Love Means Making Decisions

I smiled at the cream colored envelope left on my bedside table as I got dressed that morning. I had memorized the letter’s contents so precisely that I was sure I could create a duplicate without looking. The morning the note had come, Mionee and Mrs. Weasley squealed and shrieked and refused to let me read it alone. The boys didn’t stop harassing me about it, and I had to sneak off just to write a reply in peace. I had read it at least fifty times since then.



The fact that I was one of the first people on his mind once he got home safely made me giggle in the most revoltingly girly way. Knowing that Cedric was a boy who responded well to mystery, I decided to keep my note vague and concise, and quickly scribbled out a reply:



I stuffed the letter into an envelope and tied it to Zola’s leg before Mionee or Mrs. Weasley could get a hold of it. When I told them what I wrote, they looked about ready to beat me over the head, while the boys couldn’t stop laughing.

It was finally Monday, and I was ridiculously excited to finally go to Hogwarts. I was like a child on their way to Disneyland for the first time, and I wouldn’t have been surprised if I had peed myself. My outfit was pretty hot, and I was sure to turn heads as soon as we got to the station.

I wore a black strapless bralet with gold studs along the bustline, and a black dip hem skirt with a thin gold belt. There was a small strip of skin peeking between my top and my skirt, just above my belly button. I threw on a silver bib necklace, and I wore black boots with gold and silver chains around the ankle. I straightened my naturally wavy hair and wore a modest amount of eyeliner and mascara, with the slightest tinge of red lipstick (Nayeli’s Look).

Getting to the station was pretty chaotic, and we ended up having to use Muggle taxis. Mr. Weasley had to go to work, so Mrs. Weasley, Fred and George stuffed into the first cab; Harry, Hermione, Ron and I all took the second one. I was squished between Harry and Hermione, but I was so excited about getting to the train that I was smiling the whole way there. King’s Cross station was very busy and Fred had to help me push my trolley. There were only a few suitcases in it, but Ron’s older brother Charlie had been able to work out an Undetectable Extension Charm, so I was able to stuff a lot of clothes into them.

We arrived at Platforms 9 and 10 and stopped there. I looked around, searching for our platform. “Where’s Nine and Three-Quarters?” I asked Mrs. Weasley. She pointed at the column between 9 and 10.

“Right through there, sweety. Now come on. Off with you all,” she said, shooing Fred and George. Looking around to make sure no one was watching, the two twins strode forward, pushing their trolleys directly at the wall. Then, right when one would have normally heard a crash, they disappeared through the brick.

“That is so freaking cool!” I laughed excitedly, my eyes wide with anticipation. Mionee went next, followed by Ron, then Harry. It was just me and Mrs. Weasley now, and she gave me a little nudge.

“Just walk toward the wall and you’ll be on the other side in less than a second.” I smiled and nodded as I began to walk, my eyes trained on the apparently solid wall. It came closer and closer with each step, and I narrowed my focus onto one brick. Before I knew it, I was walking through the wall, the brick sliding around me seamlessly. I was in darkness for a moment, and then, I was on the platform.

I grinned at the sight of wizards and witches all kissing their parents goodbye and migrating onto the scarlet train. The gray smoke billowing out of the top laid a thin veil of haze on the air.

“Okay, kids,” Mrs. Weasley said, kissing us each on the cheek and embracing us for quick hugs. “Have fun at school—but not too much fun.” This was directed at Fred and George, who shared a mischievous look. “It’s still school after all. Harry, try your best to stay out of trouble. You too Ron, Hermione. Nayeli, try to keep them out of trouble. Boys, keep an eye on Nayeli—” The train gave a loud final warning hoot, the sound echoing off the rounded walls of the tunnel. “Oh! Okay.” Mrs. Weasley gave us all one last kiss before moving us onto the train. Fred, George and Ron helped carry my luggage on, and I rolled my last suitcase behind me as we approached it.

“Need a hand?” someone asked me from the door. I looked up and smiled at the boy standing at the edge.

“Thanks,” I said, grasping his outstretched hand as he lifted me into the train.

