Chapter 16

"I won. Our DADA professor is an Auror. He works at the Ministry of Magic." Olive grinned. "Nuh-uh, it's not the end of the year, yet. And besides, he's an ex-Auror." Jill rolled her eyes. "We might find out he's a Werewolf, which would make Rowan's more accurate, seeing as he suggested it." Jill shook her head at Olive. 

"Fine." Olive pouted. "Gosh, the Beauxbatons girls are gorgeous." Sage sighed, watching as a small group of Beauxbaton students passed them by. "They're skin is luminous." Olive pouted. "They all have dimples.. All of them, how is that even possible?" Jill frowned.

"I think the water in France is different to ours." Sage concluded. "We should import it. How expensive would that be..?" Said Jill. "Can you even import water?" Olive thought for a moment. "Then we'll import French grown watermelons, they'll give us enough water."

"What about French watermelons?" Rowan sat down at their table, where they were studying for COMC (Care of Magical Creatures.) "What do you think makes the Beauxbaton girls so flawless." Olive asked him. 

"The silk uniforms add to the beauty, I suppose." He shrugged. "Rowan, can you go ask one of them what moisturiser they use?" Jill pleaded. "When you tell me what vegetables the Durmstrang boys are eating. I feel like home-brand in my own school." He frowned.

"I can't wait for them to leave." Sage sighed. "I think I might just die if I have to see their perfect faces every single day. It's enough to turn you insane." Sage groaned. "Do you think their personalities are as beautiful as their appearance?" Asked Olive.

"No. I don't think that's scientifically possible." Sage shook her head. "Newton's fourth law; If the outside's impeccable, the inside is Rowan when he fails a test.. A fucking mess." Jill concluded, and they all nodded in agreement, even Rowan. 

"I think even Cedric and Harper are going to leave Sage, at this point." Olive sighed. "Thanks, Olive." Sage frowned. "What?" Rowan furrowed his brows in confusion. "Oh, they're both in love with her." Jill explained. "False." Sage shook her head.

"It's not confirmed, but surely you've noticed it." Olive turned to Rowan. "I think Sage could be a Beauxbaton girl, everyone's in love with her." Rowan laughed. "I don't think I'll ever receive a compliment like that every again in my lifetime, thank you Rowan."

"What, that everyones in love with you?" He scoffed. "No. The other thing."

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"So, I did what you asked, and.. I'm still going to enter the tournament. Hufflepuff never wins at anything, they deserve a moments glory. Quidditch is cancelled, so i'll have nothing else to do.. And I want to make my parents proud, I want to make my mum proud." Cedric told Sage as they walked together to Hogsmeade.

"Cedric.. Hufflepuff can survive without eternal glory. Who's to say you even win, what if you do die, then was it really worth it? You can go one year without Quidditch, it'll be back on next year, and Cedric.. Your parents are proud of you. You don't have to prove anything to them, they love you." 

"Look, if I get in. If I'm chosen as the Hogwarts Champion, and I feel like i'm pushing my luck in one of these trials, i'll forfeit. I promise." He sighed. "You're biting off more than you can chew, Cedric. Please don't do this. It's not that easy, you can't just back down. It won't feel like that while you're competing."

"I know i'm taking a risk here, okay, but i'm doing this with or without your support. It'd definitely be a whole lot more comfortable with you on my side about this." He raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. "And i'd be a whole lot more comfortable not worrying my best friend wasn't willingly risking his life to win a stupid tournament, but we don't all get everything we want, do we." She scoffed.

"No, we don't." He swallowed. "Come on, Sage. We risk our lives everyday. We're at a school for magic, there's an Azkaban prisoner on the loose who broke into our school. I'm the Quidditch captain, and there's a crazy dark wizard who's trying to come back from the dead."

"This is different! Sirius Black and He-who-shall-not-be-named are not targeting you specifically. Unless you get in their way, you don't have to worry about them! By entering this tournament, you are putting yourself at risk. This isn't 'Oh there's a dark wizard on the loose,' this is, 'i'm going to physically stand between you, and what you want, and hope I'm strong enough not to be killed.' It's ridiculous, and i've no idea why it's even legal." Sage argued.

"Well it is legal. The school isn't stupid. There are safety precautions, i'm not going in there unprotected." He groaned. 

"The school is a bit stupid, actually. He-who-shall-not-be-named literally taught us DADA in our third year. A muggle killing chamber was opened in our fourth year. A werewolf taught us DADA in our fifth year, while a pyscho prison escapee roamed the school, and now there's a high death rate tournament that they're allowing students to willingly enter." 

