Title: Not So Bad At All
Warnings: AU
Pairings: Harry/Luna, Cedric/Cho
Rating: K+
Word Count: 509
Summary: Harry's fourth year might not be so bad after all.
Notes: Written for Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry. Muggle Studies Class. Basketball.
Written for the Harry Potter Chapter Challenge. The Boy Who Lived.
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em - not making any money off 'em. Dern it.
Harry quietly ate breakfast, trying to avoid the various glaring eyes. He really wanted to be over with breakfast, especially before Ron and Hermione arrived.
His eyes watered at the thought of his best friends, or at least they were supposed to be his best friends. He wasn't so sure how true their friendship actually was, not if they could turn on him so easily.
He was surprised when Neville came to sit by him; everyone else seemed to be giving Harry a wide berth. Neville began eating, ignoring the various stares, but not before he whispered, "I believe you."
Harry's heart warmed at the quiet admission. Maybe he wasn't as alone as he originally thought.
Later on that day, two Ravenclaws approached him. One, he recognized as Cho Chang. The other girl was unfamiliar to him, but she had straggly blonde hair and silvery grey eyes.
Cho turned out to be the spokesperson. "Harry, I've talked to Cedric." She blushed at that, and he realized with a sinking heart that she had a crush on the older Hufflepuff, so Harry probably had no chance. "Anyways, after hearing what he has to say, I don't believe you had anything to do with the cup spewing out your name." The other girl nodded and Cho introduced her. "This is Luna Lovegood. She's a third year. When I decided to come find you, she came up to me and said, 'I want to come with you to tell Harry I have faith in his innocence.' I'm not sure how she knew I was planning to come find you, but..." Cho trailed off.
Luna smiled and took Harry's hand, giving it a light squeeze. "Our futures are forever intertwined."
For a split second, Harry wondered if she was a seer, but despite Trelawney's eerie prediction the year before, he still had trouble believing in divination.
"That's good to know."
"Cedric is going to do everything he can to help you out as well. And that includes getting Hufflepuff to back off with the taunts," Cho promised.
Harry smiled. "Tell him I appreciate it."
Cho nodded and left.
Luna stayed, though. "There is going to be a Yule Ball. Cho and Cedric will go together. I expect you to ask me to be your date. Understood?"
Harry blinked. He wasn't sure where she got such forcefulness from, especially when he never met her, but he found himself surprisingly liking it. "Okay. You should know though, I don't know how to dance."
Luna nodded. "I do know. I'm going to teach you." She turned and left while Harry's eyes stayed on her until she disappeared around a corner.
It definitely seemed as if he wasn't completely alone. He had Neville, Cedric, Cho, and Luna on his side. He doubted he'd get any Slytherins on his side, but that wasn't a real lost.
Maybe this year wouldn't be as horrible as he thought. Maybe he didn't need Ron and Hermione, not if he had these other people looking out for him. Only time would tell.