Casting Big Brother with Harry Potter Characters

On this blog, I've made it no secret that I love Harry Potter. I've gone on for hours and hours about how it's one of my absolute favorite things on the planet. However, as summer begins to roll around, another thing that I get really excited about is Big Brother. I'm a fairly recent fan (I started watching during BB17) but I've become super invested. I've gotten really into Rob Has a Podcast & listen to all of their BB coverage. I've gone back and watched a lot of older seasons. I even have the live feeds on in the background fairly regularly. It's something that I've gotten really invested in over the summer. 

While listening to some RHAP coverage and getting really pumped for the new season, I stumbled across a podcast that Jordan Parhar (of the RHAP Rhappy Hour) guested on that got me so excited. He appeared on a podcast called The Real Weird Sisters, a Harry Potter podcast. I was so excited about this idea that I have yet to listen to any of their other podcasts, but I definitely intend to. They appear to be going through the Harry Potter series, talking about it chapter by chapter (much like I do on my other blog, Specialis Revelio). I'm super excited to listen to their coverage, but first, I wanted to throw in my two cents on this great idea that they had. 

As you can tell from the title, on that podcast, they used the typical Big Brother casting stereotypes to cast a season of BB using characters from within the Harry Potter universe. I thought they did a great job and you can check out their podcast here, but I found myself creating my own cast, which didn't always match up with theirs. I'll be using the same casting types as theirs (potentially with one of my own thrown in), and I'll explain each type as I go along, as well as my reasoning for choosing each person. Also, after the official cast, there are some predictions as to how everyone will do, which I'll also get into. I've rambled long enough here. Let's jump into the list!

Sorority girl with nerd glasses

The "nerdy superfan" is a tried and true casting stereotype that we see every season. It's usually a guy, but if it does happen to be a girl, it's usually a girl who's pretty and not actually very nerdy; she just happens to wear glasses. A good example is Nicole from BB16 & 18. Not a knock on the players who fall under this category-- more a knock on the way that casting apparently refuses to cast legitimate female nerds. (Sorry Hermione...)

Anyway, the person who I thought was definitely the clear choice for this category is the one and only Cho Chang. 

They chose Cho on the podcast as well, and I wholeheartedly agree. She may not literally have glasses, but she fits the stereotype. She's clearly smart, because she's a Ravenclaw, but the only reason we're really aware of her intelligence is because we're essentially told "Hey, she's smart!" rather than due to any of her actions. Plus, she's definitely the "pretty girl" in school, which is along the lines of a sorority girl. It just fits really well. Important note: I considered Ginny Weasley and Romilda Vane here, because they were Harry Potter superfans, so they would fit in that sense, but I thought that Cho fit a bit better. Also, we'll see one of those two again later...

Male Nerdy Superfan

Like I mentioned, we get this type every single season, especially since we saw Ian in season 14. These guys are always incredibly awkward and huge fans of the show. Think about a stereotypical nerd, and you've got the guy that they usually stick into this spot. And once again, I thought that they absolutely killed it on the podcast: Colin Creevey

I mean, is there any better person to cast here? He's a total Harry Potter fanboy, on top of the fact that he's incredibly over-enthusiastic and over the top. He would make some really interesting TV, because he'd be bouncing around and being silly the entire time. However, I do think he'd be a bit different than the "typical" superfan, because most superfans are very shy and self-conscious, but he's really outgoing and loud. I think it would be a really cool twist on the typical stereotype, but would rub people the wrong way just as much as the typical superfan.  

The Old Guy

I found this one incredibly difficult, because literally the only indicators are an age and gender. We've seen so many different iterations of the old guy over the years that it's hard to zone in on just one person. We've had the BB16 Donny type, who's just super sweet and lovable, but we've also had people like BB10's Jerry who was super loud and antagonistic. In the end, I went with someone a little off the beaten path: Kingsley Shacklebolt. 

I think pretty much every older guy that they cast for Big Brother has some sort of interesting backstory. Donny was this groundskeeper, but everyone thought he was in the army. Glenn, our most recent old guy, was a police officer and a dog groomer. I went through several different options (Remus Lupin- not old enough? Mad Eye- Interesting, but not my fave. Xenophilius- quirky but probably a bit too quirky for this role). But eventually, I landed on Kingsley. I think that he would be a really interesting, strong strategic player. I think that he fits the mold of the older man really well, but with a slight twist. Most "older guys" are not strong strategic forces. I think Kingsley would be.

Sassy Narrator

For this one, I went back and forth between a couple people, but eventually decided to go with Lee Jordan.

I mean, this was basically his job at Hogwarts. He was the commentator at the quidditch games, and he was fantastic at it. He was unabashedly biased and hilariously sassy. His commentary on the games was one of the best aspects of the first book. The quidditch matches were already pretty fun, but he made them even more exciting . He would give some hilariously snarky DRs and the viewers would absolutely love him. Plus, Big Brother likes to get diversity in their cast, and Lee Jordan would be a really interesting player that would also check that box. 

Religious Fanatic

There were a lot of options of directions I could go for this one. Obviously, there's not really "religion" in Harry Potter, but there are things like Death Eaters and their near-religious following of Voldemort. However, it's still difficult to choose something like this, because these people would have to pass psychological examination, and I don't think many Death Eaters would pass that. Instead, I ended up going with Percy Weasley.

I was going to choose a girl for this spot to even out the guy/girl ratio, but I'll deal with that when we get to the recruits. When Percy popped into my mind, it was too good to pass up. He might not be a literal religious fanatic, but he fits the mold very well. He's definitely the "goody two-shoes" type, and is quick to try to tell other people that they're not doing what they're supposed to. I mean, he basically separates himself from his entire family because, in his eyes, they're not following the ministry as they should. We also see him give servant-esque respect toward his superiors. He fits this role to a T, and I think that he would certainly be really interesting as the antagonistic, holier than thou version of this stereotype (as opposed to someone like Jocasta).

