Without Draco [Harry Potter]

Fourth Year

Potter Stinks/Hermione's Teeth

Harry couldn't believe he had somehow been chosen to compete in the Triwizard Tournament. Last night didn't make any sense. Did the Goblet think there was a fourth school? It was called the Triwizard Tournament for a reason.

And even worse, Ron wouldn't talk to him anymore. As if Harry would purposely enter the competition. Hermione kept going on and on about how someone died last time.

However, he had to face the day. After getting ready, Harry left the Gryffindor dorms and walked to the Great Hall. On his way down, he noticed several of the paintings whispering as he walked by. News spreads quickly in Hogwarts. Even all of the portraits are gossiping about him.

He shook his head, determined not to let this get to him. He took a deep breath and entered the dining hall.  As soon as Harry entered, all eyes were on him and everyone started talking in hushed voices. As he passed by them, he caught bits and pieces of what they were saying.

"He's a cheat!"

"He's not even seventeen yet!"

"Did you hear? Ron won't talk to him anymore. He didn't even tell his best friend what he was doing! I see why he wasn't in Hufflepuff. He's not loyal to his friends at all."

"I looked up to him, but seriously? Doesn't he have enough time in the spotlight as it is? He's just an attention seeker and a brat."

"I hope he doesn't get hurt. I'd hate to see that happen."

Harry looked up at these words. They came from Colin Creevey. Harry gave him a smile and continued on his way. He went to sit down with Hermione, but she was already sitting with Ron. Guess not. Harry walked to the end of the table and sat alone, not quite sure if anyone was still his friend.

Later in the day, Harry was walking in the halls when he saw Ron laughing with Seamus Finnegan.  Ron's eyes turned cold and he stopped laughing when he saw Harry. As they passed each other, Ron bumped his shoulder into Harry's and kept going without a word.

People gave him dirty looks as he passed by, but a few students still gave him smiles and said  "Good luck!"

Sure, people hated him, but at least nothing drastic had happened. They just preferred Cedric Diggory.

Rita Skeeter

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat together on the train at the end of the school year.

"I can't believe Cedric died. He was certainly very helpful to you during the tournament," said Hermione, looking over her copy of the Daily Prophet.

Harry looked out of the window, not knowing what to say. He felt like it was his fault Cedric was dead. If he hadn't insisted on grabbing the cup together, or just been a little bit faster, Amos Diggory's son might still be alive. Though he was angry at himself, however, he felt even more angry at Peter Pettigrew.

He was James and Lily's friend. He sold them out and as soon as he realized the Dark Lord had a chance of returning, he ran back to his master. The trio wondered where he'd been all of those years, but no one seemed to have an answer.

Harry's thoughts were interrupted by a scoff from Hermione. "What?" He asked, talking for the first time since they boarded the train.

Hermione shook her head. "Nothing, it's just that this woman never knows when to stop," She said.

The three continued the ride back to King's Cross in mostly silence, with the occasional comment on one of Rita Skeeter's articles.

(A/N)

4/7! I forgot to update again yesterday. Oops. Anyways, if you didn't get the last part, Draco Malfoy gave Rita Skeeter information for her articles. Without that information, Rita didn't  upset Hermione or Hagrid AS much. So, Hermione didn't have as much motivation to find out how she was doing it. Yes, she still wrote horrible articles, but they weren't as offensive with Draco and Pansy's quotes (in my opinion, Pansy only did it to go along with Draco). Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed!

Have a nice day!

~Lia