Chapter 3 We Can Work it Out

It wasn't until that Thursday, three days after Cedric had told Gabrielle about his entry into the Triwizard Tournament that she realized what an utter fool she was being. Ignoring the messages he sent flying across the Great Hall at supper, practically racing through the halls from class to class so as not to bump into him, and generally avoiding him at all costs weren't exactly the actions of a supportive girlfriend. So when she had awoke that morning to the patter of rain upon her dormitory window, Gabrielle had instantly decided that she needed to make it up to him. As she stared up at the blue bed curtains surrounding her, she sighed against the heaviness in her heart. Cedric didn't deserve this, she thought. And she didn't deserve him for that matter.

Amid her self-deprecating thoughts, Gabrielle was suddenly struck with a solution. A smile began to creep slowly across her face; she threw off the quilts from her bed in a blur, leapt down and raced to her bathroom. After a quick shower, she flung open the doors to her wardrobe. Grabbing her uniform quickly, she managed to drop her shoes as she juggled everything in her arms. It landed on the ground with a loud smack. Gabrielle smiled, as she carried it over and threw it all down on her bed. That was the great thing about being Head Girl; not only did she get her own dormitory, but she could be as loud as she wanted, which she usually was in the morning.

As she sifted through the pile of clothing, Gabrielle's breath was suddenly sucked from her lungs. She stopped, clutching her chest as a strange feeling stirred within her. Her heartbeat became irregular, her breathing frantic and labored, and she felt faint. Tremors ran up and down her entire body, as her eyes searched her room for a spare bottle of her calming tonic.

Gabrielle's chest seemed to be getting tighter by the second. She flung open the drawer to her nightstand, sifting through the notebooks, quills, candles, and her wand that lay inside. No sign of a single vial. Gasping for air, Gabrielle could only fall to her hands and knees at the foot of her bed.

As the icy pain, stronger than ever before, jolted her to the very core, tears trickled down from her eyes to the floor. Begging for it to end, for the pain to subside, Gabrielle surprised herself amidst the agony when she began to call out for someone she hadn't expected to.

"Mother...mum, please. Please make it stop!"

Then it was over. The anxious pain she felt in the moment before was gone before she could draw another shaky breathe. Her eyes shot open, met with the sight of the blue fibers of her rub. They strained against their stitching and Gabrielle realized her fingers were tangled in them, ripping them apart.

Slowly, she pushed herself off the floor. Wiping the tears from her eyes, she couldn't help the soft whimper that escaped her lips. It was getting worse; her episodes had been at least controllable and she had prevented anyone except Cedric and Naomi from knowing. But this?

Peeling off her nightgown, she slid her arms through the loops of her bra, reaching behind to clasp it in the back. Her shirt, skirt, Ravenclaw tie and jumper were quickly slipped on, now in a mad dash. At her mirror, Gabrielle smoothed her long hair into a low ponytail and placed the ivory headband her grandmother had given her on top. She frowned at her reflection. Unfortunately, Cedric would have to wait, at least until afterwards.

As she raced down the steps of from the Ravenclaw tower, she nearly plowed through a group of first-years. Yelling an apology to the befuddled bunch, she continued on her way, not stopping until she reached the gargoyle that stood on the seventh floor.

Glancing from side to side, Gabrielle made sure no one was in sight before she spoke firmly to the stone creature.

"Pumpkin Pasties."

The gargoyle gave her a quick wink before he leapt aside to reveal a long spiraling staircase. Stepping upon the first stair, Gabrielle sighed as she began to move up and up. When she got to the large wooden door at the very top, she hesitated, her fist inches away from knocking. She took a moment to compose herself, to gather all her thoughts. Gabrielle finally brought her fingers down upon the door in a soft knock. After a moment, the door opened with a large creek and she entered.

The ticking and clinking of hundreds of tiny objects meet her ears, but she ignored the usual curiosity that she was always filled with when she entered this room. On any other day she would have loved to examine each new item that he had acquired, which always seemed to come attached with an interesting story. However, today she couldn't pause to indulge her silly interests. Walking the few steps into the main office, Gabrielle waited by the large desk. She clicked her tongue nervously as she traced the intricate design of the desktop with the tip of her index finger.

