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SIX; THE RIGHT DECISION
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     HARRY FELT sick during the next two weeks after rejecting Camille's advances. There was complete radio silence between the two, and Hermione kept pressuring Harry to be the one to break the silence.

Camille decided to eat her meals at the Hufflepuff table with Cedric's old friends. Fred and George would usually complain about her absence, and Harry couldn't deny that he missed her either. He would occasionally glance at her during dinner, finding her happy and laughing with Cedric's friends as they shared stories together.

As far as he knew, Camille was still confused about her feelings for Malfoy. The Slytherin was clearly not over her either, blatantly flirting with Pansy whenever she passed by him in the halls in an attempt to make her jealous or testing her temper whenever he got her alone to see if he could still get a rise out of her.

During the D.A. meetings, Harry would offer small critiques to her during her duels with Neville that she would accept without a single glance. Neville was constantly looking back and forth between the two, wondering what exactly was going on.

Hermione had cornered him before the beginning of the fourth meeting.

"Harry, you seriously have to address your problems with Camille," she demanded, hands folded across her chest.

"Hermione, I'm giving her space to sort her feelings out. I think you know that she's not over Malfoy, and she won't be over him for a long time."

She scoffed and brushed him off. "Harry, that's an absurd idea. Can you honestly blame her for being slightly hung up on her first love?"

"I don't know. I'm going to let her figure it out for herself. If she really wants to be with me, then she'll make her own decision," Harry finished the conversation, not wishing to press it any further.

By the end of the meeting, Hermione announced her new way of communicating the time and date of the next meeting. She handed everyone in the room a fake Galleon.

"You see the numerals around the edge of the coins?" Hermione asked, holding one up for example. "On real Galleons that's just a serial number referring to the goblin who cast the coin. On these fake coins, though, the numbers will change to reflect the time and date of the next meeting. The coins will grow hot when the date changes, so if you're carrying them in a pocket you'll be able to feel them. We take one each, and when Harry sets the date of the next meeting he'll change the numbers on his coin, and because I've put a Protean Charm on them, they'll all change to mimic his."

Hermione took a glance at all of the faces looking at her, most filled with boredom.

"Well, I thought it was a good idea," she said with uncertainty. "I mean, even if Umbridge asked us to turn out our pockets, there's nothing fishy about carrying a Galleon, is there? But, well, if you don't want to use them-"

"You can do a Protean Charm?" Terry Boot suddenly asked.

"Yes," Hermione answered.

"But that's- that's N.E.W.T. standard, that is," he said.

"Oh," Hermione acknowledged, not trying to show off. "Oh, well, yes, I suppose it is."

"How come you're not in Ravenclaw?" Terry continued to prod, staring at Hermione. "With brains like yours?"

"How nice of you to stereotype, Boot," Camille spoke, narrowing her eyes. "She can be smart and still be in Gryffindor."

"Bug off, Diggory," Terry hissed. Harry noticed that Camille was not fond of her fellow Ravenclaw, and the two often engaged in squabbles during classes. "You know that's not what I meant."

"Well, the Sorting Hat did seriously consider putting me in Ravenclaw during my Sorting," Hermione interrupted their arguing. "But it decided on Gryffindor in the end. So does that mean we're using the Galleons?"

Everyone murmured in agreement and Harry looked at Hermione. "You know what these remind me of?"

"No, what's that?"

"The Death Eaters' scars. Voldemort touches one of them, and all their scars burn, and they know they've got to join him."

"Well, yes," Hermione agreed quietly. "That is where I got the idea, but you'll notice I decided to engrave the date on bits of metal rather than on our members' skin."

"Yeah, I prefer your way," Harry responded with a grin, slipping the fake Galleon into his pocket. "I suppose the only danger with these is that we might accidentally spend them."

"Fat chance," Ron denied, examining the Galleon with a mournful look. "I haven't got any real Galleons to confuse it with."

Harry snickered until he felt Hermione jab his side. "Ow, Hermione!"

The girl motioned over to Camille, who was gathering her belongings to leave the room. She was being stalled by Cho, who was trying again to make amends between the two.

"This is your chance, Harry! Go talk to her!"

Before he could protest, Hermione was shoving him in Camille's direction. When he approached, he could tell Camille was slightly flustered by his appearance and slightly grateful that he was saving her from another conversation with Cho.

"Sorry, Cho. Do you mind if I borrow Camille?"

The Ravenclaw nodded. "Um, sure. I'll see you later, Camille?"

"I surely hope not," Camille muttered under her breath. Cho pretended not to hear the comment, leaving the two.

