She was wearing banana-yellow robes today; her long nails were painted shocking pink, and she was accompanied by a paunchy photographer.
She bought drinks, and she and the photographer made their way through the crowds to a table nearby, the quartet watching her cautiously as she approached.
She was talking fast and looking very satisfied about something.
'-didn't seem very keen to talk to us, did he, Bozo? Now, why would that be, do you think? And what's he doing with a pack of goblins in tow anyway? Showing them the sights... what nonsense, he was always a bad liar. Reckon something's up? Think we should do a bit of digging? "Disgraced Ex-Head of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman." Snappy start to a sentence, Bozo, we just need to find a story to fit it-'
"Trying to ruin someone else's life?" Harry said loudly.
A few people looked around.
Rita Skeeter's eyes widened behind her jewelled spectacles as she saw who had spoken.
"Harry!' she said, beaming. 'How lovely! Why don't you come and join-?"
"I wouldn't come near you with a ten-foot broomstick,' Harry said furiously, "What did you do that to Hagrid for, eh?"
Rita Skeeter raised her heavily pencilled eyebrows.
"Our readers have a right to the truth, Harry. I am merely doing my-"
"Who cares if he's half-giant?" Harry shouted, "There's nothing wrong with him!"
The whole pub had gone very quiet. Madam Rosmerta was staring over from behind the bar, apparently oblivious to the fact that the flagon she was filling with mead was overflowing.
Rita Skeeter's smile flickered very slightly, but she hitched it back almost at once; she snapped open her crocodile-skin handbag, pulled out her Quick-Quotes Quill, and said,
"How about giving me an interview about the Hagrid you know, Harry? The man behind the muscles? Your unlikely friendship and the reasons behind it. Would you call him a father substitute?"
That annoyed Lucifer greatly, but Hermione stood up very abruptly, her butterbeer clutched in her hand as though it were a grenade, "You horrible woman!" She yelled through gritted teeth.
"You don't care, do you, anything for a story! And anyone will do, won't they? Even Ludo Bagman-"
"Sit down, you silly little girl, and don't talk about things you don't understand," Skeeter said coldly, and Lucifer was standing up when she uttered her next words, "I know things about Ludo Bagman that would make your hair curl... not that it needs it... and maybe, just maybe, when those grow in and you have guys looking at you, you'll understand what I mean, Little Miss Flat Chest."
The look on Hermione's face was enough for him to lose control for a moment.
The front door to the pub was suddenly exploded out into the cold snow, allowing cold air to sweep into the building.
Lucifer's hands were clenched into fists as he stared coldly right at Rita Skeeter.
Candles had been blown out, darkening the place, but his glowing Red Eyes were impossible to miss as he walked towards Skeeter.
She had a smug look on her face, thinking he wouldn't do anything, but she didn't realize who she was dealing with.
As Lucifer walked, people stepped aside out of fear.
When he was close enough, her photographer began snapping photos, but the camera suddenly exploded in his face, lodging a few pieces of metal into his face and burning his eyebrows off.
He screamed and ran out of the building.
As Lucifer stopped right at the edge of Skeeter's chair, and he leaned forward, "Say it again."
"Well, what do we have here?" Skeeter said in as best of a calm voice as she could muster after what happened to her photographer.
Her Quick-Quotes Quill burst into flames, "Say it again, or your handbag is next, with all of its contents."
"What, calling your girlfriend there Little Miss Flat Chest-" Skeeter was suddenly slapped, painfully across her face.
"You listen to me, you pathetic cunt--
- Hermione is my Girlfriend and no one insults her in front of me and gets away unscathed, so if you say one more thing to or about her that isn't nice, I will rip your skin from your body and feed what's left to my pet Hounds," Lucifer said darkly, causing everyone in the pub to involuntarily shudder, including Hermione, "now get the fuck out."
Before Skeeter had a chance to stand up, he put his foot on the edge of her chair, and kicked her back with enough force to send her through the wall and into the snow.
Her handbag flew out after her and he was standing there, inhaling and exhaling deeply.
Lucifer waved his hand and the wall became fixed.
His eyes stopped glowing red as he turned and walked out of the building.
Lucifer closed his eyes and angled his head up to the sky.
He quite honestly couldn't wait to see what the next Daily Prophet article about him was going to be.
Deep inside him, he felt an anger, a wrath he had felt only once before, had been re-awakened, and he feared that without Hermione Granger near him to keep him level-headed, he would never be truly calm again.
xxxxxx
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