In all her time attending Hogwarts, Oriane had never seen the Hufflepuff common room so packed. Not even when Cedric had been announced champion was it so lively. Every single student was crammed into the room, bumping into one another as people passed around various snacks that one of the seventh years had whipped up in celebration of what Oriane could only assume was Cedric not dying during the task.
His face had healed up rather fine, and it was as if he had never gotten burnt in the first place. Whatever paste Madam Pomfrey had Oriane slather onto his face even replaced the eyebrow hairs that had gotten singed off, which helped to even his features once more. His smile had gone back to that boyish grin, no longer lopsided from the raw and exposed skin of his burn.
"Oh no," the giggling voice of Calista spoke up. "I think I made its head too big."
The girls had been extremely lucky in being able to snag one of the few tables that sat against the walls of the common room, and Calista had taken up pretty much the entirety of the table for her crafts project. For the last thirty minutes she had spent her time creating and enchanting paper dragons. About five of the little critters floated through the air, joining the chaos that had become of the Hufflepuff common room. Her most recent creation looked just a few sizes short of being a bobblehead.
"I think it's kind of cute," Emerald giggled, holding the paper dragon in her hands. It attempted to nibble at her fingers with its paper fangs, which only made her giggle more.
Her hands rose into the air, palms turned upwards as she supported the paper creature. Its overly large head tilted up at the ceiling, and not a moment later it pushed off of Emerald's hands, joining the others in the air above them.
"Can you make a Hebridean Black, next?" Emerald requested, her green eyes finding their way back to Calista with a smile.
The girl grinned. "I can certainly try."
A round of laughter boomed towards the center of the common room, and Cedric was in the midst of it of course. A majority of it came from his quidditch mates, but there were a few starry-eyed first years who joined in, looking at Cedric as if he was the hero of Hogwarts. Oriane sat in her seat off to the side, content in watching the people around her, yet her eyes unmistakably having a difficult time leaving the champion.
In her mind she was continuously replaying the scene in the champions tent over and over again. Cedric's raw and exposed skin. The orange paste that covered his face. His hands holding hers… Every time that thought crossed her mind she found her stomach completely overrun with butterflies. Their wings flapped inside her so vigorously it felt as if she was trying to keep the storm they created inside of her at bay.
"Well, its horns aren't perfect but here we go," Calista said, pulling Oriane out of her daze.
The girl looked over at her roommates (save for Charlotte, who excused herself to their dorm the very moment she saw the commotion) and she couldn't help but laugh as she saw one of Calista's parchment creations. It was a feisty little thing for something that could be destroyed by water, yet Emerald was absolutely enamored by the enchanted critter.
"It's perfect," Emerald said, the tips of her fingers dancing along its spine. "Did you know they have purple eyes in real life? Gosh, what I would give to see one in person."
Calista raised an eyebrow at the girl, resting her head in her hands as she watched her handiwork nibble at Emerald's fingers.
"Aren't they one of the most aggressive dragons in the UK?" she questioned.
"Well, yes. But they aren't exactly mindless creatures or anything," Emerald explained, scratching the parchment dragon underneath its chin. Oriane could have sworn she heard it coo. "But they can show compassion if you show it to them too. I think everything deserves to be loved."
"Even the utterly dangerous, terrifying things?" Calista teased.
"Especially the terrifying things."
With a quick nudge up into the air, the Hebridean Black pushed off into the air, joining its other dragon friends. They would fly and float upon paper wings, taking moments to rest on tables, or even the tops of students' heads. One had made its home on Cedric's shoulder.
Oriane looked down at her hands. The sleeves of Cedric's jacket covered part of her palms, and she couldn't help but fiddle with the fabric before bringing her hands up to her cheeks. It was as if she was trying to push the heat out of her face. Whatever little spark of attraction she had felt and suppressed for Cedric for so long was now an all consuming flame. It consumed her mind, heart, and stomach with a near painful burn which became evident with the flush of her cheeks.
Eventually she couldn't take it anymore. She wasn't sure what she needed to do, but she knew she needed to do something. In one quick motion she stood from her seat, her eyes wandering around the area. Calista and Emerald were too busy creating a Peruvian Vipertooth to pay attention to Oraine's sudden change of position (or perhaps they were perfectly aware and just decided not to tease her about her obvious predicament for once).