She was making the third loop around the wing of the carved image of a phoenix when she heard the door in of the living quarters open. A fiery, blazing bird flew out of the opened door. It glided the short distance before gracefully landing on its perch beside the desk.

Gabrielle grinned up at the rare, utterly beautiful bird.

"Good Morning, Fawkes."

The phoenix gave a soft squawk, bowing his head down in its own greeting. Gabrielle reached up to stroke the soft feathers.

"Fawkes looks rather forward to your visits. I could always sense that he'd taken quite a liking to you early on."

The soft, misty voice of Albus Dumbledore drifted down from the top of the stairs leading to his chambers.

"Perhaps it was the sunflower seeds I always had stuffed in my pockets," Gabrielle said with a smirk.

Dumbledore chuckled softly as he too glided down into his office. Gabrielle looked down to the ground, suddenly not being able look into his sparkling eyes. His midnight blue robes swished as he came to the last step and made his way over to his desk. Though she hadn't the courage to look up yet, she could sense that he was studying her over his crescent shaped spectacles.

Perching himself upon the corner of his desk, Dumbledore chuckled once more. "To what does Fawkes owe for this wonderful visit? It is not everyday that a lovely young lady comes to see him."

Gabrielle blushed, finally looking up into her Headmaster's face. Dumbledore's soft smile always made her whole day much brighter. Yet, today was different. And Dumbledore could sense this, she knew. The look in his eyes told her that, despite his warm smile, he knew something was not right with her.

"I…I had a bad morning."

Dumbledore's smile faltered the slightest fraction.

"How bad, my dear?"

Gabrielle looked down once more, unable to meet his kind gaze.

"Worse than ever before. It wasn't a full-blown episode, but something very different. Shortness of breath, irregular heart rhythm and I almost fainted. All abnormal….well, abnormal as far as my condition goes."

"Gabrielle, my dear, do you not think it was merely a dizzy spell? Everyone is prone to those, especially under some of the stress you are under. Have you eaten yet today?"

"No, I haven't. But I know what a fainting spell is like, and believe me, this wasn't one of them. My episodes have been getting more intense, and I've been experiencing these smaller spells, something that never happened before."

"How long has your condition been progressing in this manner?" Dumbledore said his tone suddenly very serious.

Gabrielle looked up to meet his eyes. The sparkle was gone, replaced with just a fierce stare. She gulped, because she knew that when his expression became grave, Albus Dumbledore was no nonsense.

"Six months, sir."

Dumbledore's lips tightened and he exhaled in a strong huff.

"Gabrielle Elyse Ravencroft. Did it ever occur to you in those six months that if the condition you've had since your birth had been progressively worsening that you may want to tell your father or me? I was under the impression that you knew better than that."

"Well, my father hasn't exactly been around in those six months."

Dumbledore sighed, pushing himself off of the desk. Eva immediately felt ashamed.

Ignoring her comment, Dumbledore simply continued, though his voice was calmer.

"In my heart, I always feared one day you would come into my office telling me that your problems had intensified. When we discovered it so early on, your parents and I had hoped that it would not extend beyond your occasional but no less horrible episode. And that, in time, we might find a cure, or at the very least, ways of diminishing its intensity."

"You mean you all thought even then that I would become more ill?"

Dumbledore, who had been wandering around his office as he spoke, spun around to face her again. His expression was pained.

"I am afraid so, my dear. The nature of your illness—that it is so rare and so completely unfamiliar—made us fear the worse. I apologize, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle shook her head.

"What can I do, Professor? What can be done?"

"First of all, my dear, you must remember this: you are not alone. Your father, your grandparents and I will help you in any way we can."

Dumbledore placed his hands upon her shoulders.

She couldn't help but gulp away her fear, or at least the uncomfortable lump that had formed in her throat.

Dumbledore, of course, sensed her sudden apprehension.

"Do not fret. Though we have only a little information, we do have information. And now that your condition has extended, even though it is not in the manner we would have desired, it will serve as a catalyst for more research that can only lead to more answers. I believe this time around however, you will be a more active participant than you were when you were just a child."

Gabrielle's eyes widened.

"But, where will we start?"

