Alastriona had never been around so many angry Hufflepuff's, well angry and delighted, they wanted to celebrate Cedric's success at being selected but they were also livid at the thought of Harry Potter being a competitor.
Try as she might Alastriona couldn't convince anyone that Harry hadn't entered his name, not even Darcy was believing her!
Alastriona waited until the end of the night when Cedric was the last one up, staring vacantly into the fireplace and she took a seat next to him, folding her legs underneath her she sat facing him.
"How are you?" She asked him softly.
Cedric turned his head to look at her and there was a soft smile on his tired face, "You were right. I was chosen." Alastriona smiled at him but Cedric sighed and ran a hand down his face. "And so was Harry."
"Not by choice." Cedric looked at her incredulously, "Cedric, there's no—"
"He told me he didn't put his name in but how else would he have been selected?" Cedric questioned her, he never usually got this upset but something about Alastriona believing Harry unsettled Cedric completely.
"Powerful magic is the only thing that got him into that competition and there's no way that Harry was able to do that." Alastriona grabbed Cedric's hand when he tried to stand and leave, "Think about it, Fred, George and Lee couldn't get past that Age Line, Harry's talented for his age but there's no way he could do it if even they couldn't."
Cedric pulled his hand away from her and took a deep breath, "I'm going to bed. Goodnight, Alastriona."
Her heart ached at the hurt in his voice and she slowly went up to her dorm room, Darcy was in her bed and looking at her, slightly mad with her brows furrowed.
Alastriona groaned, "Please don't look at me like that."
"Like what?" Darcy scoffed.
"Like I'm a bad person for believing in someone."
Darcy rolled her eyes, "It doesn't seem like you're believing him, it seems like you're supporting him over Cedric."
Alastriona couldn't help but think that Darcy was being ridiculous. "I'm not supporting Harry over Cedric, but could you imagine how Harry's feeling right now?"
"Probably pretty bloody happy with himself." Darcy muttered under her breath.
Alastriona groaned at the response and shook her head, "Fine, whatever, I'm going to bed." She shut her curtains and tucked herself in, there was no point talking to her if she wasn't going to listen.
Alastriona felt an urge to go find Harry Potter and give him a hug and right then she decided that was exactly what she was going to do.
Harry Potter seemed to be avoiding everyone.
Every time Alastriona caught a glimpse of him he disappeared. Even in Herbology Harry didn't so much as glance at her and when she went to try and talk to him after class he walked so fast that Alastriona had no chance of keeping up.
Days passed before Alastriona finally saw him waiting for a class in the dungeons, it was lucky that Alastriona had forgotten one of her books in her dorm room otherwise she wouldn't have walked that way at all.
Draco was standing there as well, with Crabbe and Goyle behind him, Theo and Blaise were chatting off to the side. Draco had been surprised at Alastriona's sympathy for Harry and he'd seemed hurt as well, hurt that she would be caring for the person he despised the most. Theo didn't believe her either, Blaise entirely believed her as he had the same thoughts as she did, there was no way Harry could've possibly entered his own name.
As Alastriona grew closer she noticed badges on the majority of the Slytherin's robes.
"Like them, Potter?" Malfoy called out loudly to Harry.
The badges had bright red writing on them that read,
SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY-
THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION!
"And this isn't all they do- look!" Draco pressed the badge and the red writing was replaced with bold green writing that read,
POTTER STINKS
All the Slytherins erupted into laughter.
"Oh very funny, really witty." Hermione snapped sarcastically.
Alastriona made herself known then as she walked past Draco and stood by Hermione's side, Draco's eyes widened at her sudden appearance.
His silver eyes flickered not between her and Hermione but between her and Harry.
Draco held out a badge in Hermione's direction, "Want one, Granger? I've got loads. But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up."
Alastriona audibly gasped and she dropped her book and her hand went to her hair, it fell down in wild curls as she grabbed her wand and immediately pointed it in Draco's direction.
Out of the corner of her eye she could see that on Hermione's other side Harry had readied his own wand.
Students scrambled around, Theo and Blaise stood up straight and Blaise tried to talk Draco down from the side and Theo came around to Alastriona and desperately tugged on her free hand but she yanked it away.
Hermione looked between the two, "Harry!" Hermione was warning him not to do anything.
"Go on then, Potter," he spoke quietly, getting his own wand out, his eyes flickered to Alastriona, "Breen. Moody's not here to look after you now- do it, if you've got the guts—"
Harry and Draco cast their spells at the same time.
Harry yelled, "Furnunculus!"
Draco shouted, "Densaugeo!"
"Protego!" Alastriona casted the spell, protecting herself and the people behind her from the others harmful jinxes.
