When the Quidditch World Cup rolled around the next day, Sage decided to hide behind her family all through the game. She walked in front of her parents with Athena, not sparing Harper or Cedric a glance when she passed them on their way out of the campsite. She was thankful she didn't sit with them during the game.
Ireland ended out winning the game, though Bulgaria's Victor Krum had caught the snitch. On their way back to the campsite, Jill approached Sage and her family. "Sage, i'm coming to your tent." She declared, obviously not daring to bring up the night before in front of Sage's family.
When they got back to the tent, Sage explained everything, with the help of Athena, who would not stop interrupting.
"So what are you going to do?" Jill asked when Sage finished her story. "I have absolutely no idea. Cedric's going to be furious with me, and i'm worried Harper might ask me out. What would I do then?" She sighed.
"Well, what would you do if Harper asked you out?" Athena grabbed a canned butterbeer from the mini fridge. "I don't even know if I like him. What if I just feel like this because we kissed?" She groaned, sending Athena back to the fridge to get her a butterbeer.
"I think you should just not speak about it to Harper. See how everything plays out, pray to Merlin that he doesn't ask you out, and work on calming down Cedric." Jill advised her.
"Harper should be easy, he's not a get to the point kind of guy, he likes to mess around." Jill shrugged. "Getting Cedric to forgive you? That's the difficult part." She sighed. "I suppose he doesn't know that you and Harper actually made out, and you could just say you didn't have enough Galleons, like what you told Harper." Athena added.
"Try to act normal around Cedric, don't be weird or avoid him. Maybe this could even result in him confessing that he likes you if you play your cards right." Jill began to strategise. "If he even likes me." Sage rolled her eyes.
"He so does, you can't deny it." Athena laughed. Sage knew the possibility that he did, though she hadn't completely made up her mind on whether or not she believed he had feelings for her. "So, lets just establish that Cedric does like you, no arguments. From Cedric's point of you, you don't know that he likes you, and you may not even like him." Jill continued.
"So, for him to get mad at you for kissing another boy, is completely unfair. If he pulls the 'If you date another guy, we can't be as close' card, tell him that's manipulative. Tell him that one day you're both going to get into relationships, and you can't just hide your feelings to protect him. Make him look like the bad guy."
"Jilly, that's so manipulative." Athena giggled. "I love it, it's perfect." She clapped her hands together, and Sage banged her head on the table. "Ugh, this is so bad. Okay, I guess I have no choice." She convinced herself. "I'll do that. God, this is going to be a long year."
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"If this doesn't work, I'm screwed." Sage whispered to Athena as they arrived at the Hogwarts Express, spotting Cedric across the crowd. "Why did I choose a super long train ride stuck in a compartment with both of them, to be the first time I speak to them since the Cup."
"You did it to yourself." Athena shrugged. "I can only blame myself, I know." She groaned. "Can't I sit in your compartment?" She pleaded. "With me and all the other Slytherins that are two years below you? No."
"Wish me luck." She waved goodbye to Athena as they entered the train. "Luck!" Athena called back to her, before she entered into the compartment. Both Harper and Cedric were already there, and no one else.
They were not looking, or speaking to each other and the feeling of impending doom crept up on her when Cedric looked up, noticing her in the doorway. "Hi, Ced, Harper." She smiled casually, sitting across from them.
