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The rest of the evening was a blur, the students gathered in the chamber were quickly sent back to Hogwarts to be tended to by Madame Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing. Harry was currently in Dumbledore's office, where he'd been since they had returned to school.
Veronica was sat on one of the many beds in the Hospital Wing, the day's fast-paced activities catching up to her and she couldn't believe that she had sat an exam earlier that morning. Her eyes were drooping, longing for sleep, but she knew she couldn't rest just yet because she had yet to be treated.
Madame Pomfrey was mending Ginny's broken ankle, the bed surrounded by Weasleys when Harry finally slumped through the door, barely noticed by many of the Hospital Wing's inhabitants.
He sees Veronica, who was staring quite inquisitively yet sympathetically at him, and made his way towards her picking up speed the closer he got - desperate to talk to someone.
As he approached her, she raised her arms open wide and he pounced into them, burying his head in the crevice between her shoulder and her neck breathing in her comforting scent as she ran her hands through his hair.
They didn't have to say anything to each other, not quite yet, not in front of all these people. For now, they were both content in the others arms.
oOo
Over the next couple of weeks, a lot changed for Harry.
After seeing Voldemort in the flesh, Fudge couldn't deny his return any longer and had announced his resignation as Minister of Magic shortly after Harry's interview with Skeeter about the events of the Triwizard Tournament was republished in the Daily Prophet.
People began treating Harry as if they hadn't been slandering his name the whole year, smiling at him and greeting him when he walked past, pretending nothing had happened. It should've angered him, but at the time he had other things on his mind.
Soon after they'd all been discharged from the Hospital Wing, Harry had sat down with Veronica, Ron and Hermione to let them know about his confrontation with Bellatrix, and subsequently Voldemort and Dumbledore's duel. It was an emotional conversation, one that was filled with long pauses and deep thoughts, but was exactly what the boy needed.
Harry had never been more grateful for his friends, the comfort their presence gave him was one of the best feelings in the world and in his time of grief for Sirius was something he clung to.
Veronica was happy to be there for the boy, finding herself being the person he went to for a shoulder to cry on, silently grieving Sirius herself. She may not have been particularly close to the man but he was always nice to her when in each other's presence, and the joy he brought to Harry earned him her respect quite early on.
Harry also let them know about the prophecy Voldemort was so eager to collect, and once realising the orb was destroyed caused a wave of anger to sting through Harry's scar.
The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches ... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies ... and the Dark Lord will mark him as equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not ... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives ... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies ...
They'd spent the past few weeks of term trying to decode the message from Trelawney's prophecy, which Dumbledore had heard first hand. The old wizard had informed the boy that it was the reason Voldemort had gone after him when he was a baby, and the reason he was 'The Boy Who Lived'.
It was a large weight on Harry's shoulders as, according to the prophecy, he was the only one who could beat Voldemort. The pressure was heavy, and it seemed to have been dropped on him during the worst time in his life so far.
The school term was almost over, and as exams were long finished and since they no longer have a DADA teacher, as Umbridge had been suspended and removed from Hogwarts, the students were very relaxed around Hogwarts, oblivious to the war that had officially begun in the Wizarding World.
oOo
Veronica was sitting with the Golden Trio's compartment on the Hogwarts Express, next to Harry and opposite Ron and Hermione.
The boys were playing Wizards Chess while Hermione and Veronica maintained small talk, trying to temporarily forget about the past couple of weeks and enjoy their company.
Unfortunately, this was quickly interrupted when the compartment door flew open and Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle stood in the doorway with angry expressions on their face. Veronica hadn't even stopped to realise that while they were mourning the loss of Sirius from the Battle, that a few Slytherin families had been torn apart when the Death Eaters were arrested, Malfoy and Crabbe's included.
Before the boys could do anything to harm them physically, all four of them had brought their wands into the air and shot individual spells in their direction. The Slytherins were also hit by numerous curses from outside the compartment, and the mistakenly combined magic had left some pretty gruesome effects.
A few members of the DA poked their heads in, admiring their work on the Slytherins faces, observing the tentacles, green slime and bulbous boils. They dragged the unconscious bodies further down the corridor, and while they did so Cho had walked past, peeking over to see the commotion flushing red when noticing Harry.
"What is going on between you and Cho anyway?" questions Ron, as they watched the Ravenclaw scutter away, her eyes trained on the floor of the train.
Hermione scoffed at Ron and rolled her eyes at the question, elbowing him while Harry gripped Veronica's hand in reassurance. "Um, nothing. I'm long over it" he replied happily, smiling softly at the Hufflepuff. She smiled back, leaning in to rest her head on his shoulder as Hermione informs them Cho had also found comfort in the form of Ginny's ex, Michael Corner.
oOo
Once they arrived at Kings Cross, they were shocked to find quite a few members of the Order of Phoenix there to greet them.
Mr and Mrs Weasley, Tonks, Lupin and Mad-Eye had then gone up to the Dursleys, with the group of students following closely behind them, slightly confused over what was about to happen.
Mr Dursley was obviously terrified of the group but tried to hide it by saying choice words back at them when they threatened him to treat Harry better. It amused the boy and he didn't even bother hiding the smile on his face, nor the laugh that emerged when Vernon recognised the Twins from when they'd crashed through the fireplace a few years ago.
Veronica had then found her parents waiting off to the side watching the confrontation patiently. She turned to Harry, catching his attention once more by placing her hands on his cheeks. Leaning in, she kissed him passionately as she knew they wouldn't see each other for a while, the boy responding appreciatively ignoring the playful whistling from the twins.
They eventually pulled away, wishing each other farewell, the boy watching with a sappy smile on his face as Veronica said goodbye to the rest of them before walking off towards her parents, sending him one last grin and wave as they exited the station.
Although this year was not what Harry thought it would be, he was thankful to be surrounded by so many amazing people and for Veronica. It was almost painful having to leave them and follow the Dursleys but knew that since Mad-Eye's warning, his summer wasn't going to be too dreadful.
oOo
YOU ARE READING
Undistinguished (H.P.)
Fanfiction[adjective] lacking distinction; unexceptional. Veronica Green is a simple and average half-blood. Hidden in plain sight and blending into the background are what she does best. Until her fourth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, wh...
