Thanks SO MUCH for the favorites and follows! Every bit helps! This one was a bitch to write just because I wanted to get everything about the scenes as perfect and canon as I possibly could. I worked very hard on this one.
As always (possibly more than usual), I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. C:
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.
P.S. I know, I know, I changed some things. I really hope that they don't irk anyone too much. I promise that they are necessary for the plot!
Chapter Three: Revelations
Harriet had never been a crier. Sure, when she was little and got hurt or something, she could wail at the top of her lungs with the best of them. But as she got older, she matured and learned how to deal with stress and pain without having a big, ugly cry in the middle of the hallway. That changed after Cedric's death. It was really hard to walk through the halls and spot every single place that she and Cedric used to hang out at, and not feel as thought she were going to fall apart.
The young Puff had only known Cedric for a little less than a year. She couldn't even begin to imagine how bad it must have been for Cho.
When was this supposed to get easier?
Would it ever?
The copper-haired witch mulled over these thoughts through breakfast (successfully ignoring Marjory and Billy's impromptu snog fest) and continued her deep thought all the way through Potions and Charms. Those subjects had never quite interested her, anyways. Thankfully, Snape had always been rather indifferent towards the Hufflepuff house. Harriet decided to herself that to Snape, harassing humble Puffs most likely paled in comparison to the golden opportunity to bully the Gryffindors. And as for Charms, she'd managed to barely scrape by with Acceptable's for the past four years, and she'd probably do the same now.
It was upon meeting the newest professor for the Defense Against the Dark Arts that Harriet finally paid some real attention. Being one of the first students to enter the class, she took the opportunity to observe the newest addition to the Hogwarts staff. She was a stout woman, and quite thick around her waist. The noises that she emitted from her fat, wet mouth made Harriet cringe. But despite the awful first glance, she tried her very best not to judge her newest professor too soon.
Harriet took a seat in the middle of the classroom and set her wand down on the desk infront of her. She could have sworn that the slender stick of dark brown wood held as much disgruntlement as she did. Picking nervously into the swirling wooden grooves with her fingernails, she waited to see who she would be sitting next to for the next school year.
Students from all houses filed into the rows of two-seater desks. A quiet and gossipy chatter accompanied the screeching sound of a piece of chalk scribbling away on the chalkboard. The fifth year Hufflepuff tried her best to ignore the urge to cringe again, and instead looked around the room. It seemed as though everyone had a desk partner but her.
Just as the young witch was getting used to the idea of sitting alone, she felt a tap at her shoulder. Green met green as she turned toward the shoulder-tapper.
"Is..er...is this seat taken?"
To Harriet's utter surprise, Harry Potter gestured towards the seat beside her. If something like this had happened during her first year, she would have squealed in delight and glued his rump to the seat of the chair. However, like most of the witches at Hogwarts, the star-struck feeling ended around third year when they realized that he was not going to 'like like' any of them back. The childhood crush had also died the moment she saw him with Cedric's...
Nevermind that, she had grieved quite enough today. She gave a friendly smile and shook her head.
"No, go ahead." She scooted her chair a bit to the side in order to accomodate his slightly-larger build.
A look of relief flashed across his face as he sat down. He pushed his messy black hair away from his forehead for a second, a sign of exhaustion. This slightly revealed the lightning bolt scar that everyone had fussed about since You-Know-When. The Potter boy gave a sigh.
"I know, I was worried I would be sitting by myself all year, too." Harriet chuckled lightly.
Harry sent her a small smile in return, and just as Harriet thought he was going to reply, a sharp 'hem hem' interrupted them.
"Good morning, children." The squeakiest voice she had ever heard attacked the witch's ear drums. Merlin, this was going to be painful.
Harriet glanced around the room as the woman started her beginning of the year speech, taking note of the 'mightier-than-thou' tone that her too-sweet voice carried. Whether it was intentional or not, it irked her. She caught sight of the three words on the chalkboard: "Ordinary Wizarding Levels". Ah, of course. All of her professors had begun with something of that nature.
"What's this professor's name again?" She whispered to Harry, forgetting whether she had been introduced yesterday in the Great Hall. Harry gave her a confused look in return.
"Umbridge, weren't you paying attention last night? She made quite the appearence." He answered her, brow furrowed.
"Erm, no. I tend to space out a lot." She shrugged her shoulders apologetically. Maybe she should look into a focusing potion, if there was such a thing.
Another 'hem hem' brought the pair's attention to the front of the room once again. The pink witch swished her wand at a pile of textbooks, which was a great deal taller than she was. They levitated to each desk, neatly sliding infront of every student. Harriet inspected the book with an air of skepticism. The cover looked as though it were a book meant for magical children as an introduction to actual schooling. A pre-Hogwarts gift to prepare a young witch or wizard for Hogwarts.
"Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly...uneven. But you'll be pleased to know, from now on you'll be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of Defensive Magic." The stout woman informed her class as the books settled in their appropriate places. Did the Ministry's approval mean that the students would be sheltered?
