well well well

Chapter 9

November 24th, 1994

The day of the first task, even the walls buzzed with excitement. Students swarmed the champions, squeezing their well wishes in between everyone else's and then turning to their friends to trade guesses like cards on what the first task would be. Surely the tournament would open with a bang—oh, but it had to be easy enough as the opening act. Surely this, surely that—it all made Cersei want to shut her dorm door and hide behind the daffodil curtains of her four-poster bed. The same questions pricked her brain like a thorned rose did careless fingers; blood beaded at her finger tips as her mind circled with thoughts of the tournament. She couldn't handle the subject with care.

At least not yet. Or ever. She didn't know.

Only Diana seemed to be in a talking mood that morning after Luka had painfully ignored Fleur, averting her gaze when the blonde was raising her hand to wave. Cersei wanted to ask what that was about, though the question died before it could fully form. Drowned in the sea of voices around her, reminding her once again what today was.

Thorns in her side. All of them.

Get yourself killed. It's none of my business.

The words tasted of regret more and more as the days had slipped away from that moment. She'd thought about apologizing, let herself agonize for a few seconds on the harshness of the entire argument, but apologizing meant admitting she was wrong and admitting she was wrong about this one thing gave way to too many other things she was wrong about and she couldn't do that.

Not while he was surrounded by adoring fans. Not while he pranced around with Cho Chang.

Merlin, was hating Cho petty? Yes.

Was it minuscule in comparison to her hatred for herself? Absolutely.

Following breakfast, Cersei floated between classes, skipping her last lecture entirely in exchange for a walk out on the Quidditch pitch. She needed the fresh air, free of everyone else's polluted breath, and the mere sight of the stands in the distance immediately helped relieve the pressure in her chest.

Stepping out onto the field, she closed her eyes. Took a deep breath.

The Quidditch pitch, always disturbed, full of distractions, was simply silent—for all of two seconds.

Not far off, someone was cursing. The lingering notes of a spell cast moments ago dying out. Cersei's honey-coloured eyes snapped open.

She squinted. Cedric?

His wand was trained on the ground and his free hand balled into a fist at his side. He was huffing, his shoulders tense and drawn back. Even from where she stood, she could see that anxious vein throbbing across his forehead.

"You alright?" she called out, taking thoughtless steps toward him.

He straightened, like a child caught by a parent, before taking in who she was. His shoulders tensed again, "Yes… yes. I'm practicing."

Only when she was close enough did she notice the stone—or what was a stone. It was caught mid-transfiguration, sprouting what looked to be a dog leg and ear.

"You're usually better than that," she remarked as the leg kicked pitifully.

He repressed the urge to roll his eyes, pausing before his quiet, "Thanks."

She bit down on the inside of her cheek. There she went again. Saying the wrong thing.

"That's not…" She exhaled. "How long have you been doing practicing for?"

"An hour, give or take." He sighed. "It's hard focusing when everyone else is around…"

She furrowed her brows for a moment. It was not lost on her that of all places he could've chosen to be alone, to take a breath, he found himself there.

As had she.

"You should take a break." The words rushed out of her the way water did broken faucets. "Maybe calm down a bit or you're just going to waste all your energy before the tournament even starts."

He blinked and met her gaze. His eyes still looked like storm clouds. Her jaw clenched. She crossed her arms over her stomach.

"I should go." She said, turning to leave. He didn't stop her and her chest tightened as the familiarity of the scene ripped open an old wound.

She swallowed thickly and stopped. She turned back in his direction.

"Cedric?"

He looked up, that anxious vein disrupting his smooth forehead again. "Er, what is it?"

"Good luck."

He softened. The vein relaxed. "Thanks."

The trio descended upon the edge of the Dark Forest, following the crowd towards the erected stands that hadn't even been there the day before. Bets were being placed left and right on which champion would come out on top, guesses made on what they had to conquer to move on. The predictions ranged from anything between dementors to trolls—most hinging on creatures that'd invaded the castle in the last three years. None of them felt correct. The people running the show had to be more creative than that.

