Jupiter | Harry James Potter

xviii ; teenagers

   
    "Psst!" I whispered as I stood at the outside of the champions tent. I wanted to speak to Harry and Cedric, but I didn't know how I was going to be able to talk to them both without upsetting either of them. I supposed whoever answered first would get first pick.

I felt someone press their ear against the tent.

"Who's that?" I asked quietly. I could hear the voice of Dumbledore speaking to the spectators in the crowd.

"Harry." He said apprehensively.

"It's Jo."

"Yeah, I know." He said. I could hear the smirk in his voice, even if it was extremely quiet.

"Are you alright?" I asked, and there was a long pause before he found the words.

"Ask me after I battle a dragon." He joked, but I didn't find it funny, like always. I threw the tent flap aside and wrapped my arms around him, gripping him tightly like it could be the last time. The last time we had hugged was the night of the selection, and he had cried in my arms when I said I believed him. I felt Harry sink into me as I hugged him, his fingers digging into the small of my back.

CLICK.

"Young love." A woman gasped as a man next to her held a camera. Harry and I quickly broke apart, and my eyes went to Cedric, who was watching from the other side of the tent. His lips were pursed, and his eyes were full of a new emotion I had never seen on him. Anger.

"How... stirring." The woman said to her quill, which was writing for her in the air. As I stared at her in fear, I knew she had to be Rita Skeeter. "If everything goes unfortunately today, you two may make the front page again!"

"Put her on the front page again, and we'll see how unfortunate things turn out for you." Cedric said, stepping in front of her.

She took a step back, but was met with the large body of Viktor Krum.

"You have no business here. This tent is for champions and friends." Krum scowled, and her eyes moved from Cedric, to Krum, and she purred like a cat in heat.

"No matter." She shrugged with a smirk. "We've got what we wanted." She winked at Krum, then smiled at her cameraman who took another photo of us.

"Thank you." I whispered to Cedric and Krum, who were standing protectively over Harry and I.

"Good day, champions." Professor Dumbledore had entered the tent, along with Ludo Bagman and Barty Crouch. "Gather round, please."

I moved behind Harry, in a poor attempt to hide myself from Dumbledore and the ministry officials.

"Now, you've waited, you've wondered, and at last, the moment has arrived. The moment only the four of you can fully appreciate." He looked around at the champions, then had to do a double-take when his eyes went behind Harry.

"Miss, Black, what're you doing here?"

"Er... I was just saying good luck to Cedric and Harry." I muttered. I gave Harry a squeeze on the shoulder, then smiled at Cedric. He had been watching me intently this whole time, his eyes never leaving my face. I pointed to my sweater, which was a tight-fitting Hufflepuff turtle neck. Of course, I had my Gryffindor hat, scarf, face paint and gloves, but just like he wanted, I had worn yellow.

His tense face relaxed at the sight of my sweater, and his scowl was replaced with a confident smirk. I gave the both of them one last smile before I headed back the way I came.

"I can't watch this." I moaned to Ron and Hermione as I rejoined them in the stands.

"Sure, you can! Dragons are wicked!" Ron grinned, proudly holding a Gryffindor Flag above his head. He seemed to be in a much better mood than he was last night.