Oriane and Cedric met with Mr. Diggory by the tents before they joined together and began their walk through the woods. Dusk settled in heavily around them, and though Oriane had been up since before the sun was even in the sky, she had never felt more excited. The atmosphere of it all was enough to keep anyone awake.
"I apologize for earlier," Mr. Diggory spoke up as the three of them joined the crowd in the forest, "I never properly introduced myself to you. It's very good to meet you, Oriane. Cedric's told me all about you!"
She turned her attention to the beaming man walking on the other side of Cedric. "All good things, I hope."
"Of course, of course!" he assured her, unaware of how red his son's cheeks were becoming. "He told me all about how you were the only hatstall for the sorting last year! Don't see that all too often, do we son? I wonder, what house was the hat debating on putting you in?"
She had to pause and think for a moment. It had been quite a long time since Oriane had even thought about her sorting, despite the nickname she had earned from it. Unlike many other students and parents, she didn't hold too much importance over what house she was sorted into. She would have gladly taken anything (though, she would have been a bit sour having to share a common room with Draco Malfoy had she gotten sorted into Slytherin).
I've seen you before, haven't I? Yes, many years ago, you cannot fool me.
"Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, actually," she recalled.
"Really? And you ended up in Hufflepuff?" Mr. Diggory asked, receiving a nod from Oriane. "Astonishing. It's very rare for the hat to debate over two houses, let alone three! Remarkable young lady you are."
Their conversation died down the moment the trees began to thin. The largest stadium Oriane had ever seen in her life stood before them, adorned in a bright gold. Witches and wizards flooded through the open doors, and a deep rumbling could already be heard from their feet and conversations. The sheer size of it alone was enough to take her breath away.
"Seats one hundred thousand, if I remember correctly," Mr. Diggory said.
Oriane thought that Hogwarts held a lot of people, but it was nothing compared to the amount of people at the World Cup. It was nothing but a sea of red and green around them as everyone crowded into the stadium.
They continued to push forward, finally reaching the base of the stadium some time later. Royal purple rugs lined the stairs that they used to climb up. Despite the mass amount of people, Oriane was relieved to find that the place didn't feel all that packed and claustrophobic. There was plenty of room for them to walk without having to worry about physically bumping into anyone.
"How much further have we got?" Cedric spoke up, panting.
"About ten more flights," Mr. Diggory said, looking at their tickets. "Or, maybe twelve… Perhaps we should take a break on this next landing."
Wheezing at the odd change in altitude, the three of them hopped off of the stairs for a moment. The stadium was still a long way from being fully seated as Oriane could make out large gaps in the stands. Tens of thousands of people still awaited their turn to climb up the stairs below them. For the moment, the three did their best to catch their breaths after roughly twenty flights of stairs.
"Calista, hurry up!"
"Yes, sir."
Hearing a familiar name and voice, Oriane instantly turned around. Her pale eyes scanned the crowd, yet she was quick to find her friend and roommate, Calista White. Not that it was all that difficult. Her and her family stuck out like a sore thumb as they were one of the very few wearing, well, all white. She supposed they were staying true to their family name, yet it looked terrible.
The bright white completely washed out Calista's complection, making her look like a ghost. Normally the girl wore her hair in a ponytail, but it flowed down her back, and it looked as if she had curled it. Pretty, but certainly not something Calista ever did. Though, Oriane was happy to see she was at least wearing her pink hair tie around her wrist.
Her father and mother were wearing the same, blinding white. Mr. White looked angry, and the deep set wrinkles on his face showed he probably was angry quite often. His once blonde hair began to darken with peppery grey streaks. His wife looked considerably younger than him as her face was still youthful and smooth. Though, she looked rather bored with everything going on around her, and paid no mind as her husband shoved their daughter forwards down the walkway.
"The White Family," Cedric whispered in Oriane's ear. "An odd bunch."
"They look like they're playing dress up," she commented, watching her friend closely as they faded into the crowd.
"My father says they dress like that every time they go out in public, though I wouldn't be surprised if they dressed like that in private, too. They say their manor is all white marble. No expense spared for them, apparently."
When the final glimpse of white vanished in the sea of green and red, Oriane turned back to look at Cedric. "Calista's never really spoken all that much about her parents."
"I'm not surprised. Apparently her father can be quite brutish at times. Terrible anger management. He's been fired from every high paying position he's ever had. If it weren't for the family fortune, they would most likely be on the streets. It's probably best if you avoid them. He's known to take his anger out on those around them. Has little regard for anyone but himself," Cedric explained.
"Alright, I think that's a good enough break!" Mr. Diggory spoke up, already bounding back to the stairs. "Shouldn't take too much longer, now. We're already over halfway there!"
Glancing one last time back into the crowd, Oriane continued to follow Mr. Diggory up the stairs. For an older gentleman, he certainly had a lot of energy. When they got to their floor of the stadium Mr. Diggory paused to put his hands on his hips with a deep sigh. Oriane wasn't quite sure how high up in the stadium they were, and she wasn't exactly in a hurry to find out.
"Right, this way!" Mr. Diggory led on once they had a moment to catch their breaths.
