𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐥𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 | √

⎡67⎦

Soon, the Hogsmeade trip came. Hermione and I were able to get the word around without any of the other Slytherins knowing. As we walked to Hog's Head, a secluded place where not many people would go, Harry was complaining.

"This is mad. Who'd wanna be taught by me? I'm a nutter, remember?"

"Look on the bright side: you can't be any worse than old toad face," Ron said to try to cheer Harry up.

"Thanks, Ron," Harry said sarcastically.

"I'm here for you, mate."

"Who's supposed to be meeting us, then?"

"Just a couple of people," Hermione answered.

We made it to the inn and I looked at the old wooden door. I pushed it open, causing it to make a loud creaky sound. None of us moved as we all stood in the doorway, looking the place. It was comprised of one small, very dirty, and dingy room that had bay windows that were so encrusted with filth that you could barely see through them. The stone floor of the place was so dirty that it looked as though there was not a floor at all, but instead that the building was simply built on the open ground.

"Lovely spot," Ron said.

There was a short man at the counter with ragged clothes, with a surprised look on his face that we had entered the place. A goat with a cow bell around its neck walked behind him.

"Thought it would be safer off the beaten track," Hermione explained.

"Matey, come back here." I heard the old man say as he followed the goat.

We sat down at the front. Soon people began trickling in. Within minutes the place was filled with students. Not the entire school but enough for a part of a class. We sat in dead silence. When everyone entered I stood up.

"Er-Hi. So you all know why we're here. We need a teacher. A proper teacher. One who's had experience defending themselves against the Dark Arts."

"Why?" Zacharias Smith asked.

"Why? Because You-Know-Who's back, you tosspot." Ron snapped.

"So he says," Smith said nodding towards Harry.

"So Dumbledore says," Hermione said, rising from her chair.

"So Dumbledore says because he says. The point is, where's the proof?"

"My boyfriend is dead, isn't that enough?" I spat.

"If Potter could tell us more about how Diggory got killed..." a different boy in the front asked.

"I'm not gonna talk about Cedric, so if that's why you're here, clear out now," Harry said to the crowd. I noticed that Cho Chang was giving Harry sad puppy eyes. UGH

"Come on, guys. They're here because they think I'm some sort of freak." Harry whispered to us, pulling away.

"Wait," Hermione whispered, grabbing his arm.

"Is it true you can produce a Patronus Charm?" Luna asked in her soft voice.