The Meathead

This stereotype was the impetus for deciding to create this list, because this person immediately came to mind, and they didn't talk about him. They made a really great choice, but I thought it would be an absolute shame not to have this guy in the house, because he is the epitome of the type of bros you get in the BB house every single summer: Cormac McLaggen.

If you don't quite remember him, he first pops up in HBP, pining after Hermione in the most douche-bro way possible. Not only does he have the personality of the typical meathead, but he's super athletic as well. I feel like there are so many guys every single season that are very much like McLaggen, and since I've lost a recruit spot (due to putting guys in both of the gender non-specific casting spots), I think that he fits in very nicely here. 

The "Offbeat" Girl

Admittedly, there's only one acceptable option for me here. On the podcast, they chose Tonks, and I definitely get it. But I just can't choose her. I don't hate her or anything, but I'm not a fan. And I think that these days, even the "offbeat" girl looks pretty much just like any of the other girls. So I had to go with Luna Lovegood.

I'm trying to avoid the most prominent characters in the series unless they fit really, really well, but this is definitely the only one that fits for me. When I thought of this stereotype, the first person who really came to mind was Christine from BB16. She might've had some piercings and tattoos, but she did look pretty geeky and didn't look too out-there. And I think that'll be Luna's place. She won't look really wacky, but she has a very offbeat personality and would definitely be a very quirky character, maybe along the lines of a Bronte. Plus, Big Brother tends to cast younger people, so I think Luna would be cast before Tonks. 

The "Single Mom" Type

I tried to pick someone that they didn't pick on the podcast, but she was the only person who fit: Lavender Brown.

Obviously, she doesn't actually have a kid. But her personality definitely fits the mold of the single mom that they would cast. Even if they aren't in a showmance, they still definitely want a showmance, and get a little bit too invested in having one. That's Lavender to a T. We see her a lot throughout the series, but we don't really get any inkling of her having a crush on Ron until they're suddenly together 24/7 when they start dating in HBP. She was seemingly pretty down for romance regardless of any other factors, and that's kinda the stereotype with the "single mom." I also considered Ginny for this spot, because she's constantly going from relationship to relationship within the series, but I think that she's much stronger than the typical "single mom" types, who are pretty bland. Movie Ginny, on the other hand...

Token Old Lady

Usually, the Token old lady is pretty quirky. Like Renny from BB10. I thought about a few options, but I just couldn't say no to Minerva McGonagall.

Look, Minerva would be BOMB in the DR. Yeah, she's quite a bit older than people that they generally cast now, but think back to how great Jerry was back in BB10. She would be a likable version of Jerry. She would be smart, sassy, and snarky. I thought about going with a less mainstream character, but then I pictured Minerva in the DR and I couldn't help myself. I'm not sure she would necessarily want to go on Big Brother, but hey, I don't have the luxury of asking for her opinion. So, into the BB house she goes.

"Offbeat" Guy

I feel like this could go in many different directions. Someone like Johnny Mac from BB17 fits this really well, but I would also say that someone like Zach Rance from BB16 would also fit, because he was the "loose cannon" of that season. Other guys who would fit this are Paul from BB18, McCrae from BB15 and Frank from BB14. They're all completely different people and are considered "offbeat" for a variety of reasons. However, in the end, I couldn't help but throw in my favorite characters of all time: Fred and George Weasley.

I almost put these two as the sassy narrator. In fact, I did put them there, and then moved them. They fit both roles, but I think that they're best suited here, and I'll explain why. First off, there aren't too many people who would fit this role from the series. And those who would fit are on the older end of the spectrum-- people who would only be cast in "old people" roles. And the "offbeat" guy is often the one giving funny DRs or just generally being silly or weird. And that's definitely Fred and George. They would give amazing DRs, and they would be actually funny rather than just jumping out at people in the dark and playing other "pranks" that no one likes. They're so likable, but on top of that, they're really clever. They're smart. They could pull off a twin twist much better than the most recent twins on Big Brother, and they would do it while being legitimately likable. There isn't really anyone who dislikes Fred and George. Even Hermione, who gets sick of confiscating their items, still really likes them. I could definitely see them being people who are well-liked both inside and outside of the house.

The "Obvious Recruits" (2-3 apiece)

I'm going to be going with 4 female recruits and 2 male recruits to even out the players a bit here.

Fleur Delacour. Fleur is basically the obvious first choice when picking recruits. The female recruits are always really pretty, and that was definitely Fleur's thing. However, I think her personality also really fits. She clearly has a bit of a fame-bug, because she decided to enter the Tri-Wizard Tournament. And if not, then she certainly did it for the competition, and if she's competitive, that's also a plus on Big Brother. She could definitely use her veela charms to make people do what she wants, and I think that she would be pretty decent at manipulating people. She'd also probably be really underestimated. I think she'd be a really interesting player.

Angelina Johnson. Although it's not a solid "type," it's really common for there to be at least one female recruit who's the sporty one. And that's definitely Angelina. She's not an incredibly prominent character throughout the Harry Potter series, but she's a constant presence and has shown herself to be a capable and intelligent leader, while also being athletic. I think that she could definitely be a really interesting recruit who picks up on the game quickly and could potentially do really well. 

Romilda Vane. Look, I hate the girl. But it's so much fun to have a hateable character. And given that she fawns over Harry just because he's famous, she's clearly a bit of an attention-seeker, so she would be down to be on Big Brother. Plus, she's shown that she can be manipulative. I think that she would be a super interesting villain for the season. I get more and more excited about the idea just talking about it.

