"Ouch!" I hissed, feeling a sharp pinch in my arm. Immediate tears swelled up in my eyes. I glared at my accomplice and rubbed my sore arm.

"It's got to be believable," he replied. "Alright, count to thirty before going in. don't eat or look up from the table." He left to breakfast, walking in nonchalance. I counted off the numbers in my head slowly then trudged into the Great Hall.

I heard the whispers and felt the many eyes follow me as I made my way to the Ravenclaw table, sniffling and frowning. I heard some laughter, recognizing the twins'. I just sat, staring at my empty plate, forcing my eyes not to look over at the Hufflepuff table.

More snickers and giggles circulated. All apart of George's scheme.

When the bell rang for classes to start I waited for everyone to clear out before going to Transfiguration.

All throughout the day I played the depressed role. At lunch, the twins yanked me into an empty lavatory. They were grinning from ear to ear, arms folded and proud.

"The seed is planted," George said.

"Phase one complete," Fred finished.

"Now what? I don't even know what's happened."

They chuckled. "You'll find out, just keep your act up."

"And your ears open."

I rolled my eyes then got back into character and went back out into the hallway.

Soon the rumors were pouring from everywhere.

"Weasley dumped her, said she was saying someone else's name during a snog."

"I heard it was Diggory. They danced together at the Yule Ball."

"Really? Angelina told me George caught her and Cedric going at it in the lou."

"No. Roger heard the twins say Diggory plays for the same team."

"That's not right. Besides, Fred told me he heard Diggory moan her name in the toilet, having a wank."

"Your wrong, Fred was telling Seamus that she was in love with both and George dumped when she asked for monogamy."

"No, no. What really happened was Weasley found her diary and it was filled with Diggory's name and erotic details."

"Where'd you hear that?"

"Ernie Macmillan told Hannah Abbott who told Cho Chang who told it to me."

Each one seemed more appalling then the one before. How had the twins manage have the whole school gossiping about me and Cedric? More and more the stories stretched, almost seeming impossible and completely rubbish.

It became a narrated soap drama. He did this, she did that. It got to the point that they were straight out lies. Saying they witnessed me and Cedric sneaking off or saw us snogging, even shagging! But in fact I hadn't seen him since the confrontation. George told me to be patient and let it alone. I'd usually huff and storm off.

The second task was growing nearer and I was so distracted at pretending to be heartbroken, I hadn't thought of the event. After five days of whispers and untruths I was losing my mind. I dragged the two pranksters by their collars and into another empty classroom.

"I've had enough imaginary shags and snogs! What am I waiting on? I haven't even seen Cedric, only heard his name about a million times this week. Now tell me what to do!" I demanded.

They smirked. Then Fred pulled out an abused parchment. "What's that?"

George handed it to me. "A timetable? Cedric's timetable. How on earth did you get this?"

Fred's lips stretched farther. "He had a rather nasty showdown with Peeves and water balloons, left his bag. We knicked his schedule."

"Thank you," George said in a terrible mimic of my voice.

I rolled my eyes, looking over his classes.

"Now, we've timed this out perfectly. Right before lunch you'll run into him. Give him the timetable and tell him Peeves almost tore it to shreds. And then Diggory will take over from there, game, set, match."

"Right." I stuffed the schedule into my robes and carried on through the day. I wasn't as weepy as the beginning and the rumors were lowering in the extremes.

And I saw him, just as the twins said. I took in a breath, looked down at my feet and bumped into his side. "Sorry." My voice was barely over a murmur. He sighed. I met his eyes and played surprised. "Oh. Um… I've been meaning to find you." I dug for the timetable and gave it to him. "Peeves got a hold of it. Almost soaked me for knicking it from him."

"Uh, thanks." I nodded and made to continue into the Great Hall, but Cedric grabbed my forearm. His grey eyes looked remorseful and he was frowning. "Could we talk?"

I sighed, pretending to be irritated. "If you want to know, I had nothing to do with whatever you heard. I'm above gossip, but apparently the topic of it."

He shook his head. "No, if it were you I don't think you'd down yourself. No. I wanted to ask how you were and all."

"Oh. Sure." I gave a hint of a smile and we walked into the February afternoon and sat near the same fountain the twins found me. It was still frozen over.

Cedric sighed and caught my eyes. "It must've been terrible, the rumors I mean."

"It's alright. Some are so outrageous, it's hard not to laugh."

"Yeah. George broke up with you then?" he asked.

"No. I broke up with him."

"What?"

"That's right. I broke it off."

"But… why?"

I didn't know what to tell him. The twins never told me what to say.

"Um… Well, you." I decided on the truth.

