bioinnovel Chapter 319 Flattening and Shaping
Chapter 319 Flattening and Shaping
Chapter 319 Flattening and Shaping
After dinner that evening, Belvina and Bassheda stayed in the classroom on the fifth floor of the castle.
The two sat facing each other, with a small, sealed glass jar between them containing a plump beetle.
"I caught Rita Skeeter in the hands of a Slytherin student," Bassheda said. "The Slytherin was talking to a beetle in his hand."
Bassheda flicked the glass jar with her finger, and the startled fat beetle quickly dodged away.
She continued, "I thought it would be difficult to catch a flying beetle, but I caught it before the competition even started."
If Rita Skeeter simply flew into the arena to sneak a peek at the game, the chances of catching her are very low.
The competition venue was vast, and the beetle was tiny; finding her was like searching for a needle in a haystack, let alone putting her into a sealed glass jar.
However, Rita Skeeter wasn't content with just watching the game; she also wanted to interview Slytherin students and get some exciting news from them.
Slytherin didn't care that Rita Skeeter's actions were illegal, and Rita Skeeter didn't care that all the news about Slytherin was slander and fabrication. The two sides hit it off and began to cooperate for a common purpose.
If it weren't for Belvina and Bassheda interfering, their sweet cooperation might have continued for a long time, and those Slytherin hated would have been dragged down and unfortunately become victims of slander and defamation.
"Let her out," Belvina said. "Let's talk to her."
Bassheda nodded, released the binding spell on the jar, and then lifted the lid.
In an instant, the large beetle in the jar fled, first flying to the window—which was tightly closed—and then to the door—which was locked.
With nowhere to escape, the giant beetle appears to have gained freedom, but in reality, it has simply been moved to a larger cage, replacing the sealed glass jar with Belvina's office.
Belvina drew her wand and pointed it casually. The acacia wood wand emitted a dazzling blue light, and the beetles that were flying around were suddenly frozen in mid-air before falling to the ground.
After another dazzling flash, the beetle sprouted a human head, followed by limbs. Shortly after, Rita Skeeter appeared in the office, with bizarre curly hair, extremely ugly glasses, and a green robe draped over her shoulders.
"I never expected we'd meet like this, Rita," Belvina said with a smile and a wave. "Long time no see."
"How can you say it's been so long? Didn't we meet at Hogsmeade last weekend?" Bassheda thought for a moment. "In fact, we met twice."
One time, Rita Skeeter was frightened by Sirius Black and fled the pub; the other time, Rita Skeeter turned into a beetle and secretly lurked by the Three Brooms window.
Rita Skeeter ignored the two professors, turned and ran to the door, grabbing the spherical doorknob.
"!"
With a scream of pain, Rita Skeeter immediately let go, feeling as if the ball handle she was holding was a red-hot iron.
"We dared to let you out, so we're not afraid you'll run away, Rita," Belvina said with a smile, looking at Skeeter, who was jumping up and down, as if she were watching a circus clown.
"If you don't want to sit down and talk, we don't mind sending you back to the glass jar," said Bassheda, picking up the jar and pointing it at Rita Skeeter, who was blowing on her hands.
"You! You!" Rita Skeeter shrieked. "This is illegal detention! I'm reporting you to the Ministry of Magic! Do you know what the consequences are for illegally detaining someone?!"
Belvina said nonchalantly, "What a coincidence, one of my cousins was imprisoned in Azkaban for illegally detaining someone. By the way, she used the Cruciatus Curse, so it was a life sentence."
Rita Skeeter, who had accused the villain first, immediately deflated like a punctured balloon.
Of course she knew who Belvina's cousin was; she had even participated in the Ministry of Magic's trial.
This is also why Rita Skeeter was unwilling to offend Belvina; on the one hand, Belvina really didn't tolerate her, and on the other hand, it was because of the Black family.
Bellatrix and Regulus were Death Eaters. Although Sirius Black was not a Death Eater, he remained sane after serving twelve years in Azkaban, making him even more ruthless than the Death Eaters.
With such a background and such siblings, Rita Skeeter really didn't dare to offend Belvina; heaven knows what she might do when she went crazy!
Unwilling to suffer physical pain, the unscrupulous reporter gave up resisting, sat down in the armchair by the fireplace with an air of superiority, adjusted his glasses, and then said, "Tell me, what do you want?"
Although her Animagus form was discovered and she was imprisoned, Rita Skeeter still tried her best to maintain her dignity.
Belvina and Bassheda exchanged a glance, both of them seeing through Skeeter's thoughts and knowing that she was putting on a brave face.
