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═ ∘◦TWELVE: Only The Beginning◦∘ ═
∘◦Mind Over Matter (Reprise)‖ Young The Giant◦∘
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"C'mon Kat, we're going to be late," Mindy groaned as she walked further ahead on the path.
"I'm so sorry that the rest of us walk at a normal pace and you decide to run everywhere you go," Kat spat with sarcasm.
Addy rolled her eyes and pulled Kat along with her as she sped up, "Let's go, Mindy doesn't want to miss her girlfriend's speech,"
At that, Mindy turned on her feet and glared daggers at her two best friends, who were now giggling messes. Deciding not to comment, she grabbed both their arms as they approached the run-down pub and pushed them inside in front of her.
The two girls stumbled into the pub, colliding with a few tables and chairs. Mindy followed behind them, a proud smirk on her face. The group of their classmates that began to form before the three had gotten there, all turned to look at them with mixtures of amusement and confusion.
"So clumsy, these two," Mindy announced before walking over to Hermione, who looked like she was about to scold her.
Addy helped Kat steady herself, "Make one joke about her love life and this is what we get in return."
The two Hufflepuffs join the rest of their friends and other classmates further into the pub. Addy walked up to the fireplace and held her hands out trying to regain feeling in her fingers, as she had forgotten her gloves in the dorm.
Ron was watching her as she entered, the smile on her face as she joked with Kat and the way her nose and cheeks are tinted pink from the cold air she just escaped. A smile threatened to peak through as he watched her warm her hands by the fire, of course she would forget gloves when it was practically snowing outside.
She was wearing blue-jean dungarees with a sweater that had a few different shades of purple underneath. Her jacket was an off-white colour, which matched her boots.
Ron turned away from her and almost bumped into Fred, who was standing right behind him with three butterbeers in his hands and a smirk on his face that never led to anything even remotely good.
"Careful there, Ickle Ronnikins. Don't want me to spill this all over you and embarrass yourself in front of Sunshine."
Ron pulled a face, "What are you on about,"
"Oh, don't you worry about that. Here, take these. One's for Sunshine." Fred's smirk was wider than ever as he handed Ron two of the three warm beverages in his hand.
Ron took the butterbeers from Fred and shot him a confused stare before walking away.
"Here, this'll warm you up faster,"
Addy turned her head quickly to Ron out of surprise. She took in his appearance and smiled.
He was wearing a maroon shirt under a green flannel jacket and a pair of dark-washed jeans. His hair had looked a bit messy, she guessed because he had previously been wearing a hat. She couldn't help but notice how his once very, very, prominent freckles had started to dull out.
"Sorry, I'm a bit out of it today," Addy smiled as she took the butterbeer from his hands, "Do you want to sit down?"
Ron nodded and led her to the first table in the room where he had been sitting earlier. Addy took her jacket off and put it on the chair she was sitting in, then she turned back to Ron smiling brightly while she held the warm cup.
"Is Harry nervous?" She asked after taking a sip, eyeing Harry who had taken her previous stance at the fireplace, looking paler than usual.
Ron nodded, "I guess. He's a bit pissed that me and Hermione came up with the idea. Won't admit it's a good one... he just thinks people are here to make fun of him."
A look of annoyance came across Adelaide's face, "Well I won't stand for that. If anyone here just came to poke fun at Harry they're wasting their time."
With an amused smile Ron spoke again, "Yeah, I don't think anyone will want to get on your bad side, Greenwood,"
Addy rolled her eyes but focused her attention on the front of the pub again. Hermione had come closer, standing between Ron and Harry, nervously wringing her hands together. On Addy's other side, Mindy and Kat were sitting with Luna Lovegood, each sipping a warm butterbeer murmuring quietly to each other. Bash, Lee, and the twins were all sat in the few chairs behind Ron and Addy.
"Is Harry ready?" Ron asked Hermione, who nodded and turned to Harry.
With Harry's shrug of approval, Hermione started talking. Ron turned to look at Addy, who had zoned out and nudged her arm, causing her to jolt in surprise before smiling and focusing on Hermione and Harry.
"Erm... Well hi," Hermione started.
Addy sent her an encouraging smile towards her, receiving a grateful one in return.
"Well, you all know why we're here... Harry had the idea-" Harry cleared his throat in protest.
Hermione rolled her eyes, but a blush still crept up her neck, "I had the idea that he could teach, anyone who wanted, Defense Against the Dark Arts. And like really, properly teach it... Not whatever that rubbish Umbridge is teaching us."
