2 weeks later the Hufflepuff house were still a little upset after Cedric hadn't even been mentioned in Rita Skeeter's article but Harry had got all the glory and attention as if he was the only Hogwarts champion.
Cedric and Queenie were walking through the school hand-in-hand to their lesson. They reached the courtyard where Cedric would go left, up to Arithmancy and Queenie right, down to Potions. They stopped turning to face each other and Cedric pulled her in for a lingering kiss.
"I'll be outside your Divination and then we can walk to lunch together" Cedric breathed his conformation of their usual routine in a hushed whisper on her lips as they parted.
"Ced, I love you" was Queenie's only response to which he smiled and pulling her in for another kiss.
"And, I love you" he stated after pulling away. The two quickly hugged, Cedric kissed her forehead before they pulled apart with a quick 'bye' and 'see you later', walking off to their lessons. Queenie navigated the crowded corridors quickly. She noticed Harry in front of her, walking hastily away. So hastily in fact he didn't even notice his quill drop on to the floor out of a book he was carrying, lodged under his arm. Queenie quickened her pace, elegantly dipping to pick up his quill and then canter after him.
"Hey Harry!" She shouted
"Yeah that's right! I've just been crying out over my dead mum, and I'm just off to do a bit more …" Harry began ranting but stopped when it registered in his brain who exactly he was talking to.
"No, it was just … you, erm … You dropped your quill" Queenie said, extending the hand with his quill him. Harry cautiously took it, before saying:
"Oh, right … sorry"
"It's ok and Harry, good luck on Tuesday I really hope you do well-you deserve it" Queenie smiled pulling him into to hug in which, Harry yet again found himself compressed to her chest.
"If you ever need to talk to someone, y'know I'm always here for you, right?" She whispered in his ear and he nodded. The two broke apart, bidding farewell and continuing to their different lessons.
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Queenie and Cedric sat at Breakfast the next morning with all their friends who were all still a little sleepy-all if them having stayed up to help research every single task ever faced in the Tournament. They'd done this solidly since Cedric was announced as champion and Cedric was grateful that: 'Little one' , Rita, Jenny, Leah, Harriet, Gemma, Rohm, Josh, Charles, Freddy, Nathan, Ernie, Gabriel and Clarke had all proved a massive help which he was grateful for and now had a rough idea of all the possible things that could face him. A Mexican wave of yawns rippled over the group, Queenie's hitting her with such force she collapsed sideways, falling into Cedric's lower side/chest. This evoked a laugh from everyone excluding Queenie who just let out another yawn.
"Well hello there" Cedric laughed, sleepily, kissing her head.
" 'M so tired" she pushed her face into her taught abdominals. Cedric got a spoonful of his muesli and fed it to her before creating a cycle: one spoonful for her, one spoonful for him. They talked idly through out breakfast until Nathan pointed out he and Cedric should probably head to charms already if he wanted to walk Queenie to Transfiguration on the way.
"We'd best get going" Nathan said, downing the last of his orange juice and studying up.
"Well we need to actually get Queen Bee up first" Jenny motioned to Queenie who was dozing in a semi-conscious state on Cedric's stomach.
"Little one … Little one, you have to get up" Cedric whispered into her hair, kissing it.
"Nooo … I'm comfy"
"Come on" Cedric cooed, grabbing both his and her bags and lifting her gently whilst with an arm around her body went floppy like a rag doll when he stood up. He placed her on to her feet and steadied her.
"You ok?" He asked
"Tired"
"Come one" he smiled and gave her arm as he escorted her out the hall and to Transfiguration.
"Little one, you're really warm. Are you feeling ok?" he asked, kissing her head, pressing a cool hand to her head.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I mean I feel a little tired but aside from that"
"Little one, you shou-" Cedric began
"Miss Askoy you are welcome to enter my classroom" McGonagall appeared and ushered Queenie in to the room.
-line break-
Normally Cedric would walk Queenie to her lessons that were after breaks an from her lessons that were before lunch. So when Queenie found Cedric stood outside her transfiguration when she had another 2 lessons before lunch she was confused.
"Little one are you feeling better?" He asked as she approached him, noticing he had a different bag from early on him.
"Not really but … Ced, did you really come here to ask me this when you have potions next on the other side of the school?" Queenie quizzed.
"Yes that and the fact I know what the first task is" He voice dropped to a whisper as he moved so they were as close, their bodies touching but not enough to draw unwanted attention from teachers or students.
"What?"
"Dragons"
"DRAG-" Queenie's shout was cut off by Cedric planting his lips on her's noting she still felt hot under his touch. However her in impromptu outburst had still managed to attract a few curious glances in their direction.