“No problem,” he said with a smile. “I’m Henry Windburg, by the way.” I shook his offered hand.

“Nice to meet you, Henry.” And then I left, deciding not to give him my name in return. I earned a lot of hellos from people as I followed the boys to our compartment, and received several invitations to join others in their own reserved spaces. I kept an eye out for Cedric, and couldn’t help but feel the slightest bit deflated when I made it to our compartment without even a glimpse of him.

“Well you have made quite the impression with that little number, haven’t you?” Fred teased, taking my hand and twirling me around.

“I can’t help it. It happens naturally,” I promised, smiling up at Fred when he pulled me in close, swaying back and forth.

“We’re very aware. We’ve been living with you for the past couple of weeks,” George said after hefting my last bag into the overhead cubbies.

“Thanks for the help, boys,” I said, giving each of them a hug.

“No problem,” they said in unison as they exited, sliding the door closed behind them. I sighed happily and plopped down in the seat beside Ron. Curling my legs up on the bench, I leaned against him with my head on his shoulder as he wrapped his arm around me.

“Why are you two sulking?” I asked Harry and Mionee, inspecting the ends of my hair to make sure none were split.

“Apparently, Harry’s scar has been hurting him again—”

“It happened once, Hermione—”

“And he decided not to tell us about it until now.” Mionee had her arms crossed as she stared out the window, her lips in a tight line. I tried not to laugh at her as she breathed slowly, trying to stay calm. I could see her nagging mother face threatening to burst out and scold us all to death. Or at least to utter boredom.

Over the summer, I had been mostly caught up on the happenings of "Harry Potter and Friends", and I knew that Harry’s scar hurting tended to be a sign of impending doom. With that in mind, I wasn’t quite sure why he hadn’t told any of us either. It seemed like something you would let your best friends know about, but Mionee was already on his case, so I wasn’t going to hop on the Nag Harry Bandwagon.

“I wrote to Sirius about it though. It’ll be fine,” he grumbled, cleaning his glasses on his shirt.

“Yes, well, he’s only Merlin-knows-where, isn’t he?” Mionee hissed, jiggling her leg now. Ron and I exchanged an “uh-oh” look, and then continued to watch the bickering unfold. Harry and Mionee snapped back and forth for a few more minutes until Mionee’s voice got so shrill that if she said anything more, she would end up screeching. So instead, she snatched up her Daily Prophet and disappeared behind the confusing formatting and moving pictures.

“Did you find your boyfriend?” Harry demanded, sitting up and looking at me. I raised an eyebrow at him and felt my jaw clench momentarily.

“I assume you are referring to Cedric, so no. And I’d appreciate it if you didn’t take your frustration with Miss Angry Badger Face over there out on me. I did nothing to call the wrath of Harry Potter upon myself, so let’s not even go there, okay?” I had learned over the past couple of weeks that when Harry got angst-y or frustrated, he liked to lash out on those closest to him. I’d also learned that you had to stop him in his tracks before he got too much momentum. Still obviously frustrated, Harry sighed and slumped against the wall, staring at his shoes.

Since the two of them were busy being unpleasant grumps, Ronald and I decided to engage in a conversation about Quidditch and were soon absorbed in his magazine. Harry was unable to resist the fun for too long, and ended up taking a seat beside me and sharing the article with us. I told Mionee to come sit on the floor between my legs so that I could braid her hair, and soon, the four of us were laughing together again.

The rain started coming down hard, and the cold water chilled the windowpane, making our compartment cold. We bought hot chocolate and candy from the snack cart and played a few rounds of Exploding Snap. Before we knew it, we were almost at school, and the others had to change into uniforms. I hadn’t yet been Sorted and I wouldn’t have my uniform until the next day, so I just had to pull on a robe. I found my large, clear dome umbrella, and used it to keep my hair from getting wet.

Once our luggage had been dropped off at the correct station, my friends walked me over to the very large man waving at us with a lantern in hand. “Hi, Hagrid,” Harry greeted the man who towered over us, about twice as tall and three times as wide as the average human.

