Skylar and Harry didn't talk much for the following week. Skylar noticed Harry was slightly avoiding her, refusing to be alone with her and only talking to her when in conversation with her and Ron and Hermine. It was made easy for him, of course, as people were continuously coming up to Harry, Ron and Hermione to ask them about what happened in the lake. The same story was repeated again and again; Harry had found the Merpeople first, everyone knew that, but it seemed he had had to wander around for a while and he'd almost lost to the Grindylows like Fleur had. The Merpeople's city had sounded interesting, apparently some had Grindylows for pets.
Ron was enjoying the attention the most, and his version of events changed subtly with every retelling. At first, he gave what seemed to be the truth; it tallied with Hermione's story, anyway — Dumbledore had put all the hostages into a bewitched sleep in Professor McGonagall's office, first assuring them that they would be quite safe, and would awake when they were back above the water. One week later, however, Ron was telling a thrilling tale of kidnap in which he struggled single-handedly against fifty heavily armed merpeople who had to beat him into submission before tying him up.
"But I had my wand hidden up my sleeve," he assured Padma Patil, who seemed to be a lot keener on Ron now that he was getting so much attention and was making a point of talking to him every time they passed in the corridors. "I could've taken those mer-idiots any time I wanted."
"What were you going to do, snore at them?" said Hermione waspishly. People had been teasing her so much about being the thing that Viktor Krum would most miss that she was in a rather tetchy mood.
Ron's ears went red, and thereafter, he reverted to the bewitched sleep version of events.
As they entered March the weather became drier, much to Skylar's disappointment. She knew becoming an animagus could take years, but she had hoped the universe would favour her. So far there had not been an electrical storm and she was still incanting the spell twice a day. Professor McGonagall was checking in on her often to see how she was going, and was impressed she was still on track. And Skylar had thought the mandrake leaf would be the hardest part.
Despite the last of rain, cruel winds still skinned their hands and faces every time they went out onto the grounds. There were delays in the post because the owls kept being blown off course. The brown owl that Harry had sent to Sirius with the dates of the Hogsmeade weekend turned up at breakfast on Friday morning with half its feathers sticking up the wrong way; Harry had no sooner torn off Sirius's reply than it took flight, clearly afraid it was going to be sent outside again.
Sirius's letter was almost as short as the previous one.
Be at stile at the end of the road out of Hogsmeade (past Dervish and Banges) at two o'clock on Saturday afternoon. Bring as much food as you can.
"He hasn't come back to Hogsmeade?" said Ron incredulously.
"It looks like it, doesn't it?" said Hermione.
"I can't believe him," said Harry tensely, "if he's caught…"
"Made it so far, though, hasn't he?" said Ron. "And it's not like the place is swarming with dementors anymore."
Skylar sighed, Sirius had never been one to run and hide, and he'd never been one for sensibility. Her dad had always told the stories where Sirius was up for adventure and danger, though James always seemed most likely to start the ideas. They were all courageous enough to be considered almost stupid in their endeavours.
The final lesson for that afternoon was double potions and the four made their way down in silence.
Skylar was lost in her own thoughts with too much to think about, Sirius coming back to Hogsmeade allowing someone to potentially recognise the black dog was just one of them. After all, Harry couldn't have been the only one to see it last year as he paraded around the school grounds. She worried about the chance of an electrical storm never occurring within this school year, when summer began the days would be longer and it might become more difficult to say the incantation at sunrise and set with breakfast and dinners in the way, especially if she wanted to keep her experiment to herself.
And then there was of course what to do with Harry. She had upset him when admitting Stephen didn't like them spending time together, but she didn't expect him to avoid her for it. She'd clearly chosen to spend time with him regardless, so why was he avoiding her this way? Of course, neither Harry, Hermione or Ron knew she'd ended her relationship with Stephen, and with all the commotion after the task it didn't surprise her they hadn't noticed her continued presence unlike before.
Coming to the potions classroom, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle were standing in a huddle outside the classroom door with Pansy Parkinson's gang of Slytherin girls. All of them were looking at something they couldn't see and were sniggering heartily. Pansy's pug-like face peered excitedly around Goyle's broad back as Harry, Skylar, Ron, and Hermione approached.
