bioinnovel Chapter 320 Who is the Villain?
Chapter 320 Who is the Villain?
Chapter 320 Who is the Villain?
Logically speaking, Rita Skeeter should feel fortunate and secretly relieved at this moment.
After all, Belvina had asked for something, which meant there was still room for negotiation and compromise.
However, Rita Skeeter did not relax as expected; instead, she secretly increased her vigilance and became more cautious.
The unscrupulous reporter may not know the former head of the Public Information Service well enough, but she only needs to know that he won't let her off easily.
Moreover, the pie Belvina drew was so big and round that anyone who saw it would have to think about it carefully.
"Miss Black is joking; there's no such thing as a free lunch," Rita Skeeter said warily, wary of the trap hidden behind empty promises.
The unscrupulous reporter looked at Belvina and continued, "Just as this Professor Bablin said, I made a terrible mistake, but instead of holding you accountable, you're going to help me out, in exchange for doing you a favor—"
Rita Skeeter smiled and didn't continue, but her meaning was clear and complete enough.
Rita Skeeter believed that what Belvina mentioned must be extremely dangerous, possibly even life-threatening, and she would never risk her life for someone else.
"Don't be so quick to refuse, Rita. Why not give it a try?" Belvina smiled, not getting angry at the other's refusal.
“Miss Black, I don’t know what you want me to do, but I can guess it must be dangerous,” Rita Skeeter said. “You never lack helpers, you never do.”
.
Bassheda interjected at the opportune moment, "Let's send her to Azkaban and hand her over to the Dementors."
Upon hearing this, Rita Skeeter's expression changed.
If possible, Skeeter would not want to go to Azkaban.
Most of the prisoners there went insane after a few weeks and eventually died of despair.
"Miss Black, if you let me go today, I promise I will never be your enemy for the rest of my life," Rita Skeeter said.
As she spoke, she glanced at Bassheda again, and then continued, "Including everyone around you, such as Professor Bablin, and Harry Potter."
Rita Skeeter didn't want to go to Azkaban, nor did she want to accept the empty promises; she just wanted to leave and never return to the sealed glass jar.
It is not under Belvina's control.
"What makes you think you can be my enemy?" Belvina still smiled. "Is it your fabricated quill pen, or your unbridled tongue?"
Rita Skeeter's heart sank; she knew all too well that her attempts and efforts had failed.
"You don't seem to understand your place, Rita," Belvina continued. "It's not me who needs your help, but you who needs my help. You're the one who's in the wrong, not me."
As she spoke, Belvina slowly stood up and walked unhurriedly behind Rita Skeeter, placing her fair and smooth hands on her shoulders.
Belvina continued, "I'm giving you a chance, Rita. If you do well, I'll let you off the hook; if you don't..."
Or then I'll have to handle this strictly by official business.
A naked threat, a naked threat after the disguise has been torn off.
“I don’t know what you mean by opportunity, all I know is that it must be very dangerous,” Rita Skeeter said. “You don’t lack helpers, you never have.”
“I certainly don’t lack help, but no one is more suitable for this than you,” Belvina said. “After all, you are the professional and a leader in the industry.”
Rita Skeeter twisted her body and looked at Belvina behind her.
"What do you want me to do?" Rita Skeeter asked nervously. "No—who do you want me to investigate?"
The unscrupulous reporter hastily tidied his once-sleek curls and said, "My profession is journalism, and I excel at digging up news. Besides that, I can't think of anything else I can do."
“Barty Crouch,” Belvina said. “He’s an old acquaintance of yours, Rita.”
"Barty Crouch?" Rita Skeeter repeated, puzzled. "You want to kick him out of the Ministry of Magic?"
At this moment, Rita Skeeter's doubts deepened once again.
To others, Barty Crouch was a high-ranking official in the Ministry of Magic and a war hero who fought against the Death Eaters.
But to Rita Skeeter, old Crouch was nothing more than a complete loser, not worth worrying about or fearing.
What's the point of investigating someone like that, and why is it worth Belvina making such a big fuss about it?
"It's Barty Crouch, the Barty Crouch you know," Belvina said. "He has secrets, secrets worth uncovering."
"What secrets could he possibly have?" Rita Skeeter scoffed. "Is his son a Death Eater, or did his wife die young? If you want to know more details, you can read my previous articles."
In Rita Skeeter's eyes, Barty Crouch has already been stripped bare, leaving nothing left to uncover.
"No way!" Rita Skeeter said suspiciously, "Crouch's dirty laundry is common knowledge. If it's about those old stories..."
You didn't need to scheme against me at all!
"That's right, not for all that gossip and trivial stuff." Belvina snapped her fingers. "I want something new, something nobody knows, something new about Barty Crouch."
