Hey you guys! Sorry this took so long, I was just so busy these last couple weeks. After reading the Deathly Hallows I was saddened to realize that J.K. Rowling had a major head injury when she wrote that epilogue. ;D
Anyway, here's the first chapter of "My, How Scandalous!"
Enjoy!
*kisses*
lil_irish_girl
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~ MONDAY ~
"Attention everyone." Professor McGonagall said to her 7th year Transfiguration class. "Today's lesson is going to be hands-on, so-" she was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. A woman opened it and briskly walked to the front of the room, a Quick Quotes Quill following her. She turned to face the class.
"Hello, students." Rita Skeeter said, smiling. "I'm Rita Skeeter, and-"
"You write for the Daily Prophet." the class recited monotonously. Rita's smile widened.
"As it turns out," she said. "I do not."
"You got sacked?" a hopeful boy in the back asked.
"No," Rita glared at the boy. "I just realized that writing for the Daily Prophet wasn't my forte."
"With all due respect, Ms. Skeeter," Harry Potter said.
"Please, call me Rita." Rita interrupted.
"Alright." Harry started again. "With all due respect, Rita, I'm sure the things that are not your forte would fill several books."
The laughter that had erupted in the classroom was broken by a loud, tinkling laugh that would have given Umbridge a run for her money.
"Now that we've had our fun," Rita said, smiling widely. "We can talk about why I came here in the first place. I have been chosen by your headmistress to be the new editor of the Hogwarts Inquirer."
There was silence, then;
"What the Hogwarts Inquirer?" Lavender asked, leaning forward in her seat.
"The Hogwarts Inquirer is a newspaper." answered Rita. "Or a magazine, as some would call it. This will inform you of everything going on at Hogwarts, from gossip columns to what you need to bring to class that day." she glanced at her watch. "I must go now. Lots of classrooms I need to talk to." and with a smile at Parvati and a wink at Harry, she strode towards the door. Before she closed it behind her, however, Rita poked her head through the door and added,
"And for anyone who would like a job on the paper, feel free to stop by my office, located next to the headmistress'. Don't get your hearts set on front page stories, though. Those are my spots to fill."
When the door was shut an excited buzz of chatter filled the room. McGonagall settled them down with threats for detention and the classwork began. Half an hour later when the class ended, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked out of the classroom and towards the Great Hall for lunch.
"That Rita Skeeter woman's mental, isn't she?" Ron asked as they sat down and began eating. "I mean, the Hogwarts Inquirer, honestly."
Neither Harry or Hermione seemed to be listening. Hermione suddenly turned to Harry.
"You have to be careful." she told him.
"Why?" Harry asked, some food still in his mouth. "There's not much to worry about, right? It's just Rita Skeeter."
"Well, yeah." Hermione agreed. "But she's obsessed with you. No doubt half those 'front cover' stories are going to be about you."
Harry sighed. "I know, Hermione, but-" he was cut off by a red haired witch sneaking up behind him, placing her hands on his shoulders.
"Hey you." Ginny said, greeting him with a kiss. "Ron, Hermione." she nodded to each of them in turn. Hermione smiled softly; Ron gave a grunt then continued eating.
"Hey Gin." said Harry. "Why don't you sit down and eat with us? You haven't got class for a little bit."
"Actually Harry, I was going to skip lunch today." Ginny replied. "I've got a big Charms test to study for."
Harry looked up at her, concern etched on his face. "You've got to eat sometime, Gin." he said. "I'm worried about you."
"I know, I know." said Ginny. "I'll eat something later, alright?" she kissed him again. "I'll see you later. Love you."
"Love you, too." Harry watched her walk out of the Great Hall, then turned back to his food.
"I still can't believe you're dating my sister." Ron said, breaking the silence.
"Believe it, Ronald." Hermione said quickly. "Back to Skeeter. Just be careful, Harry. She has this way of taking your words and twisting them into some outrageous scandal."
Just then the doors to the Great Hall opened with a bang!
"Speak of the devil." Hermione muttered as Rita walked over to where the three were sitting.
"Hello." she said sweetly. "Pleasure to see you all again. Harry," she held out her hand. He shook it. "It's been so long! I haven't seen you since the Triwizard Tournament. How've you been?"
"Fine." Harry mumbled.
"Do you think we could have a little chat?" Rita asked. "Now, perhaps?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure." he turned to look at Ron and Hermione. "I'll see you in History of Magic, alright?" they both nodded.
"Don't say I didn't warn you." Hermione whispered after Harry as he and Rita left the Great Hall....
...walked down the corridors and into her office, right next to the headmaster's, as Rita had said. Once inside, she took a seat behind her desk while Harry sat in a wooden chair in front of her. Rita beamed at him.
"Well, Harry." she said. "First off, d'you mind if I-"
"No." Harry interrupted. "Go ahead and use your Quick Quotes Quill."
