✓ Heavenly

010. Mind Over Matter

Part One / Chapter Ten

Dinner in the Great Hall that night was not a pleasant experience for Harry.

The news about his shouting match with Umbridge seemed to have traveled exceptionally fast even by Hogwarts standards. On the other hand, Venus was being praised for it. Earning high fives and congratulatory words coming from left and right. Her shouting session with Umbridge had sparked surprise in everyone that she, the Prefect perfectionist, yelled at her Professor. Constance quickly ran up to her.

"Vee! What you did in there was incredible," said Constance pulling Venus into a hug, "I am so proud of you, I could cry."

Venus chucked; Off-putted, "Er — thanks Cee."

The whispers about Harry surrounded them as Harry sat eating between Ron and Hermione, Venus sitting beside her best friend; Constance sat fiddling with her rings. She tried not to look up because she could feel Ron staring at her. Venus threw a piece of bread at the ginger's head, his eyes finally came off Constance and onto Venus, rather annoyingly.

Now, the whispers had turned into regular conversation. Students chattered about Harry so loudly, it was as if they were attempting to provoke him into shouting again.

"He says he saw Cedric Diggory murdered. . . ."
"He reckons he dueled with You-Know-Who. . . ."
"Come off it. . . ."
"Who does he think he's kidding?"
"Pur-lease . . ."

"What I don't get," said Harry in a shaking voice, laying down his knife and fork (his hands were trembling too much to hold them steady), "is why they all believed the story two months ago when Dumbledore told them. . . ."

"The thing is, Harry, I'm not sure they did," said Hermione grimly. "Oh, let's get out of here."

Venus watched them stand up and walk past the Gryffindor table. Hermione looked back, stopping abruptly when she saw Venus hadn't stood up.

"Aren't you coming Venus?" she looked toward at Constance, rather anxiously, "Constance?"

Constance glanced at her best friend, who gave her a responsive nod. Venus slammed down her own knife and fork; People stared at them all the way out of the Hall.

"What d'you mean, you're not sure they believed Dumbledore?" Harry asked Hermione when they reached the first-floor landing.

"Look, you don't understand what it was like after it happened," said Hermione quietly. "You arrived back in the middle of the lawn clutching Cedric's dead body. . . . None of us saw what happened in the maze. . . . We just had Dumbledore's word for it that You-Know-Who had come back and killed Cedric and fought you."

"Which is the truth!" said Harry loudly. Venus held onto his hand automatically. With her hand entwined with his, Harry's face softened almost immediately. Venus looked stunned at her own action.

"I know it is, Harry, so will you please stop biting my head off?" said Hermione wearily. "It's just that before the truth could sink in, everyone went home for the summer, where they spent two months reading about how you're a nutcase and Dumbledore's going senile!"

"She's right," Venus softly smiled. "They only had Dumbledore's word for it. With all of this contradicting evidence and your sudden outbursts, it's harder for them to believe you. But you have to remember that we do, and that won't change."

"I never said I did," Constance quickly added. Venus and Hermione sent her condescending looks. Her skin quickly blanched and she said with a trembling lip, "I mean— yes, Team Harry!"

Rain pounded on the windowpanes as they strode along the empty corridors back to Gryffindor Tower. A dull pounding pain was developing over his right eye. Venus glanced out of a rain-washed window at the dark grounds as they turned into the Fat Lady's corridor. "Mimbulus mimbletonia," said Hermione, before the Fat Lady could ask. The portrait swung open to reveal the hole behind and the three of them scrambled back through it.

"How can Dumbledore have let this happen?" Hermione cried suddenly, making Harry and Ron jump; Crookshanks leaped off her, looking affronted. Snowflake ran behind Venus, shaking behind her leg.

She pounded the arms of her chair in a fury so that bits of stuffing leaked out of the holes. "How can he let that terrible woman teach us? And in our O.W.L. year too!"

"Well, we've never had great Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, have we?" said Harry. "She's cagey. McGonagall told me and Venus to tread lightly around her, because of who she reports back to at the Ministry."

"Why Venus?" said Ron, looking at Venus with concern. Harry and Hermione shifted when the two Prefects made eye contact.

"My mum wasn't a witch. And she wasn't Muggle. They think she was a. . . Something else. Not human." Venus said in a strained voice, Constance and Ron went to her side. Harry stared at Ron's hand on Venus' shoulder; so was Hermione, still eyeing Constance who was now closer to Ron.

"That would make you—" Hermione chirped. Venus cut her off.

"Half-breed, I know," she spoke with a nasal tone. "The question is: what could she have been?"

"We'll figure it out," Constance assured, taking ahold of her best friend's hand. She was a chatty, object-oriented, sometimes clueless person. But she stood by Venus' side, all the time, no matter what; even when her nails were drying.

"Together," Ron finished looking admirably up at Constance, who didn't look back. "All of us," he said, facing Harry and Hermione who both wore bleak looks.

Hermione forced a smile, looking away from Constance and Ron. "Of course, Venus. Being a half-breed around here isn't safe. It's dangerous."

"We're quite experienced with danger, aren't we, Hermione." Harry chuckled. Venus' frown upturned into a grin; snickering at his humor. Slowly, Hermione and Ron smiled at their best friend.

Constance was the only one who wasn't laughing. "I don't get it," she frowned.

"Me and Constance ought to head to our dormitory," Venus said standing up from the couch, urging Constance to come along. "Goodnight guys."

Hermione and Ron both bade the girls a goodnight. Harry narrowed his eyes on Venus and slouched over in his seat. He was conflicted. Did Venus Rosario like him or not?

authors jokes.
Venus: Yeah, I might be a half-breed, the one thing that could ruin my entire life, future and reputation.
Harry: Does she like me? 😫