August | Hermione Granger x OFC

Chapter Eighty-Six

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"Dear Mother, don't believe a thing you read in the Daily Prophet. Love, Robyn. Dear Nadir, don't believe a thing you read in the Daily Prophet. Love, Robyn. Dear Sirius and Remus, don't believe a thing you read in the Daily Prophet. Love, Robyn. Dear Mrs Weasley, don't believe a thing you read in the Daily Prophet. Love, Robyn. Dear Tonks, don't believe a thing you read in the Daily Prophet. Love, Robyn. Am I missing anyone?" Robyn asked Hermione after muttering away to herself. She'd not long woken up from a restless nap and decided she ought to do at least some damage control to people whose opinions she cared about.

"Unless you want to write Mundungus, I think that will do," Hermione replied, looking up briefly from her own work – well, Robyn's work, but still. "I'm sure they'll spread the message around the Order themselves. And, like Dumbledore said, I'm sure none of them would've believed the Daily Prophet, anyway."

"Right," said Robyn, then she paused. There was one more letter she wasn't sure whether to write or not. After deliberating for a few moments, she decided to do it.

'Dear Mrs Malfoy, don't believe a thing you read in the Daily Prophet. Regards, Robyn'.

Yes, that should do.

It was around lunchtime when the door to the dorm burst open and in poured the Ravenclaws (and Astoria – she was basically an honorary Ravenclaw at this point).

Robyn sat quickly, realising she and Hermione's positions might look a bit compromising, but none of the new arrivals seemed to notice, or at least if they did, they didn't show it outwardly.

"Robyn!" Olivia started, hurrying over. The others followed. Robyn felt scared for a moment that they were going to jump on her, but they didn't. "Are you okay? I- I can't believe that article- I mean, what the hell? How can they do that?"

"They can't—!" Willow asserted, but Robyn interrupted her.

"Apparently they can. And Dumbledore told me not to do anything about it, either."

"Fuck Dumbledore!" she continued. "I mean, this is mad! Aren't you embarrassed?"

Hermione scoffed, and Robyn rolled her eyes, saying in a bored voice, "Yes, thanks, Willow, I am embarrassed, even if it is all lies."

"...Sorry," Willow said sheepishly.

"This is all to discredit Harry, isn't it?" Lana surmised. "I mean, a day after his interview, all the mentions of how daft he is..."

"Of course," Olivia nodded seriously, "anyone with a brain can tell it's all rubbish."

"Riiiight..." Astoria said slowly, frowning as though working out a difficult puzzle (okay, maybe Astoria wasn't exactly an honorary Ravenclaw in mind, but in spirit, yes). "So, you're okay, right?" she confirmed, taking a seat on the bed beside Robyn.

"I'm..." Robyn trailed off. Was she okay? She was annoyed, angry, embarrassed, but the fact that the contents of the article really weren't true was a good thing, she supposed. But that didn't mean she was okay. "I'm...all right."

"It's okay not to be, you know that," Hermione reminded her, homework discarded to the side. She placed her arm gently around Robyn's waist, and Robyn leant her head on the older girl's shoulder, uncaring of the watchful eyes of the other girls.

When Robyn didn't respond, Olivia said uncertainly, "If it makes you feel any better, Richard Harper's been completely battered – he's the one who, eh, yelled..."

Honestly? It did kind of make Robyn feel better.

And Willow agreed. "Serves him right, dick."

Robyn didn't know if she meant to make a pun, but she snickered under her breath.