Fraises et chocolat (English version)

Chapter 7

Pov Jane

The following days were a nightmare. Harry and Ron furious at each other and Hermione and I engaged in a vague attempt to clear them up; the insults directed at Harry in the corridors; the brooches with the words 'Potter sucks'; the pressure of the first rehearsal approaching and the anguish over whether Harry would get out alive or not. I admit I was very anxious too. I really cared about Harry that he outlived Voldemort wasn't going to ensure him win the tournament, and knowing that the first try of the tournament was dragons made my worries worse. Only Malfoy in all that commotion seemed to have calmed down, or so it seemed to me when I met him in the corridors. Apparently, however, I was wrong, in fact shortly before one of the potions lessons decided to challenge Harry to a duel. It didn't end well. Hermione and Crabbe had to go to the infirmary and Harry and Ron got punishment with Snape. Entering the classroom I looked at Malfoy expecting to find pride and pride in his face but it was not so. I knew immediately that he avoided my gaze but, despite that, I noticed his dark eyes of him. I didn't even try to understand what was going through that boy's head. I hadn't tried for a long time now. Now I had to think about the lesson.

After Harry had discovered the dragons he had decided to inform Cedric Diggory as well, as he was convinced - indeed he was certain - that both Madame Maxine and Karkaroff, the principals of the other two schools, had informed their champions. As the brave Gryffindor he is, Harry decided to send me in his place and so I found myself one day running in the corridors, during the intermission between classes, identifying the Hufflepuff and mentally trying to find a way to tell him that in a few weeks he would have to face a potentially deadly dragon. After a quick search I saw him entering the classroom with his classmates. I called him the first time but he didn't hear me. I tried a second one and luckily he immediately turned around and noticed me. Evidently he recognized me immediately and did not mind letting his friends into the classroom and approaching me, still tired from the rush made to reach him.

"You are Jane, Jane Carter, right?" she asked me smiling, and, seeing me in difficulty, shortly after she added: "Are you okay?"

I recovered immediately. I stared into his big eyes for a moment and answered him. "Yes, yes, it's me. And, yes, thank you, I'm fine. I'm here to tell you something a little, here, delicate." I said in the quietest voice I could find.

"Well, in that case, here I am, tell me everything," he continued, still sweetly but visibly confused.

"Yes. Harry sends me to tell you that the first test of the tournament is to fight with dragons, huge, in flesh and blood." Before he could intervene I continued "and no matter how Harry and I knew it but trust me, you have to prepare yourself now that you know what awaits you."

Awareness crept into his face, a sign that he was realizing what I had just said. Staring at an indefinite spot on the stone floor, he paused as if to assess whether he should believe my words or whether I was simply trying to cheat him. Suddenly he looked up and gave me an unconvinced smile.

"Thank you, thank you very much. Don't worry, no one will know what we said. Now I have to go but I will find a way to repay, I promise" and having said this he greeted me with a slightly nervous hand sign and then entered the classroom before I I could argue.

I remembered that I had a lesson too and that if I didn't get a move on I would surely earn myself a punishment in the company of McGonagall. I started running as fast as possible towards the transfiguration room and as soon as I entered I apologized to the teacher and sat down next to Harry.

"Done?" he asked in a vain attempt to transfigure a pin holder into a hedgehog.

"Yes, I did, he took it well, more or less. Surely telling him it was the right thing to do."

He looked at me doubtfully and went back to his hedgehog-pin holder.

"Look Harry, don't you think it's time to talk to Ron? What's going on doesn't make sense, doesn't make sense for you to go to war like this," I said in a whisper, frightened by the response I would receive.

He gave me a grim look. I noticed that his hand was gripping the wand as if he wanted to break it. "I don't need to clarify with him. If he thinks I like all this, that I like the photos, the pins, those stupid articles and the fear of dying well for him. I don't want to go to him and beg him to pity me and let alone pity him ". He also began to speak in a whisper but anger had taken over and his tone of voice was now higher. McGonagall heard it and scolded us by inviting us to focus on the pin holders. Harry's words had made me infinitely sad. I waited before speaking to him again.

"What are you going to do now?". I spat out those words quickly, as if doubtful of any response I might receive. Harry looked at me and from his expression on him I could tell that he didn't quite understand what I said, or maybe he just didn't want to understand.

"With the dragons, what are your intentions? We have to come up with a plan Harry, the proof is soon," I said more slowly in order to be clearer.

"I'll think about it later. Now I have no idea what I could do on the court with just my wand. I don't even know if I should kill or stun him, the dragon, and I hope I don't have to do either thing because in that case I would have no chance of winning, or of getting out of it more alive than anything else "

We looked at each other for a moment and decided that concentrating on the lesson for the moment would be the best thing to do, also because McGonagall had already called us twice and we were sure that a third call would cost us an afternoon detention hour, and we didn't have time for detention.
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Authors space
Boom, to forgive us we have prepared a new chapter for you😌