"And we survived it all, didn't we? We're still alive." He rolled his eyes. "Really? That's what you have to say. Oh, yeah we've been through all this traumatic shit, you know. Watched muggle-born students being petrified, a first year student getting kidnapped by a diary and had to sleep in the Great Hall out of fear a Dark Wizard would come and kill us all, but it's OKAY because we're alive."

"Not to mention the troll that broke into school, and the dementors that tormented the students all though our fifth year. Oh, and you can't forget when the school sent eleven year old students into the forbidden forest as a punishment, and they came face to face with He-who-shall-not-be-named eating a Unicorn. Yes, the school really cares for our safety." She scoffed. 

"You're ignorant if you think the school can protect you in those trials." She rolled her eyes. 

"Then i'll be ignorant, because I'm entering." 

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Sage, Jill, Olive and Athena all sat around the goblet of fire, watching as students, who were of age, dropped their name into the cup. And though Sage didn't say anything, she was terrified Cedric would enter through those doors.

She and Cedric had argued over the tournament multiple times, and Cedric had never given in. However, there was a still a sliver of hope in Sage, and she prayed it wasn't just wishful thinking.

Suddenly, the doors flew open, and Cedric entered through them, being pushed forward by Rowan and Harper, who were cheering him on. "I'm getting there." Cedric laughed, freeing himself from the two boys, walking through the age circle, and dropping his name into the goblet.

A small eruption of fire exploded from the goblet, it had been done. Cedric turned back around, searching for Sage who had been sitting just at the edge, but she was gone. 

----

"Sage, you're going to have to talk to him eventually." Harper flopped into the couch, sitting beside Sage as she read her Herbology textbook. "Say's who." She shrugged. "Say's me."

"Are you every going to give me my book back?" She looked up. "Not until you give me back what you stole from me." He grinned. "I don't know what you're talking about." She rolled her eyes.

"Cedric will be fine, he's a big boy. He doesn't need Sagie-Wagie holding his hand in everything." Harper teased. "Sagie-Wagie? Not even Athena's called me that." She scoffed. "She should, it suits you." He poked her in the side and she squirmed uncomfortably. 

"You're so touchy." She whined, pushing his hand away. "You like it." He smiled. "I do not." She folded her arms across his chest. "No?" He raised his eyebrows. "What about.. now!" He leapt forward, grabbing her waist and tickling her. 

"AH! NO, HARPER, STOP!" She shrieked, trying to suppress her laughter. "Now?" He brought his hands up to her neck, tickling her everywhere. "HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO-HARPER-LIKE THIS!" She tried to push him away, but it gave him an opening. 

"NOO, PLEASE!" She pleaded, and he released her. "Not even I can defy the magic word." He sat back down as if nothing had happened. "You're so infuriating." She scolded him. "You adore me." He grinned.

"Shall we go for dinner?" He got up and stretched, and Sage couldn't help but admire him. "What are you looking at?" He teased, and she rolled her eyes at him. "Let's get dinner." Sage pushed him out the door, and they made their way to the Great Hall.

When they sat down, Sage sat away from Cedric, which he noticed. "Ooh, he's not happy." Harper whispered, and Sage stepped on his foot. "He's looking at you." Harper took a long sip from his orange juice. 

"Nope, not happy at-"

"I will poison that orange juice." She glared at him, and he raised his hands in defeat. "Forgive me for simply commentating." He sighed dramatically. "I'm so under appreciated around here." He shook his head in disappointment.

"I appreciate you, Harper." Rowan slapped him on the back. "Rowan's a suck up, his opinion is not valid." Said Sage. "Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." Rowan laughed, unbothered by her insult.

"No, a certain someone just put his name in the goblet of fire, and mother Sagie-Wagie doesn't like seeing her chicks leave the nest." Harper sighed, and Cedric stifled a laugh. "That's it. I'm introducing Athena and Ophelia." Sage got up from her seat. 

"No! Please, no. I was just joking, forgive me." Harper shot up after her, bowing as lowly as his back would allow him. "Behave yourself." Sage sat back down. "Or else."

"Sometimes I think Sage should be a Slytherin. When she was younger, Hufflepuff suited her, but now.." Harper tutted. "You're testing my patience, Harper." Sage scowled at him. "Not like you can talk, Harper." Olive sat down. "I've always thought you belong in Slytherin." She sighed.

"I agree." Sage nodded. "How- This backfired." Harper groaned in defeat.

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