"Cersei!" called someone from behind as the girls neared the base of the stands.

They slowed as Cersei looked over her shoulder to see Trisha Buttermere jogging over. She smiled. The fellow Hufflepuff was friendly enough.

"Hey!" Trisha said as she got closer. "Sorry to bother you like this, I was just…" she glanced around the area timidly. "I was wondering if you lot would sell me some of that good stuff. Thought the tournament would be even more fun a little stoned."

"Yeah, of course." Cersei dug into the inner pocket of her jacket and slid the baggie into Trisha's hand, swapping it for her galleons. "Careful not to get caught."

"I wouldn't dare." The girl fell back, rejoining her friends.

"We should find a way to make Magic Cap more discreet," Luka mentioned offhandedly. "Smoke draws too much attention."

Cersei nodded as they began their steady climb to the top. The stairs were always so steep at this bloody school.

It certainly didn't help that with every step she took, the more weighed down she felt by her looming anxieties and when the arena opened up before them, the rocky terrain she was immediately met with did not do well to quell any of it. What the hell were they putting the champions through?

"Oi! You three! Over here!"

Only a few feet away surrounded by a sea of red flags were the twins. They waved their arms, one of them beckoning the trio over.

A questioning glance was shared between the three girls. Sitting with the twins at lunch to discuss business or chatting at parties was one thing, but being called to sit with them? Amongst other Gryffindors? Now that was a development.

Diana led the way, stopping at the mouth of the row only to grab Luka by the collar and shove her forward.

"What the fuck was that for?"

"Keep moving."

A realization seemed to dawn on Luka. Her dark eyes widened in panic and she tried to fight her way behind the girls.

"No! You can't—You can't make me—Merlin, bloody fuck, you twats, let me through!"

"Cersei, help me!"

"I'll kill you!"

It was only the growing attention that made Luka relent. She stared down at her feet, marching to her seat beside George—Cersei assumed it was George at least—in utter defeat as eyes lingered on the trio. Cersei squinted back at as many people as possible, asking without having to ask what the hell they were looking at. She even dared to shoot the same look towards Professor Snape—though he seemed more preoccupied with the twins than the girls.

"I know I handle dung bombs, but I don't think I smell like one." George said as everyone settled in their seats.

"No! It's just…" Luka's face reddened. Any excuse fell flat. "I swear you smell alright."

He laughed just as the announcer cleared his throat. "Well that's good to know, I suppose."

The first task was officially beginning and Cersei, with all her nerves, barely paid attention to what was being said. She waited. Her focus trained on the gates bound to open and let loose whatever was hidden behind it.

The steel bars yawned. Out from the dark, claws shot out, dug into the rock and nostrils flared, huffing out smoke.

The first task was facing a dragon.

And the first champion up was Cedric.

Cersei watched as he stepped out into the arena. His stance too tense. His hold on his wand too firm. The same way he stood out on the Quidditch pitch only hours ago.

The dragon roared over the cheering of the crowd, a stream of its wild fire heating the chill November air for the briefest of moments.

It reared its ugly head. Stomped its scaly feet. Followed Cedric with its beady eyes as he tried to get closer.

And with all its ferocity, the dragon descended upon him.

He came in fourth and walked away with a burnt face. Watching it happen had left her with a pit in her stomach, she was hardly up for a common room party. If that was the first task, what was ahead? She didn't know. All she knew was that the one thing she wanted to do was see how he was doing. From afar.

Everyone wanted a piece of Hufflepuff's champion. The Golden Boy.

On the way back to the castle, the twins had offered a necessary distraction.

"We'll take you through a passage out to Hogsmeade," One of them said. "Hufflepuff will need to drown their sorrows."

"How much firewhiskey do you need to forget coming in last?"

How much to forget in general?

Diana didn't show up for the unsanctioned trip to Hogsmeade, leaving Cersei and Luka to venture off with the twins on their own. It wasn't a big deal. To Cersei.

"She's not telling us something." Luka insisted as they followed the twins back to the castle. Bottles clinked in everyone's arms. Their feet tapping rhythmically against the worn stone steps of the passageway.

"Maybe she just didn't feel like coming with us."

Luka seemed to consider the idea, remembering the many times Diana retreated to her dorm for her necessary alone time.

Still, she shook her head. "No, I'm telling you. She's hiding something."

"Hiding what?" one of the twins interrupted.

"Yeah, what?" the other added.

Cersei squinted in the dim light trying to make out details, but her efforts were futile. No matter how many times her friends had tried to explain the differences, her brain still hadn't caught on and if it were difficult in broad daylight, it was impossible when she could barely see them at all.

"That's the point." Luka said, slightly annoyed at her unknowing. "She hasn't told us."

"Got any guesses?"

"Yes."

"Care to share with the class?"

"No, but I'll let you know if I'm right."

Light poured in from the small crack in the entryway as they approached the end of the passage. One of the twins poked their head out, the silence thickening before the whispered, "Clear."

And one by one, they followed each other out into a corridor on the seventh floor and worked to shut the door disguised as a wall together. The heavy stone yawned in resistance until it clicked closed.

They remained still, listening for the drop of a pin, and in the distance, there it was. The shouts of an angry janitor.

"Shit, shit, shit, Filch—run!"

They took off down the hall. Their feet a drumline. The bottles wind chimes in their arms as they skated around a corner.

"Over there!" Luka whisper-shouted, lagging behind. "Out of the way! Alohomora!"

The door noiselessly opened as they slowed, sliding right in and frantically closing the door behind them.

Nobody moved. They listened to the sounds of Filch's hurried steps coming closer. Cersei held her breath as they stopped right outside the door. She could almost feel the janitor's tired pants on her skin, the twitch of his fingers on his keys as he watched the doorknob. She shivered, the bottles in her arms clinking. Her eyes widened, mouthing an oops. One of the twins snorted.

And above their heads, as Filch's footsteps carried off down the hall, a floorboard creaked. A whisper echoed around them.

They looked between each other, questions floating silently from every flick of their eyes.

Think it's a teacher?

Maybe some students.

Should we check?

Luka and one of the twins were the first to move towards the stairs, deciding for the group. They paused only for her to motion for the twin to take the lead.

The stairs complained under the weight of them, forming an ugly symphony of aged wood sinking and the twins shouting taunts to whoever was at top.

"We know you're there!" one sang out.

"We're coming to get you!" the other harmonized.

Cersei shook her head, "Climb faster!"

Luka sighed. "I suppose nobody remembers Filch was on our tail just now."

The twin walking between the two girls hollered, "OI!"

"George!" she hissed, turning her head back; trying and failing to stifle her laughter before tripping on the last step and nearly dropping a bottle on the open floor. "Shit."

Moonlight poured over the balconies of the empty Astronomy Tower. There were so many parts of the castle Cersei had never seen peaceful. The chaos of students and teachers and ghosts was always so persistent, it was easy to forget how comfortable she was in an uninhabited room.

"That's odd…" Luka mumbled, walking around the room. She peered around corners, the twins following suit. "I could've sworn—I mean we all heard—" she stopped suddenly. "—Oh my Merlin, I fucking knew it."

Cersei moved from her fixed spot by the stairs. "What?"

The Ravenclaw stared wide-eyed, seemingly conscious once again of her company. "N-Nothing."

The twins gathered closer.

"Move it, Dyer. Let us see who it is."

"It's nothing—it's no one."

But tucked away in shadowed corner was not no one.

No, tucked away in a shadowed corner were Diana and Draco Malfoy.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

me: says ill post more frequently

also me: didnt do that [insert clown emoji]

ANYWAYS, i'm not here to make a promise to write more frequently but i will say no matter how long i'm gone, i swear i'm not abandoning this fic. i love it too much.

as always tho, leave thoughts. we're really jumping into the shit from here on out.