"There they are, there they are!" she giggled, and the knot of Slytherins broke apart. Skylar broke from her thoughts to turn and see the group before her eyes were drawn to a magazine in Pansy's hands — Witch Weekly. The moving picture on the front showed a curly-haired witch who was smiling toothily and pointing at a large sponge cake with her wand.
"You might find something to interest you in there, Granger!" Pansy said loudly, and she threw the magazine at Hermione, who caught it, looking startled. At that moment, the dungeon door opened, and Snape beckoned them all inside.
Hermione, Skylar, Harry, and Ron headed for a table at the back of the dungeon as usual. Once Snape had turned his back on them to write up the ingredients of today's potion on the blackboard, Hermione hastily rifled through the magazine under the desk. At last, in the centre pages, Hermione found what they were looking for. Harry and Ron leaned in closer. A colour photograph of Harry headed a short piece entitled:
Harry Potter's Secret Heartache
A boy like no other, perhaps — yet a boy suffering all the usual pangs of adolescence, writes Rita Skeeter. Deprived of love since the tragic demise of his parents, fourteen-year-old Harry Potter thought he had found solace in his steady girlfriend at Hogwarts, Muggle-born Hermione Granger. Little did he know that he would shortly be suffering yet another emotional blow in a life already littered with personal loss.
Miss Granger, a plain but ambitious girl, seems to have a taste for famous wizards that Harry alone cannot satisfy. Since the arrival at Hogwarts of Viktor Krum, Bulgarian Seeker and hero of the last World Quidditch Cup, Miss Granger has been toying with both boys' affections. Krum, who is openly smitten with the devious Miss Granger, has already invited her to visit him in Bulgaria over the summer holidays, and insists that he has "never felt this way about any other girl."
However, it might not be Miss Granger's doubtful natural charms that have captured these unfortunate boys' interest.
"She's really ugly," says Pansy Parkinson, a pretty and vivacious fourth-year student, "but she'd be well up to making a Love Potion, she's quite brainy. I think that's how she's doing it."
Love Potions are, of course, banned at Hogwarts, and no doubt Albus Dumbledore will want to investigate these claims. In the meantime, Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart on a worthier candidate.
"What on earth…" Skylar mumbled frowning, having read it over Hermione's shoulder. She'd taken to sitting on the end, rather than between Harry and Hermione in their classes. This was an article that made no sense at all. For a starter, the last time Rita Skeeter had written about Harry's love life it had been about her, Skylar, not Hermione. "Changes her tune randomly doesn't she?"
Ron seemed more worried than either of the two girls as Hermione didn't show any concern to the article.
"I told you!" Ron hissed at Hermione as she stared down at the article. "I told you not to annoy Rita Skeeter! She's made you out to be some sort of — of scarlet woman!"
Hermione stopped looking astonished and snorted with laughter. "Scarlet woman?" she repeated, shaking with suppressed giggles as she looked around at Ron.
"It's what my mum calls them," Ron muttered, his ears going red.
"If that's the best Rita can do, she's losing her touch," said Hermione, still giggling, as she threw Witch Weekly past Skylar and onto the empty chair beside her. "What a pile of old rubbish."
She looked over at the Slytherins, who were all watching her and Harry closely across the room to see if they had been upset by the article. Hermione gave them a sarcastic smile and a wave, and she, Skylar, Harry, and Ron started unpacking the ingredients they would need for their Wit-Sharpening Potion.
"There's something funny, though," said Hermione ten minutes later, holding her pestle suspended over a bowl of scarab beetles. "How could Rita Skeeter have known…?"
Skylar looked at Hermione confused before a sly grin appeared on her face.
"Known what?" said Ron quickly. "You haven't been mixing up Love Potions, have you?"
"Don't be stupid," Hermione snapped, starting to pound up her beetles again. "No, it's just… how did she know Viktor asked me to visit him over the summer?"
Hermione blushed scarlet as she said this and determinedly avoided Ron's eyes.
"What?" said Ron, dropping his pestle with a loud clunk.
Skylar giggled. "When did he ask you that? Did you say yes?"
