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

79. Birthday Celebrations

DISCLAIMER

I do not own Harry Potter ... but I listen to the soundtrack for the films whilst writing and it goes so hard ... like unnecessarily hard

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The month of September had come and gone in the blink of an eye.

Lessons were taken in routine with everyone (except the Slytherins) far preferring DADA over any other.

Bel had been doing extremely well in each of the classes she was taking that year.

Mainly because she had a wand that gave her all the answers, but when it came to the theory and any homework on written paper, she was almost top of the class.

Hermione tended to take her usual spot at the top, however, with DADA it was always herself or Harry who triumphed. Even after the entire boggart debacle.

Her lessons with Dumbledore had also been running smoothly.

Ever since the first sighting of Sirius Black, the headmaster hadn't sugar coated the need for her to up her game.

Dumbledore always handled the issue of preparing Bel for dangerous situations with the utmost sympathy and decorum.

Bel could tell he didn't want her in this predicament as much as she wanted to be in it. But, as Harry had said, they both knew it was what it was and decided to do what they could. Train Bel to be ready.

Her Patronus had never been stronger, her wandless magic now moving comfortably into the lower end of advanced, and her wand remained a silent witness used only when she needed it.

Bel had taken the time without any more announcements that Sirius Black was near to try and be a normal teenager.

She had learnt over the past two years that whenever her life fell into the calmer, less chaotic moments, she needed to seize them.

And so, Bel spent as much time as she could with her friends.

Riley had apparently snuck into one of the Ravenclaw parties, tasting her first sip of fire whiskey, and after throwing up in their dorm for two hours straight, vowed to never do it again.

Ollie was ecstatic that Snape was really homing in on Neville Longbottom in potions after the word of his boggart spread around the school. It allowed the Hufflepuff boy to sneak under his radar and focus rather than be terrified Snape would turn on him.

Tia had forced Bel to go out for even more quidditch practices than the two they had scheduled every week. With October would come the start of quidditch season, and Tia believed they needed more practice.

Bel didn't mind at all, except for when Tia would still demand they go out when it was chucking it down with rain, leaving her cold and wet that evening.

Besides, she couldn't go out for her sessions with Cedric as he was far too busy with his O.W.L.S. He never stopped complaining about how Bel should count herself lucky she doesn't have to take even one of the exams that year, despite constantly asking her for help with his DADA revision.

Fred and George had started to turn any ICCCC meetings into plotting sessions for their schemes in the constant hope that Bel would be on board. As always, she never was, but to make up for it she had done one thing they asked.

There was a map that they had procured years ago which showed the entirety of Hogwarts and the people in it. Where they were every second of the day.

Bel was rather alarmed when they first showed it to her, hoping that they hadn't used it to spy on where she was each day.