The Morning of the Article

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera had awoken early that morning to a loud tapping outside their dorm room window. It was a Owl with a paper in its clutches. It dropped the paper in her hand before flying away. Kiera was confused as she unrolled the paper. She didn't receive the Daily Prophet on a normal basis. She got dressed and took the paper down to the common room to read.

Kiera unrolled the paper to see a picture of herself with James. Quickly, her eyes flashed up to the article. She read the whole thing, tears starting to form in her eyes. How could someone write this about her? It was all complete lies. She had not said that to the woman. In fact, James and Kiera had both insisted they were not dating and asked her to leave. No one who read this article would know that except for her friends. Luckily, Kiera had told Alex the truth yesterday.

Now, Kiera was standing outside the Great Hall. She knew she needed to eat breakfast but she was scared to go in. Taking a deep breath, she walked into the Great Hall. She could hear the whispers and feel the stares as she walked past the tables to the Gryffindor table. Kiera sat down, wishing she could just vanish on the spot.

Feel free to post anything you like about the situation here. The article I'm referring to can be found here.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Yawning loudly, Kat hopped up out of the bed and stretched. She pulled her hair back in a neat ponytail and donned her school uniform and robes. Taking one last look in the mirror she grabbed her bag and headed downstairs and out of Gryffindor house. Her stomach rumbling the entire way Kat was glad when she finally got the Great Hall. She made her way to her usual spot at the table and plopped down in front of Kiera. Looking at the girl she knew that something wasn't right and if her guess was correct it had something to do with James and/or Alex. "You wanna talk about it," she asked in a low voice, now realizing that people were looking at the two of them and whispering. She glared at a couple of first years who were pointing at her best friend and said, "If you want to continue using that finger I suggest putting it down and turning around before I break it."

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera looked up at Kat as she sat down opposite of her. Her best friend probably had an idea of what was upsetting her. "The article is in today's Prophet." she said, answering the younger girl's question. She pushed the paper towards Kat so that she could read it. She sighed as Kat defended her against a few first years pointing at her. She appreciated her friend's gesture. "Read it." she said, her friend should see what Cynthia Vandervoort had written.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Kat took the paper in her hands and read every last word. It was absolutely horrible. Gossip columnists really weren't very reliable sources, but everyone read the prophet and believed what they wanted to believe. Sighing heavily, feeling extremely pissed that someone had actually printed the rubbish Kat took a bowl and ripped up the paper into several pieces and placed it in the bowl. "Incendio," she stated, pointing her wand at the paper. "Who is this chick and why would she pick two teenagers as her source of interest? She can't be much of a reporter if you're love life is the only topic she thinks is 'scandalous' in the wizarding world," Kat said shaking her head, hating that someone had done this to Kiera.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera smirked as Kat burnt up the paper. It improved her mood slightly. Of course, the burning attracted everyone's eyes but maybe it would be a symbol to the others that it was all lies. She was feeling extremely appreciative of her best friend right now. Kiera shook her head at Kat's question. "I don't know. I don't think it was as much me as the fact that I was with James Potter. Apparently this happens quite a bit to him." she said thinking back to James's words.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Well then I'm irked at him too. If this happens to him all the time then why did he have to bring you into it too? I know how you feel about him Kiera, but he shouldn't have done what he did so publicly...it's just not right," Kat said shaking her head slightly as she grabbed an apple and took a bit from it. She looked over and saw the same two first years looking back over at them again. "Did I not make myself perfectly clear the first time? Unless you want the hem of your robes to pull the same magic trick that that paper just did then I very HIGHLY suggest you turn around and if I see the whites of either of your eyes again I will use this on you," she hissed waving her wand at the two of them. Apparently it did the trick because they both got up and left the Great Hall looking visibly shaken. "So have you talked to Alex about it?"

