Ron wasn't in the best of moods during breakfast, disappearing as soon as he finished.
"We should go find Harry," Hermione murmured to Amisty once the redhead had disappeared. "Before everyone else gets him."
"I think you should do it alone, 'Mione. The fewer the better," Amisty replied just as quietly, remembering his snappy attitude from the night before.
"Are you sure? You're usually jumping to make sure he's okay," Hermione asked, giving her a confused look.
"He's upset, the fewer the better," Amisty bit into her eggs. "Bring him some food, though."
"Alright."
And Hermione was gone, holding a stack of toast in a napkin as she headed up to Gryffindor Tower.
Amisty sat back in her seat, alone, wishing Harry's name hadn't been in the Goblet at all, whether he put it in or not.
-=+=-
Herbology was tense, the Hufflepuffs coldness toward the Gryffindors even more amplified as they worked.
It didn't help that Hermione and Amisty had to sit there and try to force conversation between Harry and Ron, who were both too stubborn to even spare a glance at each other.
When Care of Magical Creatures rolled around, Amisty was five seconds away from ripping her hair out. Having her friends argue was taking a toll on her sanity.
Right on time, Draco arrived, sneering.
"Ah, look, boys, it's the champion. Got your autograph books?" He asked Crabbe and Goyle. "Better get a signature now, because I doubt he's going to be around much longer... Half the Triwizard champions have died... how long d'you reckon you're going to last, Potter? Ten minutes into the first task's my bet."
Crabbe and Goyle laughed on cue, but Amisty felt herself wilt even further.
She slipped behind him, completely unable to even jab him in the back.
"That wasn't funny, Malfoy," She whispered quietly, shooting him a half-hearted glare as Hagrid walked out with the boxes of skrewts. H
e looked about ready to reply, but his face morphed into a smirk as Crabbe and Goyle joined his sides, cracking their knuckles at the sight of her.
"Oh, lay off it," She growled, rolling her eyes. "It's not as if I was going to hurt him."
Just to add to the misery of the day, he told them that he wanted them to walk the skrewts around the get rid of their extra energy so they stopped killing each other.
"Take this thing for a walk? And where exactly are we supposed to fix the leash? Around the sting, the blasting end, or the sucker?" Draco asked, his eyebrows raised as he stared into the boxes.
"Roun' the middle," Hagrid replied instantly, showing them. "Er -- yeh might want ter put on yer dragon-hide gloves, jus' as an extra precaution, like. Harry -- you come here an' help me with this big one..."
Amisty stared at the Blast-Ended Skrewt she had been assigned, throwing a terrified look over at Hermione.
"Together?" She asked hopefully, not at all wanting to attempt to control the thing alone.
"Together," Hermione agreed, and they worked with each other to not go flying across the field as the skrewt blasted off.
-=+=-
Double Potions came, and they were greeted by every single Slytherin standing outside with matching badges glinting red on their robes.
Support CEDRIC DIGGORY --
The REAL Hogwarts Champion!
"Like them, Potter?" And this isn't all they do -- look!" Draco called as they got closer, pressing the badge. The message changed, glowing green now.
Potter Stinks
Amisty bristled as all the Slytherins burst out laughing, following in Draco's actions and the message surrounded them. Harry went very red.
She glared daggers at Draco, who looked away the second she caught his gaze.
"Oh very funny, really witty," Hermione rolled her eyes, her voice scathing as she glared at Pansy and all her friends, who were all cackling.
"So creative," Amisty spat out through clenched teeth, breathing heavily as she tried to keep her temper in check.
Ron stayed off to the wide with Seamus and Dean -- he still wasn't speaking to Harry -- watching.
Draco held out a badge to Hermione.
"Want one, Granger? I've got loads," He retracted his hand. "But don't touch my hand, now. I've just washed it, you see; don't want a Mudblood sliming it up."
Hermione grabbed Amisty just in time, dragging her behind the two of them as Harry withdrew his wand, fuming.
A few colorful and foul words escaped her mouth, to the shock of almost everyone, including her.
Everyone had scattered at the sight of Harry's wand, pressing against the walls and out of the way of the line of fire.
The raven-haired girl tugged on her robe's sleeves, trying to hide the glowing bracelet jingling on her wrist as she desperately tried to calm down.
It wasn't working.
She wanted nothing more than to tear it off and throw it into a fire. She didn't think she'd have to hear that word again, but there it was, from him no less.
Her heart was hurting, but the feeling was far from noticeable with the anger clouding her thoughts.
"Harry," Hermione warned.
"Go on, then, Potter. Moody's not here to look after you now -- " Draco withdrew his wand, taunting, "do it, if you've got the guts -- "
Their gazes met, and in turn, Harry shouted, "Furnunculus!" and Draco yelled, "Densaugeo!"
The spells clashed midair, rocketing off at different angles.
Harry's hit Goyle, and Draco's... Draco's hit Hermione.
Goyle shouted, clutching his face as angry boils bubbled over his nose, and Hermione was shaking, her hands covering her mouth.
Amisty dropped to her knees immediately, trying to see what damage the spell had done.
"Hermione!" Ron raced forward, and he managed to drag her hand away from her face.
Her front two teeth had started to grow, past her chin and still going.
She felt them with her fingers, a small wail leaving her mouth. Immediately she covered her face up again, even with Amisty and Ron's pleading.
"Hermione, Hermione, please... you have to -- " Amisty tried desperately.
"And what is all this noise about?" Snape's voice cut her off, and she looked up.