The girl began to weave through the crowd, which wasn't a difficult task. Maybe it was in the nature of the Hufflepuffs to be aware of their surroundings, but she hardly had to push past anyone to get to Cedric.
His eyes spotted her the moment she approached, and his kind smile turned into a grin. The enchanted dragon was still resting on his shoulder, paper claws playfully batting at the strands of his hair. Though, the creature seemed to become frustrated as he made his way up to her, and it quickly took off to join the others above their heads.
"There you are," Cedric said, his arm wrapping around her. "I was wondering where you had run off to."
His hand rested on her mid back as he led her into the group that had been occupying his attention. It rested there so gently, it was as if it had always belonged there. His touch did nothing to help with the growing redness in her cheeks. She just had to hope that the dim lighting of the room and the glow of the fireplace would camouflage it well enough for her.
Things just started to fit together so… perfectly. She was no longer an awkward target for harassment for anyone who thought she was a 'Potter Sympathizer' she was now just herself. Not Oriane Morissette, the daughter of Alarick and Varity. Not the last of the Morissettes. She was a Hogwarts student, a Hufflepuff, a friend.
And as she stood next to Cedric in the midst of the small party that was being held, she never felt more free. Her face hurt from smiling, chest heaved with laughter, skin tingled every time his arm brushed against her, mind raced every time she found herself grabbing onto him to keep herself upright from her giggles.
That night, she was just Ori.
"If I wanted to look at the stars, I'd wait until night time. I hate these stupid charts," Calista grumbled.
The girl's torso was completely slouched over as she leaned against the table, quill lazily plotting out her chart based on the information in her textbook. Oriane was doing the same, but with significantly less complaining. Though, she had to admit, it certainly was one of the more boring parts of Divination.
"Wish we could go back to that crystal ball gazing stuff," Calista continued, a small smirk forming on her lips. "I miss predicting each other's untimely demise."
A small snort sounded as Oriane set her quill to the side, looking down at her half completed chart. Professor Trelawney busied herself by meandering among the tables, checking in on students as they did their work. Luckily, both Oraine and Calista had made such a good impression on their professor the previous year that they were hardly bugged by her when they did their work. Unless, the professor had some profound vision to share with them, of course.
"Maybe we'll go back to something like that next term," Oriane mused, her gaze turning to the curtained windows.
December at Hogwarts was always cold. The castle was a tad drafty, and so she was very thankful for the roaring fire Trelawney kept going, even if it produced a rather headache inducing aroma. Just beyond those curtains she knew laid a frozen wonderland. Snow had fallen over the grounds a few days after the first task, and every morning when she woke up she could see it piling up high on the windows of her dorm and common room.
Despite the drop in temperature, Oriane found herself feeling quite warm all the time, and not just because of the roaring fires that heated the castle. Ever since she had run off to find Cedric after his accident during the task, the two had grown considerably closer. She found her face heating every time he looked at her, and he seemed to find any excuse possible to touch her, which didn't help either. An accidental brushing of hands at meal times, grabbing her arm to lead her away from a first year who wasn't paying attention to where they were going; no matter what it was, it sent her mind racing.
She never did end up kissing him. Really, she wasn't sure she would have had the courage to do such a thing anyway. Saying the sentence nearly caused her heart to stop. If anything, it had been a confession, and as far as she could tell, Cedric seemed to accept it. It wasn't like they had much time to speak in private with the end of term quickly approaching. Maybe it was one of those things where they just knew. Maybe they were already official. Maybe they were accidentally letting it fester.
Her head was starting to hurt.
"If I may have your attention," Professor Trelawney spoke.
Oriane's eyes glanced at one of the various clocks that littered the wall in the classroom. It was very unlike the professor to make an announcement in that manner, and so close to the end of the period. Half of the students had already mentally checked out by that point, and they stared lazily at their teacher as they awaited for her to finish whatever half-cocked speech she was about to give.
"It is my pleasure to announce to you that the Yule Ball is approaching," the professor continued. "It is a traditional part of the Tri-Wizard Tournament, and it allows for us to socialize with our guests from France and Bulgaria. The dance will be open to anyone in year four and above, though you may invite someone in a younger year, if you so wish.
