Chapter Fifteen: The Daily Gossip
Jo spread apart her curtains and got dressed. No one even moved as she crept around to her trunk and pulled her cloths out. After she had gotten fully dressed she went down to the common room and sat on one of the couches. The dim light of the sun shown though the windows. She glanced at the table beside the couch and gasped. There sitting on the table was a copy of the Daily Gossip the newspaper that Cho Chang writes. Jo picked it up and saw that most of the newspaper was devoted to her and Sabrina. "Sabrina Poorer than Weasley." read one of the headlines and another read "The Real Jo Potter." Jo scanned that article and found almost nothing but lies.
The portrait door opened and Sabrina came marching in. "Have you read this?!" she said angrily tossing her own copy of the paper onto the table.
"When do you want me to poison her?" Jo asked glaring at the paper. "Me sucking up to Diggory just to get the seeker position, and then getting detention by own house teacher...Well that was true but still!!"
Sabrina sighed as she plopped down next to Jo. "Poisoning her won't get anything done, except putting you in detention again, or perhaps expelled. And it isn't like it is my fault I am poor. What kind of jerk would write stuff like this, she is so...so... immature, self-centered, unsecured, pink and ...pink."
Jo flinched at the word "pink". "I'm gonna go talk to Cedric, is he up?" Jo asked standing up.
"Yeah, he's been up since 3:15, he sure doesn't sleep a whole lot, but he seemed wide awake." Sabrina said. "And I am coming with you, I ain't staying in here by myself."
Jo smirked. "Ok blonde." She ran the whole way up to Cedric's dorm. "Sabrina what's the password again?"
"Unicorn tears. " Sabrina replied and the portrait door opened. Cedric was sitting in a lounge chair and scribbling on some papers. "Finishing your homework Diggory?" Sabrina asked teasingly.
"Oh ha ha, and yes I am."
Cedric looked over his homework and shook his head. "Figures." He muttered. "Look, don't let her get to you, just ignore whatever she writes about you guys, all right? And if you can't stand it, or she writes something worse, take it to Dumbledoor. He told her that if she gets out of hand with her writing than he end her paper. So take it to him, I can't do anything about it."
"Ok. She wrote something about you too page 6." Jo said leaning back and staring at the ceiling.
"Oh really?" Cedric said not surprised he turned to page six and began to skim through it Cedric Diggory Fake or Real read the headline.
"Ok, that was pushing it too far." Cedric said placing his homework on the table and standing up. He began to leave the room when Cho walked in.
"Oh, hi Cedric." she said cheerily. She saw Jo standing next to Sabrina by the couch. "What is she doing here?" Cho asked, her mood changing to have a tone of pure hatred.
"My God I can't take this. Man you have gone to far dissing Sabrina and me and Cedric. What's up w/ you?!" Jo said her anger rising.
"Up with me?" Cho said faking her innocence. "I don't know what you mean."
Cedric stood staring at Cho, a cold, icy look in his eyes.
"Cedric, don't stare at me like that, it's creepy." Cho said shuddering.
"Yeah, so is your face." Sabrina muttered.
"I can't believe you. You are so cold hearted!" Jo continued. "I am taking this to the headmaster." She ran up the stairs and out of the dorm and down the staircase to the gargoyle in front of the Headmaster's room. "Dang it I don't know the password."
"Sherbet lemon." Sabrina said coming up behind Jo. "Don't ask how I know, it is a long story."
"I won't." Jo said rushing up the moving stairs. "Is Cedric coming?"
"No, he is telling off Cho. You should have seen the crowd around them, it was pretty cool."
"Sweet."
When Jo and Sabrina reached the headmaster Jo began to explain. "Yeah, and now she's gone to far. She dissed both my friends." Jo finished.
"Well, this has gone quite far indeed. I have gotten complaints before, but none like this. I will look in to stopping her paper. When you return, please have Mr. Diggory escort Miss Chang to my office." Professor Dumbledoor said calmly.
"Yes sir." Jo said as she and Sabrina left his office.
"Diggory, Dumbledoor wants you to take Chang to his office pronto." Sabrina said as they returned to the common room.
"Do I have to?" Cedric moaned.
"Yep." Sabrina said sitting on the couch. "I'll finish your homework. Hurry up, he is waiting."
"I'll come w/ you to fill you in on what happened." Jo said as she walked with Cedric and Cho out of the dorm. On the way Jo made sure not to leave out any details. "Yeah and now I hope her paper will be discontinued. Oh look here's your stop. I'll wait out here Cedric."