Well, Harriet thought to herself, running her fingers along the side of the book and flipping through a few pages, looks can be decieving sometimes.
"Yes?" Umbridge piped up, noticing that another Gryffindor had raised their hand.
It was Hermione Granger, the lone female in the Gryffindor Trio. Scanning her eyes across the classroom, Harriet confirmed that Ron Weasley was also in her class and the Golden Trio was, indeed, compete. She couldn't remember ever seeing the two Gryffindor boys apart. The red head was sitting next to Hermione, watching as she raised her arm up at a perfect ninety-degree angle. Harriet couldn't help but notice how Ron's hair was a few shades lighter than the twins'.
Focus, Stewart.
"I'm sorry, but this textbook doesn't say anything about using defensive spells." The bushy-haired (Yet still gorgeous, Harriet thought irritatedly. Is everyone here flipping the good side of the puberty coin?) witch inquired. Blimey, had she read the whole book already?
"Using spells?" Umbridge gave a high pitched giggle. "Why, I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom." She sounded as though she had been told that she was part Hippogriff.
"We're not gonna be using magic?" The red headed wizard piped up from beside his fellow witch, puzzled.
"You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk free way." She said in a comforting tone. It did nothing of the sort.
Just as Harriet was about to ask for clarification as to what exactly was risk free about dark magic, Harry let out an annoyed scoff.
"What use is that? If we're going to be attacked, nothing's going to be risk free about it." Her fellow fifth year commented. Before he could even finish the sentence, Umbridge had started to shut it down.
"Students will raise their hands in my classroom." While the sweetness stayed at a level of diabetes, her overall tone changed. There was an air of simple demand about her.
"It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations, which after all is what school is all about." The professor continued. The ever-pleasant smile returned to her face, plastered on with loads pink make-up.
"How's theory supposed to prepare us for what's out there?" Harry argued in a very clipped manner, volume of his voice rising. Harriet could feel the eyes on their desk, and all she wanted was to shrink. She could feel her face heating up. If there was one thing she didn't like, it was being in the middle of the action. Even observing this confrontation made her visibly uncomfortable. Her slight shoulders hunched as she tried to make herself smaller.
"There is nothing out there dear. Who do you imagine would like to attack children?" She gave a disbelieving laugh, which no one joined in on.
"Oh, I don't know, how about Lord Voldemort." Harry deadpanned.
Just like that, the atmosphere in the room took a drastic shift from awkward to tense. Hushed whispers became white noise, coming from all corners of the room. They echoed off of stone walls.
"I heard he saw You-Know-Who."
"What a twat, someone introduce him to Loony Lovegood."
"Did he really say his name?"
Umbridge's air of authority returned like a gale force wind.
"Now let me make this quite plain. You have been told that a certain Dark Wizard is at large once again." She started in an impossibly loud whisper. Her tiny feet began to move her down the aisles of desks. "This is a lie."
"It's not! I saw him! I fought him-" Harry began, shouting now. He looked around the room desperately, even making eye contact with Harriet. His emerald eyes were wide with a nervous alertness. "Believe me!" the green pools begged. She could offer him nothing, staring back with a stupid, dumbfounded look.
"Detention, Mr. Potter!" Umbridge snapped back, turning around as she ended the conversation.
"So, according to you Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord!" Harry screamed back, hands balling into fists on his desk.
Harriet's heart dropped. The few seconds of abrupt silence that followed the accusation felt like hours to her as her own fingernails dug into her palms. Even the mention of his name made her stomach turn with grief. The room whirled around her, and she squeezed her eyes shut tight as the threat of tears made itself known. No, she would not cry in this classroom.
Is that what really happened? She had heard rumors, but never directly from the source. The idea that Cedric had been killed- murdered. It was unreal. She would not accept it. No one would murder Cedric, not even You-Know-Who. What would the most powerful Dark Wizard in all of magical history want with Cedric? The professors had told her that it was an accident during the Tournament. After all, the students had been warned many times by Dumbledore himself, "People die in these games."
"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident!" Umbridge rebuked, voice taut with sympathy. Though it looked very feigned to Harriet.
"It was murder, Voldemort killed him! You must know th-"
"ENOUGH!" Umbridge shrieked. Her tiny body went stick-straight at the front of the room. Noticing the level of her voice, she lowered it considerably, relaxed her shoulders, and began again. "Enough. Mr. Potter, see me later. My office." She smiled, and it was incredibly fake.
"Hem-hem!" She giggled.
It took a lot of effort to flag Harry down after the ordeal, as he bolted out of the room like he was atop a broom. The fifth year had to scurry out of the classroom and into the corridor as fast as she could. But after running a few yards to grasp at his elbow, he finally turned around. The intensity in his green eyes scared her, and he stopped so suddenly that she bumped into his front as he turned around. Her wand clattered to the floor, and she bent to pick it up. Harriet had to admit that she was glad for the excuse to look away from him.
