The Fifth Champion

Chapter One

Chapter One

"Charissa," Mrs. Diggory gently shook Charissa awake. "Charissa, honey, it's time to get up. You have to leave soon."

Charissa sat up and yawned, stretching her arms before crawling out of bed. Once Mrs. Diggory had seen that she was awake, she left the room, and Charissa began to get dressed. She pulled on a slight pink sweater and a medium length black skirt, barely managing to force her hair into a long ponytail.

She headed downstairs to find everyone else was already awake and waiting for her. "You ready?" Cedric asked. Charissa nodded. "I can't wait!"

"If you're both ready, then let's go!" Mr. Diggory smiled. Charissa and Cedric both picked up bags and slung them over their shoulders as they walked out of the house, waving goodbye to Mrs. Diggory.

"What time is it?" Charissa yawned.

Cedric looked at his watch, illuminating the surrounding area with his wand. It was still dark out; the sun hadn't risen yet. "About 3:30." He said. "It's a bit of a walk to the Portkey."

As they walked along, they began to debate the upcoming match. "I think Ireland'll win." Charissa was adamant on this point.

"But Viktor Krum is the best Seeker in the world!" Cedric argued. "Speaking of which, you are going to play on the house team this year, aren't you?"

Charissa nodded. "I'm going to try out at least." She replied.

"Well, if you can catch, one of our Chaser graduated last year." Cedric said. "There's a spot for you."

"You have to let everyone try out." Charissa reminded him, laughing. "The best student gets the spot."

"I know." Cedric responded before changing the subject. "Back to the Cup, I don't see how Ireland could win! Viktor Krum is the best Seeker in the world!"

"Yes, but Ireland has good offense." Charissa argued. "And Bulgaria has bad defense."

"Ah, here we are! An hour early, too!" Mr. Diggory interrupted them. He began to look for the Portkey as Cedric and Charissa climbed up into a tree to continue arguing.

"Yes, but the Snitch is 150 points!" Cedric said. "There's no way Ireland could score enough to beat them."

"You're counting on Krum getting the Snitch." Charissa pointed out.

"Krum will get the Snitch." Cedric sounded confident.

Charissa shook her head. "No way."

"You wanna bet?" Cedric asked, humor in his eyes.

"Fine." Charissa responded. She pulled a Hufflepuff scarf out of her bag. "I bet you my scarf that Krum doesn't get the Snitch and Ireland wins."

"Deal. I bet Bulgaria wins and Krum gets the Snitch." Cedric agreed. They shook hands, sealing the deal.

"Amos!" A voice exclaimed from below them. Cedric slipped out of the tree, landing steadily and helping Charissa down.

"And I think you know his son, Cedric?" A man with red hair and old robes said. Charissa guessed he was a Weasley.

"Hello." Cedric said.

"And who's this?" The Weasley turned to Charissa, who extended her hand.

"Charissa." She smiled.

"Aren't you that Malfoy girl?" One of the older Weasleys asked. Charissa felt her face go red. She scanned the group of kids without responding. Her eyes came across a boy with dark hair and glasses. "You're Harry Potter, aren't you?" She exclaimed. "It's nice to meet you." Harry awkwardly said hello. After that, the others seemed a bit less hostile towards her.

"Cedric, Charissa, come over." Mr. Diggory called from on top of the hill. He and Arthur were holding a boot. The two of them jogged over, followed by the other kids.

"Just a finger will do." Mr. Diggory quickly instructed the others. Charissa, of course, already knew how to use a Portkey. She placed her finger on the old boot.

The Portkey took off. Charissa felt her feet swept off the ground and the world swirling below her before they landed softly on the ground in a wood. Harry Potter and a Weasley child had crashed into the ground. She followed Mr. Diggory and Cedric up to another man, this one slightly pudgy. "Right, Diggory, second field. Look for Mr. Payne." He instructed them towards a campsite.

"I'm going to love that scarf." Cedric whispered to her as they walked towards their campsite.

"Not a chance." Charissa whispered back