"He asked me right after he'd pulled me out of the lake," Hermione muttered, looking at Skylar to avoid Ron's question. "After he'd got rid of his shark's head. Madam Pomfrey gave us both blankets and then he sort of pulled me away from the judges so they wouldn't hear, and he said, if I wasn't doing anything over the summer, would I like to —" Hermione gave Skylar a bit of a meaningful look, that was when Skylar had arrived and distracted the two. No wonder Krum looked a bit annoyed at Skylar's appearance.
"And what did you say?" said Ron, who had picked up his pestle and was grinding it on the desk, a good six inches from his bowl, because he was looking at Hermione.
"And he did say he'd never felt the same way about anyone else," Hermione went on, going so red now that one could almost feel the heat coming from her, "but how could Rita Skeeter have heard him? She wasn't there… or was she? Maybe she has got an Invisibility Cloak; maybe she sneaked onto the grounds to watch the second task…"
"And what did you say?" Ron repeated, pounding his pestle down so hard that it dented the desk. Skylar however felt a shiver and glanced around only to find Snape standing right behind them. She bowed her head and tried to nudge Hermione beside her subtly, but failed.
"Well, I was too busy seeing whether you and Harry were okay to —"
"Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is, Miss Granger," Snape spoke in his icy voice right behind them, and the three of them jumped, "I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor." Snape had glided over to their desk while they were talking. The whole class was now looking around at them.
"Ah… reading magazines under the table as well?" Snape added, snatching up the copy of Witch Weekly. "A further ten points from Gryffindor… oh but of course…" Snape's black eyes glittered as they fell on Rita Skeeter's article. "Potter has to keep up with his press cuttings…"
The dungeon rang with the Slytherins' laughter, and an unpleasant smile curled Snape's thin mouth. Skylar glanced around at them all with an irritated look. It got worse however, Snape began to read the article aloud.
" 'Harry Potter's Secret Heartache… dear, dear, Potter, what's ailing you now? 'A boy like no other, perhaps…' "
Snape was pausing at the end of every sentence to allow the Slytherins a hearty laugh. Skylar looked at Harry with a frown, she could almost feel his anger. The article sounded ten times worse when read by Snape. Even Hermione was blushing scarlet now.
" '...Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate.' How very touching," sneered Snape, rolling up the magazine to continued gales of laughter from the Slytherins. "Well, I think I had better separate the four of you, so you can keep your minds on your potions rather than on your tangled love lives. Weasley, you stay here. Miss Granger, over there, beside Miss Parkinson. Miss Rosenwald, with Malfoy. Potter — that table in front of my desk. Move. Now."
Skylar glanced at Draco who looked thrilled, an odd look for his pointed face and she took a deep breath before beginning to do so.
Hermione and Harry began to pack quicker than her, though Harry mostly just threw all his stuff into his bag. Skylar moved without a word and refused to say one even with Draco trying to prod her. The laughter took a few minutes to ebb away and Snape was standing right by Harry as he began to work again.
"Not very committed, is he?" Draco sighed tragically, over exaggerating himself. "Leading on so many girls, weren't you his last interest? Moved on from you has he?"
Skylar did nothing but continued to work on her scarab beetles. Draco watched her and then continued when she didn't speak.
"Of course I told you it was pointless," he continued. "But did you listen?"
Skylar ignored him, but for the first time, Draco's words actually hurt. She glanced over to Harry, where Snape was showing him something. Skylar could hear Harry, and it seemed he wasn't just angry, he was now worried. He glanced towards her, as if feeling her eyes but tore them away after a moment. Skylar returned to her potion.
There was a knock on the dungeon door.
"Enter," said Snape in his usual voice.
The class looked around as the door opened. Professor Karkaroff came in. Everyone watched him as he walked up toward Snape's desk. He was twisting his finger around his goatee and looking agitated. He spoke in such a low voice, and his lips barely moved that he clearly didn't want to be overheard. Why then did he come during a lesson? Watching Karkaroff, he looked worried, more than worried, while Snape looked angry.
It seemed Snape refused to speak to Karkaroff for the man hovered around the class for the rest of the lesson, not speaking or interacting, but simply waiting.