A cool breeze began to pull at Oriane's hair. With them being so high up in the air, and with little cover provided by the stadium, the wind went unblocked. Though with the sweat they had managed to work up climbing up those flights of stairs, the trio gladly welcomed it.
They traveled a few more yards down rows and rows of seats where they learned that they had the front row seats in their section. Though they were rather high up in the air, and had slight nosebleed seats, their view would remain clear of any sort of obstacles. More people had begun to fill in their seats, creating an even louder roar of bodies in the stadium. Oriane couldn't help but smile at the pure chaos of it all.
As they reached their seats, Oriane grabbed the railing in front of her to aid her sitting, but the very moment her fingers touched the cool metal she was frozen.
Suddenly, she was no longer in the stadium. There was no World Cup or quidditch game. It was just her in the darkness. She stood there for a while, looking out into the nothingness that enveloped her. Purely alone with not even a breeze to keep her company. Then, off in the distance, a flame ignited. And then several more. These flames then began to move forwards, and the closer they got to Oriane, the more she could make out a terrible sight.
Several black cloaked figures marched towards her. Their faces were obscured by silver masks that showed nothing but their eyes. All they did was march toward her, but she could hear screaming in the background. Countless people, children included, screamed in terror, their volume only growing as they neared her. Smoke, dark and black, seemed to follow them with every step they took, and as they passed her, she could feel it fill her lungs. Terrible, sticky smoke staining her lungs, and burning them, her eyes, her skin-
Cedric's hand on her waist grounded her back in reality. Both of Oriane's hands gripped the railing in front of her, knuckles turning white she had held on so tightly. Everything was spinning, and her chest felt so tight it was difficult to breathe, almost as if she had really inhaled the smoke from her vision.
"Are you alright, dear?" Mr. Diggory spoke up, standing from his seat.
"Ori's got a bad fear of heights," Cedric explained, attempting to gently pry the girl away from the railing. "You should sit down."
Following his lead, Oriane let Cedric guide her to the seats behind them. Her body collided with the plush cushions with a dull thud, and she let out a heavy sigh. That was her first vision since she left Hogwarts the previous year. Her entire time spent back home had been uneventful as far as her odd quirk went. Yet that one had been rather intense, and she could feel the sweat soaking her hairline.
"Better?" Cedric asked, seating himself next to her.
Really she didn't feel all that great. She was sweaty, out of breath, and tired from the day. Any excitement she had felt before the game had been sucked out of her the very moment that vision appeared in her head. Still, not wanting to ruin things for Cedric, she turned to him and smiled.
"Much better, thank you," she said meekly.
"Ladies and gentlemen… welcome!" a booming voice spoke. "Welcome to the final of the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup!"
All one hundred thousand attendants around them began to clap and cheer at the announcement. The roaring sound made Oriane's head begin to throb, and she found herself cupping her hands over her ears.
"And now, without further ado, allow me to introduce . . . the Bulgarian National Team Mascots!"
About a hundred veela flooded the field below. They were beautiful, women-like creatures with glowing skin and silvery-white hair. Oriane saw so many of Esme's qualities in them, as they all looked rather similar to one another. Yet, their allure seemed to be more intense than Esme's ever was.
"My goodness!" Mr. Diggory exclaimed as he covered his eyes with his hands.
Oriane turned her attention to the two men, interested to see their reactions. Veela were infamous for their ability to attract the attention of anyone who liked women. Mr. Diggory seemed to do his best not to look at them, though Oriane could faintly make out his eyes between the cracks of his fingers.
On the other hand, Cedric seemed as if he couldn't care less about them. Even as music began to play, and the veela started to dance, he stared at them for maybe a few moments before turning his attention back to Oriane.
"Huh," Oriane said, surprised, "I think you're the only boy here who's not drooling over the veela."
Cedric couldn't help but chuckle. "I feel a little bad, honestly. Like I'm insulting them by not trying to pitch myself off the stadium for them."
Angry cries erupted the moment the music ceased. Many people were shouting, attempting to convince them to get the veela to stay a bit longer. Yet, despite their complaining, the graceful creatures lined up on Bulgaria's side of the stadium.
"And now! Kindly put your wands in the air . . . for the Irish National Team Mascots!"
Fireworks exploded overhead in colorful shades of green, and soon, gold began to rain down onto the field and into the stands. As small balls of light began to zoom around the sky, Oriane quickly realized that those weren't fireworks at all, but leprechauns. People began to move to the front of the stands, holding out their hands to attempt to catch the falling gold. Anyone who was lucky held out their hats and bags to catch even more.
After their explosive display, the tiny, bearded men sat themselves on the other side of the field from the veela. Then, after announcing the players for both Bulgaria and Ireland, as well as the referee, the Quidditch World Cup commenced with thunderous applause.
By the time the game ended, Oriane had a throbbing headache and she felt as if she was a zombie as she trudged through the woods in the dead of night with Cedric and his father. Despite everything that had gone on that day, Cedric's energy seemed never ending, and he couldn't help but talk Oriane's ear off about the game as if she hadn't sat next to him the entire time.