"Here, here," Anthony Goldstein had shouted in agreement.
Addy looked over her shoulder at him and smiled gratefully, whereas Ron looked quite irritated by the obnoxious boys shouting. Not the fact that Adelaide had smiled at him.
"I believe we should take matters into our own hands and learn how to defend ourselves... Not just the theory, actually practice real spells."
"You want to pass your O.W.L.'s too though, I bet?" Michel Corner, one of Anthony's friends quarried.
"Of course I do," Hermione said quickly, "But it's more than just our O.W.L.'s. We should be properly trained in Defence because... well..." She took a pause and looked at Harry quickly, "Because Lord Voldemort has returned."
Adelaide flinched at everyone's reactions, they were dramatic and honestly predictable. The noises of shock and people choking on their butterbeer were heard through the pub. Hermione waited a few moments for everyone, and even herself, to collect themselves before continuing.
"So... That's the plan anyway. If you would like to join us, we need to decide -"
"Where's the proof You-Know-Who's back?" Zacharias Smith spoke up aggressively.
Adelaide scrunched her eyebrows at her friends' tone and Ron took notice.
"Well, Dumbledore believes it -" Hermione started.
"You mean, Dumbledore believes him," Zacharias nodded towards Harry.
"Who even are you?" Ron spoke rather rudely.
Adelaide rolled her eyes at him in amusement, a smile ghosted her face.
"Zacharias Smith, and I think we've got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who's back."
Kat made eye contact with Addy who was next to her and they both pulled a face at the boys' attitude. Mindy had been staring at the boy rather rudely.
"This isn't what the point of the meeting is meant to be, Smith," Mindy spoke with attitude towards the blonde, making Hermione send her an appreciative smile.
"It's okay, Mindy." Harry started "I say he's back because I saw him. Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, but if you don't believe him then you don't believe me. I'm not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone."
Zacharias said dismissively, "All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory's body back to Hogwarts. He didn't give us any details, he didn't tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we'd all like to know -"
"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you," Harry said angrily.
Adelaide had gone completely rigid in her seat. A few people had their eyes glancing between Zacharias, Harry, and her, waiting for something to happen.
Hermione had her eyes wide while staring at Addy, the same with Kat. Mindy had completely turned around to stare at Zacharias with the same nasty look Harry had already been giving him. Ron placed his hand over hers on the table, squeezing lightly. Earning a glance from Addy in return.
"Well, I just think we deserve to know what happened," Zacharias pressed further.
When Addy looked up Ron was already looking at her. They held eye contact for a moment before he spoke.
"Y'know, you're acting like a real dick, Smith," There was a bite to his sentence.
"Diggory was in my house, Weasley. He was my friend. So yeah, if I want to know exactly what happened to him, I should."
Mindy scoffed, "Acting like you're entitled to anything surrounding Cedric is really rich."
Eventually, everyone had started joining in on the argument and Adelaide began to feel like the room was closing in on her. Since this morning she had a weird feeling in her stomach and this wasn't helping.
Adelaide looked up at Ron again and they held eye contact for a few moments, he was trying to gauge her reaction to everyone who had begun to about Cedric and now her. She turned away from Ron and looked to Sebastion who had already been looking at her. He raised an eyebrow trying to see if she was okay, but she quickly looked away from him and back at Ron.
She started to get more angry than upset at that moment. Someone behind her had brought up the articles in The Daily Prophet that involved her.
Ron had noticed the unfamiliar look in her eye and spoke to her in a quieter voice, "Ignore them."
All Addy could do was nod her head courtly, biting her lip to try and keep her anger from bubbling over the top. She knew that if she said anything she would come to regret it and possibly make them believe that they were right. She had completely lost her mind.
"What would Diggory think if he knew Greenwood ended up in St. Mungo's,"
That was the tipping point.
Adelaide shot up from her seat and turned to face everyone in the pub, "Don't you ever talk about me or Cedric like you know us."
There was a venom in her voice that had taken everyone back. Sebastion flinched, never have heard his sister sound so much like their father.
"Zacharias, You and Cedric never were friends. You followed him around like a lost puppy and it was honestly pathetic. If I were you I wouldn't even think about speaking his name or you will have me to deal with." She had looked around at everyone's shocked faces and felt her anger bubble down. "None of you would want to be in my situation. Your best friend dead, the ministry lying about what actually happened, and everyone saying youve gone yumpy because of it."
She glanced at Ron quickly before looking back at Zacharias, "So, don't you ever defile Cedric's name for your ego."
