Rita Skeeter

**Rita Skeeter**, born **Margarite Scarabee**, is a reporter for the Daily Prophet, as well as a published author.

## Biography

### Family Lineage

Rita was born as Margarite Scarabee, daughter of the Pure-blood Claude Scarabee, whose family had immigrated from France to Britain during the Grindelwald War when he was an infant, and the Muggle-born Louise Campbell. Claude and Louise slept together while drunk during their last term at Hogwarts, which led to a shotgun wedding three months later when Louise was discovered to be pregnant.

Margarite is a natural beetle Animagus, a gift she is theorised by Lucius Malfoy to have inherited from the Scarabee family.

### Early Life

hSe was born into a male body despite having a female soul, a rare magical condition that affects between 1-2% of wizards and witches. Margarite was likely tested by healers at St. Mungo's, and given a potion that causes the body to transform to align with the soul.

After graduation, Claude and Louise both began working at the Ministry, with Claude becoming sportswriter for the Daily Prophet. Louise, a Ravenclaw with five NEWTs, was only able to gain employment serving tea in the Ministry canteen due to her Muggle heritage.

In 1964, Louise attended one of Alexander McAvity's Mudblood Pride rallies carrying a pro-equality sign, which led her to be fired from her Ministry job and blacklisted from government employment. This caused her husband Claude to leave his wife and child and return to his family in France. Despite her blacklisting, or perhaps because of it, Louise continued to revere McAvity, and went to her grave hoping that someday another Muggle-born would follow in his footsteps and bring equality to Wizarding Britain. Margarite would later state that her mother sacrificed everything for her happiness.
Margarite began attending Hogwarts in 1971, where she was sorted into Ravenclaw. Margarite showed skill at Charms, Ancient Runes, and Transfiguration, achieving O's on all three NEWTs, but never pursued a mastery. She and her fellow Ravenclaws were the victims of several pranks by James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew. At Hogwarts, Margarite took note of Lily Evans, a beautiful, brilliant Muggle-born, and began to hope that she was the Muggle-born her mother had prayed for. As such, Margarite was deeply offended when (in her eyes) she became James Potter's trophy wife.

After graduating in 1978 Margarite began working at the Daily Prophet, but as the Half-blood daughter of a Muggle-born single mother she had few career prospects, and thus decided to reinvent herself. Using a Sympathetic Occlusion spell, she created the false identity of Rita Skeeter. Rita exploded onto the scene in 1980 with *Armando Dippet: Master or Moron?*, a lurid exposé about the former Hogwarts Headmaster. The Daily Prophet quickly signed Rita to an exclusivity agreement, and Margarite Scarabee left the Prophet to become 'Rita Skeeter's personal assistent'. When her royalties started coming in Rita shared it with her mother, allowing her to quit her job at the Leaky Cauldron, where she had been working as a cook and cleaner since being blacklisted by the Ministry.

Margarite's grudge against Lily Potter and her husband only increased in scale after Lord Voldemort's destruction at the hands of Jim Potter, with the Potters quickly turning their son into a celebrity who gave press conferences at the age of seven, James being catapulted into the position of Senior Auror despite his youth, and Lily running a the largest charity in Britain in name only. This, along with their blind trust of Peter Pettigrew, would lead Rita to the conclusion that James and Lily were unfit parents for the Boy-who-Lived.

### Post-War

Rita's earliest articles about the Potters were filled with innuendo about marital troubles, accusations against Lily of being a gold-digger who had ensnared James with Amortentia, rumorts of infidelity on James's part, and hints about accounting irregularities in the Jim Potter Charitable Trust. Sometime around Jim's fourth birthday however, Peter Pettigrew acquired blackmail on Rita, forcing the formerly anti-Potter journalist to constantly praise them in her coverage.

### Book 2 - The Secret Enemy

Rita attends the press conference at Harry and Jim's twelfth birthday, where she asks Harry about the rumors that his father sent him a Howler the previous year out of anger over his Slythering Sorting. Harry interrupts James's answer to tell Skeeter that his father did indeed send him a Howler, but that they had moved past it and rebuilt their relationship as father and son, and that "Slytherin House has more to offer Wizarding Britain than just the bigoted lackeys of a failed dark lord". This prompts applause from Xeno Lovegood and a speculative look from Rita towards Harry.

At Peter's insistence, Rita attempts to connect Harry to the attack on the party by a cursed toy train created by the late Erasmus Wilkes, reminding her readers that Harry insisted that several Slytherin families be invited to the party, and the coincedence of Harry's first public appearance coinciding with the first major Death Eater attack in nearly a decade. During his first meeting with Peter Pettigrew Harry reveals that he knows Peter is blackmailing Rita. When Jim is discovered to be in the possession of an illegal occlumency book written by Augustus Rookwood (and given to him by Peter Pettigrew), Rita is again directed to shift the blame to Harry, referring to him as "*A Dark Wizard Rising?*".

