Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Hello, and thank you all so much for the amazing reviews.

In regards to Harry's dislike of Cedric, yes, it is true that he resented him for dating Cho Chang, and I accept that as a reason. But I always thought it went deeper than that, and therefore, I am expanding on that idea.

As I warned you in the last chapter, this one is pretty nasty, considering the feelings of some of our characters. However, it will be different than what I originally thought of doing.

In the last few days, I have thought more deeply about where I want this story to go, and my plans have changed. Chapter 3, where Harry is accused of murder, will still be very relevant to the plot, so that is why I will keep it the way it is. You will see where I tie it into the plot as the story progresses.

But I also considered another angle which I haven't really seen explored before, and I wanted to create a story arc around it. All I will say about it is that in our history, many awful decisions have been made purely out of fear, and this fictional example will be one of them.

Please let me know what you think.

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The sickness Susan Bones had started to feel in her stomach had now reached a fever pitch as she sat in the Hufflepuff common room with many of her housemates, in exactly the same position as they had been for hours. Susan wished with all her being that her owl would swoop in through the window, carrying a message from her aunt. True to her word, she had sent the letter in the early hours of the morning, and she was absolutely desperate for a reply.

The mood of the Hufflepuffs around her had only grown worse since they had gone to the Great Hall for breakfast. The Hufflepuff table had been full of tearful and stricken students, many of whom had not laid a single finger on their food. As the meal had drawn to a close, Dumbledore had stood in front of the room, and with a somber, sorrowful tone, had told the students in no uncertain terms that they should leave Harry Potter alone. He had been through a terrible ordeal, and should be allowed to recover in peace.

Susan had known what this announcement would do to many of her housemates, and her theory was proven correct as many faces blanched in fury. Dumbledore had given them all a piercing look, and that had seemed to cow some of them, but this had not lasted long.

On their way back to the common room, she had heard Zacharias whisper to Cedric's best friend Melissa, "Poor, traumatized little Harry Potter. Dumbledore's favorite. Can't even show his face to admit what he's done, can he? Oh, innocent little Harry has been through soooooo much! Well, what about us? Cedric was one of us, what about how we're feeling?"

Susan was furious. Having known and cared about Cedric deeply, of course she felt sorrow beyond belief, but she also agreed with Dumbledore; Harry had been through something horrific. For Merlin's sake, it was possible to feel awful for Harry and grieve for Cedric at the same time! She had glared at Zacharias and Melissa angrily, but they had not given an inch.

Susan had not forgotten about Zach's proclamation this morning that he and anyone who stood with him would go to the hospital wing to deal with the so-called murderer, and she felt her blood run cold as, for the first time, she realized they finally had a moment to strike. Up until now, Professor Sprout had stayed in the room with her students, trying to offer comfort through her own grief. Susan knew her Head of House had also had a sleepless night; it was plain to see from the circles under her eyes, and her face was full of heartbreak at the loss of one of her prized, promising young students. Susan had tried her hardest to find a moment where she could warn her of the terrible theory some of her housemates had come to regarding Harry's role in Cedric's death, but it seemed as though Sprout was always with another student. But Susan also knew how observant the woman could be, and hoped with everything she had that she had an inkling of what was afoot.

But now, she had left the Hufflepuffs on their own, trusting that they could take care of each other while she took care of some business with other staff members. And Susan knew with a bone-deep certainty that Zach had been waiting for a moment like this; now, he could make his move.

But then, something unexpected happened; someone beat him to the punch. Another of Cedric's roommates, Jeffrey, took advantage of the silence that permeated the common room. As he stood up, he withdrew a folded piece of parchment from his pocket. He cleared his throat, and everyone watched him curiously as he began to speak.

"Listen," he said, his eyes fierce as they swept around the room, taking in everyone's faces, and the grief and fear that hung around the room like an ominous cloud. "I've had enough. We lost someone who was truly the best of us last night, and the teachers are doing nothing about Potter. And after Dumbledore's little announcement this morning, they aren't EVER going to do a bloody thing. The little darling gets away with everything, and at this very moment, he's being coddled in the hospital wing, being told that oh, everything's okay, don't worry about it, Cedric's death wasn't your fault, no big deal. Well, I'm sick of it. I won't stand for it anymore."

"Yeah," spat Malcolm, who had been so hostile to Susan earlier this morning. "The little murderer is finally going to get his."

"Now, that's where we disagree," said Jeffrey, causing Malcolm and some of the others, including Zach, to look at him in shock.

"How can you be sick of Potter if you're one of his little fans, then? My best friend is dead because of him," snarled Melissa, her hands on her hips as she glared venomously at Jeffrey.

"Hey, I'm not finished," Jeffrey shot back defensively, his voice growing louder. "I didn't say it's not Potter's fault Cedric's dead. I only said he didn't murder him."

Susan found herself standing before she could think better of it, and her disgusted voice rang out through the common room. "What are you saying, then?" She hissed. "Get on with it. What insane conclusion have you drawn?"

"Don't talk to me that way, stupid," Jeffrey sneered. "Just because you don't care a wit about Cedric ..."

"Don't you dare!" Hannah shrieked, standing up and clasping Susan's shaking hand in her own. "We can mourn Cedric and not think Harry responsible!"

