my champion

one

Before I start the story, let me tell you a little bit about me, a bio if you will. Hi, my name is Isabella Gilmore, but all of my friends call me Bella. I'm a sixth-year Hufflepuff at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and I'm a half-blood, if that matters to you at all. I play quidditch and am the Chaser and co-captain of the house team. I've been dating my dream boy, Cedric Diggory, a fellow sixth-year Hufflepuff for the past year. He is the other co-captain of the quidditch team and is our seeker. This might come as a shock, but I'm an American, well at least I have the accent. My mom went to Hogwarts, and then moved to America, where she met my dad, and where I was born and raised, so I have dual citizenship to the UK and America. The summer I turned 11, I got my Hogwarts letter, and my parents stayed in New York while I went to Hogwarts, only coming back for the summer holidays. Now, onto the story.

September 1st, 1994, was the day we boarded the Hogwarts Express. Cedric and I walked into a cabin, talking about last year and wondering if this year was going to be any bit similar. We hoped not, considering how terrible last year was, with the dementors and all that jazz, but no two years at Hogwarts were ever the same.

"So, any predictions for this year?", Cedric asked.

I looked over to Cedric and see the grin plastered across his face. "Nope, I think I'm just gonna play it by ear. Live in the moment, y'know?"

Through the closed door, I can hear the familiar voice of the trolley lady shouting down the hall, asking who wanted to buy the candy off of her rickety old cart. I can hear Harry, Hermione and Ron in the cabin next door. From what I can hear, they are talking about the Quidditch World Cup, and how the Death Eaters attacked. I went with Cedric and his Dad, since I was staying with them before school.

"So what do you want from the trolley? I was thinking chocolate frogs, pumpkin juice, and apparently no droobles. I still can't believe you don't like droobles!", he exclaimed.

I chuckled, "A lot of the food back home is not like how it is here, we don't have gum like droobles, the gum is bubble gum or mint, not blueberry flavored." When we met, I was so excited to have somebody to sit with. He asked if I wanted to sit with him in his carriage on the train, and I said yes. I was alone, and in a new country, going to an odd school. When he asked if I wanted to be friends, I felt a weight come off of my shoulders, one of my first friends in a new country. He was, and still is my rock, my number one supporter, and my favorite person. The sweetest person I have ever known.

****

After eating our candy, we were almost at Hogwarts. We ate all of it, and I felt like I could puke. We ended up ordering so much more than just the frogs and the pumpkin juice. We also got fizzing whizzbees, and sherbet lemons, my personal favorite.

"Ced, how do you feel?"

"I'm alright.", Cedric said, combating the green that was rising on his cheeks. I know he's bluffing. Next thing I know, we are at the station, finally arriving at school! We walk out of the station and climb into the thestral drawn carriage. Most people have no idea what pulls the carriages, but I do. Thestrals are only seen by people who have witnessed death. Sadly, my family got into a car wreck when I was young, only 8 years old, and my twin brother, Jack and dad didn't make it out. It's been me and my mom ever since.

On a higher note, Cedric and I try to make ourselves as comfortable as possible in the hard, wooden benches of the carriage. He makes this one face when he's really excited, where he raises his eyebrows and makes a huge, toothy grin. It's one of my favorite things that he does. We don't speak the whole time on the carriage, since there are also second years on with us(they were there because Cedric is a prefect and it's part of his duties to watch over them when the Head boy and Head girl aren't around). We just talk to them the whole time and see how excited they are to be back. Despite not talking verbally, Cedric talked to me with his eyes the whole time. He said that the second years were talking his ear off, and he couldn't wait to have dinner.

As soon as the castle came into sight, the carriage went quiet and everybody stared in awe of the beautiful building in front of us that we all are so lucky to call home.

****

Walking into the Great Hall, smelling the feast on the tables, hearing the first years squealing with the excitement of being sorted, all felt amazing to hear. It was a breath of fresh air. Cedric and I walk over to the Hufflepuff table and greet all of the other Hufflepuffs and introduce ourselves to the first years. I glance around the room, and see that Cho and her Ravenclaw gang are staring daggers at Cedric and I. I've always known that she had a thing for him, it was obvious. She and I used to be best friends in our first year; we did everything together. But when she met Cedric and realized how close we were, she distanced herself from me. After I finally took my seat, a cold chill went down my spine, and my head started to spin.

Cedric turned his head right away, realizing that something was happening. "Bell, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just a little cold.", I lie. I don't know how to exactly describe this feeling, but I had a feeling deep down that something was going to happen, something bad. Cedric extends his arm around my shoulder and digs into his bag to grab one of his sweaters. He always carries one around whenever he's with me because he knows that I suddenly get cold. He hands me his quidditch jumper, and I know what you might be thinking; don't you have one of those? Yes, I do. But, his is bigger and smells like him.

As I'm putting it on, I see some of my Gryffindor friends like Hermione and Ginny giving me a thumbs up and smiling at me. I smiled and turned back to the front, just in time to see Dumbledore approaching his podium.

"Now that we are all settled and sorted, I'd like to make an announcement. This year, Hogwarts won't be only your home, but the home of other students!" I hear what sounds like a herd of elephants stomping through the doors, but it turns out to be some tall, dark coated men. After most of them walk by, in the back I see a familiar face who is next to who seems to be the headmaster.

"Cedric, I think that is Victor Krum!"

"Wait, THE Victor Krum? Romania's Victor Krum?"

"No, the one that runs the hot dog cart- yes Romania's Victor Krum!", I said sarcastically.

"Holy hell, Bell! I can't wait to speak to him, I'm such a huge fan!"

"I would have never known, Ced." He turns away and watches Krum stomp down to a table to sit at. I can now smell strawberries starting to lurk forward and I can hear some women singing. I then see a bunch of beautiful women in blue dresses prancing down the aisle between the tables. I gently punch his arm to get his focus off of these beautiful women. He just laughs and I roll my eyes at him.

The reason they were all here was because of the Triwizard Tournament, which was going to be hosted at Hogwarts this year. When Dumbledore said that, I could see Cedric's eyes light up. The first thing my mind jumps to was quidditch. Dumbledore told us to ask our Head of House any further questions, so I guess I will ask Professor Sprout later.

After the feast, we all head back to the common room to wind down and catch up with everybody. It's always a great time, the first night back in the common room. Everybody is so excited to be there, and we settle in. After a long night of chatter and chaos in the common room, Cedric walks me to my dorm around 10:45 before he goes to the Prefect's dorm block, which is where his room is. When I am finally able to get Cedric to go to his room, I notice the yellow blur on my bed. His quidditch jumper. After my shower, I put it on and go to sleep, only to wake up the next morning to start classes. The year has officially begun.