….
Chapter 18.
The snogging can commence
May-June.
As it turned out, Lara's idea of she and Fred 'getting on each other's nerves' after a month was not to be tested out. Only days after hanging out by the lake, Lara went into full N.E.W.T.S. mode when she realised her first exam was merely three weeks away. She spent all of her time either in the library or in her dorm, reading countless books and practicing wand-work with Erin. The only time she allowed herself breaks was to eat and sleep, and even then it was only when absolutely necessary.
She and Fred barely saw each other except at meal times and passing each other in the hallway. On a few occasions, Fred sought her out in the library, dragged her near the Restricted Section and snogging her against the bookshelves, but they only lasted ten minutes before Erin would come looking for her, worried about perfecting a charm or not understanding something from a book, and, with a sigh, Lara would return to her studying, Fred slinking out of the library with a small grin.
The whole of May passed in a blur, as did most of June. Lara's head was filled with so many enchantments, wand moves, magical creatures, hexes, jinxes, charms, and whatever else those bloody books said she needed to know, she hardly noticed anything that was going on in the school. When her friends talked during meal times, she couldn't remember much of what they said; she was pretty sure Fred and George talked about their shop a lot, and Angelina seemed obsessed with being Captain next year, but anything past that Lara didn't absorb.
Oh, and Viktor Krum got attacked by someone called Crouch, but Lara had a Charms exam the next day and, honestly, Viktor seemed fine, so…
The last day of exams fell on the same day as the Third Task. Whether this was coincidence or not, Lara wasn't sure; she could imagine Dumbledore doing it on purpose as the way for the students to wind down after their exams, especially the seventh years. End-of-exam celebrations usually got a bit wild when the students only had a week left at school and, therefore, only a week left to get detentions.
Her last exam was an Alchemy paper, three hours long and starting after lunch. So, after having breakfast, she set up camp in the library and poured over books and scrolls. Around her, Stan, Erin and Amanda studied for potions, while Omar focused on his upcoming Mermish exam. At half one in the afternoon, half an hour before their exams began, the group made their way to the Great Hall.
"Oh God," Erin said nervously as they lined up outside the doors. "I'm shaking, I'm actually shaking—and I think I'm going to be sick—"
"You'll be fine," Stan grabbed her shoulders from behind, peering down at her sternly. "We've spent weeks going over everything. You know it all. Don't let nerves get the better of you now."
Amanda also looked extremely scared. "Merlin, I hope the essay isn't on Amortentia…I always forget if you stir clockwise or anti-clockwise after adding the butterscotch…"
"Bloody hell," whispered Lara. "I'm suddenly very glad I didn't take potions."
Erin rolled her eyes as the Great Hall doors suddenly flew open. Omar, who had been frightfully quiet all day, let out a squeak and plastered himself against the wall as if a dragon would be on the other side. Instead, it was Professor McGonagall, staring at seventh years over the top of her glasses.
Lara was pretty sure she would've preferred the dragon.
"Come in and take a seat," McGonagall ordered, allowing the students to enter the hall. "Your names are already on the front of your papers, so make sure you sit at the correct table. No talking!"
Lara carefully made her way through the small gaps between the rows of tables. The seating plan was set up in alphabetical order, which meant she was always close to the front. Sure enough, her paper was the fifth table on the first row, two behind Amanda, Lara Culpepper scribbled across the front in cursive handwriting. Taking a deep breath, Lara sat down and picked up the quill on the table.
"You each have three hours to complete your papers," McGonagall said once everyone had sat down. She glanced down at her watch, and the seconds ticked by so slowly, Lara wanted to scream. "If you finish early, sit in silence and wait for the three hours to complete. If you have any problems, silently raise your hand and a teacher will be over to help you. Now…three…two…one…begin!"
The fluttering of paper sounded across the large room. Lara's heart skipped a beat in her chest as her eyes saw the questions for the first time. After a moment of panic, however, Lara gulped and realised they weren't as bad as she thought. Putting her quill to the paper, she began to write.