"Hey," Harry said awkwardly.

Camille raised an eyebrow. "You came over to make small talk with me?"

"No, no," he cleared his throat. "Of course not. I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"Harry, I've been thinking about what you said to me. I've been contemplating my feelings for Draco these past two weeks, and I honestly don't feel like anything's there," she spoke. Harry could hear the sincerity in her voice.

"You know I'm just trying to look out for you, right?" He asked softly. "I just want you to be happy. I don't want you to regret your decision of being with me if you still love Malfoy."

"I won't!" She argued. "Look, I promise I'll talk to Draco to get everything sorted out."

"Okay," he said in agreement.

"Good," she exhaled. "I'll talk to you later."

She kissed his cheek and departed, causing Harry's face to bloom red as Hermione smirked at him.

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"Potter!"

Harry was walking to the Great Hall for lunch when he heard Anthony's call. He assured Ron and Hermione that he would be there soon, focusing all of his attention on the Hufflepuff. He knew that Anthony had become a big presence in Camille's life as of recently.

It had been a week after Camille assured Harry she would speak with Malfoy. Since her promise, he had received a myriad of insults from the Slytherin Quidditch team regarding the upcoming game. He concluded that Malfoy wasn't ready to give her up, and judging by Camille's sudden silence, he guessed that she was still working out her feelings.

"Yes, Anthony?"

"Just wanted to talk to you, Potter. I know you don't know me very well other than seeing each other at Quidditch matches, but I'm guessing you know I've stepped in as the role of Camille's brother," Anthony said. When Harry nodded in agreement, he continued. "Well, I've heard rumors about you and Camille and she's confided in me about your relationship, so I'm just confirming that you understand the whole Hufflepuff Quidditch team will be after you if you hurt her. Do you understand?"

The Hufflepuff's tone changed from cheerful to threatening really quickly, and Harry tried his best not to show his fear.

"Yes, yes, I understand. But Camille and I have come to a recent agreement, so I'm assuming you know she's juggling her feelings for both me and Malfoy," Harry reasoned.

Anthony rolled his eyes, scoffing. "Don't worry about him. Camille may love him now, but those two will never have a future together. She's too good for Malfoy and the path he will choose to take down the line. She will never side with You-Know-Who, and I'm sure you know that Malfoy's father has a history. She'll pick you, Harry. Just give her time."

Harry nodded. "Thank you for your approval, Anthony."

His smile returned and he clapped Harry's shoulder. "No problem. I hope you understand how much Camille is still suffering after Cedric's passing. She struggles with his death everyday as much as she tries to hide it. If you're with her, I need you to be there for her when the rest of us aren't. I hate to say it, but Malfoy was always there for her when she needed him. I hope you can be the same, maybe even better."

"I'll try my best. Camille really loves that your group has adopted her, I hope you know that. I can tell she's been feeling really lost after Cedric passed and she broke up with Malfoy."

He grinned. "I would do anything for little Diggory. Cedric made us promise to watch over her, and I'm going to make sure she's always safe."

"Rickett!" A group of Hufflepuffs called over from the entrance of the Great Hall, motioning for him to join them.

"Ah, that's me," he chuckled. "Gotta run. I trust you, Harry."

Anthony disappeared into the mass of yellow and black, and Harry released his breath, wondering how he was going to confront Camille about her situation with Malfoy.

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"Harry, I can't make a decision."

Harry blinked at Camille, who was standing in front of him with a guilty expression on her face.

"What? We just talked two weeks ago and you said you didn't feel like there was anything between you two anymore," Harry argued, trying to keep his voice low as they stood in the hallway. Students kept passing by, but none paid any attention to the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw standing near the wall.

"I know, I know," she sighed. "But when I talked to Draco, he said some things that made me realize I wasn't really over him. You were right — we shouldn't go into anything if I still love Malfoy. It would only end up hurting both of us in the end."

Harry tried his best to hide his disappointment. "So, what am I supposed to do?"

"Just give me more time," she insisted. "I just need more time to talk to Malfoy and understand where our priorities lie. I don't want to lead you on, Harry, so if this is too much for you, I won't ask you to wait for me."

He shook his head. "No, it's fine. You need time, I understand. I'll wait as long as possible."

She looked extremely remorseful. "Harry-"

"Camille, it's fine," Harry said. "I promise. Take some time for yourself to consider what you have. In the mean time, we're still friends, right?"

She smiled genuinely. "Of course."

