"Settle down with me,
And I'll be your safety,
You'll be my lady."
I.
"Katniss Everdeen!"
The sound of her name echoed inside the room of The Great Hall, immediately followed by silence. She looked around, uncertain what she should do next, until she finally caught the eye of her best friend who grinned at her with pride in his eyes.
"Up you go, Catnip," he nudged quietly.
She stood up, her knees trembling from excitement and disbelief. She turned her eyes to the front of the room where her professors are located and saw Headmaster Snow beckoning her to come forward. She nodded and proceeded to walk down the aisle, her chin up high and a small smile on her lips. Her housemates, led by Gale Hawthorne, started clapping and chanting her name.
"Katniss! Katniss! Katniss!"
When she finally reached her destination, the headmaster gave her shoulder a light squeeze and made a gesture of presenting her to the room.
"Hogwarts, I present to you, your Champion! Katniss Everdeen of the Slytherin House!"
She was seventeen when the Goblet of Fire chose her.
II.
"That's not gonna cut it, sweetheart."
She growled, actually growled at the head of her house, baring her teeth at him in annoyance. The old drunk had the gall to grab her while she was on her way to nab some food from the kitchens and drag her to his office, demanding to know what she plans on doing for the First Task. She at first claimed denial; after all, they weren't supposed to know the challenges that they'll be facing tomorrow. But when she saw Finnick Odair of Durmstrang and Johanna Mason of Beauxbatons sneaking into the forest late at night with their headmasters, her curiosity proved to be helpful.
Dragons! She remembered shuddering, and she didn't even see the beasts up close.
"Right, as if your bare teeth is enough to send a Hungarian Horntail away with its tail between its hind legs!" Haymitch Abernathy scoffed.
"Get off my back, Haymitch," she snapped, crossing her arms and glaring at him. "You're not the one facing the dragons tomorrow, are you?"
"Professor Abernathy," he corrected, taking a big gulp from one of his numerous scotch bottles. "Just because you're my goddaughter doesn't mean you get to disrespect me, Everdeen."
She rolled her eyes at him and scowled. The truth was, she had no idea what she's going to do about the dragons, and she didn't want Haymitch to know that.
"You're good with a bow, right?" Haymitch said, rubbing his jaw with his free hand.
"What good will that do against dragons?"
He smirked at her.
"You'll figure it out," he said with a dismissive wave. She took this as a sign that she can leave so she stood up, making a beeline for the door. Her hand was already on the doorknob when Haymitch spoke again.
"Sweetheart, here's some advice: stay alive."
III.
"What do you reckon it is?"
"A golden egg that can put a howler to shame," Katniss sighed, catching the golden egg when Gale tossed it back to her. They were in in the Slytherin Common Room, trying to figure out what she's supposed to do with the cursed egg.
"Have you tried boiling it?" Gale said, staring at the egg thoughtfully.
"Gale, are you serious?" Katniss replied, raising an eyebrow at him. "I hardly think the Second Task has anything to do with devilled eggs."
"Hey, just tossing out ideas, no need to get your knickers in a twist!"
Katniss sighed, tucking the egg safely inside her bag and standing up.
"Where are you off to?"
"I don't know," she replied. "A walk, maybe. I need to clear my head. I'll see you at dinner."
Gale nodded, bidding her a good luck as she made her way out of the Slytherin Dungeon. She walked aimlessly inside the castle for several minutes, trying to figure out a way to decipher the golden egg. When her brain didn't come up with anything she decided to give up and pay her little sister a visit instead.
She made her way towards the kitchens, where the Hufflepuff Dormitories is near. Stopping in front of a pile of large barrels, she eyed them with a scowl before taking out her wand, tapping four of the barrels in successive order. One of the barrels exploded and drenched her in foul-smelling vinegar.
"Ugh!"
She muttered a string of curses, kicking one of the barrels with her right foot.
"Are you alright?" a voice behind her asked. She turned around and came face to face with a blonde man with eyes that reminded her of the ocean.
"Just peachy," she replied, trying to rid her hair of the vinegar by squeezing it.
"You're here to see Prim, right?" the man said, looking at her with amusement.
"Yes, if you would be so kind."
"I'll get her for you," he offered. "Try not to blow any more barrels while I'm inside, yeah? They're not very fond of non-Hufflepuffs."
She grumbled in reply.
"Ah, I see this isn't the first time?" When she didn't answer, the man laughed good-naturedly. "I'm Peeta, by the way."
"I know who you are, Head Boy."
"Yeah?" Peeta replied, actually looking shocked. "Uhm… sorry. I just wasn't expecting you to know me. Seeing as this is the first time we've talked and all."
