The Fifth Champion

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Twelve

"Charissa!" Isabel exclaimed, almost stepping on Charissa's hair as she sprinted to the lakeside. She knelt down next to Charissa's sleeping body, shaking her awake. "Charissa, wake up!"

Charissa yawned and opened her eyes, blinking several times.

"Get up, you've already missed Herbology!" Isabel said, trying to drag Charissa to her feet.

"Huh?" Charissa asked.

"It's already 11:30!" Isabel exclaimed as Charissa sleepily followed her back towards the castle. "You missed breakfast and Herbology! We're halfway through Transfiguration, McGonagall sent me looking for you!"

"I don't have any of my things though." Charissa said as they entered the castle. "Here, you go tell McGonagall I've gone to get my books, and I'll meet you in class." Isabel nodded and headed off as Charissa ran to the dormitory to grab her bag. She hadn't meant to sleep that late.

Looking in the mirror to check her hair for leaves, Charissa found a light purple flower. Smiling, she quickly sang a few notes and the single flower grew into a flower crown. The flower crown fit perfectly, and she headed off.

"I should hope, Miss Malfoy, that you did not waste any more class time making that crown." Professor McGonagall said as she walked in.

"'Course not, Professor." Charissa smiled, feeling in an exceptionally good mood.

The bell soon rang. Charissa slipped out of class and into the crowded hallway, which stopped and parted for her. "What's going on?" She whispered to Isabel.

"They're scared of you, Charissa." Amber responded.

"What's there to be afraid of?" Charissa laughed.

"Well, you did sort of tame a dragon yesterday..." Lauren trailed off.

"Hey, Charissa!" A joyous voice exclaimed. The person to which the voice belonged to shoved a copy of the Daily Prophet in her face. "Wait until Father reads this!"

Draco's face was full of malicious glee. Without giving Charissa a chance to read the article, he reached down and swiped the flower crown off her head. "What's this?" He asked, tearing it. "You're wearing weeds now?"

Charissa's face fell as he tore the crown in half. "Stop it, Draco." She murmured, feeling tears come to her eyes. "Stop it, Draco, you're hurting them!"

"Flowers have feelings now, too?" Draco laughed, dropping the remains of the crown on the ground. Charissa bent over to pick them up, wrapping them in the Daily Prophet.

"What are you doing over here anyway, Draco?" Charissa sighed.

"Walking to class." Draco said. "And I suppose you're waiting here for your boyfriend?"

"I don't have a boyfriend." Charissa hissed.

"What's going on?" Cedric walked up with McGonagall. "Back to class, all of you."

The crowd scattered, leaving only Charissa and her friends in the hall with Draco and McGonagall.
"Ten points from Slytherin, Mr. Malfoy. I'd advise you to leave your sister alone from now on." McGonagall said. "Now get to class."

"What's in the Daily Prophet this time?" Charissa asked warily.

"Just read it for yourself." Cedric replied bitterly. He pulled out a letter from his bag. "Here, this came for you this morning."

"Thanks." Charissa replied, stuffing the letter in her bag along with the Daily Prophet.

"Professor Sprout says to come to her office after dinner." Cedric said before walking off to his next class.

Waiting in the queue for Potions, Charissa pulled out the Daily Prophet.

A Questionable Romance?
Rita Skeeter reports on the budding romance between Triwizard Champions Charissa Malfoy and Cedric Diggory.
Picture: The pair embrace each other after a shockingly odd performance in the first task of the Triwizard Tournament from Charissa Malfoy.
When Charissa Malfoy and Harry Potter's names came flying out of the Goblet of Fire a month ago, it thoroughly shocked us all. Yesterday afternoon, Charissa surprised us all once again by taming a dragon.
For the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, champions were randomly assigned a dragon, each of which had been given a golden egg to guard. The champions' task was to retrieve the golden egg from the Dragon, armed with only their wands.
While the methods of the other champions included Magical distractions, and even an display of amazing flying skills by Harry Potter, Charissa Malfoy, age twelve, took a route that surprised us all. She sang, and the dragon listened. It simply dropped the egg at her feet! Questions quickly arose as to how Charissa came by this dragon-taming ability, and if she should be allowed to continue competing.
Our youngest champion didn't seem to notice the obvious discomfort of the audience after her performance, soon being spotted embracing fellow Hufflepuff and champion Cedric Diggory. As unwilling as the pair are to admit it, it is obvious to everyone the two have fallen madly for each other.
"She spent the summer at his house." A fellow classmate reports. "They were at the Quidditch World Cup together."
"I wish he would just ask her out already!" Another student says. "It's so obvious, even a dementor could see it!"
The pair were later spotted sitting together extremely close by the lake.
Many other classmates seem completely opposed to the idea, citing reasons such as "She's too young for him," and "It would be like dating a brother or sister."
What do you think, my rabid readers? Is Charissa who she wants us to believe she is? How did she come by this ability? Is she too young for the handsome Cedric Diggory? And most importantly, should she be allowed to continue competing?

"This is ridiculous." Charissa hissed, crumbling up the Prophet and setting it on fire. "Who talked to her? It was my brother, wasn't it?"

"No one knows who said the bad things about you." Amber said. "Hannah Abbott and Erie MacMillan had to basically force her to write the bit about being like dating a brother."

"How did she even see us by the lake?" Charissa asked. "And anyway, I was just explaining the singing."

"That will be five points from Hufflepuff." Snape sneered. "Inside, all of you, and quit talking."