Dark Pasts { A Harry Potter Story }

Chapter 12 - Potter Stinks

We had one of the worst Herbology lessons ever the following day. The Hufflepuffs, who were usually on excellent terms with the Gryffindors, had turned cold toward the lot of us. Ron still wasn't talking to Harry so that Hermione and I had to sit between them to prevent them from fighting with each other.

In the afternoon, Care of Magical Creatures was even worse since we were with the Slytherins. The lot of them — especially Draco — seemed intent on making the class as miserable as possible for Harry.

"Ah, look, boys, it's the champion," Draco told Crabbe and Goyle as he got within earshot of us. "Got your autograph books? 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."

Before I could stop myself, I whirled around to face him. "That's still more time than it takes for Harry to get the snitch before you do."

Hermione and Harry looked at me in disbelief while other Gryffindors laughed and whistled behind me.

Draco glared at me. "Nobody asked you, traitor."

"Alrigh' everyone," Hagrid said as he emerged from the back of his cabin.

Holding my arm, Hermione gave Draco a look of disgust before turning us around.

Hagrid proceeded to explain to us that we would have to take the skrewts for short walks to prevent them from killing each other (they had an excess of pent-up energy). Everyone appeared positively miserable about this plan.

"Take this thing for a walk?" Draco repeated in disgust. "And where exactly are we supposed to fix the leash? Around the sting, the blasting end, or the sucker?"

"Roun' the middle," Hagrid said as he demonstrated just that. "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. . . ."

Harry walked away, giving Ron the chance to talk to Hermione and me again.

"Bloody hell," he said. "He's joking, right? I'm not taking that thing for a walk."

"We don't really have a choice, Ronald," Hermione said reprovingly.

"They're not so bad," I said, just as the end of the skrewt Seamus was holding a few feet beside us exploding with an alarming bang. "Never mind, I take it back."

I had to change into new robes when the class ended because the bottom of mine had been caught by several exploding screwts. Now that Ron and Harry weren't talking, it was very difficult for Hermione and I to spend as much time as we usually did together, or even time to work on S.P.E.W. as she was always running between the two of them. I had taken to sitting beside Ron during lessons while Hermione sat beside Harry. I hadn't been expecting it, but Hermione and I had just rolled along with it, not wanting them to start yelling at each other again.

On Friday, we arrived at Snape's dungeon after lunch to find the Slytherins wearing a large badge on the front of their robes. They all bore the same message, in bright red letters:

Support Cedric Diggory —

The REAL Hogwarts Champion!

"Like them, Potter?" Draco said loudly as Harry approached us. "And this isn't all they do — look!"

He pressed his badge and the message was replaced by another one, glowing green:

Potter stinks

The Slytherins howled with laughter, each of them pressing their badges to that they all flashed POTTER STINKS.