The jets of bright light hit each other and reflected off each other, Harry's spell hit Goyle and his face immediately sprouted large boils.
Draco's spell narrowly missed Alastriona, bouncing off her shield, and hit Hermione, her hand flew to her mouth, her two front teeth began growing rapidly downwards and by the time Alastriona glanced back to Draco they were past her chin!
Pure white rage filled Alastriona as she looked at Draco with something akin to disgust, "Locomotor Mortis!" She struck quickly and his legs locked together, "Ventus!" The large gust of wind came out powerfully and pushed him to the floor and a few other Slytherin's stumbled under the force of it.
"And what is all this noise about?" Snape had arrived, he wordlessly removed the leg locking spell from Draco.
Draco stood up and it was as if a cloud had been removed from his eyes and he realised what he'd done. He looked down at his hands and shoved his wand back in his pocket, dragging his hands through his hair.
"Explain." Snape pointed at Crabbe.
"Potter attacked Draco-"
"We attacked each other!" Harry shouted, ready for round two.
"And he hit Goyle, look!" Crabbe accused and shoved Goyle into Snape's line of vision.
Snape assessed Goyle and said, "Hospital Wing, Goyle."
Ron was livid, he'd witnessed the whole thing and was now trying and failing to comfort Hermione, "Malfoy got Hermione! Look!" Her two front teeth were now past her collar.
Snape looked cooly at Hermione, "I see no difference."
Alastriona gasped at his words. Hermione whimpered and tears spilled from her eyes as she ran away down the corridor.
Alastriona glared up at Snape in horror, "You—" She seethed, she'd gained his attention and everyone else's too but she didn't care about that, not now. "You are a cruel, pathetic man!"
Snape's eyes narrowed into small slits, "Detention, Miss Breen, and fifty points from Hufflepuff."
Alastriona scoffed, "Whatever." She began backing away in the direction Hermione had run to, "Don't expect me to show for detention, I don't obey bullies."
Whispers rose around her as she turned and ran down the hallway in search of Hermione.
She finally found the poor girl in the Hospital Wing. Madame Pomfrey was tending to her needs, slowly shrinking her teeth back to a normal size.
"Oh, Hermione." Alastriona said softly, she took a seat beside her and rubbed the girls back gently.
Alastriona didn't say anything as Hermione let Madame Pomfrey shrink her teeth to a smaller size than what they were before the spell had hit her.
Madame Pomfrey left the girls alone and Alastriona hugged Hermione tightly from the side, "I'm so sorry you got hurt, Hermione. I was caught off guard otherwise I would've put up a bigger shield but it happened so quickly."
Hermione shrugged and cast her eyes down, "It's fine. I'm okay."
Alastriona sighed deeply, "I can't apologise on Draco's behalf... I don't know what's gotten into him. I know he's never been kind to you but recently—" She shook her head and sniffed, "I thought—"
Hermione put a comforting hand on Alastriona's shoulder, "He's different." Alastriona's head snapped up at her comment, "Maybe not for everyone but definitely for you."
Alastriona's smile was small, "I should go, hope you feel better soon, Hermione." She stood and left.
Alastriona was alone when she walked into the Great Hall for dinner that night.
She glanced at the Hufflepuff table and saw Darcy actively avoiding her gaze. Right before she went to take a seat at the end of table she saw Harry Potter sitting alone at the Gryffindor table.
Harry's head jolted up and his green eyes grew wide as the Hufflepuff sat next to him.
Alastriona didn't seem bothered and just filled her plate, she noticed Harry's looked slightly empty and so put a slice of steak and kidney pie on his plate.
"You've been avoiding me." She stated.
"Yeah," Harry chuckled nervously, "you're good mates with Cedric, I just figured you'd hate me—"
Alastriona scoffed, "Of course I don't hate you. You didn't ask for this."
Harry looked completely nonplussed, "You— you don't think I put my name in?"
"No." She said plainly, taking a bite of roasted carrot. "Anyone should just look at your track record. I'm surprised people aren't fearing for your safety!"
Harry laughed sardonically at this and it caused Alastriona to grin. "If you need anything for the tournament, Harry, you can count on me. I promise."
"But Cedric—"
"I can support more than one person. I'm quite talented in that way." She boasted, an infectious grin on her face.
Harry laughed and felt a little more at ease thanks to the happy red head sitting next to him, it had been a horrible few days and yet just one moment with Alastriona had helped to ease his worries.
Alastriona sat with Harry for the rest of dinner, managing to avoid the professor's eyes, however when she looked up to the Slytherin table she felt those cool silver eyes burning into her. As Harry laughed at something she said she saw those eyes narrow and it made her breath catch in her throat.
Uncle Finn had been right, this would be an interesting year.