Girl Who Escaped {Harry Potter: The Goblet of Fire} [BEING EDITED]

[6] The Four Champions

     Hermione looked like she was about to make up an excuse, but quickly shut her mouth. Even she knew that it would've been nearly impossible for his name to magically end up in the goblet.

     "I'm so bloody irritated..." Ron mumbled, "Wish I could've done it."

     "Ron; You're not nearly as advanced as they were expecting!" Hermione growled.

     Ron shrugged and muttered something vulgar.

     "I'm sorry Ash..." She apologized, "Let's just go back to the common room to wait on Harry. I'm sure he'll explain."

     I nodded and stood up to walk with her and Ron back to the Gryffindor tower.

     When we got back, all of the Gryffindor's sat around the common room, talking about  none other than Harry.

     I sat down next to Seamus Finnagin, who seemed to notice how off put I was.

     "Are you alright?" He asked, leaning forward to look at my face.

     I nodded, "Peachy."

     Time ticked by slowly before we heard 'Balderdash'.

     Harry was wrenched inside the common room by about a dozen pairs of hands, and was facing the whole of Gryffindor House, all of whom were screaming, applauding, and whistling. All except me.

     "You should've told us you'd entered!" bellowed Fred; he looked half annoyed, half deeply impressed.

     "How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!" roared George.

     "I didn't," Harry said. "I don't know how--"

     But Angelina had now swooped down upon him; "Oh if it couldn't be me, at least it's a Gryffindor--"

     "You'll be able to pay back Diggory for that last Quidditch match, Harry!" shrieked Katie Bell.

     Great. Are all of my friends on the Quidditch team?

     "We've got food, Harry, come and have some--"

     "I'm not hungry, I had enough at the feast--"

     Lee Jordan had unearthed a Gryffindor banner from somewhere, and he insisted on draping it around Harry like a cloak. Harry couldn't seem to get away; whenever he tried to sidle over to the staircase up to the dormitories, the crowd around him closed ranks, forcing another butterbeer on him, stuffing crisps and peanuts into his hands. Everyone wanted to know how he had done it, how he had tricked Dumbledore's Age Line and managed to get his name into the goblet. I won't lie; I wanted to know too.

     "I didn't," he said, over and over again, "I don't know how it happened."

     But for all the notice anyone took, he might just as well not have answered at all.

     "I'm tired!" he bellowed finally, after nearly half an hour. "No, seriously, George-- I'm going to bed--"

     He turned around, as if scanning for someone, and stopped when his eyes landed on mine.

     Quickly I stood up, my eyes still boring into his. The crowd of Gryffindor's looked in between us unsurely.

     "Ash! You have to beli--" Harry stopped mid-sentence as I shook my head and walked off towards the girls dormitory.

     I plopped down on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. Lavender Brown came in and sat down next to me.

     "Acacia, why wouldn't you talk to Harry? It's his big day." Lavender said, staring down at me.

     I sat up slightly on my elbows and peered up at her.

     "Because I'm dissapointed with him. He knew how I felt about someone disrespecting Dumbledore, yet he did it anyway." I said, feeling the odd need to punch something.

     Lavender shrugged, "Hey, at least it's a Gryffindor... Change of subject! You have a thing for Cedric Diggory?"

     My eyes shot open and I looked at her like she was insane, "Who- W- What? I don't even know anything about him other than the fact he's a Triwizard Champion." I stuttered.

     She smirked, "Just wondering. You were practically ogling at him from the second your eyes landed on him."

     "Youre such a little gossip, Lavender," I blushed and then buried my face in the pillow muttering, "I'm going to sleep."

     I felt as her pressure left my bed and she went to her own.