bioinnovel Chapter 404 Skirt Falls into a Trap Again
Chapter 404 Skirt Falls into a Trap Again
Chapter 404 Skirt Falls into a Trap Again
In the summer of 1995, high temperatures relentlessly ravaged the British Isles.
Diagon Alley, a historic shopping street in London, has lost its former vibrancy due to the high temperatures.
The cobblestone streets were deserted, with only a few pedestrians around, and the houses and shops along the street were all empty.
With nothing to do, the shop assistants sought refuge in the shade. Some were drowsy, some were already fast asleep, and others were frantically fanning themselves to cool off.
Rita Skeeter walked down a deserted street, her makeup and hair restored to their former sophisticated and stiff look, with exaggerated golden curls and two-inch-long nails painted bright red.
Oh, and she was also wearing those glasses covered in fake jewels, which made her look rather odd.
The sun was blazing, the summer heat was unbearable.
Sweating profusely, Rita Skeeter checked the gold-embossed invitation in her hand, muttered a few curses under her breath, and then continued walking forward.
Before long, Rita Skeeter, drenched in sweat, arrived at her destination—92 Diagon Alley.
This is a two-story red brick building with no sign, no welcoming signs, and its doors and windows are tightly closed.
Looking around at the shops, every single one had its doors and windows wide open, hoping for a non-existent breeze to blow in, or waiting for customers to arrive.
However, 92 Diagon Alley did the opposite, keeping its windows locked and showing no intention of opening its doors for business.
Rita Skeeter took out the invitation again and re-verified the address on it.
That's right, the address is indeed 92 Diagon Alley.
Suppressing her doubts, Rita Skeeter stepped forward and rang the doorbell for number 92.
A crisp bell rang immediately, followed by a series of hurried footsteps coming from the doorway.
A crack was pulled open from the inside of the bronze door of 92 Diagon Alley, and a head peeked out, its long, silver hair swaying like waves.
Fleur Delacour! What is she doing here!
"Rita Skeeter?" Fleur recognized the unscrupulous female reporter who had interviewed her before.
Rita Skeeter held up the gold-embossed invitation outside the door. Although she had many questions, she decided to wait until she went inside.
Rita was worried she would melt if she continued to stand outside in the scorching sun.
Hibiscus, inside the main gate, opened the bronze door and invited Rita Skeeter inside, saving the female reporter who was on the verge of heatstroke.
As soon as you enter No. 92, a refreshing coolness immediately washes over you, completely dispelling the annoying heat.
Rita Skeeter wiped the sweat from her brow, turned to look at Fleur, who was closing the door, and asked, "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be back in France?"
"I work here, can't you tell?" Hibiscus closed the bronze door again. "This way, please."
Although Furong disliked the unscrupulous female reporter who always stirred up trouble, she didn't throw a tantrum; instead, she politely led Rita to the right place.
"Of course I can tell you work here," Rita said. "I'm asking how you ended up in London, in Diagon Alley."
Rita Skeeter spoke as she followed Fleur through the front hall.
The office area behind the foyer was spacious, with a dozen or so young male and female wizards busy at their respective tasks.
Rita Skeeter looked up as the ceiling fan spun tirelessly, sending out a refreshing coolness.
Then, Rita looked at the men and women who were busy with their heads down. They all looked to be eighteen or nineteen years old, and the student vibe had not yet dissipated from them.
“They are all Hogwarts graduates, except for me,” Fleur said. “We all work here.”
Isn't that obvious?
How many wizards in the British Isles didn't graduate from Hogwarts!
Rita Skeeter continued to stare intently at Fleur, wanting to see how much more nonsense Fleur could spout.
"And me, I graduated from Beauxbatons, as you know," Fleur continued, spouting nonsense, "I still believe that Beauxbatons' education is superior to Hogwarts'."
As she spoke, Furong continued to lead the way.
"I came back here to improve my English," Fleur continued. "I originally wanted to find a part-time job in Gringotts, but someone offered me a full-time job here."
As she spoke, Fleur led Rita Skeeter to the stairs in the first-floor office area, and the two walked up the stairs one after the other.
Compared to the spacious office area on the first floor, the second floor feels smaller. Apart from a large public area in front of the stairs, the rest of the space is divided into individual cubicles.
"We've arrived."
Fleur led Rita Skeeter to the door of an office.
"Why is my name on the door?" Rita asked. "Who gave you this job?"
