Cursed Blood and a Forgotten Family (HarryPotter Fan fiction)

Chapter Fourteen: Third Task

“Hey freak! Does it bother you to know that no one loves you?” a fifth year Hufflepuff inquired during my free period, I simply ignored her and continued on with my book. She didn’t like that so took the book away from me and I met her glare with a nonchalant look of my own.

“How can I help you?” I asked politely, she smirked, now that she had my attention, she most likely would let it all out.

“Answer the question, does it bother you to know that no one in this bloody world loves you?”

“You know, that doesn’t sound very Hufflepuff like to me, so I’m not going to answer it,” I responded taking back my book. She got real close to my face, causing me to move back a little bit.

“Who are you to tell me what’s Hufflepuff and what’s not! Blimey, you’re a bloody contradiction! You’re no better than a criminal! You know what I heard? Sirius Black, was in Gryffindor and his whole family was in Slytherin and look what happened to him! He turned into a bloody traitor! Who’s to say you aren’t going to do the same?” she hollered. People already in the Great Hall were starting to stare and her words were getting into my head.

“Will you stop that!” an unfamiliar voice called out.

“Cedric, you know I’m right,” she snapped.

“No, I don’t, now I suggest you leave her alone.” I looked up at the person the voice belonged to and it had been Cedric Diggory. I didn’t personally know Cedric but then again... I didn’t know a lot of people personally.  The blonde girl Hufflepuff glared at me once more before she left and I went back to my book for only a moment.

“Thank you,” I told him quietly. Cedric smiled.

“It’s not a problem, I’ve wanted to get at her all year, she’s going to have to work on her ‘Hufflepuff spirit’,” he chortled, I smiled a little bit, then looked down at my book.

“Why do you let them talk to you that way?” he asked. I didn’t see the harm in telling him.

“If I’m assertive, I get branded, I get put in my father’s shadow and that’s a place I can’t escape. If I tell my parent’s then I’m not better than my brother and I get compared to him. If I want to be my own person, I’m going to have to take it through school,” I explained.

“I’m sorry to be blunt but that’s a little stupid, I mean school is where we are defined throughout our lives, sure people change over the years but it seems like a person holding in that much sadness or anger might one day just let it all out in the wrong time and wrong place.”

“Yeah, I see your point but I’ve got great control of my emotions and I’ll try to be more assertive of myself,” I promised, though I didn’t see that promise really forth coming.

“You know I’m sorry that I didn’t take the time to get to know you, you seem really cool,” he apologized, I waved him off.

“No, no, you don’t have to do that,” I assured him, but his bewildered expression wasn’t erased from his face.

“Do what?”

“Pretend to want to get to know me, really I don’t need or want the pity but thanks anyway.”

“It wasn’t pity, I meant it, well I’ll see you around Ellisar.”

“Elli,” I called out quickly. “My friends call me Elli,” I corrected. He smiled a rather cute dimpled smile.

“Alright Elli,” then continued to walk away, I went back to my book.

“I can’t believe the third task is tomorrow,” Hermione fumed as she sat down beside me for dinner.