✔️ 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐆𝐎 → ℎ. 𝑝𝑜𝑡𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑡𝑤𝑖𝑛 𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦

20 | B U R N I N G

   "But what did he want then?", Hannah asked, her face vivid, her body leaned forward in her chair.

   "He said he just wanted to take me out of the spotlight." Her skinny shoulders shrugged. "We just had a talk. He said I should have some sleep, my nerves are obviously tensed because of Harry and the second task being around the corner."

   And this she longed for believing herself. But fact was that Ember Potter never did lose her nerves. She wasn't even one to get angry easily. Not even her aunt and uncle had ever brought her blood to boil, and that really has to mean something. No, Ember Potter, in contrast to her hotheaded brother, always had her emotions under control. What had happened down in the Great Hall was not only uncommon, but utterly frightening. If it wouldn't have been Cedric, she would actually have hurt Malfoy - and according to the darkness of her thoughts, she could have hurt him seriously. Like she hadn't been herself in that very moment ...

·

   Ember as usual joined Fred, George and Lee on their Hogsmeade trip, just to meet Harry, Ron and Hermione later in the Three Broomsticks. As they entered the pub, Ember with an arched eyebrow watched Fred and George head straight at Ludo Bagman, who was standing near the bar, right before her eyes got distracted by a woman you could hardly overlook. Wearing a banana-yellow robe, her pink claw like fingernails drumming onto the table, she watched Ludo Bagman with a glint of blatant interest. Right next to her was sitting a paunchy man with a camera in his hands.

   Ember had only seen her once on the day of the first task, but it wasn't hard to recognise her; Rita Skeeter didn't really go for staying incognito. Her brash colours, the flamboyant draped curls, the crimson red lipstick - everything on this woman was screaming for attention, and if that was what she wanted, she should have it. Feeling the anger tickle under her skin again, Ember was on her way towards the bar before she knew better.

   "- reckon something's up? Think we should do a bit of digging? 'Disgraced Ex-Head of Magical Games and Sports, Ludo Bagman . . . ' Snappy start to a sentence, Bozo - we just need to find a story to fit it -"

   "Busy ruining someone's life again, are you?", Ember asked, and Rita Skeeter cocked an eyebrow after slowly turning her face towards the girl.

   "And who are you little toad, thinking that that this is any of your business? Shoo, out of my sight." Her eyes flickering back at Bagman, as if Ember was just nonexistent to her.

   "What did you do that to Hagrid for?", Ember snapped. "You had no right to -"

   "Say, what makes you think you can tell me how to do my job?", Rita coldly replied. "Our readers have a right to know the truth. And now back off, you annoying little - Harry!" Her face was parted by the falsest smile Ember had ever seen in her life. "How lovely! A friend of yours?"

   "You could say", Harry, who had appeared behind Ember with Ron and Hermione, retorted in an icy voice.

   Rita's eyes flickered back and forth between Ember and him, and her eyes grew wide as she added one and one. "Your sister!", she exclaimed, her crocodile-skin handbag snapped open and she pulled out a long lime-green quill. "Now that is a thing our readers would be ecstatic about! The little Ember Potter, living in her brother's shadow. Say, Ember, how do you feel about that?"

   "You horrible hag!", Ember hissed, and Harry watched her eyes narrowing, as she took a step closer, fists clenched. "You think you could pull the same shit with me as you did with Hagrid, eh? Would do anything for a story, huh, and anyone will do, do they?"

   "Tsk tsk, Ember, no need to overexaggerate", Rita said in a honey sweet voice. "I could help you, you know? Tell the story out of your perspective. People would finally know you. And I'm sure you could help me as well, giving me an impression about the Boy Who Lived in privacy. Is he a loving brother, Ember? Or maybe he's to aloof to care for you? Is he -"

   One thing didn't escape Ember's note, even though everything around Rita Skeeter seemed to have blackened out as Ember's rage was about to reach its climax; but she couldn't ignore the green quill writing all by itself into a tiny notebook floating midair.

   Ember's wand was in her hand without her knowing she'd grabbed it. "Incendio!", she spat, and the notebook caught fire, burning down like a straw bale within seconds.

   Rita Skeeter's grin dropped off her face, as she looked upon the remainings of her notes; ashes and dust on the counter of the bar, then her eyes flickered back to Ember.

   "That one", she said in a voice as icy and quiet, as dangerous that it could cut someone open, "you will pay for, Ember Potter." She shoved her quill back into her ugly bag. "Come, Bozo." And pouring down the last bit of her gillywater, gone she was.