The Slytherins all spouted off explanations at once, silenced when Snape pointed at Draco.
"Explain."
"Potter attacked me, sir -- " Draco began.
"We attacked each other at the same time!" Harry shouted angrily.
" -- and he hit Goyle -- look -- " He shoved his little bodyguard forward, whose face looked like he had rolled around in a patch of poison ivy.
"Hospital wing, Goyle," Snape ordered.
"Malfoy got Hermione! Look!" Ron demanded, pulling Hermione's hands down.
Amisty glared viciously at Pansy and her gang, who was giggling silently and pointing at Hermione mockingly, her eyes so furious they looked like green flames.
Snape looked over at Hermione, his voice cold as he continued, "I see no difference."
Hermione's eyes welled up with tears, and she turned heel and raced down the corridor.
Amisty's ears were ringing and she started slowly after her, her hands shaking as they clenched into fists.
'Get out of there, get out of there, get out of there. You're going to shift, get out of there.'
Harry and Ron were shouting at Snape, their voices jumbled but she could very easily pick out a few words Mrs. Weasley would be ashamed to hear them say.
"Let's see. Fifty points from Gryffindor and a detention each for Potter and Weasley. Now get inside, or it'll be a week's worth of detention."
Amisty kept walking, keenly aware of the gazes burning into her back.
'Get out of there, get out of there.'
"And Miss River," There it was, "where do you think you're going?"
She spun around slowly, the POTTER STINKS badges still winking up at her as she felt her eyes narrow further, "Going after her to make sure she's alright since clearly, you won't."
And she stalked away before he could assign her a detention or even take points away, the bracelet almost blinding even with her sleeve covering it.
There was the familiar tingling in her skin, the tingling that would soon turn into burning.
She only walked faster.
The second she was certain she was far out of the line of sight of anyone, she gave in, feeling the transformation to take place and barely fazed as her paws hit the ground.
Everything was amplified, per usual, and she shook out her coat as it had been awhile since her last transition. She seemed to have grown, which was a relief, as it didn't seem like she'd grown at all over the summer compared to everyone else, even with the prolonged time spent at The Burrow with Mrs. Weasley's cooking.
She raced through the empty hallway, her ears picking up the sound of Hermione's footsteps as she raced up to the hospital wing.
She rounded the corner, finding Hermione a few feet away, tears staining her cheeks and still trying in vain to hide her teeth.
"Amisty?"
She picked up her pace, pressing her nose to the side of Hermione's leg in what she hoped was a comforting gesture.
"Lupus Estaria."
As soon as the spell was finished, she wrapped an arm around her shoulder and handing the girl her cloak.
Hermione sniffed, and the two of them headed up to the hospital wing together.
"Madame Pomfrey!" She shouted as soon as she shoved the door open, glaring daggers at Goyle even though he couldn't see her around the boils on his face.
"Hermione got hit!"
"I was waiting to see who was on the other end of the duel," The healer let off a heavy sigh, pointing to a gurney. "Mister Potter and Mister Malfoy, I presume?"
"Correct," Amisty nodded, sounding just as exasperated as she guided Hermione there and tugged around the surrounding curtains to block her from view before joining Madame Pomfrey's side.
"What happened?" She asked.
"Malfoy hit her with a curse meant for Harry, that's how Goyle got hit, too, and her teeth started growing," Amisty replied in an undertone.
"I'll have to take care of that, to be safe. Could you find a Boil-Cure Potion, they're in the cabinet next to the Oculus Potions," Madame Pomfrey was digging through another cabinet, pulling out a potion and her wand.
"Right," Amisty suppressed a groan, not at all wanting to help Goyle with his attitude and stupidity.
It wasn't her fault Draco was an idiot and dueled with Harry.
Goyle sneered when she approached (well, attempted to sneer), potion in hand, but she was close to shutting him up, "It's amazing how similar you look even after a curse."
She shoved the potion into his hands, waiting impatiently for him to finish drinking it all before snatching back the bottle and stalking away. It was rather violent when she washed it out.
"Goyle, once those clear up you can head back down to your class," Madame Pomfrey called out, sending a warning glance to the fuming girl.
He grunted out his thanks, sitting there cluelessly on the gurney feeling his face before slouching out of the hospital wing, Amisty scowling at his retreating back.
"The room just got ten degrees warmer," Madame Pomfrey commented as Amisty's dark expression faded away once the boy was gone.
"I don't like him," Amisty explained instantly, taking a seat on her usual bed.
"I'm not surprised to hear it," She replied, her eyebrows barely raised a millimeter as she reappeared from behind the curtains surrounding Hermione's bed. "Shouldn't you be heading back to your class now."
"I'd rather not if that's alright? Professor Snape won't be too happy with me," Amisty replied sheepishly, curling her fingers around the edge of the bed as she braced herself for a scolding.
To her surprise, Madame Pomfrey just sighed again, "Alright, stay here. I'll send down for dinner for the two of you."
Amisty grinned.
And that's what they did.
The three of them, Madame Pomfrey, Hermione -- with now slightly smaller than usual teeth, Amisty sent her a knowing look to which she replied with a mischievous wink -- and Amisty, all eating dinner together up in the hospital wing.
She smiled down at her plate, a glow of happiness in her eyes as she looked up. Hermione was laughing, her cheeks and eyes dry of tears, and Madame Pomfrey had relaxed, smiling kindly as she made jokes and asked questions about how their school year had been going.
She was incredibly happy as she headed back up to the common room with Hermione in tow.