𝙻𝚎𝚐𝚊𝚌𝚒𝚎𝚜 | 𝙳.𝙼.

The Tri-Wizard Tournament

The last weeks of Summer went by agonizingly slow and it wasn't for lack of things to do. News of what happened at the Quidditch Cup spread like wildfire. And as each day passed, rumors kept getting crazier and wilder. Lyonel and Sage hadn't been at all pleased when they learned of the events. For the next couple days, Romina was sanctioned in the house for safety. And when they found out about her "talk" with Barty Crouch, things got even worse.

"You can't go talking to an important man like that!" Lyonel said, both he and Sage looking down on Romina during breakfast.

It may have made things worse that Romina continued eating breakfast like nothing. "Talk like what? I was defending myself and my friends from a stupid accusation. How could he think we conjured up the Dark Mark? Honestly!"

"Don't snort," scolded Sage. "This is serious."

"Yeah, so was I!"

"We understand what you were trying to do. Of course we would want you to defend yourself but tailor your attitude to the situation, please."

Romina rolled her eyes. "But if I hadn't gotten "an attitude"," she raised her fingers to do quotation marks in the air, "He wouldn't have listened. He didn't even listen to Harry and he's the one who ended You-Know-Who! I did what I had to do."

Lyonel shook his head. His niece was dangerously close to sounding like her father. "I did what I had to do."

All Arden was surprised about is that Romina had managed to get away with talking to Crouch like that.

"I would've loved to do the same thing but I'd be scared to death to talk to him like that," she remarked after hearing the story. She had only just learned about the events that took place at the game through Romina.

Romina laid on her bed, very comfortably as if she hadn't gotten an earful that morning, or the morning before that, or for a whole week. "Nothing to fear when you know you're right."

Arden snorted. That was a way to put it. "Still. How much trouble are you in?"

"Well, they've stopped yelling a couple days ago. Now they just give me the same lectures." Romina propped a leg over knee. "I imagine once I go back to Hogwarts they'll finish mellowing out."

"I'm surprised they haven't made you apologize or something," Arden said, getting off the bed. "You know my Mom makes us hand write letters to each other when we really mess up."

Romina snorted. "I remember. They know I couldn't make me write anything."

"You're that stubborn?"

"And petty."

Arden laughed. "And blunt." It wouldn't be the first time Romina's bluntness got her into trouble. Arden walked up to the open window to close it, peeking out slightly to get a glimpse of the Dursleys' residence. "Well, at least Harry didn't have to come back here anymore. Bet the Dursleys love it too." She turned away from the window and eyed the significant amount of letters on Romina's desk. "What's all that?"

Romina looked at her pile of letters and shrugged. "Friends. I haven't exactly been in a writing mood lately. That's sort of what happens when you've been yelled nonstop. Besides, knowing our friends, they're all going to be asking about the Dark Mark at the game and I'm not really sure I want to write about that stuff."

Arden agreed. "I'm sure Angel will be the most worried, although...a couple of these seem to be from Draco, mind you. Didn't expect him to be so worried. Wasn't he supposed to be there too?" At Romina's sudden huff, Arden paused and looked her way. "Have I missed something else?"