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(Y/n)'s POV

Rita's article was published, and it was a disaster. Her ridiculous story wove a complicated web of absolute lies. To make matters worse, everyone in the castle seemed fixated on their newspapers, and I could feel their scrutinizing stares on me as I walked by.

She exaggerated everything to a degree I hadn't anticipated. It was as if she had transformed us into a contemporary Romeo and Juliet, claiming we had declared we would die for one another. But we never said anything of the sort. I know I didn't and Harry told me that in his interview, I was hardly even brought up. So it seems she got everything she wanted from me.

As I passed a young girl—likely a first or second year, she looked up at me, "I didn't know you were dating Harry?"

"Neither did I," I muttered quietly to myself as I kept moving. If I stopped to talk to everyone who had something to say, I would never make it to potions class on time.

I hurried through the bustling crowd, my book pressed tightly against my chest. I was almost at my destination when someone stepped into my path. "Hey you—"

"I'm not dating Harry!" I blurted out before I even realized who it was.

When I finally looked up, I saw a familiar face—Cedric Diggory. He seemed surprised by my reaction and pointed down at my feet. "Uh, that's good to know, but I was actually coming to tell you that your shoe is untied. At the speed you're going, you might trip."

I took a deep breath to calm myself and quickly apologized. "I'm so sorry for snapping at you, that was rude of me." I knelt down, placing my book beside me as I tied my boots. "It's just that all morning, everyone has been staring and whispering about me because of that ridiculous article, which is completely false, by the way. Harry is a good friend, but that's it—a friend." I found myself sharing my frustrations with someone I barely knew, but I had had it with today and the day barely started, "That woman better hope I never see her again or I'll—"

"Yell at her?" He chuckled and it was then I noticed he had bent down with me and was holding my book to keep it off of the floor.

After I finished, I smiled and took my book from his hand. "I was thinking more like turning her into a toad, but I suppose a few harsh words would suffice rather than earning another expulsion."

He raised an eyebrow as we stood up together. "Another?" he asked, intrigued.

I realized my slip and felt a wave of embarrassment wash over me. That was not something I wanted to share, especially now that I had way too much attention on me. "I didn't mean to let that out. Please don't tell anyone, I don't need people talking about me anymore than they already are."

I could see the understanding in his eyes, and he quickly pretended to zip his lips. "I won't tell a soul, as long as I get the juicy details later," he joked, then extended his hand. "I'm Cedric, by the way. Cedric Diggory."

I shook his hand. "(Y/n) Maxime. But I'm sure you already knew that."

He nodded and leaned against the nearby wall. "Of course, how could I not know about the Hogwarts Champion?"

I chuckled awkwardly as I started getting a bit of a flirtatious vibe from him, "Trust me, it's not as glamorous as it sounds."

"I see that," he turned his head and looked at my classroom door, and I followed his gaze to see the classroom was already filled up with students, and I noticed Professor Snape glaring in our direction—likely because I should have been in there about ninety seconds ago.

"I should go before he gives me detention for being late."

"Understood, I'll see you around (y/n) and don't worry, I'll make sure to let everyone know you are not dating Harry." He chuckled before turning and heading off down the hall.

Quickly I made my way into the classroom and briefly paused when all eyes were on me. Just when I think this day couldn't possibly get any worse, it does, this is basically a nightmare, "So glad of you to finally decided to join us Ms.Maxime, take your seat." He gestured to the only table with an empty chair and of course it contained Draco, Blaise, and Pansy. Pansy was seated directly across from Draco and Blaise was seated at Draco's side, leaving me to sit diagonal from him.
I took a deep breath and settled into my seat, trying hard to ignore the curious glances from everyone around me. Just as I got comfortable, Pansy leaned in close and whispered, "So, you and Harry, huh? I never thought you'd go for the loser type."

"Don't be so quick to believe everything you read, Pansy," I replied softly, flipping open my book to the right page for today's lesson.

I attempted to concentrate on the lecture, but it was tough. Every second, I felt eyes on me, and I could hear whispers that included my name. "Did you hear about her and Potter?" "I can't believe she'd stoop so low." "What a joke."

I wished I could just crawl under this table and die.

The main pair of eyes I was trying to avoid belonged to Draco. But despite my efforts, I found myself glancing in his direction, drawn in by that insufferable irresistible force. Fortunately, he wasn't looking at me like I thought; instead, he was focused on the newspaper spread out on top of his textbook. I noticed his eyes scanning the page, his brows knitting together slightly, and then, in an instant, he turned his gaze toward me and held looked—betrayed? Angry? Even hurt maybe?

I quickly looked away, my heart pounding in my chest. Did he just barely see it?

Moments later, I heard the sound of crumpling paper. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of Draco as he twisted the newspaper into a tight ball, his eyes shooting daggers at someone across the room. With a flick of his wrist, he sent it flying where it hit one person in particular—Harry. The paper hit him right on the cheek, causing him to flinch

Professor Snape remained unaware, his back to us, but the entire class was now focused on the disruption. Harry shot a glare at Draco before picking up the newspaper that had fallen to the floor and tossed it back, hitting Draco square in the chest.

"Detention, Mr. Potter," Professor Snape declared abruptly.

Harry's expression fell into a frown. "But he—"

"Two days for talking back," the Professor interrupted, ready to continue his lecture.

