Rita's punishment - Open.

[magicministry]

Who : A note from Big Brother & anyone else.
When : September 5th, around noon.
Where : Sitting room.
Rating : TBA
Summary : TBA

Comments

[poisoned_quill]

Rita read the news of the nomination with a faint flicker of unease. She knew damn well that she would be nominated this week - it was a given, really, with the number of people she'd seriously pissed off. But perhaps the audience liked her, or liked the spectacles they were given to watch, thanks to her, so maybe she wouldn't go this week.

Then she read the other note.

Oh, sweet jesus on a broomstick. She stared at the glass on the table, heart beating hard, breath coming short.

Maybe she should just leave now. Go and get her trunk and leave. How could it possibly be worth it? Penalties for using Veritaserum were a slap on the wrist. Penalties for being an illegal animagus were... well, she didn't really know. Very few people had been caught during her lifetime. But there was an animagus registry for a reason, and not being on it...

Fuck. What would it matter? If she refused to drink it, the Ministry would know she was hiding something important, and no doubt they'd invent a reason to interrogate her. Perhaps it would be

[nevilletherebel]

Neville scanned the piece of parchment and smiled, turning to Rita and looking her straight in the eye as she drank her potion. Now he stepped forwards, sitting down opposite her and narrowing his eyes.

"A taste of your own medicine..." he surmised. "I shant ask you how it feels, because it'll count as a question. There is something...far more important to ask...something I don't think I will be able to understand unless...well..."

He tilted his head backwards, thinking how best to phrase it so that she couldn't escape it. "During the second war against Lord Voldemort, certain of us decided not to fight; to stay back for an altogether far more selfish reason. You warranted to save your own skin; but I think it was more than that, Rita...what were you so afraid of Voldemort taking from you?"

[poisoned_quill]

Rita was rather grateful that the first person into the room was Neville. The illusion that no one might come in didn't last long, and she was getting more and more concerned about what she would be asked

[nevilletherebel]

Neville listened, and although he couldn't understand even after all that, why she wouldn't fight, he did consider things settled. Knowing her reasons soothed the anger inside of him a little bit. He stood back up, looking down at Rita, thinking that she was done.

Just as he was about to turn away, however, Rita spoke again, and Neville turned to face her.

There was no denying that something ugly passed over Neville's face at the mention of Bellatrix Lestrange. For a moment he felt terribly sick, furious, suicidal, homicidal...and then he closed his eyes and breathed in slowly. She was dead. Bellatrix Lestrange was dead. Nothing to worry about. She had earned her just reward for what she had done.

He tilted his head slightly. "Is that why you were at the trial?" he asked, his eyes on Rita's. "To see her earn her just desserts?" And then he froze, realising he'd asked a question. "Nevermind that...you don't have to answer that. I'll just..." He stepped back.

[poisoned_quill]

She didn't have to answer, she knew that, 'I don't have to answer that' would be as much truth as the actual answer, but the potion made the whole truth easier to say, and at this point she didn't mind answering that one.

"I was at the trial because of the Prophet, but it was also... of personal interest. Glad to see her go away, but painful too, because... well, love of a friend, or the memory of it never quite leaves you, does it? Even when she's turned into a monster and you despise her at the same time."

[nevilletherebel]

"I...thank you, Rita," he said, slowly, then backed off a step. "G-good luck with the nominations," he said, nervously, then turned around and left, still thinking about what he'd heard.

[last_born_girl]

Ginny looked across at Rita. This was very interesting indeed...

"Well... I think you know where this is going, Rita" she said "And I'm afraid you're brought it on yourself. So... Boggarts always take the form of whatever they think will frighten us the most. Why did it take the form of a pin when you encountered it?"

[poisoned_quill]

Rita did indeed know where it was going, and this was the question she was most dreading.

When Ginny asked, she thought about it. As hard as she could. About how she'd answer it, and... no. She didn't have to say everything, because that hadn't been the question. She only hoped she could stall and waste their questions with specific, concise answers for long enough for them to run out of them.

She chose her words carefully. "Because I'm terrified of being impaled."

It wasn't enough. Wasn't enough of the truth that the potion would be satisfied. It wasn't being impaled, precisely, that she was afraid of, it was...

"I'm terrified of having a pin shoved through my back by a coleopterist."

There. That was it. Now... would any of them know what a coleopterist was?

[last_born_girl]

Ginny cocked her head to one side, studying Rita. Then she gave some slow applause

"Bravo, Ms Skeeter. Maybe I should have phrased the question more carefully. Still, credit to you for the dodge."

[poisoned_quill]

Rita nodded once, acknowledging the question had been a good one, but didn't trust herself to speak.