Diggory Is A Loser

25- Shared Enemy

Although Rita Skeeter wrote another article about Celia, claiming that once again she was not a Diggory, since she was not Cedric's hostage, Celia didn't care.
For the first time in her life she had a boyfriend, and people who wanted to be around her.
The Gryffindor's followed Harry's instructions and layed off her, some even defended her reputation against nasty Slytherin's.
And since Harry was still thankful for Celia's help with the second task, he continued trying to make her happy.
Celia no longer sat alone, because if she was sat by herself, outside of Ravenclaw tower, someone would come and sit next to her.

Midway through March, Skeeter released another article in the paper, but this time Celia was not the target.
"What's up with you lot?" Questioned Celia, when Harry, Ron and Hermione joined her one afternoon.
"I take it you don't read Witch Weekly" sighed Harry.
"Do I look like the kind of person who reads gossip magazines?" Frowned Celia.
"I guess not. Well, Skeeter's at it again, although this time me and Hermione are her targets".

Hermione pulled out the article from her pocket and handed it over to Celia.
Once she'd read it, she handed the paper back to Hermione.
"Well, I guess I understand now why you are not in the best of moods" admitted Celia.
"Everyone I've bumped into today has asked me if Hermione really is my girlfriend and if I'm jealous of Viktor Krum" groaned Harry.
"At least everyone isn't looking at you like you've been illegally brewing love potions" replied Hermione coldly.
"I told Hermione that provoking Rita Skeeter was not a good idea" informed Ron.
"I have a feeling that this article would have come out, whether you provoked her or not. Harry is famous, now more than ever, so Skeeter is going to want to write about him" sighed Celia.

"Now I know what it's like to be you. Teased and mocked because you are close to someone famous" admitted Hermione.
"I wouldn't say that me and Cedric are close" Celia said quietly.
"Have you still not spoken to him?" Asked Harry.
"Not since the second task. He's actively avoiding me, which suits me just fine, because I don't want to face him" answered Celia.
"He's your brother though, you're family. Eventually you are going to have to talk to him"
"As far as I'm concerned, I have no brother. And when we go home for the summer, I will ignore him, just as I do here".

"I just wish I knew how Rita has been spying on private conversations" sighed Hermione, moving the topic away from Cedric, which Celia was grateful for.
"Trust me, I've been thinking the same thing. I want to know how she found out I had run into the forest. Only Cedric, Benjamin and Cho were there, and I'm certain none of them spoke to Rita. And the teachers certainly didn't tattle on me either" admitted Celia.
"She also spied on Hagrid and Madame Maxime. Me and Ron were both there, and neither of us saw her or anyone else near Hagrid" informed Harry.
"Is it possible that she's got an invisibility cloak, like you? An invisibility cloak is certainly the kind of thing that a slimy journalist would have" replied Celia.

"Moody can see through invisibility cloaks, and he says that there wasn't anyone near me and Viktor when we climbed out of the lake" revealed Hermione.
"Well, there goes that theory" sighed Celia.
"How ever she's getting in, and hearing these stories must be illegal. If only I could work out what she's doing" groaned Hermione.
"I'd love to help, but me and Ron have got enough on our plate as it is" admitted Harry awkwardly.
"It's a good thing I don't need your help then" replied Hermione, cooly.

"I'll help you" announced Celia.
"You will?" Questioned Hermione.
"Yes. I want to take her down just as much as you, since she did try and ruin my life" reminded Celia.
"Shall we go down to the library then?" Suggested Hermione.
"Yes. If we are going to find out how's she's sneaking around inside Hogwarts, when Dumbledore forbade her, then we will need to start looking up ideas in the library".
"Well, while you two do that, me and Ron will go and get started on our homework" informed Harry.
"We will?" Frowned Ron.
"Yes, come on" replied Harry, as he dragged Ron to his feet and began pulling him towards the Gryffindor common room.

"Well, the obvious way Skeeter could be getting in, would be through apparition, but you can't apparate inside Hogwarts" admitted Celia, as the girls headed for the library.
"No, that's what I have to keep telling Harry and Ron. I'm glad that someone else has read Hogwarts A History, like me. In the book it lists all the ways a person cannot get into Hogwarts, due to the magic around it" replied Hermione.
"This limits the amount of options open to Rita"
"Yes. I just hope we can catch her and expose her to everyone, to make up for what she did to us"
"For once, she can be the one who gets written about in the paper".

"There can only be so many methods of magical eavesdropping, so hopefully we will discover how she's been doing it" said Hermione.
"I hope so too. But I also have OWLs to revise for, and you have a mountain of homework to get through. And when we find out what the final task will be, we will have to help Harry with it. This means that we won't be able to devote all our attention to bringing Rita down" reminded Celia.
"Don't worry, we don't have to do this over night. We have months to look into what she's up to. And I'm sure that before the summer holidays begin, we will have worked out her secret. Afterall, we are the smartest witches in the school" smiled Hermione.
"I guess nothing can stop us, if we work together" agreed Celia.
"No. So, let's get started".