Dumbledore's smile lit up once again.

"Well, I always thought the beginning was a wonderful place to start. You shall begin by coming to my office every Thursday morning, like today, as well as whenever you have an attack. You and I will pour over ever book in the library if we must, but I promise you an answer. Well, permitting Madam Pince doesn't shut us out first."

The young girl's smile fell suddenly. Albus Dumbledore was a very busy man. Not only did he have the running of Hogwarts, but the pressure of the Triwizard Tournament this year as well. Why must she add her illness to his already full plate?

"What is it, my dear?"

"I'm sorry, Professor."

"Whatever for?"

"For being such a burden, all my life. You never asked to be troubled with the problems of a silly girl."

Dumbledore smiled and stood before her.

"You are first and foremost, my goddaughter. And the day you came into the world was one of the best of my long life. You could never be a burden, because when you love someone, you love them completely. Flaws and all. I would do anything in my power to help you."

The old man stepped forward and embraced his goddaughter, who nearly crumpled in his arms. Fighting back tears, she whispered her thanks into his robes, which made him chuckle. Dumbledore rubbed her back softly in order to soothe.

"Have I come at a bad time, Headmaster?"

The low, silky voice that came from behind them broke the moment. Pulling away from her godfather's soothing embrace, Gabrielle turned to see the tall, dark form of her Potions professor. Standing just at the entrance of the atrium to Dumbledore's office, Professor Snape stared up at the from behind dark strands of his hair. His pitch black robes draped down from his arms, creating a definite sense of mystery and intimidation. Gabrielle backed away from Dumbledore, but couldn't seem to tear her eyes away from Snape's gaze. On any other day, she would have instantly bowed her head, staring at the floor than at her professor. Yet, something in his eyes made her confused. His usual cold black eyes were now full of life. A twinge of sadness, and….longing? But in an instant the look was gone.

Snape cleared his throat, finally breaking Gabrielle from her thoughts. She fought the urge to physically shake her head to clear its unbelievable notions. She really needed to get a handle on her illness; it was getting so dire, that she was now imagining things.

Dumbledore smiled.

`"Severus, not at all; Gabrielle and I were just discussing our favorite recreational items of Zonko's Joke Shop. It seems she prefers Screaming Yo-Yos to the Ever Bashing Boomerangs. I myself have always enjoyed the merriment that can be found with the Fanged Frisbees."

Gabrielle snorted a little, much to the pleasure of Dumbledore whose smile widened. Snape frowned and began his way over to them.

"As stimulating as this conversation must have been," he said, walking straight past the girl, "I wonder if I might interrupt."

"Of course you may, Severus," Dumbledore said, gesturing to the chair facing his desk.

"Please have a seat."

Snape gave a sideways glance to Gabrielle.

"Might we converse in private, Headmaster?"

Instantly taking her cue, Gabrilele snatched her bag from the chair that she set it in when Fawkes had crooned for her attention.

"Thank you, Professor Dumbledore," she said with an earnest smile.

With a nod at Professor Snape, which wasn't returned, Gabrielle quickly jogged down the steps towards the door.

"Have a wonderful day, my dear," Dumbledore called after as she disappeared into the hall.

Just outside the door, Gabrielle managed to trip over her own feet, making her books tumble from her bag. She sighed and bent down to retrieve them when Snape's voice crept out of the office door that was still slightly ajar.

Straining to hear, she was only able to catch the last part of his words.

"… then tell me what you are planning. I think I deserve at least that."

"I have no doubt that you should deserve it, considering your role in this matter. However, it will not occur for a several months, and your time will come. All will be revealed, even to me, because despite what you may believe, I haven't discovered the true meaning of this."

There was a pause before Snape replied.

"Perhaps…it would be best to make attempts to stop it from occurring at all, rather that taking the pains to foster it."

"We have been over this more times than I care to, Severus. Nothing must be altered. Or it may mean the doom of us all."

Feeling exceptionally guilty for lingering by the door, Gabrielle suddenly scooped up her fallen books and quills without bothering to replace them in her bag. She hopped on the descending stairs and all but sprinted towards the library.

