Poison | Cedric Diggory

2: break

{ 2: break }

dedicated to dino9175053 for being a great frand who likes my hair

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All day, Oleander seemed to have a permanent blush on her face. Cedric had noticed her. Sure, it may only have been because her face looked like a baboon's backside, but still. He had cared enough to tell her what was wrong.

"Hey, what's the deal?" George Weasley asked as he caught up to Oleander, who was walking to Defense Against the Dark Arts. "Why do you look so...happy?"

"Gee. I love how you say that like it's a bad thing." Oleander turned to face him. "By the way, I'm not speaking to you after what you did to me.

George feigned shock and surprise. "What? What would I ever do to a beautiful girl like you?"

"You tell me," she sighed, quickening her pace.

"Hey, Oleander, wait!" George said, putting a hand on her arm. "I'm sorry. It was just a prank. You know me, right?"

Oleander tried to hide her smile and darkened her tone. "No. I don't. And I will never forgive you!" she finished in an overly dramatic voice.

George caught on that she was faking. Ever since their first year, the two of them had been quite close. She could always tell him and his twin apart, and George never had any...intentions with her like all of the other males at Hogwarts did. "Oh, I see how it is," he said in a teasing voice. "I have something serious to tell you, though. It's about the Triwizard Tournament."

Oleander's heart stopped.

"Don't tell me-"

"I'm entering."

She stomped her foot, twirling around to glare at him. "George! You heard what Crouch said, only seventh years can put their names in the Goblet!"

"Yes, but..." He moved closer to her and whispered in her ear. "Fred and I are brewing an aging potion. We're putting our names in today. And we plan to do it in front of a crowd."

Oleander rolled her eyes. "Oh, you."

"You'll be there, won't you?" he asked eagerly.

She let the corner of her mouth twitch up. "Of course."

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Blue flames danced around the rim of the Goblet, the only light in the room. A glowing white Age Line encircled it, preventing anyone sixteen and under from entering.

As Oleander moved quickly through the throng of students, Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang alike, she kept an eye out for Fred and George. She would try to stop them; it was obvious that their plan wasn't going to work.

The Goblet came into view, and Oleander took a seat on a nearby bench to wait for the twins to enter. But the next person who approached with a slip of paper in their hand was someone entirely different.

Trailed by a group of loyal Hufflepuff followers, Cedric made his way past the age line. A few people had to hang back; they were not old enough. Oleander's eyes widened and he sprung to her feet as she realized what was happening. But Cedric held his hand out over the open lip of the goblet and let the paper flutter down into the flames.

Cedric Diggory had just entered himself in the Triwizard Tournament.