As I marched down the hallway, my chest rose up and down more rapidly than normal, and my stomach almost made me heave out all of it's contents. What would happen when I put my name in the Goblet?
Would it just spit it back out? That thought didn't help my already very bad anxiety, I had never gotten so nervous like this before. What was wrong with me?
I finally made it to the Entrance Hall, and there it was.
Sitting on the stool that usually held the Sorting Hat, was the Goblet of Fire. Completely made out of wood, it didn't look a day older than just newly made, but I knew it was pretty old. The white-blue flames where still emitting out of it, yet they didn't even make burn marks on the wood. Magic, of course.
A handful of people who stayed behind were milling around it, as Dumbledore laid down the Age Line, make a perfect circle ten feet in every direction surrounding the Goblet. The line was made of a gold powdery substance, which caught the light from the nearby candles and made it shimmer.
Dumbledore stood up straight after he was finished, and turned around to face the students. "I'm pleased to see so many volunteers," he said. "But I would like to remind you once again, the Tournament is not to be entered into lightly. I will advise you to give this a serious thinking through, before you decide to put your name into the Goblet."
Four or five people changed their minds and walked away. They were giving up so easily, but I couldn't blame them. Once you place your name in the Goblet a binding magical contract is formed. If you are picked to br the champion, the bond cannot be broken until you complete all three tasks. This was serious.
[I can see all you readers commenting:
Serious Black. Well I beat you to it!ᕕ( ᐛ )ᕗ]
About twenty of us were left. Most were Hogwarts, but I could see some Durmstrang and Beauxbatons students aswell. I even saw Krum.
"Anyone else?" Dumbledore asked.
Nobody moved.
"Alright, go ahead." He said, and stepped away to the side.
Nobody stepped up, we were all too hesitant to be the first. Even Krum was a bit too timid to do it. And out of nowhere, a girl stepped up to the Goblet, paper in hand. I stood on the tip of my toes to get a better look over the heads if everyone else. And I saw her, she dropped the parchment into the flames, and they engulfed it.
Everyone waited to see what would happen, and the air grew tense with every second. It was so silent, that a pin could drop to the floor, and it would be like an explosion. But nothing happened. The Goblet didn't spit back out the parchment.
The girl turned around, with glee pictured on her beautiful face. It was Cho. My Cho.
'Not yours!' My conscience barked at me.
She spotted me, a grin plastered her face, and she started walking towards me. My heartbeat exelerated rapidly, erasing away all the feelings of anxiety, replacing it with awe and adoration. Cho slipped her way through the crowd, and they made room for her to get through. Eventually she reached me, and it seemed like the longest ten seconds of my life. How was it possible for this girl to amaze me even more?
"Hi, Ced!" She said as she approached me. Normally, I hated the nickname. But it sounded beautiful coming from those lips.
"H-hi." I stuttered, and I groaned internally.
"So, you're entering too?" She asked. "No - I mean, of course you are. You wouldn't be here if you weren't. Forget I asked that."
I chuckled at her cute response. Her cheeks flushed a bright pink, adding more to the cuteness.
"It's fine. Don't be embarrassed. I was actually really impressed when you where the first to step up. That takes guts."
She mumbled a thank you, before turning round to see the next person step up and put their name in the Goblet of Fire. The crowd dwindled, little by little, and when Krum but his name in, everyone cheered. Another line started forming, but it wasn't for the Goblet. The line consisted mostly of girls giggling, waiting in line for Krum's autograph. One girl even got Krum to sign her hat in lipstick.
Cho rolled her eyes at them. "Them girls have been nagging about him all day, 'oh he's such a great Quidditch player, he's so dreamy, I want him to be my future husband. '" Cho mocked, and I cracked up.
"I think he heard." I whispered.
She looked at me with her mouth wide open and eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets, it was so comical. I laughed even louder this time, to which people stared at me with quizzical expressions.
"I was joking!" I said. "I didn't think you would take it seriously!"
She shoved me in the arm with her elbow, and I shoved her back, which nearly sent her falling to the ground if I hadn't caught her. I grabbed her around the waist, and held her there securely. She grabbed me by the shoulders, and we stood there awkwardly in each other's embrace.
A blush started creep up on her cheeks, and I could feel my face heating up too. But I couldn't let go, holding her here felt great. I smell her amazing scent, see her brown eyes up close, see every beautiful feature with the perfect view. Like having the best seat in the house.
"I-I'm sorry - I didn't - I mean, I wasn't supposed to shove you that hard." I stuttered, looking away.
"Um.... it's fine. Thanks for catching me." She mumbled.
She let go of my shoulders, and then it was my cue to let go of her waist. Reluctantly, I let her out of my grasp, and I made a mental note to savour that feeling of holding her. It probably wouldn't happen again.
It was then I realized that everyone was staring. Some people looked at us oddly, but others had grins on their faces, probably thinking about Cho being my girlfriend. I guess it sort if looked that way..... I liked it. But did Cho think that way as well? Had I imagined the look of awe in her eyes?
Finally, everyone left. I was the only one who still hadn't put their name in the Goblet. Cho nudged me gently this time, encouraging me to do it. I looked at her, and she nodded. I approached the Goblet slowly. And then I remembered.
"Oh, God! I forgot to bring parchment and a quill!"
"Hold on." Dumbledore said. He took out his wand, and waved it. A quill and a sheet of parchment popped out of thin air. He handed them to me. I thanked him.
With the quill, I scribbled down my name, a little untidy due to the nerves wrecking havoc on me. With a shaky hand, I dropped it into the Goblet. The white-blue flames swallowed it whole.
No turning back now.
Dumbledore could see my obvious nerves.
"Sherbet lemon?" he asked.
"A what?" I said.
"Sherbet lemon, it's a Muggle sweet, one of my favorites."
"Uh... yeah, thanks..."
He handed me and Cho both a sherbet. It tasted sweet but sour, but overall it was actually very nice.
"Good luck, to you. May the odds be in your favor." he said, and walked away.
**********
That night I found it hard to sleep. It was just so nerve wracking thinking about the Tournament. I tried thinking about Cho to calm me down, and how it felt holding her in my arms. It worked, and I slowly fell into pleasant dreams of her.
・~・~・¥・~・~・
YOU ARE READING
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗢𝗳 𝗖𝗲𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗰 𝗗𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗼𝗿𝘆
Fanfiction(DISCONTINUED) Kill the spare." Cedric Diggory died in the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, when both he and Harry took the Cup, which turned out to be a Portkey that transported them straight to Voldemort. His death was unjust, so I think...