Rita looked surprised for a moment, but covered it up with a smile as she placed the quill just over the parchment.
"So... Harry." she began. "How old are you?"
"I'm seventeen." Harry answered.
"I see, I see..." Rita put her fingertips together. "And I have heard- and read, of course- that you've defeated the Dark Lord, am I correct?"
"Yeah, I killed Voldemort." said Harry, shrugging. "But I won't be giving you any details about it, so kindly don't push the subject."
There was a pause. "Tell me, Harry." Rita finally said. "Do you have a girlfriend?"
"Yes." Harry said carefully.
"And what's her name?" Rita asked, smiling while the Quick Quotes Quill scribbled furiously.
"Ginny Weasley." replied Harry.
"You're dating Ginny Weasley." Rita repeated, twiddling her thumbs. "Charming. For how long?"
"Ever since the war ended." said Harry. "Voldemort's downfall, you know? So about... three or four weeks."
"Of course, of course." murmured Rita. "And are you happy?"
"Extremely." Harry said, though without a lot of emotion.
Rita looked over Harry's head to see the clock. "Oh dear." she said, standing up. "You're late for your next class. Stay here a moment," she reached into her drawer and hastily wrote a note on a piece of parchment. After sealing it, she handed it to Harry.
"There, just give that to your teacher, it explains that you were here talking to me." Rita said. "Thank you for catching up with me, Harry. Until next time." with that she nudged Harry out the door. He hurried to Professor Binns classroom for History of Magic. After handing him the note, Harry walked over to his desk.
"There you are." Ron whispered as Harry sat down. "See 'Mione? I told you that Skeeter woman didn't kill him, didn't I? Didn't I?"
Hermione sighed. "Yes, Ronald. You told me that." she turned to Harry. "What did you talk to Rita about?"
"Not much," Harry replied, shrugging. "She was more interested in my love life than anything else."
Hermione's eyes widened. "I'll tell you again." she said. "You must be careful what you tell Rita. That imagination of hers could land you in the middle of a scandal that lasts for months."
"OK, 'Mione." Ron cut in. "I think he's got it. Don't you, Harry?"
"Yeah, I got it." Harry said, nodding. "I'll be careful what I say around Rita Skeeter. Now can we please drop the subject?"
After opening her mouth, then closing it, Hermione turned back to face Mr. Binns and continued writing notes. Harry and Ron spent the rest of class playing hangman, receiving glares from Hermione the entire time.
~ Gryffindor Common Room, 10:15 p.m. ~
Harry, Hermione and Ron were the only three left in the common room. Hermione was sitting at one of the tables, studying, Ron was playing a game of wizard's chess against himself, and Harry was lying on the couch, staring angrily at the ceiling. Hermione looked up from her work to see what the boy's were doing.
"Harry, Ron." she said. "Don't you care at all about your N.E.W.T.s? You're going to fail them if you don't study."
"Oh, we care about it." Ron said, not looking up from his game.
"Yeah, we care deeply about it." Harry muttered, still glaring at the ceiling.
"We just don't show it." Harry and Ron said in unison.
"Ugh," Hermione groaned. "You two are hopeless, you know that?"
"Yeah, yeah, we know that." Ron said, waving a hand in her general direction. "Now could you shush? I'm trying to get out of an entrapment here."
"Fine." Hermione said. "I'll talk to Harry then, won't I Harry?"
"Harry's not here right now." Harry said in a monotone. "Please leave your name, number, and message after the beep and he'll get back to you as soon as he can. Beep."
Hermione sighed and stood up. "I"m going to bed." she announced. "G'night Ron. 'Night Harry."
"Good night, Hermione." Ron said.
"G'night, 'Mione." Harry said, watching her go up the stairs.
There was a silence, then;
"Oh, bullocks, I lost." muttered Ron.
"But doesn't that mean you won?" asked Harry, sitting up.
"...Oh yeah." Ron said. "I won!"
Harry chuckled, rolling his eyes. "C'mon, Ron. We should probably turn in too."
Ron agreed. After stumbling upstairs and changing into pajamas, the two boys fell onto their beds and were asleep as soon as their heads hit the pillows.
*TUESDAY*
~ Great Hall, 9:35 a.m. ~
The trio were sitting at the table, discussing everything from dreams they had the night before to what strange creature Hagrid would keep as a pet next. Suddenly, Hermione remembered something.
"I have to go." she told Harry and Ron, who both looked confused. "I'll catch up with you in the common room, alright? Alright. See you." with that she walked out of the Great Hall and down the corridors, oblivious to the blonde following her.
~*~
Rita leaned in against the door, desperate to hear any part of the conversation. Yet all she could hear was various parts.
"But it could only benefit, and you know you can trust me."
"I'm sorry, Ms. Granger, but the answer is still no."
"But- Professor-"
"No. Ms. Granger, my mind is made up. I think it would be best if you left now."
