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"Honestly who does he think he is?!" exclaimed Ernie at breakfast the next morning. Veronica thinks back to the night before just after Harry's name was announced and recalls the various reactions across the room; confusion, anger and disappointment to name a few, but what struck her as the oddest is that when she thinks back to Harry's face just after it was announced he looked completely and utterly confounded. If it was any other Gryffindor who put their name in the Goblet, got away with it and was then announced as a champion, they would've been grinning and taking in all the fame. But strangely enough, this was the opposite of Harry Potter's reaction.
Veronica had the weirdest idea that maybe Harry didn't put his name in the Goblet, nor did he even know he was entered. But one look on Ernie's face told her that she should keep these thoughts as they were, thoughts- because Helga forbids what would happen if she told Ernie that she thought Harry was innocent.
"I don't know what he was thinking Ernie, but we'll just have to get over it because Dumbledore has already stated that once the Goblet chooses you there's no going back," she says calmly trying to get him to see that it's not as bad as he thought it was. But to no avail, Ernie was the maddest Veronica's ever seen him, and even long after their conversation she could hear him over the Daily Prophet muttering about how the Gryffindors always get all the attention despite breaking the rules.
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By the time lessons are over for the day, Veronica could sense the divide forming over the students of Hogwarts, this was only increased by the badges that somehow seemed to appear out of nowhere and by midday everyone passing her in the corridors were wearing them. These badges were yellow and on them were bright letters spelling out 'Support Cedric Diggory, the REAL Hogwarts Champion' before transforming green and the words 'Potter Stinks' flashing in bright green.
Veronica could only imagine the animosity that the students must be feeling towards Harry and despite never talking to the boy before, felt the slightest bit of sympathy for the messy black haired Gryffindor. It's because of that sympathy that Veronica managed to successfully avoid the badges all day and no one came up to offer one to her either. That was until dinner came round.
Ernie marched up to her interrupting her meal to slap a badge down in front of her and throwing himself into the seat next to her. "Look what the Slytherins have been handing out all day!" he said excitedly. Veronica glances down at the badge uninterestedly and pointedly looks back up at Ernie with a questioning look on her face. "Ernie is all of this really necessary, I know that you're not happy with what happened but really now this is just bullying", she tried to explain to Ernie but he simply doesn't want to listen.
"I expect you to wear the badge Ronnie, I specifically picked one up for you because I thought you wanted to support Cedric", Ernie pushed her to put it on, guilt-tripping her with the idea of house pride.
Veronica sighed and reluctantly picked up the badge, bringing it close to her face to examine it before slowly pinning it onto her breast pocket. "Okay fine, I'll wear it" she murmured, with the full intention to throw it away the second she got out of the Great Hall. Ernie, satisfied with his ability to persuade Veronica, nodded once more at her then took off down the Hufflepuff table, with what looks like more badges to hand out.
With Ernie gone, Veronica quickly packed her things away no longer hungry and left the Great Hall to go back to her room for the rest of the evening. As she walked through the Entrance Hall she was roughly pushed to the side by a tall, skinny ginger boy who stormed past in the opposite direction, obviously too angry to turn around and apologise to her.
She dusted herself off with a frustrated sigh and her eye caught sight of the badge still pinned to her robe. Quickly she grabbed the badge, ripped it off and threw it to the ground, stamping on it once before kicking it to the side. She watched it hit the stone wall before turning to leave, intending to leave it there.
As she turned around she noticed a certain Boy Who Lived standing there who seemed to be watching as she let her anger out on the little yellow and green pin now tossed unwanted to the edge of the corridor.
Once she gave a startled gasp he looked up at her and her brown eyes connected with his emerald green pair. Frozen solid as she was once before, all she could think to do was nod once in his direction and then sprinted down the corridor towards the stairs, not looking back until she got to her common room.
If she had glanced back towards the boy she would've noticed a small smile appear on his face, as even though he'd just had one of the worst days of his life after encountering Rita Skeeter and witnessing his best friend glare angrily at him and then storm away, he now felt as if he wasn't completely hated and that comforted him slightly.
That was the second time.
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YOU ARE READING
Undistinguished (H.P.)
Fanfiction[adjective] lacking distinction; unexceptional. Veronica Green is a simple and average half-blood. Hidden in plain sight and blending into the background are what she does best. Until her fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, wh...
