Harry Potter and Claire Smith's Adventures: Book Four

Blast to the Past

"Calm down, Claire." Harry said calmly, gently placing his hand on her shoulder. "Hermione's not saying that she's not grateful for what you did, she's just saying that maybe it wasn't the best idea."

Claire glared at him, causing him to quickly remove his hand from her shoulder back to his side. "You're supposed to be on my side, Harry!"

"I am, Claire." Harry said reassuringly. "I just wish you would've thought before you acted."

Claire scoffed. "You mean like you do? Who else was going to stop those things? The Ministry? The day those gits do something heroic is the day they'll stop blaming Sirius for Jeremy's death."

"What?" Hermione and Ron exclaimed.

Claire's eyes widened as she remembered she had only told Harry about this the day of the second task. "Oops, I forgot to tell you."

"The Ministry thinks Sirius is the one who killed Jeremy?" Hermione questioned in disbelief. "Is that why Sirius didn't show up to the second task?"

"That's bloody mental, that's what that is." Ron said.

Claire sighed before she told Ron and Hermione about the conversation with her father. Hermione and Ron were silent as they absorbed this information about Sirius and the Ministry.

"I knew the Ministry was mental, but I didn't think they'd be this bad." Ron muttered.

"You and me both." Harry agreed. "They're insane."

"They're not insane." Hermione said. "They're just afraid."

"It doesn't matter!" Claire said exasperatedly. "They have no right to be doing this! They can't let fear cloud their judgement of the truth! If they don't see the error of their ways soon, it'll be too late! Voldemort—"

Ron shuddered. "Could you please stop saying his name?"

"Would you grow up?!" Claire shouted, causing the remaining three Gryffindors in the common room to look at her. "Don't you have something better to do than eavesdrop?"

The three Gryffindors looked like deers in headlights as Claire glared at them. They rushed up to their dormitories.

"Claire, what's gotten into you?" Hermione questioned, worried for her best friend. "Why are you so angry?"

Claire shook her head and clenched her fists. To be honest, she didn't even know. "I think I'm going to bed."

Claire headed towards the girls' dormitories.

"Claire!" Harry began.

"I said I'm going to bed!" Claire shouted.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked at her worriedly. Claire felt a pang of guilt for yelling at them. She cleared her throat. "I'm sorry for yelling, but I-I just need some sleep."

Claire continued up the stairs. She walked down the hallway to her dorm.

"Hey, Claire!" Evy and Charisse greeted her with mud on their faces.

Claire had no clue why they put mud on their face, but according to them it "really cleans out your pores". (Whatever that meant.)

"How are you and Harry doing?" Charisse said, trying to grin slyly (the mud masks made it difficult to make facial expressions).

"We're fine." Claire said shortly, grabbing her pajamas from her trunk and changing.

"Oh no, you didn't have a fight did you?" Evy asked worriedly. "I thought I heard raised voices in the common room."