Chapter 8: The Interview
Peri spent the days following the announcement of her as a champion in silence, she kept to herself. Remained to be seated with Draco and the others at meals as she always did but otherwise she spent her time alone. She walked the grounds heading for an area near the Black Lake, she had discovered this spot not long after her first days at Hogwarts, she chose it as a place to hide and escape everyone. As she approached the spot she caught a glimpse of four figures standing near the bank of the water. Two adults and two children, the adults appeared to be men. She stepped on a branch and one of the adult figures disappeared with a loud crack. The other adult male looked in her direction, "Peri," the man spoke, taking steps to meet her halfway.
She could see the man now, "Hello Remus…I can leave."
He chuckled, placing a hand gently on her shoulder, "Not necessary. Come join us. Remy just learned to skip a rock."
She nodded crossing the small distance to Ida and Remy, "Hi," she greeted them with a small curtsy.
"Please don't," Ida spoke with begging in her tone.
"Right forgot, my apologies."
"Quite alright. Want to skip rocks with Remy or paint with me?"
She stepped away from Remus picking up a rock, "I am not an artist, I'll stick to the rocks."
Peri approached Remy, who was tossing a rock across the water, "My father taught me." He twisted a black ring around his finger; she recognized this ring as being an heirloom of the Black Family given to the first male heir.
"Remulus!" Ida snapped at her brother when bringing up the mention of their father teaching him how to skip rocks.
Remus stepped forward, "Ida, it is alright," he assured her, "Peri is a friend of ours. We can trust her."
She seemed unsure, biting her lip, but gave a small nod when her eyes looked at his face. "He lives with us in France. He followed us here to protect us from any dangers or questioning," she looked at the pendant around her neck, it shared a similar design as the ring.
Remy spoke up for his sister, "We got a lot of questions last year after he escaped. They interrogated our mother more wanting to know his location…"
This made Ida angry, "He went for Harry! He didn't come for us! He went for Harry, not his children!" She tossed her paints and canvas on the ground stomping off angrily.
"Ida," Remus called after her.
She groaned, turning around, "I know I am not allowed anywhere without an escort!"
Remus sighed, his expression saddened watching her, "I think it is time to go back inside. It is time for a rest. Come, Remy," he motioned for him to follow.
He nodded, "Bye Peri."
Remy pushed his dark curls back from his face before joining his sister with Remus behind them. Peri watched them leave, before taking a seat and listening to the water and creaking of the Durmstrang ship.
When she returned to the castle she noticed students wearing buttons saying 'Support Cedric Diggory the Real Hogwarts Champion'. The buttons change to the words 'Potter Stinks'. She rolled her eyes, spotting Draco and his friends wearing them, "Really?" She questioned them, annoyed they would be wearing them, "You are all being juvenile."
"Oh come on, Peri. It's not like it is towards you…" Draco started
"Technically I'm an Ilvermorny champion, not Hogwarts."
"See this is why people don't care as much that you are competing. They don't like that you are under the age given but are ignoring it since you aren't taking away from Diggory. If you win Ilvermorny gets recognition…although that could be just as bad"
Mallory came racing down the hill towards them, "Peri!"
The group turned to the first-year Gryffindor, her blonde hair in two braids, "What is it, Mal?"
"I've been looking for you forever! I am to bring you to mom and Mr. Bagman wants you. They want pictures of all the champions for the papers and magazines." Peri groaned then followed Mallory inside, "Aren't you excited?"
She shook her head, "Not really."
"Oh…I'm enjoying the attention. My sister! A champion in the Triwizard tournament can you believe that!"
Peri smiled softly at her sister as they reached the fairly small classroom, "Found her!" Mallory announced entering the room, their younger sister coming over and pulling her to their mother.
"Where have you been?" Cassie asked to take her from Alicia to lead her to the other champions, "We have been waiting for hours. Had to pull Harry and Cedric from their classes."
"I was by the lake."
Cassie sighed, "Well, she is here now. A couple of hours later, but she's here," Bagman said stepping forward, "Champion number five! Let us get started before we miss dinner. Ms. King…take a seat next to Ms. Delacour."
Peri approached the seat, an elegant wooden chair that reminded her of the chairs in Richard's parents' dining room. She sat down; it was uncomfortable as the chair they owned as well.