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera shook her head at Kat. "James didn't do anything. He was being respectful. We were just sitting there talking, like friends." she said defending James. Kiera picked up a piece of toast and took a bite of it. She was just picking at it. She wasn't really hungry. Kiera ignored the first years as they went practically running out of the Great Hall. She felt thankful to Kat for her defense. Kiera nodded her head at Kat's question. "I talked to Alex yesterday luckily. I barely beat the article." she said, knowing it had been a close call.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Did you talk to him about what we talked about?" Kat was curious if her friend had talked to her boyfriend about the feelings that she had for James Potter. "Beating the article is one thing Kiera, but you need to tell him." It was funny that she and Kiera had been in the exact same situation only major difference was that both objects of Kiera's affections wanted her intensely and the two objects of Kat's affections wanted nothing more to do with her. Life was funny that way, but she was coping...at least Kat had Trevor now and they were coping with life together, finding peace in being with each other.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi had awoken that morning and dressed quickly, heading to the Great hall for breakfast. As she sat at the staff table, Cyndi saw the Daily Prophets arrive. Picking up the one nearest to her, Cyndi began to leaf through it as she continued to eat her bagel and drink some coffee. There was nothing of interest to her, and she was just about to close the paper when she came across the article written by Cynthia Vandervoort. With narrowed eyes, she read the article intensely.

When she was finished, Cyndi was fuming. What a bit$h Cyndi thought to herself She really made it sound as if they invited her and told them herself. Looking up, Cyndi saw that Kiera was sitting at the Gryffindor table along with Kat. She stood up and made her way over to them. "I can't believe she really wrote it...what a...a" Cyndi said furiously as she sat at the table beside them. She was a professor and had to set a good example for the students and didn't want to say what she really thought with the younger children around.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera shook her head. "Kinda. He knows how I feel about James. He pretended to be okay with the situation but he really wasn't. He was just being Alex. Understanding and loving." she said, knowing that he was everything that most girls wanted. Kiera shook her head at Kat. "I just can't hurt him and it would kill him!" she said, hurting inside.

Just then Cyndi came and joined the pair. It was like being back in the dorm last year. Kiera smiled at Cyndi. For the first time in weeks, Kiera actually wished Andy were here. She needed her dorm room 4 girls back to help her, like they had done last year. Kiera looked at Cyndi, her eyes sad. "Its awful isn't it? I knew it would be. Everyone's staring." she said softly to her two best friends.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"A load of sh1t? You may not can finish that sentence Cyndi, but I can," Kat said with a little snort, sticking her tongue out at her friend before adding, "I mean Professor Weasley." She looked at Kiera and at first wasn't quite sure what to say to her friend. Looking around she saw that her friend was right...everyone was staring. Huffing loudly Kat stood up on the table and yelled out across the Great Hall, "Hey...people it was a stupid article by some stupid reporter who wouldn't know decent news if it bit her on the nose. If you want something to stare at then stare at this." With that Kat bent over, lifting up her skirt and smacked herself on the arse. "Now if you are all done with the gawking please resume your usual activities." She hopped down off the table and sat back down in her seat. "I don't think they are anymore," she said with a smirk.

 

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner hunched slightly over his bowl of cereal, lazily reading through the latest edition of the local rag. Huh. Broom prices might go up. Greyish eyes skimmed over a few articles, none catching his interest until he spotted a picture of the Head Girl and the Potter boy. What the bugger...flipping to the next page, he avidly read the article then tossed the paper aside. What utter tripe. What happened between them was their business, not some nosy arse old b1tch who couldn't find adults to pick on.

He had just spooned in a healthy bite of cereal when his ex girlfriend stood on the Gryffindor table. He watched as if in slow motion as she tossed her skirt up and gave herself a nice whack on the fanny. Choking, he managed to get the food down before letting loose a wolf whistle. His eyes met hers and he didn't know why he did it, but he winked at her as he reached for his juice.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera agreed completely. The article was a load of sh1t. It was still weird that their friend was now a Professor. It suited Cyndi though. Kiera watched, dumbfounded as Kat stood up and showed her arse to everyone. It should have been a shock that Kat would do something like that but it really wasn't. It had definitely took some of the attention off of her for a bit. Kiera busted out laughing as Kat sat back down. "I can't...believe..you just did that." she said giggling. Then she shook her head. "Actually I can. Thanks Kat." she said to her best friend.

 

[Katalina Harker]

Hearing a whistle Kat shot a look across the room and found the source. Her face went bright red when she saw who it was and then the Ravenclaw boy had the balls to wink at her. Ah, what the hell she thought since she was on a roll. Looking him dead in the eyes she mouthed silently, "That was all for you." She blew him a mock kiss and stared him down with a devilish look in her icy blue eyes. Suffer she thought as she turned her attention back to her best friend.

