Students had waited for this day for weeks, and there was an infectious excitement in the castle now that the day of the First Task had arrived.

The students had been told that they would have their first four classes and then would be released, and so even those who, "Couldn't care less," about the tournament were happy about the excuse to have a reduced day of classes.

That morning, Poppy had a double free, followed by double Care of Magical Creatures. She spent her free periods anxiously pacing the deserted Hufflepuff common room until the break time bell rang out. Then she ran down to Hagrid's hut and waited there for her lesson to start.

Hagrid was too excited to really teach them during the class, and even ended it over half an hour before he was meant to so that he could, "Get down teh the task in good time."

Poppy ran back to her dorm, deposited her things as all students had been instructed to do, and met Cass and Esther to walk down the path towards the task.

When they arrived at what Poppy knew to be the dragon enclosure, she found that there was a large tent erected outside it now, obscuring the dragons and handlers from view. Poppy stayed silent as her friends wondered aloud what the task was, and what was behind the tent.

Despite her silence, their answers came soon enough.

"What the actual?" Cass asked, her eyes wide and fear-filled when she saw the gigantic dragon which sat proudly in the middle of the stand circled enclosure. It was sitting on what looked like a pile of its eggs, and one stood out as being odd, for it was golden.

"This is horrific," Esther whispered.

"He'll be alright," Poppy replied, though she tried to keep the hopeful tone out of her words - it might have shown her lack of confidence in her words, and her friends needed reassurance.

Whispers and curses sounded around them when more students arrived.

Once the students had all shuffled into the stands, and everyone had finally been seated, a whistle blew.

Ludo Bagman, who Poppy still felt odd about, came barrelling out of a passage and appeared next to the judges (who consisted of Bagman himself, Mr Crouch, and the Heads of each school).

Bagman's magically amplified voice called out the aim of the task (to retrieve the golden egg from the dragon's nest), his words sounding over the screams and shouts of the crowd as Cedric walked out. The Hufflepuff champion's face was still whiter than it had usually been, and Poppy felt sorry for him even more now, seeing his fear in front of the whole school.

His steps were slow and measured as he walked further into the enclosure, and Poppy held her breath as he began.

Over the next few minutes they watched in terror as Cedric dodged this way and that, and then he cast an intricate spell and the boulder in front of him began to twist and shape itself into a living… dog…

"Brilliant!" Cass screamed.

"McGonagall's gonna have a field day with that one," Poppy replied, grinning as she watched, throwing her fists in the air in triumph at his strong magic.

She felt relieved - he'd done well, and if he could keep the dog distracting the dragon then he'd be fine. Tense seconds passed, and then the dragon rushed forwards to catch the dog and Cedric moved, running forwards at speed.

"He's going to do it," Esther screamed.

But he didn't. At the last second, just as he reached for the egg, the dragon turned and jumped for the larger prey. Cedric was hit by a large claw, and Poppy gasped.

But he had the egg in his hand now, and then the dragon handlers were out, stunning the dragon and moving her back to the larger enclosure while Cedric ran over to the waiting Professor Sprout and Madam Pomfrey.

"You just went for a walk on Sunday morning? Who's that then?" Cass cried, pointing down, and Poppy blushed when she saw Charlie pulling on a long rope which the Dragonologists had levitated over the dragon.

"Poppy!" Esther shrieked, pulling on Poppy's arm. "Oh my god, he's definitely grown up hasn't he?"

"You saw him on the platform!" Poppy replied, frowning.

"Yeah, but… well, he wasn't working then, was he?" Esther simpered.

Poppy glared, watching Charlie and trying not to look at her friend, who had suddenly found redheaded Dragonologists attractive.

It took a few minutes for them to remove the first dragon and get the next dragon in, and Poppy eventually stared up at the sky to try and ignore the jealous monster currently twisting and turning in her belly as she thought of Esther trying it on with Charlie.

