The Boy Who Fought: OC X Hermione

Jealousy

The two Gryffindors walked back to the common room, Cedric by their side.

"I know you two didn't put your names in." Cedric said, looking the boys dead in the eye.

"Thank you Cedric. It means a lot, you're probably the only one." Harry said, a sad sigh escaping his lips.

"Hermione believes us too. Well, at least me. She said so before I went up." Carson explained to the Hufflepuff.

"You and Hermione make a cute couple. Anyone can see it." Cedric said, putting a friendly arm over Carson's shoulder.

"Thanks Cedric. You're pretty cool." Carson said, ruffling his hair.

"Well, I was thinking that maybe us and some of the other champions if they wanted to do like a study group. Since we don't know anything working on basic defense and offense spells would be helpful, along with preparing for the future tasks' after the first one. I know champions aren't supposed to help each other, but it's already not fair their making two fourth years do it, so we can do a bit more rule bending." Cedric explained, Carson and Harry nodding along, thinking they would need all the help they could get.

They spilt up from Cedric when he arrived to the Hufflepuff common room and continued their walk to the Gryffindor common room.

"You know, Hermione's going to freak out when she finds out you have to do this." Harry commented, Carson nodding.

"Yep. I already didn't want to do this. You heard me; I was so against it. But no, offer us up like bait Dumbledore. God sometimes I really hate him, he's Dumbledore! The most powerful wizard alive! Surely he could find a loophole out of this or something! But he chooses not to do anything?!" Carson ranted, Harry agreeing with every word.

Harry loves Dumbledore, but he had to admit Carson was right. Why wasn't he getting them out of this? He's the most powerful wizard! There had to have been something he could've done, to make this safer, or get them out of it. Professor McGonagall was right, Dumbledore was offering them up like pigs for slaughter.

When they arrived, the boys were welcomed by a huge party. George and Fred ran over to the two and rushed them. "How did you get your names in without the beards?!" Fred asked, as George nodded.

"We didn't enter!" Carson and Harry said at the same time, with Carson pushing through to find Hermione. He saw her at a table by herself reading, but Carson could tell she was not paying attention to her book.

"Hermione." Carson said, getting her attention as she jumped into his arms and the book was long forgotten.

"Are you okay? Do you have to compete? Please tell me you don't have to!" Hermione asked, all in one breath as Carson kept their hug.

"Dumbledore said he couldn't do anything and since our names came out, we have to compete. But Cedric offered a study group to go over things that would prepare us for the first task, that we don't know yet." Carson told her, hoping the study group idea would make her feel better. Hermione disconnected their hug and put her hands on his shoulders.

"Promise me you'll be safe! I can't lose you! Promise me Carson Marshall that you will be as safe as possible, even if you have to lose!" Hermione commanded, as tears fell from her eyes.

"I promise. I'll be as safe as I can be. I'll come back to you; I won't let myself get killed." Carson promised, wiping her tears as she connected him in another hug. They stayed in that hug, before Carson went up to bed with Harry, both going to talk to Ron about it.

"How'd you do it?" Ron asked, the second they entered the room.

"Do what? Get our names called out in a deadly tournament that could kill us?" Carson asked, knowing Ron was mad at the two.

"Nevermind. Doesn't matter. You could've let me know though." Ron said, glaring at the two coldly.

"Let you know what?" Harry asked the redhead.

"You bloody well know what!" Ron shouted, taking the two aback.

"Listen Ron, we don't want this! We could die! Have you not been listening to me?! We don't want to enter! We have been saying it since we got here!" Carson yelled, Ron still glaring at him.

"Ron, you're being stupid." Harry chimed in, Ron glaring at him now.

"That's me, Harry Potter's stupid friend! I see why Carson put his name in, to be known as something other than that!"

"I don't want to compete! I didn't put my name in!" Carson shouted, the whole common room probably hearing him.

"Look, we don't know what happened tonight, and I don't know why okay?" Harry said, Carson nodding in agreement.

"Piss off." Ron said before going to bed.

"Fine! I'm going for a walk; I want to be alone." Carson said, leaving the dorm with a slam of the door.

Carson left the common room, and walked around the castle, he stopped at the astronomy tower and looked at all the stars, calming himself down. A light shined on his necklace, and he smiled for the first time that night, spending the rest of it up in the tower looking at the stars.