Three hours sounded like a long time, but the exam was over so quickly, Lara thought Fred and George had snuck into the Great Hall and tampered with McGonagall's watch (which, to be fair, wasn't an impossible assumption). She'd completed all the questions, but she was going through it bit by bit, looking for mistakes and things she'd missed, and was only halfway through when McGonagall announced;
"You're time is up! Quill's down!"
Several people hurriedly scribbled across the paper, while others let out sighs and relieved laughs as they slammed their quills onto the table. McGonagall nodded once before flicking her wand, and the exam papers shot from the tables and towards the front of the hall, where they made a neat pile on the desk McGonagall had been sat at for the past three hours. Some Ravenclaw's, who had been trying to squeeze in a last mark, let out scoffs and glared at the Gryffindor Head of House for taking away their papers.
"Now, you may leave—silently—row by row," the Transfiguration teacher said, then motioned towards Lara's side of the hall. "Row one, if you please."
Lara shot to her feet, cringing as her body ached from being in the same position for so long. Amanda rushed to catch up with her, looping their arms together as they exited through the doors and walked into the Entrance Hall.
"It wasn't on Amortentia," chirped Amanda as they leant against the stone wall waiting for their other friends. "It was on Dragon Tonic, which I know all about thanks to you and Walter blabbering on about it during the summer! So thanks for being obsessed with the fire-breathing death machines, I think it might've just helped me get an 'O' in potions!"
"Well, you're welcome," Lara snorted. "Glad to help."
"How was your paper?"
"Good. It focused mostly on fire, which is exactly what I wanted. I struggle with air the most, and there was only a couple of questions on it," she grinned as she spotted Erin hurrying out of the hall, looking around for Amanda and Lara. "Erin, over here!"
Erin beamed when she spotted them, rushing over with her arms outstretched. She took Lara into a large, overly-excited hug. "Bless you and your dragon obsession, you crazy loon!"
"I heard it was on Dragon Tonic."
"It was," Erin laughed gleefully. "And I remembered Walter telling you about it at the Quidditch Cup! When I see that boy, I'm going to bloody kiss him!"
"Ew, please don't," Lara cringed, just as Stan and Omar appeared. "That's not something I need to see."
"Dragon Tonic," was all Stan said when he got close enough, a giant smile on his face. "Bloody Dragon Tonic."
Erin squealed, "I KNOW."
"If I don't get full marks for that essay, I'll be shocked," grinned Stan, and then took Lara into a hug. "I've never been prouder of your weird fascination with dragons."
Rolling her eyes, she hit him on the shoulder and pushed him away, so he moved onto Amanda and Erin, bringing them into a group hug. "What about you, Omar?" Lara asked the Ravenclaw, who had his usual easy smile back onto his face. "Good exam?"
"Brilliant exam," he sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "And that's it now. We're all done."
"All done," agreed Erin brightly, and then her smile faltered slightly. "Holy shit, we're all done!"
"We've only got a week left," Amanda said with a sad sort of shrug.
The group lapsed into a short, reflective silence. Lara could feel her chest tightening in the most uncomfortable way. She'd been here for seven years—in fact, she barely remembered life before Hogwarts and in a weeks' time she'd leave this place, never to come back.
"Well." Omar said loudly, his lips twitching. "We sure know how to bring the mood down."
"I know, Merlin," laughed Stan, shaking his head. "We've still got a week, guys. Plus, the Third Tasks tonight, and I don't know about you, but I'm excited! And I intend to celebrate until the early hours when Potter whips everyone's butt!"
"What if Diggory wins?" Erin asked as they began to make their way down the corridor to their usual windowsill.
"Still a Hogwarts win," Stan shrugged. "And a good reason to get drunk."
The group perched on the windowsill for a while, going over the exam papers and talking about the Third Task. At six, they made their way back to the Great Hall, which was back to its original form; four house tables and a teacher's top table.
