Anger and Affection | Draco Malfoy and Cedric Diggory

Chapter Ten

All eyes in the mysteriously lit room turned towards me. Gasps flew around the room in an array of concern and shock. I felt my heart pound with adrenaline. 

How was this possible? I am too young, I thought to myself. I glanced around the room as the crowd of eyes followed with my gaze.

My hands felt shaky in a way that I failed to control. The whole school was staring at me - the whole world was fixated on my very position at the Slytherin table. But out of all the eyes around the room, I found myself searching for one pair. And they were looking back at me. Their cold, icy gaze met my outwardly afraid one. He let his eyes fall back to the remaining scraps on his plate. I quickly looked in a different direction. Then the whispers started.

"Arcadia Cawfield!" Dumbledore repeated. I stood up slowly and began to make my way to the front of the room. I saw the professors whispering to each other. They seemed to be just as confused as I was, which was not particularly a good sign. I tried to appear strong, but in reality, my legs felt weak, and my hands still shook.

Right before I reached the front of the Great Hall, I let my eyes gaze upon my fellow contestants. Of course, my eyes found Cedric's. He looked worried as if the happiness he received from his own name being pulled was never there in the first place. His eyebrows were raised, and his mouth was slightly open. I raised my eyebrows at him, prompting him to look away. I am sure the other competitors saw this wordless exchange.

I turned towards the crowd of students. Some looked amused, some appeared shocked, and others gave resentment.

Dumbledore's loud voice abruptly filled the air, which prompted me to jump. "Well...as it is...we must not ignore the Cup's desires. I present to you the....the... the four Tri-wizard Champions!"

The crowd hesitantly clapped a first, and then a full applause broke out. Then, after a while, the students began to leave the Great Hall and make their way towards the dormitories. Fleur and Viktor walked out talking to each other, leaving Cedric and me standing by Dumbledoor in uncomfortable silence.

"Cedric, you can go; I need a word with Arcadia," Dumbledore said. Cedric smiled and proceeded to walk out of the Great Hall. Some of the other professors had left as well. Snape was standing in the corner as if he were attempting to listen to our conversation. And I knew that he was.

Dumbledore turned to face me. "I wish that I could give you some sort of an explanation," Dumbledore spoke. "Certainly, the cup recognizes you are far too young..." he trailed off. I really did not know how to respond. My mind was simultaneously filled with confusion and wonder. Though, the fear that washed over me when my name was announced seemingly disappeared along with the students.

After a long pause, I responded to him. "It is...well...unexpected. But if it is what the cup wants, then I am sure I can complete the tasks. Part of me wanted to compete."

Dumbledore furrowed his brows. "I suppose..." he led on without finishing his thought. "I will let you go. We can speak another time." "Good luck," he finally added."

"Thank you, Dumbledore," I responded. He turned around, and I let my eyes trail off into the background. I made eye contact with Snape, and he held a stare that spoke of terror with a glimpse of his own fear. I could not quite read him. I quickly looked away and walked out of the Great Hall. My footsteps rang in the frozen air.

The hallways were empty, walking back to the common room. They were dimly lit, and not one trace of the students existed. Part of me expected Cedric to be waiting. He seemed distraught by the fact that my name had been called, but also, he has been strangely non-sympathetic. Though, I took it as a sign that perhaps we needed a break. He was a Champion too, and part of me knew that he wanted to win badly. And now to him, I was competition.

When I entered the common room, I was met with the sound of cheering and a sea of green and black robes around the room. Everyone was smiling and cheering for me. Some were chanting "Slytherin Pride!!" and others shouted '"Arcadia Cawfeild!" I felt a smile creep onto my face as I walked into the crowd.

Adrian was one of the first people who approached me. "So, how'd you trick the cup? Even those twins from Gryffindor couldn't do it," Adrian shouted over the cheering.

I did not want to admit that I did not know how it happened, so I shook my head and said, "I will not reveal my secrets."

He laughed and added, "you even fooled Dumbledore. Finally, someone worthy is in this tournament."

I smiled and laughed with him. "I can't wait," I added.

I said goodbye to everyone and walked into my dorm. Everyone was still celebrating the selection of one of their own when I walked in, so I was alone. The moonlight shone through the window and cast light onto the floor. Suddenly, I saw the shadow of a figure on the floor and swiftly turned my head towards the window.

My eyes were met with a dark figure. My heart dropped, and I moved closer. But before I could make out the figure, it disappeared into the sulky night sky.

I spent the night lying in bed and contemplating if the figure was real or just a figment of my overactive imagination. 

~

The couple of weeks leading up to the first round were chaotic, to say the very least. Before I was announced as one of the champions, I remained partially invisible to my classmates. But as soon as my name flew from the cup, I became a spectacle. As I walked through the halls, I watched a sea of eyes shift over me.

The excitement of my Slytherin classmates gave me a boost of confidence. However, it also made me nervous. I knew that they wanted Slytherin to win, which meant that I had to live up to almost impossible expectations. Thus, I knew I needed to train.

I knew that the first task would not be easy, and I also had no idea what to expect. I heard a million different rumors fly through Hogwarts dimly lit hallways: snakes, dragons, even boggarts.

As much as I tried to forget, the looming date of November 24th quickly arrived. In the weeks between the selection ceremony and the first task, I barely spoke to anyone, not even Cedric. I immersed myself in books on past tournaments and what to expect.

I found it weird because even though I had not taken any effort to take to Cedric, he had rarely taken any effort to talk to me. As much as I did not want to admit it: I missed him.

The day of the first task arrived. I sat in my dorm room alone, gazing out of the window behind my bed, the same window that I had seen the shadow outside of. I clutched my wand in my hand and prompted myself to take deep breaths.

Over the previous couple of days, I found myself studying in the library for the task with Hermione. She seemed to have a strange vested interest in my success. We read what seemed hundreds of books and Harry would occasionally accompany us. 

I looked away from the window and knew it was time. I walked out of the dorms and made my way over to the Quidditch stadium. When I arrived, everyone was already in the stands. I had been told to go to a tent outside of the stadium where the other champions would be.

When I arrived at the tent, the other champions were inside, including Cedric. The moment I entered the tent, we locked eyes. He was sitting on a bed in the corner. When my eyes met his, I felt a strange feeling of remorse. I knew that he wanted to win, but I also wanted to win.

Flur and Viktor were also in the tent, but no one chose to speak. Suddenly Barty Crouch entered the tent along with Dumbledore. He motioned for us to come near him.

He explained the objective of the first task: "ladies and gentlemen, today you are tasked with retrieving a golden egg that will give you an important clue to the next task in the tournament. Today's objective is to test your bravery and courage in the face of the unknown."

As Crouch kept talking, I felt Cedric shift next to me. In an instant, I felt the brush of his fingertips against the side of my hand. I took in a quiet by sharp breath. My pointer and middle finger found his hand and wrapped around it. Both of our eyes stayed focused on Crouch, but I felt a surge of emotion rush to my stomach at the feeling of Cedric's touch - an emotion I had never experienced before. 

While Dumbledore was talking, a cannon sounded in the distance. Cedric let go of my hand and slowly walked out into the cheering crowd.