Pansy Parkinson. I think I'm using these recruit spots to get some sort of antagonists into this cast. I feel like a lot of the people who fit into the defined "types" are pretty rootable characters, but without some obnoxious people in the mix, it wouldn't be a very fun season. So throw in a couple good antagonists and you've got yourself a good show. I think Pansy could've possibly fit into the sassy narrator role, except she's completely unlikable. So she finds herself here, among the recruits, and I'd hope for a really snarky few weeks before everyone gets sick of her and evicts her.

Cedric Diggory. I mean, he's the epitome of a Big Brother recruit, right? He's good-looking, athletic, and probably not the sharpest tool in the shed. And like with typical good-looking recruits, he seems like a decent guy and has a pretty vanilla personality. He's not necessarily an alpha bro, but he could definitely fall in with the brolliance.

Draco Malfoy. I originally had Oliver Wood in this spot, but I couldn't help but put Draco Malfoy here. While we certainly have some unlikable people in this cast so far, we don't have any true villains, and Draco would fit that spot perfectly. First of all, he's a young, good-looking guy. Those get cast a lot. Plus, he's just unabashedly willing to sneer at people, call them out, and just generally berate people. If you take the Death Eater/Voldemort aspect out, he's such a great antagonist for a season of Big Brother.


Our cast is now complete, so here's a quick recap of the players before we jump into my predictions.

Females: Cho Chang, Luna Lovegood, Lavender Brown, Minerva McGonagall, Fleur Delacour, Angelina Johnson, Romilda Vane, & Pansy Parkinson.

Males: Colin Creevy, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Lee Jordan, Percy Weasley, Cormac McLaggen, Fred & George Weasley, Draco Malfoy, & Cedric Diggory.

Most likely to be first out

Trying to logic this out is a bit difficult, because I'm trying to figure out which of these players would be at the crossroads of "doesn't fit in with the other players" and "most likely to annoy everyone." While people like Kingsley and McGonagall are clear outliers, I think that they would be able to be likable and personable enough to at least make it to week 2. So I think that in this spot, I have to go with Luna Lovegood.

Honestly, I think people would just be a bit weirded out by her. Looking through the cast, I struggle to find a good landing spot for her. She could potentially work with Colin, but other than that, I think that no one else would be down to be in an alliance with her. Percy Weasley would also be at risk for this position, but he has Fred & George there. While they would probably not want to work with him, I think they would recognize the inherent leg up they would have on the competition in that case. So I think Luna would have to be the first boot. 

Person who tries to hide their profession

I mean, that has to be Kingsley Shacklebolt, right? He's an auror, which is one of the most highly regarded positions in the wizarding world. We know from Harry's schooling that the classes are difficult and it's hard to even get into the classes you need, so clearly Kingsley is very smart, and he also clearly seems to be very skilled at his job. Telling everyone he's an auror right off the bat would be like Derrick telling everyone he's an undercover cop-- not a good idea. He'd certainly be a game player in BB and he would definitely have the instinct to cover up his true profession. 

Most likely to go on a POV streak

POV comps can be so varied, so you typically have to be both a mental and physical force to be able to go on a POV streak. I think the best fit for that would have to be Angelina Johnson. She's certainly a physical threat because she is one of the more athletic players, but I think she's also proven to be someone with a cool head who's intelligent and can think under pressure. I see her definitely being capable of going on a POV run. 

Showmance?

Well, we have a few already set pairs in the house: Pansy & Draco, Fred/George & Angelina (because if you remember, George marries her but Fred was the one who dated her at Hogwarts so that could be interesting to watch), and Cho & Cedric. I think Pansy & Draco would be the dramatic one- Draco would probably stab her in the back pretty early. The twins and Angelina would probably be the "actually skilled" showmance, potentially downplaying that aspect and being able to use it to their advantage. And then Cho & Cedric would be the cute showmance who end up throwing away their games for each other. 

However, I think that people like Lavender Brown and Romilda Vane will absolutely be looking to showmance, and I could see them just honestly bouncing around and picking up whoever they can. I don't think they really have any choices left, but I could see either one of them trying to vie for Cedric or Cormac at the beginning. I could easily see Cormac playing one of them like a fiddle and ousting them quickly. 

Biggest blindside?

Definitely one of the twins, most likely Fred. I think that the twins will be super likable in the house. Yes, they're really goofy and play pranks, but unlike a certain BB17&18 player, they're clever and would know if they were getting annoying. But, given that they're twins and potentially have a showmance, I think that they would be on everyone's radar as someone to split up. So I could see it getting down to the second double eviction of the season & someone taking that opportunity to knock out one of the twins. And it would probably be Fred, because he's usually the dominant one of the pair.

Screwed by a twist

It would probably have to be a strategic player whose game gets completely derailed by something dumb. I'm beginning to realize that I don't have a ton of strategic powerhouses in this, so I think someone like Kingsley Shacklebolt will have to fit here. He's likely to be one of the most strategic players in the house, but I think that he's also likely to be one of the more obvious strategic players in the house. And I'm not sure how good he would be at adapting to a twist thrown his way. So I have to think that he would be the one screwed over in that situation. 

Villain of the season

I mean, it has to be the Pansy/Draco showmance, right? With Draco as the clear villain of the two? I mean, viewers will hate them because we'll have another Aaryn/Gina Marie moment with them calling everyone derogatory slurs. But on top of that, if Draco cuts Pansy at some point, I think he would be seen as even more of a villain.

Biggest meltdown/freak out

I think the person who's clearly the most likely to have some sort of freak out is Lavender Brown. She'd get turned down by a guy that she wanted to showmance and it would be so upsetting to her that she would lose it and either end up yelling at someone or sobbing to one of her alliance partners. 

