Fighting Fate // Mattheo Riddle ♣️

Chapter Fifteen - In The Hog's Head

Zacharias dismissed Harry's words. "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. He didn't give us details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know —"

"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you," Harry cut him off. He did not take his eyes from Zacharias Smith's aggressive face.

I titled my head at the exchange. "I have never seen Harry like this," I commented. My mother turned to me.

"Like what?" she asked.

"Determined."

"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." No one moved to leave.

"So," said Hermione, her voice very high-pitched. She was clearly nervous again. "So . . . like I was saying . . . if you want to learn some defense, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet, and where we're going to —"

"Is it true," someone else interrupted. A girl his time. "That you can produce a Patronus?"

"Yeah," said Harry slightly defensively.

"A corporeal Patronus?"

"Yes," said Harry.

"Blimey, Harry!" said Lee, looking deeply impressed. "I never knew that!"

"Mum told Ron not to spread it around," said Fred, grinning at Harry. "She said you got enough attention as it was."

"She's not wrong," mumbled Harry and a couple of people laughed.

"And did you kill a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" demanded a boy I believe was called Terry Boot. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year..."

"Er — yeah, I did, yeah," said Harry.

"I saw him do that," I commented, earning the attention of the room. "Saved me from getting my head bit off." I locked eyes with Harry. He smiled lightly.

"And in our first year," Neville continued, everyone turning to the boy. "he saved that Sorcerous Stone —"

"Sorcerer's," Hermione corrected.

"Yes, that, from You-Know-Who," finished Neville.

"And that's not to mention," a Ravenclaw girl interrupted, and I couldn't help but notice how Harry's expression changed as she spoke.

I sighed. "Shit," I cursed.

"What?" my mother asked. "Have you figured out what they're doing?"

I turned to look at her. "I already figured that out. They're making a group outside of school to practice Defensive magic, but that's not what I'm concerned about."

"Then what are you concerned about?" she asked.

"Harry's got a crush on that Ravenclaw."

"Young love. How sweet," Crouch commented.

"And why's that a problem?" my mother asked.

"Because I know someone that is particularly fond of him, and it isn't a Ravenclaw."

"Look," Harry spoke up and my attention turned back to him. "I . . . I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be modest or anything, but . . . I had a lot of help with all that stuff..."

"Not with the dragon, you didn't," a boy said at once. "That was a seriously cool bit of flying..."

"Yeah, well —" said Harry, feeling it would be churlish to disagree.