"E, give it a break would you?" Cass asked Esther. She nudged Poppy's arm and mouthed, "Are you alright?"

Poppy shrugged and looked at the ground.

"Well if it's any consolation, I don't think Esther stands a chance, not if you're around," Cass whispered. "I don't think the wee fella would be interested."

Poppy smiled and elbowed Cass playfully, even though she didn't wholly agree. "Thanks," she whispered.

Then the whistle blew again, and soon Fleur was on her way out. Although she was stoic and held her head up high, Poppy could tell that she was far less composed than usual.

"I hope she's okay," she said, frowning when the crowd had quietened down a little.

"She looks fine," Cass replied.

Poppy seemed to be alone in her worry, and her only solace came in the fact that Fleur was against the Welsh Green, which Charlie had said was a far calmer dragon than the others and barely attacked people unless provoked. But that didn't stop it from being a dragon, nor a nesting mother.

Fleur began to twist and twirl her wand in an intricate pattern as she sang her incantation. Her voice was beautiful, and the words flowed effortlessly. Poppy found herself entranced by Fleur's spellwork, and she wasn't the only one. Soon enough, the dragon's head began to droop and nod, and before long it had settled down, placing its head on its front legs.

Poppy was in awe. She knew that it took multiple wizards to stun a dragon, and Fleur had just put one to sleep on her own!

"Absolutely incredible," she whispered, making a mental note to ask Fleur if she could tell her the spell at some point, or better yet, teach it to her.

Fleur stepped forwards, sent a smile to Madame Maxime, and then continued on, getting closer to the dragon and her eggs now.

And then it happened - the dragon snored, and Poppy shouted, "Move!" But her word was drowned by the screaming crowd, and Fleur didn't move in time as a snort of flame burst out of the dragon's mouth and set her skirt alight.

Her pale blue robes shone under the amber fire, and then Fleur flicked her wand and her skirt was only smoking then. Shaking, she picked up the golden egg, and the crowd erupted again.

"Here comes lover boy," Cass cried next to Poppy, and Poppy blushed, averting her eyes again and trying to hide her mortified smile.

"He's not… he's…" she tried.

"I know!" Cass called over the crowd. "But your face is too funny! And… ahem."

Poppy looked to the side to see Esther preening herself again. She turned back to Cass and rolled her eyes. Cass laughed and leant around Poppy to shove Esther. "He's not a Veela, stop preening yourself. And Poppy's got dibs, remember," she said.

"She doesn't even like him!" Esther complained. "You don't like him like that, right?"

Poppy stayed silent instead of answering and instead watched Charlie and the other Dragonologists as they carefully moved the still sleeping Welsh Green. Now wasn't the time, but she'd explain to Esther later.

She recognised all of the Dragonologists of course, and so when a woman with long brown hair and a burn on her cheek smiled and looked up into the crowd, Poppy smiled down at her. The woman then poked Charlie, who found Poppy in the crowd and waved. Poppy waved back, grinning.

"Introduce me later?" Esther asked.

Poppy ignored her.

"You know them?" Felicity, one of Cedric's close friends, asked from behind Poppy, who was happy for an escape from Esther's questioning gaze.

"Kind of," she replied, shrugging. She didn't really want Felicity's ire right now.

Felicity pursed her lips. "Did Cedric know it was dragons?" she asked quietly, whispering into Poppy's ear once everyone had settled down.

Poppy nodded, but whispered back, "You didn't hear it from me, but Harry found out... He warned Cedric."

Felicity's eyebrows raised, and she sat back and began to whisper to her friends. Poppy gulped, worried that she'd put Harry in the dog house even more. But Felicity fell silent and the others in her row turned their Cedric support posters around and began to draw out large letters on the back. They worked on them even when Krum stepped into the arena to begin his spells.

Poppy turned to watch Krum now, wondering how he would get past his dragon - a giant red Chinese Fireball which looked even more ferocious than Cedric's Swedish Short-Snout.

