𝗷𝗮𝗻𝗲, harry potter

˗ˋ 98

"Hear, hear." Someone called, and Hermione looked heartened.

"Well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands." She finished, glancing towards Harry before gearing up for another go and turning back to her audience. "And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but the real spells-"

"You want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. too though, I bet?" Someone wearing a blue scarf interrupted. There was an eagle embroidered in bruise on one end.

"Of course I do." Hermione managed to pertain the quite strong tone she had acquired, not falling into the trap presented by someone. "But I want more than that, I want to be properly trained in Defense because... because..." She took a great breath and finished, "Because Lord Voldemort's back."

Jane hadn't really experienced the effects of saying Voldemort's name (it wasn't too much of an issue within Grimmauld Place), but seeing it joint with the announcement that everything Harry was saying and Dumbledore had said to be true seemed to have something stronger to it. The reaction was immediate and predictable. Cho's friend shrieked and slopped butterbeer down herself, Terry Boot gave a kind of involuntary twitch, Padma Patil shuddered, and Neville gave an odd yelp that he managed to turn into a cough, glancing at Jane and finding himself wondering if she knew anymore about him than he knew about her and the last name attached.

All of them, however, looked fixedly, maybe even eagerly, at Harry. Below the table, Jane squeezed his hand and stopped it from shaking too much, glancing down as she felt him began to itch at something. In a sharp movement, she had pulled his hand over to her lap and stared pointedly down at it as Hermione spoke again. Harry swore under his breath, watching as her eyes narrowed and her thumb ran across the skin there.

One of the things he couldn't quite include in his letters was what happened during Umbridge's detentions. And that, perhaps, would lead to a small downfall on his behalf.

But there was no time for him to worry. "Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" A blonde Hufflepuff interrupted Hermione and she glanced, panicked, at Harry.

"Well, Dumbledore believes it-" Hermione began.

"You mean, Dumbledore believes him," said the blond boy, nodding at Harry.

"Who are you?" Ron asked, rather rudely.

"Zacharias Smith," said the boy, "and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's back."

"Well, you'd bloody well hope he'd know what he's saying." Jane grumbled in a voice a little too loud than what she intended. Eyes flickered up to him.

"And who are you?" Zacharias Smith repeated Ron's words back in the exact same tone. "You don't go to Hogwarts."

"I know I don't." Jane said and Harry got the feeling that there was quite a protective and somewhat competitive streak that ran through Jane. And she was somewhat fond of sarcasm in such scenarios. "I'm his girlfriend. And I'm a Squib, so there's your reasoning behind that idiotic statement."

"And how do you trust him then, if you're a Squib and everything." Zacharias was all but rolling his eyes.

"Think things through, Zach - I can call you Zach, right?" Jane wasn't bothering to wait for an answer, meeting his eyes. She still was holding his hand on her lap, knuckles pushed into her thigh. "Think about it. Harry survives Killing Curse from Voldemort who had just killed his parents and then thirteen years later decided to claim he turn up. Does that make sense to you?"

"Well-"

"Think about it, Zach. Do you think someone like Harry Potter would make up that he saw the guy who tried to kill him?" Jane rose her eyebrows. "I think... I think it's obvious enough when you think of it that way." She was suddenly aware of all the people watching her and her head ducked down for a moment before turning towards Harry. "Well, take it away."

"You got it." Harry nodded, biting back a smile as he stood up, hand hanging by his side.

"Never thought I would witness it, Jane!" Fred called.

"Second times the charm, right?" George added, him and Fred high-fiving but both having the sense to not actually mention the first time she had shown that side of her.

"And thank you, Fred and George." Harry commented, watching as an appreciative chuckle skipped amongst those who knew the twins well enough. "Like Jane said, I saw him. I saw him last year and Dumbledore told everyone else at the school what I saw, and if you didn't believe him, you don't believe me, and I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone.

"All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts." Zacharias chimed in. "He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know-"

"You have got to be kidding me here, Zach." Jane let out a sigh, Ron grinned on her other side.

"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you," Harry said. His temper, always so close to the surface these days, was rising again. Jane squeezed his hand and it lowered just a little, a reminder that even if nobody else did, she believed him no matter what. He always had her, whether it was for a promised day spent together, or him dragging her to this mess of a meeting. "I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out."

And nobody moved.

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