She finally sat back down and Ron held a sort of satisfied smirk on his face while looking at Smith, who had sunk back in his seat. She had finally stood up for herself and he could help but feel proud in a way.
He also couldn't help that feeling festering in the back of his stomach as he watched her shy away from Mindy's hand on her shoulder as a blush started to come up her neck.
He looked over to Harry who had been looking almost as uncomfortable as Addy as he swayed on his feet, trying to muster up something to say.
Harry finally spoke, but was determined to not look at Addy or Cho, "I don't want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that's what you're here for, you might as well clear out."
No one left their seats so Hermione shuffled her feet, "So... like I was saying... If you want to learn some defense, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to-"
"Is it true," Susan Bones interrupted, "That you can produce a Patronus?"
Everyone began to murmur in interest.
"Yeah," Harry said slightly defensively.
"A corporeal Patronus?"
The two continued to converse and Addy started to tune them out, using the distraction to calm her breathing. She couldn't help the familiar feeling of panic rising in her throat. She had snapped at a pub full of her peers and she felt guilty. Not at the fact that she had snapped at them, but at the fact she didn't exactly feel bad for doing it.
The aggression was abnormal for her and she knew it. She didn't like this new her that was forming but couldn't find it in herself to care completely about it. That was a problem for another day, and right now she felt good and was trying to keep it that way. Pushing aside the thoughts of Cedric and her outburst she tuned back into the conversation.
"And that's not to mention," Cho started, "all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year..."
Addy looked at Cho for the first time since last year, a small smile on her lips, "Yeah, getting past dragons and merpeople and acromantulas and..." She looked away from Cho and back at Harry for a split second before looking at her butterbeer, "... And things."
Everyone began to murmur again, but this time impressed rather than judgmental.
"Look, I... I almost always had help with all of that stuff..." Harry spoke.
"Not with the dragons." Michael Corner said at once. "That was a seriously cool bit of flying."
"And nobody helped you with the dementors this summer," Susan Bones smiled
"No." Harry said, "no, okay I know I did bits of it on my own, but the point I'm trying to make is-"
"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?" accused Zacharias Smith.
"Here's an idea," Ron said loudly, before Harry could speak, "why don't you shut your mouth?"
Adelaide couldn't help the giggle that passed her lips but quickly tried to hide it with a cough. Ron let the smile come to his lips at the sound.
"Well, we've all turned up to learn from him, and now he's saying he can't really do any of it," Smith said
"That's not what he said," Snarled Sebastion.
Bash was particularly fed up with the Hufflepuff and was looking at him in a way that made him gulp before he looked away.
"Would you like us to clean out your ears for you?" George inquired, pulling out a long and lethal-looking metal instrument from one of his Zonko's bags.
"Or any part of your body, really, we're not fussy where we stick this," said Fred.
Hermione cleared her throat, "Yes, well, moving on... the point is, are we agreed? We want to take lessons from Harry?"
Everyone murmured in general agreement when Adelaide zoned out again. This time Ron grew concerned. She had always been the type to zone out, but today was more frequent than usual. He had watched her silently as she blinked slowly and her breathing began to increase.
"I'm sorry, but where's the proof of any of that?" Hermione's rude tone brought Addy back to the conversation.
She glanced at Ron who was looking at her with a raised eyebrow, but she just shook her head looking towards Hermione with a raised eyebrow.
"There are plenty of eyewitness accounts, just because you're so narrow-minded you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you-" Luna argued.
Adelaide rolled her eyes at everyone jumping at Ginny's Umbridge impression. She felt Ron's gaze on the side of her face for the rest of the meeting but allowed herself to ignore it, focusing on the feeling of uneasiness in her stomach.
Everyone began to rise from their seats to gather around and start signing the piece of parchment. She stood behind Bash and waited to sign her own name.
After singing her name under Bash's she looked around the room to see Ron speaking with the twins. He was already looking at her though and nodded his head towards the door, which she acknowledged with her own nod.
"I'll catch up with you later, yeah?" She smiled at Bash who nodded walking over to the twins.
Stepping outside the pub she looked around for a moment before seeing Ron standing by a bench across the road. She walked up to him and they stood in silence for a few moments.
"Are you alright?"
She nodded her head and looked up at him, a tight-lipped smile plastered on her face, " 'Corse, why wouldn't I be?"
Ron just raised his eyebrow at her in response. Her eyes glazed over with tears and she shook her head quickly. Ron then pulled her into a hug trying to comfort her. It was awkward at first, but then they just stayed there, both realizing how comfortable it really was.
