Chapter 14 – The Goblet
I decided to enter my name for the tournament at the end of October. The Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students had arrived yesterday afternoon and where now the talk of the school.
Cedric had already put his name in, with a gushing Cho by his side. Lyra and Odin couldn't stand the girl and whenever she popped around at their table or even in the common room, they told Cedric they wanted some alone time, which was only partially true, since they often came to me in the library or in my dorm. It was hard for me seeing him with her, but it was for the best. Cedric needed to find out if his feelings for her were real and I... I had to find a way to move on. Even though Cedric tried to keep de pda to a minimum, Cho always wanted to snog him in front of everyone or cling to him like glue. So, I avoided the couple most of the time. I went to sit with Lyra and Odin on the other side of the Hufflepuff table or even went to sit with the Gryffindors. Whenever my eyes found his, it tore at my heart and the look he gave me made it even worse. Whenever we were alone, which wasn't easy as Cho found herself a way into our common room every night, we fell into old patterns, it felt like us again. But sadly, that never lasted.
My feelings got even more confused as George was the one who could make me laugh with just the tiniest thing or tried to make me blush with his obvious flirting. I knew I loved Cedric, but I knew that my feelings for George were starting to grow in rapid pace, making it even more confusing for me.
I was now sauntering in the corridors alone late at night to put my name into the goblet of fire. The corridors were empty and dark, and I strained my ears to see if I could hear anyone come up. When I didn't hear anything, I slipped into the room where the goblet was being held. The flames of the goblet illuminated the room. I closed the door behind me and quickly took out a piece of parchment and quill and jotted down my name. I swallowed thickly before I crossed the age line, which let me pass without a second thought. I reached my hand over and dropped the parchment into the flames. It gave little puff where the parchment disappeared before calming down again. I nodded at the goblet and turned to leave to room. I was just about to open the door, when it opened from the other side hitting my nose. I was blinded by the pain and blood to see who had entered the room. It was only when I heard a familiar voice, I could make out who it was.
"Bloody hell, I'm so sorry Guinevere." Hands were placed on my shoulders and led me to the chairs on the side of the room. "We nearly got busted by Snape. We didn't know anyone would be in here."
"Can you just stop the bleeding, George? It hurt like a mother-fuck-" My eyes still shut.
"Right, right. Sorry." I felt the magic going over my nose and the bleeding stopped. I opened my eyes slowly and blinked up to see George, Fred standing right behind him. Fred smiled and waved his wand at her, making the blood disappear.
"Thank you, Fred." I gave him a grateful smile.
"You really got us curious." Fred said, leaning on his twin as he looked at me. "How do you always tell us apart so quickly."
"George's nose is a little more crooked." She smiled as she looked to George, who traced his finger over his nose with a frown.
"I told you I was the better-looking twin." Fred laughed at his brother.
"Your eyes are droopier." I pointed out, making George chuckle.
"Oi!" Fred nearly shouted, trying to make his eyes look bigger.
"You knew it was me before you saw us." George's voice a soft whisper. I smiled at him.
"We've been working in class together just the two of us for two months, I think I'll recognize your voice a mile away."
The smile George gave me, made my heart skip a beat while Fred was inspecting his eyes in front of a mirror on the other side of the room. He took my hand in his and traced his thumb softly over my hands. "Are you okay? Does it still hurt?"
"No, no I'm okay." I gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.
"What are you doing here anyway?"
"Oh, I – I was putting my name in."
"Wicked! Oh, you're going to get chosen I know it."
"Aren't you and Fred trying to sneak your name in anymore?"
"No, we are. We just took the aging potion and we're going to enter tomorrow. It only reaches its full effect in twelve hours."
"Well, if it works, I'm sure you two have a great chance in getting in, or even win this thing."
"Of course, we do, we're the Weasley twins." Fred chuckled next to me. "But we better get going before Filch or Snape finds us."
"Do you want us to take you to the Hufflepuff common room?" George asked as he pulled me up.
"No, that's okay. I'll be fine. Goodnight." I kissed both boys on the cheek before I disappeared out of the room and darted down the stairs.
"I actually liked the beards." I grinned at the twins as we walked out of the hospital room. "Couldn't you keep them a little longer?"
"Sorry, love. You'll have to wait another sixty or so years before I ever have a beard like that again." George grinned and looped his arm around my waist, while Fred looped his around my shoulders.
"But yours matched us perfectly." Fred grinned. "We could use someone with your talents for our jokes."
"You two are not roping me into it, no." She laughed and shook her head.
