Lost. Harry Potter's sister

chapter thirteen

Over the next fortnight, the only thing that seemed to keep me, and Harry, mind you, going, was being able to speak to Sirius. The fear of the tasks ahead had started to sink in and the days seemed to be becoming shorter and closer together, making the First Task, approach much quicker than I would've liked. I feel just as nervous as Harry now, even though, it's not me who has to compete in this one. I had never felt nerves like these before. It's nothing like having to do a presentation at school. It's even worse than when mine and Harry's names were pulled out of the Goblet, and I had to stand in front of the whole school and more.

On top of this, Rita Skeeter has published an article about Harry and I: it had been first released ten days ago and it seemed to be the only thing anyone could talk about. Everyone seemed to have read it, both in and out of school, and were now making their own judgments on me and Harry. I did read the article at first, but everything was made up! We didn't say any of the things that she wrote down. Other people don't believe us, of course. The article certainly wasn't about the Tournament at all, it was mostly just highlighting and recording a completely made up version of our life story. Cedric's name wasn't even mentioned at all! That stupid quill:

Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevey, says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of one Hermione Granger, a stunningly pretty Muggle-born girl who, like Harry, is one of the top students in the school. As for little Miss Olivia, reports have seen that she has been spending her new time in the school, with a Draco Malfoy, handsome a Slytherin student in the same year. Her charm has already fooled the Goblet of Fire, so Mr Malfoy better keep a close watch on her. 

Since the moment the article was published, Harry and I have had to avoid people - Slytherins mainly - throwing sneering comments at us as we walked around. Draco avoided my eye as much as possible, only smiling briefly, as we passed each other. I have to admit, I was a bit embarrassed too. I mean he's my friend yes, but anything more than that? No. Definitely not. I was more worried about him believing in the duplicitous nature the newspapers have described me as having. 

"Since when have you been one of the top students in the school, Potter?" A Slytherin student said, aimed at Harry. "Or is this a school you and Longbottom have set up together?"

"Stunningly pretty? Her!" Pansy Parkinson shrieked at Hermione, when she first saw the article. "What was she comparing to - a chipmunk?"

"Zip it, Mrs Pug." I spit, placing my hand on Hermione's arm, comfortingly. Pansy looks me up and down and scoffs, before strutting off with the rest of her group, rolling her eyes.

~

November the twenty-second  finally came around and it was a Hogsmeade weekend. Harry, Hermione and I set off for The Three Broomsticks. Ron and Harry still weren't talking, so he didn't tag along, and Harry insisted that he wore his Invisibility Cloak, which Hermione and I both though was ridiculous, but when I saw Rita Skeeter exit the pub before we entered, I was tempted to jump under it, as well before she saw me. The three of us sat down, Harry refusing to take off his cloak, and we ordered three butterbeers. We definitely got some funny looks with three of them between the two of us.

It was not something that I liked, talking to Harry under that cloak. I didn't know where to look, and in the pub I couldn't look at him at all, otherwise people would start to get suspicious, so I could hear or speak to him properly.

Hermione kept talking about S.P.E.W, and getting some of the villagers to join in, but, if I'm honest, I zoned out after a while, and only gained my focus again when she exclaimed.

"Hey look it's Hagrid!" She looked up from her notebook and sure enough you could see the back of Hagrid's shaggy brown hair, over the top of everyone else's heads. I could see they he was bent over talking to Professor Moody, in hushed tones.