Expecto Patronum {Harry Potter FF}

3: Rumours and Run-Ins

The August month brought clear skies and slightly warmer weather than that of which Violet was used to, causing her to roll up the sleeves of her casual robes as she carried a bag of parchment in one hand, the other arm looped through Parvati Patil's. 

Padma stood on Parvati's other side, holding their bag of parchment, quills and ink, as the three friends walked through the streets of Diagon Alley, narrowly avoiding witches and wizards who were rushing past them. 

Violet had missed her friends all summer long, and had eventually decided to do her shopping for Hogwarts with them in Diagon Alley. With only mere weeks left before they started their fifth year at Hogwarts, Violet felt that she was much overdue a catch up with Padma and Parvati that didn't consist of several letters back and forth that didn't go into much detail other than the basics of what they had been spending their summer doing. 

Isaac had also agreed to join them after they were finished shopping, telling them that he would first be using his saved up money to get a new broomstick and some Quidditch supplies. 

"Dad was telling us this morning that Harry Potter's got a hearing in the Ministry of Magic today," Padma informed Violet, as Parvati nodded along with her. 

"Yeah, he said if Dumbledore doesn't think of anything, Harry will almost definitely be getting kicked out of Hogwarts."

"I think it has more to do with what happened at the Triwizard tournament last year than the underage magic. Dad told us Cornelius Fudge was furious when he found out that Dumbledore announced to the school that You-Know-Who is back," Padma continued as the three girls sat down at a small round table outside Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour. 

"Furious isn't even the word for it, dad said Fudge had to visit the Daily Prophet straight away to stop any mad stories spreading about You-Know-Who. The ministry's going mad, anyone that talks openly about believing Dumbledore more than the Minister of Magic are being investigated. Rumours are beginning to spread that Dumbledore's gone mad!"

"That's nonsense. Dumbledore's always been mad and we all know it," Isaac's voice causes the girls' heads to swing around. He had a large bag in his hand, presumably with his broomstick and other supplies, and a large toothy grin was settling on his face. "Dumbledore may not always make sense but a boy died, no one can deny that much."

"That's the thing though, death in the Triwizard tournament isn't uncommon, who's to say he didn't just die in the maze?" Padma asks, her face scrunching up slightly. Isaac sits down next to Parvati and shakes his head, grin fading. 

"Well, Harry Potter says, doesn't he? You've all got to be mad, yourselves, if you think Potter would make something as absurd as that up, especially after all he's been through."

Isaac and Harry were good friends, since they had shared a house together and were also on the Quidditch team together for quite some time. Both boys often went missing but they could always be found on the Quidditch pitch, putting in some extra practice together. 

"The Daily Prophet was asking Fudge the same thing, but he reckons the whole fame thing has gotten to Harry's head. I mean, he kind of was in the papers all last year, don't you reckon he would've liked a bit more attention again after the Triwizard tournament was over?" Parvati's suggestion seemed to anger Isaac even more. 

"Oh, yeah, that sounds exactly like something Harry would do. Who knows, maybe he just saw Cedric's dead body in the maze, thought of a good lie that would make front page and then skipped along to the front of the maze again with Cedric in his arms," Isaac said, his tone dripping with sarcasm and Violet could tell he couldn't take much more. 

"But-"

"Okay, maybe that's enough you three. I think the only real person who knows what happened in that maze is Harry, and although he might like the fame - though I really have doubts he does - Cedric died. And to make things worse, I don't think Harry would lie about You-Know-Who, seeing as he's the reason Harry's an orphan after all," Violet interrupted Padma who looked slightly sad.