She wasn't at all impressed when his spell hit the dragon, blinding it.

While the crowd shouted for Krum, she shouted and swore at him, and Cass had to hold her back when the dragon began to stomp on her own eggs in an attempt to stop Krum from getting to her babies.

"It's not fair," Poppy said, tears in her eyes, as Krum got the egg.

"Get it together," Cass scolded. "They're not real."

"They are though," Poppy replied quietly, pointing at the broken eggs and their contents. After a moment Cass went pale, and she wrapped her arms around Poppy, who was sniffing but had managed to stop any tears from falling.

"Sorry. Just... I guess I'm getting attached to the idea of working with them. I'll be alright."

The Dragonologists who came into the enclosure after Krum looked angrier than Poppy had been, and she was relieved to see that a few of the burlier gents had tears in their eyes as they carefully wrapped up the trodden eggs and separated them from the untouched ones. It made her feel less alone in her grief.

"They really care, don't they?" Esther asked, watching as the dragon was wrestled back into the other enclosure, a witch curing the dragon's eyes as they went.

"They wouldn't do this if they didn't," Poppy said defensively.

Krum lost some points for the eggs which had been trampled, but not enough in Poppy's opinion.

And then it was Harry's turn. Before he walked out, Felicity tapped Poppy on the shoulder and showed her the sign that she'd made which just said, Go Potter! The others down the row were similarly simple, but still just as thoughtful. Poppy grinned and gave Felicity a thumbs up.

She'd seen Harry fly multiple times, but there was something poetic about Harry on his Firebolt, tiny in the sky, his dragon roaring up to meet him. Poppy gasped as he dove, and screamed despite herself when he grabbed the large, golden egg and began a victory lap over the stands as the Hungarian Horntail retreated back to protect her eggs.

"Bloody brilliant!" Esther cried, and they watched as he made his way to the medical tent to join Cedric.

"He's a fantastic flier, I've got to give him that," yelled Cass over the noise.

Once Harry was given his scores by the judges, they were free to leave and Poppy began to shuffle along her row with the faint hope that she'd see Charlie if they were quick enough.

She was lucky. When they rounded the corner leading up to the tents, she saw him run up behind Harry and Ron. He said something to them and then, when they moved on, he looked around. Poppy smiled and waved when he caught her eye, and her heart almost beat out of her chest when he waited for her, Cass and Esther.

"What did you think?" he asked excitedly. "Brilliant, wasn't it?"

"Amazing," Esther whispered.

"Incredible. Absolutely incredible," Poppy enthused, ignoring her friend yet again. "I feel so sorry for the Fireball though. She didn't deserve to lose her babies like that."

Charlie grimaced. "Yeah, not so happy about that one either. But luckily she's a good breeder. She'll have another large lay next year."

"I know who could do with a large lay this year," Esther said, winking at Charlie, who now looked rather uncomfortable.

Poppy said, "Ignore her," and glared at Esther who was giggling now.

Charlie chuckled and shook his head.

"Where're you headed?" Poppy asked, turning back to him.

"Owlery. Said I'd send a letter to Mum to let her know how it all went. She's really worried about Harry. But by the looks of things she doesn't need to be."

"True…Shouldn't you do that in the village though?" she asked, hoping Esther wouldn't follow him. "Bit cheeky to use a school owl isn't it?"

Charlie pursed his lips to hide his smile, and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Yeah, but then I wouldn't have an excuse to walk with you back to the castle would I?"

"You never need an excuse to walk me anywhere," she said, immediately regretting her lame words. But Charlie didn't seem to think it was lame, and she noticed that the tips of his ears tinged pink. It made her think of the summer, and her smile broadened.

"Wait, but I thought… oh!" Esther said, her mouth falling into an 'o' shape. She grinned at Poppy and grabbed onto Cass' arm. "C'mon Cass."

"Remembered you've got a crush on that Durmstrang fella?" Cass asked, laughing as she let Cass pull her away.

