prospicere futurum | fred weasley | cedric diggory

24

Corinne offered Flitwick a tired smile, passing over her exam, eager to escape from the stuffy classroom and quite frankly, just thankful she hadn't fallen asleep during the test. She of course had good reason to turn down Cedric's offer, or rather, his plea for her to stay last night with him, though she pointed out he needed a good night's sleep before the tournament, and deserved to be able to sleep in, while her alarm would ring bright and early for the day's exams. That didn't mean she hadn't regretted her decision a few hours later as she stared at the top of her bed, huffing out a silent sigh, her eyes begging for sleep that she knew wouldn't come. If she hadn't been so worried about the tournament, it would have been pouring over the exam subjects.

But now, her final exam was finished and as she breathed in a calming breath of the cool air outside of the charms classroom, she reminded herself for the dozenth time that whatever tonight's task brought, it would all be over. The tournament, the inter-house rivalry, or at least until Quidditch season started up again next term... Most importantly, the school year was drawing to a close, and win or lose tonight, Corinne was quite looking forward to a lazy summer with Cedric by her side.

As much as she wanted to drag herself back up to her bed to catch at least a short nap, the smarter half of her was sure she'd sleep right through dinner and miss the tournament completely, and as mature as she was sure Cedric would be, win or lose, she was going to be there by his side.

She hurried down the steps where the doors to the Great Hall were open, the tables already beginning to fill with students, the chatter carrying into the corridor as she stepped inside.

She spotted him at once, though his back was to her, and her stomach jolted at the sight. He was speaking to a shorter man and a thin, gorgeous woman, and as Corinne scanned over the room, spotting the other champions one by one, she realized who the strangers were. The families had been invited to watch the third task. She was going to meet Cedric's parents.

She glanced down over her uniform, straightening her skirt hastily and attempting to flatten out her hair which she was sure looked a mess after a full day of exams and a full night of little to no sleep.

She caught a glimpse of Krum from the corner of her eye, though even as she passed him she couldn't understand a word of his low conversation with his parents. He looked nearly an exact copy of his father and nothing like his mother at his side.

She turned her focus now towards the rest of the Great Hall, catching sight of Fleur's pastel robes at once. Her mother was grinning, proudly, speaking rapidly in French, though Fleur's eyes were latched across the room, Corinne following her gaze until it met a tall, thin man with familiar colored red hair beside a rather stout women with the same genuine smile. Harry Potter stood between them, Ron at his side shrugging away a question his mother had asked him.

"Corinne!" Cedric's voice pulled her attention away from the Weasleys, her stomach settling at the sight of that gorgeous smile as he waved her closer.

"So this is Corinne?" Cedric's mother smiled, warmly, reaching out her hand for a handshake. "I didn't know what I was more excited for, watching Ced win the tournament, or meeting the girl I've been hearing about all term."

"Mom." Cedric's tone was warning, though his smile hardly faltered as he pulled Corinne easily into his side.

"Pleasure to meet you, dear." Cedric's father grinned down at the pair, "How were exams?"

Cedric turned to her, apparently eager for the answer as well.

"Oh, they went well!" She nodded, "I'm glad they're done with."

"She did great." Cedric assured his parents, "She's been studying like a maniac for weeks."

"That'll come in handy for you next year, lets hope she can whip you into shape." Mrs. Diggory said, "Honestly, sometimes I don't know what's going through Dumbledore's mind. Giving the lot of you your exams off the year before NEWTs?"