𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐆𝐈𝐑𝐋 𝐖𝐇𝐎 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐖𝐀𝐑

the one where i completely forgot

"Get your facts first.
Then distort them
as you please."

•

HATE MAIL CONTINUED to arrive for Hermione and to some extent me over the following week, and although she followed Hagrid's advice and stopped opening it, several of her ill-wishers sent Howlers, which exploded at the Gryffindor table and shrieked insults at her for the whole Hall to hear. Even those people who didn't read Witch Weekly knew all about the supposed Harry-Krum-Hermione-Draco-Skylar pentagon now. I was getting sick of telling people that Viktor wasn't my boyfriend, Draco wasn't my boyfriend, Hermione wasn't Harry's girlfriend and I definitely wasn't Harry's girlfriend. Things got confusing after a while.

"Find the Beatle!" I snapped to Hermione one day. "Find it and crush it-"

"Skylar that's a human! Albeit a pathetic excuse for one, but-" Ron was saying.

"Technically, we'd be crushing a fly. That's all."

"What's wrong with you?" Harry asked with slightly wide eyes at my murderous tendencies.

"Everything," I said. "Apart from the way I dress perhaps." I frowned at his hair and tie hanging loose from his neck. "You don't even know how to be a delinquent properly. Tch."

The days leading up to the Easters were jam-packed with so much homework that Harry and I had started taking turns to go up to the owlery and send Sirius food. Neither of us had forgotten what it felt like to be continually hungry or living off scraps. And I didn't save Sirius for him to live of rats. That man was royalty and after this Tournament was over, he'll be restored into the Grimmauld Place.

Hedwig didn't return until the end of the Easter holidays. Percy's letter was enclosed in a package of Easter eggs that Mrs Weasley had sent. Both Harry's and Ron's were the size of dragon eggs and full of homemade toffee. Hermione's and mine, however, were smaller than a chicken egg. Her face fell when she saw it. "Your mum doesn't read Witch Weekly, by any chance, does she, Ron?" she asked quietly.

"Yeah," said Ron, whose mouth was full of toffee. "Gets it for the recipes."

Hermione looked sadly at her tiny egg. And I wondered if I should pull out the two foot long egg the Malfoys had sent me for Easter, for whatever reason I wouldn't know. Hermione's face made me resist the temptation to eat imported french toffees.

"Don't you want to see what Percy's written?" Harry asked her hastily.

I had no intention to see what Percy's written. This was the downfall of the serious Weasley and I didn't like Percy all that much either. But this whole situation also reminded me that Crouch was going to die soon.

It was past Easter, and the start of the summer term. A lot happened meanwhile.

Me and Draco didn't actually talk for a week after the night in the astronomy tower. We had those stolen glances, brushing of hands and exchange of chocolates in the middle of Potions class, but we didn't talk.

It wasn't until a Friday late evening, a week later, that I got so frustrated, I toppled the table by the fireplace in our common room and marched out towards the Slytherin Common Room leaving behind a surprised looking bunch of people.

I yelled all possible passwords to the barren wall that guarded the Slytherin Common Room until it opened at 'parselmouth', still sneering. I marched inside, past Blaise and Pansy making out in the window, past Theo glaring at me for whatever reason from the fireplace between his and Draco's room.