She watched Cedric making his way down the corridor from her seat upon the window sill. His expression was horrible. It appeared to anyone who cared to look that Cedric had just suffered a terrible loss in Quidditch or something. Twinges of pain in her heart from the sight nearly made her jump down from her perch and gather him in a gigantic embrace. Sighing, she fingered the small object in her robe pocket as he drew nearer. Finally, he looked up and saw her standing there. He gave her a nervous half-smile and made his way towards her.

"Hi," he said a bit shyly.

"Hello," she replied.

"How are you feeling?"

Cedric cleared his throat.

"Fine, I suppose. A bit nervous, but fine."

She smiled, trying to make him see.

"I imagine you would be."

There was an awkward moment of silence that passed between them, before she groaned.

"Listen, Cedric. I was an utter moron the other night, and I wanted to say I am really sorry."

"It wasn't your fault, you're just worried about me and I…"

"No, please. Please, don't say that, I don't deserve that."

Cedric frowned, his brow knotting up. It upset him when she said things like that.

"I flew off the handle and didn't really give you a chance to explain. And yes, I was really worried, because Dumbledore had said that these tasks are extremely dangerous. But, the way I've dealt with the situation was completely out of line."

A soft smile slipped across Cedric's face and he placed his own hands on either side of her waist. A bold move in front of students and faculty alike, but Gabrielle didn't care. She actually relished in that fact that he seemed to be willing to forgive her. It also didn't hurt that she secretly enjoyed it when he was so forward with her.

"This tournament," she said, "is something you really want to do?"

Cedric nodded his head firmly only once.

"Yes. It really is."

"Then, I'm behind you one hundred percent of the way."

Daring to be bold herself for once, Gabrielle swiftly dug her fingers into his hair and pulled him down to her lips. She could tell that Cedric was initially surprised by her sudden kiss, but he quickly tightened his grasp on her middle. However, nothing could have prepared him for Gabrielle's velvet tongue slipping slowly across his lips. He moaned at the sensation, making Gabrielle smile against his lips. Gaining entrance, their tongues met in long, slow strokes. Cedric's fingers went down her spine, sending delicious chills through Gabrielle's whole body.

Breaking away finally, the couple gasped for much needed air. Cedric stared down at her with a lazy grin, letting his forehead rest against hers as his chest heaved.

"We should get into it more often. The makeup is well worth the trouble."

Gabrielle flushed and giggled.

"Well, if that wasn't enough to show you how sorry I am, than perhaps this will."

Reaching in to her robes, Gabrielle took his hand and laid a round silver globe, no bigger than a Snitch, in his palm. It clicked and tinkled in his hand, revolving around to show the positions of tiny stars, moons and planets. Cedric gawked at it, than looked into his girlfriend's smiling brown eyes.

"Is…is this a…"

"A lunascope, yes. It is perfect for any wizard flying his broomstick around at night who doesn't want to lose his way."

Cedric gawked at the tiny contraption.

"But these run close to 50 galleons! You shouldn't have spent some much of your money on me!"

Gabrielle blushed, biting her bottom lip.

"Well, technically I didn't. It belonged to my mother."

Cedric's face became suddenly very serious. He placed the clicking lunascope quickly back in her hand, gently closing her fingers around it.

"You can't give me this, Gabrielle. The fact that we are alright again is more than enough for me. Plus, you shouldn't give away one of few things you have of your mothers."

"Cedric, please take it. I have a whole house filled with my mother's things at my fathers, and my grandparents have every type of childhood possession she had at their house in Tuscany. Believe me, I will not be lacking in items my mother might have touched, held or simply passed by in her entire lifetime. I want you to have this…from me."

Cedric looked at her disbelievingly for a long time. So long, that Gabrielle started to squirm a little under his serious gaze. Come on, she thought. It wasn't as though she just gave him a sack of rubies or something. Gabrielle swallowed, looking down at the ground at her nervously tapping foot.

Slipping his fingers under her chin, Cedric lifted her head, but before she could look into his eyes their lips met once more. This time, their kiss was slow. Their hands entwined in one another's hair, their lips pressing passionately. As they pulled away, Cedric pulled her into a warm embrace. Heaving a sigh, she rested her face against his robes. He placed a soft kiss against her head, inhaling the scent of her hair and closing his eyes.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Beaming from ear to ear, she murmured against his Hufflepuff badge.