After Malfoy learned that Camille was debating her feelings over Harry, the days leading up to the Gryffindor versus Slytherin match became more intense. More jeers and insults were thrown in the halls, most directed at Harry and some directed at Ron. Malfoy went even as far as calling Harry out before class, telling everyone that "Potter can't seem to get a girlfriend for himself, so he's chosen to steal mine."

Harry caught Camille and Malfoy on his way to Quidditch practice once, with Malfoy brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she threw her head back to laugh at something he said. His blood was boiling throughout practice, and he definitely wasn't at the top of his game.

On the day of the match, he wondered what colors Camille would be sporting when she walked into the Great Hall for breakfast. The place was buzzing with excitement, all of the Houses chattering about who they believed would win.

He was relieved when he saw Camille enter alongside Ginny and Hermione, a red and gold scarf wrapped around her neck. He could practically see the steam coming out of Malfoy's ears at her choice.

She grinned at Harry when they approached the Gryffindor table, and his heart warmed up.

"How're you feeling?" Ginny asked Ron, who was staring at the bottom of his empty cereal bowl as if he wanted to drown himself in milk.

"He's just nervous," Harry reassured.

"Well, that's a good sign, I never feel you perform as well in exams if you're not a bit nervous," Hermione said, trying to lighten the mood.

"Yeah, I'm positive you guys are going to win," Camille smiled, nodding at the both of them.

"Hello," Luna said in her dreamy voice, approaching them from the Ravenclaw table. Many people were staring at her and visibly laughing at the life-size lion-shaped hat on her head. "I'm supporting Gryffindor. Look what it does."

She tapped the hat with her wand, and the lion opened its mouth wide and released an extremely realistic roar that caused everyone to jump in their seats.

"It's good, isn't it?" Luna questioned happily. "I wanted to have it chewing up a serpent to represent Slytherin, you know, but there wasn't time. Anyway, good luck, Ronald!"

She drifted away from the table and Camille's eyebrows were raised. "I have to admit — the hat is brilliant."

Angelina suddenly came scurrying over, accompanied by Katie and Alicia. "When you're ready, we're going to go straight down to the pitch, check out conditions and change."

"We'll be there in a bit," Harry nodded. "Ron's just got to have some breakfast."

After ten minutes, however, it was clear that Ron could not handle eating another morsel of food. As they rose from the table, Hermione got up and whispered to Harry.

"Don't let Ron see what's on those Slytherins' badges," she said urgently. "I'm sure Camille hasn't seen them either or else there would be a full rampage."

Harry gave her a puzzled look but she focused her attention back to Ron. "Good luck, Ron," Hermione said, raising on her tiptoes and giving him a kiss on the cheek. "And you, Harry." She also offered him a kiss on the cheek.

Ron was a bit amazed by Hermione's affection, and Camille stopped Harry before he could leave the Great Hall with Ron in tow.

She kissed his other cheek and smiled. "Knock 'em dead, Harry. I'm rooting for you."

Harry swallowed the remains of his breakfast, suddenly feeling extremely nervous for the match.

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The match became an intense game, and it turned sour very quickly after the Slytherin stands began singing a song named Weasley is Our King. The lyrics distracted Ron from defending the post and Harry was trying his best to spot the Snitch.

When he finally did, he and Malfoy dove headfirst to catch it. After Harry's fingers finally wrapped around the Snitch, a Bludger had hit him in the back and sent him flying off his broom. Luckily, he was only five or six feet above air to cause any real damage, and landed on his back.

He heard Madam Hooch's whistle and the angry shouts from both sides of the stands. Angelina's frantic voice came into range.

"Are you all right?"

"'Course I am," Harry said grimly, taking her hand and pulling himself to his feet.

"It was that thug, Crabbe," Angelina spoke angrily. "He whacked the Bludger at you the moment he saw you'd got the Snitch — but we won, Harry, we won!"

Harry heard a snort come from behind him and he turned around to see Malfoy, who was sneering at him.

"Saved Weasley's neck, haven't you?" he spoke to Harry. "I've never seen a worse Keeper, but then he was born in a bin. Did you like my lyrics, Potter? Wrote them as soon as I discovered you were trying to take Camille away from me."

Harry refused to answer, turning to his team, who were all landing on the ground. They were yelling in triumph, except for Ron, who was making his way back to the changing rooms.

"We wanted to write another couple of verses!" Malfoy called as the Gryffindor team began hugging Harry. "But we couldn't find rhymes for fat and ugly — we wanted to sing about his mother, see-"

"Talk about sour grapes," Angelina hissed, looking at Malfoy with disgust.

