The Minister's Secret | HP Original Story | DISCONTINUED

~ FRUSTRA ~

The answer was yes. She was most definitely considering it.
What argument could Draco come up with that she couldn't revert back onto him in this situation? He was a friend to one of her enemies and a teammate to the other. There wasn't a thing he could say.
Eris stood from the table with the boys.
"I'm going to go say hi to the others, I'll meet you in the commons," said Eris, keeping her eyes from going to the Gryffindor table.
"Don't be late, tonight's Slytherin night!" called Goyle as they retreated.
Eris smiled and waited for them to disappear from sight before walking around the tables to the Gryffindors.
The amount of staring she received was nothing compared to her first week at Hogwarts, but these ones somehow felt... heavier. She knew why, of course -- their hatred ran deep.
She stopped just before reaching the trio of friends and sucked in a deep breath. She couldn't believe she was doing this. It was ridiculous, right? She should just abort and go pop in on her other friends.
"Oh, hi Eris!" Hermione had noticed her and waved.
She couldn't turn back now. "Hi," she said.
"How are you?" said Hermione.
"I'm alright. And you?" These formalities were so stiff and uncomfortable no matter who she exchanged them with. She glanced at Harry who, with a great look of dislike on his face, was watching her.
"Doing well. Did you need something?"
Eris cleared her throat. She could lie and ask Hermione for a study session. That would defeat the whole purpose of going to the Gryffindor table, though. She wouldn't, she decided. She would do what she came to do.
"I was wondering if I could speak with Harry for a moment -- privately," she added.
Hermione looked dazed and her eyes slid to Harry. Ronald was looking at him too, surprise etched into every line of his face. Harry, however, hadn't seemed to have heard her.
Hermione nudged Harry and he looked to have been shaken from a daydream.
"What?" he said to Hermione.
"She wants to talk to you in private," Hermioned hissed.
Harry looked at Eris again, looking less than pleased to hear this information. "Private? Whatever you want to say to me, you can say to my friends."
Eris scowled. "It's not about Draco, if that's what you're worried about."
"What else could it possibly be about?" snapped Ronald.
"That's what I would prefer to stay private, Ronald."
The three friends stilled and Hermione looked to be trying to conceal a smile.
Harry regarded her. "Fine. You try anything, though-"
"I wouldn't dream of it."
Silently, Harry followed Eris out of the Great Hall. She led him down only a few corridors, until she reached one she thought would be the best for a private conversation.
"What is this about?"
Eris sighed, taking a moment to shake out the remaining stiffness that resulted from the hundreds of Gryffindor stares.
"I have a question," she said. Realizing that that wouldn't be enough information to go off of, she pushed her hair back and tried again. "How do you do it?"
Harry raised his eyebrows. "Do what exactly?"
"You have so many things to bring you down and you're always being hunted. Yet... you smile and get through your classes every day. How do you manage it all?"
Harry's confusion melted into surprise in a matter of seconds. His mouth parted. "I..." he paused. "What makes you so sure I manage it at all?"
Eris scoffed. "You don't lose it when something -- anything -- reminds you of how terrible things are and you have friends that have helped you survive death not once, but twice! You're managing it better than most people would in your shoes."
Harry pressed his lips together and looked down. A slight blush rose in his cheeks and Eris fought back the urge to tease him -- that would be more than inappropriate.
"I suppose... It's just that, isn't it? My friends," said Harry. "They help keep my wits about me."
Eris scowled. Did she really muster all that courage just to get advice she already knew? It was possible. That didn't mean she would give up, there had to be more.
"What about when they're not around? Surely you have some sort of method to keep you calm," Eris said, folding her arms over her chest.
Harry sat for a moment before he furrowed his eyebrows and looked at her in confusion. "Why do you care?"
Eris exhaled, rolling her eyes skyward. "I have an issue... with..." she paused. How much information could she actually trust to the boy who was well-known as a Slytherin hater? Not much, she supposed. "With anger. Specifically with my father."
Harry frowned. "Why?"
Eris scoffed. He had to be joking. "I don't particularly trust you, so forgive me for being stingy with the details," she said. "All I will say is it has a connection to recent rumors about me."
Harry, if possible, looked even more confused. "Rumors?"
"Wow," said Eris with another scoff. "Have you had broomsticks shoved in your ears for the past two weeks?" She sniggered. It was possible Draco's complaining about Harry being self-involved might be true after all.
Harry glared at Eris. "Sorry if I haven't been paying attention to the normal teenager problems, there's a murderer running about the castle with my name at the top of his list."
Eris stilled. And it seems the general gossip about his snarkiness was true as well. "Yes, of course," she said, clearing her throat. "Look, I just want to know if there's any help you can offer me in keeping my emotions on lockdown."
"If I had any advice on the matter, I'd be putting it into practice already," said Harry.
"You've got nothing?"
Harry shrugged. "I'm not exactly the person to go to about these things in the first place, I'm not entirely sure why you came to me actually."
"Yeah, me either," said Eris. She pushed her back against the wall and tilted her head back. "Sorry to waste your time."
Harry lingered for a moment, but Eris stared at the floor, hoping that would be signal enough to leave her be. She listened to his retreating footsteps and when she was sure he was gone and no one else was around, she went further down the corridor. She reached a large Slytherin banner and flicked it back, slipping into the alcove behind it and seating herself on the floor. She hugged her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.
She was convinced there was no hope for her ceaseless emotions. There was no way to keep herself in check. There was no way to block out Dominic and Emmeline's faces from her mind. She would dream about them for the rest of her life and in every dream, they would blame her for what happened. She couldn't run from her own mind and she couldn't forget them. Unless...
There was a thought. Her only issue would be convincing someone skilled to do it. If she needed to forget, she was in a school full of talented witches and wizards -- there was bound to be someone who excelled in memory charms.