Lara practically skipped towards the Gryffindor table, more desperate to see Fred than she cared to admit, but she stopped when she saw who he was with. He wasn't sat with the usual—Angelina, Alicia and Lee—but instead Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, his little brother, Ron, George and two other ginger people that Lara didn't recognise. One was a tall man with long ginger hair and a fang earring, while the other was a plump woman dressed in a floral dress. As Lara watched, the woman affectionately patted George on the face, to which he scrunched his nose and stuck his tongue out, making her laugh heartily.
It was obviously Mrs. Weasley, whom Lara had heard a lot about and seen on platform 9 ¾, but never actually met. Spinning on her heels, Lara turned back towards her friends and ran straight into Erin, who she grabbed by the arm.
"What's wrong?" Erin questioned immediately.
"Fred's mams here," muttered Lara, "With his brother, Bill, I think."
"Oooh, meet the parents—"
"Absolutely bloody not," Lara snapped, "Let's sit at the Ravenclaw table."
Her friends rolled their eyes and huffed, but did as she asked anyway. Sitting at the end of the Ravenclaw table, they enjoyed the extravagant feast, and Erin correctly guessed there were more courses than usual. Just as Lara finished her dessert and Stan finished his 'HARRY RULES, THE REST OF YOU ARE FOOLS' banner, Dumbledore got to his feet at the teachers table and the hall instantly fell into silence.
"Ladies and gentleman, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."
The Great Hall broke out into applause, particularly the Gryffindor table. Lara, Stan and Erin stood up to cheer as Harry disappeared out of the hall with the other three champions.
"Now, the rest of you may follow," Dumbledore said a minute later, and the whole hall rushed to their feet, eager to get good seats.
Lara saw Mrs. Weasley walk out of the doors with Ron, Hermione and Bill, but the twins were nowhere to be seen. Pushing her way through the crowd, she finally got to the Gryffindor table, which was now empty except for some Gryffindor sixth years, who were glancing down the table confusedly. Alicia was the first to notice Lara; she glanced up and smiled, nudging Lee in the arm and pointing towards her. Lee glanced up, saw her, nudged Angelina—this went all the way down the line, until Fred caught on and looked over at her.
"Where've you been?" he asked, bounding over like an excitable puppy. "I've been waiting for you to turn up!"
"I just—"
"She saw your mum and hightailed it to the Ravenclaw table," grinned Erin, appearing at Lara's side.
Fred looked down at Lara with an amused grin. "Really?"
"I…she looks scary!" Lara huffed, crossing her arms. "She can keep you and George in line—do you know how daunting that is?"
"She can be pretty frightening," George turned up, putting a hand on Fred's shoulder. "Remember the Unbreakable Vow incident when she told dad to punish us?"
Fred unconsciously reached down and rubbed his butt. "Yeah, ouch."
"But in other news!" Stan burst out, practically jumping up and down on the spot, "We finished our exams!" he grinned and proceeded to take all the sixth years into bone-crushing hugs; only Lee looked mildly surprised by the affection, though he accepted it anyway.
"You finished?" Fred turned to Lara once he'd been squeezed by Stan, who was now bouncing around with George, both of whom were flailing their arms around and making strange gobbling noises. "Properly finished?"
Lara nodded and smiled, "Yep. No more studying."
"Ah-ha!" Fred yelped and, before Lara could react, he grabbed her waist and lifted her into the air. "The snogging can commence!"
"Fred! Put me down—"
"Before you go at it like rabbits on heat," Omar grinned, walking backwards towards the Great Hall doors, "Shall we go watch the third task?"
Everyone agreed, except Fred, who remained in the same spot with Lara partially thrown over his shoulder.
"Fred," George called out from near the doors. "What're you doing?"
"I'm thinking about it!"
"About what?"
"The third task or snogging," he clicked his tongue loudly. "Oh man, this is a hard choice."
"Shut up, you loser," Lara thumped him on the back while the rest of her friends sniggered. "I want to watch the task, so if you want to snog, you'll have to find a nice pillow."
"Are you sure?" said Fred, finally putting her back onto her feet. He wasn't exactly a tall guy, but he towered over her 5'3 frame. "No way I can convince you?"