"We couldn't fit in useless loser either — for his father, you know-"

Fred and George realized what Malfoy was chattering about and they both stiffened, turning around to look at Malfoy.

"Leave it," Angelina immediately said, grasping Fred's arm. "Leave it, Fred, let him yell, he's just sore he lost, the jumped-up little-"

"But you like the Weasleys, don't you, Potter?" Malfoy continued. "Spend holidays there and everything, don't you? Can't see how you stand the stink, but I suppose when you've been dragged up by Muggles even the Weasleys' hovel smells okay-"

Harry grabbed ahold of George while Angelina, Alicia and Katie had to stop Fred from leaping at Malfoy. Harry tried to look for Madam Hooch, but she was still scolding Crabbe for hitting Harry illegally with a Bludger.

"Or perhaps," Malfoy said as he backed away. "You can remember what your mother's house stank like, Potter, and Weasley's pigsty reminds you of it-"

Harry and George started sprinting straight towards Malfoy and when Harry reached him, he remembered the constant torture he received from Malfoy the past few weeks, and the image of him and Camille popped into his head. He hurled his fist that was still clutching the Snitch right into Malfoy's stomach.

"Harry! Harry! George! No!"

The girls were screaming for them to stop and Harry could still hear the roar of the crowd as the fight ensued. Somebody suddenly shouted "Impedimenta!" and Harry was knocked backward by the force of the spell.

"What do you think you're doing?" Madam Hooch yelled as she approached the scene. Malfoy was curled up on the ground, clutching his bloody nose. "I've never seen behavior like it — back up to the castle, both of you, and straight to your Head of House's office! Go! Now!"

Harry began marching off the pitch with George, but not before catching a glimpse of Camille, who was being restrained by Hermione and Ginny as she screamed down the pitch that Malfoy deserved more than just a bloody nose.

Harry smiled proudly.

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After exiting McGonagall's office, Harry saw Camille running towards him. He caught her as she leapt into his arms, sighing softly.

"Are you alright? I managed to punch Draco before they took him to Madam Pomfrey, if that counts for anything," she spoke quickly. "I earned another detention, but he deserved it. Are we going to be detention partners again?"

Her face lit up, but she frowned when she realized Harry wasn't mirroring her expression. "I'm banned."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "Banned? What are you talking about?"

"She banned me-" he gulped, trying to get the words out. "From playing Quidditch ever again."

"What?" Camille shrieked. "She can't! You were defending yourself!"

"Umbridge came in and said that the Minister issued another decree which allows Umbridge to decide all punishments," Harry choked out, feeling lightheaded. "I can't believe it."

"Oh, Harry," Camille said, wrapping her arms around his frame. "I'm so sorry. You'll be fine. We're going to find a way to make both Umbridge and Draco rot in hell."

After a few moments of silence, Harry pulled away from her. "Thank you for supporting me today. I have to admit — I was worried I would see you walk into the Great Hall wearing Slytherin colors."

She smiled and shook her head. "Of course not. I'm going to support you all the way, just like you've been supporting me while I've been making my decision."

Harry's eyes darted down to the floor. "Yeah, right."

"Harry, what's wrong?"

He sighed. "I just saw you with Malfoy the other day. You were laughing with him like you were so in love with him. I don't know, it bothered me to say the least."

She frowned. "Can I admit something to you?" Harry nodded. "When I'm with Draco, I sometimes forget who I am. Believe it or not, he's a great listener and he was with me everyday in the summer after Cedric passed. It's easier to talk to him sometimes because he was there for me through all of it. He's a horrible person, don't misunderstand me, but-"

"He understands you," Harry finished for her.

"Yeah," she exhaled. "He does. That's why it's been so hard for me. Somehow, I feel like if I let Malfoy go, I'll be completely letting my experience with Cedric's death fade away."

"I get it," Harry nodded. "I know Malfoy has been with you through so much, and it's extremely hard to compete with, but I hope you know that even though I wasn't with you during the aftermath of Cedric's death, I can still listen and talk about your experience. His passing was hard on me too."

"Yeah, I know," she whispered. "You were the last person to see him and he considered you a friend. If anything, I should be talking to you about all of this because you would understand the kind-hearted person he was. He and Draco never spoke one word to each other."

"I'll still give you time if you need it," he assured. "I won't pressure you to make a decision. I just hope you know I'm willing to listen and talk as much as Malfoy has."

"I know," she smiled, running her hand over his cheek. "You're too good to me, Potter."

He chuckled. "I'm always going to be here for you, Diggory."

happy new year's eve!! harry and camille are the cutest