Hogwarts: Harry Returns from Azeroth

Chapter 180, Chapter 179: Harry Kills Rita
During class today, Rita, who was quietly perched on a leaf, had already noticed that Harry Potter's behavior didn't match the boy she remembered.

If time could be reversed, Rita would swear on her grandmother's name that she would have quietly left Hogwarts after today's class without looking back, instead of following Harry into this strangely shaped building out of curiosity.

The boy who miraculously survived is secretly researching soul magic; a Hogwarts professor is breaking the Law of Secrecy and sharing magic with Muggle shamans… Rita has already amassed enough news to shake the entire British wizarding world, and even the international wizarding community—but why is she still not satisfied?!

Why can't I control my restless curiosity?!
Rita is now kicking herself.

Why did she have to be curious a few minutes ago about what secrets the boy who survived the ordeal had shared with the half-giant after drinking?

She should have been sitting in her own home! At her desk! By the warm fire, writing her favorite articles with her favorite quill pen—she even had the title in mind: "The Life and Lies of Harry Potter."

She exposed the boy's feigned innocence, kindness, and naivety, revealing his evil ambitions and wicked magic—though this revelation came much earlier than her original plan for a reversal, but who could blame her when Potter had already publicly declared it?

Only the news that breaks first is news; only then will it attract everyone's attention and dominate all the news. News that misses its chance is nothing at all.

She was still the journalist who dared to speak the truth. Both her reputation and Galleons would roll into her pocket. All her previous reports about Harry Potter would become the stones that would completely crush the boy. After learning the truth, Rita disregarded personal relationships, put justice before family, and spoke out, exposing the evil plan of the evil boy and the evil old man to the public—that's how it should have been!
So why did I have to be curious about that one thing?!

Now things are really messed up. This boy has his biggest weakness in me. He'll definitely restrict me, just like the Ministry of Magic, preventing me from reporting anything detrimental to him. Maybe he'll even be more terrifying than the Ministry of Magic, using me to fabricate things that don't exist... Big news... My big news...

In despair, she clutched her hair with such force that she ripped out several clumps, making Rita look withered and sallow.

"Miss Rita? Rita? Rita Skeeter?" Seeing that Rita seemed completely absorbed in her own world, Harry called out several times without getting a response. Helpless, he had no choice but to—give the quick-witted reporter an electric shock.

A flash of blue lightning streaked across the sky, and a wisp of smoke rose above Rita's head. She seemed to have finally come to her senses from the immense shock Harry had brought her.

"...Thank you." Rita didn't let her emotions continue to spiral out of control. She simply lowered her head, clenched her fists, and forced out a voice tinged with a smile. "So, what do you want me to do?"

That wretched brat!
He actually used magic to electrocute me without hesitation!!

Completely devoid of the assertiveness she displayed during her previous interviews with Harry, Rita knew all too well what it meant to be under someone else's roof and have no choice but to bow her head.

“You are an illegal Animagus,” Harry said again. “As far as I know, your name is not among the seven Animagus registered this century—if the Ministry of Magic catches you, you’ll probably be treated as a prime example and thrown into the high-security cells of Azkaban, right?”

“I’ve been there, and to be honest, it’s no place for a human to live. Even as punishment for criminals, it’s a bit too much.” Without answering Rita’s question, Harry just sighed, “The filthy environment, the unclean drinking water, the nearly spoiled bread… you won’t even get full from that, not to mention the Dementors that patrol several times a day. They suck the last drop of happiness from your body, making you suffer terribly, living in constant torment.”

"Enough!" Rita suddenly shouted excitedly, "Stop talking!! You think you're any better than me?! Potter! You're a lawbreaker too, aren't you?! How can someone who studies soul magic be anything good? You're even more evil than me. I just write things in the newspaper, but you, you eat people! You even planned to break the Secret Act! The entire Ministry of Magic in the world is your enemy!! You'll be locked up in Azkaban sooner or later!! Just like me!!"

Stab! !
Without even a second's pause, Harry gave the agitated Miss Rita a calming electric shock.

Outstanding effect.

Rita did calm down; she was completely paralyzed, her whole body trembling uncontrollably.

That wicked little brat!!!

In Rita's heart, she wanted nothing more than to devour the boy in front of her alive, so much so that she had to lower her head to hide the malice in her eyes.

“You’ve got one thing wrong, Rita,” Harry leaned back in his chair. “I’m not like you—I’m much stronger than you.”

Rita jerked her head up, her pupils dilating in shock—this statement sounded utterly unappealing; what virtuous person would utter such power-centric pronouncements?!

The last time I heard such a declaration was twelve years ago, during Voldemort's time, and from the mouths of those pure-blood nobles... But now, why is it Harry Potter?!
“I’ve wanted to teach you a lesson for a long time, Rita Skeeter,” Harry said calmly, “because of the nonsense you spouted in the newspapers, the slander against Dumbledore, and the slander against me and my parents.”

"Heroes fought with everything they had, even sacrificing their lives, while you, a fool, enjoy the peaceful life they brought you and attack them at will, defiling their glory—a liar like you should die, without even a tombstone, and be forgotten by anyone."

“I’ve wanted you to learn these things for a long time, but Dumbledore stopped me. He warned me to use my powers carefully—he was indeed a respectable old man, wasn’t he?”

