Disclaimer:
Harry Potter and all of its characters belong to J.K. Rowling.
I own nothing but the original characters I make.
"Dialogue"
'Thoughts'
-Author notes-
Chapter 75: Enjoy The Party
"A bit more to the left… there! That was perfect." The short blonde reporter adjusted her glasses while giving them a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Thank you all for your cooperation." Mr. Crouch came to greet the champions. "And enjoy the party."
With the picture out of the way, Harry went to where Morgan had been waiting for him, when suddenly that same blonde reporter got in his way.
"Mister Potter. I have been meaning to speak with you in private."
"With me? About what?" Harry didn't get a good feeling from this woman. He didn't even need to read her emotions for that. It was obvious the kind of person she was.
"Well, I couldn't get a proper interview during the weighing of the wands. My readers have been asking non-stop about you. The public is desperate to learn more about the current affairs of the Boy-Who-Lived."
Harry simply responded with a frown.
"My name is Rita Skeeter, by the way. Nice to meet you, Mr. Potter. If you have a few minutes, we could find a comfortable spot to talk." She reached to grab his hand.
But before she could touch him, her arm was grasped by someone else.
"He is not interested in giving interviews. Harry is a very private person."
"Who—?" Rita snapped her head around and found herself staring at Morgan. "You…" She was about to yell to be let go, but something about Morgan's eyes got her attention.
The reporter became entranced, staring at Morgan without blinking.
"So if you don't mind, go find something else to do and leave us alone," Morgan told her.
"Yes… of course. I will do that." Rita spoke softly, as if she was tired or half asleep.
"Let's go. Let's see if they have something good to drink at the professors' table." Morgan held Harry's arm and dragged him away.
"Was that a natural compulsion? It was potent enough to even affect others around us," Harry commented. He saw that some of the other students who were nearby had also become entranced by Morgan and moved away from them.
"I was only intending to affect the annoying reporter. But I will take it as a bonus," Morgan said.
They were on their way to one of the tables when they heard the voice of someone they had recently met.
"Hi!" It was Ginny Weasley. The girl approached them with a grin on her face. A timid boy with short brown hair was standing next to her.
"Ginny, right?" Morgan glanced at the redhead girl.
"Miss Weasley. We met last month," Harry said.
"You can just call me Ginny," she responded, giving Harry a furtive glance.
"Right. You said that before. Then you must call me Harry, and… you already knew her?" He pointed at his companion.
"Morgan, yes." Ginny nodded enthusiastically. "She sat next to me when we were watching the first task."
"Did she?" Harry said with a tone of suspicion. "She never mentioned it."
"And this is?" Morgan ignored Harry's stare and made a hand gesture toward the boy next to Ginny.
"Ah!" Ginny appeared to just remember there was someone there. "This is my friend Neville."
"Nice to meet you, Neville," said Harry.
Neville nodded nervously.
"Is he mute?" Morgan asked.
Ginny tapped him on his shoulder.
"I'm Neville L-Longbottom!" He suddenly blurted out, loud enough for everyone to hear, earning a few giggles from those present.
"Sorry…" Neville lowered his head.
"It's okay, boy. I tend to have that effect on people." Morgan gave him a playful wink, making him blush furiously.
"Longbottom?" Harry seemed to recall seeing that name before during one of his studies. "That is a very old wizard family. Even older than my own."
Neville nodded. "The Longbottoms have been around since before the founding of Hogwarts." He carefully glanced at Harry. "Ehm… did… did you know that our parents were friends? I heard it from my gran."
"Were they? I'm afraid I know little about my biological parents. Other than their names… and how they died."
Neville flinched. "Sorry! I shouldn't have brought that up."
Harry shrugged. "It was a long time ago. Don't stress yourself about a simple comment."
"The feast is about to begin," said Ginny. "Do you guys want to sit with us?"
"Looks like we will have to wait a bit for the dance." Harry knew that Morgan had little interest in the food.
"Oh well… go sit down, M—Harry. I'll see if I can sneak some firewhisky from the adults' table," Morgan told him before turning on her heels.
"Lead the way then," he said to Ginny and Neville. And he was soon guided to a large circular table with only a few seats available.
Harry already knew at least one other person at that table. One of the other champions is the one named Viktor Krum. He was sitting next to a pretty girl with bushy hair, wearing a pink dress.
Then there were two other boys of around the same age as himself. One was called Seamus Finnigan, and the other one was Dean Thomas. These would have likely been his classmates had he attended school when he was supposed to.
'Perhaps in a different life,' Harry thought.
"Can I ask you something?" The bushy-haired girl raised her hand in the air, as if she were attending class.
"Yes?" Harry found her behavior a bit odd, to say the least.
"What charm did you use to change the color of your hair? I have been reading about hair-related charms because… well, it doesn't matter why, but…"
"Charm?" Harry didn't use such a thing on himself. "Those are just temporary. What I did was more permanent. It was a—"
"Make room for me. Quick!" Morgan dropped onto his lap while holding a large bottle she was trying to hide using the fabric of her dress. "I don't think they saw me."
"You actually got firewhisky." Harry hadn't been sure if she was serious. "You brought firewhisky to a kids' table."
"It's for me!" Morgan responded. "You, give me a glass." She pointed at one of the boys.
"Is she a student?" Hermione asked, looking very confused at the scene.
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