Through her tears, Adelaide spoke firmly, "I'm going to feed Zacharias to one of Hagrid's creatures."
Ron laughed at that, the vibrations coming through his chest against Addy's cheek making her laugh in response. Hearing everyone start to leave Hogs Head, she pulled away and wiped the fallen tears with her sleeve.
Once Ron knew she was composed, he offered her his arm, which she smiled and accepted. The two of them walked over to their friends.
"That Zacharias bloke's a wart," Ron started the conversation.
"Yeah, I don't like him much either, " Hermione admitted, "but he overheard me talking to Ernie and Hannah and seemed really interested in coming, so what else could I say? The more people the better honestly... I mean, Micheal Corner and his friends wouldn't have come if he hadn't been going out with Ginny-"
Ron turned on his heels, which caused Addy to stumble back as well, due to the fact their arms were still linked.
"He's WHAT?" Ron spoke outraged. "She's going out with- my sister's going- what d'you mean, Micheal Corner?"
Mindy rolled her eyes, "Well that's why he and his friends came. Ginny told him and his friends and he's a pussy-whipped guy so, of course, he came."
"When did this... when did she...? " Ron sputtered.
"They met at the Yule Ball. She sat at mine and Anthony's table towards the end of the evening." Adelaide spoke up.
Ron stiffened.
"I believe they got together at the end of last year," Hermione informed while stopping to look into Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop.
Ron dragged Addy along the street behind Hermione, "Which one was he?"
"The one sat next to Anthony Goldstein," said Hermione as she walked into the shop
"I didn't like him," Ron said immediately.
"Surprise, surprise," Kat remarked from the other side of Harry.
Ron looked at her, his face turning red, "But, I thought Ginny fancied Harry!"
Everyone then turned to Ron with raised eyebrows, "Ginny used to fancy Harry. She gave that up months ago." Mindy laughed.
"Not that she doesn't like you, Harry," Hermione added with a kind smile as she selected a few quills.
"So that's why she talks now?" He asked, "She never used to talk in front of me"
Adelaide laughed releasing Ron from her arm to look at the display of quills herself, "Yes, Harry."
Hermione stood at the register paying, Ron taking his newfound freedom to breath down her neck.
"Ron," She said severely, "This is exactly why she didn't tell you."
Ron looked offended.
Kat placed a kind hand on his arm, "She knew you'd take it badly. Don't harp on about it."
He shook her arm off of him, deciding to exit the shop before everyone else. They all looked at each other and walked out behind him after they had finished.
"What d'you mean, who's taking anything badly? I'm not going to harp on about anything..." Ron stated as soon as they all filed out of Scrivenshaft's.
Adelaide rolled her eyes, linking their arms together but not before waving over Fred, George, Lee, and Bash. The group continued to walk down the road towards the school.
"What's with the frown?" Bash teased Ron with a raised eyebrow.
"Ron has just found out Ginny's going out with Micheal Corner," Adelaide responded rubbing Ron's arm comfortingly.
The twins turned at this information, "Ginny's got a boyfriend?" they spoke loudly at the same time.
Kat rolled her eyes at the boys, "You lot act like that's so hard to believe. She's what, fourteen? Adelaide, you went out with Anthony, he's friends with Micheal."
Adelaide nodded her head, "Trust me, Micheals is a real nice lad. Nothing to worry about."
The group had continued talking, the conversation turning to Cho and Harry, but Adelaide had suddenly felt sick. She began to slow down, and Ron, due to their linked arms, noticed first.
He noticed the sickly color coming across her face and her breath began to grow rigid. He had stopped completely which caused the rest of the group to notice the two hadn't been with them anymore.
Bash turned around on the bridge and noticed his sister's state. He broke out into a jog back up to the two and bent down to her level taking her face in his hands.
Everyone had come back and surrounded Adelaide, causing her to panic even more. She had felt like she had been here before. She knew she had been here before. This whole day she had the same sick feeling in her stomach and now she knew what it was.
It was the tree all over again. She was going to be sick.
Replaying the whole day in her head she knew she had seen it. She saw it when she had fainted in Herbology. The realization made her eyesight begin to go spotty.
Suddenly she had fainted, falling back into Ron's arms.
Ron looked up at Sebastion who had begun to panic. Hoisting her up Ron started to run with Bash and their friends to the hospital wing, Adelaide passed out in his arms.
What the group of panicked teens didn't realize was Umbridge watching them from the clocktower and the simple fact that this is only the beginning.