"Your friends are… obvious…" Charlie said with a laugh. "Anyway, do you fancy coming up to the owlery with me? I've still got to write the letter and everything so you can tell me about the view from the stands. I'm sure Mum'll love that."

"Sure," Poppy said, smiling. "I've got to reply to Gringotts anyway. They got back to me this morning. Somehow I didn't do too badly and I've got another interview in the spring to see if I'm still interested. Seems like a cool opportunity actually."

She didn't miss the frown that made its way onto Charlie's face.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Nothing," he said, sending her a small smile. "Just hoping you choose the Sanctuary. I really enjoy spending time with you."

Poppy grinned and bumped her shoulder against his. "Want me all to yourself Weasley? Well, if the Sanctuary want me as well, they'll send me an owl. But I haven't heard anything back yet… but then again, I suppose most of you are here, aren't you?" she asked. "And Rahul did seem a little busy…"

"You made a good impression the other night as well. A lot of the guys think you're made of stern stuff. I reckon you'll hear soon. But be prepared to travel in any case, you can't Apparate to Romania for the interview unfortunately, and I know it's a bit of an ask to get you to travel so far."

Poppy frowned. She had known that she couldn't just Apparate there, but it hadn't dawned on her until that moment that travelling meant money. "How much is it?" she asked, "to get over there, I mean?"

"Free if you fly," Charlie replied, smiling blissfully up at the castle. "Merlin, I really miss this view sometimes… feels like I've been away for ages but it still feels like home…"

"And what if you don't fly? Do you know how much it costs to take a Portkey or the train?" she asked, knowing her solo long distance flying still wasn't completely up to scratch. She'd thought that would be something she could keep working at and learning post-Hogwarts and now regretted her decision to not practice as much (not that she'd had the time to).

Charlie frowned. "Merlin, I didn't really think about that, I just fly mainly. From what I remember when Mum, Dad and Ginny came to stay a few Christmases ago, Portkey would be about thirty galleons but also comes with a shedload of paperwork. I think the train is about twenty if you don't want a bed and are willing to stop over in Paris… or I think it's about thirty to go straight and have a bed. Do you need any money?" he asked, eyeing her up.

Poppy, too proud for her own good, shook her head. "I'll be fine."

"You sure? It's really no trouble."

"Charlie, I'm sure," she replied.

It wasn't a lie at all – she had the money. It was just that, to make sure she didn't worry for the rest of the year, it would probably mean repurposing the twenty galleons she'd set aside for new dress robes… and even then she might need to dip into her savings at some point depending on the cost of food and accommodation…

"When do you think I'll find out?" she asked, thinking of the Gladrags owl order form which was still sitting on her bedside table from when she'd popped in after her interview.

"Soon," Charlie promised "They're holding an interview camp over Christmastime for the graduate Dragonologist slot, so I reckon you'll be called in then."

Poppy and Charlie discussed the task for the next hour, pouring immense detail into the letter to Mrs Weasley before Charlie sent it off. He even insisted on signing, 'From Charlie and Poppy,' and Poppy felt her heart warm at the gesture.

Afterwards, she replied to Gringotts.

Ginny found them soon after that. Charlie caught up with his little sister but then made his excuses when she started wriggling her eyebrows at him, leaving the two girls alone.

They decided to head to the library for a bit but Krum's fangirls, eager to see him after his match, had camped out at their usual table and their chatter and excited retellings of Krum's heroics drove Poppy and Ginny away after a while.

"He only just completed the First Task. Do they really think he'll be in the library?" Poppy complained, but Ginny pulled her away without allowing her to tell them all off for making too much noise.

"Aren't your friends missing you?" Ginny asked as they headed down to the Entrance Hall.

Poppy shrugged. "Maybe. They're busy with Cedric though."

"Shouldn't you be congratulating him as well?" Ginny asked.

