When Cedric and Queenie returned to Hogwarts, it was the start of the summer term which for Queenie meant the start of O.W.L's. Granted she was sitting two less this year, after sitting Ancient Runes and History of Magic last year but it was still a daunting prospect. All her school life so far had led up to now and she either failed or she passed. Obviously the school had been building them up for the exams for quite some time. Since mid way through fourth year, Queenie had been sitting mock papers and previous exams but now it was the last push, the final sprint. However Queenie was worried how she's fit revision into her already hectic day. Not only was there lessons and the Tri-Wizard preparations but also the amount of people attending the clubs that Marie, Gemma, Rohm, Jeremy, Leah, Joshua, and of course Rita, ran had doubled in numbers since the delegations from the other schools arrived. It seemed muggle life skills, dance and music appealed to the Beauxbaton girls most, large numbers turning up. Whereas the Durmstrang boys preferred the computing skills element- mainly to play games that some of the muggle borns and half bloods had got them hooked on. However muggle sport was a club they all liked and meant every Friday, in between last lesson and dinner, the Great hall was alive with activity as a great range of muggle sports were played.
Time moved fast and with everything going on that final term, May came and went so fast. However now on the last week of May, Queenie sat Potions, with the Ravenclaws, finishing her Strengthening Solution.
Over the time she's been back, she'd managed to make a schedule in which she managed to cram everything she needed to do, in. Queenie now got up at 4:30 am, showered, got dressed and ect to make in down to the library for 5 am. She'd stay there until 7:30 before going to the hall and picking up and early breakfast and meet up with Cedric. At around 8:15 am, she and Cedric tended to leave the hall and go on walks of the school as it was the only 'alone' time they got with all the school and champion work (but even then though, his fan girls and Rita Skeeter would usually follow). Then at 9:00 am lessons would start. Queenie would sit her 4 lessons before lunch, Cedric would be waiting outside her respective lesson before dinner and then they would walk to the hall and eat together. After they ate, them and all their friends would hang around outside. When the bell chimed, Cedric would then walk Queenie to the first of the two lessons after lunch. Then depending on whether the club that day was before or after dinner, she would revise for one and a half hours before or after she ate. Then from 7:30 pm till 9:00 pm, she and her friends would help, Cedric in anyway they could prepare for the Tri-Wizard tournament. After 9:00 was a 45 minutes prefects patrol of the halls, in which she and Cedric really just caught up - with out his fan girls or the wretched journalist hot on their heels.
Anyway back to the present, Queenie was giving her vivid turquoise liquid potion a final stir. She had to ensure that the powdered Griffin claw was fully dissolved into the Salamander blood.
"Very good, Ms Askoy. If I recall your mother had the same passion for potions as well" Snape's voice came suddenly from behind her. Jumping a little, she turned to the face the Professor, both anxious and slightly scared.
"I wouldn't really say I'm 'passionate', Professor but thank you" Queenie smiled coyly. Snape merely nodded in response before altering conversational topic.
"You have to your Potions exam, on the Monday of the second week. A question of Polyjuice potion always comes up" he drawled. Queenie nodded mutely, still stirring. Snape then clapped his hands, getting the whole classes attention.
"I will assess these once you've gone. I've made predictions for what I think will on this year's paper, Strengthening Solution is one of them" he informed. One of Queenie's Ravenclaw class mates, Sophia Fawcett - but everyone just referred to her as S. Fawcett, spoke up:
"Oh, so that's why we've been out of the arc potions for months" a few sighs broke out along with general nosies of disappointment.
"And she's an eagle. The rest of us are doomed" Harriet snickered to Queenie who fought very hard not to laugh out loud
"Yes, Ms Fawcett. Anyone would think I planned these lessons … 10 points from Ravenclaw. Dismissed" Snape retaliated at the Ravenclaws present groaned before everyone began to pack up. Queenie slung her quills and the like in her bag and then headed to the door along with all her friends.
Once they got outside, Queenie's eyes found Cedric's form immediately. He was leaning against the wall opposite, trying to be as polite as he could to his his doting fan club, who were asking for autographs and the like. Queenie couldn't help but laugh at his little helpless face.
"… nd I love you" Queenie, Harriet, Rohm, Leah, Harriet, Jenny, Joshua, Freddy, Charles and a few others got to Cedric to hear Cho confess her to him.
