The morning of the first task, Eden woke up way before the sun even rose and couldn't let herself fall back asleep. Her mind was racing with nervous thoughts about what would happen to Cedric later that day.

She decided that maybe it would be best if she just got out of bed and ready for the day rather than laying in her bed and staring at the ceiling. So, she got out of bed, dressed in warm clothes and grabbed a book from beside her bed before making her way down to the common room to sit by the fire.

To her surprise and delight, Cedric was the only other person awake and he was also sitting on the couch by the fire. His face was twisted in thought as he rested his elbows on his knees and his chin in his hands. "Ced?" Eden speaks up softly, careful not to startle him.

He snaps out of his gaze and looks over at her, willing a smile to pull at his lips but it doesn't last long. "Hey kid," he leans back on the couch, "what are you doing up?" He asks her, running his fingers through his hair.

'I could ask you the same thing," She makes her way over to the couch and sits next to him, resting her book in her lap as she feels the warmth of the fire reach her body, "But I think I already know the answer." She looks over the side of his face while he stares straight ahead, "You're ready, Cedric." She whispers, placing a reassuring hand on his knee, "You've practiced, you know what to do. You can win this."

That faint smile appears again but it lasts a little longer this time, "Well, I'm only so prepared because of you." He tells her, "If you hadn't done all that research for me I wouldn't know what the bloody hell I'm doing."

Eden smiles at him, "Well, if you died in the first task that would just be really disappointing." She says sarcastically, "Don't mention it." She waves a hand, pulling her legs up onto the couch and sitting criss-cross, "Go back upstairs and try to get some more sleep, you're not going to win being sleep deprived."

"Fine, mum." He rolls his eyes playfully but does indeed get up from the couch, ruffling her hair as he often does before taking the hallway back toward the boys dormitories.

Eden watches him go, trying to ease her own worries about how he'll do in today's task.

Her worries carry all the way to when she's walking with Justin and Hannah to the stadium that was to be holding the task. Justin had been complaining all morning about the Quidditch season being cancelled, especially after all the practicing he had done over the summer.

"I just don't understand why they couldn't do both," He shrugs as they squeeze through the rest of the students to try and find a good spot.

"Nobody would be able to focus on Quidditch with all of this going on and you know that." Hannah informs him, "Here, this spot is good." Justin and Hannah sit down and just as Eden is about to join them, two familiar redheads pop up behind her, making her turn around.

"Ah, young Haywood, fancy putting any money on your dear Diggory?" Fred Weasley tries to sell her, gesturing to the suitcase type contraction they were carrying around, obviously loving the opportunity to make some money.

"Looks like you've got pretty good odds today," George wiggles his eyebrows at her.

"I don't need to put money on Cedric to believe he's going to win." Eden shakes her head with a knowing smile at the twins.

"But what's the fun in that?" They both ask at the same time.

Eden chuckles, giving in quite easily, "Alright, you've twisted my arm," She reaches into her pocket and pulls out some money, "but don't tell him I did this he'll never let me live it down." She says.

"Your secret is safe with us." Fred winks at her before they both walk off, shouting at the crowd to try and get a couple more bets in before the task begins.

"Are you gambling now?" Hannah leans around Justin to look at Eden.

"It's just a little bit of fun," she shrugs, smiling a little bit. She looks down over the crowd and her eyes catch a certain pair of pale blue ones, at which her smile immediately drops, remembering the feeling they gave her the other day and how awful it has been. She shakes her head out, coming back down to reality, "Besides, if Cedric follows everything I told him to do I should be pretty damn rich by the end of today." She jokes.

And it was true, Cedric did follow everything she said and he successfully retrieved the golden egg without getting burned alive by a dragon. She was immensely proud of him, as was the entire Hufflepuff house, which was made evident by the huge party that was thrown for him in the common room to celebrate.

Students from other houses came to, except for Gryffindor, of course they had their own party for Harry. It was a wonderful night, filled with Butterbeer and good food. Cedric was being pulled aside every five seconds it seemed, Eden hadn't gotten the chance to congratulate him until towards the end of the night when only a few people remained.

"Justin," Hannah slaps him in the arm as he's staring after some Ravenlaw girls, "don't be so gross, you're staring."