"All right. Sherbet lemon." The Staircase began to wind upward and Cedric led Cho up the steps.
Jo sat down wondering if Cho would stop her paper or not. "Nah she'll keep it going she'll write something even worse next time. Best watch my back." She thought.
Cedric came down the steps alone. "Dumbledoor asked me to leave. Wanted a 'private talk with Ms. Chang'."
"Busted." Jo muttered as she stood up. "Why were you up so early? Sabrina told me you got up sometime after three"
"I don't know, I guess I don't require a lot of sleep." Cedric said with a half smile.
"Cool?" Jo said confused.
Cedric gave a full smile. "It can be sometimes. Especially when you have stuff you have to take care of. Business and homework, stuff like that."
"I see." Jo said. Cedric and Jo heard the laugh of Peeves the poltergeist coming nearer. "Ugh, last time he tied my braids in to a knot."
Cedric smiled. "You don't like Peeves? I do. I torture him a lot. Once he sees that I am here, he will run off screaming."
Sure enough, when Peeves came close and Cedric turned around, Peeves screamed. "AHHHHHHHHH IT'S YOU!! NOT YOU!!! ANYONE BUT YOU!!!! I WANT TO KEEP MY CANE!!! MUMMY SAVE ME!!!!" and he flew off.
Cedric started laughing. "I'm coming after you Peeves." Cedric taunted, though he wasn't going anywhere.
"PLEASE SPARE ME!!!! DON'T HURT ME!!! I WANT MY MUMMY!!!!!"
Cedric laughed harder and turned back around to continue to the dorm.
Jo laughed so hard she began to cry. "Well.Uh I guess I'll see you later then." Jo said heading down towards the Slytherin's dorm.
"Yeah, later." Cedric muttered as he continued down the hall to the Ravenclaw dorm.
Once Jo got to the Slytherin dorm every one was in the common room reading The Daily Gossip. They began to stair and mutter when she came in. Jo avoided every one's eyes.
"Hey Jo you coming to breakfast?" Jessica asked as she got up for her seat on the couch.
"Nah I'm gonna stay here I got some things to do." Jo replied w/ a sly grin. Once every one was gone to breakfast Jo sat down and began to write a paper of her own. The Danger Times. But this paper was at least true but w/ some white lies in it to make people read it. But nothing to bad...yet.
Jo spread apart her curtains and got dressed. No one even moved as she crept around to her trunk and pulled her cloths out. After she had gotten fully dressed she went down to the common room and sat on one of the couches. The dim light of the sun shown though the windows. She glanced at the table beside the couch and gasped. There sitting on the table was a copy of the Daily Gossip the newspaper that Cho Chang writes. Jo picked it up and saw that most of the newspaper was devoted to her and Sabrina. "Sabrina Poorer than Weasley." read one of the headlines and another read "The Real Jo Potter." Jo scanned that article and found almost nothing but lies.
The portrait door opened and Sabrina came marching in. "Have you read this?!" she said angrily tossing her own copy of the paper onto the table.
"When do you want me to poison her?" Jo asked glaring at the paper. "Me sucking up to Diggory just to get the seeker position, and then getting detention by own house teacher...Well that was true but still!!"
Sabrina sighed as she plopped down next to Jo. "Poisoning her won't get anything done, except putting you in detention again, or perhaps expelled. And it isn't like it is my fault I am poor. What kind of jerk would write stuff like this, she is so...so... immature, self-centered, unsecured, pink and ...pink."
Jo flinched at the word "pink". "I'm gonna go talk to Cedric, is he up?" Jo asked standing up.
"Yeah, he's been up since 3:15, he sure doesn't sleep a whole lot, but he seemed wide awake." Sabrina said. "And I am coming with you, I ain't staying in here by myself."
Jo smirked. "Ok blonde." She ran the whole way up to Cedric's dorm. "Sabrina what's the password again?"
"Unicorn tears. " Sabrina replied and the portrait door opened. Cedric was sitting in a lounge chair and scribbling on some papers. "Finishing your homework Diggory?" Sabrina asked teasingly.
"Oh ha ha, and yes I am."
Cedric looked over his homework and shook his head. "Figures." He muttered. "Look, don't let her get to you, just ignore whatever she writes about you guys, all right? And if you can't stand it, or she writes something worse, take it to Dumbledoor. He told her that if she gets out of hand with her writing than he end her paper. So take it to him, I can't do anything about it."
"Ok. She wrote something about you too page 6." Jo said leaning back and staring at the ceiling.
