'Does it apply to Umbridge?' Harry inquired hopefully.
'I doubt it,' Neville shook his head angrily. 'Not much is going to keep her from spewing nonsense every lesson we have to endure. I almost miss copying out of the book.'
'A shame,' Harry responded wryly. 'I need to be going,' Neville said suddenly. 'You promised to come to this one, Harry,' he reminded firmly.
'I'm coming,' Harry acquiesced, glancing at Cedric.
'I'm coming too,' the Hufflepuff grinned, 'Neville wanted an assistant who'd actually teach someone, but I'll wait for Harry to finish.'
Neville nodded and swung himself out of the bench. 'You were right about the wand,' he said, pausing before he left. 'It's not made a huge difference, but the trembling stopped and I don't have to force myself so hard to get the same effects, so thanks, I'm glad I listened.' He held his hand up, displaying very faint red marks where Harry's wand had burnt him. 'Not so glad about these though,' he joked as he left.
'There was something wrong with his wand?' Cedric asked. 'He was using his father's wand,' Harry replied casually, glossing over the reasons behind Neville's choice. 'It wasn't the best match he could have had.'
'Quite a lot of wizards and witches do that,' Diggory told him.
'So why are you coming to our little group?' Harry asked, between forkfuls of sausage and potato.
'I'm not fond of Umbridge,' Cedric answered, 'she's destroying your chances of passing exams and getting good jobs later on. The Ministry is spouting nonsense, there's something wrong with the version of events they keep saying. I just know it isn't true,' he shook his head, frowning slightly. 'Do you ever have that feeling you've forgotten something important?'
'All the time,' Harry grinned. The charm is failing already.
Hermione was already undoing his work with her incessant digging to uncover what happened. He ground his teeth slightly, annoyed by how selfish she was being in her ignorance.
'I talked to the girl in your house who went with Krum to the Yule Ball, she isn't convinced either.'
'Hermione,' Harry nodded. 'I'm not surprised.'
'I'm wanted to ask you about what happened,' Cedric confessed. 'I remember you stunning me, but that's it.'
'Did Hermione not tell you what I told her?' Harry asked.
'She did,' he responded hesitantly, 'but I know you had a falling out with most of your housemates, and I thought you might know a bit more.'
'I do,' Harry told him bluntly, getting up from the bench. 'I know exactly what happened, Cedric, but I don't think you want to.'
'Would you tell me anyway?' He asked. 'I'm afraid that I might have had something to do with what happened.'
Harry scrutinised him carefully as they walked towards the stairs. The memory charm he'd cast was already giving way, it was probably best to give him the true version of events before Hermione managed to create another version for him to believe.
'You did,' Harry told him sympathetically. 'Bagman only cast one curse at any of us, the Imperius Curse, and he cast it at you.' Cedric paled white, and shook his head in horror. 'I warned you,' Harry said gently.
'You did more than warn me, didn't you?' He realised. 'Bagman would have never been caught if I'd been culpable. You obliviated me to undo the Imperius Curse, it wouldn't work if I didn't know the commands I'd been given, then you stunned me and snapped my wand so I couldn't be blamed.'
'Sorry,' Harry apologised, 'it was the only thing I could do, Krum was already dead and Fleur was unconscious.'
'Don't be sorry,' Cedric told him, his voice thick with emotion. 'I owe you a debt I can't repay. If you hadn't done that I might be in Azkaban, my parents would have been heartbroken, and I would be worse than dead.'
'Best not to tell Hermione,' Harry suggested. 'If you're still acting like you don't remember then nobody attracts any suspicion. I'm not going to get in trouble for what I did.' The Hufflepuff prefect nodded gratefully. It wasn't true, it wouldn't make any difference now Diggory knew, but Harry didn't think Hermione deserved to find out so quickly, not after single-mindedly pursuing what she wanted without a care for anyone else.
They climbed the stairs to the seventh floor in silence, Cedric seemed to be taking it all in, his fists clenched and his jaw tight. Harry hoped he didn't torment himself too much, Riddle was the one who was really responsible.
A group of about twenty five students had gathered around Neville by the tapestry. Harry recognised the faces of most of those who'd come to the meeting in the Hog's Head. Cedric was immediately accosted by Hermione, who wanted him to sign her list straight away. Neville, meanwhile, was pacing in the corridor, waiting for the doorway to the Room of Requirement to form.
Eventually it did, the unspectacular wooden door flowing from the stone to excited whispers, and Neville ushered everyone inside.
'Welcome to the first session of Dumbledore's Army,' Hermione announced. 'I'm glad that everybody came, even though this group is now technically illicit courtesy of Umbridge.' There were a few small smiles.
'What is this place?' Katie asked him, appearing next to him in her usual state of disarray.
'The Room of Requirement,' Harry replied quietly. 'It's quite handy.'
Not that anyone here but me knows more than a couple of its secrets.
Harry had mastered how to use this room, he knew its intricacies far better than any other he knew of, and had no intention of sharing them. As far as the DA members would know, the room gave the person who opened it what they wanted.
'It's awesome,' Katie beamed, then she tugged his sleeve and laughed quietly. 'I think Neville's going to make a speech.' Harry followed her line of sight and caught sight of Neville fumbling with a piece of parchment and looking distinctly nervous.
'This should be good,' Harry grinned. 'He's still quite shy around people he doesn't know well. It's a bit strange actually, he's worse with them than he is with complete strangers.'
'So,' Neville paused anxiously, 'like Hermione said, welcome to the first meeting and the place where we'll be practicing for all the future sessions.' 'What are we doing today?' Smith interrupted.
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