stardust ⋮ george weasley

forty-two :

F O R T Y - T W O

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Adeline could hear the Hogwarts band from outside of the arena.

Most of the students had already gotten their seats in the stands, wanting to claim spots with their friends or try and get the best view of the maze they could. But Adeline – and all the other Champions – were standing on the perimeter of the arena, waiting for their formal entrance.

George had snuck away from his family and friends, wanting to talk with Adeline alone one final time before she want into the Third Task. Hands intertwined, Adeline rested the side of her head on his chest, finding comfort in being able to hear and feel George's heartbeat.

"Do you think you'll do it?" George asked her. "Do you think you'll win?"

"Winning would be wonderful," Adeline admitted with a sigh, sparing a quick glance over at the Champions who were likely thinking the exact same thing as her before focusing her attention back to George. "But if I don't end up winning, that's okay."

"You're winning," George said, shaking his head. "I know I'm going to see you coming out of that maze with that Triwizard Cup. I can feel it."

As she squeezed his hand, Adeline smiled softly up at him. She then took the blue ribbon out of her hair, causing her hair to fall out of the half ponytail style it was once in and around her shoulders. She carefully tied the ribbon around George's wrist, not noticing how his cheeks went bright red at the interaction. "Aren't those your good luck charm or something like that?" George asked. "You've worn those for all the Tasks, You even waterproofed your ribbon for the last one."

Shaking her head, Adeline answered, "I'd like to think you're more of a good luck charm for me."

As George's brain went fuzzy, Adeline had already recreated the hairstyle and was tying a golden ribbon that she had pulled out of her pocket to her half-ponytail. "Do you seriously have extras with you at all times?" George questioned with a laugh when he came back to his senses.

"Just in case of emergencies. Or if I decide to give my hair ribbon to you."

"That color seems better anyways," George grinned, playing with the end of the ribbon. "Gold for the winner."

The clock above the arena let out a small chime, and the two seemed to realize that George needed to get into the arena to meet up with his family. Before he left, George leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Good luck out there, Addie," He said with a soft smile before beginning to back away towards the entrance to the arena. Adeline sent him a bright grin before running off in the opposite direction to join Professor McGonagall, who's be accompanying her for her entrance.

"I'm sure I don't need to ask you this," Professor McGonagall began. "But are you ready for this?"

"As ready as I can be," Adeline sighed. "I just want to make Hogwarts proud."

"You already have," Professor McGonagall stated with the hint of a smile on her face, making Adeline's chest swell with pride.

After waiting behind Fleur and Viktor with their respective headmasters, Professor McGonagall and Adeline stepped inside the arena. In the center of the stands, Adeline could see the red-haired clan that was the Weasleys and Hermione all sitting together, excitedly cheering on both Harry and Adeline. In the front row sat Adeline's three best friends, all decked out in Ravenclaw gear and applauding especially loudly when they noticed Adeline step into the arena.

Once all the champions had arrived, Ludo Bagman tapped his wand to his throat and announced, "Ladies and gentleman, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the Champions currently stand. Tied for first place we have Ms. Reyes–" The Ravenclaw section of the stand burst into cheers, and Adeline could hear Estelle, Melanie, and Ophelia screaming the loudest out of all of them. "And Mr. Potter. In second place, we have Ms. Delacour. And in third place, we have Mr. Krum."

"Earlier today, Professor Moody placed the Triwizard Cup deep within the maze. Only he knows it's exact position," Ludo told the crowd. "Now, since Ms. Reyes and Mr. Potter are in first place, they will be the first to enter the maze. Then by Ms. Delacour and Mr. Krum."

"The first person to touch the Cup will be the winner! I've instructed the staff to patrol the perimeter. If at any point, should a contestant wish to withdraw from the Task, he or she need only send up red sparks with their wand."

"Contestants, gather around," Professor Dumbledore said, gesturing for the Champions to come over to him.

Professor Dumbledore gathered the four Champions in a small circle, wanting to keep this conversation away from prying ears. "In this maze, you will find no dragons or creatures of the deep," He informed them. "There will be small dark creatures, yes, but you'll find something much more challenging. You see, people change in the maze. Find the cup if you can, but be very weary...you could just lose yourselves along the way."

Well that's certainly comforting.

With her stomach in even more of a ball of nerves than before, Adeline shakily made her way back to her spot where'd she be entering the maze. The hedges that lined the barrier and pathways seemed much taller and ominous than before, even from Adeline's position outside the maze.

"Champions!" Professor Moody shouted suddenly. "Prepare yourselves!"

Adeline took a good look at her pathway in the maze. While there appeared to be nothing dangerous about it, there was something unnerving about the dark maze that made Adeline's heartbeat quicken nervously in her chest.

"On the count of three!" Professor Dumbledore yelled. "One–"

Once again, Professor Dumbledore found himself cut off by Filch setting off the cannon much to early. This made Adeline jump in shock, as she thought she would have more time to mentally prepare herself.

After glancing at the cheering crowd one final time –trying to reassure herself by seeing her friends smiling faces – Adeline took a shaky breath, grabbed out her wand, and stepped inside the maze.

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a/n:

thank you so much for 20k reads!! i hope you all enjoyed the chapter (even if it's a little bit shorter). have a lovely day everyone, and i'll see you at the next update!!

- g ♡