Hearing footsteps coming closer to the door, Rita backed away quickly and hid behind a pillar just as Hermione walked out. Checking to make sure the hallway was deserted, she slammed the door, then immediately started whispering in rage, jumping up and down angrily as she did so.
"Ooh, I hate her!" Hermione hissed. "I hate her! I hate her! I! Hate! Her!"
Rita stepped out from behind the pillar. "Hate whom, dear?" she asked.
"Professor Gibbs." Hermione replied, her eyes livid.
"The headmistress?" Rita asked, interested.
"No, my mother." Hermione said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "Yes, the headmistress!"
"Why do you hate her?" Rita was trying not to smile.
"Because she is an arrogant, bossy, stuck-up bitch!" just after saying it, Hermione clamped her hands over her mouth, looking disgusted with herself. "I pity the man who would date her." she said, her voice muffled due to her hands.
Rita's eyes widened slightly. "Well, what did she do?" she asked.
"She won't allow me to stay in the library after-hours to study for my N.E.W.T.s." Hermione seethed. "She says she 'doesn't trust students unless they give her a reason otherwise.' I mean, honestly, the nerve of that woman! If I were headmistress I'd..." she trailed off, thinking.
"So you think you'd be a better headmistress than Professor Gibbs?" Rita asked, almost desperate for one last thing to complete the scandal that was forming in her head.
"I don't want to sound stuck-up." Hermione began, looking at Rita. "But some people have the knowledge, compassion, and understanding for these kinds of things. Others don't. I have knowledge, compassion, and understanding for this. She had nothing what so ever. It should be me in that position, not her."
Rita smiled, then sighed. "Alright then. Don't you have class?"
"You're right, I do!" Hermione exclaimed, then ran down the hall in the direction of the Gryffindor common room.
Rita spun around to face her Quick Quotes Quill, which was still scribbling down the last of the conversation.
"Perfect." Rita beamed, scanning over what the quill had written. "Hogwarts, you're in for the scandal of a lifetime."
*LATER THAT DAY*
~ Gryffindor Common Room, 7:20 p.m. ~
"So, Hermione." Ron said, looking away from the fire to face her. "What was it you just had to do this morning?"
Hermione looked at him through her mountain of textbooks. "I had to speak to Professor Gibbs about extending my curfew in the library so I can study for my N.E.W.T.s longer. She said, however, that she can't trust students."
"Well, that's a load of sh-" Ron started, but was cut off by Hermione.
"-shoot." she said through gritted teeth.
"That's a load of shoot?" Ron asked. "D'you know how bloody stupid that sounds?"
"Well, it's better than swearing, isn't it Ronald?"
"Sure, according to Hermione Granger, it is. But seriously, a load of shoot?"
"It makes perfect sense!"
"Yeah. If you're a sodding monkey!"
"A monkey? Honestly-"
"Would you two stop it?" Harry asked from the armchair. "S'Getting rather annoying."
There was silence following that. Ron broke it.
"On the bright side, there's at least one thing to look forward to tomorrow."
"What's that, Ron?" Harry asked.
"The first issue of the Hogwarts Inquirer comes out!" Ron said. In response, Hermione chucked a pillow at his head.
"End of discussion." she announced.
*WEDNESDAY*
~ Girls' Dormitory, 8:13 a.m. ~
Hermione was already up. Normally she would go down to breakfast by herself when it was that early, but today she decided to wait for the boys. Hermione walked out of her room, down the stairs, sat down on the couch, and waited.
At about 8:45 Harry and Ron came downstairs.
"Good morning, you two." Hermione said, standing up. "Want to head down the breakfast?"
"Sure." Ron said. He then noticed a large stack of magazines in the corner. "Look!" he exclaimed. "The Hogwarts Inquirer! Let's check it out!"
Ron ran over and picked one up. Ignoring the cover he eagerly scanned the pages. After he had done that he closed the magazine and tossed it at Hermione.
"I'm bored now." Ron said. "Let's go eat." and he ran out the portrait hole without waiting for either of them. Chuckling, Hermione looked at the cover of the magazine, then gasped in shock. On the front was a picture of her looking very angry. The headline read:
Green-eyed Granger?
Is Hermione Granger
Jealous of Harry Potter's
New Girlfriend,
Ginny Weasley?
(interview inside, page 3)
"Hermione?"
A deep, half annoyed, half amused voice broke the newfound silence. Hermione spun around to face Harry, who was holding a Hogwarts Inquirer.
"Care to explain?" he asked.
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I am a D (uh huh)
I am a D-I (oh yeah)
I am a D-I-E-H-A-R-D-H/Hr
(harmony love)
and I have Harry-Mione love
in my H-E-A-R-T
and I will
Not-Change-My-Obsession-Based-On-J.K. Rowling's-Book! (total copyright!) lol
Review and tell me what you thought of the chapter!
lil_irish_girl