"Thank you for putting up with my silliness. And I do trust your judgment; Naomi and I'll be there in the front row, face paint and all."

"Thank you," he repeated, rubbing her back in a sign of his sincerity.

"Oh, Merlin's granddad's soggy, sweaty trousers I am nervous!"

Gabrielle scrunched up her nose and guffawed at Naomi's particularly vulgar exclamation.

"Well, you certainly get points for variation of the phrase."

Naomi and Gabrielle were making their way down the crowded aisle between the Gryffindor and Hufflepuff tables in the Great Hall. They had decided to sit together in the back where two of the long tables had been transfigured into small stands. How they were going to manage to get there before all the seats were taken was a mystery to Gabrielle. She groaned as a large group of fourth year Slytherins cut in front of them. This was, however, a little more of a problem for Naomi whom she followed closely behind. Slytherins, especially the younger annoying ones, were on her list of people she wouldn't think twice about hexing tails to sprout out of their bums.

She practically growled.

"Damn little cunts!"

Gabrielle seemed to sense him before she actually heard his low voice. The tiny hairs on the back of her neck stood straight up and she froze.

"Miss Ravencroft," Snape hissed.

Gulping down her fear, Gabrielle turned around to come face to face with a fuming Professor Snape who glared daggers at her. He crossed his arms about his chest dangerously, his robes brushing the bottom of her skirt.

"Five points from Ravenclaw and a detention for your foul mouth!"

Gabrielle gaped at him.

"I…but…sir…I didn't..."

"Do not bumble and stammer on like a fool, Miss Ravencroft. It isn't very becoming."

Her mouth snapped shut, but she could hear Naomi grumbling behind her.

"Tomorrow night, my office at eight o'clock. Don't be late!"

And with that, Snape swept passed the two gaping teenage girls. Gabrielle watched him with misting eyes make a beeline for the staff table.

"Gabrielle, I am so sorry, I…"

"Save it," she murmured, pushing past the Slytherins.

"Let's just sit down."

Gabrielle plopped herself down, not looking at Naomi as the poor girl sat down slowly beside her. She loved Naomi better than any sister could, but she could be so impulsive and even vulgar at times. Gabrielle couldn't stand it, especially when it got them in so much trouble. Like now, when Gabrielle had received detention and Naomi just stood behind her, as silent as bloody mouse.

Ignoring Naomi's guilty glances, Gabrielle looked back up at the staff table. Professor Flitwick, one of her favorite people on the face of the earth, was standing up by the podium. He looked quite dashing, his hand in his waistcoat and a small chalice of elf-made wine in his other. Flitwick was glancing about the busy crowd with a warm grin on his aged face. McGonagall was carrying on a conversation with the humongous Madame Maxime of the Beauxbatons Academy. Traveling down the line, Gabrielle noted Hagrid's lovesick glances he was clearly sending in Maxime's direction.

Suddenly, she stared into two black orbs that were looking at her with a piercing stare. Her heart thumped hard against her rib cage as the same strange look Professor Snape had given in Dumbledore office early that day had reemerged. Swallowing a lump that had formed in her throat, she found it hard to look away. Her cheeks reddened and her heart almost stopped when she thought that his eyes began to drift down the rest of her body. Blinking as her eyes began to sting, she looked back with teary eyes at Snape. In a split second, he was not looking at her, but glaring down a group of unruly Hufflepuffs. Gabrielle turned away and stared down at her folded hands that lay in her lap. Why was her mind playing such unbelievable games on her?

"Hi, Gabrielle."

Gabrielle looked up to see Harry Potter sitting down on the other side of her.

"Hello, Harry," she said before she saw the smiling faces of Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley following close behind.

"How are you, Hermione?"

Hermione's face lit up.

"Just fine, and yourself?"

"Alright. Okay, Ron?"

Ron smirked, nodding in her direction.

"Hey."

"Sit down please," the stern voice of Albus Dumbledore sounded clearly throughout the Great Hall.

"And now the moment you've all been waiting for, the champion selection!"