"No," she replied…though he was grinning down at her goofily, and her insides were burning and her hands were wandering up his chest. "We'll have plenty of time after," she continued, mostly for her own benefit, as her mind was focusing a little too much on Fred's empty dormitory.
"That's true," he agreed and took her hand, "To the Quidditch Pitch!"
They were rather late to the stands, so they ended up sitting in the only empty seats to hold them all; the benches near the Durmstrang lot, which everyone had avoided because Krakaroff had chosen to sit with his students. Lara hesitated on the stairs as Lee bounced into the seats, a giant grin on his face. She glanced back at Erin, who looked equally uncomfortable, but then the others slowly piled in and, with a shrug, Erin sat down beside Alicia. Lara sighed and sat down next to Fred.
"He doesn't look nervous!" George grinned as Fred wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "That's a good start! I thought he was going to pass out before the second task."
Lara glanced towards where the champions stood with various teachers and Ministry officials. Harry was walking towards the maze, a small smile on his face as he looked back towards the crowd. He looked a little peaky, but he also seemed…excited? Or maybe determined would be a better word.
"Ladies and gentleman, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!" a voice boomed across the pitch. "Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each—Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!" the cheers and whoops of the crowd made the stands vibrate, and Lara jumped to her feet along with her friends to make herself even louder. "In second place, with eighty points—Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" the area next to Lara burst into deep, hollering cheers. "And in third place—Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"
Once the polite applause for Fleur was finished, Bagman continued, "So…on my whistle, Harry and Cedric! Three—two—one—"
A sharp blast of a whistle sounded, and Harry and Cedric rushed into the maze. They were gone for only a moment before Bagman blew his whistle again, allowing Krum to join them. Then, a minute later, another blast sent Fleur running, too.
Much like the second task, the crowd couldn't see much, but everyone was too excited to care. Every time a light flashed from within the maze, everyone gasped and cheered.
"I bet those are coming from Harry!" Stan shouted out, earning glares from the Durmstrangs sat next to him. Far from shutting him up, this only spurred Stan on more and he screamed, "GO HARRY! WOOOOOOOO!"
"What do you think they're fighting?" Angelina asked eagerly, turning slightly in her seat to address the whole group. "Trolls? Manticores? Erklings? Ooo, ooo, giant spiders?"
"For Ron's sake, I hope not," said George, and he and Fred shared an amused look. "But they're all a possibility."
"Maybe a vampire," Fred grinned. "Harry the Vampire—sounds pretty cool, if I say so myself."
Erin looked positively delighted by this idea, "A vampire would make sense after the Merpeople!"
"Maybe a Hag!" Lee suddenly burst out. "Harry would shit himself if an old lady hag came at him—"
Gasps suddenly echoed through the crowd. Jumping to her feet, Lara saw a head of golden hair being pulled out of the maze by Professor Flitwick. She was unconscious and Madame Pomfrey rushed over to her, just as the Beauxbatons lot began to hiss and boo. Unable to help it, the Hogwarts students let out excited shrieks, including Angelina and Alicia, while the Durmstrangs high-fived and grunted appreciatively.
"Fleur Delacour is out of the competition and, therefore, places fourth overall!" Bagman announced, and a few boys let out wistful sighs.
The task continued; Fred and George held onto each other anxiously, Alicia jumped onto Stan's back and began to wave his banner with him, and Angelina was practically hyperventilating with the tension. Lara leaned forward in her seat, wrapping her arms around Erin's neck as they watched the dark maze, looking for any signs of life.
Suddenly, red sparks flew into the air. The crowd waited in stilted silence for a few minutes—and then Viktor Krum was carried out of the maze, also unconscious, by Professor McGonagall. The Durmstrang lot leapt to their feet, shouting obscenities and insults in Bulgarian towards the maze. However, they could scarcely be heard over the screams of the Hogwarts students, who definitely had a champion for their school.
"YES! I KNEW IT! I BLOODY KNEW IT!" yelled Alicia, grabbing Stan's head and shaking it happily. "CED-RIC! HA-RRY! CED-RIC! HAR-RY!"
