Melanie Rosen: Year 4 (A Harry Potter Fanfic)

Chapter 12 Blood Traitor

Chapter 12

Blood Traitor

For the First Task, the four champions were expected to retrieve an egg from a dragon. Harry's just happen to be the most terrifying, the Hungarian Horntail. As he thought it though, most of our school (aside from Slytherins) seemed to forget about being upset about our second Hogwarts champion and wildly cheered him on.

"Bloody mad..." Ron was muttering beside me. "Bonkers... insane... he'd have to be..."

I could easily see he was freaking out. "Ron, you ok?"

"Yeah..." he breathed heavily. "It's just..."

"He can handle it," I said, reassuring. "He's been through worse, right? You both have."

"Uh... yeah... I suppose."

Harry had summoned his Firebolt and used it to get to the egg. By the end, the crowds were pretty much jumping out of their seats, waving their hands and yelling cheerfully. We found out later, Harry was tied with Krum for first place.

I met up with Harry in the common room that evening, along with Hermione to congratulate him. In Gryffindor House we were having our own little celebration.

"Summoning the Firebolt was just brilliant!" I said to him.

Harry smiled, but that smile dropped. I looked around and saw Ron walking towards us. I eyed Hermione, but her head gave a small shake, saying we should we stay out of this and let the boys talk.

"Hey," Ron said awkwardly.

"Hey," Harry replied, coolly.

"So... uh..." Ron began, scratching his head. "I figured you'd have to be completely insane to willingly enter something like that..." He flung his hand towards me. "Like her."

Harry raised his eyebrow. "Come to your sense now, have you?"

Ron simply nodded, while I pointed out, "You know, it was Lenora that kept insisting us putting our names in."

"If anything, I think that only proves my point even more," Ron said.

I could not help but chuckle at that one. Harry laughed too and they finally made up.

"I never agreed with those articles, by the way," Ron assured Harry. "This whole time, always thought they were rubbish."

"Well, she's not getting one from me anymore," Harry declared. "Skeeter tried to interview me about the task, but I blew her off."

"Good," Hermione said, nodding her head in approval, "Hopefully that old snake will back off and leave you alone."

Harry sighed, looking down. "I don't know. She claimed she already had something juicy for her next article."

xXx

The next morning I walked down from the girls' dormitory with Hermione.

She glanced up at the steps to the boys room and commented, "I think Harry and Ron must still be asleep."

"They can meet us in the Great Hall," I said with a shrug. "I'm starving."

She eyed me. "You didn't eat enough last night? I could have sworn I saw you eat at least three turkey legs."

"Yeah, well, we're growing at this age, you know?" I pointed out, as I recalled eating that last turkey leg down to the bone and letting out a huge belch after that. The majority of the boys rolled on the floor in laughter.

"Hermione," I started, pausing to consider Lavender's words, "do you ever worry... or think people just see you as 'one of the guys?'"

A Hufflepuff boy, appearing to be around third year, eyed us and started walking faster.

Hermione shook her head. "No, not really. Though I don't belch in public or constantly find myself in detention."

I sighed, not taking offense. "Well, I am known as 'Harry Potter's troublesome friend.' I have a reputation to uphold."

Hermione rolled her eyes but did chuckle. We walked passed two Ravenclaw girls, who looked like second years. The girl with freckles eyes us and her face seemed to lose its color.

"That's her!" she hissed to her sandy blonde friend. "Let's go."

I turned my head and glanced at them, curiously. "Is it just me, or are people acting a bit odd today?"

Hermione shook her head and huffed. "It's been like that since Rita Skeeter started publishing articles me. A lot of people either glare at me or avoid me altogether."

"Right..." I recalled when those articles first came out. "People really need to get over that rubbish and move on."

As we neared the Great Hall, I noticed more students seemed to avoid eye contact or pick up their steps as we walked by. I spotted Draco by the entrance. He eyed me head on. Something about his expression almost seemed furious.

"I wonder what his problem is?" I commented to Hermione, as I strutted towards him.

"How about we don't try to go looking for trouble when it hasn't found us for once?" Hermione hissed at me.

I shrugged. "What's he's going to do?"

As I approached Draco, his glare flamed brighter. He did not even seem to notice Hermione. I opened my mouth to demand what his problem was now, but merely brushed passed me, muttering, "Filthy blood traitor."

I turned my head and called after him, "You know you really shouldn't say..."

My voice trailed off, as his words slammed against me like a pound of bricks. I assumed he said 'mudblood' as he usually did, but this time he used a different phrase, blood traitor. Blood traitor.

"Hermione..." I took in a sharp breath, suddenly feeling dazed. "Did you hear..."

I pushed the door open into the Great Hall, and everyone close by at the Gryffindor table pointed their gaze at me and broke into whispers.

"Melanie!" Seamus, rush up to me. His face read an odd mixture of terror and intrigue. "Is it true? What it says?"

"What does it..."

But there was no point in asking, as my eyes dropped down to the very article he spoke of, just laying on the table. Yes, Skeeter did indeed find herself some juicy gossip. She titled her new article, Daughter of Darkness. The article featured me.