In today's predicament, Rita Skeeter doesn't know how many times she has regretted, but in her heart, she knows that making this choice at the crossroads of fate was inevitable.
No way around it, curiosity not only kills the cat but also a gossip-loving journalist.
At the very beginning, she was commissioned by Vid Gray to track a suspicious group of Werewolves.
On that ship, Rita Skeeter accidentally discovered that some Ministry of Magic officials were also traveling on this slow-moving Muggle transport. Without thinking, she eavesdropped on them, hoping to catch something juicy.
And it was indeed juicy.
An official at the Ministry of Magic named Umbridge, from attire to demeanor, was extraordinarily bizarre, opening Rita's eyes.
During the banquet, Umbridge spoke grandly about how to treat Muggles, Duds, and Mudbloods, and how to clear out "dirty non-human monsters"—
"I believe Muggles are unworthy of survival—of course, they are already in this world, and occasionally they are somewhat useful, as some jobs still need to be done by someone."
"So we can slightly tolerate them—allow those with dirty bloodlines to live."
"I think if Wizards can rule Muggles, we should eliminate those disobedient ones, keep those that can be tamed, and pen them like livestock."
"They shouldn't receive education or have the power to wield weapons. Muggles only need to learn to work."
"As for those Mudbloods born among Muggles, they shouldn't be allowed to wield Magic Wands, as this is too dangerous for Wizards."
"I also hope to push the Ministry of Magic to adopt new policies to strengthen the management of non-human creatures."
"Like expanding the Werewolf Capture Plan Group and reopening operations to eliminate Vampires—these are very necessary."
"Giants, Veela, Goblins, Centaurs, and Merpeople must be strictly controlled by Wizards... they must prove their worth to exist."
"Of course... I think all Giants should be exterminated; the existence of such creatures simply proves that even creators are not perfect..."
Because sitting beside her were officials of lower rank from the Ministry of Magic, who usually openly or secretly supported Pure-Blood theories hoping Wizards could wield more power, Umbridge spoke with some recklessness.
She truly did not believe there was anything wrong with her remarks. Umbridge genuinely believed this was the correct, and righteous stance, and even if misunderstood, she only felt isolated in her high standards.
It was this self-confidence that allowed Umbridge, whom many deemed "terrifyingly evil," to even cast the Patronus Charm, further bolstering her conviction.
She didn't notice that even those Wizards she considered her "kind," showed discomfort when hearing her various cold-blooded and brutal measures.
She was even more unaware of the tiny beetle perched on the Roman rod with curtains in the corner of the room.
Rita Skeeter noted all of Umbridge's statements—she had a pile of such dirt, just waiting for the right moment when the opposition stumbled, to make big news.
How to become a successful gossip journalist? Naturally, by accumulating little by little over time.
In the remaining time, Rita virtually forgot Vid's instructions, focusing intently on collecting Umbridge's dirt. The more she tracked, the more she felt she had found a gold mine.
But Umbridge's position as Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Magic made Rita Skeeter very cautious, so she pressed pause on this information like other data.
Who would have thought, upon returning to the United Kingdom, she would suddenly find Umbridge's status not as stable as she portrayed—
Minister Fudge intentionally picked on her twice, transferring some very important tasks from Umbridge to others, letting her inspect the quality of import and export Cauldrons instead.
This was generally a job only interns would take responsibility for.
Rita Skeeter confirmed that this person had been abandoned by the center of power, and she immediately rubbed her hands, ready to reveal the dirt, but considering the Deputy Minister's position hadn't really been cut, Rita decided to test the waters with a piece of scandalous gossip.
However, this time, although habitually exaggerating, Rita Skeeter didn't lie but hit an unexpectedly hard wall.
Umbridge acted like a loyal dog in front of the Minister of Ministry of Magic, wishing she could bark twice to express her loyalty; yet, in the Ministry of Magic, she actually held considerable power and controlled several lower-level staff.
Soon, Rita Skeeter faced retaliation and had to quickly flee from the United Kingdom.
Luckily, her Animagus form remained undiscovered, and with the Invisibility Cloak "borrowed" from Vid, Rita's escape was relatively smooth.
Rita used the postal system's public owl, mailed a blank letter abroad, then transformed into a beetle and perched on the owl's back, thereby flying out of the Great Britain Isles along with the owl.
She was supposed to reach the open and inclusive Denmark, but when the owl flew over the sea, an accident caused it to be struck down by a Muggle ship.
Rita followed the owl to crash onto the ship's deck; the poor owl died instantly from the fall, but the beetle flapped its wings a few times before landing steadily in a pile of ropes on the deck.
At that time, Rita thought it was just an unfortunate accident.