Had Hydrus not caught her he could only imagine what tomorrow's headline would be. He took great delight in burning anything pertaining to him, Harry, the Blacks and other allies. He put the rest in his space and settled on his sofa. He looked at his watch, called Tippy for some coffee and to ask if she'd make breakfast.
The little house elf agreed and popped away, minutes later there was coffee on the table and the smell of bacon filled the air.
"So what now?" Sirius said as he took up his cup.
"I'm thinking of selectively wiping her memory of everything she's done since she graduated from Hogwarts," Hydrus suggested with a vindictive look in his eyes, then took a sip of his coffee. He really hated this woman, and seeing her notes made that animosity grow.
"Are you sure that is a good idea?" Remus asked. He was worried that it might bring more attention to them. So far they had been lucky and stayed out of the limelight, but if the Prophet's star reporter showed up with missing memories there would be an investigation.
"We could run a story in The Times that she was spying on everyone. All we have to do is give them her work with a letter. Keep her in the jar and drop everything on our best reporter's desk," Sirius offered as an alternate.
"Yeah, what's another anonymous letter?" Hydrus brightened at that idea. He had just the reporter in mind. She was the political investigator that almost caught Sirius all those years ago. Her name was, Isobel Harper, a short ginger that never let a good story go. She was still watching Sirius to make sure he didn't get caught again. This might be out of her venue, but he was sure she'd handle it the best.
"How about we wait until tonight? Then we can keep the stuff that's helpful to us, but give your reporter the rest with the jar and letter," the dogman said as he yawned.
"Sounds like a plan," the time traveler agreed. "But I'm still wiping her mind of everything that has to do with us and our allies," his tone brooked not argument. The other two men nodded their heads; they could see the reason in that.
They heard Harry get up and go to the loo, so they gathered up the tray and headed to the kitchen. Hydrus put the tray on the counter and made his way, with his cup, to the table and waited for Tippy to finish breakfast. It looked like they were having waffles and bacon this morning.
Since it was Sunday, they rested and played in the back garden. The only time there was a disturbance was when the ever inquisitive Grangers called with a rant or a question. The three men took turns in calming their fears and giving answers. They told how the society had changed in the last few years and that Muggle-borns were no longer looked down on, by most, like they had been in the histories the worried parents were reading. Hydrus promised them a subscription to The Times.
After a long phone call that night, explaining everything there was to do with Rita and the current goings on of the wizarding world to Grace, the three men settled in their seats and once more sorted through the notes and photos. Every bit of dirt that they could use was stored and everything else was put in a Mokeskin bag, which was tied to the now unbreakable jar, which housed the still stunned and memory wiped beetle. Hydrus wrote a short missive.
Ms. Harper
In this jar you will find an illegal Animagus by the name of Rita Skeeter. In the pouch attached there are many of her notes on various people in the wizarding world. She had been using her beetle form to spy on the Ministry and predominant people in our society. Do with her what you will.
A friend
Donning his Cloak Hydrus made his way to the newspaper's office and dropped his package on the desk. Using the Elder Wand he cleared everything to do with him or the guys, then popped back home and waited.
Three days later The Times headline read:
Are Your Secrets Your Own? Our Favorite Note Writer Strikes Again.
The article that followed depicted the story of one Rita Skeeter. Harper had dug up all the dirt she could on the bug and posted everything. It told of Skeeter's time in Hogwarts, how she was a malicious gossip that never stopped telling lies to bring her enemies down. Many quotes were given by those who had roomed with her in Ravenclaw. It was told how she had been spying for years since her graduation and how she accomplished that. There was a warning that there may be other illegal Animagus and that people might want to ward their homes. It went on to tell who Rita had been writing a gossip column in a non-magical rag, using another name, to make ends meet. The notes that were found told how she was going to align with who she thought was a Dark Lady, when she found her, and be the second in command. Rita was now being held for trial for being a spy on the Ministry. The notes and photos were handed over as evidence.
Other articles followed on some of the things Rita had been working on. It seemed Ms. Harper took those stories and ran with them. There would be a lot of people trying to cover their asses in the near future. Nothing too serious, but there was some Ministry officials that were still taking bribes or having affairs. Isobel made sure everything was factual; she didn't want to lose her magic. There were side notes that these people came under investigation due to the notes found with Skeeter.
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