✓ epiphany ━━ cedric diggory

﹙ 𝐢𝐯 ﹚ the daily prophet

🖇·˚ ༘ ┊͙[ chapter four ] ! ˊˎ

╰─▸ newspapers, rumours, and punch throwing

     I MAY BE ABOVE AVERAGE IN POTIONS but that's not to say I enjoy the subject. After what was meant to only be an hour, but felt like a good few, I finally got the chance to leave the classroom at the sound of the much-awaited dismissal of Snape's voice. I would have waited for Ava and Spencer had I not noticed a familiar dark brown head of hair bobbing in a crowd of people.

     "Hey, dipshit!" I may have yelled too loudly down the corridor.

     "Peabrain," he replied back, turning around to face me, where I was met with a scowl, once I had reached him in the hallway.

     "Is that any way to talk to your dear sister?" he rolled his eyes and turned away, walking in the opposite direction and I followed. "So, how's your first day going?" We began walking to the Great Hall.

     "Great actually. I'm not sure you cared," he said dismissively.

     "You're right I don't, I just thought it adequate to ask that's all. Made any friends?" I asked, before pausing, holding up a finger, "Wait let me answer that: no."

     "Hey!" he said in an offended tone. "For your information, I have made lots."

    "What, in that pitiful house of yours?" I laughed to myself, yet he obviously didn't laugh back.

     He rolled his eyes, "Just because you're a Slytherin, doesn't give you the right to insult my house."

     We reached the entrance to the hall and I turned to him, placing my hands on his shoulders, "You see William, it gives me that exact right."

     With a smile, I turned on my heels and walked over to Ava and Spencer, who were sitting at the Slytherin table, engrossed in a newspaper. Everyone seemed to stare at me as I did, but I brushed it off; I thought maybe it was my hair or something inconsequential like that.

     When I reached the table and sat down, they immediately hid the newspaper from my eye line. I couldn't tell whether they were trying to hide it from me, because of how obviously they did it, "Oh alright, calm down. It's not like I actually find the Daily Prophet interesting and have the desperate desire to read it all of a sudden."

     They didn't say anything and sort of gave me a sympathetic look. I tried to gesture for them to read it to me, but they apparently didn't want to do that. "So, what's so interesting in the paper that I can't see then ladies?"

     Ava opened the paper and put it in front of her, still out of my view, "It's about your uncle y/n." she mumbled, almost with sympathy.

     "What about him? He's been in Azkaban for the last 12 years, Av." My eyebrows furrowed and my chest became heavy with worry.

     "See that's the thing," Spencer said, putting today's article in front of me.

     I glanced over the article, hundreds of thoughts running through my mind, before reading it again and again, just to make sure I wasn't mistaken. I abruptly stood up, once I realized it was real and was right there in black and white; the man animatedly screaming at me. All I could manage was a deadpanned: "Shit."

     I began marching towards the Hufflepuff table, thoughts racing through my mind.

     "Miss me already y/l/n?" Diggory said as I passed him, smirking ever so irritatingly.

     "Yeah, you wish," I said. I wasn't really in the mood to punch back right now. When I reached Will and his friends, I grabbed his robe and pulled him up. His friends almost cowered in fear as I did so and usually that would be almost normal? And yet now, I'm sure it wasn't because of the name I had created for myself.

     I pulled him into a slim hallway and he stared up at me confused.

     "Did you know?"

     "Know what?" he asked, cracks breaking out onto his forehead.

    "About," I paused and leaned in, "Uncle Sirius?" I whispered.

     "What about him?"

    "He escaped you nitwit!"

     "What?" he yelled, his eyes wider than before.

     "Shhhh! Keep your voice down. People can't know we're related, okay?"

     "What me and you?"

     "Oh for god's sake Will, no not us! Sirius!" I slapped the back of his head.

     My parents wanted to keep it secret that we were directly related to the 'mass murderer' after he was arrested (pretty obvious why) and it had stayed that way. "If people find out, we could get involved with the ministry."

     "But y/n . . . I'm pretty sure loads of people know," he mumbled.

     "What?!" I could hear my heartbeat increase in speed and it felt as though it could burst out of my chest.

     "A few have asked me about it actually. A few taunted me too."

     "Who have you told? Oh, Merlin Will!"

     "I haven't told anyone." he put his hands up in defence.

    "But I've only told Ava and Spencer . . ." The volume of my voice trailed off. I stared down at Will and he shrugged, suggesting he knew what I was thinking.

     I sped out of the hallway and straight to the two girls, "Who did you tell?" I was almost yelling as I towered over them.

     "y/n we didn't tell anyone . . ." Spencer said, and I immediately felt guilty for accusing them.

     "But p-people know," I stammered.

     "Know what?" Ava asked.

     "That Black is my Uncle!" I yelled in a whisper, despite knowing that people knew, so attempting to keep quiet was pointless.

     "y/n, we swear," Ava replied, her face soft and solemn.

     "Then who . . ." I once again trailed off as my eye line wandered to my left. I looked over to see a familiar blonde boy and his goons, laughing loudly.

     "Oh come on y/l/n, don't give Miss Medlar and Miss Griffiths a hard time." he chuckled to the two minions by his side.

     I scowled at them as I approached the three boys; my blood boiling to higher and higher temperatures, "You little-! How did you find out?"

     "We're family, y/n. And that information was just too gold to keep in. So, how is old Uncle Sirius finding the world outside of Azkaban?" he continued to laugh.

     "You little rat!" I have never thrown a punch so hard in my life. He whimpered in pain as I scoffed to myself. I cracked my knuckles and turned around to see almost the entire room, staring at me, "Something interesting?" I asked the room full of students.

     "Miss y/l/n!" I heard a familiar monotone voice shout from the entrance of the hall. The punch was worth it, up until now. "My office, now."

     I groaned as I shuffled towards him, picking up one of the newspapers on the table and throwing it in a bin on my way out.