The three of them were sitting in a corner of the common room, Hannah and Eden squeezed into a large armchair and Justin sitting on the automan in front of it, "I am not staring! I'm...observing."

"Well, observe without the drool." Hannah scolds.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't the Hogwarts champion himself." Justin opens his arms wide as Cedric finally approaches them.

"Oh, please, not you guys too." Cedric sighs in exasperation, sitting on the edge of the automan with Justin.

"Don't be so humble," Eden shakes her head at him, "You love the attention." she calls him out and he can't help but blush.

'So have you tried opening it yet? The egg?" Hannah asks, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Uh, no," Cedric looked down at the golden egg in his hands, he hadn't put it down all night in fear of losing it, "Should I try now?" He asks

"Duh!" Justin rubs his hands together excitedly, "Do it, mate!"

"Okay, okay," Cedric laughs. He wraps his fingers around the top of the egg and with a simple twist it falls open, emitting an ear piercing screech. Everyone who is left in the common room slaps their hands over their ears until Cedric manages to close up the egg again and the noise stops.

"Well," Eden swallows, a faint ringing still in her ears, "That's not much of a clue, is it?" she states the obvious.

The thoughts of the egg and what it meant didn't take up Eden's thoughts for long as the news of the Yule Ball spread across Hogwarts like wildfire.

The halls were buzzing with people talking about it, mostly the boys dreading it and the girls giddy with excitement. Almost around every corner you could see people getting asked and it made Eden very...awkward.

No one had tried to ask her but she was kind of glad about that, since she knew exactly who she wanted to go with and she was pretty sure that she would have to be the one to ask him. Justin asked Hannah at dinner one evening. Hannah's initial response had been 'you're joking, right?' But, he wasn't joking, so she said yes.

As the days grew colder and the snow began to fall, Eden knew that if she didn't ask her someone soon she would lose her chance. The last straw was when she had been coming out of Divination and saw Draco ask Clara in a secluded corridor, after which they shared a most disgusting kiss. She couldn't help but stop and watch them interact, her chest rising and falling rather quickly as Draco makes eye contact with her over Clara's shoulder. He shoots her a smug smirk and she turns away instantly.

The moment presented itself perfectly when Eden was in the greenhouse with him later that afternoon, him rattling on about the next task and what it could possibly be, "Uh, Cedric?" Eden cuts him off mid-sentence, feeling her courage bubble and knowing that if she didn't speak up now she would never.

"Yeah?" He looks at her, his eyebrows furrowing with curiosity.

"I was...I was just wondering," she tucks her hair behind her ears as she stammers, "you know, if you would be interested in…" She wrings her hands together nervously and twists the gold rings on her fingers, "going to the ball...with me?" She licks her lips and looks up at him nervously, "As in, we would go...together."

Cedric's face falls and he looks at her sympathetically, "Oh, Eden, I…" she takes a deep breath, knowing where this was headed, "I would have loved to go with you as friends, but," Ouch, "I already asked Cho and...well we're already going together and I'm actually," He smiles to himself, "I'm actually going to ask her to be my girlfriend that night."

Eden didn't even know that Cho and Cedric were friends let alone...good friends. He was going to ask her to be his girlfriend? How could she have misread those little moments they had shared? Was she really that naive? Apparently, "Oh," She nods quickly, "Well, that's great." She lies. It was not great, not for her, anyway, "I-I'm sure you guys are going to have a really amazing time." Her shaky hands rush to pack up her things as she tries to make it out of his sight before she starts crying. Why was she crying? Stop crying you stupid girl. "Cho's a great girl. I'm-I'm really happy for you."

"Eden, I'm sorry if-"

She doesn't let him talk. That would take time and she didn't have time before the tears in her eyes started to run down her cheeks, "No, don't apologize," she says sincerely, "I just...homework." she rushes out a fake excuse before she swings her bag over her shoulder and walks out of the greenhouse, snow falling down on the ground as she pulls her hat on her head, sniffling while angrily wiping away the tears on her cheeks.

To think, for even a second, that Cedric would like her back? He touched her cheek and she wants to believe that he could actually think of her as more than a friend or a little sister? Ridiculous.