But of course, I let my anger towards Draco get the better of me and brought the attention I loathed so much back onto myself. "Professor," I called out, catching his eye, "Malfoy threw the paper first, that's what Harry was trying to tell you."

Draco shot me a furious glare. "Defending your little boyfriend, Maxime? How adorable," he sneered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I let out a humorless laugh. "Or maybe I'm just tired of you treating everyone like a doormat and getting away with it. Your father doesn't make you untouchable, Malfoy."

The classroom hummed with quiet whispers and stifled laughter, everyone captivated by the drama unfolding in front of them. Professor Snape abruptly slammed a book shut on his desk, causing a few of us to flinch and interrupting the intense stare-down between Draco and me. "Enough," he glared at us all. "All three of you will serve three days of detention starting tomorrow. The next person to speak will be tasked with scrubbing the floors of this classroom with a toothbrush."

A heavy silence fell into the room, and I clenched my jaw in frustration, forcing my eyes back to the textbook—I should have kept my mouth shut instead of acting so petty and childish.

The lecture resumed as if nothing had occurred, but the tension in the air remained.

💚🐍

"Thanks for defending me, but I feel guilty that it got you into trouble too." Harry and I walked along the shores of Hogwarts, our eyes focused on the ground and our hands tucked into our pockets. Being together only fueled the rumors surrounding us, but in that moment, it didn't seem to matter. No one else could truly understand what we were going through like we could. We were both scared, lost, and filled with anger.

I let out a soft sigh and shrugged, "It's not your fault. Malfoy often gets away with too much. He needed to be put in his place."

Harry nodded slowly, his gaze drifting to the water. "What happened between you two? You used to be... close?" He hesitated, unsure if that was the right term, then turned to me with a curious expression.

"Yeah, well—" I swallowed hard, fighting back tears. I didn't want to cry in front of him; I had embarrassed myself enough already. "I tried to be friends because I thought there was something good in him—I was wrong."

"Good and Malfoy definitely don't belong in the same sentence," Harry scoffed, glancing away as if he saw something behind me. "Here comes Hermione."

As soon as I turned around, she was right there with us. Ron and his sister stood behind her, and Hermione seemed a bit uneasy. "Ron would like me to tell you that Seamus told him that Dean was told by Parvati that Hagrid's looking for you both."

I noticed Harry shoot a glare at Ron, and I could feel some tension building between them. "Is that so? Well—what?"

Hermione let out a sigh and exchanged a look with Ron, who seemed to communicate something silently. She turned back to us, struggling to find the right words for her long-winded introduction. "Pavarti told Dean to tell Ron—" She hesitated, trying to piece it together, "Please don't make me say it again, Hagrid's looking for you two."

I gave her a puzzled look, wondering why she couldn't just say it plainly instead of all the name-dropping. "Do you know why?" I asked.

She shook her head and glanced at Harry who spoke next. "Well, you can tell Ron—"

"I'm not an owl!" she snapped at him before turning to walk away.

As they moved away to give us some space, I turned to Harry and asked, "Is there something happening between you and Ron?"

Harry motioned for me to join him at the water's edge, and I settled down beside him. "He—" he started, letting out a deep breath, "He thinks I entered my name for the Triwizard Tournament just to get more fame and glory or something. Like I would actually want this." He rolled his eyes as he spoke.

"But you told him it wasn't true, right?" I pressed.

Harry nodded, "Of course! I've told that idiot so many times and even swore on everything I could think of, but he just won't believe me."

I nudged him gently with my shoulder, "He'll come around. You two are best friends. I feel like," I paused to find the right words, "I feel like he might be a bit envious of you."

"Envious?" He raised an eyebrow, looking at me as if I were crazy. "How could anyone be envious of me? My parents were killed right in front of me, and people seem to want me dead all the time—"

"Harry, he's not envious of that," I interrupted, sensing his rant could go on forever. "I mean the attention. He has, what, a million siblings?" I counted in my head, "Too many to keep track of, but the point is, he probably has felt like he was being overshadowed his whole life and now in his friendship he feels overshadowed by you. The spotlight is always on you, and he might just wish he got a little of that too." It's the only thing in my head that makes sense of why he was acting like a little prat.

Harry stared out at the shimmering surface of the lake, his expression a mix of confusion and contemplation. "I never thought of it that way," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I mean, I know Ron has a big family and he gets a little lost in background sometimes, but I always figured he was used to it. He's always joking about it, you know? Like it doesn't bother him."

I watched as a few ducks paddled by. "Sometimes, people joke to hide how they really feel," I said gently, knowing all too well what that's like. "It's easier to laugh it off than to admit that they're struggling with their own insecurities."

Harry sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I just wish he'dd trust me. I didn't ask for any of this. I didn't want to be in the Tournament, and I certainly didn't want to be famous. I just want to be... normal." He kicked a pebble into the water, watching as the ripples spread outwards.

"Normal?" I echoed, raising an eyebrow. "You're Harry Potter. Normal is a bit of a stretch for you, don't you think?"

He chuckled softly, but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, I supposed you're right. I'll just give him a little time before I even attempt to talk to him again." He stood up and held his hand out to me, "Come on, let's go see what Hagrid wants before it gets past curfew."

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