He waited to address her until the crowd of exiting students had cleared. They were alone in the stonewalled passageway. She took the opportunity to readjust her robes and fidget with her wand.
"What?" He snapped. Was he so angry all the time?
It took a few seconds for her to gather herself and look him in the eyes again. Her mouth opened and closed multiple times as she tried to fit her words together. His annoyance visibly grew.
"I...is it true?" The Hufflepuff asked, filling up with dread. Merlin, did she even want to know the truth? Why was she doing this to herself?
"Is what true?" His expression softened a fraction as he noticed her trembling form. She probably looked pathetic, fingers winding in her coppery hair in an attempt to stop her shaking.
"Did You-Know-Who really...murder..." Her throat felt tight. It had been so long since Harriet had been able to say her fellow Hufflepuff's name out loud. It hurt to try now. Tears welled up around her eyes again, and she felt her cheeks get hot. A lump developed at the base of her throat that could not be swallowed down. She fought to keep the tears at bay, and she was once again victorious- if not only slightly.
"Yes." Harry answered her simply. While his voice was no longer aggressive, his eyes still held the same intensity. "I'm sorry." He apologized as he analyzed her strong reaction. The young Gryffindor's words were careful now. "Were you two close?"
Because the witch did not yet trust herself to speak without her voice breaking, she gulped hard and nodded. Cedric was someone that she would never forget, even if he hadn't...
"Cedric was my friend too. People seem to forget that when they accuse me of lunacy." The statement, while passive aggressive, gave her at least a little comfort. He felt loss too, he was just like her. His hand touched her shoulder briefly, and he made to turn around.
"Thank you." Harriet's voice sounded someone had strangled her. Embarrassment attacked her nerves from the inside. Harry simply nodded and carried on to his next classes. She took a few moment to compose herself before she did the same.
Her next class was Care of Magical Creatures, and to her dismay, Cho Chang would be joining her.
The Asian goddess took a seat beside her as soon as she sat down and immediately began questioning her strange behavior. She tried her best to hide her discomfort from her friend, and kept the conversation light. How were Cho's classes? How was Marietta's vacation? How did she feel about her summer essay? Being so intently focused on keeping Cho's concern on a leash, she even let herself be talked into sitting with her at dinner.
"Really? I'm so excited! We can talk all about you and George Weasley." She winked a mocha-brown almond eye, and turned to face the front of the class.
Merlin, what had she done now?
Dinner was brutal.
Harriet was caught multiple times trying to stuff her face with food in frenzied attempts to avoid answering questions. Marietta and Cho baited her many times, and she felt quite like a moth being drawn to a dangerous flame.
"And the way he looked at you! I thought he would have introduced himself so much earlier!" Cho said dreamily, swirling her silver spoon in her chicken noodle soup.
Marietta scoffed, speaking through a mountain of food. Her already-chubby face looked ridiculously like a chipmunk as she stored bits of bread in her cheeks. "How he looked at her? How she started at him!"
Harriet wished that she could have drowned in her own soup. She stared into the golden-brown pool of flavor in an attempt to hide her rapidly reddening cheeks. Maybe if she pressed her face into the bowl hard enough, she would indeed drown. She imagined the headlines in the Prophet:
Hogwarts Witch drowns in two inches of chicken broth! Details on page four.
She snapped out of her daydreaming in time to realize that the Ravenclaw duo had gone quiet. Harriet had this ominous feeling, as though something dreadful were about to happen. She tilted her head up and away from her soup bowl, and saw that two very tall, very attractive redheads were standing at the opposite side of the table. Her grass-green eyes went wide.
The two shared wicked grins. If the Puff's face wasn't red before, it certainly was now.
"'Lo, Harriet." They said in unison, the one she was pretty sure was George winked at her with those dark brown eyes.
"Hello." She nodded towards them and gulped. Was he trying to kill her?
"We were, uh, unfortunately occupied today during a few of our classes," He started, sounding not at all like it was unfortunate in any sense.
"-and we have been informed that a lovely Hufflepuff shares out Potion's class." Fred continued, sounding professional.
Harriet, confused, found her tiny voice. "But you're both seventh years...I'm taking fifth year potions."
"Well you see, my lady," George informed her. "So are we."
"Potions isn't exactly our academic strength." Fred nodded.
"Academics aren't our academic strength." George added in mock seriousness.
Marietta giggled much too loudly beside her, cupping her face between her hands and resting her elbows on the table. She apparently found the joke extremely funny.
"So, sweet Harriet, we were wondering if you could let us know what our wonderful assignment is for tonight." Fred leaned a hand onto the table, smiling down from a great height.
"We really would like to start off on the right foot with Snapey this year." George smirked.
"Seven inches on the importance of proper cauldron cleaning." She sputtered out quickly. Her heart raced simply from being around them. Merlin, she was a goner.
"Enticing." The twins said in unison. "Thanks, Harriet." And with that, they were off to their own dinner table.
Marietta and Cho looked as though they had won the wizarding lottery.
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Thanks for reading. C:
