In One Moment

By MrsMoony

Disclaimer: All characters, situations, etc. are property of J. K. Rowling and I am making no profit on this.

A/N: This is basically a little mini-fic about Cho's experience during the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament

*

I grinned happily as I shuffled into the stands along with Marietta and my other friends. We were about to witness the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament, a competition that hadn't been held in hundreds of years. I was anxiously awaiting this event, and I really hoped that there would be a Hogwarts Victory. After all, we had excellent odds, since both Cedric and Harry were champions. Of course, I was rooting for Cedric in my heart, but I would still be glad if Harry got the cup.

Marietta brushed-off her seat, before sitting down, then said, "I wonder what the champions will have to do now."

"Probably something really exciting," I replied, "after all, it's the final task so they'll want it to be really memorable."

"I just hope it's not as boring as the last one." Marietta sighed.

I hadn't actually witnessed the Second Task, but it supposedly had been very boring. No one could see under the lake, so they had no idea what in Merlin's name was going on with the champions. I thought the task sounded interesting, though. Then again, I was tied underwater waiting to be rescued, so I suppose that it would be a little more exciting for me...

Marietta's face held a concerned look, "Hello? Are you listening to me? I was asking you who you think will win the cup."

Her worried voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I exclaimed, "Oh sorry!", feeling a small blush rise up into my cheeks. "I was just thinking about the Second Task."

"And how your Prince Charming saved you?" she inquired teasingly.

"Well…" I giggled, "Not exactly, but I suppose that was one of the highlights of the event…"

Marietta smiled, which I was glad for. She hadn't been very happy recently, especially because of her mother's extra work load. I supposed that the tournament probably took her mind off of how little time she spent with her mum.

"Anyway," she said, "I personally don't know what you could have enjoyed about the task, other than Cedric rescuing you. I mean, was it that exciting being trapped underwater?"

I knew that Marietta had never been very big on adventure, and that she'd much rather be watching something exciting than participating in it. "Well, it kind of was, but I was also unconscious so I didn't really see what was happening until the end." I now realized that I should probably change the topic. Marietta might not like adventure and action, but she had gotten jealous sometimes over all the attention that the Second Task had gotten me. I loved Marietta as if she was my sister, but her jealousy had gotten worse since her mum stopped spending time with her. Not that I blamed her, of course, though it got annoying at times. I said, "Anyways, my galleons are on Cedric for the cup. I suppose Harry might stand a change, though."

"What about that Beauxbatons girl?" Marietta asked.

"Oh, yes, that Fleur one…" I responded, "I don't think she'll win. She hasn't been doing that great of a job so far."

"Hm." She replied. "And, what about Viktor Krum?"

"He could win, I guess." I answered truthfully. "But unless the task has some flying aspect in it, I doubt it."

"Same." Marietta agreed, "He is a really good flyer, though."

"Oh, yes, he's an amazing seeker." I said excitedly. Marietta should know by now not to get me onto the topic of Quidditch, as I, like many other students, specifically purebloods, had a tendency to rabble on and on about the game as if my life revolved around it. "I still can't believe that you didn't want to go see the Quidditch World Cup with me, even if you did have all those homework assignments to catch-up on. It was an extraordinary sight …"

Marietta nodded as I talked about the World Cup with much enthusiasm. It might have been almost a year before, but the event had been unforgettable.

A few moments later, I felt Marietta nudge me and glance over at the tournament. The champions were getting ready to start the challenge. I quickly took my mind off of Quidditch, and focused all my attention on the Third Task.

Well, it turns out that Marietta's worries about the challenge being boring came true. It was very dull for everyone in the stands. We couldn't see the champions clearly, and couldn't even make out what they were doing. I'm almost positive that I had seen a few creatures somewhere within the maze, but I could be wrong.

One thing that I know I wasn't wrong about was the screams. Obviously, it was to be expected that there would be some screams from the champions, after all there were probably some pretty frightening things in that maze. Still, the yells hadn't sounded like those of someone who was afraid. They had sounded like a person in pain ...

The screams eventually died down, and the tournament seemed to resume, though I was frustrated that I still couldn't properly see what was going on in the maze. It had been a long time now, and I noticed that even the professors seemed to be getting worried. That was when I knew that something had happened. I leant forward and tapped the shoulder of the Hufflepuff boy in front of me.

"Excuse me," I asked quickly, "could I borrow your binoculars?"

He shrugged and handed them to me. He had been too busy doing what looked like a potions essay that was due weeks ago, anyway.

I immediately stood, and ignoring the protests of the people sitting directly behind me, I tried to focus the binoculars and find Cedric. Or Harry ... or anyone in the maze, for that matter ...

I looked for a few minutes, but I still couldn't see either of them. Viktor Krum and Fleur were both in the maze, as well as various professors who seemed to be even more worried than before.

It was then that I heard the shout. Some one a few rows down in the stands was also holding binoculars and pointing anxiously at the centre of the maze. I also looked over to there, along with all of the other spectators.

"What's going on?" Marietta whispered in my ear.

Beside the Triwizard Cup were Harry and Cedric. Harry was looking frantic, as though in need of great help. Cedric was lying on the ground ... motionless. I suppose that most people probably thought he just had the full body-bind on him, or something like that, but it wouldn't make sense for Harry to be so upset if that was the case. Glancing once again at the faces of the professors, I knew what had happened.

Cedric was dead.

In one moment, I knew that my life had changed forever.