The whole room grew silent instantaneously. Hundreds of eyes became fixed upon the blue flame that danced above the enormous goblet of stone. Dumbledore slowly stalked forward towards it, and within a matter of seconds, the blue flame turned red. It started roaring and spitting red sparks. Dumbledore stretched out his hand to shield his eyes. With a resounding crack, a small parchment shot out of the flame and drifted gently into Dumbledore's palm. Stilling smoking quite a bit, the headmaster carefully unfolded the scrap and gazed down upon the writing.

"The Durmstrang champion is…Viktor Krum!"

A burst of cheers erupted in the room. Krum, looking quite happy for someone who usually had a blank stare etched across his features, jogged over towards Dumbledore. Shaking his hand, Gabrielle smirked as she noticed her godfather flex his sore fingers after Krum disappeared into a small passageway.

"Way to go, Meathead!" Naomi whispered, and for a moment Gabrielle forgot her anger and chuckled.

Again, the blue flame turned red and another, more delicate parchment floated down.

"The champion from Beauxbatons…Fleur Delacour!"

Another round of cheers went up, although this time around they consisted more of soft squeals and giggles rather than loud grunts and yelps. After Fleur glided across the room towards the passageway, the blue flame sprang to life again. This is it, Gabrielle thought to herself as she dug her fingernails into the material of her skirt.

"The Hogwarts champion…Cedric Diggory!"

There was a ringing in her ears, and she didn't quite hear the loud cheers that went up in the Great Hall. Despite her assurances to him, she had still held onto the glimmer of hope that he wouldn't be chosen. But as she saw Cedric rise from the table across from her, shaking hands and receiving congratulations, all her wishes were left unheard. She let out her breath and put on a smile. Cedric seemed to make a sudden detour right over towards her, which did lighten the weight on her heart a little. Reaching out, she took his hand. He was probably caught up in the moment, but he tugged on her slightly to place a kiss on her cheek.

As he pulled back from the kiss, he whispered in her ear something that made Gabrielle's heart stop pounding in her chest completely.

"I love you."

Gabrielle's eyes grew round, but she managed to maintain her smile, as Cedric turned away swiftly. She watched him as he shook Dumbledore's hand, the older man patting him warmly upon the back.

What had he said? Had she misheard him?

As Cedric disappeared through the same door both Krum and Fleur had moment before, Gabrielle swallowed. She looked to the side to see whether Naomi had heard, but she was talking to Fred Weasley. Looking down at her hands, she frowned. They were trembling fiercely. Once again, Mr. Diggory had caught her very much off her guard.

She was so completely lost in her thoughts that she jumped when she heard Dumbledore's booming voice rise up in the crowd once more.

"Excellent! We now have our three champions!" he said before his face turned quite solemn.

"But in the end only one will go down in history."

Sighing, Gabrielle looked up at the front of the Great Hall once more. Mr. Crouch, a department head in the Ministry, was hoisting a large object onto a platform near Dumbledore's podium. Whatever it was had been placed under a veil.

"Only one," Dumbledore continued, "will hoist this chalice of champions, this vessel of victory…the Triwizard Cup!"

The veil suddenly flew up into the air, revealing a beautiful blue and silver cup. It glowed softly against the candles of the Great Hall. Gabrielle became transfixed by it, as everyone else cheered and whooped in excitement. But, the blue glow suddenly turned red, and Gabrielle realized as she turned back to the Goblet of Fire that the flames had come alive once again. Dumbledore must have as well, because as the crowds still applauded, he inched towards it with a confused look in his eyes. Then the flames roared. Hundreds of gasps erupted in the room, as another parchment shot out from the flames and floated down to Dumbledore. He didn't reach for it at first, simply staring up at the smoking piece of paper. Then, like lightening, Dumbledore snatched it in mid-air. Naomi turned to give Gabrielle a quizzical look, as though she would have an answer but she merely shook her head. She definitely had no clue what was going on.

Dumbledore stared down upon the name, and Gabrielle nearly gasped at how his face suddenly became quite pale.

"Harry Potter," he murmured.

"Harry Potter?"

Gabrielle's eyes widened and she looked to the boy sitting next to her.

"What the bloody hell….."

"HARRY POTTER!"