The Hogwarts Emerald

Chapter 397: Rita Skeeter's Exclusive
No wonder people always say not to offend pen-wielders. Ada now understands why, because they can only scold you and you can't find a way to scold them back.

Rita Skeeter's special report had almost nothing to do with the Triwizard Tournament. It did not introduce the schedule or anything else about the Triwizard Tournament. The only thing that could be linked to the Triwizard Tournament was the four warriors.

It would be fine if she had introduced the four warriors in a good way. That's what journalists do, but why would Krita Skeeter report such boring things? Her readers want to see something interesting from her.

Harry took up the most space in the report, Fleur and Krum took up a line together, and it was spelled wrong. As for Ada, Ada took up a lot of space, but there was not a single good word about her.

In this false report, Ada was described as an uneducated orphan and an irritable, violent psychopath.

Just because of a little dissatisfaction, Ada tore up her shorthand notebook and lost her temper. Ada was also accused of "insulting teachers and beating classmates".

Rita Skeeter asked a soul-searching question: Why would such a person become the head girl of the student union? Why would Dumbledore, a rigid old lunatic, do this? Is there some unspeakable secret between the two?
Rita Skeeter got the gossip from somewhere and directly described Ada as a complete slut, saying that Ada was dealing with a pair of innocent twin brothers and playing with the brothers' feelings at her fingertips.

The report also pointed out that this was not the first time Aida had done this. She had been playing with the feelings of the male classmates around her and attracting men since the first grade.

That’s not all. At the end, Cedric is mentioned vaguely, saying that Ada is now deliberately pursuing the most handsome boy in Hogwarts and wants the handsome boy from Hufflepuff to be her lover.

After reading this report, people's impression of Ada is that she is a slut with a beautiful appearance but a heart as vicious as a snake, and she should be put on the stake and burned to death.

The article was full of slanderous words, not a single word of which was true. If Ada was furious when she read the article, then Harry felt ashamed.

In this report, Harry took up a large amount of space and said a lot of "terrible words" that he himself had never said, portraying Harry as a wronged and pitiful little boy who would cry secretly on his pillow at night.

Rita Skeeter's word choice was disgusting and sickening, and anyone who knew Harry knew that Harry would never speak in that way.

Moreover, the report also mentioned the second slut of Hogwarts, Hermione Granger.

Rita Skeeter said that Hermione was stunningly beautiful and very tactful. Not only did she express her love for Harry, she also tried to seduce another famous figure, Viktor Krum, following in the footsteps of her predecessor and having two relationships at the same time.

There was not a single true word in the entire report; it was all made up by Rita Skeeter herself, and she even used extremely obscene and insulting words to describe the two female students. But strangely, the sales of this issue of The Daily Prophet were exceptionally good, and it was even reprinted several times.

The students in the school naturally read the report. They didn't dare to point fingers at Ada in front of her, but they dared to point fingers at Harry.

They were emboldened, especially after Ada ignored their 'Potter Stinks' badges, and Harry had to endure people quoting the article and making sarcastic comments as he passed by.

It was obviously a meaningless report, but it also unexpectedly led to a good thing. It was because of this report that Qiu Zhang miraculously agreed to Cedric's pursuit.

If Harry knew this, he would probably hate Rita Skeeter even more and might even want to kill her.

In fact, Cedric Diggory was a very good boyfriend choice. He had pursued Qiu Zhang for a long time and was loyal to her. It was natural for the two of them to be together. This report only accelerated the process.

That morning, Ada and the twins were going to Hogsmeade to meet Charlie, the second son of the Weasley family. In the hallway, they met Cedric, who was very happy. The Hogwarts school hunk immediately stopped the three of them.

"Hogwarts' most handsome boy, are you here to admire Ada's beauty?" Fred joked.

"Hufflepuff boy, if you become Ada's lover, what about Qiu Zhang?" George said, "I heard that many people have been eyeing her recently!" Ada laughed and scolded, "Get out of here, both of you!"

The twins' skin has been itching again these past two days, so it's time to give them some relaxation. People are in high spirits when they are happy, and the twins' teasing only earned Cedric's hearty laughter.

After laughing, Cedric immediately said seriously: "I am here to thank Ada, from the bottom of my heart."

This confused Ada and the twins, and the three of them looked at Cedric with confusion and bewilderment in their eyes.

Cedric's expression was serious, not joking at all. He explained, "Qiu read Rita Skeeter's newspaper, and then she agreed to my date request when we go to Hogsmeade later! Qiu, Qiu Zhang, she agreed to my date, she agreed to be with me! Brothers, I'm no longer single, I'm walking upright!"

With that, Cedric skipped away, his words were not clear, and he was still humming an unknown tune. Ada suddenly felt a little toothache, the tune Cedric hummed was too sweet.

"What's going on?" Fred watched Cedric's back gradually disappear, and his doubts grew. "What does that report have to do with Qiu Zhang?"

"I don't know. It should be to comfort Seth. After all, Seth failed to become a warrior. He lost not only to Ada but also to Harry." George touched his head. He didn't understand why. "Ada, aren't you a girl too? You should understand Qiu Zhang's thoughts, right?"

Ada was also scratching her head, wondering what Qiu Zhang had to do with the report. Ada said, "I have only spoken a few words to Qiu Zhang, so how can I know what she thinks!"

After standing there and thinking for a while, Ada and the twins couldn't figure out anything, so they went to Hogsmeade with a question mark in their heads.

The streets of Hogsmeade were filled with Hogwarts students. After finally checking out of Honeydukes, Ada felt as if she had been squeezed thinner. She swore that more than five people had stepped on her shoes just now.

Just as Ada and the twins were about to go to the Three Broomsticks to meet Charlie, they saw Cedric and Qiu Zhang, the newly-minted couple. Cedric waved to the three of them, but Qiu Zhang beside him secretly stopped him, preventing Cedric and Ada from contacting each other.

As they watched Qiu Zhang drag Cedric into Madam Puddifoot's Tea House, Ada and the twins finally understood why Qiu Zhang had suddenly agreed to a date with Cedric.

Cedric often hung out with Ada and the other two after class. Cedric and Ada had a lot of overlapping courses. Coupled with Rita Skeeter's false reports, these three factors made Qiu Zhang feel a strong sense of crisis.

Qiu Zhang certainly knew that the report about Ada was not credible, but people like to scare themselves. She was worried that Ada and Cedric would be attracted to each other and fall in love, and then she would have nothing to do with it.

So, when Cedric once again invited Qiu Zhang to spend the weekend in Hogsmeade, Qiu Zhang immediately agreed without even a second to think.

"It's obvious that lovers finally get married, but why can't I be happy at all?" Ada sighed, "Why do you think this is?"

"I can't be happy either. I also want to have such a day," said Fred.

"Do you need help? I can help you kidnap Madam Rosmerta." Ida suggested, "Didn't you like her very much in the past?"

George patted Ada's forehead and said, "Okay, stop imagining. Charlie is still waiting for us! Do you want to break your own abstinence and drink to drown your sorrows today?"

"No, never." Ada shook her head like a rattle. "I'm afraid I'll get drunk and burn down the Daily Prophet headquarters."

(End of this chapter)