CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT ───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ───── "Our hearts beat as one."
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─── Y/N POV ───
As I headed to the Great Hall for dinner, my mind was deep in thought. Just days ago, we'd stumbled across Barty Crouch's lifeless body in the forest. The image was burned into my thoughts, refusing to go away. Who had done this? And why? The unanswered questions gnawed at me, but they were quickly overshadowed by the growing anticipation of the final task. Tonight, the four champions would compete for the Triwizard Cup.
Ahead of me, I spotted Cedric Diggory, standing tall and composed — or at least trying to be. His hands were tucked into his pockets, his expression calm, though his shoulders betrayed the tension he was holding. I smiled, weaving through the crowd of students until I was by his side.
"Cedric!" I called, nudging him gently.
The boy turned toward me, his face breaking into a familiar, warm smile. "Y/n, there you are! I feel like I haven't seen you in ages."
"I know," I said, shaking my head. "This whole tournament has been chaos."
He chuckled softly, though it was filled with nerves. "Tell me about it."
Even as he smiled, I could see the weight he was carrying.
"You'll be great out there, Cedric," I assured him, placing a hand on his arm. "I know you will. You always are."
At the touch, his brown eyes softened.
"Thank you for always being there for me, y/n. You've never let me down. Not once."
"Love you." I said, leaning in and hugging him.
"Love you too." He said, hugging back.
As we pulled away, I grinned up at him. "Hey, after you win the Triwizard Tournament, we can throw a huge party. We'll make it a celebration no one will ever forget."
Cedric's smile brightened, his nerves fading for just a moment. "That sounds perfect. I could use a bit of celebrating after all this."
As we stood there, the sounds of the corridor echoing around us, Cedric reached into his pocket and pulled out a small, folded piece of parchment. It was the note I had given him before the First Task, the one where I wrote: You made that dragon look easy. You've always been the best at everything you do.
I blinked, surprised. "You kept that?"
He chuckled softly, glancing down at the note. "Of course I did. It meant a lot to me. It was the first real encouragement I had before the task. And it still reminds me that you believe in me."
