Harry Potter and the girl he loved

part two - chapter 10

(harry pov)

A long while later, I'm back in my dorm laying against my bed thinking about my fate. I didn't want this. All I wanted was just a normal year for once.
Everyone hates me now for some reason. I didn't do anything and it hurts that no one will believe me and there's nothing I can do to prove it.

"How did you do it?" Ron snapped at me, I look at him, confused.
He scoffs at my silence, "never mind. Doesn't matter. Might've let your best friend know, though."
He brushes past me on the way to his bed, I lean forward and ask, "let you know what?"
"You know bloody well what."

I look at him even more confused, I least of all expected my best friend to act like this, "I didn't ask for this to happen, Ron. Okay? You're being stupid."
"Yeah, that's me. Ron Weasley. Harry Potter's stupid friend."

I look at Dean and Seamus who both give me the same look that says ' just leave it alone'.
But I don't.

"Look I didn't put my name in that cup. I don't want eternal glory. I just wanna be... look, I don't know what happened tonight, and I don't know why. It just did. Okay?" I try to explain to Ron but he just faces the other way.

Just then, a knock comes from the door. Ron huffs and rolls out of bed, to answer the door. He opens it and there stands Y/n.
She looks nervous as she runs a hand through her hair as she stared at Ron, "can I talk to Harry?"

Ron scoffed and rolled his eyes, "Harry you've got another fan desperate to see you."
I get out of bed and shove past Ron, and follow y/n into the corridor.

"What was that about?" she asks confused gesturing to the doorway where Ron had been standing.
"Ron's mad at me," I sigh.

"Harry?" she says, suddenly.
"Yes?"
"I'm only going to ask you this once. Did you enter your name into the tournament?" she asks me, looking me dead in the eye.
"No, I swear I didn't," I answer.

She sighs a breath of relief, "I knew it."
"You believe me?" I question, confused but relieved.
"Of course I do," she says smiling slightly, "when have you ever given me any reason not to?"

I give her a small smile and she brings a hand to my cheek.
"Are you alright?" she asks in a gentle voice that makes me want to sit and tell her every thought and feeling I'm experiencing at the moment.
"Yes," I lie.

She smiles at me and pulls me into a comforting hug, "don't worry, You'll get help throughout this."

And just then, Ron opens the door obnoxiously loud.
"Oh sorry, didn't mean to interrupt," he mutters sarcastically, causing Y/n and I to break apart. He immediately walks back into the common room, slamming the door behind him.

I sigh, "I should go, night y/n."
"Night, Potter."

And with that, she leaves and I walk back into the common room.
"What was that?" I ask Ron as he climbs into his bed.
"Nothing," he mumbles pulling the duvet up to his nose. 
"Nothing's going on with me and her," I say, climbing into my own bed.

Ron looks at me one more time before he rolls over muttering, "piss off."

~time skip~

(tw: short mention of abuse)

Flash.

The Reporter that Hogwarts had invited walks forward.
"What a charismatic quartet," she says as she walks forward to admire the four of us champions, stood in an awkward position for the photo she tried so hard to achieve.

"Hello,I'm Rita Skeeter," she introduces herself to us leaning her hand forward intending for us to shake. Cedric, not wanting to be rude, shakes her hand first abut she only looks him up and down rather seductively, "I write for the Daily Prophet. But of course you know that, don't you?"

I did not in fact know that.

"It's you we don't know," she continues licking her teeth, "you're the juicy news."
She brings a hand up and caresses Fleur's cheek, "what quirks lurk beneath those rosy cheeks."

She slaps Fleur soflty and gets up approaching me and Cedric now, "what mysteries do those muscles mask? Does courage lie beneath those curls?"
She walks up to Cedric and ruffles up his perfectly neat hair she made him comb just a few minutes earlier.
"In short, what makes a champion tick?" she stands between Cedric and I, placing her hands on both of our shoulders, and squeezing us close to her, Cedric gives me a funny look and I smile back at him, "Me, Myself & I want to know. Not to mention my rabid readers."

"So, who's up to sharing?" she looks at all of us in turn before her eyes land on me, "shall we start with the youngest? Lovely."

Shit.

She drags me by the arm and I stumble behind her until we arrive at what appears to be a broom closet. She shoves me inside and closes the door behind us.
She walks in, cornering me in the corner and I suddenly feel super uncomfortable, "this is cozy."

"I-it's a broom cupboard," I stutter not knowing what else to say and just hoping this situation ends as soon as possible.
I could tell she didn't like my answer by her tone change, "you should feel right at home then."

She pushes me forward, so I'm now walking down the stairs.
"Don't mind if I use a Quick-Quotes Quill do you?"she asks.

"No," I say, too embarrassed to ask what one of those are.
She folds her hands over her knees and begins talking to me, excitedly, "so tell me, Harry. Here you sit here, a mere boy of 12-"

"I'm 14. Sorry," I say.

She gives me a look to say she doesn't care before continuing, "-about to compete against three students not only vastly more emotionally mature than yourself, but who have mastered spells that you wouldn't attempt in your dizziest daydreams. Concerned?"

She smirks at me, and I look at the quill which looks like it's looking at me back. I furrow my brows and try to think of an answer, "I don't know. I havent't really thought about it."
I watch the quill flip through pages, presumably writing down what I'm saying.

"Just ignore the quill," Rita instructs, "then of course you're no ordinary boy of 12, are you?"

"Fourteen."

"Your story's legend," she ignores me again, "do you think it was the trauma of your past that made so keen to enter such a dangerous tournament?"

"N-no, I didn't enter," I stutter.

She gasps slightly and throughs her head back, "of course you didn't."
She winks at me.

"Everyone loves a rebel Harry," she laughs, "scratch that last."
And the quill makes a quick crossing out motion.

"Speaking of your parents, were they alive, how do you think they'd feel?" she asked me, "proud? Or concerned that your attitude shows, at best, a pathological need for attention at worst, a psychotic death wish?"

I can't even believe these things are coming out of an actual human's mouth right now. I look at her pad to see what the quill has written down so far.

"Hey, my eyes aren't glistening with the ghosts of my past!"

Rita gives me a look before firing another question at me, "and is it true you're dating Y/n Lupin? Daughter of your ex-teacher who turned out to be a werewolf? Are you not afraid that maybe she's a werewolf?"

Talking about me is one thing but talking about Y/n is too far, "look, you have no right-"

But she cuts me off as she continues, "did you know about her now ex-stepfather? He got arrested for abusing her and her mother and was even found guilty of using the cruciatus curse on Y/n. He would even beat her, leaving physical and psychological scars."

My heart stops. She never told me all these things she went through.
I think back to the lesson Moody taught us about the curses. The look on her face looked so painful and I meant to ask her about it but got distracted.

"How did you know-"

"I was the lead reporter for their case," she waves a hand as if it's not a big deal, "what are your thoughts on the subject?"

I stand up and walk out uttering, "we're done here."

1352 words - 12/4/22

i have homework...
fuck that though, hope you enjoyed this ;)