"CEDRIC! ARDEN! RISE AND SHINE, awaken! It is one thirty five in the morning, and we are set to leave at two! Up, uppity! Get up!" Amos Diggory chirped rather loudly, lightening the previously dark bedroom with his wand. The light — bright enough to be blinding even with one's eyes shut — caused the two friends to groan in unison, both exhausted from the brief amount of sleep they got. "Now, what did I say last week, two days ago, and yesterday afternoon? Lights out the day before we leave would be no later than seven! You both caused your own current state of exhaustion!"
"Father - "
" - Now, get UP!" Amos Diggory, once again, cried out, his voice cracking due to excitement. And just as fast as he arrived, he left.
"I apologize," Cedric mumbled, his voice coming out extremely deep and groggy. "I guess we better get up then, yeah?" As he managed to form the last few words by suppressing a yawn, he rolled over and stared down at the ground, curious to why his usually lively friend had yet made a snarky comment about how grotty he sounded. "Arden, you there?"
"Yeah, yeah," She muttered, pulling her pillow over her head in order to block the blinding light (which for some reason only intensified when Amos left). Sitting up slowly, with the pillow still clutched to her head, Arden sighed, attempting to wake her body up with the most minimal amount of effort possible. "I need to change, go use the toilet or something." She heard a low chuckle come from the bed beside her, followed by footsteps exiting the room and the soft click of the door.
Today they were to meet with the Weasley's at the nearest portkey, which, unfortunately in her (and the Diggory's) case, was at Stoatshead Hill: a solid four to five hour walk. However, whatever the dreadful distance was to get there was no match for her joy of being able to spend more time with Cedric. This was the first time in years that Britain was chosen to host the Quidditch World Cup, and Amos, because he worked for the Ministry of Magic, was given three free tickets. Arden, being Cedric's best friend, was offered the third ticket (Cedric's mother didn't particularly like the sport), which she happily accepted.
The Cup was conveniently dated for the end of summer, which was the same time Arden typically stayed at the Diggory residence up until the new school year began. This year, not failing to keep up the tradition, she planned to stay an additional week in order to be able to attend the world cup.
"Are you finished yet? Believe it or not I need my bedroom to get to my closet to get to my clothes," she heard Cedric's muffled voice speak from the other side of the door.
"Yeah, I'm finished," she replied, opening the door.
The walk to Stoatshead Hill went by extremely fast, Arden believing it to be because she felt half asleep the entire journey. By the time they reached the destination, Amos immediately began to scavenge the grass for the portkey. Following suit, Arden and Cedric decided to look on the other side of the hill, seeing as though Cedric's father was searching at a rate that was efficient enough for two.
"Oi, what is that," Arden inquired, pointing down the hill. Cedric looked, but realized too late that it was a joke as he was in the act of being pushed down the hill. However, because of the angle he was at, he managed too grab a hold of the girl's ankle before he rolled all the way down. Not paying attention to what he was doing because she was having a fit of laughter, Arden gasped as she felt her body abruptly jerk forward before hitting the grass — and begin rolling. "NOOOO!" She cried out, biting back the urge to laugh more.
Cedric — who arrived at the bottom of the hill — became quiet as Arden joined him a few seconds later, breathing heavily as though she had been holding her breath. As they both laid on their backs, they stared at the starry sky, still tired from the early rise and long walk.