Make jury and have mean jury speech

Definitely Percy. Need I say more? He's incredibly willing to speak his mind very candidly and has a bit of a mean streak, even toward family. I could definitely see him falling into this slot easily.  

Final 2- winner & goat or potential ally next to them

I'm probably a bit biased here, but I really see George making his way to the final 2. Like I said earlier, I really think that Fred, as the dominant twin, would be the one targeted and potentially taken out in a double eviction near the end of the season. But I think that George would be able to make his way to the F2 even without Fred. However, I think the clearest path for him to make it to F2 is with Angelina because I think that she's the one who's best at comps. I can't really see him being able to make it there with a goat. Yes, it's a showmance and I have a lot of reservations saying that a showmance could make it to the end, but I think that George will be likable but clever, while Angelina is the comp threat of the two, which will push them to the end. Because of this, I think the vote will be really close but I have to think that George would be the eventual winner because likability usually wins out when it's close. 

America's Favorite Player

This usually goes to the sassy narrator, so I think that Lee Jordan has a real shot at this, but I could also see viewers really loving someone like McGonagall. Also, given that I think Cho and Cedric will be the cute showmance of the season, I could see one of them getting it. IDK, I'm a bit torn on this one. I think the top 3 will be Cedric, Lee Jordan, and McGonagall, with Lee Jordan pulling out a win. I think he'll have really funny DRs, and I can't really see anyone being very put off by him. 

So, that's it for my Big Brother cast made up of Harry Potter characters! Let me know down in the comments if there's anyone you thought should have been included on this list and what Harry Potter character you think would have a good shot at winning a season of Big Brother.

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The Secret Lightning Scar Chapter 12 [A Harry Potter Fanfic]

“But why do they have to be so obvious about it?” Ron complained under his breath, glancing over to the opposite side of the common room, where Harry and Ginny were intertwined in a large chair, snogging. In the week and a half since the quidditch game, that was almost all they did anymore.

“Honestly, Ronald, you did the exact same thing a few years ago,” Hermione replied, her eyes fixed on her homework. When she finally looked up and saw the canoodling couple, she grimaced. “Although it is still rather unpleasant,” she conceded before returning to her work.

“You’re upset about this, right, Carrie?” Ron asked.

“Well I’d rather not see them snogging constantly, but I don’t mind the relationship. I even told him that he should ask her out. It was a bit of a surprise when I saw them that first time though,” I replied with a shrug.

“You told him that he should ask her out? Are you mental?!” Ron said a bit too loudly. I glanced over to see if they had overheard, but they were clearly too wrapped up in each other to notice anything else.

“He and Ginny seemed to be pretty serious about each other when they dated a couple years ago, so I said that he should ask her out if he still had feelings for her. He didn’t seem too interested when I said it, but I guess he changed his mind,” I replied.

“Have you talked to him yet?” Ron asked. I shook my head.

“I haven’t talked to him since our fight. He’s been too uh… busy,” I replied, looking back to the chair. Ron rolled his eyes.

“This is the longest you two have gone without talking. Aren’t you the slightest bit concerned?” Hermione said, once again without looking up from her work.

“He was upset with me for putting my boyfriend before my best friend, so if he’s going to do the same thing with Ginny, I’m not going to bother,” I replied.

“Carrie, he’s your best friend-”

“Yeah, and he acted like a total jerk and hasn’t even attempted to talk to me since, so until he decides to apologize or even acknowledge that I exist, I’m not going to bother,” I retorted, cutting Hermione off. In the time since the argument, my frustration had become anger, which had turned into fury. Harry didn’t seem to be even the slightest bit upset about how we had left things last time we had spoken, and that made things even worse.

Within minutes of our fight, when I was still upset and wanting to fix things, he was perfectly content to start making out with my sister. In any normal circumstance, I would have been glad for him to finally go out with Ginny. But not immediately after the biggest fight we’d ever had. He made it very clear that he couldn’t care less about any emotional pain he had caused me, so there was no way I was going to let him see how much he’d hurt me.

“It works both ways, Carrie. Maybe he’s waiting for you to talk to him,” Hermione said.

“But he’s the one in the wrong here!” I replied.

“He probably feels the same way about you,” Hermione said quietly. I frowned, knowing that there was probably at least a little truth to that statement, but there was no way I’d go and try to fix things with Harry after a week of getting ignored.

“It’s almost dinnertime. Can we go get some food?” Ron said as his stomach growled right on cue.

“That’s alright with me. I’m at a stopping point,” Hermione replied. “Carrie?”

“I can’t. It’s mine and Draco’s two month anniversary, and he wanted to do something for dinner. I’m meeting him in about half an hour,” I replied.

“Oh, alright,” Ron replied. “Hermione, can we go ahead and go then?”

“Sure,” she replied, standing up and setting her books down. “See you later, Carrie,” she said as the two left the common room.

I was left with a few random students and the snogging couple, so I gathered my things and went up to the girls’ dormitory. Once up there, I decided to change into regular clothes for the date, so I pulled on jeans and a tank top and threw on a button-up plaid shirt. I made sure to only leave the top couple of buttons undone to make sure that my scar didn’t accidentally make an appearance. That would require explanations that I really didn’t feel like dealing with.

With ten minutes left before I was supposed to meet Draco, I left the dormitory. Fortunately, Harry and Ginny seemed to have gone to dinner as well, because their usual chair was empty. I left the common room and made my way to the Room of Requirement, where Draco had requested that I meet him. He was already waiting for me when I arrived, leaning against the blank wall. When he saw me coming, he paced in front of the wall and a door appeared on it.