"A Hogwarts champion!" Fred screamed, holding George in a headlock as he bounced up and down.
George fought his way out of the hold to wrap his arms around Fred and, together, they began to sing, "Hogwarts, Hogwarts, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts,
Teach us something please,
Whether we be old and bald,
Or young with scabby knees…"
For years to come, Lara would wonder if there was a moment, a split second, where something changed and she just didn't notice. If there was a sign that something had gone horribly, horribly wrong—a tenseness in the atmosphere, a crack in the ground, a shake in the sky. But she never thought of anything, because all she remembered was celebrating with her friends, hugging Erin over the back of her seat, Fred leaning down to kiss her enthusiastically on the lips and the whole group groaned and rolled their eyes.
They were laughing, they were joking, they were jumping up and down, they were happy—the whole crowd was, in fact. The joyfulness lasted for ages, the whole school talking about how they were going to celebrate, particularly the Gryffindor's and Hufflepuff's. Fred, George and Lee were talking about running to Hogsmeade to get alcohol, and Angelina wanted to get her Weird Sisters album down from the dorm and play it, and Erin was figuring out how to break Amanda and Omar into the Gryffindor common room, rules and morals be damned and—
Harry appeared suddenly at the edge of the maze, face down in the ground and holding the Triwizard Cup and Cedric Diggory. The crowd burst into screams and applause, including Lara as she beamed towards the fourth year boy, hoping he would see how proud everyone was. But Harry didn't attempt to move, he just stayed face down in the ground, holding the cup and Cedric, who had not moved since they landed…
Dumbledore rushed over and grabbed Harry, flipping him over. They exchanged hurried, breathless words, and Cornelius Fudge rushed over, bending beside Harry and gently touching the side of Cedric's neck. Around Lara, the crowd was still celebrating, oblivious to the tension building down by the maze. Fudge pulled away from Cedric and his lips moved and all Lara saw were his lips say the word 'dead'.
"Guys, guys," Lara grabbed onto Fred's elbow, as he was jumping wildly with Lee and George in a group hug. "Guys, Cedric—he's—he's—"
"What?" said Erin breathlessly, looking down towards the ground. Lara saw her smack a hand to her mouth.
People were trying to pry Harry away from Cedric, but he wouldn't move. Several people in the stands gathered on the stairs, desperate to get a better look, among them Cho Chang and David Brentford, both of whom looked stricken with worry.
Lara could barely breathe. She felt like this whole thing was just a joke. Cedric had to be stunned, right? He couldn't actually be dead. The Triwizard Tournament was dangerous, but Dumbledore had said things were in place now to protect the champions, that it wasn't as risky as before…
"What's happened?"
"What's wrong with him?"
"Diggory's dead!"
Cho Chang let out the most awful scream and fell to her knees, sobbing into her hands. Her friends rushed to grab her, but they were so shocked, so overwhelmed, that many of them fell alongside her. David put a hand to his face and gulped as the crowd began to whisper to each other, trying to figure out if what was happening was real or just an elaborate prank.
Lara's own knees were seconds from giving out when Fred grabbed her, his hands wrapping securely around her waist. On the row in front, Angelina and Erin were huddled together crying, while Stan held onto Alicia and Omar sat in his seat, staring blankly down at the ground.
Moody stomped over to Harry and grabbed him, pulling him through the crowd. Harry looked like he'd been heavily stunned as he stumbled through the stands, bleeding from his arm, his clothes torn and dirty. Lara could only stare after him, frozen in shock. Cedric Diggory…the kind, handsome Hufflepuff who had been so alive, so happy at the Yule Ball. Lara remembered him in Hogsmeade, cuddled in the corner with Cho Chang, whispering sweet nothings in her ear, a crooked smile on his face…
And now he was dead, never to smile again.
She'd never been close to him, but she'd talked to him a few times, and she didn't need to be his friend to know he was a smart, sweet boy with a bright future ahead of him. He was tipped to be Head Boy next year, and he had plans to go into the Ministry and make a real difference, a good difference, and nobody doubted he would do just that.