"Those Irish Chasers were just too good!" he exclaimed as they made their way back to camp. "Sure, everyone's upset at Krum for catching the snitch when they were behind over a hundred points, but I think it was smart. Honestly, Bulgaria had no way to catch back up. We'd be here for the next few days if they tried! Catching the snitch was a good way to end the game while still holding some sort of victory over the Irish."
By that point, all Oriane could do was just hum in agreement. But Cedric didn't seem to mind that much as he continued to talk and talk. Really, she didn't mind that much either. His voice was the first thing she had heard in the last few hours that didn't seem to make her head hurt worse.
Eventually they broke through the edge of the forest and the campsite was in view. The sight alone was enough to soothe Oriane, as she knew any moment she would be able to crawl in bed and sleep away her headache. Music could be heard from somewhere off in the distance, and fireworks were shot into the air every now and then. The Irish were certainly enjoying their victory over Bulgaria.
Once they reached their tents, Mr. Diggory bid Oriane goodnight before entering the tent he and Cedric were staying in. Oriane's eyes looked longingly at the tent she shared with Ginny and Hermione. She wanted nothing more in that moment than to lay down in her cot and rest. After all that time she still wasn't certain if the raging volume of the stadium had caused her pain, or the vision.
Its images had plagued her all throughout the game. Strange people dressed in masks… Death Eaters. They had to be based off of Sirius's description of them. But there was nothing else for her to recognize. No marker as for when or where. It was certainly one of the more strange, and least useful visions she had.
"You look tired," Cedric said, noticing her gaze.
"Yes, sorry. We've been up since the morning," Oriane said, giving him a breathy laugh.
"No need to apologize, I understand. Dad and I got up at about two this morning. Everyone's tired. You should go get some rest," he urged.
A part of her wanted to deny his request, but her entire body was screaming at her to lay down. Fatigue pulled her eyelids down like there were heavy weights attached to them. She couldn't even pretend to be alert and awake.
"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow for breakfast, then?" she asked.
Cedric grinned. "Of course."
With their final goodbyes and promises being made, Oriane excused herself to go into the tent Mr. Weasley had set up for the girls. Ginny and Hermione had already settled in, but still left a lamp on for her to sort her things. She shed the clothes she wore for that day, taking great care to carefully fold Cedric's jacket before setting it with her other items. She made a mental note to return the jacket to him the next morning.
Then, with her nightgown on, Oriane curled up into bed and turned the lamp off, plunging the tent into total darkness.
"Get up! Ori, we've gotta get up!"
She was convinced her head had hardly hit the pillow before she was being urged awake by Hermione. Pale eyes opened only to be met by more darkness. Were they really getting up early enough again that the sun hadn't even had time to rise?
"Are we leaving already?" she asked, rubbing her eyes.
But that's when she heard it. The shouting. It was different from the playful cheering in celebration from earlier. No, this was different. A certain sense of urgency laced the voices. And then she could hear running, a couple dozen feet crashing into the ground around them.
Something was terribly wrong.
In an instant, Oriane jumped out of bed where she quickly struggled to get her shoes on as she fumbled around in the darkness. Before she joined Ginny, Hermione, and the boys outside, she took care to grab Cedric's jacket, which she shoved herself into.
Outside was a whole different world than what she had witnessed earlier. Dim fires were still lit in various spots around the campsite, providing just enough light for Oriane to see about half of the camp running into the woods. They were fleeing something on the other side of camp, something that kept emitting bright flashes of colored light and loud pops that sounded like a whip.
And that's when she saw them, a group, no, a crowd of people dressed in black, with hoods covering their heads and silver masks obscuring their face. High above them were four figures Oriane could hardly make out in the darkness, yet as more flashes of light popped, the scene was illuminated all too well.
Based on how they were dressed, Oriane determined they were certainly Muggles. A middle aged man along with what appeared to be his wife and two children, were dangling over the crowd's head. The wife was turned upside down, her nightgown exposing her bare body as the group below her laughed and jeered. The smallest of the two children began to spin uncontrollably, his limp neck forcing his head to flop from side to side.
With each tent they passed, a spell was casted that either caught the tent on fire, or sent it crumbling. The glow of and scent of fire seemed to grow ever stronger the closer they got to their tents.
Bill, Charlie, and Percy Weasley emerged from the boys' tent with their father right behind them. All four of them were fully dressed in day clothes, wands out as if ready to fight.
"We're going to help the Ministry!" Mr. Weasley called to the children. "All of you, get into the woods! And stick together! I'll come fetch you once we've sorted this out!"
Then they ran, sprinting away from the children and heading into the direct path of the Death Eaters marching ever closer to them.
"Come on!" Fred shouted, grabbing Ginny's hand and pulling her towards the woods.
George did the same with Oriane, grabbing her arm and helping her keep up with the rest of them. They hadn't been running for all of two seconds before she felt like her chest was about to cave in. Not from the physical work of it all, but from the panic. From the terrible realization that yet another one of her visions came to life. That maybe if she had told someone about what she saw, those innocent people wouldn't be in the hands of those Death Eaters behind them.
That everything going on was all her fault.