"Oh really?" Cedric said not surprised he turned to page six and began to skim through it Cedric Diggory Fake or Real read the headline.
"Ok, that was pushing it too far." Cedric said placing his homework on the table and standing up. He began to leave the room when Cho walked in.
"Oh, hi Cedric." she said cheerily. She saw Jo standing next to Sabrina by the couch. "What is she doing here?" Cho asked, her mood changing to have a tone of pure hatred.
"My God I can't take this. Man you have gone to far dissing Sabrina and me and Cedric. What's up w/ you?!" Jo said her anger rising.
"Up with me?" Cho said faking her innocence. "I don't know what you mean."
Cedric stood staring at Cho, a cold, icy look in his eyes.
"Cedric, don't stare at me like that, it's creepy." Cho said shuddering.
"Yeah, so is your face." Sabrina muttered.
"I can't believe you. You are so cold hearted!" Jo continued. "I am taking this to the headmaster." She ran up the stairs and out of the dorm and down the staircase to the gargoyle in front of the Headmaster's room. "Dang it I don't know the password."
"Sherbet lemon." Sabrina said coming up behind Jo. "Don't ask how I know, it is a long story."
"I won't." Jo said rushing up the moving stairs. "Is Cedric coming?"
"No, he is telling off Cho. You should have seen the crowd around them, it was pretty cool."
"Sweet."
When Jo and Sabrina reached the headmaster Jo began to explain. "Yeah, and now she's gone to far. She dissed both my friends." Jo finished.
"Well, this has gone quite far indeed. I have gotten complaints before, but none like this. I will look in to stopping her paper. When you return, please have Mr. Diggory escort Miss Chang to my office." Professor Dumbledoor said calmly.
"Yes sir." Jo said as she and Sabrina left his office.
"Diggory, Dumbledoor wants you to take Chang to his office pronto." Sabrina said as they returned to the common room.
"Do I have to?" Cedric moaned.
"Yep." Sabrina said sitting on the couch. "I'll finish your homework. Hurry up, he is waiting."
"I'll come w/ you to fill you in on what happened." Jo said as she walked with Cedric and Cho out of the dorm. On the way Jo made sure not to leave out any details. "Yeah and now I hope her paper will be discontinued. Oh look here's your stop. I'll wait out here Cedric."
"All right. Sherbet lemon." The Staircase began to wind upward and Cedric led Cho up the steps.
Jo sat down wondering if Cho would stop her paper or not. "Nah she'll keep it going she'll write something even worse next time. Best watch my back." She thought.
Cedric came down the steps alone. "Dumbledoor asked me to leave. Wanted a 'private talk with Ms. Chang'."
"Busted." Jo muttered as she stood up. "Why were you up so early? Sabrina told me you got up sometime after three"
"I don't know, I guess I don't require a lot of sleep." Cedric said with a half smile.
"Cool?" Jo said confused.
Cedric gave a full smile. "It can be sometimes. Especially when you have stuff you have to take care of. Business and homework, stuff like that."
"I see." Jo said. Cedric and Jo heard the laugh of Peeves the poltergeist coming nearer. "Ugh, last time he tied my braids in to a knot."
Cedric smiled. "You don't like Peeves? I do. I torture him a lot. Once he sees that I am here, he will run off screaming."
Sure enough, when Peeves came close and Cedric turned around, Peeves screamed. "AHHHHHHHHH IT'S YOU!! NOT YOU!!! ANYONE BUT YOU!!!! I WANT TO KEEP MY CANE!!! MUMMY SAVE ME!!!!" and he flew off.
Cedric started laughing. "I'm coming after you Peeves." Cedric taunted, though he wasn't going anywhere.
"PLEASE SPARE ME!!!! DON'T HURT ME!!! I WANT MY MUMMY!!!!!"
Cedric laughed harder and turned back around to continue to the dorm.
Jo laughed so hard she began to cry. "Well.Uh I guess I'll see you later then." Jo said heading down towards the Slytherin's dorm.
"Yeah, later." Cedric muttered as he continued down the hall to the Ravenclaw dorm.
Once Jo got to the Slytherin dorm every one was in the common room reading The Daily Gossip. They began to stair and mutter when she came in. Jo avoided every one's eyes.
"Hey Jo you coming to breakfast?" Jessica asked as she got up for her seat on the couch.
"Nah I'm gonna stay here I got some things to do." Jo replied w/ a sly grin. Once every one was gone to breakfast Jo sat down and began to write a paper of her own. The Danger Times. But this paper was at least true but w/ some white lies in it to make people read it. But nothing to bad...yet.