Chapter 19

It was the day of Christmas Eve. Jill, Olive and Sage had been cooped up in their dorm all day, refusing to leave for any occasion. They spent the entire time getting ready, doing their hair and make up. 

"I like the fancy hair and make up with the silk robe." Olive admired herself in the mirror. They had decided not to put the dresses on until a little before the ball. "Should we put on our heels, add a little extra flare?" Jill joined her in the mirror.

"Jilly, come back and hold the hand mirror up for me." Sage pouted, and Jill returned to her. "You look stunning, Sage. Harper won't be able to get enough of you." Jill complimented her. "Or Cedric, poor Cho won't get a glance from him tonight." Olive giggled. 

"You flatter me." She smiled kindly. "You both look absolutely breathtaking. It's a shame you have to waste your time on Graham, Jilly." She frowned. "He doesn't deserve you." Olive agreed. "He's been kind of sweet.. As of recently.." Jill blushed.

"How long do we have?" Sage finished applying her makeup. "An hour." Olive squealed. "Can we put on our dresses now?" She pleaded, and they all agreed. (You can imagine whatever dress you'd like, I don't want to choose one for you in case you don't like it hahaha.)

(Pretend there's a super long and in-depth description of your chosen dress here)

"It's decided.. We're angels." Jill nodded. "I agree." Olive nodded as they finished getting dressed, now in their full outfits. "I'm not very good in heels, though." Olive frowned at her feet. "Rowan will have to get used to you leaning on him all night. You're so clumsy, Olive."

"I hope I don't trip and fall." Olive pouted. "I'm nervous." Sage frowned. "I still haven't talked about how i'm going with Harper to Cedric. I'm going to have to pretend that I didn't know that he knew that I was going with Harper. Or else Cedric will know I was avoiding him."

"Boys are complicating." Olive sat down. "I know, and they think we are?" Jill scoffed. "I'm excited to see Athena. She's going with Draco Malfoy, though." Sage frowned. "I filled her in on the whole situation."

"I'm just nervous a fight will break loose during the ball. We can't have Cedric ruining your night with Harper." Jill rolled her eyes. "If you need us, call immediately. We will escort Cedric from the premises if required."

----

An hour passed until the girls were ready to leave their dorm and reveal themselves to their dates, who would be waiting at the ball. "What if they're still in the common room. We can't have them seeing us until we get to the ball." Sage stood in front of the exit to their dorm, debating her next move.

"I'll check. My date isn't a Hufflepuff." Jill pushed to the front of the line, opening the door and peering outside. "Well?" Olive urged her. "I can't see, hang on." Jill stepped out of the dorm, scanning the common room. "The coast is clear, quick." They dashed out of the dorm, hurrying down the stairs.

Sage had to hold Olive up all the way out of the dorm, seeing as she still wasn't used to her heels. Even after practising how to walk in them for the past hour, Olive still couldn't stay up right for more than five paces.

"How am I going to dance in these heels?" Olive groaned as they hurried along the corridor, on their way to the ball. "I hope it's decorated nicely." Jill skipped excitedly along the corridor, until they arrived at the ball. 

"Do we just.. Do we just walk over?" The three girls peered anxiously around the corner, where everyone was lining up to enter the ball. "I think so.. You go first." Jill pushed Olive first, and she tumbled to the ground. 

"Oops... Sorry, Olive, I forgot about the heels." She helped Olive up. "Let's just go.." The three girls walked anxiously forward, pausing in front of the staircase. At the bottom, Sage could already see Graham, Rowan, Harper and Cedric. Cedric with Cho Chang. 

Graham looked up from his group of friends as they began to walk down the staircase, and Sage watched anxiously as Cedric, Harper and Rowan all noticed them, too. Sage didn't dare look at Cedric's reaction when she was met by Harper at the bottom of the stairs, who took her hand in his. 

"Your beauty is tantalising, I fear I do not deserve it.." Harper whispered quietly into her ear, and she held back a blush. "You look quite handsome, yourself." She took a step back, admiring her date. "The suit is lovely, Harper." She smiled. 

"Shall we go inside?" Harper led her by the hand into the ball, which was decorated magnificently with snow and Christmas trees. "Wow." Sage gaped at the ballroom. As they entered completely inside, Sage spared one glance at Cedric, who was already looking at her.

"Cho looks quite pretty." She told Harper. Trying as best as she could to hide her utter jealousy for the girl's beauty. Of course Cedric had asked her, she was gorgeous. 

All of the students kept to the side, forming a circle in the middle of the room as the Triwizard Tournament Champions and their dates entered. "I bet you wish Cedric would have asked you, now." Olive whispered to Sage as the Champions started the slow dance. 

The Champions were then joined by the Professors, and then the students. Harper led Sage onto the dance floor, and they began to dance along with the others. Luckily, they had much practise together due to when Harper had asked her to the ball.

Every few seconds, Sage noticed Harper glancing up at something, and eventually it got too frequent to ignore. "What do you keep looking at?" She asked. "I don't think i've ever seen Cedric so furious. He's livid, even Cho's noticed." He responded, and Sage couldn't fight the temptation to look.

Cedric was staring directly at them, his eyes burning with pure outrage. When Cedric noticed her looking, he led Cho straight off the dance floor, and Sage didn't think she'd ever felt more guilty. "Poor Cho." She laughed, though that wasn't really who she felt sorry for.

"I'm sorry, Sage, but Cedric definitely likes you." He rolled his eyes. "Best friends don't get that angry about seeing one another with a different date." He scoffed. "You can't deny it."