He walked inside and held the door open for me. When I walked inside, I found that we were in the same small room that we went to last time. Once again, he had decided to cook dinner. “No creativity, I see,” I joked as he closed the door.

Draco’s face fell. “Really?” he asked. “I thought you’d like it.”

“I’m kidding. I love it,” I replied, giving him a peck on the cheek. He grinned and hurried to put food on the plates. 

For the next half hour, we sat at the table, eating and laughing, enjoying every second of each other’s company. Finally, he stood up and grabbed both of our plates and took them over to the kitchen. I found myself wanting somewhere more comfortable to sit, and when I glanced over to the fireplace, saw that a couch had appeared beside it. I moved over to the couch and Draco joined me a few seconds later, wrapping his arm around me as I leaned into his chest. For a short while, we just sat there, content to be together, without the need to speak to fill a void.

“Carrie?” Draco finally said.

“Mhmm?”

“I really did mean it when I said that you’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” he said. I made a noise of disbelief, somewhere between a chuckle and a scoff. “I’m serious,” he said, sitting straight up and turning to face me. “This is the happiest I’ve ever been, and it’s because of you.”

“I’m glad you’re happy,” I said with a smile. “I am too.”

“I love you,” Draco suddenly blurted out. He seemed to immediately regret saying it, because his face turned bright red and he said, “I’m sorry, that was really sudden. But I’ve been wanting to say it for a while now and it just seemed like the right time. I know you probably think I’m being really cheesy, right now but-”

“No I don’t,” I interrupted him. His outburst hadn’t surprised me; I was actually surprised that he hadn’t said it sooner. I could tell that he’d thought about saying it several times over the last couple of weeks, because I’d felt the same way for a while as well. “I love you too,” I said, softly placing my hand on his cheek.

“You don’t mean that. You’re just saying it to make me feel better about blurting it out,” he said, looking almost hurt.

“Yes I do,” I replied. “I’ve wanted to say it so many times, but I was worried about saying it too soon and messing something up. Draco, I love you.”

Something in his eyes changed, and I could tell he finally believed me. “Carrie, you didn’t need to worry about saying it too soon. I’ve loved you since the first time I saw you,” he said.

“OK, now you’re being really cheesy,” I laughed.

“I really don’t care,” Draco replied, pulling me toward him. Our lips met and I wrapped my arms around him, holding him as closely to me as possible. He moved his hand from my waist and began to undo the buttons of my shirt. I was so wrapped up in the kiss that I didn’t think about what was going on until he was on the last button. My mind suddenly went into panic mode, realizing that he was mere seconds from seeing the scar on my shoulder.  

“Draco, slow down,” I said, pulling slightly away from him and trying to push his hand from the last button. It was as if he hadn’t heard me, because he undid the last button anyway. His hand returned to my waist and with his other hand, the one behind my head, he pulled his lips back to mine. I pushed him back, worried about where he was going with this, and not wanting to take it any further. “Draco, seriously, stop it,” I told him, but when I looked into his eyes, they didn’t seem very focused, as if he wasn’t even seeing me. The hand he had behind my head trailed down my neck to my left shoulder and began pushing my shirt down my arm, revealing my scar.

In a panic, I reached out and slapped him across the face. This seemed to clear his head and bring his eyes back into focus, and I yanked my shirt back up to cover the scar. But the expression on his face was clear- he had seen the scar, and he had deduced what it meant.

“I’m leaving,” I said coldly as I stood up, trying to keep control of my emotions.

“Carrie, wait!” Draco said as I pushed past him to the door.

“Leave me alone, Draco!” I exclaimed, refusing to even look at him as I hurried out the door and slammed it behind me.

I didn’t even know how to think straight. Draco knew. He knew. Someone knew. It was more terrifying than I had ever imagined. On top of that, he had completely ignored me when I told him to stop. How could he do that to me, mere seconds after proclaiming his love for me? That sick, terrible git.

Somehow, through everything, I managed to find my way back to the Gryffindor common room. The portrait hole opened and I came face-to-face with the last (scratch that, second-to-last) person I wanted to see.

“Carrie?” Harry said, a look of sheer concern on his face. “What happened to you?”

“Nothing, I’m fine,” I said in an icy tone, trying to push past him. But he stretched his body out, blocking the entirety of the short corridor into the common room.

“You look absolutely traumatized,” he said. “You’re not fine.”

“Why would you care?” I responded.

“Because regardless of whether or not I’m mad at you, you’re my best friend, and I’ve never seen you like this,” he said. The sincerity in his eyes broke me. I collapsed against him and began sobbing uncontrollably into his shoulder. Without a second’s hesitation, he said, “Let’s go somewhere a bit more private,” and scooped me up into his arms. He carried me up the stairs to the boys’ dormitory, since guys can’t go up to the girls’ dormitory. We entered the empty room and he set me down on his bed and I curled up into a ball as he went to close and lock the door so no one could come in. He then sat down next to me and held me as I cried. I don’t know how long it took for me to stop crying, but the entire time, he sat there right next to me without asking any questions. Eventually, my sobs became more sporadic, breathing became easier, and my tears began to dry up.

“Carrie,” Harry finally said, “You don’t have to tell me what happened if you don’t want to, but if someone did something to you, you need to tell me.”

“He found out,” I said incredulously, not wanting to believe that someone else knew about my scar, especially Malfoy.

“Who, Draco? Found what out?” Harry asked.

“Yes, Draco. He- he found out the thing that I’ve been hiding from everyone,” I answered. Harry looked confused. “You know, when I fell off my broom and told you I couldn’t tell you what had happened,” I clarified. It seemed to click with Harry.

“So he found out, and that’s what upset you?” Harry asked, still seeming somewhat confused.