“Get over ‘ere,” he greeted Harry happily, sweeping him up with his giant arm and pulling him close for a hug. He did the same to Ron and Mionee, and then turned his broad, shining smile on me. “I take it yer Nayeli?” he asked me. I smiled.

“Yes. You’re very big,” I said, craning my neck to look up at him. Hagrid threw his head back and let out a booming laugh that made the plastic of my umbrella tremble.

“C’mon. Let’s get yeh into the castle now. You’ll be ridin’ in th’ boats wit’ me and th’ other firs’ years.”

“We’ll see you inside,” Mionee said, hugging me quickly so as not to get me too wet.

“Don’t drown,” Ron said as I hugged him. I laughed and punched him playfully in the arm before moving to Harry.

“Hagrid’s great. We’ll see you soon.” I nodded and hugged him as well, but I got that funny swoopy feeling in the pit of my stomach that was definitely not present during the two previous embraces.

The three of them waved at me and then began running toward the horseless carriages, their robes over their heads. Following Hagrid, I and the other first years started making our way to the lake. We filed silently into the two person boats which each held their own lantern. I shared a boat with eleven year old Ginger Grimm, who claimed to be a direct descendant of the Grimm sisters. I let her huddle my umbrella with me, and we stayed fairly dry on the way to the castle.

The building was large and imposing, but maintained a sense of whimsical fantasy with the way its many lit windows winked cheerfully through the rain. The boat ride was long, and my heating charm was starting to wear off. I hadn’t learned how to perform it myself yet, so I hoped that we would get to the castle before the cold really started to affect me.

We did, and we all shuffled in through the big doors, opened for us by two knights in not-so-shiny armor. I was almost positive that the suits were empty, and had to resist the urge to lift the masks and peek inside. Awaiting us at the bottom of a grand staircase was an elderly woman with rectangular glasses perched on her pointy nose, and a neat bun pulled tight on the top of her head. Her hands were folded in front of her, and the lines in her face were as sharp as the creases in her robes.

Once we were all gathered in front of her and she thanked Hagrid for escorting us in, she began to speak.

“Good evening, and welcome to Hogwarts,” she said, her commanding voice reverberating around the high ceilings of the castle. “I am Professor McGonagall, Transfigurations teacher and Head of the House of Gryffindor. Once we enter the Great Hall where the other students are waiting, you will all be sorted into one of four Houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Hufflepuff. We must get started quickly, so if you could all line up single file as I call your names, please.” Professor McGonagall pulled out a scroll of parchment from her robes and unrolled it. Adjusting her glasses, she began to read off the names. I was sixth in line, and waited patiently as the others lined up behind me. There were sixty-four new students (I counted), and the line stretched almost all the way to the door.

“Follow me,” the professor said, turning and walking up the stairs. She led us down a few empty corridors, the paintings on the wall eyeing us curiously as we passed. I felt strangely uncomfortable when we passed a picture of drunken pirates who began hooting and hollering at me as we walked by.

“Hush yourselves!” Professor McGonagall hissed so sharply that even her echo was commanding. The men laughed and returned to their rowdy card game, but did indeed leave me alone. We arrived in the Great Hall through a side door to polite applause from the faculty and student body.

I was paying no mind to what the Headmaster was saying, because I was too busy gaping at the wonders of the Great Hall.

There were four long tables lined up next to each other, and I assumed there was one for each House. There were banners for each group hanging above the corresponding tables, and hundreds of candles floating in mid air. The ceiling wasn’t a ceiling, but rather a duplicate of the sky outside. It matched the weather perfectly, with its stormy clouds and angry midnight blue shade.

I looked around and saw hundreds of students leering at me; some curiously, some lustfully, some jealously. But it was clear that I was the spectacle of the night, a role I had known how to play since I was five. When one grows up with celebrity parents, they get used to being in the spotlight, and learn how to make the most of their time there. I spotted Harry, Hermione and Ron at the Gryffindor table and smiled at them when they waved. They were smiling far too much, and I was positive that they were just as nervous about what House I’d be getting into as I was.

