Heirs to Something Greater

16; Death Stares and Desires

Morning classes went by quickly and I ended up walking with Harry after potions class.

After the conversation about Snape at breakfast, I found it unbearably hard to focus on the potion instructions that Easton kept shoving in my face to look at and use instead of throwing random ingredients into the cauldron.

"I have to go to the Quad. You don't have to come with if you don't want to," Harry said as we walked down the corridors.

"I have nothing else to do before lunch so I'll just keep you company if that's fine with you," I replied. Juliet needed to stay back for a few more minutes to finish her potion because Malfoy wasn't helping her, and of course he was able to leave but she wasn't. So I couldn't walk to the great hall with her, and given that Harry was sort of friendless, I kept him company the best I could.

"Okay that's fine," Harry muttered. He seemed to be deep in his thoughts and also agitated about something. Probably the tournament.

We walked in silence and once we reached the open corridor surrounded by daylight, I noticed all the students outside enjoying the last few weeks of nice weather.

A student walked by us with something flashing on his chest which made me stare. There was a circular badge that was charmed to show Cedric with a yellow background and then it spinned to show Harry with a green background with the words "Potter Stinks" on it.

Someone laughed in the hall with his friends and pointed at Harry which caused their group to laugh again.

This was ridiculous.

A younger boy ran through me and Harry, bumping our shoulders while saying, "Cedric rules!" Like it was some sort of apology.

"Thanks," Harry replied to the boy in a sarcastic tone.

"Nice to know you can walk too!" I shouted back at the boy as he continued running down the hall.

I followed Harry who had his head down to a doorway into the courtyard which was suddenly blocked by two students wearing yellow robes.

"Like the badge?" The taller boy asked.

"Excuse me," Harry muttered, somehow still managing to use his manners. I lost all patience at this point and I wasn't even the one they were ridiculing.

The boy and the other girl laughed as Harry pushed his way through them. They both looked back at me, still laughing. The girl looked me up and down in disapproval.

"Mind moving out of the way? Or do you just like making fun of people for your own annoying satisfaction?" I asked, my voice full of sarcasm and irritation.

The girl didn't say anything to me as I walked past her, but her smile faded and her eyes turned to watch me.

I continued walking and saw Harry standing in front of another group of Hufflepuff's as Cedric stood up, walking away with Harry. I saw Pierre and walked up to him, letting Harry and Cedric talk in private.

"Adeline, hey. You like the badge?" Pierre pulled his sweater tight to reveal the same badge of 'Cedric rules, Potter stinks' on it.

"No, I don't," I replied, ripping the badge off of his sweater.

"Hey!"

"That's insensitive Pierre. Why would you wear something even remotely rubbish like this?" My voice was rising in anger, but I didn't care who looked our way. I was able to bend the flimsy badge in my hand with how mad I was and with how cheaply it was made.

"I'm supporting Cedric. You should be too." He turned his head to look at his friend.

"I do support him Pierre. I support both of them. Harry has had almost everyone turn away from him over something that he didn't even do. It's pathetic and now you're gonna participate in bullying him too?" I sounded like a teacher who was arguing with a student about harassment.