the Gambler

A loud sound of flapping wings sounded in the quiet auditorium, and Harry didn't need to look up to know that flocks of owls were flying in through the open windows. In the entire black environment, Hedwig's white figure was particularly obvious, a beautiful girl Flying gracefully to Harry's dinner plate, he held the cylinder of newspaper strapped to his paw under his master's nose.Harry touched Hedwig's chin with his fingers, and the other party let out a clear cry.He carefully unwrapped the newspaper and put it on his left hand, and Tom took it away and looked at it.The green-eyed wizard didn't care that much, probably because he already guessed what Rita Skeeter was going to write, and it was nothing more than Harry being an attention-grabbing liar or something.Harry tore a small piece of bread from the plate with red jam on it. Hedwig was a special girl. She liked to grab something from Harry's breakfast, especially the bread with strawberry jam.Harry tossed the food into the air, and the owl swallowed it quickly.

"Beautiful pick, girl." Harry gently combed Hedwig's feathers, and the latter pecked at the master's fingertips, then spread his wings and flew out with the other birds.

Avoiding the eyes of others on him, Harry grabbed the goblet and poured down the pumpkin juice in it.

"Is there anything I need to know?" Harry's question was directed at Tom, who muttered 'no' and threw the newspaper back on the table.Harry didn't intend to open it, he saw Hermione and Ron's hesitant expressions and knew that they had something to tell him, Harry raised his eyebrows to signal them to speak.

It was Hermione who moved first. The witch pursed her lips, grabbed Ron's goblet and moistened her throat with the juice in it.She spread out the paper, and the first page was headlined 'Harry Potter, Savior or Psycho?' ’, beneath the huge headline is a photo of Harry and Cedric before the Triwizard Tournament, with Cedric smiling charmingly and Harry frowning at the photo with a twisted expression.Harry looked up at his friend, he didn't want to read something from the pen of a disgusting beetle, he knew Hermione would just sum up the gist of this nonsense.

"She said you were a grandstanding liar who faked the resurrection of the Dark Lord to get people's attention. In fact, she also mentioned that your scars are always painful and you can't sleep well at night. She said that the sights you saw were all It's a manifestation of insanity." Hermione pointed to the photo of Fudge in the lower right corner and continued, "We all know that she has something in my hand, she dare not write such an article beyond me, I think it is the Ministry of Magic or Fudge I instructed you, he hopes to shape you into a person with a brain problem," Hermione turned over the newspaper, pointing to the report on the second page, "In fact, Headmaster Dumbledore was also labeled as greedy, Fudge directly Refers to his intention to manipulate the prestige to shake the peaceful atmosphere he has worked hard to create for 15 years. He believes that the headmaster wants to influence the upcoming general election of the Minister of Magic by faking the return of the Dark Lord. I think this is stupid. Everyone knows that Dumbledore Headmaster Lido doesn't care about the position of Minister for Magic, if he wanted it, he would have had it half a century ago."

"So these are all nonsense." Harry said quietly. Hermione and Ron were both very nervous about his friend's unusual attitude. Generally speaking, Harry would definitely be furious instead of calm and calm.Something had changed, and Hermione wasn't sure she liked the change, but she knew there was no need for any further reassurance, she just needed to stand firmly behind Harry and give him the support he deserved.

"It's obviously nonsense." Ron took the subject, his tone angry, "It's ridiculous that they say you are a dangerous person! They are still worrying about a small election when the Dark Lord is making a comeback!"

"My mother also said that the Dark Lord didn't come back. In fact, she expelled me from Hogwarts." Seamus' voice sounded from a few seats away from them, and the entire Gryffindor table was silent. Come down and listen to their conversation.Harry frowned, and he had a sense of foreboding, which intensified as more and more questioning eyes fell on him.

"Why?" Ron asked, turning his head.

"She, uh, she thinks Harry and Dumbledore are in collusion—" Seamus began hesitantly.

"So she also believed the lies in the Daily Prophet? She thinks me and the principal are grandstanding liars?" Harry asked in disbelief. Tom put his hand on the boy's clenched fist, and he put Harry's Separate your fingers one by one.The action distracted the green-eyed wizard, who took a deep breath, nodded to Tom, and continued to focus on Seamus, only much calmer this time.

"That's not what I said, she just believed the reports."

"Then what do you think, Seamus? Do you believe that newspaper full of lies or me?" Harry squinted his eyes, and Seamus trembled under the eyes of his roommate for some reason. Harry looked very dangerous, He believed more and more what the Daily Prophet said.There are not a few people who have the same idea as Seamus, even as dull as Ron can feel the tense atmosphere at the table.

"I don't know." Seamus avoided Harry's eyes. "I mean that's the Daily Prophet. It doesn't just publish weird stuff."