He blinked in disbelief, silent.

"It was really mutual. We both spilt up on good terms, but I brought it up."

"But everyone said he broke up with you, that you were-"

"Please tell me you don't really follow that hogwash. Most of it you know isn't true."

"Really, we're friends. I just have a bad week and everyone assumes."

I wanted laugh at his astonished expression.

"Good lord, I was devising jumping the prat for making you out to be such a-"

"Hussy?" I suggested. He winced.

"Sorry for that."

"Forget it. Now what?"

He perked up, face confused.

"What do you mean?"

I inwardly groaned, boys could be so dim-witted. I didn't answer, only stood and smiled.

"I'll let you figure it out." And before I got too nervous I gently pressed my lips to his cheek and turned away to lunch, smiling. I loved the Weasley twins.

I didn't see Cedric until after handing in round reports. He quickly turned his in and caught up to me. "So have you figured out the clue to the egg?"

I giggled. "Yes, right after the first task. Very simple. You?"

He ran a hand through his hair and collapsed on the nearest sofa. I sat beside him on the floor. "Yeah, but I had help. And it wasn't that simple."

I laughed. "Sure it was. The inside was the real egg. The liquid is the embryo and the shrieking is what merfolk sound like above water. Simple."

He rolled his eyes.

"Ravenclaw, remember?" That made him laugh. "The task is easy enough. A bubblehead charm and to be able to perform spells without words. Grab what was stolen and get to the surface."

He nodded. "Are you scared?" His question came out very quiet. I turned the it over in my head, thinking my answer through. It sounded very embarrassing, but I only wanted to give him the truth.

"Yes… and no." He raised a brow.

"I suppose everyone feels that-"

"No. I meant yes, I'm scared. Scared that I might not see you ever again if I can't survive. And no. Because There's a reason someone put my name in that goblet and it wouldn't be wise to have me dead…"

"What do you mean?"

I sighed, I couldn't tell him my secret just yet. No matter how much I felt for him. Trust wasn't clear to me yet.

"It's not for me to say yet. But it is highly important that what I know gets to Dumbledore. Before someone else finds out. I think there's someone who already knows. And that said person entered me in the tournament. I'm trying to figure out why…"

"Why haven't you" he asked, sitting up now.

"He refuses to see me alone," I moaned, dropping my head into my hands.

"Well, he has been tied up, helping with the tasks and all."

I shook my head, not sure what to say. After a long stretch of silence I looked up to see he was close to my face. His eyes were darting from my lips to my eyes, head tilted a fraction and moving in more.

My heart was sprinting, my blood boiling in every direction.

Then his soft lips were pressed against mine, timid and calculating. So different than I expected. The moment our mouths touched shocks shot through my skin and down to the very core of myself. His hands found purchase on my cheeks and his lips parted. I breathed in all of him. Spearmint, boy and that spice. I blushed as I made small little noises and embarrassed by the loudness of my breathing.

I could feel him moving closer, then he knocked me back, falling from the sofa and onto me. With a huff he pulled back enough to look at my face. His eyes searched for any sign of detest. When he found none, I traced his pink lips with my middle finger and smiled.

"It took you that long to realize what I wanted?" I asked, whispering as if I were to loud, the heated spell over us would shatter.

He laughed silently and leaned down for a short kiss. "Well I thought you were taken."

I shook my head. "I thought you didn't think about me that way."

"How could I not? Clever, brave, beautiful…"

"Clever, yes… But the other two I'm not too sure."

"You defeated a dragon and everyone was dumb-founded at the ball. Remember?"

I didn't answer. It was no use arguing with him. He seemed overly stubborn. Instead, I redirected the conversation. I was told by my parents that I couldn't take a compliment like that to save my life. "So what do we do from here? You and me, I mean."

"Well, now that the confusion is cleared, I suspect we do what most student couples do."

My entire face flushed hot. Cedric's eyes widened, guessing my thoughts.

"Not that. Not yet, at least." That made me blush harder. Not yet. He planned on doing that with me later? It made my heart pump faster against my chest.

"What I mean is that we let it go the way it wants, let whatever we feel guide us."

I let out a long breath I hadn't realized I was holding and bit into my lip. We soon had to leave the lounge, since curfew was closing in, prefects or not, we weren't aloud out of the common rooms after eleven. But he did walk me to Ravenclaw tower, kissing my forehead and whispering goodnight in that soft, smooth voice.

The morning of the first task I was nervous, even sitting next to Cedric didn't calm my nauseous stomach and clammy skin. I wasn't the best at swimming, since there wasn't that many chances for me, aside from the prefects' bath.