“There’s more, but essentially yes, that’s the biggest thing,” I replied. I sighed. “I’ve been meaning to tell you for weeks, but I couldn’t bring myself to. I think it’s time I told you. You of all people deserve to know. Just please promise not to freak out.”

“I promise,” Harry replied, looking extremely concerned. I took a deep breath and slipped off the left shoulder of my shirt. It took Harry a second to recognize he was seeing. He touched a hand to his own scar and then looked at me with an expression of horror mixed with confusion. “I-I don’t understand ,” he said, although he seemed to just not want to believe what he’d just seen.

“My parents weren’t killed by a muggle intruder. Voldemort came looking for me, and the same thing happened to him when he tried to kill me. The ministry staged a cover-up, and managed to move my scar, and I’ve never been allowed to tell anyone,” I explained. “And because he tried to kill me because of the prophecy, it applies to me, too. I have to defeat him.”

“And- the day you fell off your broom?” Harry asked, clearly struggling to wrap his mind around all of this new information.

“My scar burned so badly that it made me black out. And when I blacked out, I saw Voldemort’s eyes. I talked to Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore’s painting, and they told me to tell you, Ron, and Hermione. But I just haven’t been able to bring myself to,” I replied.

“But you told Malfoy?” He asked, sounding annoyed.

“No, he saw my scar,” I replied.

“How did he--” Harry paused and his face went slightly red. “Oh.”

“I tried to stop him, because I didn’t want him to see it, but he wouldn’t listen to me,” I replied. Harry looked furious.

“Are you telling me that he tried to force himself on you?” Harry fumed, balling his hands into fists.

“Kind of. OK, yes. But that’s not what’s most important right now. He saw my scar. He knows. He’s one of four people outside of the ministry who know, including myself. It’s just me, you, McGonagall, and Malfoy. He knows,” I said.

Harry still looked incredibly angry, but tried to move on with me. “I’m still trying to deal with the fact that Voldemort isn’t dead,” he said. “What did McGonagall and Dumbledore say to do?”

“Sit tight at let him make the first move,” I replied.

“What?” Harry exclaimed. “The most evil dark wizard ever is coming after you, and they told you to sit tight?”

“What else would they tell me?” I asked.

“Anything!” Harry exclaimed. “There has to be something you could do. They can’t just tell you to do nothing. That’s practically inviting Voldemort to come after you.”

“I’m glad you’re concerned, Harry, but this isn’t your problem anymore,” I said.

“This absolutely is still my problem,” Harry replied. “If they’re going after my best friend, they’re going after me!” He released what sounded like a sigh of relief and looked over at me with possibly the most affectionate expression I’d ever seen on his face. “All this time, I felt so alone trying to defeat Voldemort, but I really had you the entire time,” he realized.

“I tried to empathize with you as much as possible without giving anything away,” I said. “I didn’t want you to feel like you were completely alone.”

“No wonder you were always so helpful,” Harry replied.

“Yeah, I basically had a special window into your mind. You have no idea how many times I wanted to tell you what was going on,” I replied.

“I understand why you didn’t tell me,” he said. “But that’s such a heavy load to carry. People at least had some idea about my situation and tried to help. But you’ve had to deal with this by yourself for all these years.”

“It wasn’t easy,” I agreed. Looking at Harry, I saw my own pain reflected in his eyes.

“Well, you’re not on your own anymore. You’ve got me, and I’m not going anywhere,” he said. My eyes brimmed with tear.

“Pinkie promise?” I said weakly.

“I promise,” he said with a small chuckle. “I’m not going to leave my best friend on her own.” With a smile, I leaned my head against his shoulder and wrapped my arms around them.

“Thank you,” I said softly. And for a few minutes more, the two of us simply sat there, enjoying the company of the only other person in the world who could understand what we were going through.  

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I hope y'all enjoyed chapter 12 of The Secret Lightning Scar! 

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The Secret Lightning Scar Chapter 11 [A Harry Potter Fanfic]

Days turned into weeks, and I still couldn’t get up the courage to tell any of my friends my secret. I knew Dumbledore’s suggestion to tell them if I had another incident was more of a worst-case scenario and that he wanted me to tell them as soon as possible, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell them.

Dumbledore, however, did talk to Professor McGonagall, and she called me into her office only a few days after my initial discussion with Professor Dumbledore. She was uncharacteristically flustered, and it was clear that her world had been flipped upside down. I didn’t blame her- since June, she’d been living in a fool’s paradise, blissfully unaware that Voldemort was still alive. She gave me the same suggestions as Dumbledore- “don’t go looking for Voldemort”, and “for goodness sakes, tell your friends!”

But it wasn’t that easy. How could I sit down with my three best friends and tell them that Voldemort was actually still alive? The worst was imagining how Harry would react. He had spent seven years trying to rid the world of Voldemort, and thought he’d finally defeated him. But he’d only set him back a couple steps.

An entire month passed without me being able to tell them, and I found it very easy to convince myself that I had actual reasons for not telling them. With the first quidditch game quickly approaching and practices becoming more and more frequent, I found myself blaming my lack of courage upon the fact that I just “didn’t have any free time to tell them.”

The day of the opening quidditch match versus Slytherin arrived, and for once, sharing my secret with Harry, Ron, and Hermione was the last thing on my mind. I walked into the Great Hall with Harry, Ron, and Hermione and almost immediately locked eyes with Draco across the room at the Slytherin table. I glared playfully at him, which he returned with a small smirk. Today, we were enemies.

Ron was so nervous that he could barely eat, so breakfast was a fairly brief affair. Afterward, he, Harry, and I said goodbye to Hermione and headed toward the quidditch pitch. Draco, who was also leaving for the quidditch pitch, met us at the door and walked down with us.

