Power and Persecution [1] || Harry Potter x OC x Draco Malfoy

51. The Diary

DISCLAIMER

I do not own Harry Potter ... but I'm in a total state over Good Omens season 2 (David Tennant has continued to affect me for all these years)

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It was Valentine's Day.

So far, Bel's hopes for the calmness of her second term of her second year had seemed to come true.

Quidditch practices went smoothly, her classes were all going well despite Lockhart's infuriating nature, her lessons with Dumbledore were back to their usual fun duelling that commenced once a week in the Room of Requirement.

She had noticed the headmaster seem slightly more distressed than usual, but it was almost impossible to detect.

Someone else who also seemed more distressed than usual had been Harry.

Bel wasn't sure why as she had been spending most of her time with her Hufflepuff friends, but she could tell something was on his mind.

It couldn't be Malfoy, at least not since he was dismissed as a suspect for the heir of Slytherin.

Weirdly, Malfoy had actually been leaving Bel alone recently.

Things were ... calm.

And that put Bel on edge.

She still escaped to her clearing to try and shake that odd feeling.

Why was she feeling on edge when everything was fine?

Not being involved in the search for the Chamber might explain it. Knowing that someone else could be attacked was making her uneasy, but so far nothing had happened.

She asked Dumbledore at both of their lessons each week whether they had located it, and so far had received a disappointing 'no' each time.

Bel also felt bad that she had been hanging around her Gryffindor friends less recently.

It was something of an unconscious decision she had made.

Some part of her mind had told her she might be the heir herself.

And being around Harry made her feel guilty in a certain sense.

Like he was taking the heat for something she was.

He was keeping her Parseltongue ability a secret for her, and in return she only spoke to him when he came up to her and Hermione at the end of classes.

But she also thought that maybe, just maybe, if there was a possibility that any of this was linked to her, they would be safe if they weren't around her.

It was something that she kept telling herself was impossible, and yet she still took the precaution.

Like she was still taking the precaution to act totally normal around everyone despite these thoughts she was having.

Because everything was calm, it became easier for her to do.

It was also convincing people. Fred and George both said that they hadn't seen her so relaxed in any of their ICCCC meetings in the kitchens before.

Riley, Ollie, and Tia all silently loved the fact that Bel appeared safer and happier away from her Gryffindor friends.

To them, Gryffindor meant danger, and that's not what they wanted for their friend.

Despite them remaining silent about it, they would use every opportunity they had to keep Bel from making plans with Harry, Ron, and Hermione.

For example, this Valentine's Day the four of them had planned to have a friendship Valentines evening where they would all set up shop in the astronomy tower after classes ended.