As I grimaced at my untouched breakfast, Fred sat beside me. "Have you seen George?"

Cedric tensed, his form rigid. Ignoring his obvious jealousy I shook my head. "Haven't since pulling you to into that classroom." Fred sighed. That was odd, never had Fred not known where his twin was, even when he was alone with me.

"I'm sure he'll turn up," I offered. Fred looked unsatisfied, but got up to sit at Gryffindor table.

"Still hanging with Weasley?" Cedric said in a dead calm voice. I turned to him with a frown.

"I told you we were friends." He didn't reply and jumped into conversation with his friends, who cast me strange glances, but didn't ask why suddenly I was sitting awfully close to their friend. It had me wondering what they knew, especially when Cedric pecked my cheek when I came to join him.

To distract my mind from Cedric's unnecessary covetousness I went through the egg's riddle over and over until it was time for the task to start. I had dressed in my swimsuit under a simple winter dress and flats. I had pulled my stubborn hair into a knot so I could see in the water.

Cedric walked silently a ways behind, which annoyed the mickey out of me. Maybe he and George had a history. But he did see me and George snogging obnoxiously. I sighed and stepped into one of the boats, picking the one that had room for only an extra person on purpose. His mood was off-putting and I needed a clear head.

On the improvised docks I stood in line with the other four champions, shivering in the one piece bathing suit that my house mates took the liberty to decorate in the Ravenclaw colors. I wished for a full wet suit as my teeth chattered. The Black Lake was a ludicrous idea in the middle of February.

The water looked just as it was named. Black. No clue to what laid beneath the frigid surface. My heart was thumping furiously, sending my blood back and forth too fast in my freezing body. It hurt. No feeling in my fingers and toes. And the fear overwhelmed me for a moment that it'd be worse underwater and surfacing. If I made that far.

I looked past Harry to Cedric, he was bouncing on his heels to keep what little warmth he could, taking short glances at me. I gave him a nod, showing that we could do this. I assured that to myself in my head, needing it probably more than he did.

Dumbledore called for attention and before he finished, the canon echoed from the grey skies. And without thought or hesitation, I dove into the cold, wet abyss (shocked for a fraction at the frosty bite), pulling out my wand to cast the bubblehead charm. Then I made my way deeper into the treacherous depths to search for what was taken from me.

It was hard to navigate through the seaweed, but being out in the open was dangerous. Who knew what lurked this deep.

Farther and farther it became hard to swim as the temperature dropped. The stiffness in my limbs painful and exhausting. But I pushed on, trying to ignore my protesting, weak muscles.

Whispers echoed from all directions, I forced my paranoia down and continued. I spotted a dark blur not far from me. As I swam closer I saw that it was Harry. He had made it first. Closer and closer, I could start to make out what looked like ruins. The voices were more coherent, it was singing. I urged myself to move faster.

Then I saw them, all five lined in a row, tied by their ankles.

That's what we had to take. People close to us. It was very easy to point out who I was to bring back. He stood out as the tallest. The others being Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Cho Chang and Fleur's little sister.

I flicked out my wand and severed his bonds and gripped his waist. He was heavy and it was difficult to swim upward. Little by little the water became lighter and I could se the surface. I struggled to put more force into my puny strokes. I saw another shape making for the top, it was Cedric, with Cho. He surpassed me effortlessly then was out of sight. I kicked harder with my feet, determined to break for actual air.

Coughing and sputtering I took in a desperate breath and let go of George, who was now conscious and made for the middle of the three docks. Cheers resonated all around as both of us were hoisted from the lake and swallowed by blankets. Shuddering I looked to see Cedric stand with his friends, getting slaps on the back and congratulations. Cho stood a ways away from him.

Soon Krum emerged with Hermione and after Fleur, but she was alone. The French girl was teary eyed and covered in welts. Grendylows apparently got a hold of her. More time passed and no Harry. Everyone was frantic and impatient.

Then, Ron and the little girl surfaced. Where was he?

And just as the two reached the dock, Harry shot into the air and crashed into Moody and Cedric. The whole crowd roared.

Dumbledore called for silence in a deafening volume. "After much deliberation, we award first place to Cedric Diggory, for perfecting the bubblehead charm and reaching the docks first. Second place goes to both Miss Hainsworth and Mr. Potter. Her for surfacing second and him for his outstanding moral fiber, by trying to save not only his own but the others as well! Mr. Krum in third and Miss Delacor in last."

The applause was louder. George pinched my cheek and mussed my plastered mess of hair.

I smiled towards Cedric and he nodded back. A silent conversation passing between us. He knew I could do this. I think I was starting to believe him…