"How do you know?" She enquired pulling away once she was sure all attention on them had waned away.
"Harry told me-him and Granger found out because they saw Maxime down in the forbidden forests where they're keeping Dragons. He also said Karkaroff knows and be wanted all the champions to be equal so he spilled"
"Hang on so Harry approached you in the midst of all our 'Er, Potter stinks' friends" she put on a deep voice when imitating the Boys' voices.
"No, he told when I was collecting my stuff off the floor which is the other reason why I'm here … my bag's kinda split and all by stuff has either snapped, leaked or got covered in the stuff that leaked. I've managed to transform half a quill into a bag but I have nothing so …"
"What do you need?" Queenie smiled, opening her bag and rummaging through until she found her pencil case.
"Everything-Quills, Inks, Parchments. The lot"
"Ok" Queenie said before digging out everything he'd asked for and helping him slot it into his temporary bag. Cedric thanked her multiple times, they exchanged kisses a lot to before he dashed off so he wasn't too late for Snape and Queenie and her friends scampered up to Divination.
-line break-
The first Dragon free part of the day had whizzed by and now it was the end of lunch and Cedric had been dragged off by McGonagall to get ready. So Queenie had scurried back to her dorm to change so she could get down to where they were competing before everyone and try to get a moment with Cedric. She peeled off her school uniform and slipped into her dark denim, high waist, ripped skinny jeans. She had a white plunge bra with Lacey rims that occasionally peaked out from under her black spaghetti strapped vest top. On top of her vest top she had a pink/red transparent chiffon, button up, sleeveless blouse that had the collar of a school shirt. Queenie had left the top button undone so the collar would be more loose and look less formal. She quickly pulled on her new tan, pixie ankle boots on and lacing them up before bolting from her dorm and the common room, into the halls.
"Hermione! Hermione!" Queenie shouted when she saw her at the other end of the corridor. Hermione had also changed into her home clothes.
"I'm going to the champions tent, you wanna come?" Queenie asked in a hushed tone once she got to the fourth year.
"But we aren't aloud"
"Aren't doesn't mean can't" Queenie grinned before grabbing Hermione's hand and pulling her off in the direction of the champions tent and the arena.
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They got to the champions tent and saw a silhouette of a male pacing back and forth.
"It's Harry" Queenie whispered pushing Hermione towards the canvas flap. Queenie then crept towards a pacing silhouette of a boy that was most definitely Cedric. She slipped in between the tent flaps and saw him pacing back and forth.
Meanwhile, Cedric turned to change his pace direction only to have a pair of arms thrown around his neck and a body throw themselves at him that he managed to catch but stumbled slightly.
"Ced" Queenie cried, into his shoulder
"Little one" he breathed in relief. They continued to embrace until Cedric noticed something.
"Hang on, little one. Where your coat?" He pulled away slightly, his arms still around her waist.
"That's the thing … I kinda wanted yours so I could have some kind of comfort while I watch you battle a fire breathing monster"
"You should have just asked earlier"
"Yeah but now a have a guise for coming to see you if I'm caught" Queenie confessed and Cedric playfully rolled his eyes, shedding his arms from her momentarily, grabbing his 'DIGGORY CHAMPION' pull over hoodie and slipping it over her head. Once Queenie's head emerged from the hoodie, she saw Hermione in her peripheral vision launching herself through the flaps into Harry's arms. Cedric, however quickly took her full attention again, capturing her lips in a passionate kiss.
The sound of the two flashes broke them apart. The couple saw the She Devil herself, Rita Skeeter, her photographer and a very red and flustered looking Hermione and Harry pulling away from each other.
"Young love" Rita cooed before tottering into the tent, her quill and parchment floating in after her
"Ooh, how … stirring" she said and stood central looking between Cedric and Queenie on her right and Harry and Hermione on her left.
"You shouldn't be in here, this tent is for Champions and … friends" Viktor defended, moving to place himself between Queenie and Cedric and Rita Skeeter
"Wow, Blondie got two champions wrapped around your little finger, how?" Rita enquired and before she even answered her quill started scribbling.
"I … I don't … I … Hermione, lets go?" Queenie asked and Hermione nodded and the two slipped out the tent. They heard Bagman, Crouch, Dumbledore, Karkaroff and Maxime enter just as the did.
"Perfect timing" Hermione sighed
"Yep" Queenie agreed
"Shall we go back up to the arena and take our seats?"