"Dress robes should be worn to the event, which will start at eight o'clock on Christmas Day, and finish at midnight in the Great Hall. I foresee a great deal of entertainment and fun to be had, as long as you all stay on your best behavior…"
The bell rang, which Oriane was grateful for as she had a feeling the professor was about to dive into information about some vision she undoubtedly had about the Yule Ball. Oriane stood from her seat, her gaze shifting over to Calista, who stared at her with a knowing gaze.
"What's that look for?" she asked incredulously.
"Oh, nothing," Calista mused as she gathered her items off of the table, "just thinking of how Cedric is going to plan to ask you to the ball."
She couldn't stop the scoff from leaving her mouth, and she playfully rolled her eyes at the girl as they made their way towards the ladder. Yet, she had to admit that she liked the idea. It would have been a lie to say that the very first person to cross her mind at the idea of attending the Yule Ball wasn't Cedric. Really, he was the only one she could even envision herself going with.
Leaving the Divination classroom was always a long process. Students had to leave one by one to climb down the ladder, which took significantly more time than if they had to walk down a simple set of stairs. It was the perfect, odd classroom for an odd teacher.
"Don't roll your eyes at me," Calista teased as she began to situate herself on the ladder. "You know I'm right!"
Oriane paused at the top of the ladder, waiting for Calista to fully make her way down before attempting to leave the room herself. The room had fallen considerably more quiet as all the other students had managed to scurry their way out of the room well before Oraine and Calista had managed it.
Once her friend was at the bottom of the ladder, Oriane bent down, attempting to position herself to exit the room, but she was stopped by a sudden hand on her shoulder. Still keeling down, she turned her head up to find Professor Trelawney staring down at her with wide eyes.
"The answer you seek is not whole."
The professor's voice was different than it was normally. It changed in a way that made every muscle in Oriane's body painfully tense. Her knee began to throb as it was pressed against the wooden floor, and her foot felt unsteady on the first rung of the ladder, yet she didn't move. Her eyes were focused on her professor, who looked down at her almost as if she was terrified of her.
"What?" Oriane asked, her question hardly above a whisper.
"The answer you seek is not whole," the woman repeated, "and you will not find the truth until the breaking of the gold."
Normally Oraine would brush off any of the premonitions her Divination professor would share with the class, but there was something wrong with the words she spoke. Neverbefore had she ever said anything that made every single cell in her body scream out with anxiety. The two stayed like that for a long moment, her professor staring down at her with terror, and Oriane staring back with an expression that could only be described as confusion induced anxiety.
It was as if everything was closing in around them. There was a terrible ringing in her ears, and she wasn't even sure if she was breathing anymore. It was as if they were frozen, looking at one another, both knowing.
"What's the hold up?" Calista's voice suddenly called from the bottom of the ladder.
Oriane's gaze quickly flickered down to the bottom of the ladder, where Calista was swaying side to side, waiting for her to continue the journey down. Her eyes shot back up to where Professor Trelawney was standing, only to find that she had wandered off to the other side of the room, messing with a teapot.
Swallowing, Oriane slid her knee along the wood floor as she moved her foot to the second rung of the ladder. It hadn't been too long since she had last felt anxiety squeeze her heart with such force, but she certainly wasn't trying to get used to it. She took a deep breath as she descended, leaving that classroom and its headache inducing scent long behind her.
That night at dinner, every single student talked about the Yule Ball. Girls talked about what dresses they were going to wear, boys tried to give one another the courage to ask out any girls that were catching their eyes, and younger students could be heard complaining about their blatant exclusion from the event. Not even Oriane's roommates were immune to the draw of the event.
"I'm not going to lie, but I knew about the ball since before the school year started," Calista whispered with a cheeky grin. "My father mentioned something about it to a friend of his and I overheard it. It's taken everything in me not to go around prancing in my gown… I didn't want to ruin the surprise for you guys, so you better appreciate how much effort it took to keep it a secret."
"I'm surprised you were able to keep your mouth shut for so long," Charlotte teased.
While the other two were poking fun at one another, Emerald could only groan. "I wonder if it's mandatory to go. You think Sprout would mind if I sat this event out?"
