Well, my year changed dramatically from the moment the Goblet spat out my name.
First of all, Ron got in a right sulk with me, which I found really unfair. He was supposed to be my best friend and yet he wouldn't believe me when I told him repeatedly that I had no idea how my name ever got in in the first place. Idiot.
It felt the whole school had turned against me. Even Professor Dumbledore got a bit rough with me. And I thought he would have been calm about it.
On the plus side, Cedric Diggory was also a champion and he, at least, seemed okay with me. However, the rest of the Hufflepuffs absolutely loathed me for taking away Cedric's "glory".
Hermione was my saviour, though.
"Well of course I knew you hadn't entered yourself," she had said. "The look on your face when Dumbledore read out your name! But the question is, who did put it in?"
She encouraged me to write to Sirius to tell him what had been going on, but to be honest I wasn't keen. He was on the run and I know he would just worry and come flying back here on Buckbeak. But Hermione bullied me into it anyway.
And then, of course, there was Draco Malfoy. Words cannot even begin to describe how much I hate that boy.
And I had to suffer double Potions with him. These days it was nothing short of torture being shut in a dungeon for an hour and a half with Snape and the Slytherins. They all seemed determined to punish me as much as possible for daring to become school champion.
At the start of one of these dreadful lessons, I turned up to see all of the Slytherins waiting outside, each and every one of them wearing a large badge on the front of their robes. I could see, to my dismay, that they all bore the same message; in luminous red letters that burnt brightly in the dimly lit underground passage:
Support CEDRIC DIGGORY -
the REAL Hogwarts Champion!
"Like them, Potter?" Draco said loudly, beaming smugly in my face. "And this isn't all they do - look!"
He pressed his badge into his chest, and the message upon it vanished, to be replaced by another one, which glowed green:
POTTER STINKS
The Slytherins howled with laughter. Each of them pressed their badges, too, until the message POTTER STINKS was shining brightly all around me. I felt the heat rise to my face and neck.
"Oh, really mature, Malfoy," I spat. "I can't understand where you get your wit from."
Draco's grey eyes glinted gleefully at me, before turning to Hermione, who was scowling at him next to me.
"Want one, Granger?" He said, holding out a badge to her. "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."
Some of the anger I had been feeling for days and days seemed to burst through a dam in my chest. I grabbed my wand, making people around me scramble away, backing down the corridor in fright.
"Etta!" Hermione said warningly.
"Go on then, Potter," Draco said quietly, drawing out his own wand. "Moody's not here to look after you now - do it, if you've got the guts-"
For a split second, we looked into each other's eyes - I felt the familiar stirring of hatred swirl around in the pit of my stomach - then, at exactly the same time, both acted.
"Furnunculus!" I yelled.
"Densaugeo!" Draco screamed.
Jets of light shot from both our wands, hitting each other in mid-air. They ricocheted off at angles - mine hit Goyle in the face, and Draco's hit Hermione.
I was pleased to see great ugly boils springing up on Goyle's face. But then I noticed Hermione whimpering in panic, clutching her mouth.
"Hermione!" Ron hurried to her, worry etched over his face. He dragged Hermione's hand away from her face.
And oh my word, it wasn't a pretty sight.
Her two front teeth were growing at an alarming rate, making her look like a beaver. I couldn't believe Draco tried to hex me with that! Thank God it missed me! Poor Hermione, though.
"And what is all this noise about?" A soft deadly voice rang in the air, silencing us all. Snape had arrived.
He pointed a long yellow finger at Draco. "Explain."
"Potter attacked me, sir - "
"We attacked each other at the same time!" I shouted. God, Draco really was a slimy git.
"- and she hit Goyle - look - "
Despite myself, I actually felt quite proud as Snape examined Goyle's disgusting face.
"Hospital wing, Goyle," Snape said calmly.
"Malfoy got Hermione!" Ron said. "Look!"
He thrust Hermione in front of Snape, forcing her to show him her teeth, which had now grown down past her collar. Pansy Parkinson and the other Slytherin girls were doubled up with silent giggles. I shot them evils - not that they noticed.
Snape looked coldly at Hermione, then said, "I see no difference."
WOAH! That was flipping low, even for Snape.
Hermione ran off in tears. Both Ron and I rounded on Snape at the same time, swearing and shouting at him in anger.
We both got landed with detentions and points taken from Gryffindor house. I didn't care - we'd probably win the house championship anyway. We always did.
We all filed into the classroom and, Ron continuing to be a prick, ignored me and went to sit with Seamus. Huffily, I went to sit at a spare seat towards the back of the class. Draco, sitting at the desk in front of me, turned around grinning smugly right at me and pressed his badge. POTTER STINKS flashed across it.
It took me everything I had not to wipe that stupid annoying smirk off his face.
***