"Who doesn't know the Head Boy?" she rolled her eyes.
"Uhm, yes. Of course. Silly me," he said. Katniss could see the tips of his ears going red. "Hey, listen. I… I know that this may seem really sudden since, like I said, this is the first time we've talked, but I was… uhm, I was wondering if maybe… youwouldliketogototheballwith me?"
She blinked at him. "Pardon?"
He took a deep breath and cleared his throat.
"I… I was wondering if you… would do me the honor of going to the ball," he said, rubbing the back of his neck. "With me."
She stared at him for several seconds before replying, "And you think the best time to ask me this is now, while I'm drenched in vinegar after having caught me trying to sneak into your house?"
"Well... I… uh…"
"If I say yes, would you go get Prim for me?"
"Yes!" Peeta almost shouted. When he realized what he'd done, he turned an even brighter shade of red. "I mean, yes. I will. Of course, I'll do it even if you say no. I don't want you to think that I—"
"Yes, I'll go to the ball with you," she cut him off. "Now, my sister please, Mr. Head Boy?"
"Ma'am, yes, ma'am!" He gave her a mock salute, and Katniss couldn't help but smile at his antics. "Oh, and you can use the prefect's bath to clean up, if you want. Bring the egg."
Katniss gave him a puzzled look.
"Trust me," he smiled before disappearing into the common room.
IV.
"You look beautiful, Lady Everdeen."
She fought the urge to blush and instead looked around the room. She saw Gale giving her a small smirk as he twirled Madge Undersee before dipping her low. He had teased her relentlessly for saying yes to a Hufflepuff when she finally told him who her date is. It wasn't until she reminded him that he's going to the ball with a Gryffindor and what a shame he is to the House of Slytherin did he shut up.
"Interesting couple," Peeta commented, smiling at the direction of Gale and Madge.
"Gale would say the same thing about us."
"I suppose you're right," he said, grinning at her. "We're better looking though, so we have that going for us."
She looked at him and gave a small laugh.
"Aha! I got a laugh out of you!" he said triumphantly.
"Don't get used to it," she replied with smirk.
"We'll see about that."
V.
And while you're searching, ponder this;
We've taken what you'll sorely miss…
Katniss felt a bubble of rage blossom inside her as she searched frantically for her sister underwater. How dare they put her sister's life in jeopardy! She can't help but repeat the lines of the golden egg in her head that filled her with dread.
But past an hour – the prospect's black,
Too late, it's gone, it won't come back.
She swam harder, fearing the effect of the gillyweed will not last long. She saw the outline of Finnick Odair a few meters ahead of her, swimming gracefully as though he was a child of the sea and the water is his home. She followed him for a few minutes until they reached a village full of Merpeople, where they found their loved ones floating eerily at the very heart of the village.
Prim!
She grabbed the sharpest-looking rock and proceeded to cut the rope that trapped her sister. She could see Finnick and Johanna doing the same from her peripheral vision. After what felt like eternity, the rope gave and she grabbed her sister by her waist, swimming as fast as she can to the surface.
Later, when she found out that she came second to Finnick Odair while she was busy fussing over her sister ("Katniss, I'm fine! I was in no danger to begin with, really!"), she realized that someone had draped a warming cloak over her shivering form. A cloak that smelled faintly of cinnamon and good intentions.
VI.
She found him in the library near a window, scribbling furiously on a sheet of paper. The last rays of the sunset shining against his face gave him an unearthly glow.
She plopped down on the seat in front of him, giving him a start. She noticed that he quickly hid the paper he was previously writing on beneath a book, his eyes wide as though he's been caught stealing chocolate frogs from Honeydukes.
"K-Katniss, hey!" he stammered. "What brings you here?"
She raised an eyebrow at him before pulling the cloak out of her bag, she handed it to him without a word.
"Oh yeah, almost forgot about that," he said with a smile, taking the cloak from her and setting it on the chair beside him.
"Why are you so nice to me?" she asked, cocking her head to the side.
"What do you mean?"
"You know what I mean, Head Boy," she said impatiently. "You're nice to Prim too. You always give her sweets. And don't tell me it's because you're Helga Hufflepuff in male form, because you don't do that for everybody. I've noticed."
He rubbed the back of his neck, a mannerism he does when he's nervous, Katniss noticed. She kept her eyes on him, waiting for his reply.
"When we were five, I saw you trying to calm down Prim in Diagon Alley," he started, his eyes looking out the window. "She was just about a year old, and she fell down and scrapped her knee. You came rushing in, your hair in two pigtails instead of the one you favor now, and you sang her a song to calm her down."
