star shopping ✰ d.m.

CHAPTER TWELVE

As planned, Arabella and Harry practiced Summoning Charms every evening, and after just two days, Harry had them down pat. This earned him many excited hugs from the redhead, who had been eager to help and ecstatic that he had mastered the charm under her instruction. They continued to practice every day leading up to the first task of the Triwizard Tournament, just to reinforce it. By the afternoon of the 24th of November, Harry was confident in his Summoning Charm abilities, though still terribly nervous to go against a dragon. Hermione and Arabella were worried for him as well, and so was Ron, even though he wouldn't admit it.

The Gryffindor fourth-years walked down to where the first task would take place together. Out of all eight of them, only three of them knew that the Triwizard champions would be fighting dragons. Hermione and Arabella, too scared for Harry to proceed to the stands like everybody else, had a very quiet conversation, where they agreed to go to the champions' tent to see Harry before the task started. They separated from the others to do so, wandering over to the side.

"Psst!" they hissed, hoping that it was Harry on the other side of the tent wall and not a different champion. "Psst!"

Hermione found an opening in the wall and opened it slightly. "Harry? Is that you?" she asked.

"Yeah," Harry replied.

"How are you feeling? Okay?"

Harry didn't answer.

"The key is to concentrate. After that, you just have to-"

"Battle a dragon."

Not able to hold back anymore, the girls entered the tent and hugged Harry. They only pulled away when a very bright light flashed at them.

"Young love," said a woman in a very brown outfit standing next to a man holding a camera. "How..." She entered the tent and took a deep breath. It was then that Arabella noticed a notebook and a quill floating in midair beside her and her eyes narrowed as she guessed at the woman's identity. "...stirring. Which one of you is the lucky girl?"

Hermione and Arabella exchanged angry looks but didn't answer.

The woman continued on. "If everything goes unfortunately today, you three may even make the front page."

"You have no business here," Viktor Krum said in his very thick Bulgarian accent. "This tent is for champions and friends."

The woman turned to face him. "No matter. We've, uh, got what we wanted."

Arabella's hands balled into fists as she watched the woman leave with her photographer friend. She had a nasty feeling she would be lied about in the next issue of the Daily Prophet.

Just then, Professor Dumbledore, Professor Karkaroff, Madame Maxime, and Mr. Crouch entered the tent.

"Good day, champions," said Dumbledore. "Gather round, please." Krum, Fleur, and Cedric joined them, and Hermione and Arabella were awkwardly squeezed into the circle of champions and adults. "Now, you've waited, you've wondered, and at last, the moment has arrived. A moment only four of you can fully appreciate." It was then he noticed the two extra girls. "What are you doing here, Miss Granger and Miss Weasley?"

"Oh, um, sorry," Hermione apologized. "We'll just go." She grabbed Arabella's arm and led her out of the tent.

"You've got this!" Arabella mouthed to Harry on her way out, giving him two thumbs-up to which he responded with a slight smile. She caught Cedric's eye and gave him a shy wave, which he returned before Hermione pulled her out of the tent.

The two of them climbed the steps into the stands. Arabella was going to sit with her fellow Gryffindor fourth-years, but someone else caught her eye. She beamed and ran over to him.

"Charlie!" she called, hugging him once she reached him.

Her older brother gladly hugged her back. "Hi, Bella!" he said.

"Charlie, my ribs!" Arabella choked. Charlie was a lot bigger and stronger than her.

"Oh, sorry." He let her go and turned to his coworkers, who were watching in confusion. "Boys, this is my other sister, Bella."

"Sweet Merlin, Charlie, how many siblings do you have?" asked one of the men in exasperation. "We've already met how many today? Four? Now another?"

"Uh, well, let's see," Charlie said with a chuckle. He began to count on his hands but Arabella stopped him.

"Seven. There are eight of us," she reminded him.

"Right. Yeah, I knew that." He turned back to the men. "She's the smart one."

Arabella smiled. "And that's why you're my favorite brother."

Charlie laughed. "Don't you have a twin?"

"The fact that you have to ask me that is sad."

"Yeah, I should really visit home more often."

"Your mother is brave," one of the men muttered, shaking his head.

"Can I sit with you?" Arabella asked Charlie. "My friends are annoying."

Charlie laughed again. "Yeah, sure."

And so Arabella sat down next to him and waited for the first task to begin.

"Hey, do you happen to know if Rita Skeeter is here?" she asked.

"Yeah, she's the one reporting on all of this. Why?"

"I just met her in the champions' tent. She got a picture. If you get to talk to Mum and Dad before I do, can you make sure to tell them that I am not a part of a tragic love triangle involving Harry Potter and my best friend?"

"How did you manage to get yourself into that mess?"

Arabella shrugged and shook her head.

Not even a minute later, the canons went off and Cedric came out to meet his dragon.

[word count: 943]
[written: 5/13/20]
[published: 6/12/20]