Poppy smiled. "Nah, I reckon I can get away with it. Cass and Esther knew I was popping to the owlery with Charlie so I'll grab Ced later once the crowd around him's died down a bit. "

"Well in any case, you should go be with them," Ginny replied, pushing her towards the door which led to the Hufflepuff dorms.

"Are you doing okay?" Poppy asked, stepping down a few steps so she was on eye level with the younger girl.

"What d'you mean?"

Poppy raised an eyebrow. "If the oblivious guy I was crushing on had to get past a dragon, I'd be a little shaky. But I guess that's just me?"

Ginny smiled knowingly. "I'm fine. I thought I'd gotten better at hiding my feelings though... Guess I'm not as good as Charlie yet," she added in a mumble.

Poppy stopped. "What does that mean?" she asked, wondering if she'd heard her wrong. Had she said, 'Guess I'm not as good as you yet?' Did Ginny know?!

"Just… look, I have to ask. Is the only thing calling you to Romania that job," Ginny asked, frowning deeply.

Poppy felt her cheeks heat up and she averted her eyes. "Charlie and I are just friends, he's your brother..."

"Sorry. I was just beginning to think that you… my mistake. Well, if you don't like him like that then just promise me you'll be kind? Charlie's passion has always been dragons so this is completely new ground for him I think…"

"What does that mean?" Poppy asked quickly.

"Nothing, sorry. I'll see you later, Bounce," Ginny said, running up the stairs before Poppy could ask her another question.

Poppy thought about what she'd said, trying to figure out if she really had heard Ginny right and there was a possibility that Charlie liked her back…

She thought maybe… after that hug. But she needed someone to confirm it. Otherwise she could just be setting herself up for embarrassment and rejection and she didn't think she'd be able to cope with that coming from Charlie of all people. Having lost her family, she couldn't fathom the idea of losing someone she'd known for so long. Not over something as stupid as a one-sided crush.

But that all left her mind for the rest of the evening when she crawled through the barrels into the Hufflepuff Common Room just a minute later and was assaulted by so much noise that it was slightly overwhelming. Students were singing, dancing, chatting, chanting, and congratulating Cedric on his great work. Cedric, who had looked terrified when he'd walked into the enclosure, now looked his usual happy, handsome self, and Poppy found herself smiling at him, as weird as that was.

He grinned back and walked over, sweeping her into a hug. Surprised, she wrapped her arms around his broad shoulders and laughed when he squeezed her tightly.

"Thanks," he whispered.

"For what?" she asked when he pulled away.

"For telling me about the dragons."

"I didn't though... You already knew..." she said with a frown, shoving her hands into her outer robe pockets.

Cedric smiled. "You tried and that's what counts. Do you mind if I tell a few people? It might get them off your back for 'not supporting me,'" he asked, rolling his eyes.

Poppy shook her head and smiled. "They already know that Harry told you and that's enough I think. Though actually, I'd try and get them to keep that quiet about that if I were you. I don't think champions are meant to share things and I definitely wasn't meant to know anything," she said, trying to explain over the roar of noise.

"Gotcha. Our little secret," he said, grinning and sending her a wink as he tapped his nose with a finger. When Poppy laughed, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small figurine which looked just like the dragon he'd just fought. "Would you take this as a secret thank you?" he asked, holding it out to her.

Poppy smiled when the dragon roared at her, but shook her head anyway. "You just went up against a dragon and survived. I reckon this is one to go on your mantelpiece. Something to pass down to your kids."

Cedric tucked the dragon back into his pocket and sent her a half-smile. "Well, thanks."

"Anytime. Now, get back to your fan club," she said, laughing, shoving him over to his waiting friends, which included a very happy and merry looking Cass.

"I thought you'd be out there," Poppy said when she walked into her dorm to remove her robes and found Esther sitting against her pillows.

Esther shook her head and indicated her book. "It was all a bit too much for me after all," she said, smiling. "Sorry about Charlie by the way, I… I guess I didn't read between the lines when you said you were just friends…"

Poppy shook her head. "It's my fault really. I just got defensive and private about it and guess I overcompensated."