"We will weigh your wand to ensure it is in proper working order."
"They did that before I entered the country."
"They did, but we need to resubmit the paperwork for the competition."
"Can't you just use that paperwork? I've been in the country less than six months."
Cassie stepped forward, "Periwinkle Elizabeth, do as you are told."
"Ooo full name," Alicia and Mallory giggled to one another.
Peri shot them both a glare making them squeak, "Fine…" she handed her wand to a man standing next to Bagman.
"It will be back in your possession soon," he assured her then left the room with it.
Bagman looked at a woman standing with elaborate rigid curls that contrasted her heavy-jawed face. She was dressed in what Peri assumed Hallie would look when older minus the glasses. Her fingers clutching a crocodile-skin handbag, Hallie's would be faux due to her disapproval of wearing anything from an animal. She was a strong advocate against animal cruelty. "This is Rita Skeeter, Peri. She has already been introduced to everyone. She will be writing a small piece for the Daily Prophet…"
"I told you already, Ludo. It will not be that small of an article," she said approaching them, her eyes glancing between Harry and Peri. "Let us get the photo shoot completed before I begin my interview with our Ilvermorny champion…as long as Peri does not object?"
Peri scowled at her, "Do I have a choice?"
She laughed, "Silly girl. You have such a funny daughter, Cassie."
Cassie turned her attention from her eldest, annoyance in her eyes for how she was behaving. Her expression changed looking at Rita, "She is something."
Rita laughed once more and then motioned her photographer to take pictures. They did a group photo of all the champions, individual portraits, and all the boys, and ended with the ladies in a portrait together. The number of pictures taken reminded Peri of their yearly Christmas card and family portraits.
"All of you are dismissed except Peri," Bagman announced as the expert in weighing her wand handed it back to her.
Rita Skeeter grabbed Peri's arm before she could get a word out pulling her into a broom cupboard, "Let's have a nice girl chat…just us ladies. Cozy?"
Peri looked at her as if she were clueless, "What? This is a broom cupboard."
"Come on," she pulled her more inside then gave her a gentle push onto an upside-down bucket.
Peri fell onto the bucket growing more annoyed with this woman the longer she was in her presence, she let out a sigh of annoyance.
"You won't mind if I use a Quick-Quotes Quill?" Rita asked pulling the quill and notepad from her handbag despite Peri rejecting this idea. She knew reporters enjoyed these quills to make their stories juicier gaining more attention from their readers.
"I rather…" Peri began before being cut off.
Rita Skeeter leaned forward, "So, Peri…short for Periwinkle?"
She raised an eyebrow confused about how this was relevant to the competition, "Yes…my mother likes the flower."
"Or is it because of your birth father?"
"I do not know. I never met my birth father."
The green writing on the notebook, A girl with a boy's name, removes from the dark beauty within Periwinkle King. Whose features resemble a certain Hogwarts professor…
Peri watched the writing, "Excuse me…"
"Ignore the quill."
"You are making accusations!"
Rita Skeeter smirked, "Ooo…a temper."
Peri's eyes burned with anger, her fist beginning to clench, "You know nothing about my business."
"Very well…if you alright with it then I can write the basic knowledge that the public knows from your time in America."
She nodded, "You may use any basic information you find within papers already published about me. I will not be giving any personal details about myself or my family. If it is public knowledge write it, nothing to hide. I will admit I did not enter my name into the Goblet of Fire. I would never risk my family's reputation in this way."
With that, she stood up leaving the broom closet in a hurry. Anger boiled over her as she hurried down the corridors before running into Draco, "Whoa! Peri, slow down." His arms wrapped around her catching her. He was taller than her despite being a year younger.
Her hands rested on his chest, her breathing heavy as she looked deep into his stormy eyes. She stepped back at the sound of a camera flashing, she turned to see the photographer running off. She closed her eyes, "I hate journalists!"
Her eyes reopened, Draco's head tilted slightly sideways in a sympathetic-understanding way, "I know…I grew up with the press for a while when I was younger and briefly when I started here at Hogwarts. My father lives for the attention to the Malfoy name…" he paused grabbing a beetle from her shoulder, dropping it outside the open window next to them. "Dinner?" he asked changing subjects.
"Please. I am starving," she took his arm following him to the Hall.