“Looking tall,” Harry mouthed to me. I glanced around and realized that in my heels, I towered over all of the first years by about a foot. I decided to play along, and slowly lowered myself down to their height, bending my knees until my head was level with theirs. I wiggled my eyebrows at Harry and he looked away, trying to hide his laughter. I straightened up and stifled my giggles behind my hand, trying my best not to draw too much attention from the faculty.

Looking around once more, I caught a glimpse of Cedric smiling at me from his table. The badger banner hanging above it told me it was Hufflepuff. “Hi,” he said with a small wave.

“Hi,” I responded, biting my lip and tucking my hair behind my ear.

I returned my attention forward and saw McGonagall bringing out a stool and setting it down a few feet away from the front of the line. Upon it sat an old, moldy hat, with wrinkles and rips all over it. I was sure it had just been excavated from some thousand year old grave, and I was not eager to have it sitting on my head. But I was completely unprepared when a tear near the brim opened, and the hat began to speak.



We all applauded the talking hat, and once we had stopped, Professor McGonagall pulled out her roll of parchment once again. “Abrams, Katrina!” she bellowed. A small girl with long blond hair floated forward when she was called. McGonagall lifted the hat off the chair for her, and the girl sat, her pale knees knocking together. The professor placed the Sorting Hat on her head and it sat there for a moment, its wrinkled eyes scrunching even tighter in thought. Then, very suddenly, it shouted, “RAVENCLAW!”

A large cheer rose from the Ravenclaw table as the newly sorted girl scampered off to join her new family. The Sorting continued like this, and it wasn’t very long until it was my turn. There were a few wolf whistles as I walked to the stool, but I ignored them, for I was nervous that my heart was going to jackhammer its way out of my chest. My breath was shallow as I sat on the stool, and I crossed my legs, practically revealing my entire right thigh. When Professor McGonagall placed the hat on my head, it slipped down over my eyes. There was a small laugh from the crowd, and I grinned as endearingly as possible as I shyly tipped the brim back up to where it belonged.

My hand flew up to my mouth as I awaited judgment, but Harry caught my eye and signaled for me to stop chewing my nails. I smiled bashfully as I lowered my hand, and he gave me a thumbs-up. My stomach was churning uncontrollably, and my throat had gotten dry. I had no clue where I was going to be placed, or even how well I would—

“GRYFFINDOR!” I let out a little scream when the hat roared its decision so suddenly in my ear, but quickly clapped my hand over my mouth. The hat was taken off of my head and I strode toward the uproarious cheers of the Gryffindor table, some of whom had stood up. Fred ran down the aisle and scooped me up in his arms, much to my surprise, making everyone laugh. He ran with me to where my friends were sitting, holding me like a shiny new trophy. When he finally set me down, I playfully pushed him before he pulled me in for a tight hug. I laughed as he kissed me on the forehead before running back to his own spot on the bench beside his brother.

I rolled my eyes and took my seat beside Mionee who hugged me tight. With my own Sorting out of the way, we watched the rest of it with light spirits, Ron and I joking about how pathetically small the first years were. Once the Sorting was finished, Headmaster Dumbledore reclaimed his place at the podium.

“I only have two words,” he said, lifting his hands. “Tuck in.” Food appeared on the table out of nowhere; marvelous, wondrous food. Mounds of turkey and legs of ham; mountains of mashed potatoes with gravy and butter streaming in rivulets down the sides; macaroni and cheese, cranberry sauce, fresh rolls, hot stuffing and dishes that I couldn’t even name.

“Mionee, Mionee, Mionee, Mionee...” I moaned, looking at the array of food spread before me.

“Go for it,” she said, piling some kind of duck dish onto her plate.

“I can’t,” I whined. “I had my day at the World Cup.” Amidst my crazy dieting and exercise, I allowed myself one day a month with no workouts and where I could eat whatever I wanted. I was very good about keeping to my goal, and I didn’t want to start messing up now.

