidently put her quill to paper, letting her scratchy handwriting fill the page with potential questions.  "If you'd rather not answer here, in public, we can go elsewhere.  If you'd like."

[braveheartbones]

Edgar raised his eyebrows at her answer. Curious, he thought, that he could spend a good amount of time with Rita - even call her ‘friend’, if that’s how one could actually define their relationship - and still not even begin to understand her ways of thinking. ❝Don’t you think there’s a difference between news and gossip?❞

[ritamskeeter]

For one  moment, Edgar had made her reconsider.  For a moment.  "Edgar!" Rita was exasperated. "Gossip is just... small scale news!"

[snxpes-deactivated20141115]

Severus smiled when Rita admitting she was bullshitting him, because he’d known all along and finally gotten her to admit it. He folded his arms and looked at her with a little more curiosity now. It was no surprise that Lucius didn’t like her - Lucius didn’t like most people, and Severus reasoned that nobody liked Rita.

"He can’t stand you? I can’t imagine why," he said, with no hint of sarcasm. "I’m your best shot at what, Rita?” He leaned forwards. “What do you want to know exactly?”

[ritamskeeter]

"What is that supposed to mean, Severus?  You can't imagine why what?" she didn't want the answer, of course. She weighed her options.  Threatening the Slytherin with potential stories about him would get her nowhere.  He didn't have too much to gossip about, since he no longer had an illicit relationship with a Gryffindor.

"You're my best shot at an in with your house.  I'm not just asking for this newsletter, Sev.  I'm asking for the next one, and the one after that.  I need somebody to be my person over there in the Slytherin dungeons."  She bit her tongue, ready to just get something- anything- out of him.  "I need you."

[snxpes-deactivated20141115]

Severus maintained his air of mild interest at best, and watched her blankly as she wrote. He wanted to go back to his work, but Rita was like an annoying child - unless he gave her what she wanted, she wouldn’t leave him alone. He knew from experience that she probably had a nefarious ulterior motive, but it wasn’t apparent yet so he decided to go along with whatever she was planning to see where it was heading.

When she finally looked back up at him and mentioned drama between his house mates, Severus frowned. “I didn’t mention that,” he said matter-of-factly, wondering if she was employing the journalistic trick of fooling him into spilling secrets. “If you want to get the scoop on drama, talk to Lucius.” He was willing to talk to her, but he was going to make it as easy as pulling teeth.

[ritamskeeter]

Rita rolled her eyes.  She wasn't getting anywhere.  Well, hardly anywhere.  She was having a conversation, at the least.  "Fine, Severus.  I'll cut the bullshit."  She hated that she was reducing herself to his level.

"I've tried talking to Lucius.  But for whatever reason, he can't stand me-- don't you dare laugh at that." She forced a smile, it doesn't matter who dislikes you this isn't about making friends, Skeeter.  "So anyway, you're my best shot."

[snxpes-deactivated20141115]

It was clear that Severus wasn’t going to get anymore work done for a while, so he closed his book again so he wouldn’t smudge his notes and thought for a moment. He could always refuse to tell her what she wanted to know for her newsletter, or lie - he had no qualms about doing either of those things - and it wouldn’t take more than a few minutes. And she’d called him intelligent which he knew was a tactic, but he didn’t care at that point. It wasn’t often that his cleverness was sighted by others.

Frowning a little in thought, Severus leaned back in his chair like he’d seen Black do sometimes. “What do you want to know about Slytherin house for your newsletter?” He asked, his tone as flat as ever, only betraying his interest with the glimmer in his dark eyes.

[ritamskeeter]

Rita gently pinched her thigh, reminding herself that she shouldn't celebrate just yet.  While his closed text book and open posture indicated otherwise, there wasn't a chance that baiting Severus had been that easy.  Careful to not appear overly excited, she held up a finger, acting like she needed to finish something on her parchment before continuing their conversation.  Classic.  After a moment of silence and a glance to make sure he was still waiting for her, she turned back to him once more.  "Sorry about that," she drawled.  "Anyway, as you were saying, about the drama between your house mates?"

[snxpes-deactivated20141115]

Severus frowned, annoyed now that Rita didn’t think he could answer what she wanted to know. “No, really,” he replied, “What do you want to know? Once I’ve answered, we can go back to working in silence.”

[ritamskeeter]

She pretended to think on it, making him wait.  She wanted to get him to believe her performance.  "Well, its just that I'm writing a few stories for my newsletter, and I haven't heard much from your house lately.  But if you're not comfortable being my only Slytherin anonymous source, I could try and find someone just as intelligent..."

[snxpes-deactivated20141115]

Severus went back to his writing for a moment, and struck through one of the root words he’d found - it wasn’t what he’d been looking for. He pulled the large book of Latin words across the table and opened it, and then Rita almost asked him something and he looked up, his interest peaked at last. What did she think he wouldn’t know? He wasn’t stupid enough to miss her trick, but he was arrogant enough to want to prove her wrong.

"No, go on," he said smoothly. "What do you want to know, Rita? I’ll see if I can help out."

[ritamskeeter]

Rita had to work to conceal the grin that begged to take over her face.  She turned in her chair, leaning towards Severus once again. "No, no.  You really don't need to worry about my silly questions!" 

[snxpes-deactivated20141115]

Severus was relieved when Rita turned back to her own reading, because he wanted to go back to searching for Latin roots. “Alright,” he said shortly, and looked back down at his book. Whatever Rita had wanted out of their conversation, her annoyed tone told him that she hadn’t got it and, for that, he was glad.

[ritamskeeter]

If there was one trait Rita loved to pretend to hate about herself, it was her determination.  After sitting in silence, thinking of the best way to go about things, for quite some time, she turned to the Slytherin once again.  "Except, I did want to ask you-- oh... well never mind.  You probably wouldn't know the answer anyway..."

[snxpes-deactivated20141115]

"Nothing you’d be interesting in,” Severus said dismissively. He knew Rita was a Ravenclaw, but his arrogance allowed him to assume that she wouldn’t understand how to make spells. He curled his arm around his book a little, as if she would take it from him. “It’s homework.”

[ritamskeeter]

Well fuck off then, Rita thought, struggling to hold her tongue.  "Then I'll let you get back to it."  Her words were clipped as she turned back to her own reading.  There was little she hated as much as people dismissing her, which was an all-too-common occurrence.

[ritamskeeter]