when i met you

112

The next quidditch match was short, very short, twenty-two minutes short. Lexi and Cedric were versing each other, so that meant Gryffindor VS Hufflepuff.

Katie, Alicia, and Angelina—as always—worked a perfect team of Chasers, it was really Sloper and Ron who didn't do too great. Lexi managed the Bludgers just fine on her own, hitting most of the ones that Jack didn't. Ron, however, couldn't get it right, missing fourteen saves. The miracle was that Gryffindor only lost by ten points: Ginny managed to snatch the Snitch from right under Cedric's nose, so that the final score was two hundred and forty versus two hundred and thirty.

"Thanks, Cedric!" she'd called back to him, then when she reached his girlfriend said: "You must have fun with your boyfriend, Lex, he sure takes his time," she winked at Lexi and left the girl appalled in the air.

That afternoon, Lexi had congratulated Cedric without any hostility, only teasing him for not beating Ginny. He'd then left for the party in his common room and Lexi—with partial regret—had spent the evening drinking Firewhiskey with Lee, Angelina, Fred, and George. The five of them happily dancing around the heights of the Astronomy Tower in their drunken stupors.

And it was not even a mere two days after that, Lexi and Cedric had been speaking with Amber at the Hufflepuff table when a horde of owls swooped down with mail for Harry, then a couple to their own seats for Cedric.

The Quibbler had published their recount.

The Head Boy and Girl were quick to leave Amber and take seats with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. The edition of the Quibbler held in Harry's hands had a large picture of Harry and Cedric on the front cover with the bright red words of:

HARRY POTTER SPEAKS OUT AT LAST:

THE TRUTH ABOUT HE WHO MUST NOT BE NAMED

AND THE NIGHT I SAW HIM RETURN

CEDRIC DIGGORY RECOUNTS HOW HE CAME BACK TO LIFE

"It's good, isn't it?" said Luna, who had drifted over to the Gryffindor table and now squeezed herself on to the bench between Fred and Ron. "It came out yesterday, I asked Dad to send you a free copy. I expect all these," she waved a hand at the assembled owls still scrabbling around on the table in front of Harry, "are letters from readers."

"That's what I thought," said Hermione eagerly. "Harry, d'you mind if we —?"

"Help yourself," said Harry, feeling slightly bemused.

Ron and Hermione both started ripping open envelopes, Lexi leant her chin on Cedric's shoulder as he opened one too.

"This one's from a bloke who thinks you're off your rocker," said Ron, glancing down his letter. "Ah well..."

"This woman recommends you try a good course of Shock Spells at St. Mungo's," said Hermione, looking disappointed and crumpling up a second.

"This one looks OK, though," said Harry slowly scanning a long letter from a witch in Paisley. "Hey she says she believes me!"

Cedric scoffed at his letter, "Oi! This one thinks what I said is a load of Goblin piss!"

Alexis smoothed his hair in a comforting way, "It isn't the easiest thing to believe, love."

"This one's in two minds," said Fred, who had joined in the letter-opening with enthusiasm. "Says you don't come across as a mad person, but he really doesn't want to believe You-Know-Who's back so he doesn't know what to think now. Blimey, what a waste of parchment."

They weren't even near to finishing them all when they were interrupted.

"What is going on here?" said a falsely sweet, girlish voice.

Professor Umbridge was standing behind Fred and Luna, her bulging toad's eyes scanning the mess of owls and letters on the table in front of Harry and Cedric. Behind her they saw many of the students watching them avidly.

"Why have you got all these letters, Mr. Potter, and you, Mr Diggory?" she asked slowly.

"Is that a crime now" said Fred loudly. "Getting mail?"

'"Be careful, Mr Weasley or I shall have to put you in detention," said Umbridge. "Well, Mr Potter?" she asked, focusing more on him than Cedric.

It was only a matter of time before a copy of The Quibbler came to Umbridge's attention.

"People have written to us because we gave an interview," said Harry. "About what happened to me last June."

"An interview?" repeated Umbridge, her voice thinner and higher than ever. "What do you mean?"

"I mean a reporter asked me questions and I answered them," said Harry. "Here —"

And he threw the copy of The Quibbler to her. She caught it and stared down at the cover. Her pale, doughy face turned an ugly, patchy violet.

"When did you do this?" she asked, her voice trembling slightly.

"Last Hogsmeade weekend," supplied Cedric, taking the words right from Harry's mouth.

But instead of Umbridge focusing on Cedric who had talked, her eyes still narrowed on Harry.

"There will be no more Hogsmeade trips for you, Mr. Potter," she whispered, completely ignoring Cedric. "How you dare... how you could..." She took a deep breath. "I have tried again and again to teach you not to tell lies. The message, apparently, has still not sunk in. Fifty points from Gryffindor and another week's worth of detentions. Forty points from Hufflepuff."

She stalked away, clutching The Quibbler to her chest, the eyes of many students following her.

"That is so unfair!" burst Cedric when she was out of hearing range, "I can't b—"

"It's fine, Cedric," said Harry, returning to the letters, "'m used to it by now."

By mid-morning enormous signs had been put up all over the school, not just on house noticeboards, but in the corridors and classrooms too.

BY ORDER OF THE HIGH INQUISITOR OF HOGWARTS

Any student found in possession of the magazine The Quibbler will be expelled.

The above is in accordance with Educational Decree Number Twenty-seven.

Signed: Dolores Jane Umbridge, High Inquisitor

"Evil b*tch!" cursed Alexis when she saw it.

I don't really have anything to say. I'll see you next week!

Don't forget to vote and comment <3