joelle | d.m

73 | lightning struck

June, 1995.

The third and final task was tomorrow.

Joey was ready. She'd spent days practicing dueling and learning new hexes and spells for this task.

This task would take place in the hedges, she knew, but she didn't know the object of the task yet. She was going to find out tomorrow.

She was now doing last and final preparations for the task with her mates in the library after their classes had finished. Nayun had drawn a whole chart and divided the hexes in spells into categories where they'd most be efficient and useful.

Joey didn't ask for it, but Nayun insisted. She was still slightly petrified that Joey had become the Hogwarts Champion without even entering her name, so she was trying to make sure her friend was prepared.

They didn't know the real story as to how Joey's name got put into the ballot. Joey kept that to herself. Like she kept everything else about her past life to herself.

"So here are the ones that would best work in a situation where you haven't got the upper hand," Nayun was explaining as she ran her pen down the list of hexes and jinxes written on the parchment. "These are the ones that would be best in the situation where you need to buy more time."

Joey nodded along as Nayun continued. Imani and Devonte were on the couch, bickering. That never changed about them. Their bickering.

He was trying to read a comic strip Lee Jordan let him borrow, but she insisted that he had time to read it later. She was trying to get him to engage in the fact that the final task for the Triwizard Tournament was tomorrow.

"Yes, I know it's tomorrow," Devonte said to his girlfriend when she snatched the comic strip away. "But I really need to read that. It's the latest one and Lee says it tops all other comics."

"Later." Imani's voice drew out firmly as she shoved the comic into her book bag that was next to her. "Our friend may or may not die tomorrow and you want to read comics?"

"Woah, woah, woah." He threw out his hands, palms out, and shook his head. "No one here is dying, mama. It's just the third task to determine who the Triwizard Champion is."

"But there's still a death toll," she stated in a stern tone as her brows hardened together. "We need to make sure Jo-Jo is safe for tomorrow."

"No one's dying, Mani," Joey soothed from where she sat in the armchair, across from Nayun. "I'll be fine."

"We need to make sure of that," she insisted pointedly, and slapped Devonte's hand when he tried reaching for her book bag from behind her. "Stop that, Von."

He dramatically groaned and slumped against the back of the couch.

"Here." She inched closer to him and cupped his jaw as she lifted herself closer to his face. She pecked his mouth very softly. "Better?"

He remained limp. "More."

She granted him a few more gentle kisses. "Better?"

"For now."

"Okay, that'll do." She nodded and kissed his cheek before lowering back onto the couch. "Now, what was it we were talking about?"

"Here's the list of all the hexes under each category of possible scenarios." Nayun slid the piece of parchment across the coffee table toward the couple. "I don't think I missed any."

Imani picked up the list and her eyes skimmed over it. "Mm-mm. You're good," she confirmed. "Okay, great. Jo-Jo, do you want to do last-minute practicing before tomorrow?"