And as if her luck couldn't get any worse, the corridor she picks to walk down is empty except for Draco, Crabbe, Goyle, Blaise, Pansy and Clara. A real joyful bunch to run across when you're crying.

"Hey, Eden!" Clara calls after her sister, making Eden stop a couple of feet beyond the group, taking a deep breath as she braces herself, "Mum sent me my dress for the ball today." She can hear her sister's footsteps approaching behind her, "Have you gotten yours? Although, I suspect you aren't getting one since I don't know who in the world would want to ask you to the ball." She can hear Pansy giggle and the boys they're with snigger at Clara's dig.

"I'm sure she sent it. I just haven't been back to my room yet." She can't help but sniffle and that is what majorly gave her away.

"Are you...crying?" It wasn't Clara who asked this, but rather Malfoy who spoke up behind her next.

Eden spins around and faces the lot of them, her eyes bloodshot and her cheeks damp with tears, "Leave me alone." she growls.

"Oh she is crying." Pansy Parkinson stands on the side of Draco that Clara wasn't already occupying.

"What's the matter, princess?" Draco asks in a demeaning tone, his voice laced with fake concern, "Did Diggory turn you down?" Eden swallows the lump in her throat once again. How did he even know that? And if he did, why would he bring it up? Why did he enjoy tormenting her so much?

"Leave me alone." she says again, trying to turn around and walk away from them but she feels a cold hand grab on to her wrist and turns her back around to face him, "Let go of me." She says, slightly panicking as she feels more tears start to well up in her eyes, "Draco, let go." He tightens her grip on her arm.

"I asked you a question. Don't turn your back on me until I get an answer." He lowers his voice, only loud enough so she can hear him, "Did you really think that Diggory would ever want to go to the ball with you?" Their eyes are locked again as they were nights ago, when his words made her feel sick to her stomach, "Why would anyone, in their right bloody mind, want to be seen with a blood traitor such as you?"

Smack.

Before Eden can rationalize her actions or stop herself from doing so, her hand comes in contact with Draco's cheek so harshly that the sound echoes down the nearly empty corridor and a red mark instantly appears on his pale face.

Draco looks at her after a moment, only shock evident on his face. He had never expected her to slap him, never in their entire lives had he expected that from Eden. He didn't think she had it in her. But here she was, fuming with anger in front of him and fully capable of hitting him again.

And he...didn't hate it.

He knew that Eden always had a fire inside of her and he had been waiting to see it on the surface. The way her eyes sparkled as she looked at him with such fierce anger that he thought if she had the power to light him on fire she would.

"You little-" Draco holds his hand up to Clara, silently telling her to stop speaking.

"I can handle this." He says, not taking his eyes off of Eden. He still has a hold of her wrist and pulls her down another corridor, into the abandoned girl's bathroom while she struggles in his grip the whole time.

"Let me GO." She snaps, finally getting free from his grip after they're alone in the bathroom, "Seriously, Draco, just leave me alone." She pleads, running her hands down her face.

"You think you can slap me and just get away with it?" He demands, "That's not how this works, Eden." He stares her down, his voice echoing in the empty bathroom.

"You were being cruel." Her fists clench at her side, "You're always cruel to me, Draco. I've never done anything to you and you treat me like rubbish." Her face is red with anger.

"Never done anything to me?" Draco asks, almost laughing at the audacity of her question, "You left me! We planned on going through school together, doing things together-the two of us forever, remember, Birdie?"

The old nickname stings like he had been the one to slap her. She couldn't remember the last time he had called her that. The nickname came from her mum, originally. Eden had been very small when she was a baby and very fragile, almost like a baby bird. Her mum only called her that until she was about three, but it was what Draco had first called her. It was what he first knew her as and it stuck as her name as far as he was concerned. He only ever called her Edie or Birdie, that was until Hogwarts and then it was strictly Eden or Haywood.

"Left you?" Eden is finally able to find her voice after the shock of hearing him call her that, "You make it sound like I had a choice in the matter. As if I chose to be sorted into Hufflepuff and therefore be shunned by not only everyone in my family but by my best friend! You let me go, Draco. I've done nothing to you!" Her voice reaches a volume she wasn't aware it could reach and it bounces off the stone walls of the bathroom.