“Ready to be crushed?” he teased as we neared the pitch.

“You wish, Malfoy,” Ron replied, clearly not in the mood for Draco’s taunting.

We reached our respective locker rooms and I turned to Draco. “Meet me out here after the game,” I said. Draco smirked.

“If I’m still talking to you,” he joked.

I rolled my eyes and he winked at me before we went our separate ways.

The next half hour before the game was spent stretching, warming up, and listening  to Harry’s pep talk. I had to try extremely hard not to laugh while he was giving the pep talk. He tried really hard to get as into it as Wood had back in our first few years, but he never quite succeeded.

Finally, it was gametime. We made our way out onto the field and met the Slytherin team mid-field. As Slytherin’s captain, Draco stood in front of the rest of his team. I thought that it was a little ironic that Harry and Draco would be facing off in their last match against each other as captains, but not quite enemies anymore. Around us, seas of scarlet and green filled the stands and loud cheering emanated from all around us. A section of the Slytherin stands were chanting their version of “Weasley is our King”, with a large section of the Gryffindor section chanting the revised version back at them. I looked to Ron for a reaction and saw that he was looking slightly green.

Madame Hooch asked them to shake hands, and as they did, Draco gave Harry a genuine smile. Harry half-heartedly returned the smile, but said, “Good luck.”

Draco raised his eyebrows in surprise. “You too, mate,” he replied. Madame Hooch didn’t seem to know how to respond to this out-of-the-ordinary exchange, but counted us off and blew her whistle.

All fourteen players shot up into the air and began gameplay. I weaved in and out of people, going after any bludgers that flew toward the Gryffindor players. There were a couple close calls where I hit it out of the way just in time, but overall, nothing terribly crazy happened. 

The chasers were more cutthroat than ever, knocking people off brooms, faking each other out, and blatantly elbowing the other team in the face. Once, Madame Hooch had to separate Ginny and a Slytherin chaser who had gotten into a fight and were about to hit each other.

Despite the aggression, the game continued fairly evenly. But it’s not a quidditch game without some crazy incident, right?

Gryffindor and Slytherin were tied at 70 when the speakers blared: “And it looks like the Slytherin seeker has found the snitch!”

I whipped around looking for Draco, and sure enough, he was speeding through the air, his arm outstretched. I wasn’t very far away, so I could see the little golden ball flying several feet ahead of him. Harry had been on the other side of the field and was flying as quickly as possible toward Draco.

At the same moment, however, I felt my stomach drop. A bludger was headed straight toward him, and if he didn’t change directions, it looked like he would get hit in the head. It was clear that Draco hadn’t seen the bludger, because he hadn’t so much as glanced in that direction. I looked around and saw that the Slytherin beaters were on the complete opposite side of the field, seeming to be stupidly unaware of the action, and not doing much of anything. Without a moment’s hesitation, I sped toward the bludger.

As Draco closed in on the snitch, the bludger closed in on him. I sped up, trying to close the gap between myself and the bludger as quickly as possible. In my peripheral, I saw Harry closing in on us as well.

The bludger was almost to Draco, but just before it hit him, I finally caught up and smacked it away with a large crack. Draco glanced backward in surprise, but only for a second, because he was just about to the snitch. Harry finally caught up, but he was too late. Draco gave one last burst of speed and wrapped his fingers around the tiny golden ball.

Cheers exploded from the Slytherin stands as Draco lifted the snitch high above his head. Seconds later, Harry skidded to a stop beside me.

“What was that?!” he yelled. His brow was furrowed and he looked like he was about to punch someone.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, taken aback by his sudden burst of anger.

“You just cost us the game!” he exclaimed. Before I could respond, he took off, speeding back toward the earth. Frustrated at how thick he was being, I darted after him. We landed only feet apart, but he refused to look at me as he stormed toward the locker room.

“Harry!” I yelled after him. When he ignored me, I began sprinting toward him. I caught up to him just as he was walking under the stands. I reached out, grabbed him by the shoulder, and spun him around.

“What’s your problem?!” I exclaimed.

“My problem?” Harry bellowed back. “My problem is that if you wouldn’t have stopped that bludger, I would have gotten the snitch and we would have won!”

“It was about to hit him in the head! What was I supposed to do, let it?” I replied.

“Yes! That’s exactly what you were supposed to do!” Harry yelled. “In case you hadn’t noticed, he’s on the other team!”

“He could have gotten seriously hurt, Harry!” I exclaimed.

“And that’s what the hospital wing is for,” Harry replied. “We’ve all ended up there countless times because of quidditch!”

“Do you realize how incredibly insensitive you’re being?” I asked incredulously.

“I’m not being insensitive,” Harry replied. “You let your emotions cloud your judgment and you betrayed your team.”

“Betrayed my team?” I yelled. “You’ve got to be kidding!”

“You helped the other team win because you had to go play hero and save your poor boyfriend from an injury that could be fixed in a matter of minutes! How is that not betraying your team?” Harry fumed.

“I can’t believe you!” I screamed. “I get that you’re upset we lost, but how can you blame me for not wanting my boyfriend to get hurt?”

“Are you even listening to yourself? You couldn’t bear letting Malfoy get hurt, so you helped Slytherin win! How does that make any sense in your mind? Two months ago, you wouldn’t have even considered it!” Harry said incredulously.

I rolled my eyes. “I knew it! This is more about Draco than it is about losing, isn’t it?” I exclaimed.

“It’s both,” Harry said. “You’ve let that git interfere with your life and friendships and now he’s interfered with quidditch too!”