"Oh that wasn't for your benefit...I just bought these knickers and wanted everyone to see them," she said sticking her tongue out at Kiera and waited to see how harshly Cyndi would berate her for her actions. "So...now that everyone's stopped staring...what are you going to do?"

 

[Sumner Drage]

Sumner put the juice down and bust out laughing. Even mad as hell at her, he couldn't help it. Shaking his head, he pushed his food aside and got up from the bench. He raised an eyebrow to her then glanced around, deciding to skip out early. He had some practice to get in before lessons began.

 

[Alexis Richarde]

Just as Alexis lugged herself into the Great Hall she saw her new roommate lift her skirt up and her mouth fell apart in shock. She shook her head laughing, as she approached the Gryffindor girls and a girl she had not met just yet. "Jeez Kat, I knew your clothes were all over the floor of the dorm but I never knew why," she laughed, covering her mouth with her hand before smiling softly. She was in a happier mood since she received a letter from Leah, she loved that girl like her own sister.

Alexis reached for a peach and brought it to her lips but didn't bite into it, she looked over at the girl she didn't know the name of. "Hi, I'm Alexis Richarde," she said politely, lifting her icy hand up to shake the girls like Zaire had taught her. It was insane just how much of a witch she had been and now she didn't bring her wand anywhere, didn't own a broom and didn't do much at all relating to witchery.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi smiled faintly as Kat finished the sentence for her. That was definitely what she had been thinking, but it sounded much better coming from her friend's mouth than her own. When Kat jumped up and mooned everyone, Cyndi closed her eyes and put her hand over them shaking her head. "Katalina!" Cyndi said in a shocked tone, though it wasn't really a shock coming from this friend. "...what are we going to do with you?" she said, still shaking her head as she was trying to appear serious and failing, "I'm a professor now you know...you just can't go doing things like that in front of me."

She turned back to Kiera to hear the answer to Kiera's question. As she did though, a girl joined their table and introduced herself to Cyndi. Smiling, she realized that this girl was now living in her old dorm room. "I'm Cyndi Weasley" she began, shaking the girl's hand. "Is Kat still leaving all of her stuff everywhere?" she asked, as she pointedly looked over at her friend and laughed.

 

[Katalina Harker]

"Oh sweet Merlin...they aren't really all over the place. Well not exactly. Ah the hell with it...I'm too old and set in my ways to start picking up my clothes now," Kat said laughing as she looked at Cyndi and added, "So give me a detention. Apparently I'm really good at serving those." She stuck her tongue out at her friend and ex-roommate.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera was momentarily interrupted as Alexis showed up. It seemed right that the other girl joined in the conversation. Alexis had been there for Kiera that night after Brightstone. She was grateful to the girl for the support and advice she gave. As the other girls talked back and forth, Kiera picked up the paper Cyndi had brought with her. Kat had burned Kiera's copy. She unfolded it to the right page and handed it to Alexis. She should read the article like the rest of them.

Kiera turned back to the other two girls. Kat had asked her what she was going to do. "I don't know what there is I can do Kat." she said with a sigh. "The school and the rest of the wizarding world is going to believe what they want. I won't be able to change their minds." she said assuming that was what Kat was asking about.

 

[Alexis Richarde]

Alexis smiled at Cyndi as she introduced herself but knew she had heard her name somewhere but she couldn't remember exactly where, so she shrugged that thought off and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Cyndi." As her hand left Cyndi's it fell onto the news paper and gripped it tightly, shaking her head. "Kiera, I don't need to read this to know what it says," Alexis stated knowingly. She had been the victim of unwanted publicity most of her young life due to her father's job so she had had this said but it was true, except she hadn't been dating or in love with Zaire at the time. She had been dating Caden Taylor and cheated on him with Zaire because he was never around her when she needed him to help her get over her sister's death.

"If you told.." Alexis began struggling for Kiera's boyfriends name momentarily, "Alex then you are fine. James knows the truth and you do, it really doesn't matter what anyone else believes," she assured. "Now, who are you going to choose?" she asked curiously.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Shaking her head at Kat again, Cyndi turned back and listened to the other girls. "You're right Kiera. You'll be wasting your breath trying to convince some of them..." she said waving her hand toward the rest of the tables. She smiled at Alexis when she didn't even bother to read the article. The Gryffindor seemed to know about Kiera's situation and if the girls felt she could be trusted, she was good in Cyndi's book.