"What's going on in here?" Sebastian storms into the bathroom, Clara not far behind him.

"I told you, Bash, Eden went crazy and hit Draco." Clara crosses her arms over her chest as she eyes her younger sister.

"Well," Bash looks between the two, his blue eyes filled with confusion, and then they stop on Draco, "what did you do?"

"I-" Draco pauses, "What? I didn't do anything-"

"Obviously you did something. Eden isn't exactly the type to go around slapping people for no reason, especially you." Sebastian's words surprise everyone in the room. Eden narrows her eyes at her older brother out of curiosity, she thought he would scold her and say he was writing to dad about this but she didn't feel like that's where this is going. "Have you been crying, Edie?" He asks, stepping toward his baby sister.

"I'm fine." She wipes at her face once again with the sleeve of her sweater.

"You two," He points at Clara and Draco, "head to dinner and leave Eden alone, honestly don't you have anything better to do other than make her cry?" He rolls his eyes. Clara rolls her eyes and stomps out of the bathroom, Draco following her after he sends one more look at Eden, "Are you alright?" Sebastian asks, placing a comforting hand on Eden's bicep.

Eden nods meekly, "Yeah, I think so." she sniffs, "They didn't make me cry they just caught me in the middle of crying about something else." She tells him.

"Well, is there anyone I need to beat up?" He offers her an amused smile and Eden frowns up at him.

"You've never offered to beat anyone up for me before." She says, "You're usually joining them in the torment."

Bash looks down, taking his hand off of her arm, "I know." He admits softly, "But, dad asked me to keep an eye on you this year and after he asked me to do that, it got me thinking…" He shrugs, "I could have been treating you better for a long time now. Regardless of what house you're in or who your friends are, you're my little sister and I should be protecting you." She watches his eyes for any sign of deceit but couldn't find any, and it made her heart feel warm.

"Thanks, Bash." Her lips turn up a little bit, "But, why did dad ask you to keep an eye on me?"

He takes a deep breath, "I don't know the full story." he says, "All I know is something is about to happen. Something big. Father is worried about all of us, but for some reason he's extra worried about you." He licks his thumb and wipes away some mascara from under her eye, to which she grimaces in disgust and swats his hand away, "Come on," he chuckles, "you need to eat."

As Eden walks with Sebastian to the Great Hall, her mind wanders to what could possibly have her father so worried. Her thoughts wander back to the Dark Mark appearing at the world cup and what that could mean in regards to the Dark Lord's return. But if that is what had her father on such high alert then why was he extra worried about her? She wasn't anything special, especially when it came to Voldemort.

Regardless, it felt nice to have her older brother care about her like this. To have him stick up for her in front of Draco and Clara. It meant more to her than he would probably ever know.

There were a lot of gazes she had to avoid at dinner that night-Draco's, Clara's, Cedric's...It was hard for her to feel hungry. But, she ate. Even if Hannah forced food onto her fork and into her mouth. She could tell something was off, but being the good friend she was, didn't push it. Justin couldn't be more oblivious.

When they arrived back to their dorm after dinner, a large box was sitting on Eden's bed and she had almost forgotten that Clara had mentioned receiving a dress from their mother. There was a note laying on top of the tissue paper just inside the box, it read:

Eden,

I saw this in the shop and thought it would go beautifully with your eyes. Please write back if you do not have the proper shoes to match. I hope you are well and that you've found a handsome man to take to the ball.

All my love,

Mum.

"What's that?" Eden doesn't answer Hannah, too excited to unwrap the dress and see what her mum had sent.

A small gasp leaves her friend's lips as Eden pulls the emerald green dress out of the box and lets it unfold in front of her.

It was beautiful, Eden had never seen anything more gorgeous in her life and it was all hers. It was a gorgeous shiny material that flowed to the floor and the sleeves were off the shoulder with extra fabric that would flow down her arms.

"Oh, Eden," Hannah places her hands over her mouth, "It's stunning!"

Eden holds the dress up to her slim figure and looks at herself in the mirror. It really was beautiful.

Now, if only she could find a date to match.