CHAPTER 6

CEDRIC:

It was the only summer in my entire lifetime where I couldn't wait to get back to school. The last time I saw Cho was at the World Cup and because of both our enthusiasm, it was seemingly the only topic we discussed in our letters. And I wonder how fun it would actually be like to really talk about it in person.

And as I rode the Hogwarts Express, still thinking of the 'would be' surprised look on her face after she sees the gleaming pin on my chest, my 6th year at Hogwarts would ultimately be my best.

"Prefect?" she exclaimed as I entered her compartment she shared with Marietta. "And you didn't tell me?"

"I thought it would already be quite obvious, actually—that I get to have the badge this year... " I grinned. Cho snorted at me.

"Oh, I think it's lovely Cedric! Really, congratulations!" Marietta said as she offered her hand.

"Thank you very much Marietta." I said as I shook her hand. "At least someone here appreciates me." I teased. Cho jokingly frowned at me.

"Well, I really wouldn't be too happy. The Slytherin lot down the corridor are already having a fool of themselves." Cho warned.

"Well, the fall back of being THE prefect." I tapped my badge.

"Well go on, Mr. Prefect." Cho stood and shoved me out of the compartment. When Marietta seemed out of earshot, she whispered. "I'm proud of you Ced. Really."

I grinned back at her before I kissed her forehead.

"I know."

CHO:

As I entered the Great Hall, I immediately saw Cedric's lean figure assisting another prefect to calm down the boisterous crowd of Hufflepuff students. He looked flushed yet he still seemed to be enjoying himself. He waved when he saw me watching, and then almost shook his head when he saw his two friends, Chris Harriet and Ernie McMillan playfully clobbering each other and knocking down some goblets.

"He is just so dreamy, isn't he?" Marietta whispered to me.

"Who?"

Marietta snorted. "Your Cedric."

I smiled. I didn't realize how nice it would actually sound like.

"I bet Roger wouldn't like to hear that though." Marietta teased as we sat beside each other at the Ravenclaw table. "Nor would Harry Potter."

"Will you drop that, Mar?" Ever since the World Cup where Harry almost spilled all of the water from his bucket just to wave at me, Marietta concluded that the poor boy actually liked me.

"Oh please, Cho. If he was drinking at that time, he would already be choking up!"

As the food magically appeared and disappeared right in front of us, I was only about to get bored with the usual welcome address of Dumbledoor when one announcement stunned me.

"There would be no Quidditch Cup for this year," Dumbledoor said in his old calm self. The Hall erupted with waves of complaints. "As Hogwarts would be playing host for the Triwizard Tournament."

"You're joking!" Fred Weasley shouted from the Gryffindor table.

Dumbledoor chuckled and so did the rest of us, but as I glanced back towards the Hufflepuff table where Cedric was also looking astonished, I thought that the new school term would seem better than I expected.

Or not.

Hey guys. I'm trying to shorten my chapters. I noticed that my previous chapters (and not only for this fanfic) contained some irrelevant lines, dialogues, etc. Right now, I'm trying to be concise as much as possible - but not to the extent of making my next chapters just to be drabbles.

Will it be okay? :)