Victoire Weasley and the Four Statues

She solemnely swears that they were up to no good

James didn't get out of the Hospital for the next few days. It was only on Saturday, during the afternoon, that he was finally released. But naturally, he avoided the others quite much, saying that he had a lot of work, and classes to catch up. But he knew, and Victoire too, that this couldn't last. And at one point, he couldn't run away anymore.

He made his first school appearance in a week, on the following Monday morning.
It was half past eight, Victoire was sitting with her friends at the Ravenclaw table, having breakfast, when suddenly, the Great Hall fell silent.

James was walking along the tables, trying to be as small and discreet as possible. But he wasn't. Everyone was looking at him, and whispers and gossiping were heard everywhere. Victoire exchanged looks with Ted, at the Hufflepuff table, a few meters away from her.

"He'll be okay." he mouthed.

She didn't answer, but raised her eyebrows in doubt.

James looked well recovered physically, apart from his -now usual- bags under his chocolate brown eyes, and a few cuts on his cheeks. But everyone seemed to be staring at him, holding their breath, and he made it clear that he was aware of it. Some looks were pitiful, others compassionate, but a lot (far too much, to Victoire's opinion), seemed hateful. He walked rapidly, and awkwardly with a new clumsy pace that Victoire didn't know from him. Finally, he reached the Gryffindor table, and, hesitant, he found a place next to Emily. She was the only one to have kept him a place next to her.

And then, silence was broken by a fifth year old Slytherin, who cried :

"Hey Potter ! Thanks for the snitch !"

Victoire closed her eyes firmly.
She closed her eyes for a few seconds, and took long, deep breaths. She often did when she wanted to avoid getting upset. When she didn't seem to bear the stupidity and cruelty of the world.

The Hall immediately erupted in laughs and conversations again. A few other Slytherins felt brave enough again to shout "Good to see you well, captain !", or then again "How's your broom, captain ?".
Apparently, their new fun game, was to call him "captain", as if he were the captain of their team. Because they owed him victory, or whatever...

This made Victoire wonder about their actual captain, Hugo Maureen. So, unwillingly, she opened her eyes again, and searched for him.

He was sitting right next to the fifth year who had just shouted, but he wasn't exactly laughing. Or showing any emotions really. He was staring at the void, as if lost in his thoughts. As if nothing happening around him was worth his attention. And although Victoire was very often like that, she couldn't help but find this rude at the moment. To be honest with herself, for an unknown reason, she almost blamed him for the accident, when really, he hadn't done anything.
"He shouldn't have caught the snitch" she thought again. But she knew it was stupid. He hadn't seen James and Julia fall. He'd been into the game and nothing else. Of course, he would've stopped otherwise. He was Joy's twin brother, not for nothing.

And with sadness, Victoire looked at Joy, standing as far away from her as their little group allowed them to. "I really need to talk to her and clear things up", thought Victoire, for what must have been the hundredth time of the week. But she wasn't keen on this idea. She had never been good with social interactions, and had always avoided drama. She came to the same conclusion she'd had all week : that she should most definitely ask Ted.

She turned her attention back to the Hall, who had finally decided to leave James alone. But when she looked at her cousin, he didn't look fine at all.