"I think that would be wise"
-line break-
Queenie had walked up with Hermione and they'd chatted slightly but nerves were to prominent in the both of them for either of them to continue a conversation. Now stood in the stands, Queenie had ordered her brother to sit with her as well as her friends so she could hide in his side with out it being as weird as, say if it was Nathan, if things got to much.
Suddenly a whistle blew. Queenie peered over to see a green looking Cedric standing at the entrance to the arena looking rather green. A sudden roar made the audience turn their head to a huge Dragon that's scaled were gray-ish blue colour and it had quite a small snout.
"Oh no, I can't watch!" Queenie exclaimed, sitting back down and closing her eyes and covering her ears with her hands. Crete's hand clasped her shoulder and she felt a little better but not much.
The next few minutes of her life were traumatising. With every roar of the Dragon or gasp, yell or hiss the crowd made in unison pushed her further in to the waters of worry. Crete's hand grasping her shoulder, alerted her to the bad points that normally considered with Mr Bagman's commentary.
Clapping and whooping suddenly filled the audience and she felt Crete release his grasp on her shoulder. Cracking one eye open, she saw Cedric … with the egg. She jumped to her feet, clamping and cheering like a lunatic with the rest until he turned o face her and she noticed half his face had been burnt
"OhMyGod!" She breathed out in one before legging it, ignoring her friends and brother's shouts after her.
-line break-
4:39. That's the amount of time it took Queenie to get from the stands to Cedric, in the medical tent. 4 minutes, 39 seconds. She hurtled through the canvas flaps, pillaging the individual cubicles (which were thankfully all empty) until she found Cedric. He was having orange gloop applied to his burnt right side of his face. Queenie felt the tears rise to her eyes then take the free fall down her cheeks, she brought a hand up to cover her mouth in an attempt to silence her sobs as Madam Pomfrey rubbed the orange gunk on to his face.
Madam Pomfrey moved from in front of his only working eye, allowing him to see his distraught lover that he didn't even know had arrived.
"Little one" he began but Queenie just dashed to him. Diving on to his bed, she sat on the edge while her arms flung around him, weeping hysterically. Cedric wrapped his arms around her, rubbing her back trying to calm her.
"Ssh, ssh, little one" he cooed slightly
"C-C-Ced! You-you could've d-d-died!"
"No, no little one, they'd stop it before it got too far"
"Well-ll why didn't t-t-they st-op-op it … b-before you got-got y-y-your face sin-ged"
"It's only a flesh wound I'm fine" but Queenie just shook her head and continued to sob into her shoulder. After a while she managed to calm herself and Cedric moved so she could lie next to him on the bed. They both moved into said position but their' grips on each other never faulted.
"Do you know what your egg does?" Queenie asked quietly
"No idea" he confessed and then heard Madam Pomfrey talking to someone who by process of elimination must be Harry as Fleur was in the cubicle opposite and Krum had been and gone.
"Ask around later, in the common room then everyone can pitch in trying to figure out whatever it is" Queenie suggested and the voices of Ron and Hermione then started to ring out as well.
"That's a great idea" Cedric agreed before they heard someone burst out into tears. Queenie (who still had puffy red eyes and smudged away mascara tracks that had left a little black mark when Cedric had wiped away her tears) got out of Cedric's grasp and off the bed, much to his reluctance. Cedric whined in protest but she smiled only at him, an unspoken conversation which the both understood passed between them before Queenie slipped out the tent.
"Hermione what's wrong?" Queenie asked, peeking round the flap to Harry's cubicle, seeing Ron in there as well.
"You two are stupid!" Hermione glared at Harry and Ron, tears rolling down her face before she pulled them into hug and then stormed out, practically howling as she cried.
"Wha-" Ron began but Queenie interjected with:
"Don't Ron, guessing at how Girls feel if you're a boy always ends badly" She retreated back to Cedric warm and loving embrace.
-line break-
After going to get Cedric's score, which was 38 out of 50 he had returned to inside the Champions tent. He had been forced to leave Queenie outside (who unbeknownst to him was having a conversation with a drooling and entranced Ron Weasley at that very moment)
"Good one, Harry" Cedric smiled at the younger boy when he entered
"And you" Harry responded
"Well done all of you! Now, just a quick few words. You've got a nice long break before the second task, which will take place at half past nine on the morning of February the twenty-forth. But we're giving you something to think about in the meantime! If you look down at those golden eggs you're all holding, you will see that they open … see the hinges there? You need to solve the clue inside the egg because it will tell you what the second task is, and enable you to prepare for it! All clear? Sure? Well, off you go, them" Bagman instructed and everyone dispersed. Cedric went outside, collecting Queenie and the two of them began to walk to the medical tent where Cedric could have his mask peeled off.