“…Yes, yes,” Rita quickly gave a fawning smile, suddenly knowing how to face Harry.

Just follow the template – the template for facing Voldemort.

She also experienced that terrifying period.

Then I got shocked again.

"Aa ...

"You think I'm Voldemort?" Harry sneered. "Who are you looking down on?"

Collapsed to the ground, Rita didn't even have the strength to speak.

For someone as pampered as her, even though Harry was gentle, she still found the torment somewhat unbearable.

“I respect Dumbledore because of his character and the contributions he has made to the world. That’s why I won’t break my promise to him and prevent us from becoming adversaries.” Staring at Rita’s ugly behavior, Harry said expressionlessly, “You should also feel fortunate. If it were before, I would only have one way to deal with trash like you.”

That is death.

However, there's no need to say such things in today's world.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry... I beg for your forgiveness..."

After her body barely regained its mobility, Rita struggled to crawl on the ground. She wanted to kiss Harry's robe, but then she remembered what Harry had just said, not to think he was Voldemort or anything. So she knelt down on the ground trembling and pleaded repeatedly.

Her body was still trembling, in great pain and agony. The burning sensation felt like her whole body was being cooked, consuming her nerves, every muscle, every inch of skin, and even every internal organ—Rita never wanted to endure such pain again.

She was terrified, terrified that Harry might not even let her leave the house. After all, no one knew that Rita Skeeter had come to Hogwarts, and no one knew that Harry had stepped on a beetle... Animals that are illegal Animagus are killed don't even need to be held accountable by anyone. After all, who knows?

Harry didn't finish his sentence, but Rita mentally completed it, which only fueled her fear—this boy, no, this man, was serious; he hadn't held back at all when torturing her.

If Voldemort used the Cruciatus Curse, then Harry Potter used lightning—damn, that's not even dark magic!

They didn't even hesitate when casting the spell! Torturing a living, breathing person!!
“You can still understand human speech, can’t you?” Harry smiled as he looked at Rita. “You came to me of your own accord, you repeatedly provoked me, embarrassed my apprentice, and even tried to pry into my secrets—even Dumbledore couldn’t object to punishing someone like you.”

“I was wrong, I repent, I’m sorry to Dumbledore, I’m sorry to you, I’m sorry to your parents, I’m sorry to the heroes who sacrificed their lives,” Rita confessed at the fastest speed she had ever spoken, kowtowing repeatedly on the ground. “I have repented, please give me a chance, please, I will never speak ill of you and Dumbledore—or anyone else, nor will I make up things that don’t exist.”

"Oh, right! And what happened today, I will absolutely keep it a secret, I will absolutely not let the Ministry of Magic know!" Her mind, already somewhat muddled from the series of lightning strikes, suddenly flashed with inspiration, and Rita exclaimed, "The matter of soul magic, your plan to break the secrecy law, I promise it will absolutely not appear in the Daily Prophet, and it will absolutely not cause any trouble! I will help you dispel the rumors! Tell those people that such a thing is impossible and does not exist, it's—ahh ...

The blue-green lightning seemed to weave a net around Rita, causing her to tremble violently and scream even more horribly. A strong smell of burning and stench mingled together, and she collapsed to the ground like a corpse.

"...I beg you..."

Rita's weak voice came from the ground. She struggled to reach out and touch Harry's robe, but stopped in fear.

She was truly terrified, gripped by a deep-seated fear… This was still inside Hogwarts, and this madman was torturing people with impunity—where was Dumbledore?! Someone, come save her!!
“You don’t seem to have heeded my warnings, Rita,” Harry said, giving the foolish little man a look of disgust. “I’ve said it before, I despise your lies and your blatant attempts to smear others with words. How dare you say such things to my face again?”

“I—I just want to help you—to offer my strength for you,” Rita almost choked on her breath.

What does it mean?
Can't I even stand behind you to smear your name or attack your enemies? Can't I even erase things that are detrimental to you?!

Even Voldemort wasn't like this!!
“I understand.” Not daring to gamble on whether Harry actually intended to kill her, Rita now had no doubt that the man in front of her, who had confirmed her torture, had the courage to kill. Driven by her survival instinct, she endured the physical pain and collapsed to the ground once again. “I will tell the truth—the real truth.”

“From this day forward, every report Rita Skit writes will be true, with absolutely no fabrication or exaggeration… Please… Please…”

This is the truth; Rita really thinks so.

“Very good,” Harry finally smiled with satisfaction. “It seems that even a despicable person like you can understand human language and do the right thing… Ha, I really want to know what Dumbledore’s expression will be when he sees your change.”

“If we continue to ignore you using his methods, allowing you to continue distorting history and tarnishing the glory of heroes with impunity… how could you possibly turn back now?” Harry said sarcastically. “For a worm like you, broken bones are the best lesson.”

“I cannot tolerate heroes bleeding and weeping,” Harry stared into Rita’s eyes. “Even Dumbledore—even Dumbledore has endured far more pain than most people could bear. They are already exhausted enough. They don’t need trash like you to stab them in the heart again. Do you understand?”

"...Yes, Master."

Kneeling on the ground, Rita spoke in a hoarse voice.

(End of this chapter)