When she first sees him she does a double take because, well, he looks exactly like her uncle did when he was seventeen. Does this mean he has Veela blood?

(He can't though, because she knows most of the families descended from Veelas – a surprisingly small number.)

He has eyes like starshine and hair the colour of dark chocolate – something which tells her he is just a complete sin, like the tempting sweet – and such beautiful facial features that she actually feels ugly in his presence. That should never happen.

(So what? Maybe it'd be nice to have a boy who actually makes her a bit less conceited – her friends have always told her she's too vain for her own good.)

They're both champions – she for Beauxbatons, and he for Hogwarts – and she happily chats to him in the room with all the trophies and the too-hot fire. She switches on her Veela charm full blast and smiles and flirts with him.

(She fools herself into thinking he is actually flirting back, but she knows he probably isn't because he doesn't have that glazed look most boys do when she flirts with them.)

And then Harry Potter appears and the flirtatious stare is broken as he announces that he too is a champion which makes no sense because, well, Cedric is the Hogwarts champion. And he is only a little boy – how in the name of Merlin is he supposed to cope with challenges that lots of wizards twice his age couldn't?

(Now she's jealous for two reasons – he's stolen Cedric's attention. And he's only fourteen but he's been chosen so does this mean that he is equally as capable as she is? How insulting.)

After that she doesn't actually speak to him for several weeks and she can't help but feel hurt – is he avoiding her? Perhaps she was too pushy when she first talked to him and she's put him off. Then she laughs to herself disbelievingly because she can't have put a boy off – it's never happened.

(Or maybe it's just because he never liked her in the first place – but she refuses to accept that.)

They chat lightly at the weighing of the wands but he still isn't interested – it is the same scenario when it came to the first task. She's thrilled to have come second, of course, even if it was behind both Harry and Viktor, and her schoolmates are so proud. They celebrate that night, in the carriage which was a lot larger on the inside than it appeared to be.

(But she couldn't help but wonder if her beating Cedric had made him like her even less than he already seemed to.)

The next few weeks seem to fly by and the announcement of the Yule Ball has butterflies skipping in her stomach – a sensation she was not used to. A sensation she was used to was the amount of boys who attempt to ask her to go with them the next day and fail miserably, much to her entertainment. It always was rather funny.

(It wasn't funny when she saw Cedric surrounded by an even larger group of girls clamouring for his attention and giggling at the bemused expression on his face.)

"I'm, ah, sorry Fleur – I'm already going with someone," he says and smiles apologetically before moving away with a thrilled expression to talk to a slender girl with long black hair. Fleur glares at his retreating back, barely noticing the tall red-haired boy who attempts to ask her to the ball. She turns her glare on him and he disappears like a puppy with its tail between its legs.

(In years to come she would think of said red head as a brother but as of now, it just was not a good time. He wasn't worth it anyway – she wouldn't have said yes whatever mood she was in.)

The Yule Ball is boring until he asks her to dance – her date is as dry as a fish out of the ocean – and she eagerly accepts without a second thought because, well, she's been wanting to get her hands on him since the very first day and she wouldn't mind an excuse to get away from Roger and his mindless prattle.

(She knew she would be the most beautiful girl in the room when she slipped her silver dress over her head – even the Granger girl can't compete, no matter what she does to her hair.)

"You look absolutely beautiful tonight," he says as they glide onto the floor and cut a path through the other, clumsier students. She can't help but agree in her head, and she wonders what they look like as a couple right now. Indeed, many students are staring jealously.

(But what if he's just asking her to dance out of politeness? Maybe just as a charade for being a champion – the way that a groom offers to dance with their mother-in-law at a wedding.)

"Are you having a good time with Roger? He's a nice bloke, excellent Quidditch player," Cedric comments as they float around the dance floor. His arms are so strong and warm around her that she feels if she fell he would catch her easily.

(Although she's been falling since she met him and he hasn't noticed so maybe she's wrong.)

"You know it's a shame you complain about the food here being too heavy – it puts a beautiful glow into your cheeks," Cedric states admiringly and she smiles happily up at him as she thanks him and wishes this song would last forever.

(Because, really, that glow in her cheeks isn't put there by the heavy food – it's only been there since they started dancing together.)

Then the song ends and he smiles and thanks her and goes back to his little black-haired beauty who beams up at him and drifts into his arms with a grace like hers for a slower dance. She feels like growling at someone but instead she grabs her idiot of a date and drags him outside.

(And even though she kisses him that night, she's still lost in those starshine eyes.)