“So have a second one,” she shrugged, pulling her roll in half. When it split, the bread let out a gush of steam, like it had been holding its breath. I bit my lip as I surveyed the table once more, deciding whether I should cave or not.

“You should decide soon, before Ron eats everything,” Harry added, pouring himself a glass of pumpkin juice. Ron looked up at me from his overflowing plate and nodded, his mouth and cheeks full of food. I laughed and grabbed a plate, scooping a heaping serving of lasagna onto my plate. They all cheered for me, their mouths full of food, and I realized just how excited I was for this year.

After I had eaten until I was full, the dinner dishes disappeared and plates of dessert came in their place. I groaned and lectured myself on how bad this was, all the while loading my plate with cheesecake and ice cream and crème brûlée.

Once I had eaten until I was sure I would be sick, I sat back contentedly in my chair, smiling and rubbing my belly. I thanked the heavens that the part of my stomach that was swollen with food was hidden under my flowy skirt. A lot of boys came up to me at about that time to personally welcome me to Hogwarts. Some were bolder than others, but all of them made Harry very grumpy.

When I was sure his head was going to fall off of his neck from frustration, I discreetly slid my leg further under the table and rubbed it against his. He gave a start and looked at me a bit confused, but I just smiled at him, which made him turn red and grin at his plate. When he began to move his leg as well, I laughed to myself and engaged in distracted conversation with Mionee. Once all the dessert plates had disappeared from the table, I detached my leg from Harry’s and turned around on the bench so I was facing the aisle.

Professor Dumbledore was standing at the podium once again, and all heads were facing him. “I hope you all enjoyed your meal. Now for a few announcements. To our new students: Welcome. To our old ones: Welcome back. Hogwarts will not only be home to you this year, but several others as well. You see, this year, Hogwarts—”

In the middle of Dumbledore’s sentence, the lightning that had flashing harmlessly across the ceiling suddenly became active, and started going off inside the room. The students screamed and ducked from the electric light, the candles in the air constantly going out and re-lighting themselves. Just as Dumbledore was pulling out his wand, the lightning stopped, and the stormy sky was dormant once again.

The colossal doors to the Great Hall slammed shut, and everyone turned to look at who had entered. The stranger tucked his wand back into his dripping wet jacket, and I gasped. The man standing there was one of the most disturbing looking men I had ever seen.

We were all silent as he limped to the faculty table at the front of the Hall, the consistent thump of his cane and wooden leg echoing around the silent room. His face looked like it was being held together by stitches, the scars marking his face like roads on a map. There were chunks of flesh missing from his nose and brow, and his thin, lopsided mouth seemed to be permanently scowling.

The strangest part about him wasn’t any of this, however. It was his eyes. The left was brown and small, sunken deep into his marred face. The right was about the size of a tangerine, the painted iris an electric blue. It was strapped to his head with a leather belt and bulged out of his eye socket, making it even more obvious that it didn’t belong there. It was whizzing around non-stop, as if it was unnecessarily paranoid. When his eye rolled back into his head, I grimaced and turned back around to face the table.

“Is that Mad-Eye Moody?” Ron asked no one in particular, marveling at the man shaking Dumbledore’s hand.

“I think so,” Mionee answered, trying to inspect his face from this distance. “Isn’t he an ex-Auror?” Ron nodded.

“What’s an Auror?” Harry asked.

“A Dark wizard hunter,” Ron responded. “He was one of the best.”

“Yeah, until he went crazy,” Seamus added from beside him.

“What do you mean?” I asked, leaning forward on my elbows, intrigued by the story of Mad-Eye Moody.

Seamus shrugged. “It was just inevitable. I mean, no one could spend that much time constantly looking over their shoulder and learning to doubt anyone who even smiled their way without snapping.” We all turned and watched Mad-Eye sniff his bread suspiciously before eating it. He reached into his jacket and washed it down with a swig of something very strong from his flask. “Poor bastard’s totally gone.”

“I would like to introduce you all to a new member of our staff here at Hogwarts: Professor Alastor Moody." Dumbledore and the rest of the teachers applauded briefly, but abandoned their attempts when they realized none of the students were following. “He will be filling the role of our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year.