"Yeah and he loves Queen Bee, so do one Chang" Harriet shoved the girl and the rest of the group began to disperse. Cedric reached out and coaxed Queenie into his grasp. He pulled her into his side, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and taking her back from her.
"Harriet!" Leah hissed while Rita stood, practically bouncing on her feet at the drama
"What she needs to retract her claws. Queenie's supposed to be her friend and yet she tries to steal her man" Harriet ranted
"Thanks Harriet … anyway, moving on. Why does Snape hate Sophia Fawcett sooo much" Queenie dragged out the 'o's ' in so
"Oh my goodness! Don't you know?!" Rita began as they started off towards the Great Hall for dinner
"Kinda, probably why she asked" Rohm piped up
"Oh hush you! At the Yule Ball her and Stebbins -" Rita attempted to continue
"Stebbins? As in Killian Stebbins? He's in your class, right Ced?" Queenie turned to look up at her lover.
"Yeah" Cedric nodded
"Well what happened between Killian and Sophie?" Freddy pressed, irate the story was not being finished now it has him hooked
"Snape found them going at it like well, I don't know, Hypogriffs on heat. Apparently they were in such 'disarray' they didn't have time to dress properly so when Snape checked there coach saw everything" Rita gushed excitedly
"Yuck!"
"Gross"
"Ew! A teacher seeing all your … well, bits!"
"Snape seeing all your bits!"
Came the varied shouts and groans of repulsion. By this time they had reached the hall and so split off to go sit at there own tables.
"At 9 we've got to go to the Quidditch pitch" Cedric informed her as they sat down
"We? They're not using people as bait again, are they?" Queenie whined, laying her head on his shoulder
"No. Professor Sprout said I have to go but I'm sure after all this time they know I come in a pair with you" he smiled kissing her head
"Yeah we are deluxe edition. Classic and expensive. One of those things that whenever young kids are near, their parents always go: 'look with your eyes and not your hands' " she imitated
"Exactly"
"If we are going we're heading back to the common room first. I want to nab a hoodie of yours, it still gets nippy out"
"We're going back anyway … besides, I think most of my hoodies are in your possession now anyway" Cedric laughed as the food poofed up in front of them by magic.
"Yeah but they're due to go back to you because they're loosing their smell … then I'll have them back" Queenie ladled some tomato soup into a bowl and grabbing a few crusty bread rolls too
"You like how I smell?" Cedric chuckled, heaping some ham onto a plate followed by new potatoes and broccoli. Queenie blushed slightly, however she made no attempt to deny his claims. She just shrugged silently, cheeks still flaming.
"Hey, hey … it's ok. We made Amortentia the other day and do you want to know what it smelt of? Vanilla and Sandal wood, y'know sort of a semi exotic smell, for a semi exotic girl … For you" Cedric admitted, hugging her into his side and she blushed even more. Cedric coaxed her to face him and then captured her lips in a sweet kiss that still left them breathless
"Ok, enough. This is too much! You've been dating forever, you should be over this!" Rohm snapped and the two sprung apart - this time both of them were fire red.
-line break-
After dinner the group meandered back to the common room and split up, perusing multiple ventures. Cedric detached himself from Queenie, allowing her to have her girl time while he went to talk to his friends. At half eight, Cedric dragged Queenie - quite literally - out the common room. His other half had got in to a rather in depth gossip with Eliza Clearwater, cousin of Penelope. Penelope went out with Percy Weasley and therefore had spilled gossip to Eliza about Mr Crouch basically vanishing. It had gone on for a while and eventually Cedric had resorted to grabbing her waist and pulling her playfully away as she dramatically protested. They were both still in there uniforms but Queenie had slipped one of his grey/blue zip through hoodie's one. She didn't zip it up, it was big and snugly enough as it was. After a minute or two, Cedric stopped tugging at her and they walked sauntered down the halls, towards the Quidditch pitch. Upon coming round the passage, near the great hall, they saw Harry. He walked alone, his expression vacant
"Harry!" Queenie shouted. The aforementioned boy's head snapped up as he came to a halt. He waited for the school's it couple to catch up to him by the humungous doors of the great hall.
