DUMBLEDORE CALLS THE GREAT HALL to attention. Cedric is still reeling from having submitted his name a few hours prior; as the students settle, he finally places the thought that had been nagging the back of his mind for the past hour.
Craning his neck to catch a look at the Slytherin table, Cedric finds Amata next to none other than Viktor Krum. Antioch is on her other side, though Amata seems to be having a more animated conversation with the Bulgarian Seeker. As other Slytherins look on with jealousy, Cedric feels a pang of envy himself; Amata had disappeared so quickly after he'd entered his name that he hadn't seen her the rest of the day.
Antioch raises a hand from across the hall to catch Cedric's eye. When the Hufflepuff looks his way, Antioch gives him a look of amusement and gives him a whole show of glancing between him, Amata and Viktor. Face flushing, Cedric turns his attention to the Headmaster who - thankfully - begins to speak.
"Sit down please. Now is the moment you've all been waiting for: the champions selection!" A ripple of polite applause runs through the Hall. The students wait with bated breath; Dumbledore approaches the Goblet of Fire as the blue flames grow red. It spits out a piece of parchment which Dumbledore catches mid-air, and every one watches on anxiously.
"The Durmstrang champion . . ."
"Viktor Krum!"
"Shocker." Zacharias says with a snicker as the Hall bursts in to cheers. Viktor rises triumphantly, and Cedric lets out a breath at the way Amata beams up at him.
"Hey, champ. You alright?" Maxine's hand on Cedric's arm makes Cedric sit up a little straighter. "Ah, yeah." is all Cedric manages. Maxine gives him a look of concern but doesn't press; perhaps because another name comes out of the Goblet.
"The champion from Beauxbatons . . ."
"Fleur Delacour!"
Cedric joins in with the applause. As he looks to the Beauxbatons girls, his eyes meet those of Altheda. She doesn't stop clapping, but even while merely glancing sideways, she manages to throw Cedric a cheeky wink; a corner of the boy's lips tug upwards. Whatever humor he has left in him fades as the third name comes out of the Goblet, falling in to Dumbledore's hands.
"This is it." Cedric mumbles, leaning forward in to the Hufflepuff table. His friends try to offer him some words of comfort but he's so caught up waiting for Dumbledore's announcement that all their well wishes fall on deaf ears.
"And the Hogwarts champion . . ."
The calm before the storm.
"Cedric Diggory!"
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The Hufflepuff table practically erupts. To the roar of housemates and Hogwarts students alike, Cedric approaches the front of the Hall where the rest of the champions are. Fleur grants him a serene smile, and Viktor nods politely in his direction; Cedric takes his spot among them, head reeling at the rush.
"Excellent! We now have our three champions." Dumbledore announces. "In the end, however, only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions, this vessel of victory: The Tri-Wizard Cup!"
The Hall comes alive once more. Dumbledore leans over to the champions, eyes glinting with pride. "If you may, please follow Professor McGonagall out. She will be telling you more about the competition."
The three champions go single file and trail Professor McGonagall, with Fleur in the lead and Cedric taking up the end. As they walk out, Cedric can't help himself; glancing towards the table clad in green and silver, he tries to find her.
When he does, he finds that she's already looking: arms crossed over her chest, lips pulled in to a thin line. She looks almost . . . disappointed. He tries to wave at her in greeting, but the moment she realizes he sees her, too, she jerks her head away and looks straight at Dumbledore with a slightly annoyed expression.
Cedric is so caught up trying to decipher her reaction that he misses the fourth name that comes out of the Goblet.