"What do you think of the news about me before the Triwizard Tournament? Harry Potter, a poor 12-year-old boy who's been haunted by nightmares all night, and tears come to his eyes when he mentions his parents—" Ha Leigh's words were interrupted by Seamus, who was very agitated and shaken. Harry knew that he had pushed the other party into a hurry. Maybe Seamus had decided to believe that Harry was a lunatic. The Irish boy stared fiercely at Harry. looking at Harry, as if to show all his confusion.

"Then you tell me what happened last night! Dumbledore only said that the Dark Lord is back! But, but we all know you're just a 14-year-old wizard, how could you be with 'the man who can't even say his name' 'Confrontation! You said you had a duel! I know your Defense Against the Dark Arts is great, but he is the most evil wizard ever! For Merlin's sake, even Cedric died, but you survived unscathed survived—"

"I'm not unharmed!" Harry slapped the table and stood up, the pumpkin juice in the nearby goblet was spilled, and the whole hall fell into a deathly silence, "You don't know anything, neither do your parents Know, but you stand here questioning me as a witness? Tell me, what do you think of Cedric's death?"

"Maybe he was bitten by a giant spider in the third game, or maybe something else happened to him—" Seamus retorted weakly, his voice dropping suddenly as he thought of something, looking at Harry with horror in his eyes , "Maybe you indirectly caused his death."

Seamus' suspicion caused quite a shock in the entire auditorium, and the students looked at Harry strangely.

"Why didn't you just say that Cedric was killed by me?" Harry's eyes were uncharacteristically green with anger, which only further heightened everyone's fear.

Dumbledore got up from the headmaster's seat. The old man's expression was firm, and he raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet.

"No matter where you put your beliefs, it is your own choice," Dumbledore said, his eyes never leaving Harry, "but I believe in Harry, and I am willing to entrust my life to him. Now , I hope you will not turn Cedric's condolences into a pointless dispute. Cedric's sacrifice should not be insulted."

Ever since the breakfast-time drama, Harry hadn't been surprised to find that most of the students were looking at him with averted eyes, and many of them hid at the very edge of the hallway when Harry appeared, as if he was some kind of contagious disease like.Harry found that he didn't care anymore, or the situation of confronting Seamus made him guess such a result.At least now there were no girls following him in the hope that Harry would invite them to the Yule Ball, the boy thought sarcastically.

"If you don't go faster, you will be late. I didn't know you took the divination class. Trelawney was not my professor at school." Tom frowned and checked the parchment in his hand. Today is the first time he and Harry have studied together. One day, there was a Divination class and two Potions classes, and the Defense Against the Dark Arts class had been canceled because of Crouch's accident, and they had the whole afternoon to spare.Tom suggested staying in their shared room, and Harry, given the tense atmosphere in Gryffindor Tower, agreed quickly.

Harry quickened his pace, and Ron followed him silently. He just wanted to minimize his presence, especially this year without Hermione to adjust the atmosphere. He didn't want to draw bad words from the young Dark Lord. that side.

The three of them finally pushed open the heavy door of the divination classroom when the class bell rang. The circular space was already full of students. Harry noticed that some girls were staring at him openly, well, it was Tom who was staring at him. , the latter looked displeased.Professor Trelawney, that crazy witch didn't change much, she stretched out her hand to signal Harry to sit on the round table in front, and there was a crystal ball the size of a head on it.

Harry sat down between Tom and Ron, his chin resting on his eyes in bewilderment. Ron was not much different from him, and the two of them were already obviously wandering away.Suddenly, a crimson fringe flashed in front of his eyes, and Harry felt his elbow being bumped. He came out of the air and saw Trelawney's panicked expression.

Obviously another death prophecy.Harry and Ron exchanged knowing glances.The boy sat up straight and pretended to be listening carefully.Trelawney squatted in front of Harry, her small eyes behind the glasses gleamed uncomfortably, and the witch's fingers covered in biscuit crumbs spread out and stuck to the surface of the crystal ball, leaving greasy handprints on it.Tom stepped back some distance in disgust.

"Oh, this is an interesting prediction. Two dark green snakes are intertwined, and one of them appeared here out of nowhere." Trelawney widened her goldfish eyes, and continued to speak in a bluffing voice, "Is it still there?" There is another little fiery red snake, oh, it’s not an ordinary snake, interesting, interesting—” The witch showed a strange smile, she suddenly reached out and grabbed Tom’s arm, “The two of them will fight each other until one of them gives in For the other, this future is uncertain, and no one knows who will survive in the end."

"The grand chess game opened by the goddess of fate and the goddess of fortune, a person who appears in this era out of thin air will become an opportunity to turn the gears, life or death, and his intervention will determine the final outcome."

"It's no use anymore." Trelawney stood up straight, picked up the crystal ball on Harry's desk, and smashed it hard on the ground in full view of everyone, flying glass shards.