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Harry Potter
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"How far does the dark go?"
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After my argument with Ron about his lack of faith in believing whether I'd put my name in the Goblet, I was not in the mood for an interview of infamous reporter Rita Skeeter.
I could tell by Nerezza's dark expression that she wasn't either.
We all stood for a picture, Fleur sat in a chair whilst Viktor posed with his cane, Cedric looked away wistfully and Rita made Nerezza gather her red mist like magic between her palms for the pose whilst I stood awkwardly.
As soon as Rita snapped the shot, Nerezza fizzled the magic out with an eye roll.
"What a charismatic quartet. Hello!" Rita waved like we were little children learning to talk.
"Can she not count?" Nerezza whispered to Cedric and I.
Rita bustled up to us, shaking everyone's hand except Nerezza who refused to even look at her. It suddenly clicked about why Nerezza hated Rita so much, when Sirius was in Azkaban, Rita said some truly awful things about him.
"I'm Rita Skeeter, I write for the daily prophet. But of course you know that don't you. It's you we don't know, you're the news! What quirks lurk beneath those rosy cheeks? What mysteries do the muscles mask? Does courage lie beneath those curls? In short, what makes a champion tick...Me, myself and I want to know. Not to mention my rabid readers" Rita went round pinching Fleur's cheeks and rustling Cedric's hair.
"Rabid is certainly a word I'd use to describe people who actually read your lies" Nerezza snapped.
"So, who's feeling up to sharing?" Rita completely blanked Nerezza's comment, "Mmm? Shall we start with the two youngest. Lovely." Rita yanked Nerezza and I away from the group and into a tiny broom closet.
Nerezza and I were smushed together, Nerezza side eyed me with a crack of a smile on her face.
"This is a broomcupboard" I stated.
"You should feel right at home then." Rita smiled toothily, "Don't mind if I use the quill do you?" Rita asked, gesturing the the quill that was writing for her.
Nerezza and I shrugged at the same time.
"So Harry-we'll start with you-here you sit, a mere boy of twelve.." she began.
"I'm fourteen." I corrected.
"...about to compete against three older students. Not only vastly more emotionally mature than yourself but have mastered spells that you wouldn't attempt in your dizziest daydreams. Concerned?" Again she ignored me.
"I dunno I haven't really thought about it." I mumbled.
"Course you're not just any ordinary boy of twelve are you..." I didn't even bother to correct her this time, "The story's legend. Do you think it was the trauma of your past that made you so keen to enter such a dangerous tournament?" The quill scribbled loudly.
"No I didn't enter, neither of us did" I said moving my head to gesture to Nerezza.
"Course you didn't. Speaking of your parents, were they alive, how do you think they'd feel? proud? or concerned that your attitude shows at best a pathological need for attention, at worst a psychotic deathwish?" Rita was starting to really irritate me.
"The only psychotic thing here is you!" Nerezza implored angrily.
"Do you think your parents would approve of you being friends with the daughter of a man who had your parents brutally murdered?" Rita blinked.
I froze.
How dare she speak of Nerezza like that! She had no idea what my parents were thinking! They loved Nerezza, Sirius told me of how they adored her very much. I didn't want Nerezza thinking that she was worthless.
"Nerezza is a great witch, my parents loved her very much!" I disagreed.
"Speaking of, as a Kenesis witch, are you at all worried that this competition may lead to you being the danger? To your other competitors I mean" Rita directed her rude question at Nerezza who stared daggers into her.
"Kenesis Witches are not weapons!" Nerezza argued.
"Yes but you are not just a Kenesis Witch are you? You're daughter of mass murderer Sirius Black!" Rita giggled.
"My father is innocent!" Nerezza piped.
"Hey, our eyes aren't glistening with the ghosts of our pasts!" I objected.
After our bizarre and rather rude interview, Nerezza and I went to the Gryffindor common room where we received a letter from Sirius-addressed to us both. It told us to meet him in the Gryffindor common room...so we waited around until the time he'd said.
"Harry" Nerezza started, she lay upside down on the sofa, "do you think your parents know that my Dad is innocent? Do you think they know he didn't betray them?" Rita had obviously gotten into her head.
"Don't let her mind games get to you Nerezza" I puffed, "I think they know..." I said lowly.
"Do you ever wonder what they were like?" She asked, "you know, the Marauders at Hogwarts."
"I suppose they were rather like us. Close and basically family, Professor Lupin said they used to pull a lot of pranks" I breathed a chuckle, fondly imagining my father, Lupin and Sirius all sprinting down a corridor away from Filch.
"Nerezza! Harry!" A raspy voice called out to us.
Nerezza moved so fast that she tumbled off the sofa and fell onto the floor.
I skidded in front of the fireplace to see Sirius's face in the fire, made up of embers and burning logs-a glow with flames. Nerezza got up off the floor and joined my side.
"Dad! It's so good to hear your voice" Nerezza gulped sadly.
"Oh Dear how I've missed you both, now quick! I haven't much time" Sirius said, "Did you or did you not put your names into the goblet of fire?" Sirius sighed like he already knew the answer.
"No!" I exclaimed.
"One more bloody person asks me that and I'm going to hex them into the whomping willow" Nerezza growled.
"Shh... I had to ask. Now, tell me about this dream of yours, Harry. You mentioned Wormtail and Voldemort, but who was the third man in the room?"
"I dunno. Umm...Voldemort was giving him a job to do. Something important." I explained.
"What was that?" Sirius interrupted hurriedly.
"He wanted... me, me and Nerezza. I dunno why, but he was gonna use this man to get to me. I mean it was only a dream right?" I tilted my head, Nerezza ran her hands through her hair seeming stressed-it was an action that reminded me of Professor Lupin.
"Nerezza had a dream too, you said it was only a dream" I repeated.
"Yes. It's just a dream. Look Harry, Nerezza, the deatheaters at the world cup, your names rising from that goblet these are
not just coincidences. Hogwarts isn't safe any more!" Sirius spoke in rushed and fast sentences that made my head spin.
"What are you saying?" Nerezza frowned.
"I'm saying the devils are inside the walls. Igor Karkaroff, he was a deatheater-And no one, no one stops being a deatheater. Then there's Barty Crouch, heart of stone, sent his OWN son to Azkaban" Sirius said scornfully.
"Do you think one of them put our names in the goblet?" I theorised.
"I haven't a clue who put your name in that goblet Harry but whoever did it is no friend to you. People die in this tournament." Sirius was giving us reality and I appreciated the honesty but...I wanted comforting.
"I'm not ready for this Sirius." I breathed.
"It'll be okay Harry, we'll be a team. Dumbledore wants to use me as his weapon so that's exactly what I'll be" Nerezza simpered.
"I'm sorry this has been thrust upon you two. Please write and keep me updated! Nerezza my dear, please remember you are no weapon-what sets us apart from them? We have humility" Sirius said to us, "I love you both, goodbye" he whispered and his face moulded into flames.
"I love you too" Nerezza said longingly.
"Are you alright?" I sighed, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"We'll be fine Harry, we just have to trust what Sirius says. Do you ever think we'll have a quiet day?" She giggled.
"Absolutely not" I laughed, "but you know, that'd be boring" I grinned.
She got up to leave and I was left alone.