In the original story, because Cedric was among the champions, the Hufflepuffs didn't cause any trouble.
But now the situation had been completely reversed. With Ino in Slytherin, they had chosen to remain on the sidelines, leaving the task of criticizing Harry to fall on the Hufflepuffs.
Even after a month and a half had passed, the badgers* were still not at peace with the situation.
However, Hufflepuff was still Hufflepuff.
Though the badgers were quite unhappy, they didn't do anything outrageous, much less escalate things to open conflict or personal attacks.
But there was one thing to note: as the house with the most students in the castle, even if each person only said one sentence, the collective impact was enough to make someone's scalp tingle.
Right now, that was exactly how Harry felt.
He had had enough. The daily sarcastic remarks weren't limited to the hallways anymore; even during meals, he couldn't get any peace.
Just as Harry was about to explode, another voice reached his ears.
"If you're unhappy with the Goblet of Fire's decision, go find Professor Dumbledore! Go find the two heads of the Ministry of Magic! Mocking here doesn't show any of your courage!"
Ginny stood up! Although she was only a third-year student, she didn't back down. Alone, she stood in front of Harry, facing several Hufflepuff students all by herself.
Her figure looked a bit frail, but in terms of spirit, Ginny was in no way inferior to the boys. Especially at this moment, her expression and tone resembled that of a lioness protecting her cub.
Seeing Ginny step forward, Hermione didn't hesitate and stood up as well.
She didn't have many friends in the castle, you could even say pitifully few, but among her small circle of friends, Ginny was definitely included.
A chain reaction seemed to have been triggered. After Ginny and Hermione made their stance clear, Ron, Neville, Seamus, George, Fred... more and more Gryffindors began to show their support through action.
As the one involved, Harry felt a warmth in his heart that he had never experienced before. The coldness and ridicule of the past month and a half suddenly seemed insignificant.
Even the anger that had built up inside him vanished in an instant.
Because beside him, his friends were always there.
Looking at the familiar faces standing in front of him, Harry's eyes became a bit moist.
At that moment, he had a magical feeling, as if as long as he had friends, there was no challenge he couldn't overcome.
A feeling called confidence quietly rose within him.
Sensing something, Ginny instinctively turned to look back.
Their eyes met, and amidst the tension, a different kind of emotion was born.
…
At the same time.
On the other side of the Great Hall, Draco had been observing the situation in Gryffindor but hadn't taken any action.
He neither joined in nor chose to leave.
"Draco, shouldn't we go over? Maybe there'll be a fight!" Crabbe said as he leaned in.
His large frame, combined with his simple expression, made him look quite convincing.
"Why should we go over?" Draco lifted his head and glanced at Crabbe beside him.
"If you want to go, go by yourself. Ino told me not to get close to Harry!"
Even in the face of the excitement right in front of him, Draco, after a brief observation, chose to decline.
He picked up his dinner and walked out of the hall without looking back.
As Draco's figure gradually disappeared outside the hall, Crabbe's previously simple expression shifted, and he stood there thoughtfully watching the Gryffindors.
After a while, he once again put on his foolish smile.
…
In the Slytherin common room.
"You're saying Harry almost got into a fight, and then a bunch of Gryffindors stepped in front of him?"
Ino was eating dinner while listening to Draco, who had become like a living radio, report the latest news.
"That's right, I didn't leave, but I didn't get too close either, so I saw everything."
Draco spoke seriously, describing the scene he had witnessed in the Great Hall earlier.
"I just didn't expect the first person to stand up would be George and Fred's sister. Oh, and your Granger. She was the second to stand up…"
"What do you mean 'my Granger'? Watch your words!" Ino instantly interrupted the report.
Just moments ago, it had been breaking news, but now, with a sudden shift, it had turned into a gossip column.
"I *am* watching my words!" Draco's expression turned sly and mysterious.
"Even though you've been hiding in the common room, and no one but me knows that you've been talking to her through the Two-Way Mirror every day, you know, you can't be sure of what's happening on the other side…"
Draco rambled on, sharing all kinds of gossip. During his time away from Harry, he had found a new hobby—gathering secret and interesting stories and sharing them with Ino.
"So! Word has spread through the Gryffindor girls, and now almost everyone in the castle knows about you two. A lot of girls don't even believe in love anymore because they think that's the only way you guys would break up…"
"Stop!" Ino cut him off again, glancing at the overly excited Draco with exasperation. "Honestly, it's a shame the Malfoy family doesn't own a newspaper. If you started a magazine, it'd probably be a big hit!"
But sometimes, jokes made unintentionally can spark unexpected ideas.
When Draco heard the word "magazine," he paused for a moment, and then, visibly, his mind began to race with ideas.
…
Ino didn't pay much attention to Draco's sudden shift in focus. Since the chatter had stopped, he was happy to enjoy some peace and quiet.
But today's "news" gave rise to another thought—a completely new thought.
Perhaps he had overestimated Dumbledore; or maybe, there wasn't that much plotting involved…
But regardless of the truth, today's events, upon a quick review, clearly revealed a change in Harry.
After enduring nearly two months of criticism and gossip, in his moment of greatest helplessness, a group of friends had stood up to shield him from all attacks.
Although he lacked familial support, he had friendship, and maybe even love.
For Harry, who had missed out on the character-building experiences of the first two years, it made sense that he would be somewhat fragile, but such dramatic highs and lows are often the very thing that helps a person grow.
"He's still as shrewd as ever…" Ino muttered softly to himself.
If his guess was right, Dumbledore had undoubtedly mastered the intricacies of human nature.
The Headmaster had probably known from the start that inequality would lead to dissatisfaction and criticism.
But at the same time, he also believed in the positive aspects of human nature—he was confident that when Harry was at his lowest and most vulnerable, someone would stand up for him.
Maybe this wasn't some flawless scheme, but simply a masterful understanding of human nature.
No matter how you look at it, Ino found it brilliant.
Harry might have suffered a bit, but no protagonist in any story goes through life without facing hardship.