Skill and Seclusion [2] || Harry Potter x OC x Draco Malfoy

163. The Hearing

DISCLAIMER

I do not own Harry Potter ... but I'm writing a book (like an original book) and it has taken over my life

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Harry had been foolish to let himself get caught up in hope.

The moment he left that wretched house on Privet Drive and taken to headquarters, his hope made him believe that would be it.

An end to isolation, an opportunity for answers, no more complications, no more anger.

Instead, none of those things had changed as drastically as he had hoped for.

He was still isolated. Specifically from the one person he wanted to be closest to.

He was still at a severe lack of answers. Specifically from the one person he should have known would never give them to him.

He was still suffering complications. The threat of expulsion from Hogwarts was still lingering until this hearing was over, and if that newspaper was any indication, it might not be put to rest if Fudge has anything to do with it.

And because of all of that, he was still angry.

The emotion was starting to annoy him. Anger seemed to be all he felt these days.

Yet again, there was that stupid hope that being around Bel and his friends again would help solve that problem.

But in this current moment, Bel was a cause of his anger, not a relief from it.

"Stay out of it."

Her stern words to him kept playing around and around in his head. Like if he heard it enough times, it would sink in.

Oh, he should have seen it coming. He should have seen it coming from a mile away.

For years, Bel's duty had demanded she sacrifice things. Small things at first, but escalating to this point.

And ever since the first day they met, Bel had kept secrets from him. Always with good reason, but no matter what he had tried, he had never managed to get her to open up to him completely.

No one had.

Well, almost no one.

Apparently there was someone who was granted that special privilege.

Gus got to know all of Bel's secrets.

Gus got to know Bel better than anyone else did – than he did.

Gus got to know Bel from the past.

Gus got to be there for her when Harry wasn't around.

Gus ... was actually a really nice person, but Harry wasn't about to start befriending the boy who is cozying up so close to his girlf—

Friend. To his ... to his friend?

His distanced friend.

"Distanced."

That's what Bel had called them now. That's what three months of isolation had morphed them into.

Harry could accept the world was different now. Voldemort was back, Cedric was dead, war was coming, but being distanced from Bel?

No. That was the most unwelcomed change of all, and one he wouldn't take lying down.

But how on earth would he go about changing it back?