Rita Skeeter, was Re: [HPforGrownups] Re: Things I don't understand

[Carol Bainbridge]

No: HPFGUIDX 48647

Steve wrote:
>Let's weigh the situation-
><snipped great list of stories Rita could write about>
>
>Now, on the other hand-
>* people might find out she is an unregistered animagi.
>
>The greatest group of stories she could ever imagine vs. being found
>out as an animagi.
>...
>I stand firmly by what I said before -
>
>"EXPECT BIG TROUBLE FROM RITA IN THE NEXT BOOK. Disasterous trouble."
>Deadly serious trouble.
>
>Maybe it will be Rita's big mouth or fat pen that will be responsible
>for the death in the next book.

I completely agree that we haven't seen the end of Rita and her Quick-Quote 
Quills.  However, I'm not so sure that she will make an appearance in book 
5.  Sure, she is sitting on the best group of stories imaginable, but no 
other journalist knows them or is likely to learn about them, at least most 
of them.  But we don't really know what the punishment is for being an 
unregistered animagi.  It could be more serious than a fine.  In any case, 
Rita hasn't agreed to remain silent forever.  She is supposed to keep quiet 
for a year.  That makes me suspect that we will see her back in book 
6.  I'm thinking book 5 will deal more with who aligns ups with which side 
-- the choices everyone will be making.  The trio will have forgotten about 
Rita, thinking that had solved that problem earlier, but then in book 6, 
she'll make a return appearance causing all kinds of problems with what she 
knows.  It seems to me that this could play quite nicely into the theme of 
choices.  The information she has can be seen as information the public has 
a right to know or information that could cause problems for many 
individuals, if not the entire (WW) society.  We hear this debate all the 
time.  With every in position at the end of book 5 for the battle with 
Voldemort, Rita could create some major damage by releasing her 
information.  When asked if she wrote Rita Skeeter as a response to how 
journalists "bothered" her after HP became so popular, she said, no, she 
had planned Rita from the beginning.  So, again, it makes sense that Rita 
is in there as another part of the theme of choice and how our choices 
affect not only us and those around us, but even perhaps our society.


Carol