"No, you've only ever told us about one crush in your life. It was my fault for thinking you were over him now. It's just you never really talk about dating so I really didn't think you were interested."

"I just find it awkward talking about it…"

"Should I stop bringing up anyone I-"

"No, I mean… I meant awkward about me," Poppy said, scratching the back of her neck. "I guess it feels like if I said I fancied someone and it got out then it could get awkward and I don't know how I'd handle that…"

Esther sat up, her book abandoned at her side. "What d'you mean?"

"Well… well what if they don't… he doesn't like me back and it becomes this massive thing and it's just embarrassing and…" Poppy shrugged and trailed off, crossing her arms and swaying awkwardly as she looked anywhere but at Esther.

"Oh honey," Esther said quietly. "Dana?" she asked, and Poppy nodded shyly.

In her fifth year, Poppy had liked a seventh year girl named Dana. While they'd gone on a few dates, Dana had ended things, saying that Poppy liked her more than she liked Poppy. Which Poppy had taken to heart, since she'd discovered that she didn't actually like Dana much once they'd started dating and found they had little in common. Which begged the question - how badly did Dana not like her?

It had been her first and only 'relationship' so far.

Poppy sighed and bit her lip. "I dunno. I've just not had too much luck with people liking me back since then, y'know? Not as much as you and Cass at least."

Esther let out a huff of a laugh and Poppy frowned sadly, her eyebrows pulling together. "Please don't laugh at me."

"I'm not," Esther replied quickly. "Really, Poppy, I'm not. I just wish you could see what I see."

"Which is?"

"A beautiful person inside and out. Trust me. Any guy or girl would be lucky to have you fancy them, and I'd be willing to bet there's more than one person out there waiting for you to make the first move. You've just been shying away from it for too long because of what Dana said. And, if I hear you say you don't have anything to offer again… Miss Edwards, you are kind, nice, diplomatic even when we're being dicks, you're smart, and you are going to be an Auror."

Poppy pursed her lips and, embarrassed, didn't say anything else as she stripped off and pulled on a tank top, pyjama trousers, and a hoodie. It was odd hearing her friend say all of that - Poppy and her friends just tended to not talk about each other like that - they tended to keep their compliments in their heads.

Esther seemed to understand exactly how Poppy felt, because she grabbed her book up again and lay down to read as Poppy climbed into her bed and snuggled in for a quick nap before dinner.

"I can't quite believe the audacity..." Esther said as they took their seats at the Hufflepuff table that evening. She had been complaining about Poppy's outfit the whole way to dinner – Poppy was still wearing her nap outfit, but had now shoved on a pair of trainers.

Poppy shrugged. "It's my last year… who cares about dressing up for meals."

"We have visitors," Esther replied, shaking her head.

Poppy laughed and put her hands into her hoodie pockets, waiting for the food to arrive. The Gryffindor table seemed to be somewhat deserted, and Poppy smiled, knowing that the twins were probably nicking food from the kitchens. While she and Cass liked to complain about the two boys, Esther didn't mind them too much in the days following matches and events. She was the Seventh Year Hufflepuff prefect, and had caught Fred and George coming out of the kitchens more than once now. In return for her turning a blind eye and keeping her silence, she had returned to Cass, Esther and Poppy's dorm room with arms full of treats the boys had given her. She said she could hold a hunch but not at the expense of free butterbeer.

The Hufflepuff table was similarly empty – the party was still going on for most people, but Cass had needed as she'd put it, "Proper food," to calm her alcohol-addled brain; Poppy needed some more quiet and a change of scenery; and Esther wanted to see if her crush (her real crush, not Charlie) was intending on making a dinnertime appearance.

"Salut," greeted Mathieu, the brunette Beauxbatons student who sat towards the back of Poppy's Charms class, as he sat down next to Poppy.

