Tori turned around to the face the fourteen-year-old boy in shock. It seemed everyone was feeling the same, especially Harry. He stared up at the goblet, confusion was written all over his face.

There was no applause. A buzzing, as though of angry bees, was starting to fill the Hall; some students were standing up to get a better look at Harry as he sat, frozen, in his seat.

He turned to Ron and Hermione whispering to them, but they just stared at him blankly.

"That's not fair! He's not of age!" Some cried out. Dumbledore ignored them. "Harry Potter — please come up here."

Hermione pushed him upwards and Harry went walking like a zombie. "How did he do it?" Fred whispered, his mouth wide open. Harry disappeared into the chamber.

Dumbledore then dismissed all of them, leaving some in the hall to try and protest. "He's too young!"

Tori didn't know how to feel. She was confused about how Harry had gotten to put his name in, especially if the Aging Potion didn't work. Despite some of the other house's foul moods, Gryffindor seemed to be happy to have a champion of their own.

The common room was filled with food Fred and George had gotten from the kitchens. Tori was sipping on a butterbeer, trying to somehow figure out how Harry could have done it.

There was a loud cheer and Tori realized Harry had just walked in. She pushed through the crowd, getting to him.

"You should've told us you'd entered!" Fred bellowed; he looked half annoyed, half deeply impressed.

"How did you do it without getting a beard? Brilliant!" George roared.

"I didn't," Harry tried to speak. "I don't know how  —  "

But Angelina had now swooped down upon him; "Oh if it couldn't be me, at least it's a Gryffindor  — "

"You'll be able to pay back Diggory for that last Quidditch match, Harry!" shrieked Katie Bell, who had just came as well. Tori eyed the boy, not saying anything.

"We've got food, Harry, come and have some —"

Tori has spent the party with the twins. She glanced over at Harry a few times. Lee had unearthed a Gryffindor banner from somewhere, and he insisted on draping it around Harry like a cloak. Harry looked like he wanted to escape every chance he got.

He couldn't get away; whenever he tried to sidle over to the staircase up to the dormitories, the crowd around him closed ranks, forcing another butterbeer on him, stuffing crisps and peanuts into his hands.

Everyone wanted to know how he had done it, how he had tricked Dumbledore's Age Line, and managed to get his name into the goblet.

"I didn't," he said, over and over again,  "I don't know how it happened." But for all the notice anyone took, he might just as well not have answered at all.

Tori felt bad for him. He was only fourteen.

"I'm tired!" He bellowed finally, after nearly half an hour. "No, seriously, George — I'm going to bed —"

Tori grabbed the twin's shoulders, stopping them from following. "It's been a long day, just let him be."

✧ ✦ ✧

The next week Tori had had quite enough. Many people started to make badges saying "SUPPORT CEDRIC DIGGORY- THE REAL HOGWARTS CHAMPION!" and when they were pressed they read, "POTTER STINKS."

Cedric has tried to get people to stop making the badges. "They won't listen. They just smile and wish me luck." He sighed. "At least your trying." Tori reminded him on her way to class one day.

She had used a little magic she found to twist the wording around on a few. Once clicked they would say "I STINK!" or "I SMELL BAD." and other sorts.

Tori noticed Harry moving through a crowd alone, and people all showing him their new badges. "I'll talk to you later..." She told Cedric, breaking off and rushing across the courtyard. "Leave him alone. Don't you have something better to do?" She snapped at the crowd, pushing them away. She then draped her arm around Harry's shoulder, glaring at the retreating students.

"Little bro. What class are you headed to?"

"I've got a free period—"

"Good. I'm skipping Muggle Studies. Come on, follow me." She pulled him through the courtyard and into another hallway. She kept walking while Harry was trying to ask her where they were going.

"If you could stop your yapping I'd be able to find it easier... ah, right. This way."

She led the boy out of the castle and towards the lake. There were a few students walking around it since the air was getting cooler by the day. Tori stopped in front of a tree and crossed her arms. "Sit."

"What?"

"You heard me. Sit."

Harry did as told, taking a seat against the trunk of the tree. Tori slumped down next to him, studying how he looked across the lake. "Alright. Talk to me. What's going on?"

"What isn't going on? I'm suddenly the champion, everyone hates me and are making badges, though a few of them say 'I stink.'"

"Guilty," Tori replied.

"Ron isn't talking to me. He thinks I should have told him that I entered. Hermione told me it's because he's tired of being 'Harry Potter's best friend.' I would gladly trade with that git any day. I don't want this. I don't want any of it. I don't want to be a champion. I don't want to be The Boy Who Lived. I don't want to be Harry Potter—"

Tori pulled him into a hug, shutting him up. "It's alright, Little bro."

"No one believes me."

"I do."

"You're just saying that."

"No," Tori shook her head, watching the air ripple the still lake. "Trust me, Harry, when you're friends with the Weasley twins, you get good at telling who's lying. You're not. I saw your face when you were called. The..." She didn't want to say fear. "... confusion? You can't fake that."

Harry sat quietly for a moment. "But how do I stop everyone from thinking I'm lying?"

"You might not be able to, Harry. People aren't going to change their mind easily. Look at me for example. I've been a Gryffindor for six years. Six years. I can still hear the whispers in the library. I can still feel the uneasy glances when I walk alone in the corridor."

"How do you get over it then?"

"... you don't. You surround yourself with people who can distract you from it. I'm not saying makeup with Ron right away. You both have a reason to be angry, and you're both some of the most stubborn people I know — yes you are, don't give me that face — friends fight, little bro. And friends like you guys will always come back together. Even if it takes time."

"That's... some really good advise, big sis."

"I've been keeping it inside for six years! I finally get to use it on someone. I'll be cheering for you, Harry. You want to walk back up?"

"No — I just want to sit here for a little bit more."

Tori smiled, staring back out at the lake again. "Okay. We can do that."

sorry this is being posted so late in the day... i was making tik toks about this story lol