PRONGSLET AND THE OLYMPIAN ALLIANCE

Chapter Twenty-Four

[24]

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Milo wished he felt better the next morning after all the chaos had gone down, but when he woke up to the sound of his dormmates moving about, he didn't really feel motivated to get out of bed. It seemed every other Hufflepuff with the exception of Cedric was terribly excited about having a champion in the tournament. It was nothing against Angelina or Gryffindor, but between Gryffindor and Slytherin over the years, the two houses had always been hyped up because of the rivalry that had festered since the time of the Founders. Normally, it left Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw on the sidelines, but this was their chance to be front and centre as well. The Badgers were excited about their champion and they hoped that Milo would share in their enthusiasm once the shock wore off. 

Cedric, while excited in his own way, would be there to support Milo every step of the way in any way that he could. However, the boy certainly knew what it felt like to be in Milo's shoes once Milo confessed to what he had done. All throughout the night, Cedric hardly got a minute's rest as he found himself tossing and turning in his bed. Every worse possible scenario played on his mind and now he understood why Milo had been so adamant about no one competing. It wasn't so much fun being the spectator especially when someone he cared about was going to be placed in dangerous situations over and over.

One of Milo's biggest downfalls was the boy's ability to be so selfless and place everyone before him, especially his little brother. Cedric didn't know Harry as well as he probably could, considering he was dating his older brother, but he was sure that Harry wasn't thrilled about the outcome of the selection either. He imagined that Harry didn't ask Milo to take over his position in the tournament and that Milo had just taken over in order to protect him at all cost. 

Even the cost of his life, which happened too many times before. 

So while Milo stayed in bed that Sunday morning, Cedric found himself walking around the castle to find Harry, in hopes of figuring out just what the hell happened the night before. He waited in the Great Hall for a little bit, the exciting chatter of the events from the night before lingering in the Hall as the students spoke amongst themselves. The professors looked tired but what concerned Cedric the most was the absence of Professor McGonagall among the rest of the staff. 

He couldn't even imagine what was racing through the woman's mind as she had been the one to witness Milo make the blood trade. Milo had been so upset over her reaction, so it wasn't like she was actually encouraging him to compete. However, while people were telling Cedric congratulations on the fact that his boyfriend had made it into the tournament, there were other words being exchanged that involved the Potter name.

Thankfully, it didn't involve Milo because then Cedric would have had to kick several arses, but he wasn't exactly fond of people speaking ill about Harry. Apparently, plenty were annoyed with the boy thinking he had somehow figured out how to place his name in the Goblet. They thought he was trying to steal the limelight from another student because apparently, Harry just loved being the centre of attention. But Cedric could only shake his head at the rumours as Milo had made it clear the night before that Harry had looked absolutely terrified that he had been selected.