Brave { Neville Longbottom}

Chapter One Hundred Seventy Three

"Was it really necessary to paint your face, Seamus?" Kefira questioned as the four stood in the Gryffindor Common Room preparing to leave for the final task. It was early evening as Kefira waited for the boys to venture down from the boy's dorm. As she expected Neville and Dean came down, Neville offering one of his jumpers to her right away to make sure that she didn't get cold while they were outside. However, as Seamus appeared she saw that the boy had painted his face all the Gryffindor colors all the way down his neck. Considering that it was becoming dark outside and they would probably just be standing around and observing, the boy was probably going to look borderline ridiculous.

"What? Do you think it's too much?" He asked. He looked at all three of them but as he looked at Dean, the boy rolled his eyes.

"I told you back upstairs that I thought it was too much. I think the little flags we got are enough, don't you think? There's no need to go mental."

"Well, it might make Harry happy to see the Gryffindor support," Neville pointed out. "You should keep it on, Seamus."

"Thank you, Neville, I'm glad someone supports me in this group."

After the fifth pointed at Seamus' face paint in the stands and laughed, Seamus folded his arms over his chest with an irritated grunt.

"That's it, I'm not listening to your advice ever again, Neville," Seamus said before lifting up the bottom of his jumper and wiping it over his face. However, it didn't clear the paint away full, it just smudged the design all over his face, making it much worse.

Neville didn't seem upset at all at Seamus' words as he just smiled and sat down beside Kefira waiting for the task to begin. After the Gryffindors cheered Harry on once he was being led out, they were to follow a few minutes later.

As they approached the quidditch pitch, the students were able to witness that the pitch had been completely transformed. Hedges that were on the brink of reach nearly twenty feet bordered the area with only a small opening where the students could only assume was the entrance way for the Champions.

"You know, this tournament is getting on my last nerve," Kefira sighed. Neville looked over at her.

"Why is that?"

"Because they keep covering everything up. At least with the first task we were actually able to see the dragons and able to see the champions retrieve the egg. We missed on everything in the second task and now...giant hedges! How in the hell are we supposed to see anything? Did they all assume that we were all well over the height of the hedges?"

Before Neville could respond and reassure her that there would be plenty of entertainment, Ludo Bagman's voice ran out, echoing over the stands.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School! In second place, with eighty points - Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute! And in third place - Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

"Poor Tree Doll," Kefira shook her head as she looked at Fleur. "I hope she does better this time around, I think she was quite embarrassed after the last task. "

"You're supposed to be cheering on Harry or Cedric, Kefi," Seamus reminded.

"I'll cheer on whoever I want, boy," Kefira made a face at him. "I like all of them, so I hope they all do well. So hush...and there's still paint on your face by the way."

"You said it was all gone!" Seamus turned to Dean.

Dean folded his hands in his lap and looked straight out. "I lied."

To keep themselves entertained through the duration of the third task, the students spoke among each other. Kefira looked around and waved in the direction of Bisera who had two boys clamped down on her nervously biting at their nails, apparently quite nervous for Krum. She chuckled as Bisera made a face at her before she continued looking around the stands.

She could see the Weasley twins a little ways from them, Fred sitting beside his girlfriend who looked incredibly nervous like her friend beside her. She could see the twins doing their best to comfort them as they were probably worried over Cedric entering.

However, there was a sound of a scream in the distance. 

"Who was that?" Neville said.

"I would assume it was Fleur," Kefira said. "But...I've never really heard the other three scream...so it could be very well one of them."

A little while later, red sparks could be seen flaring up in the night sky.

"I guess someone just called it quits," Kefira muttered. "I can't imagine what's going on in there."

They could see the professors entering the hedges to answer the distress call of the champion.

"I wish we could see what is going on!" She complained.

"Just be patient, Kefi," Neville told her. "It might be a good thing that we can't see what's going on. It might be quite ugly inside there."

"But that's all the exciting stuff!"

A few minutes later, a couple of the professors emerged with Fleur and Viktor, moving them quickly out of view, Fleur looked frightened as she kept glancing over her shoulder at the hedges and muttering something in a frantic tone. 

"Maybe you're right," Kefira said to Neville. "Maybe we don't want to see what's going on in there. But...to knock out Viktor and Fleur...it must be...scary in there. But that means...that means no matter what we'll have a Hogwarts champion!"

Her words seemed to register with some of the students around her which lightened the mood.

"If it's Harry or Cedric, we still win..." She said brightly. "This is great! Regardless, I think there is going to be plenty of celebrating back in the castle tonight and I'm all ready for that. What about you, Neville, ready to celebrate?"

A/N: Aren't you guys ready to celebrate? ;)