Dead…dead…dead…
"All students need to report back to their common rooms immediately," McGonagall said sharply, her voice magnified by a spell. "Prefects, lead the way!"
Everyone sprang into action and began to make their way back to the castle. Most of the crowd were crying, and those who weren't were just too dazed to do anything other than follow the flow of people. Silent tears rolled down Lara's face as she walked, Fred's arms still wrapped around her, and some couldn't help but gossip;
"Did you hear what he said?"
"I know! He said You-Know-Who's back…"
"That's impossible. He killed him ages ago!"
"But if anyone was going to know if he came back, it would be Potter…"
"He's lying—"
"Why would he lie?"
The arguing Ravenclaw's went towards their own tower, leaving the Gryffindor's to head up their own common room. All but stumbling through the portrait hole, Lara had never been more relieved to sit on the couch. Her legs felt like jelly and her hands shook violently. Despite knowing she was being rather hysterical, she couldn't stop crying.
"What the hell happened?" Angelina's voice cut through the silent common room, making Lara finally look up from her hands.
Angelina was stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes now dry and angry. Around her, the sixth and seventh years had gathered around the fire; Erin and Stan were squeezed onto the arm chair, Fred was sat on the arm beside Lara, while George and Lee took up the space next to her on the couch. Alexa and Allison were sobbing into their hands on the floor, and Fiona was sat, stony-faced, on the coffee table. Glenn Chan and his friends, for once, seemed to be speechless.
"Who knows?" said Erin, her voice shaky.
"Potter does," Glenn Chan snapped. "He said You-Know-Who's come back and he killed Diggory!"
"Bullshit," scoffed Trent Angel. "You-Know-Who is dead."
"Yeah, and who killed him?" Stan hissed furiously. "Oh yeah, Harry fucking Potter, that's who! If he came back, he'd obviously go for Harry, wouldn't he?"
Trent glared, but Lara could see the fear in his eyes. "He can't come back, okay? He just can't."
"I think you need to face the facts, Angel," Lee grumbled. "He can and he has."
The common room lapsed into silence. Far from being comforted by her friends and house-mates, Lara felt even more terrified. The very thought of You-Know-Who being alive and gaining power again was enough to send her into a panic attack. She'd heard stories about him and his followers all her life, from her parents, extended family, teachers, history books—he was pure evil, and if he was back that meant…what did that mean? Did it mean a Second Wizarding War?
Lara sucked in a sharp, painful breath. Merlin, she wished Walter was here.
One by one, the Gryffindor's went off to bed, until only Lara and her closest friends were left. Erin had dozed off on Stan's shoulder, and Alicia had also fallen asleep on Angelina's legs, the latter of whom was talking quietly to Katie Bell. Lara glanced up at Fred, who was still sat on the arm of the couch staring at the fireplace vacantly.
"Do you want to sit down?" Lara whispered.
Fred looked down at her in surprise, as if remembering he wasn't alone. Slowly, he nodded, and Lara got to her feet to allow him to slip onto the couch. Once he was comfortable, he gently pulled her onto his lap. Lara balanced on his knees, her back against the couch arm, staring at her fidgeting fingers.
Apart from Angelina and Katie's murmuring, nothing was said. Somehow, Lara fell asleep with her head on Fred's shoulder, breathing in his floral and tangy scent, and hoped that things would be better tomorrow.
Things are getting more serious from now on guys! The start of the second war...
Just want to take a moment to seriously thank you guys for all the lovely reviews. Not going to lie, I'm having a hard time at the minute and reading them all really puts a smile on my face, so thank you so much! Hope I continue doing the story justice for you all.
also RIP to Cedric. He's always had a bit of a special place in my heart because I see his death as the beginning of everything else...the loss of innocence, if you will. Like that moment in your childhood when you realise everything isn't as simple as you thought, you know what I mean? Probably just me, but RIP anyway.
((and cursed child tried to ruin him, but I digress))