Unwelcome Headlines

"Young Harry is suffering from an illness at the moment. He is doing self-study, and I had hoped he would be in the library," the old man stated gently. He had kept Harry's condition within the walls of Hogwarts so far. He was surprised the two of them hadn't learned about it yet.

"If you are talking about the rumor zat 'e 'as… amnezeia," she tried the word. "Zen it is merely a boy afraid," she finished, waving her many ringed hand.

"Yes, ve have heard the rumors as vell, but the boy does not seem to be suffering," the Durmstrang Headmaster replied. He, like Maxime, did not think they were true. They had both seen the boy laughing with his friends and generally appeared in good health.

Rita Skeeter's green quill was writing a mile a minute. This would be good. She had so many headlines running through her head; all she had to do was pick the one that would cause the most damage. Did she want to make the Boy-Who-Lived suffer or Hogwarts, perhaps the Ministry? Oh, the possibilities.

Harry's POV

"Well, we're not going to get any further in this. I have a few books I want to read, so let's just study for a while," Harry said, taking out some of the books he got from the library. Yeah, he could scan them, but sometimes reading was just relaxing.

"Yeah, let's," Sirius said, picking up Merlin's book and carefully opening the cover, very thankful that there seemed to be a translation spell on it.

The two read for hours, until it was time for dinner. Harry put his books away and ran to the castle. He was met by Dumbledore and his two minions, McGonagall and Snape. His proximity ward flared, but they were in his way so he continued on with a heavy sigh.

"Mr. Potter, I thought I requested that you to let us know when you would be leaving the castle," Dumbledore said, looking over his glasses.

Harry shrugged and said, "I told Hagrid."

The old man sighed. He couldn't fault him this time. "You missed a very important part of the tournament. This is the day your wand would have been weighed to see if it was in good condition. You made me look very unprofessional."

The teen shrugged again. "Not my fault that you play your cards close to your chest. No one told me about any appointments today. Hell, I don't even know when the tasks are scheduled, so that is not my fault. Plus, and I'm repeating myself here, I'm not competing," he enunciated each word. "I don't know why you people don't listen to me."

"You will lose your magic if you do not comply," the Headmaster said, pinching his long nose.

"I don't care," Harry stated for what seemed the hundredth time. "Look, I'm done talking to you; you asked your questions, I gave my answers. So if you will excuse me, I'm going to dinner," he said as he walked away.

"When are you going to start disciplining that boy?" Snape snarled as he watched Potter move on. He knew either he of Black played the dress prank on him. He was leaning towards Black, because he didn't think the boy-wonder was up to it. His clothing had changed three times already today, making him a laughingstock, and he couldn't do anything to vent his anger on the amused students with that blasted ghost hanging out in his classroom.

"What can I do? He abided by the rules I set out. There is nothing to correct," the old man said, looking at his protégé. He still was doubtful about the man's alibi. However, so far the man was sticking to it.

"He disrespects you, me and every adult in this school. I'm sure he is in cahoots with his godfather. Who knows what they will get up to," the greasy-haired man pointed out.

"To which he feels he has a very good reason," was the rebuttal. "For all intent and purposes, we are keeping him here against his will. I am sure he will soon see our way, Severus. Leave the boy alone," he added firmly.

"Yes, Headmaster," Snape gritted and then whirled around and stomped to dinner.

"Severus is right. You should discipline the child more. You are never going to earn his respect otherwise," McGonagall stated. She was mortified when she heard the boy had skived off such an important event. She was, and always will be, loyal to Hogwarts, and the child was making them look bad at every turn. He needed to be brought to heel. Even if he never recovered him memory, he was still a child, and they should not be allowed to be so disrespectful to the staff of this school.

"What would I punish him with? He cares not for house points or being expelled. He needs to remain here where we can protect him," Albus argued, thinking he would have to do something soon to gain Harry's trust. His staff was starting to lose respect for him.

"Get him to follow your rules, or I am going to the Board and have him removed. Boy-Who-Lived or not, he is making a mockery of us," she threatened and then turned and followed Snape.

"When did I lose control?" the old goat asked no one. With a heavy sigh, he too moved to the castle.

Harry's POV

"Where were you today?" Hermione asked softly, not wanting to start another argument.

"Studying? Why?" Harry asked as he served up some breaded pork chops and mixed vegetables.

"Oh, I was just wondering. Colin Creevey was looking for you today. Something to do with the tournament," she said, pointing at the third year, and then started dishing up her own meal.

"Yeah, I was just confronted by the adults. I told them what they needed to know and came here," Harry shrugged and continued eating. He pulled out the two copies, gave Luna hers under the table and handed Hermione hers. "Here's that copy I said I'd get to you," he said, winking at the little blonde, who discretely put hers away.

"Thank you, Harry, this is marvelous," she said as bounced in place, making the teen's eyes wander. "How did you do this? You don't know any magic," the bushy-haired witch asked, looking over the first page with wonder.

"Padfoot," was the answer. "Tell me how classes were?" he asked, changing the subject as Hermione propped the book on a pitcher, blocking his view.

So the group talked about unimportant things as they ate. Right when dessert started, there was a flurry of owls delivering a special edition of The Daily Prophet. Harry didn't get one, but the look of horror on Hermione's face said it wasn't good.

"Oh this is bad," she said, and handed the paper over with trembling hands. Harry read the headline and his face reddened with anger. There on the front page was a picture of him, he didn't know where they got it, and the headline said:

The Boy-Who-Lived Shuns Tournament. Is He Scared or are Rumors True?

"Who is this bitch and where does she get off writing about me?" Harry asked as he read the article. It mostly stated that he blew off the Wand Weighing Ceremony and that he was feeling remorseful about putting his name in the Goblet of Fire. There was a small sentence about the possibility that he had amnesia, but she wrote that it might be a ploy to undermine the officials. "I'm going to make sure she fries," the angry teen stated as silverwares started to lift off the table.

"Harry, calm down," Luna said, putting her arm around his shoulders. "Your magic is getting away from you," she added, waving her free hand to indicate the floating tableware.

"Someone give me some parchment and something to write with, not a quill," the dark-haired teen demanded as he put all the silverware back on the table. He had a few letters to write. "How do you make a howler?" he asked the twins with a wicked grin.

.....

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