When the bell rang, Skylar moved from the classroom with Ron and Hermione. Most of her classmates passed her as she idled, she wasn't really in a need to hurry.
She realised as her class passed however, that Harry hadn't been with them, the untidy black hair being missing from the group. She paused in confusion but then caught herself. What was the point in waiting? He wasn't talking to her. But then now might be an opportunity to talk, after all, she was never one for leaving issues just hanging, she tore them down and addressed them, that was how she'd become friends with Hermione back in their first year.
Also, Harry had no reason to be ignoring her, he wasn't the one put in a hard place, she was. He wasn't the one being asked to give up his friends, she was. What right did he have to push her aside?
It made her both angry and worried, was he so mad with Stephen he didn't want to be around her either? Or did he think she didn't want to be his friend anymore because of it? Or was he just being petty? Refusing to let her help him when all his other friends were at the bottom of a lake was a petty thing to do.
She was broken from her revere as footsteps sounded, echoing across the dark corridor. Turning she stepped out of the way as Karkaroff stormed past her, almost so absorbed he might not have even seen her. He was followed however by more footsteps which belonged to Harry.
Seeing him, she resolved herself.
"Harry," she began.
"Where's Ron and Hermione?" he asked, cutting her off.
She was slightly taken aback at his abruptness, but also, it was inline with his new attitude towards her. "Probably on their way to dinner."
Harry made his way to follow.
"Harry, wait!" she said, following. He didn't stop but continued up the stairs to the Entrance Hall. This made her annoyed.
"Will you stop please, I have to talk to you?" she tried again.
"I don't want to get you in trouble." he finally said.
"Trouble with who?" she asked, confused. He was walking so fast she was almost panting to keep up.
"You know who." he grumbled over his shoulder.
Skylar understood he was talking about Stephan and stopped chasing Harry. She became angry. So he was annoyed at her because of him.
"Hang on." and now her voice was forceful. She forced Harry to stop and turn around. "I confide in you an issue I have, one that's causing me to be sad, and you think it's your right to ignore me?" she asked as she walked towards him. Harry looked at her worried, he'd rarely seen such an expression on her face. "How is that the right course of action?!"
"Because I'm the one causing the issue." Harry retorted.
"You were not, he was. And how does not being my friend make it better? You went through Ron not being your friend and was that better?"
Harry flinched slightly.
"And why would you just decide that without even saying anything?" Skylar continued. "How is that helpful? It just makes me think I've done something wrong to you both now."
It was odd, Skylar had never been mad at Harry like this before, he'd gotten mad at her, for good reason, but never the opposite. Harry started to feel ashamed, and this made him mad.
"I was trying to do a nice thing."
"Deciding not to be my friend is the worst thing!" Skylar returned, she didn't need to shout in the echoey corridor, but she couldn't help the raise in tone and her voice echoed in the space between them. "I don't ever want to be without you."
Harry paused in surprise. He took a moment before regaining his voice. "Then why did you stop hanging out with us?"
"I can't exactly have a relationship and not spend time with the guy." Skylar said obviously. "And it's not like you never saw me."
Harry didn't respond. She was with them in class but it hadn't been the same, and regardless, he had missed her.
Skylar took a breath to help calm herself. "And yet, you avoided me recently."
"So you could spend time with Stephen and not have him mad at you." Harry said again, annoyed.
"We broke up." she said.
Harry's entire expression changed to surprise and all his annoyance and anger vanished. A certain lightness had fallen over him suddenly. "What?"
"After the second task. Which you might have known had you not been avoiding me."
"Oh."
She glared at him slightly. "Oh? That's all you can say?"
"What else can I say?"
"How about an apology, for straining our friendship and for ditching me, childishly, before the second task?" she demanded.
He looked guilty at this point, but didn't seem to be able to say anything. Their friendship had been hurting Skylar, she liked that boy, and although Harry didn't like that, he didn't like hurting her either. Sacrificing his time with her seemed like what was best.
Skylar took another breath.
"Don't ever do that again." she said and he was surprised by the seriousness of her voice. "Not just because you're not allowed to stop being my friend," he cracked a small smile at this, "But because it's not your place to make that decision. That was my choice to make, who I chose."
