Estranged • Harry Potter {1}

Eleven

Christmas break was coming fast and Cora knew that on the second last day, it would be their last practice before the new year. Cora never said a word to Hermione about what had happened between her and Harry the night before and she knew it was silly but she couldn't let it weigh her down. The worst part was, she understood why Harry couldn't do it. Cora didn't need to be exiled once more.

"Alright focus Neville, come on." Cora urged.

"I can't do this, I'm never gonna get it!" He grumbled.

"Yes you will! Just focus it. We use wands to channel our magic. Come on, you can do this." Cora said.

The shy boy sighed and raised his wand with Cora.

"Come on." She encouraged.

Neville took a breath, furrowing his brows as his grip on his wand tightened. He waved it quickly. "Expelliarmus."

Cora gasped as her wand went flying into the air and the entire room seemed to notice.

"Well done Neville." Harry told him as girls surrounded him. Cora picked up her wand, smiling as Harry went over to her.

"I suppose I can thank you for that." He said.

"Well of course, who else?" Cora smirked.

"I just wanted to-"

"Don't. Like I said it's fine." Cora smiled weakly and looked back at Neville as he shyly talked to all the girls suddenly very interested in him.

Harry took that as his leave and he stood in front of the class with Hermione and Ron at his back.

"Now, we're not going to be meeting until after the holidays." He said. Many were displeased by that. "So just keep practicing on your own the best you can and well done everyone."

Everyone clapped a little for Harry and everybody gathered their things. Cora was quick to join her friends but she noticed Harry was looking off somewhere. She followed his gaze to Cho and she thought she would vomit.

"We'll meet you in the common room Harry." Hermione said.

Cora led them out, her mind wandering slightly to what they might be doing back in that room. Surely enough they would be snogging. Cho was pretty, and that pained Cora no matter how many times she tried to convince herself otherwise. Harry was a friend. Potter and Malfoy were names that were never meant to be friends let alone anything more so friends.

"Pardon me Weaslebe." Cora rolled her eyes at the harsh nickname.

"Draco, a sight for sore eyes." She replied, stopping in the middle of the corridor to greet her brother.

"You'll be alright Cora?" Ron asked.

"Oh yeah. His bark is worse than his bite." Cora smirked.

Hermione hid a smile and she followed Ron back to the common room.

Cora pulled on the ribbon attached to her brother's cloak and looked at him. "Seriously?"

"Extra credit." The boy shrugged.

"Stupid." She replied, pushing passed him to walk.

"Look, all you have to do is tell me how to get in the room." Draco said, following her.

"You've really gone mad this time brother." Cora said, hopping onto a moving staircase. Draco was quick to follow. She leaned against the railing and sighed. "You think me that stupid?"

"Of course not that's why I'm asking it as a favour." He replied.

"Absolutely not." Cora said.

"Come on!" Draco begged. The stairs attached to another landing and Cora took the leave with Draco still at her heels. "Just do this, for me."

"Doing it for you, means helping that wretched woman and I refuse to do that, so my answer remains." Cora explained.

"You would do everything to protect that Potter but nothing to help your own flesh and blood?" Draco spat. "You really have slipped far."

Cora spun around, suddenly at her breaking point. "Don't you dare come at me with that crap! Where were you when I was in the infirmary with an infected wound that that witch gave me? I know you were notified, like you said you're unfortunately my flesh and blood."

"It's not my fault you can't hold your tongue." Draco seethed.

"And it's not my fault you seek acceptance wherever it's being given." Cora bit back. That pushed Draco away and Cora hated she went to such lengths but at the same time, she couldn't have felt more powerful. "I won't betray my friend's trust. They're the first people other than you to truly be good to me. They like me despite my family status, not because of it. And they like me, despite you. We're doing some real good Draco, and I know that you know, you're on the wrong side. Don't let what dad tells you is right dictate what you already know. You're not him."

Draco scoffed but didn't reply. Cora didn't care if she got through to him right now. She would eventually.

Cora made it back to the common room and put her things in her room. When she came back down, Harry had arrived and was sitting on the floor in front of the fireplace with Hermione and Ron sat on the couch.

"Well how was it?" Ron asked as Cora sat on the arm of the couch.

"Wet. I mean she was sort of crying..." Harry stumbled a bit, glancing at Cora.

He hadn't told anyone about their night either.

"That bad at it are you?" Ron chuckled.

"I'm sure that Harry's kissing was more than satisfactory." Hermione chimed in seriously.

Cora had to hide a smile as she began to soften to the idea. Harry and Ron seemed to be holding back laughter as well.

"Cho spends half her time crying these days." Hermione explains.

"You'd a bit of snogging would cheer her up." Ron laughed.

Cora laughed and gently nudged him for the comment. Ron looked back at her and shrugged.

"Don't you understand how she must be feeling?" Hermione said, forcing all the smiles off their faces.

Nobody said a word and all eyes turned to Cora. Now she had to defend the girl she really hated.

Cora sighed. "She's a girl so obviously she's feeling everything."

Still the blank stare from the boys and Hermione didn't seem to be speaking.

"Alright well..." Cora thought about it quickly. "Obviously she's feeling sad about Cedric, I mean the boy died for Merlin's sake. That makes her confused about liking Harry then guilty about kissing him. Conflicted because Umbridge is threatening to sack her mum from the ministry and frightened of failing her OWLs because she's so busy worrying about everything else."

"One person couldn't feel all that." Ron frowned. "They'd explode."

"Just because you've got the emotional range of a teaspoon." Hermione snapped.

Everyone fell silent. Hermione had really bitten back.

Everyone burst into laughter but Hermione laughed the hardest. The four friends enjoyed the last night before leaving for the break and although Cora and Harry weren't quite right, they were still able to keep the rest of the night light.