Fred and George found out about Rita Skeeter’s animagus form, using the Marauder’s Map.
They constantly saw her on the map, but never managed to see her in person. The twins investigated, ruling out magical forms of concealment, e.g. invisibility cloak or the disillusionment charm, and discovered her in beetle form.
They blackmailed her, threatening to reveal her secret, and so Skeeter published the article. The twins were obliviated, thus they cannot remember 1) how they got Skeeter to publish, and 2) the Marauder’s Map.
Uncertainties:
If the blackmail is enough. I am not sure how the consequences of 1) publishing an article that destroys her reputation after the world realizes it is untrue, and 2) being revealed as an unregistered animagus, compare. I am leaning toward the secret being worse. It also destroys her reputation, as it reveals the source of her stories and her unethical journalistic methods. Plus, she would most likely face legal trouble, though the wizarding world isn’t exactly consistent with their laws.
Who obliviated the twins afterward. It may have been Rita Skeeter, as part of the agreement. Or Quirrel obliviated the twins, to prevent the chance of anyone realizing he killed Skeeter.
Rita Skeeter came before Dumbledore borrowed the map, and Fred and George’s comments on the glitches were in a context where revealing them to be Rita Skeeter would have made sense (or at least, revealing it by now). It’s strongly implied that they just paid someone (my guess is Lockheart) to false-memory charm Skeeter. This points away from the same charmer being behind the Rita Skeeter prank and obliviating the twins’ memories of the map; the charmer in Rita Skeeter’s case is apparently ridiculously competent (one reason I suspect Lockheart), whereas the twins’ recent obliviation was fairly crude.
Here’s one possibility: Lockheart learned how to do tricky obliviation/false memory charm/leglimency from the twin’s plan. I mean, L have figured that out on their own?
Ah, I mixed the timeline up. Thanks. Next time I think I’ve found an incredibly simple and satisfying answer, I’ll go do the incredibly simple check that supports/disproves it.
Fred and George found out about Rita Skeeter’s animagus form, using the Marauder’s Map.
They constantly saw her on the map, but never managed to see her in person. The twins investigated, ruling out magical forms of concealment, e.g. invisibility cloak or the disillusionment charm, and discovered her in beetle form.
They blackmailed her, threatening to reveal her secret, and so Skeeter published the article. The twins were obliviated, thus they cannot remember 1) how they got Skeeter to publish, and 2) the Marauder’s Map.
Uncertainties:
If the blackmail is enough. I am not sure how the consequences of 1) publishing an article that destroys her reputation after the world realizes it is untrue, and 2) being revealed as an unregistered animagus, compare. I am leaning toward the secret being worse. It also destroys her reputation, as it reveals the source of her stories and her unethical journalistic methods. Plus, she would most likely face legal trouble, though the wizarding world isn’t exactly consistent with their laws.
Who obliviated the twins afterward. It may have been Rita Skeeter, as part of the agreement. Or Quirrel obliviated the twins, to prevent the chance of anyone realizing he killed Skeeter.
Rita Skeeter came before Dumbledore borrowed the map, and Fred and George’s comments on the glitches were in a context where revealing them to be Rita Skeeter would have made sense (or at least, revealing it by now). It’s strongly implied that they just paid someone (my guess is Lockheart) to false-memory charm Skeeter. This points away from the same charmer being behind the Rita Skeeter prank and obliviating the twins’ memories of the map; the charmer in Rita Skeeter’s case is apparently ridiculously competent (one reason I suspect Lockheart), whereas the twins’ recent obliviation was fairly crude.
Here’s one possibility: Lockheart learned how to do tricky obliviation/false memory charm/leglimency from the twin’s plan. I mean, L have figured that out on their own?
Fred and George give Dumbledore the map way after they bust Rita Skeeter, so they had to have remembered the map existed for at least that long.
Ah, I mixed the timeline up. Thanks. Next time I think I’ve found an incredibly simple and satisfying answer, I’ll go do the incredibly simple check that supports/disproves it.