The Green Trio

October 30th, 1994

—

With the Weasley twins in tow, the girls had fallen into a comfortable step. The steady income flowing in from Gryffindor had increased their sales by thirty percent and that incline wasn't showing sign of plateau—especially after the notice for the arrival of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students went up. Students gathered around the sign like anxious worker bees to a hive, drifting away for a week with one overwhelming thought.

The Triwizard Tournament hadn't exactly slipped Cersei's mind; it was just that focusing on anything other than what was right in front of her was hard. Her increasing amount of assignments were merciless in their demand and each one that got done was primarily thanks to Diana and Luka forcing lengthy study periods on her. Nights before essays were due, the three of them would huddle in the library or in quiet corners of whatever common room they picked for the night and beat brand new quills down to dull stubs. Still, even with the encouragement that came with the presence of her friends, Cersei found herself cutting it too close—as she always did. Busy or not.

And it was no thanks to those late nights spent scribbling on ripped parchment and throwing paper airplanes across the room that she found Cedric invading her thoughts more often than she cared to admit. When she caught glimpses of herself in the library windows and saw the tired look on her face, she remembered clearly the way stress had coloured dark shadows under his eyes and drawn out deep yawns from his mouth every few minutes. He hadn't worn stress well; she didn't think she did either.

Would he have whisked her away if they were together? The way she had for him? Would they be spending more evenings in the empty Quidditch stands?

She huffed, shoving the question so deep into her skull, it became an unmarked grave.

I dumped him, she reminded herself as she exited the Hufflepuff common room. I broke up with him.

Students brushed by her, animatedly speaking about the arriving guests as they hobbled up the stairs. She found Diana waiting at the bottom and the two moved their way through together.

"The party should be next Saturday," Diana said as they reached the main floor. "We don't know how many other kids are coming. We could use the time to get everything ready."

Cersei shrugged, spotting Luka through the crowd and throwing up a peace sign. "As long as there is a party."

"Edgecomb's been trying to go through my shit again," the Ravenclaw said, an obvious hint of annoyance in her voice, as she joined her friends.

"The alarm went off?" Diana asked.

"The drawers were screaming when I was up there just now." She shook her head. "Could one of you hide my share for me? I just know one of these days she's gonna get in there, the nosey twat."

"Who's a nosey twat?"

Cersei turned her head to look, finding the grinning faces of the Weasley twins—though she couldn't have been sure which had spoken—and Lee Jordan. They stared expectantly, shuffling forward as the Heads of Houses tried and failed to organize everyone.

Luka glanced back. "Who do you think?"

"Edgecomb again?" Fred said.

"Yup."

"It'd be a damn shame if someone gave her a Nose Biting Teacup." George said with the tone of someone who would definitely be slipping Marietta Edgecomb more than a Nose Biting Teacup in the coming days.

"I better have misheard you, Mr. Weasley," McGonagall warned as they passed her by the entrance. "I will not have you harassing our guests! Now fix your tie."