“Because I like him! He’s changed, and I gave him a chance! And I’m happy! But the rest of you can’t seem to handle that, and that’s not my fault. I can’t believe we’re still having this discussion after over a month! I thought you had at least started to accept him,” I fumed.

“I never said that I accepted him. I told you how I felt. He doesn’t deserve you. And you’ve let him come into our lives and mess with your friendships. You side with him over people who have been there for you for years!” Harry argued.

“Because he’s a different person and you lot can’t just move on from the past! Why do you even care so much about who I date?” I exclaimed.

“Because I care about you! You’re my best friend! And I see that you’re making decisions that I think are becoming detrimental to your life, and I feel the need to tell you. I’ve been holding back for a while now, but I can’t keep doing it,” Harry said.

“I can make my own decisions about my relationships, Harry. If you can’t get along with Draco, that’s your problem, not mine,” I replied.

But then, Harry’s face changed. Up until that point, his brow had been furrowed in anger and he’d been red-faced. But then, he frowned and looked almost sad.

“If you’re going to prioritize that git over your best friend, then I don’t have anything else to say to you,” he said softly but sternly. He then turned away and continued walking toward the locker room.

Stunned by what had just happened, I felt tears welling up in my eyes. In all the years that Harry and I had been friends, we’d never had a confrontation like that. Had that really just happened? I set my Firebolt down and leaned against the stands for support, no longer trusting my legs to do all the work.

“Carrie? Are you alright?” I turned in the direction of the voice and saw Draco walking toward me from the field. He had his broomstick in one hand and the snitch in the other, and his face was flushed from all the excitement. He still wore a smile from his victory, but his face fell quickly upon seeing me.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” He said, rushing over to where I was standing. The tears began to fall from my eyes, but I wiped them away furiously. I hated letting people see me cry.

“I’m OK. I don’t want to talk about it,” I said, attempting to regain my composure. I stood upright again and took a deep breath to calm myself down.

“You don’t look like you’re OK,” Draco replied, the concern written across his face.

“Just give me a couple minutes. I’ll meet you outside the locker rooms,” I said. Draco nodded and I hurried past him toward the Gryffindor locker room. Fortunately, Harry had left already, so I changed quickly and splashed water on my face in an attempt to feel less gross than I actually was. After a few more deep breaths and more wiping away of tears, I exited the locker room to find Draco standing outside waiting for me. He too had already changed into his casual clothes, but looked much more put together than I did.

“Do you mind if we find somewhere to sit down?” I asked.

“Sure. I think there’s a bench under that tree,” he replied, pointing at a large tree several meters away. I followed him over and we sat down in the shade. He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me to him.

“Alright, so what happened?” He asked, his eyes shining with concern.

“After the match, Harry yelled at me for stopping the bludger from hitting you. He said that I helped you win and betrayed my team and then went on a rant about how you don’t deserve me and that my relationship with you is destroying my friendships,” I said.

Draco’s eyebrows shot up. “I thought he was the one that was alright with us?” he asked.

“Apparently not,” I said. “We’ve never gotten in an argument like that. And then he said that if I was going to prioritize you over my best friend, then he didn’t have anything else to say to me. I don’t think he wants anything to do with me right now.”

“Well…” Draco began, “I can kind of see where he was coming from with the quidditch.” I shot him a look, but he continued on. “I’m not saying I would have done anything different if I was in that situation, but I could understand that he would be upset about what happened. Not to that extent, but I get it.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I conceded, resting my head on his shoulder.

“About the rest of the stuff, however, he was being a bit of a git. But who needs him, right? You’ve got me, and you’ve got Ron and Hermione and all of your other friends. If he wants to decide to cut you out of his life, that’s his decision,” Draco said. At those words, I sat upright and looked at him with wide eyes.

“He’s my best friend, Draco,” I said in surprise, “I can’t just let him cut me out of his life after one argument. He’s too important to me.”

“But what if he doesn’t want you in his life because he doesn’t like some of the choices you’re making?” Draco asked.

“He wouldn’t do that,” I said vehemently shaking my head. “We’re too close.”

“Are you sure?” Draco asked. “He said a lot of pretty serious things.”

I thought about that for a second. “A few hours ago, I would have definitively said that I’m sure about that,” I replied. “I’m not so sure now. I’d hope that things haven’t changed so drastically between us in the last few hours that it can’t be fixed. I don’t know what I’d do without him.”

“Then maybe you should go and try to fix things with him before too much time passes,” Draco suggested. I frowned and furrowed my brow at that. I didn’t want another confrontation. Draco seemed to sense that and continued on. “I know you don’t want to face it, but if you care as much as you claim to, you need to go take care of it.”

I sighed and rested my head on his shoulder again. “I know. You’re right,” I replied.

“As usual,” Draco replied with a chuckle. I rolled my eyes and stood up to leave, Draco stood up as well and took me by the hand as we made our way back to the castle.

We walked into the Entrance Hall and Draco gave my hand a little squeeze.

“Good luck talking to him. Everything’s going to end up ok,” he said with a comforting smile.

“Thanks, babe,” I replied with a smile. I gave him a quick peck on the lips and we went our separate ways- Draco toward the dungeons and me toward the towers. As I made my way toward the common room, I felt my heart beating really hard, and I actually felt nervous to talk to Harry. I almost laughed at myself because of how ridiculous that sounded, but it was true. I was worried about another screaming match. I finally reached the fat lady’s portrait and took a deep breath before saying the password. The portrait swung open and I stepped through into the common room. As I walked into the room, the scene in front of me caused me to stop dead in my tracks.

Right in the middle of the room, on the couch, sat Harry.

And he was snogging Ginny. 

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I hope y'all enjoyed chapter 11 of The Secret Lightning Scar! Don't forget that the next one will be up later this month!

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