A/N: Thank-you for the reviews.
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter
Dedication: To everybody.
I ended up falling back asleep. When I woke up, there was a small pile of presents on the foot of my bed. Glancing at the clock at my bedside table, I saw it was nine. I had been up early. Nobody else was in here now, I guess that they all had gotten up and ditched me.
I went downstairs after I had opened my presents. Nobody had forgotten my birthday this year, and I was glad. Really glad. When I got downstairs, everybody was sitting in the Trellena common room. There was all the girls, plus quite a few boys as well. I smiled at them all, pleased to see that Sirius was among them.
"Happy Birthday Lily." He called, and I smiled and wished him happy birthday was well.
"It's your birthday?" Carina exclaimed, and all of the girls jumped up and gave me a hug. I laughed.
We all made our way down to the dining hall. I was glad I was with all of them, because this time I didn't get lost. While we walked, Claire explained to me that most of the time, the seven Trellena girls would hang out with the seven Trellena boys.
"With you and your brother, the numbers will still be even." Claire said happily, and I couldn't help laughing.
When all of us reached the hall, Chris came over and sat next to me. I noticed that here, you sat with your year, but everybody knew and liked everybody. I thought that was kind of strange.
Claire squeezed my hand. "Tonight they are going to pick!" She said, getting all excited. I laughed and glanced at Chris on my other side. He smiled at me. I blushed and looked away.
When we were done eating breakfast, Claire and the girls and all the boys wanted to show me around the grounds, Sirius to. I couldn't help noticing that Sirius and Ella kept staring at each other and smiling. I could tell that Sirius liked Ella, and Ella definitely liked Sirius. Ella has long brown hair and brown eyes… Normally my brother would call a girl who looked like that "plain", but now it looked like he didn't care.
We all walked around for a while. Eventually, We all fell into pairs of people. I was beginning to see that there were a few couples in the group. The un-coupled people walked with other un-coupled people. I ended up walking with Chris.
"So how has your birthday been so far?" He asked, flashing me a dazzling smile.
"It's been good. Especially since I met you." I said, and I blushed. I hadn't meant to say the last part, it had just slipped out. I looked away, out across the Beauxbatons grounds, waiting for my red cheeks to go away.
"I like you to." Chris said, and he slipped his hand into mine.
I stopped, and turned to face him. I had to tell him about David. I took a deep breath, which was not a good idea. Chris smelled really good.
"Listen Chris, I really like you and all, really, I do. But I have a boyfriend back home, and I don't want to hurt him. Can we be just friends?" I asked him, and he nodded, looking glum.
I felt really bad, because I really liked Chris… It was just I liked David to, and I was already committed to David… I wasn't going to do what I did with Tyler.
We walked around for a little while longer, but eventually we went inside. We fell back into groups of boys and girls. I told Claire about Chris. When I was done, she looked at me sharply.
"Do you know what happened to him at the end of last year?" She said sharply, and I shook my head.
"He went out with a girl from Stristen for a year. He thought everything was going great, but then she up and breaks up with him out of the blue. He was crushed, devastated. He hardly did anything this summer. Then, the new term starts. There is his ex, wrapped around another guy and making out so ferociously with a guy that you would think they would never have the chance again. He was starting to get back on track, you know, forget about her, then you come along. Do you know how much it must have took him to try and hold your hand, to admit that he liked you?" Claire said, shaking her head.
I gaped at her. It was a lot to take in. I had no idea that all of that had happened with Chris.
"You think I should have cheated on my own boyfriend so Chris could be happy?" I said, getting defensive.
Claire shook her head, saying "No, not at all. I just meant that you should know about his past, meaning that if he told you he liked you, he must really like you." Claire finished.
I looked at my hands. I felt even worse then before. I looked at my hands, feeling really bad.
"I didn't mean to make you feel bad. It's just that everyone is really protective of Chris after what happened. We don't want anything else bad to happen to him." Claire said.
That night, I was shaking with excitement. We were going to find out who was the school champions would be. I was so excited that I could hardly eat any dinner. Chris was looking slightly sullen, but he didn't look too much different then when he had earlier.
When everyone finally finished their dinner, Madam Maxime stood up, holding the goblet of fire. The hall quieted at once.
"Here it goes!" Madam Maxime said, and the goblet belched out a piece of paper.
"The Durmstrang Champion is…" She paused for effect.
