the goblet - f.weasley

- c h a p t e r - t w e n t y-s i x -

tw: relatively heavy mental health discussion 

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 Gemma was staring into the flames of the Gryffindor common room fireplace, completely disassociated when Harry returned.

He frowned when his eyes fell on her still figure, not moving.

Ron and Hermione joined him and looked at the unmoving teenager when Harry whispered, "How long—"

"Since you didn't come back from Dumbledore's office," Ron told him. "I told her where you were going, and she was fine at first, but then she just kinda..." He waved a hand at the girl whose turquoise hair was growing out, her auburn roots coming back. "Disappeared."

The boys looked at Hermione, who pinched her lips.

"Does she do this a lot?" Harry asked Hermione, suddenly fearful that he had missed this crucial behaviour of his best friend/sister.

"When she's stressed, worried, or..." Hermione grimaced. "Remembering times with her cousin...But, mainly, it's just about the tasks, but she never talks about it. She just kinda snaps out of it by herself."

Harry moved to Gemma's side, slowly sitting next to her, "Gem?"

She didn't answer.

"Gemma?" He murmured again. "Hey, Gemma, I'm back. I'm here..."

Still no answer, but her hand twitched.

Harry moved to kneel in front of her, taking her hands in his, squeezing them three times, "Gemma, wake up..."

He stared at her for a long time before her brown eyes seemed to focus on his face, and she blinked once...twice...three times.

"Har?" She murmured. A confused look overtook her features, "Are you okay?"

Harry pinched his lips, nodding, "Are you?"

Gemma looked around the common room before sighing, "Yeah. I think so..." Her features changed, and she whispered, "I spaced out again, didn't I?"

Gemma could see the absolute worry on Harry's face, and she felt guilty for her moment.

So in a panic, she shook her head, "Wait, what happened? In Dumbledore's office?"

"Gem, we should—"

"Harry," She stopped him. "We don't have long until the third task. We can worry about other things then."

Harry's features pinched like he wanted to argue with her, but he didn't.

Instead, he explained everything from his trip to Dumbledore's office.

The Pensieve, a seeing pool that allowed one to watch memories.

The memories of Karkaroff's trial with Mr. Crouch and the exposure of his Death Eater son, Barty Crouch Jr.

Snape being accused of being a dark follower but being written off by Dumbledore. For the reason that the old wizard would not explain.

Bertha Jorkins and Frank Bryce's (a muggle) disappearance.

Harry confessed his dream in Divination, the one class he and Gemma didn't have together. He had dreamt that Wormtail was being tortured by Voldemort with the Cruciatus Curse. Then his scar had hurt so bad it had woken him up.

Then he explained that Dumbledore knew about the children's contact with Sirius and that he himself had contact with the convict since last summer, having told him that the mountainside cave was the safest place to hide.