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xxii.resolutions & relationships
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Harry was back walking through the corridors the next evening. Matilda had told him, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Harry alone, that nobody asks him questions or badger him to tell the story of what happened in the maze. Most people, Matilda noticed, were skirting him in the corridors, avoiding his eyes.
Matilda guessed that many of their classmates believed Rita Skeeter's article about how disturbed and possibly dangerous Harry was. Perhaps they were formulating their own theories about how Cedric had died. Just as her sister Harper was.
They had come face-to-face since Harper's departure from the castle. Matilda hadn't known what to say to her. It'd been one of the few times she'd been rendered speechless. To see her sister standing before her, cheeks swollen and puffy red eyes, even her cheeks had sunken inward. It was a heart-shattering sight. And Matilda wished to never experience the hurt that her sister felt at that moment.
But Harper seemed to disagree.
"It's not fair."
The voice that came from Harper didn't even sound like her own. It was low and hoarse. Harper couldn't speak above a rugged whisper from the loud cries straining her throat.
Matilda's head hung low in shame, she looked up at Harper through her lashes. This was them supposed to be saying their goodbyes. Their parents had arranged it since the two of them had been avoiding one another like the plague.
"If what they're saying is true ─ if Voldemort k-killed Cedric," her voice quivered. "Than Cedric died in place of Potter. It isn't fair."
Zara, their mother, stepped up willing Harper to stop, but she pushed away from Zara's grasp.
"That isn't ─ Harper, that's not what happened," Matilda whispered, shaking her head.
Matilda refused to fight with her sister over this. She knew Harper was angry and needed someone to blame. Harry was the easy target, of course.
"Because he's the chosen one, isn't it? We're all just expected to lay our lives on the line for him." Harper scoffed angrily. "It's shit, Matilda. Everything was fine until Harry Potter arrived."
"Harper!" Zara's tone rang loudly through the room. "That's enough!"
"It's not fair!" Harper yelled. She was crying again. Fresh tears streaming down her reddened cheeks. "Why? Why does Potter get to live every time, and this ─ this one time Cedric dies?"
"You weren't there, Harper!"
"Neither were you, Tilly!"
Matilda was fine with Harper's anger. She expected it. The yelling and the blaming, Matilda could handle. But she couldn't allow anyone, not even her sister, to blame Harry. Not when he done everything to try and prevent this. Not when he was already blaming himself.