Cass' eyes practically bugged out of her head. "Get outta here. You sit with the Ravenclaws," she said quickly, a dribble of her juice making its way down her chin.

Mathieu raised an eyebrow but otherwise didn't answer.

Poppy turned to him and asked, "Ca va?"

Mathieu grunted a reply that sounded like an unconvincing, "Bien," but otherwise didn't ask how Poppy was, or include himself in the conversation.

"Oh," Poppy said sarcastically. "Moi? Tres bien aussi! Merci, Mathieu," and smiled when the brown haired boy rolled his eyes, the corner of his mouth twitching up slightly.

"You speak French?" Esther asked, her eyes wide in surprise. While Poppy had attempted to converse in French (she found this easier due to her dictionary) and had been dabbling at learning some Bulgarian and Romanian words, Esther had not been too great at trying to integrate with the new students' languages. Cass had tried her hand at a little Bulgarian but quickly given up - Poppy strongly suspected that she liked Krum, but didn't want to wade into that unless Cass gave her permission to.

Poppy sighed and replied, "No, but I'm trying."

At the same time Mathieu said, "Zat was en français?"

Poppy sighed and picked up a serving spoon to scoop some mashed potatoes onto her plate while her friends tried to hide their laughter and Mathieu tried to stop himself from smiling. "It was broken and formal but I tried," she said with an exasperated sigh. "Surely that should count for something."

Her words were met by silence, but Mathieu had a completive look on his face when she glanced at him next.

She was halfway through an apple and pork sausage when he asked, "So what do you do for fun?"

Poppy stared at him for a moment and when her friends didn't reply, she said, "Cass flies, Esther likes plants and I'm kind of a floater. Don't really have anything specific I like the most, but if I had to pick I'd say reading or something. Maybe walking by the forest. I like the quiet."

His face lit up, and he leant forwards over his bowl of soup, making strong eye contact with Cass. "Did you attend the World Cup? I did wiz some friends and Madame Maxime. It was brilliant. I was very 'appy to see Krum was 'ere for the tournament, 'e flew very well."

Cass nodded enthusiastically. "I went, but we left when the match ended. Poppy went too."

Poppy nodded when Mathieu looked at her.

"And you?" Mathieu asked Esther.

"No," Esther said sadly with a sigh. "My parents didn't buy us tickets."

"It was great," Cass gushed. "You really missed out."

"Until ze disturbance," Mathieu muttered. "I was disgusted at ze behaviour. My Mama almost stopped me from coming to ze tournament."

Poppy frowned. "That wasn't all of us, I promise you that."

"Did you 'ide in the woods as well? We were zere for a long time. It was very dark… I don't think I saw you," he said to her.

Poppy's frown deepened. "Why would you have remembered?" she asked.

Mathieu smiled and shook his head. "I'm good with faces," he replied in an accent which made Poppy raise an eyebrow - it sounded almost English. "Recognised a few people from Gryffindor when I got here."

He raised an eyebrow back at her when she still looked at him in a confused manner, and she bit her lip, thinking how stupid it was of her to think such a random thing about his accent.

"You're right, it was really dark… so I don't think anyone saw anyone," she replied, stabbing another piece of sausage with her fork. She didn't know why, but she still felt embarrassed at the idea of someone finding out that she'd saved those two children from the Death Eaters. She still hadn't mentioned anything to anyone about it, not even Mr. Weasley.

Charlie had been kind and stayed quiet about it as well, though he had checked to make sure she was okay a couple of times in the last days of the summer.

They talked for a while, until the evening had drawn on and the meal had been cleared away. It didn't seem as though Mathieu wanted to go back to the Beauxbatons carriage and Poppy thought she knew why – as much as he was happy for Fleur, she could see how he could also be incredibly jealous. All of the Beauxbatons students were – two girls had even cried when Fleur had been picked back in October.

Finally, just after nine, the girls walked Mathieu to the castle entrance and then headed back to the Common Room where Poppy finally took part in some celebrations.