Internal strife and factional infighting within the Ministry of Magic were the first possibility that Rita Skeeter considered, but she quickly dismissed the idea.
Currently, Barty Crouch is only the nominal head of the International Department of Magical Cooperation; the actual leader is Belvina. It's only a matter of time before the "deputy" title is removed from the head.
If that's the case, why did Belvina go to all that trouble?
"What do you know?" Rita Skeeter asked.
She stood up abruptly, as if she were radiating light.
Seeing Rita Skeeter suddenly appear like a completely different person, Bassheda silently gave her a thumbs up. No wonder she's a leader in the industry.
Their keenness is truly exceptional.
"Rita, let me be clear: once I tell you everything I know, you really won't have a choice," Belvina said. "Either work for me, or you'll spend the rest of your life in this sealed glass jar."
"Miss Black, that's a very hypocritical thing to say," Rita Skeeter said sarcastically. "From the moment you uttered the name Barty Crouch, I had no choice."
"Ah—" Belvina feigned surprise, "It's true, though I don't want to say it."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "To be more precise, from the moment I realized you were an Animagus, you had no choice."
Rita Skeeter glared at her fiercely, then quickly moved away from Belvina as if the other woman were infected with some deadly germ.
"If that's the case, then what about all that fake performance you put on before? Was it just to fool me?" Rita Skeeter asked.
"You've misunderstood me," Belvina said with a smile. "I did give you a choice!"
Rita Skeeter snorted coldly, not seeing any opportunity to choose, but instead witnessing a blatant threat.
"Either accept your punishment, or listen to me say Barty Crouch's name," Belvina continued. "You've made your choice, haven't you?"
"That's easy for you to say, Miss Black." Rita Skeeter laughed angrily. "You keep saying you're giving me a choice, but you've actually dug a pit for me to fall into! I have no choice at all."
"You have to admit your mistakes eventually, Rita," Belvina said gently. "Now it's time for you to make a choice again: whether to become famous or to live out your days in a glass jar. It's all up to you."
Furious, Rita Skeeter paced back and forth in her office, forcing herself to come up with a win-win solution.
Like a villain, Belvina calmly walked back to her original position and patiently waited for the unscrupulous reporter to make a choice.
At this moment, compared to Rita Skeeter, who enjoys spreading rumors and slander, Belvina, who forces others, is the one who deserves to die more.
The warm office fell into an unbearable silence for the third time, the bright fireplace crackling softly, making Rita Skeeter's footsteps sound even heavier.
Rita Skeeter finally stopped after a long time, until the flames in the fireplace had died down.
"What do you know?" Rita Skeeter asked, sitting back down in the armchair by the fireplace.
"Barty Crouch Jr.," Belvina said, "you made the right choice, Rita."
“Barty Crouch Jr.?” Rita Skeeter repeated. “He’s been dead for years, in Azkaban. You couldn’t possibly not know that.”
Belvina smiled and said, "What if Crouch hadn't died? What if someone else had died in Azkaban?"
“That’s impossible!” Rita Skeeter immediately retorted. “I was there during the trial, and I saw the Dementors take Barty Crouch Jr. away with my own eyes.”
Rita Skeeter thought for a moment, then said, "Crouch is a man who would do anything for a position; he would never help Barty Jr., even though Barty Jr. is his only son!"
"I used to think that way too," Belvina said.
"I agree," said Bassheda. "Most people think old Crouch was a cold-blooded animal."
"Don't interrupt me!" Rita Skeeter waved her hand. "What I mean is, everyone knows Barty Jr. is guilty, and the charge was brought by old Crouch himself."
Everyone knows that Barty Crouch Jr. is a Death Eater, so there's no point in rescuing him from Azkaban.
Unless Barty Crouch himself is a Death Eater, which is impossible.
"I want to know why too, Rita," Belvina said. "All you need to do is investigate this matter thoroughly, in the way you do best."
She paused for a moment, then continued, "Isn't it sensational enough that a high-ranking official from the Ministry of Magic sentenced his own son to life imprisonment and then got him released from Azkaban the very next minute?"
This is amazing! Absolutely amazing!
It was so shocking that Rita Skeeter wanted to slap herself a few times.
"The astonishing secrets of the Barty Crouch father and son are certainly more fascinating than Armando Dippet's biography," Belvina continued.
"Armando Dippet: Master or Fool?", a bestselling biography written by Rita Skeeter, is considered one of her most famous works.
"Miss Black, aren't you worried?" Rita Skeeter said, "What if I leave here and do absolutely nothing?"
Belvina smiled without saying a word, and pointed to Rita Skeeter's chest.