Charms. | h. potter

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Harry and Cameron rely heavily on the meeting with Sirius to get them through the next few weeks. The two of them and Hermione have a multitude of plans to get stragglers out of the Common Room, including one plan that involves dropping a bag of Dungbombs but Cameron hopes it won't come to that. Filch would skin them alive.

Harry progressively gets more and more nervous as the First Task gets closer and closer and Cameron, although she tries, can't seem to find the words to calm him. Not when her own nerves are going crazy over the same thing. Inside the castle, life is getting worse. Rita Skeeter ("that absolute bag of dicks!") published her article about the Tournament, which was really just a not-so-skilfully disguised article about Harry. Most of the Prophet's front page was a picture of him and the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang champion's names were misspelled and squashed in at the end. Cedric wasn't even mentioned, which just added fuel to the fire that was burning Harry's amicable relationships with the Hufflepuff's to ashes.

Still, ten days later, Harry is still getting relentlessly teased about the article, which included some long winded sentences that Cameron can't even imagine Harry saying.

"I suppose I get my strength from my parents. I know they'd be very proud of me if they could see me now... Yes, sometimes at night I still cry about them, I'm not ashamed to admit it... I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament, because they're watching over me..." was only one of many. Rita Skeeter even managed to drag Cameron into the entire shit storm.

"Harry has at last found love at Hogwarts. His close friend, Colin Creevey, says that Harry is rarely seen out of the company of one Cameron Aldridge, a wonderfully gorgeous, half-Bulgarian student whose cousins and father are visiting from Durmstrang for the Tournament. Apparently, she's quite the bright young lady, keeping pace with some of the top students in her year, including Harry himself. Although some people also say that he's rather close to Hermione Granger, another stunningly pretty student who is, this time, a Muggleborn. She's regarded as the top student in the year.

The number of people who have quoted it at him as he and Cameron have passed during the last few days makes her blood boil with anger, but that is nothing compared to the pure rage Harry is feeling. She tries to keep her anger at bay, as does Hermione, and they put their energy into talking Harry out of cursing any student who even so much as looks at him funny. Neither of them have sunk to the level of yelling at random people (Harry had been mortified when he'd accidentally shouted at poor Cho Chang).

Ron and Harry's continuing argument is also becoming increasingly more of an issue as he clearly misses his friend, despite his constant denials.

The Saturday before the First Task, all students in Third Year and above are permitted to go to Hogsmeade. Hermione convinces Harry to go, and after some deliberation and a flat out 'no' to meeting Ron, he grabs his Invisibility Cloak and agrees to come.

Hermione and Cameron try and enjoy the day, but with Harry under his cloak they're ninety percent sure that at least half the school population that have come today think they're marginally crazy. Sure they're not talking to themselves, but they do pose questions or statements to the empty air sometimes.

"People are going to think we're crazy," Hermione complains as they walk out of Honeydukes. "They'll think we're talking to empty air."

"Don't talk so loud to me then," Harry responds simply.

"Come on, please just take off your cloak for a bit, no one's going to bother you here," she begs. Cameron gives her a look that says 'you know that's a lie' and she sends her a pointed glare in response.