Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 327: A Hostile Crowd
"H-Hi…" Neville moved his eyes around, looking very nervous.
"So… you and my sister?" Harry glared at him.
He had arrived and found him standing next to Lyra and Ginny.
"Harry, stop it!" Lyra huffed. This is why she didn't want to say anything.
"It's not like that!… w-we… this is… the first time that…" Neville stammered the words badly.
"It's our first date, okay?" Lyra stood in front of Neville in a protective manner.
"Fine…" Harry's eyes met Neville's.
"We'll talk about this later."
Lyra hurried to push Ginny forward, as if she were some kind of offering.
"Isn't Ginny looking beautiful today? She got a new dress for the occasion." Of course, Lyra was the one who paid for it during their previous outing.
Ginny wore a long garnet-colored dress with some gold accents that reached her knees, paired with boots and a jacket in the same tones.
"Very Gryffindor. You look great, Ginny," Harry told her.
"What about me?" Lyra waved at him.
His sister's attire was very similar, but hers was black and silver.
"You look okay. Now, shall we go?" Harry said.
"Hey!" Lyra huffed.
"I think you look great," Neville hurried to say.
"Thank you!" Lyra grinned. "Let's go then." She grabbed his hand and began to walk out of the castle's back doors.
Harry did the same, while Ginny walked at his side.
"Did you apply some warming charms? Otherwise, those clothes are not going to be enough."
"I did… we learned them last year," Ginny said.
"What about Lyra? She can be kinda useless with charms sometimes," he inquired.
Ginny grinned.
"She can do this much at least." She glanced at him.
"You care a lot about her, huh?"
"Of course," Harry answered without hesitation.
"She does make it difficult sometimes…"
"Come on, Neville! Grab my hand harder, are you a boy or not?" Lyra shouted loud enough to make everyone nearby turn their heads.
"Yes, I understand that feeling…" Ginny nodded.
"But you aren't really mad at Neville, right? He is a good boy… I can't believe everyone got mad at him for the whole tournament thing… it's so stupid."
"Crowds are easier to convince than individuals. And the article from the Daily Prophet calling him a cheater probably didn't help either," Harry told her.
"Yes, but… my brother and Seamus should know better. They've been friends since first year," Ginny huffed.
"Your brother Ron is also an idiot," Harry said. "No offense," he then added.
"No… he can be an idiot sometimes," Ginny said. "Okay… most of the time. But I think he's just jealous. I know he wanted to be in the tournament too," she then added.
"I wouldn't worry too much about that. He'll change his mind as soon as he finds out what the first task is going to be," Harry told her.
"You know what it's going to be?!" Ginny's embarrassment began to vanish as she became more interested in the conversation.
"I could tell you, but… you can't tell anyone," Harry said.
"Not even Lyra?"
"Especially not Lyra…"
Ginny nodded. That made sense. "Okay… I promise."
"Dragons," Harry whispered.
"Seriously?…" Ginny glanced at Neville, who was walking a bit ahead on the snowy path.
"Does Neville know?…" she asked.
"Of course." That was not exactly true. There was no need for Neville to know what the test was since he wasn't going to be the one participating in it.
'But I should give him a heads-up, just in case someone goes to tell him.'
They continued to walk at a leisurely pace until they arrived at the small village of Hogsmeade, along with many other students who also traversed the same path.
Lyra and Ginny seemed to have already decided where they wanted to go and guided the boys towards the Three Broomsticks.
Harry almost let out a breath of relief when he found out they weren't going to that terrible cafe he visited last year with Daphne.
The pub was already getting full, even though it was still far from lunchtime.
This was likely a side effect of Miss Umbridge's endless rules and regulations. It made students feel trapped while inside the school, and Hogsmeade was the only place where they could be free… at least for now.
The group went inside the place, and the atmosphere seemed to immediately change.
Most of the students stopped their conversations and turned to look at them… or, more specifically, they were all looking at Neville.
"Uh oh…" The boy felt the intense pressure already.
Then, the murmurs and nasty glares began.
"I don't like this…" Ginny was becoming worried that something bad could happen.
No one would dare to move a finger while inside the castle for fear of breaking some of Umbridge's rules in the process.
Rumors about her harsh punishments were already well-known among the students.
But here in Hogsmeade… they did not have to worry about any of that.
"Longbottom!"
"You have some nerve to show yourself here!"
A group of Hufflepuff seniors were already making their way towards them.
Lyra stood in front of Neville while she looked at the approaching group. Right behind them were Ginny and Harry.
"M-Maybe we should go somewhere else…" Neville muttered.
"Look who it is… the fake champion." Cho Chang's words carried enough venom to kill an adult.
She clutched at Cedric's arm with enough force to make the boy flinch.
Cedric looked at Neville's group with a troubled expression.
"Come on guys, let's just get along."
"No… Cho is right. The fake champion deserves a lesson," a seventh-year Hufflepuff boy said.
Many of the students at the table began to cheer at the comment.
Harry felt the ambiance of the place becoming more violent.
'Looks like we won't be able to solve this one with words alone…'
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