Chapter 19.3- Doom Days

“Threee months ago, and Mr Malfoy would have gotten you in a tiff from just that tiny bit of provocation.”

“I wonder why you never stopped him then, if it was always so obvious to you what he was doing.”

“I would have….if you’d ever let the provocation sit and reported him to me instead of rising to the bait” she said and I turned to her with a raised eyebrow at that. Could it really have been so simple? I allowed myself to briefly immerse myself in memories trying to recall if Potter ever reported Malfoy’s aggravation, and came up blind.

“But then it would have been my word against his” I said in defence.

“Up until a few months ago, you never went anywhere without two certain people by your sides. On your word alone, then maybe not, but on the word of three from my house? I would have stepped in, Potter. As the Headmaster is quick to remind us, help is always given at Hogwarts, but only to those who ask for it.” She said grandly, even as I remained skeptical about the veracity of her statements. I was saved from needing to reply as Cedric walked towards us. He was taller than I was still, and was wearing nice black robes with a gold accent- his house’s colours, I realised. I wondered what my choice of colour made me.

“Wotcher, Harry” He greeted and I returned the greeting even as I got the impression that something was wrong. It was only when he had moved on to greet Mcgonagall that I noticed that he had never offered his hand for me to shake. That was strange- Cedric was usually much more personable and could be friendly to a fault. This sudden cold shoulder was worrying.

I never got the same treatment from him that I tended to receive from the others so this sudden distance was worrying. And then few minutes after Cedric had arrived, his date began to make her way down the stairs. Cho Chang was one hell of a specimen. Her features were clean and perfectly symmetrical. The pink dress she wore framed her curves, of which she had little, tightly against her boy, leaving little to the imagination in terms of her fitness level. She walked down the stairs and Cedric walked forward to her, placing a bracelet of flowers around her wrist. She leaned forward and placed a kiss on his cheek and he walked her over to come and join us.

“Hey Harry” Cho said, not waiting to get a reply from me before she began whispering in Cedric’s ears.

Krum was the next to come in, and he came with his date already around his arm. He ignored both Cedric and I, and neither of us were keen to say anything to the Bulgarian either. His date was comely enough, but she had a sneer plastered on her face as she looked around at the Entrance Hall’s decorations and spoke Krum in rapid fire German whispers. From what I could catch, she was calling the Hogwarts students soft and spoiled for the luxuries we enjoyed. I scoffed at the description of the moving ice sculptures and other decorations as luxuries- she betrayed her breeding with that.