Just a day later, Althea and Hermione, with a little input from Ron and Harry, produced a completed list of spells for Harry to learn. These, they began teaching him at once as well as Ron, as he wanted to be part of it. They worked tirelessly during all their break times, all the while receiving daily letters from Sirius and Amara.
When the morning of the third task arrived, breakfast proved to be much louder and more excitable than usual. Althea was trying her best to distract herself, trying to put more attention into the book she was reading than anything else, but Harry noticed her eyes flickering up to him or to her watch every few moments as her breakfast of fruit and toast lay forgotten on her plate.
Hermione was drinking her juice when an owl, this one bearing the Daily Prophet like usual and not nasty potions or pus, fluttered in front of her. After paying the owl, she unfolded the paper, instantly spitting a mouthful of juice all over it.
"What is it?" Althea asked quickly, instantly dropping her book.
"Nothing," Hermione said quickly, trying to shove the paper out of sight, but Ron was too quick for her.
"No way," Ron said in shock. "Not today. That old cow!"
"What?" Harry pressed. "Rita Skeeter again?"
"No," Ron said, quickly shoving the paper at Althea, who was on the opposite side of the table as Harry.
"It's about me, isn't it?" Harry asked, watching Althea's expression carefully as she unfolded the paper.
"No," Ron said unconvincingly just as a loud voice they all instantly recognized as Draco Malfoy shouted across the hall, "Hey Potter! Potter! How's your head? You feeling all right? Sure you're not going to go bezerk on us?"
"What is it?" Harry pressed quietly.
Althea looked up from the article she had just finished, her expression sympathetic. With a sigh, she began to read aloud in a soft voice, just loud enough for Harry to hear.
"Harry Potter, disturbed and dangerous," she began before pausing and letting out another sigh. Finally, she resumed, "The boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is unstable and possibly dangerous, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Alarming evidence has recently come to light about Harry Potter's strange behaviour, which casts doubts upon his suitability to compete in a demanding competition like the Triwizard Tournament, or even to attend Hogwarts School."
When she hesitated again, Harry said tensely, "Go on."
Althea gave him another look before she resumed, "Potter, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal, regularly collapses at school, and is often heard to complain of pain in the scar on his forehead (relic of the curse with which You-Know-Who attempted to kill him). On Monday last, midway through a Divination lesson, your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Potter storming from the class, claiming that his scar was hurting too badly to continue studying.
"It is possible, say top experts at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Potter's brain was affected by the attack inflicted upon him by You-Know-Who, and that his insistence that the scar is still hurting is an expression of his deep-seated confusion. 'He might even be pretending,' said one specialist, 'This could be a plea for attention.' The Daily Prophet, however, has unearthed worrying facts about Harry Potter that Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts, has carefully concealed from the wizarding public.
"'Potter can speak Parseltongue,' reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts fourth-year. 'There were a lot of attacks on students a couple of years ago, and most people thought Potter was behind them after they saw him lose his temper at a Duelling Club and set a snake on another boy. It was all hushed up, though. But he's made friends with werewolves and giants, too. One of his best friends, Thea Black-Lupin, is half-werewolf, but everyone just pretends she doesn't disappear every month at the full moon. We think he'd do anything for a bit of power.'
"Parseltongue, the ability to converse with snakes, has long been considered a Dark Art. Indeed, the most famous Parselmouth of our times is none other than You-Know-Who himself. A member of the Dark Arts Defense League, who wished to remain unnamed, stated that he would regard any wizard who could speak Parseltongue 'as worthy of investigation. Personally, I would be highly suspicious of anybody who could converse with snakes, as serpents are often used in the worst kinds of Dark Magic, and are historically associated with evil-doers.' Similarly, 'anyone who seeks out the company of such vicious creatures as werewolves and giants would appear to have a fondness for violence'.
"Albus Dumbledore should surely consider whether a boy such as this should be allowed to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Some fear that Potter might resort to the Dark Arts in his desperation to win the Tournament, the third task of which takes place this evening," Althea finished, quickly rolling up the newspaper.
She felt like she was going to be sick.
"Gone off me a bit, hasn't she?" Harry said lightly.
He glanced cautiously at Thea, looking for any sign she was upset by what Skeeter had written about her, but she had an expression of forced calm.
"How did she know your scar hurt in Divination?" Althea asked quietly.
"The window was open," Harry pointed out. "I opened it to breathe."
"You were at the top of the North Tower," Hermione countered. "Your voice couldn't have carried all the way down to the grounds."
"Well, you're the one who's supposed to be researching magical methods of bugging," Harry retorted. "You tell me how she did it!"
"I've been trying!" Hermione insisted. "But I...but..."
She drifted off, a dreamy look suddenly crossing her face as she suddenly ran her hand through her hair before staring at it like it was a stack of galleons.
"You all right?" Ron asked hesitantly, frowning at her.
"Yes," Hermione said softly.
Without another word, she caught up her bag and dashed away.
"Oi!" Ron called after her. "We've got History of Magic exam in ten minutes!"
"She'll be fine, Ron," Althea said dismissively.
Before he could remark on how out of character this was for Hermione, they were approached by Professor McGonagall.
"Potter, the champions are congregating in the chamber off the Hall after breakfast," she said.
"But the task's not until tonight!" Harry said in shock.
"I'm aware of that, Potter," McGonagall said. "The champion's families are invited to watch the final task, you know. This is simply a chance for you to greet them."
Harry gaped at her in shock.
"She doesn't expect the Dursleys to turn up, does she?" Ron said in equal shock once she'd walked away.
"Ron, we need to go," Althea said, glancing at her watch.
"Oh, right," Ron said quickly. "See you, Harry!"
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The Disgraced of the House of Black - A Multi-Character Fanfiction - Part One
ФанфикEvery family has its black sheep...even the Black family. Althea Black. When she was young, she never understood why her mother refused to speak of her father. As she grew older, it began to not matter who he was or had been. She had her mother and...