"Hi" Queenie smiled warmly when they reached him. Harry hesitantly reciprocated, smiling coyly, uttering a:
"Hello"
"What d'you reckon it's going to be?" Cedric asked Harry as they walked past the hall and out into the night. Harry stood on the left, then Cedric and then Queenie - who were still wrapped in each others embrace but more subtly, now they had company. The trotted down the stone steps and into the courtyard
"Fleur keeps going on about tunnels; she reckons we've got to find treasure" Cedric continued to address his younger competitor. Meanwhile, Queenie moved closer to him. She leant her head on his shoulder and dropped his hand before looping an arm around his waist, an action he reciprocated and pecked her head frequently.
"That wouldn't be too bad" Harry contemplated as they continued down the grassy banks and lawns in the direction of the Quidditch pitch. The area was barely illuminated, the only light source the fading summer sun that was low in the red sky. The rest of the walk was silent, Cedric's pecking becoming more adventurous as he occasionally caught her lips as well.
However once they got to the Quidditch pitch both Cedric and Harry's faces contorted into expressions, that were a mix of: anguish, confusion and hatred. The two boys came to a standstill, jerking Queenie to become stationary also.
"What have they done to it?!" Cedric spluttered indignantly. He sounded as enraged and confused as Harry looked. The Quidditch pitch was no longer immaculately preened. There were short bushes/hedges sprouting out everywhere. They were all in an organised mess. They were planted in multiple directions and formations but there were clear walk ways.
"Thank god Oliver's not here. He'd have a coronary" Queenie lifted her head from Cedric's shoulder
"They're hedges!" Harry said sounding as if he'd just made the greatest discovery. He leant over, assessing one of the nearby plants
"Hello there!" A cheery voice called out. The three focused there attention on the sound of the noise, Ludo Bagman was standing in the middle of the field, the other two champions with him. Cedric's hands quickly found both of Queenie's guiding her to stand in front of him.
"I'll see you later ok?" He asked, reaching up and cupping one of her cheeks
"Where do you want me to wait?" Queenie nodded her head against his hand
"Don't know … erm, on the hill or actually, you know what? Wait by the behind left changing room, y'know the way we came in?" He decided
"Sure" She nodded
"Love you"
"Love you too" she finished and with that he brought her in for a quick but meaningful kiss. His hands moved so both were holding her cheeks while her's grappled at the bottom of his shirt. When they parted, they let go of each other and out some space in between them.
"Bye" Queenie smiled taking steps back to the way she came
"Bye bye" Cedric grabbed her hand, pulling her close once again and kissing her forehead before letting go.
-line break-
Only about 10 minutes later did Cedric appear at the back of the changing rooms on the left side of the Quidditch stadium.
"Hey how'd it go? What did they say?" Queenie enquired, bounding up to him. She excitedly grabbed at one of his hands while the other tangled in his hair
"Well they've ruined the Quidditch pitch! That foliage is going to grow 20 feet high! 20 feet! Anyway the cup is going to be in the middle of the maze, the first to touch it gets full marks but there's going to be an array of creatures-" Cedric began but Queenie's preppy voice cut him off:
"Curtesy of Hagrid, I assume" she giggled. Cedric chuckled at her silliness and grabbed her waist pulling her close and continuing:
"-of course. There is also spell braking to done and the like … but on the flip side, Harry and I get a head start"
"Yeah that's because you are a-maze-ing, get it? Because it's a maze" they laughed at Queenie's infantile ways
"Oh god! What's happened to you?! You were perfectly normal when I left!" Cedric exclaimed, bopping his nose against hers. Queenie's eyes went wide as she tried to look as innocent as possible. She fluttered her eyelashes, tilted her head and poured a little
"Well … I may or may not have, have gorged out on a pack of sugared butterfly wings from honey dukes" Queenie said, going overboard on the mock innocence and naivety. Cedric gasped pulling away from her and acting equally as dramatic. He placed a hand over his heart as he pretended to swoon. He let out a breathy protest:
"What?! Sugared butterfly wings?! You mean to say you ate a pack of that organic dark chocolate, milk, sugar and coconut - with out me? Oh you terrible human being … I'm going to have to get you!" Cedric voice suddenly turned as he leaped in to life.
Queenie let out a shriek as she ran up the grass banks, Cedric following her hot pursuit as the ran giggling and laughing all the way back to the castle in a clumsy game of chase