"Yeah, right," Jeffrey snorted. "You're delusional. Can't you see it? What I've been attempting to say is that ever since Potter arrived at Hogwarts, there's been nothing but trouble. Every year since he's gotten here, something weird has happened that isn't supposed to."

"Yeah, you're right," chimed in Frank, who was a fifth year. "There hasn't been a peaceful year since Potter started coming here. Remember the end of first year? There were all those rumors about the third-floor corridor, and at the Leaving Feast, all those points were given to Potter, Weasley, and Granger for some heroic deed."

Susan watched with sick fascination as several more people in the room stood, coming alive with animation and energy for the first time in hours. "Second year, there was the Chamber of Secrets," piped up Nancy, who was also a fifth year. "All those people petrified, including Justin."

"Don't bring me into this," Justin Finch-Fletchley snapped as he stood and faced the room as well. "Whatever this conspiracy theory is you're concocting about Harry, I'm not involved. I hate that I used to be scared of him. I was so stupid."

"Pity you still aren't afraid of him," said Zach, looking livid. "He'll end up killing you too."

"Shut up!" Susan roared, her eyes filling with furious tears. Hannah laid a hand on her shoulder, looking nauseated by everything that was going on.

Jeffrey continued speaking, his voice drowning out Susan's. "Everyone knows it was Ginny Weasley who was taken down into the Chamber," he said pompously, jutting his chin out. "And everyone and their grandmother knows that the Weasley family are extremely close to Potter. He's got that whole family wrapped around his little finger."

"Are you forgetting that the boy risked his life to go down there and save her?" Hannah yelled, and Susan saw guilt flood her eyes again as she remembered her past accusations against him.

"Yeah, I do," Frank spat back. "And yet, he couldn't show that same courtesy to Cedric, could he? He couldn't save him, could he? He was more than happy to let him die, because after all, Cedric wasn't one of his precious Weasleys or Granger, was he?"

Nancy pointed a finger at Hannah, Susan, Justin, and some younger students in the room, including the Muggle-born named Elly Beckitt, who the two girls had been comforting earlier. "You're just too blind to see it, aren't you?" She said to them, in a patronizing tone which made the hairs stand up on Susan's body. "None of that stuff would have happened in the first place if Potter didn't attend Hogwarts! You-Know-Who's followers are completely obsessed with Potter, and will do whatever it takes to get to him. If he wasn't here, there wouldn't have been any third-floor corridor, no petrified students, and no rescues of Weasleys even necessary!"

"And no Dementors either," said a second-year named Haley, her soft voice full of fear. "They were only on the grounds because Black was after Potter. And people were saying that Black WAS on the grounds and escaped, and we never found out what happened."

"Exactly," said Jeffrey, who walked over to Haley and patted the frightened girl on the shoulder. "When it comes to Potter, everything he does is covered up, because he's Dumbledore's little darling. After all, this year, nothing was done to stop him competing in the Triwizard Tournament when he shouldn't even have been in the running."

"Yes," said Nancy, her face collapsing into grief for Cedric. "I don't think You-Know-Who's back. He's been dead for thirteen years, that's impossible. But that doesn't mean there aren't Death Eaters out there who aren't obsessed with killing Harry. We still have no idea who was behind that Chamber of Secrets thing. All we ever found out was that Potter saved the sschool from the monster, and that Ginny Weasley was rescued too."

"Right," said Jeffrey, nodding in assent. He then unfolded the piece of parchment he had taken out of his pocket, and held it up for everyone. He cleared his throat again, and said, "I have a better way of getting the staff and Ministry to listen to us. If the people in here who believe Potter murdered Cedric bring their accusations forward, there will be those who don't believe it. But this ..." He waved the piece of parchment he was holding, "if we present this instead, and get other Hogwarts students on board to sign it, it could still make the school a lot safer. I think many, especially parents, will understand where we're coming from, particularly after this year". He straightened up and stared out at the room again, before he slowly and deliberately began to read:

"We, the students of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, strongly believe that Harry Potter should be removed from the premises. His continued attendance here poses a danger to all those who associate with him. Ever since his arrival, a number of unprecedented events have occurred here which has put the entire student body in harm's way.

"Last night, we lost a dear friend through no fault of his own. His life was tragically cut short due to the fact that he was in the vicinity of Harry Potter. We feel it is our duty to protect every other individual in this school by imploring that Potter be relocated to somewhere safe.

Signed:

Jeffrey Bushman."

"Jeff, that's not enough!" shouted Melissa in the ringing silence that followed. "We don't just want him out of the school, we want him in Azkaban! He wasn't just some innocent little lamb who watched Cedric die, he murdered him!"

"How dare you!" Susan shrieked at the same time, ducking and weaving through the crowd, trying with all of her strength to reach Jeffrey so she could snatch the parchment out of his hand and throw it into the fire which was still crackling merrily, oblivious to the horrifying scene which was taking place in the room. But several bigger boys, which included Malcolm and Cedric's third roommate, Andrew, blocked her path, holding her shoulders and keeping her from reaching him. Susan struggled and screamed, but their grip was bruising and far too tight.

And in that moment, the room dissolved into chaos. Susan felt as though reality was spinning out of control as sobs, yells, and whoops of victory at Jeff's actions surrounded her.

And she found herself doing something that had been constant ever since Harry had returned with Cedric's empty, lifeless body: she prayed with every fiber of her being that this was nothing more than a terrible, twisted nightmare.