He frowned again, feeling guilty. He changed the topic slightly. "What happened?"
She closed the distance between them, thinking. She decided it wasn't best to tell him everything. "I was worried after the task, and he… thought I was selfish." Harry looked surprised. "Evidently, he wanted me to choose." she confessed. "Between you and him, so, I chose."
Harry stared at her. "You chose…"
"You." she said as if it was obvious. "I'm never going to choose someone else over you. And anyone who cannot accept our relationship is not right for me. The right person would never make me choose between them and my friends."
Harry looked at her and had never before felt the kind of warmth that spread through him at those words, not when having butterbeer, or when his wand had chosen him. He felt elated and somewhat giddish. She chose him.
Skylar rolled her eyes, she'd increased his pride and self importance.
"Alright, calm down." but his reaction to her choice, how much it mattered to him that she'd done that, made her heart skip a beat.
She started walking and he followed as they made their way up the stairs and then up the marble staircase. "So, you're going to go back to being my friend right?"
"I didn't, not want to be your friend." he said, just to make sure she understood. "But I didn't want to cause any suffering for you."
"You caused me more suffering by not talking to me." she admitted. "I mean I wasn't even sure what it was I'd done wrong."
"Sorry." he confessed. "And sorry about Stephen."
She raised an eyebrow, was he though? He looked guilty, knowing the look.
"I— I mean, he was— you two definitely looked—" he couldn't bring himself to say something positive. He hadn't liked them together and he hadn't liked Stephen anyway, nice person, but…
Skylar giggled as her cheeks flushed. "You don't have to, he wasn't for you to like."
"But you liked him?" it was a question as he double checked.
"He was nice, attentive, but safe… and admittedly, looking back on it, a bit boring." she said thinking.
Harry smirked. "You spent a lot of time together though,"
"Well, it was new, interesting… to begin with." she confessed. "Just wasn't meant to be." she shrugged.
Harry simply nodded in agreement.
"It might not be like that for you though." she said.
Harry looked surprised, what did she mean?
"With Cho, just because she's with Cedric now doesn't mean she always will be." Skylar clarified.
Harry cleared his throat awkwardly. "Yeah,"
They had reached the gryffindor common room and both put their bags away before hurrying to dinner.
"By the way, how did you figure out the lake task?" Skylar wondered.
"Dobby." Harry confessed.
"What?"
"Dobby, he woke me up and gave me Gillyweed, to turn myself into a bit of a fish, after eating it I had webbed hands and feet and gills. He told me Ron was what I was looking for. I probably would have overslept if not for him."
"How did Dobby know?"
"Overheard Professor Moody and Professor McGonagall talking about it."
"Makes sense, house elves hear and see so many things, one of the benefits for them being almost invisible." Skylar nodded. "You know, you've been pretty lucky, getting the answers at the last minute, you sure no one ever gave you a charm or something that you always hold onto?"
Harry frowned. "I'm not lucky, things always happen to me."
"I wouldn't say you've come off worse though." Skylar said thinking. "Let's see, got in trouble for flying a broom — was put on the Quidditch team. Fight a troll — gain a friend. Attacked by spiders — save Ginny. Mass murderer is hunting you down — gain a godfather. Fight a dragon on a broom — potential to get scouted to play for big leads when school finishes."
Harry chuckled.
Skylar smiled before slipping her arm through his to link their elbows. "Just remember, no matter what happens, or how unlucky you are, you're never alone. And I don't mean physically."
Harry watched her for a moment before he nodded. He believed it coming from Skylar, he believed she'd always be there to help.
"And Ron and Hermione, cause we all love you." she added as they reached the Entrance Hall and the din of noise of those eating lunch filled the air.
"Come on, I've got to tell Hermione and Ron about Karkaroff and Snape." Harry said and he hurried forward to the Gryffindor table.
Skylar took a breath and followed. She watched Harry as he found them and they put their heads together over food, she listened as she sat with them. She kept glancing at Harry.
Without having even realised it, not before others had at least, she suddenly realised that Harry may have been her friend, but he was a lot more than that to her now.
Skylar had fallen for The Boy Who Lived.