Rita Skeeter

**Rita Skeeter** was a character in the *Harry Potter book series*.

Rita was a witch, author and writer for the Daily Prophet. She had a poor reputation because she invented stories and manipulated the truth. She was a secret Animagus so she could eavesdrop.

Rita was the correspondant for the Triwizard Tournament for which she wrote for both the Daily Prophet and Witch Weekly. She conducted interviews and wrote on the event, life at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and in particular, Harry Potter's personal life. She was persauded by Hermione Granger to write an article for The Quibbler about Lord Voldemort's return. Her greatest biography was "The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore" which was largely fabrication.

## Biography

### Early life

Skeeter decided at one point in her life to secretly become Animagus which took years of training. She eventually succeeded in becoming a beetle which helped her to spy on people for her articles.

Having decided to become a writer, Skeeter wrote Armando Dippet: Master or Moron?. It was a best seller and brought Skeeter fame. However, her biographies and articles were mainly speculation and untrue so even though it brought Skeeter critical acclaim, the book was likely mainly fiction.

Skeeter also provided a quote for the critically acclaimed Quidditch Through the Ages by Kennilworthy Whisp which she thought was very dull and nothing special.

Skeeter eventually found work writing for the Daily Prophet. She attended the Death Eater trials at the Council of Magical Law in 1981. She was present at the trial for Ludovic Bagman and Igor Karkaroff and was shocked when the latter told the council that Barty Crouch Jr, the child of Barty Crouch Sr was one of the Death Eaters that attacked Frank and Alice Longbottom.

### Triwizard Tournament

In 1994, Skeeter attended the International Confederation of Wizards where she described Albus Dumbledore as stupid and eccentric.

Skeeter also wrote many articles that year about the Ministry of Magic, Gringotts, their lack of security and portrayed Arthur Weasley in a poor light when he made a statement about it. She later wrote an article about Arthur Weasley who caused a scene by trying to help Mad Eye Moody.

Skeeter was then sent by the Daily Prophet to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to write articles for them about the Triwizard Tournament. She interviewed the four champions and even though she stated she would be writing about the four of them, she mainly wrote about Harry Potter. Her interview with him did not go well, and she created untrue quotes from it. She portrayed Potter as a tragic hero who told her that "sometimes at night I still cry about [my parents]". She also claimed that Potter was in love with Hermione Granger by interviewing Colin Creevey.

Skeeter then tried to get another interview with Potter when he succeeded at the First Task only for him to simply say "goodbye" to her.

Skeeter then turned to writing articles about the school itself and it's teachers. She initially attended one of Rubeus Hagrid's lessons even though Albus Dumbledore had told her she was not allowed in the school. She later wrote a very unfavourable article about Hagrid which nearly made him resign.

Skeeter was later heard talking about Ludo Bagman and saying things that could ruin Bagman's life. Potter and Granger argued with Skeeter at The Three Broomsticks which she loved because she took it to be another opportunity to demand another interview with Potter.

In March 1995, Skeeter wrote an article for Witch Weekly entitled *Harry Potter's Secret Heartache*. She wrote that Potter's romantic relationship with Granger, who Skeeter portrayed as a scarlet woman, had taken a dramatic turn since Granger left him and started to pursue a relationship with Viktor Krum. She stated that Granger had a thing for anyone famous and that Pansy Parkinson believes it's strange that they would even be interested in her since she is "really ugly" and that Granger may have created love potions to steal their love.

Skeeter also stated that Viktor had invited Granger to spend time with him in the summer and that he had never felt that way about anyone before, which Granger thought was strange because Skeeter couldn't have known he had said that.

Skeeter then wrote her final article stating that Potter was a danger. Granger then deduced that Skeeter was Animagus and trapped her in beetle form. Skeeter then agreed to stop writing when Granger threatened to reveal the truth.

### Order of the Phoenix

Skeeter had left The Daily Prophet by 1996. By then, her final article had created an unfavourable view of Potter in the Wizarding society. Cornelius Fudge believed that Potter was not telling the truth about Lord Voldemort's return. Granger decided that Potter needed to give his account of the event in the hope it would portray him in a sympatheic light and make people see the truth.

Since many places, including the Daily Prophet, were one of the establishments that were portraying Potter in an unfavourable light, Granger had turned to The Quibbler for help The Quibbler was run by the father of Luna Lovegood, one of Potter's friends. They agreed to publish the interview. Granger knew the only writer she may be able to persuade to write it, was Skeeter. She also believed that since Skeeter wrote the article that started to portray Potter unfavourably a year earlier, Granger decided she should be the one to change that view.

Skeeter met Granger, Potter and Ron Weasley at The Three Broomsticks. When Skeeter found out she was expected to write an article for The Quibbler for free, she was unhappy. The Quibbler was not a well regarded magazine and even thought Granger persuaded her to agree with a look, Skeeter was still unhappyGranger then told Skeeter that she will be writing it because if she didn't, she would tell everyone that Skeeter was Animagus.

Skeeter agreed to write the article, which would be entitled "HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST: THE TRUTH ABOUT HE-WHO-MUST-NOT-BE-NAMED AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN". Skeeter wrote the truth for the first time. The article was The Quibbler's best selling edition ever. When the Ministry finally had to accept that Voldemort did return, Editor Xenophilius Lovegood gave the article to the Daily Prophet.

### Half-Blood Prince

Skeeter attended the funeral of Albus Dumbledore in June 1997. She took with her a notebook which upset Harry Potter.

### Deathly Hallows

Skeeter then spent the next four weeks writing a 900 page biography entitled *"The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore"*. She interviewed many friends of Dumbledore including Elphias Doge who would not talk to her and Bathilda Bagshot who would. Bagshot told Skeeter many things about Dumbledore and his family although a lot of it was speculation. It was later revealed that Skeeter gave Veritaserum to her. Skeeter also found old photographs and letters at her home.

In July 1997, Skeeter gave an interview to The Daily Prophet about the book. Doge had also wrote a eulogy, and had claimed everything Skeeter wrote was untrue. Skeeter said that Doge was crazy, and gave little snippets about what would be in the book including the truth about Ariana Dumbledore, Dumbledore's friendship with Gellert Grindelwald and the relationship he had with Harry Potter.

The book was a best seller and was critically acclaimed. Although Skeeter got a few things kind of right, she had no idea what the full story was. Many events were bended to portray the Dumbledore family in a poor light which was what Skeeter did best.

### Later life

It is not known what Skeeter did in the Second Wizarding War. However, she survived and continued her work as a writer in her later life.

Skeeter published at least three biographies. She wrote a biography about Harry Potter which was only one quarter true, and one entitled "*Snape: Scoundrel or Saint?"*  which was likely the same as the one written about Dumbledore, deciphering him in a poor light too.

## Notes and sources

1. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, Chapter 13
2. ↑ *Quidditch Through the Ages*
3. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, Chapter 4
4. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, Chapter 25
5. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, Chapter 26
6. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*, Chapter 30
7. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, Chapter 2
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, Chapter 18
9. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*, Chapter 28