All I Have Left

Chapter Sixty Six

Prepare yourselves and let me introduce: mentally unstable godsiblings.

I sat in the Great Hall at the Slytherin table next to Daphne and Blaise, the nerves bubbling up in my stomach as my friends completely ignored me and were looking through their books. 

Today was the last day of the exams, so many people were relieved, but were still very stressed on the final exams to come. 

But, however, I hadn't done any of my exams, being a Triwizard champion, and I had something completely different to worry about today.

It was the day of the third and final task, which would take place after dinner tonight, and I was extremely nervous and scared.

I had been studying hexes, curses, charms, and spells since we had found out the final task, letting Hermione and Ronald help Harry prepare because I was sure I could prepare on my own.

I was definitely more prepared than I had been for the last two tasks, that's for certain. Knowing what the final task was ahead of time, the exact task, was much more relieving and settling. 

I would study during the exams as they took place in class, sitting in the back of the room reading, occasionally next to Harry in whichever classes I had with him. 

The owls came swooping in the Great Hall, dropping letters in front of people as they passed. I got an two owls for me, and I took them and said thanks to the owls before tearing them open.

Dear Lila,
Good luck in the tournament today! Remember to study the hexes and charms as much as you can, and to do your best. I had already written Harry a card, so there's nothing to worry about. I'm not playing favorites, but my Gryffindor pride is strong.
Wishing you luck,
Snuffles

I smile to myself and open the other one.

Dear Lila,
Good luck! We are all rooting for you! Make sure to tell Daphne and Astoria to wish you good luck as well. We're so lucky to have a Slytherin champion! Me and Cyrus wish we could come, but we're both crammed with work and all of that. We really hope you do well!

Sincerely,
Cyrus and Laurel Greengrass

"Who're those from?" Daphne asks me from beside Blaise, trying to peek over the letter.

"Your parents." I say, grinning, watching in amusement as her face contorts to one of disgust. "Wrote to wish me good luck."

"Why?" Daphne asks, shaking her head. "We could've done that for them."

"I don't know." I shrug. 

"Oh no." Blaise mutters out loud, his eyes scanning a copy of the Daily Prophet he got from the owl. "This isn't good."

"What?" Daphne asks, looking worried. "What's the matter?"

"Did something bad happen?" I ask, lowering my voice in the next sentence. "Did someone die?"

"No." Blaise shakes his head, handing me the copy of the Daily Prophet. "But you might after you read this."

"What...?" I ask slowly, opening the copy and starting to read the article. 

The Young Champions
"Disturbed and Dangerous"

The boy who defeated He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is unstable and possibly dangerous, and the heir of the Knight family is on that boat as well, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. Alarming evidence has recently come to light about Harry Potter's strange behavior and Lila Knight's unknown secrecy, which casts doubts upon their suitability to compete in a demanding competition like the Triwizard Tournament, or even attend Hogwarts School.
Potter and Knight, the Daily Prophet can exclusively reveal, regularly collapse at school, Potter often to complain of pain in the scar on his forehead (relic of the curse with which You-Know-Who attempted to kill him). However, Lila Knight's strange episodes of collapsing may be related to the fact that she is a Seer. On Monday last, midway through a Divination lesson, your Daily Prophet reporter witnessed Potter and Knight storming from the class together, claiming that his scar was hurting and that they were going down to the Hospital Wing.
It is possible, say experts at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, that Potter's brain was affected by the attack inflicted upon him by You-Know-Who, and that his insistence that the scar keeps hurting is an expression of his deep-seated confusion.