He turned to her now, his eyes bright and intense.
"Right when your song ended, I knew I was a goner."
He smiled, a smile with just the right touch of shyness that an unexpected warmth swept inside her and made her heart flutter.
Maybe with him, it wouldn't be so bad, she thought.
"What's your favorite color?"
He looked taken back, staring at her like she needs a visit to St. Mungo's for checking.
"I'm sorry, I just pretty much confessed to you that I've been in love with you since we were five and… you want to know my favorite color?"
"Well, if we're going to do this—this thing," she said, pointing at him and then at her. "We need to start somewhere, right?"
She watched his face transform from confusion to comprehension, his eyes brightening as he gave her a look of awe.
"Orange."
"Orange? Like Professor Trinket's hair?"
"No," Peeta shook his head, grinning like a fool. "Orange, like the sunset."
He gestured to the view outside.
"Ah."
"What's yours?"
Katniss smiled.
"Green, like the Forbidden Forest."
VII.
"Katniss! Katniss! Katniss!"
She was on the ground, her hair matted by her own blood (damn that Blast-Ended Skrewt!) and her body covered in sweat, but she could hear it, her name being chanted again and again by her schoolmates. She stood up, her world slightly spinning and her eyes slowly adjusting to the sudden onslaught of light. She held the Triwizard cup firmly in her right hand while she used her left hand to shield her eyes from the spotlight focused on her.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"
Looking, searching.
"WITCHES AND WIZARDS!"
Finally she found them, not on the stands, but a few meters in front of her. They were running towards her with a proud grin.
"I GIVE YOU… YOUR TRIWIZARD CHAMPION! KATNISS EVERDEEN!"
"Katniss! Katniss! You won!" a small blonde hurricane came barreling towards her.
"Careful, Little Duck!" she said, half-laughing and half-wincing.
"Oh! Sorry, sorry!" she said, releasing her sister from her death grip.
"Nicely done, Catnip!" Gale grinned at her.
"Not bad, sweetheart," Haymitch commented, toasting to her while Effie Trinket shrieked about him drinking inside school property in the background.
"Everdeen!"
She whirled around, almost laughing as she saw Finnick Odair holding up his bloody nose followed by a smirking Johanna Mason.
"You broke my nose!" he exclaimed, glaring at her.
Johanna rolled her eyes and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "big baby".
"Yes, Odair, I did," she replied steadily, scowling at the Durmstrang boy as if to dare him to do something about it. Everyone in their immediate vicinity watched the two Champions cautiously.
Finnick grinned, slapping her on the back with more force necessary.
"Not a bad punch," he said gruffly. "I'll see you around, Everdeen. Congratulations."
With a final nod, the Durmstrang and Beauxbatons Champions walked to their respective headmasters, each warmly received by their schoolmates.
"Well, now that's over with, it's time to celebrate!" Gale cheered, wrapping his arm around Katniss' shoulders.
"Infirmary first!" Madam Pomfrey exclaimed, suddenly appearing on Katniss' side. She clucked her tongue repeatedly as she prodded the injuries Katniss sustained.
"Let's get you patched up, shall we, Ms. Everdeen?"
VIII.
She found him in the library.
He was waiting for her this time, wearing a smile that Katniss grew very fond of. He watched as she made her way to him, plopping on the seat in front of him as per their tradition.
"You weren't there to welcome my victory," she said, trying hard to hide the disappointment in her tone.
"I didn't think I'd be welcome there, to be honest. You Slytherins aren't exactly a welcoming bunch."
"We're not all that bad," she replied with a shrug.
"I know," he replied, smiling again. "Congratulations, Katniss."
"Thank you, Peeta."
"Aren't you supposed to be at your victory party?"
"They're too drunk to notice I've escaped."
He raised an eyebrow at her.
"You're not going to tell on them, are you, Head Boy?"
"I suppose I can make an exception this time," he replied, laughing. "You wanna go to the Astronomy Tower?"
It was her turn to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Pretty forward of you, Mellark," she said with a smirk. She watched as his the tips of his ears went bright red.
"That's not—I wasn't implying—" he stuttered.
She laughed.
"I was messing with you, Head Boy," she said, standing up. "C'mon, let's go."
"Got a laugh out of you again," he grinned, following her out of the library.
"Better not get used to it."
Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and turned her around. Before she could react, his hands were cupping her face and his lips were moving gently against hers. It took Katniss a few seconds before she started to respond. They separated a few minutes later, both red as tomatoes.
Peeta twirled her braid with his fingers and grinned at her.
"We'll see."
"This feels like falling in love,
Falling love,
We're falling in love."