'
A gleaming brass sign hangs on the sleek wooden door of the office, which reads:
Editor-in-Chief Rita Skeeter: "You'll find out once you go in." Fleur avoided answering, "Besides, don't you already have the answer in your heart?"
With that, Hibiscus knocked on the editor-in-chief's office door and left, leaving Rita standing alone in front of the office door, looking bewildered.
Belvina Black!
Rita Skeeter couldn't think of anyone else besides this bastard woman.
To be able to quietly pull off such a stunt in Diagon Alley and even recruit recent graduates like Furong, there's no one else but this scoundrel woman.
Rita Skeeter tidied her blonde curls and straightened her clothes before pushing open the door to her office.
Sure enough, the person sitting behind the desk was Belvina Black.
"So, do you like the decor here?" Belvina asked with a smile, as she took out a brightly lit display board.
The sign still had Rita Skeeter's name on it.
"I don't like it." Rita shook her head, her eyes full of disdain.
The entire building adheres to Belvina's consistent style, with white walls and no decorations.
"It's really heartbreaking, Rita," Belvina said, feigning hurt. "We haven't seen each other in so long, and you're already being so hurtful the moment we meet."
"Injury?" Rita Skeeter strode forward angrily and slammed her hand on the desk. "You promised me you'd report on the Crouch family, but look what happened?!"
As a result, Rita Skeeter didn't get the chance to report an exclusive story.
At Connelly Fudge's behest, the newspapers were filled with news about Barty Crouch and his son.
Rita Skeeter, who risked her life to spy on Crouch, not only gained nothing but also faced ostracism from some of her colleagues.
Especially in the past month, none of the articles in the Daily Prophet that smeared Dumbledore were written by Rita Skeeter.
Has Rita Skeeter changed her mind and no longer wants to smear Dumbledore?
No, Rita was more proactive than anyone else, but none of her articles were published.
Now, the most renowned journalist at The Daily Prophet is no longer Rita Skeeter, but Betty Braithwaite.
"Rita, you should know me. I'm the kind of person who never suffers a loss, and I won't let my friends suffer a loss either."
C
Belvina looked at Rita Skeeter and continued, "Unless you don't need my friendship, or think I'm insignificant."
Although she was angry, Rita knew that Belvina couldn't be entirely blamed for all of this.
Connelly Fudge, Barnabas Goughfe, and Betty Braithwaite—they were all involved.
"What do you want now? You want me to work for you again?"
Rita Skeeter sat down opposite Belvina and continued, "You even started a newspaper, or magazine?"
"Whether it's a newspaper or a magazine depends on the editor-in-chief's wishes," Belvina said, placing her hands on her desk. "Even if you want a semi-nude woman on the cover, that's fine too."
Rita Skeeter sensed something was wrong; Belvina was putting on such a humble act, there must be something seriously wrong here!
I don't believe it.
Rita Skeeter shook her head and continued, "You've gone through so much trouble to build this newspaper, and now you want to give it to me? I don't believe you're that kind-hearted."
"That's where you're wrong, Rita," Belvina said. "You're questioning the noble, ancient heritage of the Black family!"
Upon hearing this, Rita Skeeter rolled her eyes, completely ignoring Miss Blake's flaunting of wealth.
"I promised to cover the Crouch family story, but I failed to do so, so I'm giving you the position of editor-in-chief in return," Belvina continued. "How about that? Isn't that fair?"
"An empty shell of an editor-in-chief?" Rita Skeeter pointed downstairs. "You think you can run a newspaper with those few greenhorns downstairs?"
That's wishful thinking!
This is Rita Skeeter's assessment of Belvina.
"But we still have you!" Belvina said nonchalantly. "I believe in your abilities; you can definitely keep this shell newspaper alive."
"Don't give me that crap. I know my own limitations," Rita said. "Do you think running a newspaper is an easy thing?"
Rita thought for a moment, then continued, "Also, although I don't know what tricks you're up to this time, I know what you're about to do is definitely dangerous, and I don't want to die with you!"
Suddenly, Belvina stretched out a hand.
"What are you trying to do?" Rita stood up abruptly. "Are you trying to pull that unbreakable oath trick again?"
"Don't be nervous, relax. I never use the same tricks on the same person twice," Belvina said. "I just want to show you something."
As she spoke, she took out a newspaper, which was Betty Braithwaite's article about Dumbledore.
Belvina continued, "Rita, look at this front-page article, look at Braithwaite's writing, are you really satisfied?"