"Erik Yugoff!" She said, and a tall boy with hooded eyes and dark hair stood up and walked to the room behind Madam Maxime.
"The 'Ogwarts Champion is… Lily Potter!" She shouted.
I didn't comprehend at first that it was me. I mean, sure, I heard my name, but I forgot for a second that I was Lily Potter. Ella cave me a punch on the shoulder that drew my back to attention. I stood up shakily and made my way to the room also. The last thing I heard before the door shut was, "The Beauxbaton Champion is…"
I glanced around the room I was in. The boy, Erik was in here. I thought that he looked strange and moody. I waited to see who the champion from Beauxbatons was. The door opened, and I saw my cousin silhouetted in the doorway.
"Claire!" I said hoarsely. This was a nightmare. I couldn't compete against my cousin. That was to mean. But I suppose I don't have a choice.
"Can you believe it? We are both champions!" Claire said, giggling. She sat next to me. She clearly did not think that it was going to be a problem.
We sat there for a minute or two before Madam Maxime, Professor Dumbledore and Craycroft shuffled in, followed by a few people that I didn't recognize. Dumbledore smiled at me, but I think he was smiling at everyone.
"You have all been chosen as Triwizard Champions; congratulations. The first task will take place on November the Twenty-sixth at two o'clock. You will all be excused from classes that day. Good Luck!" Said one of the men I didn't know, and the two of them left.
"Please, go up to your dormitories. You will receive a bit more information about the first task shortly; for now, enjoy it." Dumbledore said, and with a wave of his hand a door opened behind us, and we understood we were to shuffle through it.
Claire and I shuffled through the door and made our way back up to the common room. Just before we reached the entrance, Claire stopped and looked at me.
"Let's make a pact, okay? That we will not fight about the tournament." She said, looking solemn. I nodded.
"That's a good idea." I said, and we hugged.
I was really glad that we had made that quick pact, because now I didn't have to worry about me and her fighting. As we entered the common room, we were met by a ton of screams and cheers. Most of it was for Claire, because they didn't know me, but I saw a few people cheering my name also.
The screams and celebrations went on for quite sometime, until the head of the house came in and told us we must all go to bed, for there was lessons the next day. So, I skipped upstairs with Claire and the rest of the girls, gossiping happily about how we were going to do and what was going to happen.
When I lay down in bed, that's when it all really hit me. I was in the Triwizard tournament. People die in the Triwizard tournament. The last time, Voldemort had killed a boy by the name of Cedric Diggory. I shuddered, remembering the story my dad had told me. I remember the look in my dad's eyes when he told me about the graveyard… About how he had seen Cedric killed and many others tortured… I shook my head back and forth, trying to red myself of the memory. I was not going to a graveyard, and I was not going to die. Period.
When I woke up the next morning, a feeling of mixed excitement and dread loomed over me. Sometime today, we were supposed to be receiving the information for the first task, and I was scared silly. What in the world would it be, and would it be good or bad?
As I walked to my first class, that morning, Chris caught up with me. Claire and Ella, who seemed to be a pair of best friends in the group, glanced at each other and sped up a bit, leaving the two of us alone.
"I hear that Claire told you about my past…" He said softly, and I nodded.
"Listen, I know that you are taken right now, but if you ever break up with him, give me a chance, okay? Because you're a pretty cool girl, and I barely know you… I want to get to know you a lot better." Chris said softly. I smiled at him, and nodded. Then we hugged, showing that we could still be friends.
As I got settled down into my first class, potions, I thought curiously about what he had just said. The thought of breaking up with David had actually never occurred to me, but now it was. I had thought that I was so in love with David, but now it is so obvious that I am not… Had I spent all that time wallowing for him, defending him, just to find out that I don't like him after all? All that time that I had pined for him… Had it been just a waste of time?
A voice came back to me. I had heard Tess telling David something once back when I was… depressed. She doesn't know the difference between real love and puppy love…I remember Tess saying that and me thinking that she was crazy, but maybe she wasn't so crazy after all. Maybe David was just puppy love.
My mind was whirring my whole potions lesson, the first task and the lesson forgotten. Break up with David, stay with David, which one? It wasn't that I didn't still like David; it was just that I had noticed that I didn't remotely miss him either. I couldn't help but wonder if I hadn't gotten back with David after I had made my jump off the Astronomy Tower, would things be different?
A/N: Kind of a choppy chapter, but it's up. Sorry it took so long. Review!