Calista looked over to Emerald with an over dramatic gasp. "You're joking, right? There's no way you can sit it out! Why don't you want to go?"
The girl pressed her lips tightly together as she poked at the food on her plate. "I hate dances," she mumbled in response.
"Yeah, they're not really my thing, either," Charlotte admitted.
Suddenly, Calista didn't seem all that interested in either the Yule Ball, or Emerald's hesitance in wanting to go. Emerald seemed happy enough that the attention was taken off of her, and she went back to quietly munching away at her food.
"You've been to a ball before?" Calista asked, her tone suddenly firm, as if she was trying to draw answers out of the girl.
"Once," Charlotte answered simply. "Something some family put on for my birthday a few years back. Didn't care much for it. But when my uncle heard about the Yule Ball, he was almost more excited than I was. Pretty much took me out dress shopping the next day…"
Calista drank up this information as if it was the only thing keeping her alive. Even Oriane had to admit it was interesting listening to her talk about anything related to herself. The only time the girl ever really learned much about her friend was that time that they had spilled their guts to one another at the lake. Learning even just this small amount of information was exciting.
"Wait, you knew?" Calista quickly realized. "You knew about the ball, too?"
"Of course I did," Charlotte said, indifferent. "My uncle hears about these events all the time. But like you, Cali, I didn't want to ruin the surprise for everyone."
A short round of laughter echoed throughout the girls. Yet something flickered in Emerald's eyes as she turned her full attention to Charlotte.
"When even is your birthday?"
It was almost impossible to notice, but Oraine picked up on it instantly. Charlotte's body tensed ever so slightly at the question. It was as if she was having a short battle raging in her mind over the question. And though she looked well put together, her voice betrayed her terribly.
"Uhm… it's in August," Charlotte admitted, stiff.
Calista opened her mouth, as if she was about to interrogate the girl further. Her expression read one of slight annoyance, probably for Charlotte only answering them half way. However, she was quickly interrupted by Emerald, who spoke up with a kind smile.
"Wait, so then Cali, when's yours?" she asked.
Pausing, Calista sighed. "December 28th."
"And then Ori, yours is October 7th… mine is July 19th…" Emerald paused for a moment, the gears in her mind turning. "So then, Ori is the oldest, Cali, you're next, then it's me… which means Charlie, you're the baby of the group."
Oriane wasn't sure why that revelation shocked her as much as it did, but it sent her mind racing. Charlotte, the youngest? Sure, they were all roughly around the same age, all within a year, so it wasn't like their gap was large. But Oriane had always thought of Charlotte as being well beyond her years. She was always the nurturer of the group, who always knew just what to say and what to do.
Still, even with this new knowledge, Charlotte didn't seem to care one bit. Her eyes had suddenly focused off in the distance, looking past Emerald and Oriane. At first the girls sat there, confused as to what had so suddenly caught her attention, but when they followed her gaze, they instantly understood.
Karkaroff sat with the rest of the professors, his dark eyes gazing intensely at the plate of food in front of him. Unlike the other teachers, he didn't seem all that interested in whatever conversation they were holding. He looked down almost as if he was a child who had just been scorned during dinner. After a moment, the girls turned their attention back to Charlotte, but her eyes refused to leave the Durmstrang Headmaster.
"He was glaring," Charlotte said simply, finally moving her eyes back to her own plate.
Oriane sat there for a moment, utterly silent as the girls continued with their conversation. So much had been going on that she hardly had the time to think about Karkaroff. Between the first task, Cedric getting burnt, the Yule Ball; all of it had fogged her mind from the other terrible task she had given herself; figuring out who this R.G. was.
The answer you seek is not whole, and you will not find the truth until the breaking of the gold.
Honestly, Oriane had no idea what Professor Trelawney had meant when she uttered those words to her. Visions always had a way of being convoluted. It was as if the future was trying to prevent itself in the most frustrating way possible. And this was assuming that her professor hadn't just been making something up again. She had no idea what the gold was supposed to represent, or what breaking it meant. Perhaps she would just have to go around, breaking everything within sight until she got the right answer.
And as her gaze slowly began to drift back to Karkaroff, to that professor who claimed she was more trouble than she was worth, to that professor who refused to help her, she had a pretty good idea of what she was going to break first.