The next morning, I went down to the Great Hall for breakfast, but barely ate, my mind still reeling from the thought of Pansy and Draco.

Cedric saw me and walked over.

"Let's go talk." he suggested, holding out his hand. I felt the tears pushing their way to the front of my eyes, but I pushed them back and took his hand.

"Yesterday…I didn't see you. I gave Harry a hint for the egg, but when I asked about you, he said you weren't there. I saw Draco. What happened between you two?"

Cedric was truly smart. "I don't know. He escorted Pansy…Pansy Parkinson." I stuttered her name.

"That wretch?" he asked in disbelief.

"Oh 'Nise. Come here." He held open his arms and I went into his embrace.

"I think he broke up with me on Christmas Eve- at our gift exchange." I explained Draco's actions and how I received a teardrop…raindrop…whichever.

He said nothing, he just held me close and I put my arms around him too.

I breathed in the scent of him, and I felt his breath on my head.

"I'll always be here when you need me 'Nise."

I smiled. "So…figure out the 2nd task yet?" I pulled away and wiped my tears with the back of my sleeve.

He went on to explain how he had and how he'd given Harry a hint. And we talked, on our way to our next class.

A few days later, I saw Professor McGonagall taking Cho somewhere.

"Denise Diggory." she gasped as I passed, I slowed to a stop.

"Yes?" I raised an eyebrow.

"Can you come with me please?"

"Sure…why not." I shrugged, I hadn't done anything wrong.

"Cho, you may go about your schedule- excuse me for wasting your time."

I was taking Cho's place for what?

I waved at her as I walked with McGonagall down the hall, in an effort to say I was fine.

She smiled slightly and waved back.

"Professor, tomorrow is the second event- and I have to support Harry and Cedric."

"Exactly, you're part of the challenge."

"Excuse-" I started.

Then everything went dark.

…...

I awoke as my head broke water.

I spit out the lake water from my mouth and looked around, everyone was surrounding it. Cedric was next to me, and I looked confused at him,

"You okay?" he asked, as we paddled to the dock.

"I feel fine…why?"

We climbed out of the water, Cedric let me climb up the ladder first. Madam Pomfrey smothered us in blankets and hot cocoa.

Cedric went on to tell me the tale. How I was tied in the kingdom of the Merpeople at the bottom of the lake.

"Funny thing, originally it was Cho- your girlfriend- who was the hostage. But McGonagall saw me and saw a better fit for you…so…here we are." I snuggled into the blanket wrapped around my shoulders and sipped my hot drink.

Soon after, Krum arrived with Hermione and Hermione came to talk with me. Fleur paced the dock, scared. Her sister was down there.

"Can you imagine?" I whispered to Cedric.

"In her place?" he caught my eye and looked at her. "I'd be 10000x worse. I'd have jumped back- something is better then nothing."

"Aw, that's cute." I snuggled up to him, hoping Draco saw how happy I was.

"You're my sister- my best friend. I'd die for you."

"As I, you." I stated matter-o-factly.

I waited, looking at the water for Harry and Ron. Finally three heads popped up. Them, and Gabrielle Delacour; Fleur's kid sister.

Ron, Harry, Hermione and I all chatted, but I drifted off to talk with Cedric.

It was over for now. The last task was June 24th, four months away. No one was hurt. I was starting to feel confident about this Tournament, and hopefully Harry and Cedric did too, with them tied for first.

I felt like I had missed so much- but I was touched to be the person Cedric would've "missed most."

I saw Draco walking with Pansy and I was glad he had momentarily been a ferret, that Harry with his invisibility cloak in Hogsmeade had attacked him, that Moody had put the spider on Malfoy's face when he taught the three forbidden curses. I may have heard it secondhand, but the picture was vivid enough.

It felt good now. I only had to completely break it off with him.

So on the next Hogsmeade visit, I tagged along and Ginny hung out with me.

"It's good to have time to just hang out. I'm always with the older crowd." I laughed, walking down the street, with Ginny shivering next to me.

"Yeah…can we go into the Three Broomsticks? I'm kind of f…f…freezing." her teeth chattered.

"Right." We made a sharp right and went into the already crowded pub.

Ginny ordered us hot cocoas and butterbeers. One each.

I saw Draco with Crabbe and Goyle getting up from their table. My eyes flashed to him as he exited the joint.

"I'll…I'll be right back. There's something I…need to take care of. My earrings turned black and my locket- I completely ignored. I played with the clasp on my charm bracelets as I followed Draco down the street.

"Draco!" I called out.

He turned and I stomped over, undoing the clasp on the bracelet in the process.

I threw it at him and he surprised, let it fall.

He looked down at it, and made no attempt to reach down and get it.

"We're over. Have fun with Pansy, weakling. Like you." I wanted to say more, but a lump formed in my throat. "Cheater." I whispered and jogged away, almost running. As I opened the door to the Three Broomsticks and paused for a second, to see out of the corner of my eye that Draco slowly reached down and picked up the bracelet. He felt each charm and I saw his Adam's apple bob, a lump in his own throat forming.

Serves him right, I nodded and entered, going back to Ginny who was waiting with our drinks that had recently arrived. Something inside me though, in the back of my mind, felt pity for Draco. But I got over it- or pushed it aside.

And I sipped my butterbeer nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened, but Ginny eyed my bracelet-free wrist with hesitation. I'd never taken it off in the past…three years and now it was gone. It was like a part of me. But that part of me was now my past.