Magic (5sos/l.h. Hogwarts AU)

Chapter 74

~A/N~ Sorry I've been gone so long, but I've finally applied to Uni for English! I also needed time to rewrite this chapter because the Rita Skeeter plot was originally really boring, but I wanted to write about something that actually bothers me (and is a pretty big deal at the moment)
Enjoy the chapter!
Leila xx

I would be lying if I said I hadn't been expecting a blow. After starting a battle with Rita Skeeter, it would only be a matter of time until she struck back harder than I had, and I was very much aware of this. All my friends shared this worry, and tried to prepare me but also shield me, until she eventually hit with the power of a tsunami on a fragile island.

Or at least, that was what it seemed like in my eyes.

The following week, I was sat at breakfast having a sword fight with Calum using our butter knives, when Hannah Abbot shyly came up to us, tinkling her fingers at said boy who blushed in her presence. They had been taking things slowly, and I mean very slowly. Calum was aware that Hannah was delicate, and the extent of their affection had been in hand-holding and the occasional hair ruffle, nothing more.

I almost wanted to lock the two in a broom cupboard and force them to act on their feelings, but figured that would be slightly drastic. That meant I was undeniably pleased when Hannah approached us at breakfast, sure she would make a move on Calum, but all hope was brought crashing down when she slid a copy of Witch Weekly in front of me.

"Have you seen this?" she asked gently, prodding an article taking up a full page. The gossip magazine wasn't one I particularly enjoyed, so never bothered to read, but it seemed Rita Skeeter had struck. "It's an article by Rita Skeeter, about you. I figured I should tell you before you find out in a... worse way."

Scanning the page in shock, I found my mouth glued shut and I couldn't say anything.

Hogwarts Infiltrated?
Parents of students at Hogwarts, my heart goes out to you. This problem has been growing under our noses for years, and it's time someone finally spoke about it.

There has been an infiltration of illegal minority students at Hogwarts. These students, who come from China, Africa, Pakistan - the list goes on - are a threat to the very wellbeing of all our hardworking pupils, stealing credit from those who really deserve it.

The most poignant example of this is Leila Ahmed, a fourth year Gryffindor student. Her Indian upbringing has definitely taught her something about scamming her way to the top. Whether that be her parents sneaking into our country and stealing our jobs, or her taking away the best grades from those who really deserve it, this is an epidemic and needs to stop.

Pansy Parkinson, model student, commented on this matter. "It's just completely unfair. I'm not bigoted or anything, but she's a muggleborn and she's not even from here. It's not wrong to be proud of my upbringing, or want to keep Hogwarts for those who were always meant to come here."

Though we treat everyone equally here at Witch Weekly, it does beg the question - are there no wizarding schools in Saudi Arabia? Surely our British school should be reserved for the British?

Certainly, she has done her fair share of damage already when it comes to the Gryffindor boys, and there is a long trail of broken hearts following her.

Both Calum Hood and Michael Clifford have experienced intense pain and heartbreak at the hands of the cruel Miss Ahmed. Hood was rejected within moments after one unsuccessful attempt to get his hands on the prize last year. Ahmed's casting away of Clifford, the son of former death eaters, is perhaps no surprise.

"I mean, Clifford's pathetic," says Draco Malfoy, intelligent classmate of these pupils. "He got disowned by his own family, that's how pathetic he is. And Hood's really creepy too. He's always hanging around the library, and his best friend is the incapable monster that teaches Care of Magical Creatures."