Look at Me | Hermione Granger x Female OC (Book 1)

13 - Dragons with a Side of Jealousy

It was November 24th, 1994, the day of the first task.

After lunch, Ellie approached Cedric in the common room, who was dressed in his tournament robes, black gloves covering his hands. She ran up to him excitedly, embracing him by the waist. Having been taken by surprise, he doubled backwards with a laugh, causing Ellie to fall to the ground and accidentally straddle him. She got off as quickly as she fell, her cheeks growing more red by the second. Cedric laughed it off as he stood his feet, brushing off the dirt from his robes.

"Sorry, Cedric," Ellie apologized with embarrassment, looking down momentarily to hide her tinted cheeks.

"It's okay," Cedric reassured as a few of his friends clapped his back supportively, whooping with elation.

"Are you nervous? Excited? Happy?" Ellie berated as a few girls rolled their eyes at her, sending mean glares towards the two friends.

"I think all of them," Cedric chuckled as he began to make his way out of the basement, opening the door for Ellie to walk out first. "I'm confident though. There shouldn't be anything to worry about."

"I just want you to be safe out there. Who knows what they'll bring out for you?"

"Dragons. That's what we're up against," Cedric whispered as he leaned in close to Ellie's ear.

"Goodness, I didn't even think those were real," Ellie raised her eyebrows in shock.

"You're no longer in the muggle world," Cedric reminded, shrugging his shoulders knowingly. "Anyways, I've got to head there early. But you'll cheer for me, right?"

"Absolutely! Did you ever doubt I would?" Ellie scoffed sarcastically as she flipped her hair over her shoulder.

"Okay, don't get all sassy on me. Just a question," Cedric chuckled as he began trailing in another direction, walking backwards with a smile. "I'll see you later, Ellie."

Ellie waved at him with an encouraging smile, watching as the last of his robes disappeared behind a corner. Following the crowd of students, she made her way towards the entrance of the mountain-perched arena and was met by Hermione, who stood nervously outside.

"Hey, Ellie. Sorry for such short notice, but I have to go see Harry really quick," Hermione explained in a frantic voice. "I have to make sure he's alright. But I'll be right back, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's fine," Ellie nodded her head. "I'll go save us some seats. You go ahead, Hermione."

Hermione smiled gratefully as she quickly turned on her heel, running off to the tent perched near the arena. Ellie made her way up the stands, bringing her hand over her eyebrows to shield the sun. Much to her dismay, the seats appeared to be full, meaning that she'd have to settle for the lower seats.

Two voices suddenly called out to Ellie from above, their blazing red hair seeming to be amplified by the sun's rays.

"Oi! Ellie! Up here! We've saved some seats!"

Ellie jogged her way to where Fred and George paced, both carrying makeshift contraptions full of Wizarding currency and chalked numbers.

"Bets! Bets! Place your bets!" the twins announced in unison, taking handfuls of the students' money in exchange for their name on their board. "Bets taken! Bets taken here! Step up, folks! Who fancies a flutter in today's bloodbath? Smart money's on Krum to survive! And bets?"

"Come on, Ellie! Don't just stand there!" Fred invited as he urged over to where he stood, revealing two empty seats.

"Making bets already?" Ellie yelled over the chatter, cupping her hands around her mouth.