"Perhaps." She frowned. "That would certainly complicate things, though." Sage sighed in exasperation. "I'd actually feel bad for Cho, if that were the case."

Sage and Harper spent the next half hour dancing together. Laughing and talking about anything from Cedric's jealousy, all the way to their Charms homework, which was proving very difficult as of recently. 

When Sage's feet began to hurt, they claimed a nearby table, and Harper left to get her a drink. The moment Harper was gone, Sage felt her instincts kick in, she was vulnerable. Suddenly, just as she had feared, Cedric appeared in front of her, grabbing her wrist and dragging her out of the room. 

"Cedric, let go of me!" She complained all the way outside. "You came with Harper?!" He shoved her hand away when they reached the staircase. "Why do you care, you're here with Cho?" She scoffed. "You told me you didn't have a date. You lied to me."

"Because I knew you'd be mad, and look! I was right." She rubbed her wrist, which had grown slightly pink. "Of course you went with Harper. It's always been Harper, ever since that stupid party." He ran his fingers through his hair. 

"This isn't fucking fair, Sage." He groaned. "It's perfectly fair, I don't understand you Cedric." Sage scoffed. "What is your problem, I have every right to be here with Harper." She rolled her eyes at him. "That's not- FINE! I hope you have a great time with him!" He yelled.

"Thanks, I will!" She marched back into the ball, finding Harper immediately. "Hey, I came back to our table and you were-"

Sage grabbed his collar, pulling him into a kiss. She knew Cedric was behind her, and she was blinded by rage, and a thirst for revenge. How dare he speak to her like that. Harper met her with equal passion, wrapping his hands around her waist.

The sound of glass smashing pulled their lips apart, and Sage turned around to see the whole drinks table tipped over, and Cedric exiting the hall. "What the-" Harper stared at him. "Did he see?" He frowned. "Must of." Sage shrugged. 

"...Is that why you kissed me?" Harper took a step back. "You were trying to piss him off again, weren't you." Harper sighed. "No- Harper." She shook her head. "Sage, come on. Don't lie to me." He swallowed. "You only came with me because you were trying to make him jealous.."

"No, Harper listen. I like you, I do, I promise... But he just yelled at me, and I just.. I needed to get back at him, i'm sorry. Please don't be angry with me." She took his hands in her, and he studied her for a moment.

"Why are you always using me to get back at him.." He looked away from her. "Harper, please." She cupped his face with her hands. "I don't. I'm sorry, it was just this time.." She pleaded.

"And at the party, and in seven minutes of heaven, and during pretty much every fight you and Cedric have been in. Why is it you only give me attention when Cedric's mad at you?" He pulled her hands away from his face. 

"I kissed you in that closet because I wanted to kiss you. I'm here with you because I want you to be my date." She smiled sadly at him. "But you like Cedric, too. Don't think I don't notice. And what about what Olive said earlier? 'I bet you wish Cedric would have asked you, now.'" He frowned. 

"That didn't-"

"Sage, I won't be second best to Cedric." Harper shook his head. "It's me or him, I won't let you play with my feelings anymore." 

Sage broke at his words. She had never meant to toy with his emotions, and she felt foolish for never considering what she might have been doing to him. She hated that Harper felt this way, she had never seen him so sad before, and she despised herself for being the root of his misery. 

But Sage couldn't choose, she couldn't just make a decision there and then. "Harper.." She hesitated. "I can't choose." She bit her lip. "Please just listen to me-" 

"No, Sage. I'm sorry." He walked away.

----

After the Yule Ball, Sage didn't speak with Cedric or Harper for weeks. The second task was tomorrow, and still she couldn't get either of them to speak a word to her. The group had temporarily split due to this issue, so Jill, Sage and Olive were their own trio.

Sage found out that Cedric had asked out Cho, and she'd said yes. They were now officially dating, and it killed her. Harper wouldn't even look at her, he pretended she didn't exist. Sage knew Harper could be mean, but she knew he didn't do it out of anger. He was hurt.

Sage had no idea if Cedric knew what was in that golden egg, or how to complete the second task, and it was agonising. She missed her friends very much, even Rowan was forced not to fraternise with her.

So, Sage spent her days wallowing in her own guilt and self pity. She had always thought that no matter what, she and Cedric would always come back to each other, but this felt different. This fight felt too genuine, and she worried they'd never resolve it. 

"Sage Fawley?" There was a knock on Sage's dorm room door, and Olive got up to answer it. "Hannah Abbott?" Olive frowned. "I'm supposed to bring Sage Fawley to Professor McGongall's office.." She younger girl smiled timidly.

"What for?" Sage got up, and they followed Hannah outside. "She said only to bring Sage." Hannah apologised, so Olive and Jill left them, as they arrived at McGonagall's office. "Miss Fawley, come in." Professor Dumbledore opened the door, and she stepped inside. 

As Sage entered the room, she was ushered over to a large couch where Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley and another younger girl, whom Sage didn't recognise, were sitting. "As I was saying.." Dumbledore smiled.

"The four of you will be participating in the second task tomorrow morning. Before I say anything more, allow me to assure that no harm will come to you during this task. You will all be sent to the bottom of the Black Lake, for the Triwizard Champions to find." He continued.

"You will be asleep, and very much protected. When you awake, you'll be on shore again." He nodded. "Please, drink some tea." Dumbledore handed out teacups, which he informed them contained sleeping draught. 

----