"I don't think it's necessary to say too much to her, darling," Bassheda said to Belvina. "It would be better to just send her to Azkaban."
As she spoke, Bassheda turned to Rita Skeeter and continued, "Azkaban has so many prisoners, and a huge number of Death Eaters..."
There's bound to be countless exciting news stories; you're sure to love them!
As the ancient Rune Sweetheart spoke, she revealed an incredibly sweet smile.
But to Rita Skeeter, that smile was like the arrival of a demon.
Is Azkaban even a place for humans?! They only talk about sensational news, but they don't mention the Dementors at all!
"How can this be!" Belvina immediately retorted. "Rita only made a small mistake. Being an unregistered Animagus, stealing someone's privacy, and spreading rumors and slander are all minor offenses."
"But we've found her!" Bassheda said. "Once discovered, even the smallest mistake becomes a big one. We should send her to Azkaban!"
Seeing the two professors arguing endlessly, Rita Skeeter, though flustered, remained largely calm.
Rita Skeeter, having been in the underworld for so many years, still had some basic discernment. She believed the two were working together and had no intention of sending her to Azkaban.
Thinking about this, Rita Skeeter felt much more at ease. As long as things hadn't reached the point of no return, there was nothing that couldn't be discussed.
"Then what do you suggest we do?" Bassheda said, dissatisfied. "If we don't send him to Azkaban, are we going to lock him in a jar again? I finally managed to catch him."
Rita Skeeter found it amusing. What did she mean by "hard-won"? She was clearly caught by accident!
"Isn't that easy!" Belvina said. "We'll invite all the people Rita has slandered and defamed, and let them talk to Rita alone. Wouldn't that be great!"
Rita Skeeter's eyes widened in disbelief. Had she misheard?
"Yes!" Bassheda exclaimed, suddenly realizing, "We can't see or touch the torture the prisoners suffered in Azkaban, but if the victims could talk to Skeeter alone, it would be a completely different story!"
As she spoke, Bassheda looked at Rita Skeeter and continued, "It's certainly more satisfying to settle scores and grudges than to send her to Azkaban."
Rita Skeeter was stunned; this didn't seem to be what she had expected!
No way—you two aren't working together, are you both demons?!
"I say, don't you two have a slightly gentler solution?" Rita Skeeter said. "We've all known each other for a long time, why bother!"
Belvina sighed and said, "Rita, you know me, I can't disobey my brother. Because of Harry's report, even Mr. Goughfy fell victim to him. Please forgive him."
Go ahead and release it!
Brother Shen is bound to obey orders, so could you please make up an even more perfunctory excuse?
Rita Skeeter wanted to unleash a torrent of curses, but since someone else had leverage over her, she had no choice but to swallow her words.
"How about we send them to Azkaban?" Bassheda suggested at the opportune moment. "I was thinking, what if the victims accidentally kill Skeeter?"
Ancient Sweetheart looked at Rita Skeeter again and continued, "Skeet is dead, so be it. Her death is nothing to regret, but what about the victims?"
Belvina did not refute further; she gently stroked her smooth chin, seemingly seriously considering the possibility Bassheda had mentioned.
The office fell silent, with only the soft crackling of the stove fire.
Rita Skeeter could no longer sit still, and the facade she was trying so hard to maintain began to crumble.
The unscrupulous reporter stood up dejectedly and walked resignedly to Belvina and Bassheda, his strange, curly hair seemingly losing its luster.
"Tell me, what do you two want me to do!" Rita Skeeter said. "Do you want me to stop writing, or do you want me to publish an apology to Harry Potter in the newspaper?"
Clearly, Rita Skeeter hasn't realized the seriousness of the situation; the article that spread rumors about Harry Potter isn't the key issue.
Skeeter continued, "Making me stop writing is no different from killing me. I can accept a published apology, though. What do you think?"
No one answered, and the office fell silent once again.
After a while, Rita Skeeter, overwhelmed by the silence, had no choice but to speak again.
She said, "This won't work, that won't work, what exactly do you two want? Do you want me to die in front of you?!"
"You have no right to bargain, Rita," Belvina said softly, her tone as if lecturing a naive child. "How we deal with you is our business, and you have to accept it." Bassheda said, "Of course, you can choose not to accept it, but you will bear the consequences."
"Rita, I have something I need you to do. After it's done, not only will you not have to retire from writing, but your career will also reach new heights," Belvina said slowly.
Her demeanor and tone were just like the serpent that tempted Eve.