by my side¹ - d. malfoy

Seven

FLEUR AND Viktor said their goodbyes to Laura and Cedric. They then went off to where they were staying.

Cedric and Laura walked through the now deserted Great Hall. The once bright candles were dining, making the jagged smiles of the pumpkins lining the hall look eerie.

"So," Cedric said with a slight smile, "looks like it's a competition between us."

"Yeah," Laura said with a small laugh. "It's a shame that there's no Quidditch, though I've heard you're pretty good."

The smile on Cedric's face grew when she mentioned his Quidditch playing.

Laura couldn't lie. Cedric was good looking... really good-looking. According to everyone, he was an amazing Quidditch player.

He was tall, with a nice figure. His hair was a dark brown, and his eyes were gray... He somewhat reminded Laura of a brunette Draco.

"So, you're a Potter, Pickering?" Cedric asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Unfortunately, yeah," Laura frowned. "Don't get me wrong, I love being a Potter, I just hate being 'Harry Potter's cousin.'"

"Understandable," Cedric nodded. A smirk then formed on his face. "When I first saw you, I thought you looked a bit like Harry. Don't worry though, I'll defend you as Laura Pickering."

He winked at her as they walked out into the entrance hall, the two of them coming to a stop.

"Though... I do have to ask," Cedric said. "Since we're not in there anymore... You really didn't put your name in?"

"I swear on my owl's life I didn't," Laura said, raising her right hand, looking him in the eye. "I swear I gave the whole truth and nothing but the truth, so help me, Merlin."

"Got it," Cedric said with a smile. Laura could tell he genuinely believed her. "I'll see you around the school then. Have a good night celebrating."

"Goodnight, Cedric," Laura smiled, the two splitting ways.

As she started walking towards the dungeons, Laura felt a sense of dread setting in. She didn't know how to deal with everything that had happened that night. The thing she wanted the least was coming to pass.

Laura Potter: Harry Potter's cousin and now the attention stealer. She knew most Hogwarts students wouldn't take nicely to a random transfer student stealing Cedric's glory. Yet, that wasn't the biggest thing on Laura's mind, as she was now in a deadly competition at only fourteen years old.

She knew she probably wasn't going to die or that anyone would die, but being entered into the tournament was not on her bingo card. The other thing not on her bingo card was someone in Europe wanting her dead. It wasn't unusual for her in America but in England?

Laura made it to the portrait. She hesitated. Laura didn't know how her house was going to react. She didn't even know if people would be waiting to see her.

"Parsley," she said hesitantly.

The portrait opened, revealing that the common room was packed with people. They all started cheering when she walked in. People looked... ecstatic. Laura forced a smile on her face as a dozen hands grabbed her, pulling her into the middle of the room.

"Why didn't you tell us?" roared a random Slytherin older than her. They looked slightly impressed but still mostly annoyed.

"I don't even know who you are," Laura yelled.

Jordan Young took her by the shoulders.

"How did you not grow a beard, Pickering?" he asked, a giant smile on his face. "Oh, I knew you'd be an impressive student when I met you. You should've told me you put your name in earlier!"