Faith .|. H. J. POTTER ✔

Chapter forty-three

"If you've come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can't help you," Harry said before smiling at Faith for comfort. He was very thankful for Faith saying that because he really didn't want to talk to anyone about it, except maybe his friends. It was none of other people's business. "We're not going to talk about Cedric Diggory here so if that's what you're here for you might as well clear out,"

But no one left, not even Zacharias Smith. 

"So," Hermione coughed. "So ... like I was saying ... if you want to learn some defence, then we need to work out how we're going to do it, how often we're going to meet and where we're going to -"

"Is it true," The Hufflepuff girl whose name both Harry and Faith did not remember, "that you can produce a Patronus?" The other students started to murmur to each other.

"Yeah," Harry answered, kind of suspicious.

"A corporeal Patronus?" That sentence sounded very familiar to Harry.

"Er - you don't know Madam Bones, do you?" He asked her and the girl smiled. Faith recognised that name. That was her mother's colleague. They were good friends.

"She's my auntie," The girl nodded. "I'm Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So - is it really true? You make a stag Patronus?"

"Yes," Harry said. 

"Blimey, Harry!" Lee exclaimed. "I never knew that!"

"Mum told Ron not to spread it around," Fred mentioned. "She said you got enough attention as it was,"

"She's not wrong," Harry mumbled. A couple of people laughed, including Faith who was still a little shaken up. Her hand shook in his. 

The veiled witch sitting alone shifted very slightly in her seat.

"And did you kill a Basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore's office?" Terry Boot now asked. "That's what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in there last year ..."

"Er - yeah, I did, yeah," 

Lavender let out a 'wow', Justin Finch-Fletchley whistled.

"And in our first year," Neville spoke up, "he saved that Philological Stone -"

"Philosopher's," Hermione whispered.

"Yes, that - from You-Know-Who," More 'oh's and 'ah's came from the group.

"And that's not to mention," Cho began. Harry's eyes snapped in her direction after he so carefully avoided them for so long. He felt Faith give his hand a squeeze before letting go. "All the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year - getting past dragons and merpeople and Acromentula and things ..." Everyone was murmuring in agreement. 

"Look," Harry started. Faith knew what was coming; the same speech about the load of luck crap. "I ... I don't want to sound like I'm trying to be modest or anything, but ... I had a lot of help with all that stuff ..."

"Not with the dragon, you didn't," Michael Corner said instantly. "That was a seriously cool bit of flying ..."

"Yeah, well -"

"And nobody helped you get rid of those Dementors this summer," Susan Bones added,

"No," Harry agreed. "No, OK, I know I did bits of it without help, but the point I'm trying to make is -"

"Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?" Zacharias Smith opened his mouth again. Faith was ready to throw another comeback at him but Ron was first.