"But think of the possibilities." George matched his twin's grin, but the look in his eyes was completely different than the one in Fred's.
"Still no." I shrugged the twins off, who pouted at me. "I have to get to class, I'll see you guys later." I waved and headed in the other direction.
I was sitting at on the edge of my seat the night when the champions were going to be chosen. Cedric had his hand firmly around mine as we looked to the goblet in the middle of the room. When Viktor Krum was chosen as the Durmstrang champion, everyone applauded, but no one was so loud as the Bulgarians or the Slytherin table. Fleur Delacour, with silky blonde hair was chosen as the champion for Beauxbatons. And now... now it was Hogwarts' turn. My grip on Cedric's hand tightened as a piece of paper flew out of the fire and landed in Dumbledore's hand. It looked like all the kids from Hogwarts held in their breath as the headmaster read it to himself. He finally looked up, smiled and called over the room.
"The Hogwarts champion, Cedric Diggory!"
I screamed equally excited and terrified with what this meant for him. What kind of challenges he was going to have to endure. I hugged him tight, not wanting to let go just yet. When we finally parted our eyes lingered for a moment before others started to push him to the front of the room. His eyes were still on me as he walked to the teacher's table. Cedric was being led to the room in the back under the loud applause of all the Hogwarts students. Cedric eyes finally left mine when he disappeared in the room. My eyes were still fixed on the door when Dumbledore started to say everyone could make their way to their common rooms. But when the goblet of fire started acting weird, my eyes shifted. I frowned when another piece of paper came out of the goblet. Dumbledore had a worried look in place as he caught the paper from the air. I saw him mumble something, before he looked up and called out louder.
"HARRY POTTER!"
Whispers began to break around in the room and my eyes shifted to the Gryffindor table. Harry sat their frozen in place, thinking this was a cruel joke. I saw Hermione push him out of his seat towards the centre when other kids were starting to call out.
"He's not even seventeen yet!"
"He's a cheat!"
"Silence!" Dumbledore ordered and the room went quiet. "Everyone to bed now!"
The room started to fill out with whispers and comments, but I was rooted to my seat. My eyes again locked on the door where Harry and Cedric disappeared through.
"Gwen." Lyra put a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm not leaving without him."
"Alright, we'll stay with you."
"No, you go. I don't think it will be too long, we'll be there soon, promise." I smiled as I looked up to her. She nodded her head reluctantly and followed Odin out of the room. After a few minutes the room was empty except for me and Hermione. I frowned a bit when I couldn't spot Ron, must've been too tired. My eyes found the door again, just like Hermione's were fixed on them. Twenty minutes later, I decided to stand up and walk towards Hermione. Just when I reached the Gryffindor table and she gestured me to sit down, the door opened and revealed the four champions. Hermione jumped up and we waited for them to come to us. Cedric almost ran to me with his arms already open. I buried my head in his neck as his arms went around my waist, hugging me close.
"I'm so worried and excited at the same time." I whispered in his neck.
"Me too." He pulled back from me with a smile. "Let's talk in the common room, okay?"
"Yeah." I gave him a weak smile and turned to the two Gryffindors. "Goodnight and uhm, good luck Harry."
"Thanks." His voice barely above a whisper as he looked green, slightly sick just by the thought of entering the competition.
That night, I spend it with Cedric, just like old times. We talked about the Tournament and what the tasks could be until we both fell asleep, safely in each other's arms.
It was a week before the first task and Professor Sprout had gathered everyone in the common room from fourth year and up. I was perched on the edge of the sofa, with Cedric sitting behind me as we waited from her to explain why we were all here. When she let the word Yule Ball fall, excited whispers filled the room. But when she said it was a dance, she heard a lot of them groan and others squeal in excitement. After she had finished her speech, she left the common room, and everyone started talking. I slid down from the edge and dropped down next to Cedric, who put his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close against him. I listened to the others talk around me and it was when they started talking about who their date was going to be, I stiffened.
"You're going with Cho, I presume?" I whispered, not looking up from his sweater.
"I guess I have to."
"You don't have to do anything you don't want to." My voice soft as my finger played with the string of his sweater. "But if that is what makes you happy." I started to push myself off him, but his grip tightened around me, keeping me in place.
"This makes me happy." He whispered on top of my hair. I smiled a little, closing my eyes as I drifted off on the sound of his heartbeat underneath my ear. "I miss you." I heard him say before I succumbed to sleep. I missed him too, everything has been so different since the start of the year and I missed being with him, I missed how easy and simple it used to be between us. I wished it didn't have to change.