She Is Love

"Bee, I’m telling you, he's innocent!" Lola exclaimed as she sat next to her friends at lunch break, soaking up the last rays of summer sun before winter settled in a month's time. Beatrice Crowley and Sarirah Finchley exchanged looks before gazing back at their indignant friend with exasperation evident in their expressions.

"Lola, babe, he cheated and clearly used dark magic to accomplish this" Sarirah stated simply as she placed a delicate hand on Lola's shoulder, Lola shook her off with a look of pure frustration and agitation on her face.

"Sar, I know he didn't do it, I can tell." she insisted and she stood up, refraining from stamping her foot like a petulant child.

“And how do you know, Lola? You don't even know this guy! for all any of us know, he could have received some or all of the evil from you know who through that vile scar!" Kyle Gregory interrupted; his identical twin Evan nodding eagerly in agreement at the statement. Their blonde hair swaying slightly from side to side with each movement they made to emphasise their point.

'Guys, I know how it is to have the entire school thinking you're this horrible villain and feeling entirely alone in this huge place , I’m going to be a good human being and be the person that stands by Harry" Lola exclaimed before putting her bag over her shoulder and turning away from her gobsmacked and befuddled friends in triumph.

Ever since Harry Potter's name had come out of the Tri-wizard cup a week ago as the fourth champion, he had been completely annihilated in the school; he received dirty looks from everyone and heard the whispers of distaste at the situation. For once, it wasn't just Professor Snape that thought he was the scum of the earth; he had even gotten a glare from Professor Flitwick during Charms.

He sat on one of the stone benches tucked away in the trees that were in the courtyard, his shoulders slumped as he actually compared himself to Hermione, he was reading a book on the rise of Barty Crouch Sr. Sirius' comments from their last conversation sticking with him as he read about the imprisonment of his son ten years ago.

He felt someone's eyes on him and turning his head,his eyes landed on the prettiest thing he had ever seen before, all thoughts of Cho vanished as he saw this girl but his expression immediately hardened as he became aware of the Hufflepuff scarf hanging loosely around her neck." What?! Want to tell me I’m pathetic or that your precious Diggory deserves the crown because ho-"

"Harry!"the beauty snapped "I came over here to tell you that I believe you ,I know you're innocent.” she explained coolly, her pale arms crossed over her chest, “ But if you want, I can go back to my friends who think you’re the evil incarnate and leave you all by your lonesome” she finished, moving to walk away.

“ NO!” he said, a little more loudly and desperate than necessary , “ please stay” he mumbled, smiling shyly at her. She blushed and took a seat on the grass next to him, “ what’s your name?” he asked,semi-awkwardly as he tried to break the ice, “ Lola” she mumbled shyly, folding her hands in her lap elegantly.

“ I don’t mean to be rude, but why do you believe me,Lola?” he asked, peering at her curiously through his glasses, with her long hair that was in a side braid and the brightest blue eyes he had ever seen in his life, she looked like she belonged on the arm of Diggory or that of someone regal. Yet she was so shy and collected, sort of like the sort of librarian that should of been employed at schools – one who was sweet and kind to children and genuinely wanted to help them.

“We’ve been in classes together for the past four years, Harry, I’ve seen the way you act towards people. You can be rash and temperamental, especially when a Slytherin is involved, but you’re not evil. You’re a good person who’s more than worthy of being a Gryffindor and people seem to forget this, besides that, I just kind of know that you can’t be a bad guy.” She told him, blushing darker with every word she spoke until she was darker than her red beret.

“You’d have to be the only person who believes that – even Ron thinks I cheated.” He muttered, casting his gaze to the grass they were sitting on, she smiled at him sympathetically and chewed her bottom lip thoughtfully.

“ Ron and you are more alike than either of you realise, you’re both stubborn and irrational at the best of times but you know what’s right – even if it takes a while to get there – he’ll come around eventually.” Lola told him, and he looked up at her hopefully, reminding her of a puppy who had been lost on his way home.

“ How do you know all of this?” he questioned her, raising an eyebrow, causing her to turn red once again. He chuckled at her embarrassment, thinking it was cute in an endearing sort of way.

“ Hermione confides in me a lot, we’re actually pretty close. I’m like her girl best friend, the one she talks to about boys and all that girly stuff , she vents her frustration’s about Ron to me. I swear, if he makes her cry one more time, I am going to drown him in the black lake.” She explained and it clicked, why there was times that Hermione disappeared to “ the library” after a fight with Ron – she was really going to talk to Lola.

“ Speaking of the devil” She grinned and Harry turned around to see Hermione standing there behind him, a speculative look on her pale face.

“ Hello Harry, Lola , what’re you guys up to?” she asked, her curiosity shining through her tone as she stood there with her hand on her hip, “ Just talking, nothing major.” Lola smiled brightly up at her best friend, she trusted Hermione more than she trusted any of her other friends
.
“How delightful, I’m terribly sorry, Lola, but Professor Moody is wanting to steal him away from you.” Hermione informed her with an empathic smile and Harry turned to her with a sad smile, “ I’ll see you around, Lola” he half-grinned at the petite girl before walking away with Hermione, both of them talking animatedly and , what appeared to be , abrasively.

Lola’s eyes landed on the book Harry had been reading, her small hands picking it up to read the cover ; The Rise and Fall of Barty Crouch.

Why was Harry reading about the Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation?

[&&&]

Meanwhile, Harry and Hermione made their way to the office of their eccentric Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, both of them talking a mile a minute.

“Come on, Harry! Just admit it!” Hermione pressed as they walked up the stairs, something was different about Harry and she knew it had something to do with her shy confidant.

“ I don’t know what you’re talking about, Mione” Harry replied, attempting to be evasive as he trained his eyes on the lines of the steps leading up to their eccentric and abstract professor’s office.

“Merlin, Harry! You were hitting on Lola so hard that you were almost breaking out a sweat.” Hermione exclaimed as they came to a stop in the corridor that held both their DADA classroom and Moody’s office, Harry still refusing to respond to Hermione’s accusation.

“Hermione, you’re being ridiculous. I only met the girl not even an hour ago, how can you even begin to suggest that I was flirting with her? It was just a conversation. You know it is possible to associate with a person of the opposite sex without there being any romantic connotations, even if you and Ron can’t manage that” He smirked, consequently getting shoved in the shoulder by Hermione in retaliation.

“Ronald Weasley is such an insolent, self-centred git! I would never stoop that low, even if my life depended on it. He can go shack up with Millicent Bulstrode, or better, Moaning Myrtle, for all I care. His entire attitude towards you in the past week or so has been arguably the most idiotic and moronic thing I have ever seen him do – even more so than getting hit in the face with a broom in first year flying lessons. He’s just so-” She began her rant about their red-headed compatriot, although, in the last few days he’s been anything but friendly towards the both of them.

“ Granger, if you’re quite finished with your spiel about Weasley, i’ll be talking to Potter in my office now.” Moody’s abstract figure appeared in the door way, looming over the two fourteen year olds in an intimidating fashion.

“ Oh ,um ,yes, Professor, of course. Harry, I’ll see you in Transfiguration” She stammered slightly before beginning to walk away, Harry looked back at her and she mouthed exaggeratedly “ THIS ISN’T OVER” with a hard look on her face that would rival that of one Lucius Malfoy would use when contradicting and criticising someone he deemed unworthy of him, like Arthur Weasley.

As Harry followed the limping old auror into his office, he could only hope that it did, he was planning on at least trying to obtain a friendly relationship with Lola.