After Jim and Harry destroy the Horcrux of Voldemort controlling Slytherin's Basilisk, Rita writes a glowing article praising Jim for his heroics in slaying Slytherin's monster, and includes a quote by Peter Pettigrew, who, partially at the insistence of Harry, hopes that this Jim heroism will make the people of Magical Britain more tolerant of Parselmouths. Rita only briefly mentions Ginny Weasley's role in the events in the Chamber of Secrets, and misnames her as "Jennifer".

### Book 3 - The Death Eater Menace

In the aftermath of the Azkaban Breakout, Rita, as Margarite Scarabee, meets with Eleanor Burke, personal secretary to recently promoted Chief Auror James Potter. Eleanor gives her a list of the Aurors' twenty-seven suspects, and tells her that she personally suspects Tiberius Nott, telling her of Tiberius's plan to marry Amy Wilkes. While Rita is shocked by Tiberius planning to marry a twelve-year-old, Eleanor waves off her concern. Rita also asks her for information about Cornelius Fudge's new Undersecretary, Dolores Umbridge. Eleanor discovers early in her research that Umbridge has some connection to House Selwyn, and advises Rita that some skeletons are best left buried.

During the Selwyn family meeting, Alecto Carrow is ordered to, via a third party, pass the rumor that Lucius Malfoy is Theo No-Name's biological father to Rita Skeeter. Rita promptly reports on the rumor on the Daily Prophet Society Page.

After Peter Pettigrew is exposed as a Death Eater and arrested, Rita breaks into his apartment to steal his blackmail folder and finally free her from his grasp. As she is no longer forced to report positively on the Potters, Rita holds James Potter fully responsible when Peter and Augustus Rookwood break out of their holding cells several days later and lay waste to the Ministry. Shortly after writing the article she informs her boss, Barnabas Cuffe, that she will be taking a sabattical to write her new book, *The Fall of the House of Potter*.

### Book 4 - The Resurrection Game

(Any events that occur during the time-frame of Book 4 here)

## Physical Description

Margarite Scarabee is described as a mousy-brown haired woman, who is bland, unassuming, and plainly-dressed. Rita Skeeter on the other hand dresses extravagantly with overapplied, ultra-chic clothes from the best shops, and a trademark pair of jewel-encrusted spectacles. As Skeeter she also applies her spell that gives her platinum blonde hair.

## Personality & Traits

(Describe the character's personality and other traits here)

## Magical Abilities & Skills

Rita is skilled at Charms, Ancient Runes, and Transfiguration, achieving O's on all three NEWTs.

## Behind the Scenes

* Rita Skeeter is played by Miranda Richardson, who played her in the movies, except she's about ten years younger

## Canon Divergence

(If the character appears in JKR's Harry Potter series, explain any differences between JKR's and TSM's interpretation of the character here.)

## References

Book 4 - HP&TRG - Chapter not added yet,

Lucius reveals what he knows of Rita Skeeter's true identity.
Book 4 - HP&TRG - Chapter not added yet,

Rita Skeeter reveals the reasons behind her grudge against Lily Potter.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 91 - Reactions & Overreactions (Pt 2),

"Rita Skeeter disappeared, and bland unassuming Margarite Scarabee (Ravenclaw, Class of 1978) took her place.".
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 44 - On the Importance of Emotion,

"BOY-WHO-LIVED NEARLY MURDERED AT BIRTHDAY BASH! DEATH EATER SYMPATHIZERS AT LARGE?".
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 42 - The Birthday Party (Pt 1),

Rita attends Jim and Harry's press conference.
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 62 - Meet Peter Pettigrew,

"Oh, of course. I'd forgotten about that. I suppose your press secretary is rewriting history as we speak.".
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 42 - The Birthday Party (Pt 1),

Peter gifts Jim a copy of Occlumency: A Beginner's Guide.
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 63 - Escalation of Hostilities,

"ARE DEATH EATERS STALKING THE BOY-WHO-LIVED?".
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 70 - Investigations into Dark Matters,

Harry writes to Peter Pettigrew.
Book 2 - HP&TSE - Ch. 81 - The Power of Friendship,

"JIM POTTER SAVES THE DAY! SLAYS BEAST OF SLYTHERIN!".
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 91 - Reactions & Overreactions (Pt 2),

Margarite Scarabee meets with Eleanor Burke.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 96 - Back to School (Finale),

"From a letter received by Rita Skeeter and written in disappearing ink...".
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 93 - Reactions & Overreactions (Pt 4),

The Warringtons attend the Selwyn family dinner.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 94 - Back to School (Pt 1),

Rita reports on the rumors of Lucius having an affair with Christina Nott.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 130 - Redux (Pt 4),

Rita breaks into Peter's apartment.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 135 - The Fall of the House of Potter (Pt 1),

"PANDEMONIUM AND PLAGUE AT MINISTRY! ROOKWOOD ESCAPES WITH AID OF "THE KING OF RATS"! IS CHIEF AUROR POTTER RESPONSIBLE?".