 

[Tin]

[This is not really Tin, I'm just using him to post the arrival of the OWLS since Cynthia can't...]

The Owls began flying in to deliver the morning letter's which typically arrived all throughout breakfast. Several began to fly towards the group of girls each of the owls carrying letters and a few of them were red and already beginning to smoke. These letters had been written hastily that morning and sent out in a hurry with each of them having a nearby New Zealand address; One of them had even been written in Brightstone. The letter's were all dropped in front of Kiera Kingsley as the two Howler's went off, both yelling so loud that it was hard to distinguish between the pair.

"YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF!"

"WHEN I HEARD, HOW YOU WERE PLAYING THOSE TWO BOYS!"

"THE MINISTRY NEEDS TO LOOK INTO PEOPLE LIKE YOU!"

continuously the Howler's began yelling and even through out a few particularly nasty insults. The written letters were not much better as on of them opened itself up and began spewing a type of green pea soup all over the place destroying the other letters. This was only the beginning as several more Owls flew in carrying letters addressed only for Kiera.

 

[Andromeda Fiorelli]

Andromeda sat at the far end of the table, writing in her journal and keeping her head down. She looked up briefly to see Kiera enter and sighed turning her head back to the words before her and pushing the Daily Prophet out of the way. The article had been blatant and sensationalizing and it had annoyed Andromeda greatly. True she had been there that day but it was a few hours later that she had told herself to not believe everything she saw. What would papers write of her otherwise? Voices made her head turn as first Kat, then Cyndi came to give her comfort and Andromeda wanted nothing more than to go to Kiera as well but she had sealed her fate with her ex-dorm 4 girls. The four had been so tight, a unit that no one but themselves could breach and she had well and truly breached it.

Kat in true to form style eventually stood up on the table slapping her arse to those who were whispering about Kiera. Another girl showed up at the table, Andromeda didn't recognise her at all and scowled at her for offering up comfort when it was none of her damned business. Bristling she turned back to her journal and fed up now, packed everything away and stood up to leave when a flurry of owls arrived dropping howlers and letters to Kiera. Andromeda didn't even think about the situation but removed both wands instantly as she continued to walk towards her former friends. She cast silencio at a few howlers, cast scourgify on the one making a disgusting mess and burnt a few mid air while turning some more into snowflakes. There were still some more falling but she had done enough, pocketing one of her wands she passed the girls and as she did so placed a hand gently on Kiera's shoulder before walking on and out of the Great Hall.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera was about to answer Alexis's question when a flurry of letters began to drop down in front of her. They were all addressed to her and only her. Two of the red letters began to yell at her while a third letter began to spew nasty green stuff all over the other letters. Kiera's face flushed as she heard the words from the howlers. Tears began to form in her eyes. It was obvious that many people believed the Prophet based on the letters in front of her. Kiera was panic stricken. Shock was obvious across her face. She didn't know what to do.

Suddenly, the howlers stopped screaming at her and the green mess was gone. A few letters burned while some turned to snow. Kiera was puzzled as to why that happened. She whipped her head around to see Andromeda Fiorelli waving her wands at the letters. Kiera's mouth dropped. Since when did her former best friend give a damn about what happened to Kiera? She felt Andy's hand gently on her shoulder. It was a comforting and friendly gesture. Maybe there was hope for the younger girl yet. Maybe they could all be friends again one day. Kiera offered Andy a half smile, though her eyes were still filled with tears.

Letters still fell from the air down on Kiera. She had a feeling they would continue to come all day today. She knew she shouldn't open them but she was badly tempted. Just how many people hated her? Tears trickled down her cheeks as she looked back at Kat, Cyndi, and Alexis. "What am I going to do?" she asked them quietly.

 

[Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi watched in shock as letters and howlers began to arrive in the Great Hall and stop in front of Kiera. For a few seconds, she stood stunned as the howlers screamed at Kiera. When Andy jumped to action and helped get rid of some of them, Cyndi looked gratefully toward her old friend. She quickly left though, leaving them all to deal with what was left.

Flourishing her wand, Cyndi began to attempt to vanish some of the letters. For every two or three that she managed to vanish, however, another two or three came in its place. "Don't you dare listen to these Kiera..." Cyndi warned her friend. "You're going to hold your head high. You've done nothing wrong." Cyndi vanished a few more letters. "I wish I could get my hands on that Cynthia!" she yelled.