“But now that I have your attention again, I am pleased to announce that this year, Hogwarts will be hosting the legendary Triwizard Tournament.” Dumbledore smiled as chatter rose immediately from the students, all excitedly gossiping with their neighbor. I looked around at my friends, and the only one of us who seemed thrilled was Ron.

“You’re kidding! This is brilliant,” he raved. Mionee, Harry and I all just stared at him. He looked at us as if we were the dimmest people on the planet. “You honestly don’t know what the Triwizard Tournament is?”

“You don’t know what Cinderella is, so I think we’re pretty even here,” I retorted seamlessly.

“Chocolate and frogs, I can’t believe I have to explain this to you,” Ron sighed exasperated, running a hand through his long red hair. “The Tri—”

“Shut up. He’s speaking. Shut up,” I interrupted, flapping my hand at him as I redirected my attention at Dumbledore. Mionee and Harry snickered, while Ron rolled his eyes, all of them fully aware that I
was joking.

“For those of you who don’t know,” the headmaster continued. “The Triwizard Tournament involves students from three schools: Hogwarts, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang. It is to promote and encourage friendships between the students of Europe’s greatest wizarding academies. One student from each school will be chosen to compete in the Tournament, consisting of a series of three tasks. The winner will receive the Triwizard Cup, one thousand Galleons, and eternal glory.

“Now let me be clear when I say that these tasks are very dangerous, and present challenges that many of you have never had to face, in the classroom or otherwise. To overcome these obstacles, one must be skilled and highly learned in many aspects of magic, or else they would not stand a chance of surviving, let alone winning. In order to assure that the contestants that are chosen are truly capable of performing such feats, I, the headmasters of the other participating schools and the Ministry have decided to put an age limit on those who wish to enter.

“The witches and wizards who compete must be seventeen years and older to enter—” This earned him a strong round of booing and protesting, but he spoke over it, eventually reclaiming the quiet. “—seventeen and older to enter, and there will be no exceptions. The judge who shall decide which three students get to compete is an impartial one, and one that cannot be hoodwinked.

“Beauxbatons and Durmstrang headmasters will be arriving soon with their twenty contenders for the Cup. And with that exciting news, I bid you all good night. Off to bed!”

Conversation started up immediately as the students rose from their benches and started filing out of the hall. Ron and Harry decided to leave without Mionee and I because I kept getting stopped by boys (and a few girls) trying to make a good first impression. I was tired, and wanted to go to bed, but the male inhabitants of Hogwarts seemed hell bent on refusing to let that happen. The Hall had finally started to clear out when I felt someone tickle my sides from behind. I yelped and jumped, whirling around to see who was the perpetrator.

Cedric was beaming down at me, his dimples round and deep. “Monkey boy!” I yelled, throwing my arms around his neck. I was lifted off of my feet for a moment as we hugged until he released me and set me back down.

“Hey,” he said, tousling his amber locks.

“Did you get my letter?”

“You mean your two sentences?” I laughed when he playfully tugged at my hair.

“Yeah, that,” I confirmed, pulling my hair out of his grip and tossing it over my shoulder.

“Yeah, thanks for the response.” We both laughed, and it was then that I realized there was a girl standing beside him.

“Hi!” I greeted. My voice was pleasant, but I couldn’t help but feel mildly threatened by her. She was tall and slender, with long brown hair and wide blue eyes.

“Hi,” she said back with a smile and a wave.

“Nayeli, this is my friend Katherine Nobelline. Kat, this is Nayeli Amantius,” Cedric introduced us.

“I feel like I know you already. This one won’t shut his mouth about you,” Katherine teased, nudging Cedric’s shoulder with her own. His cheeks got a tad bit redder and he stared at his shoes for a few moments. I laughed.

“It’s alright. I’ve been having the same problem,” Mionee chimed in with her sweet smile.

“Hermione, right?” Cedric asked, making sure he remembered her name. She nodded, pushing her bushy hair out of her face.

“We have to start heading to the dorm, because Nayeli has to get up in the morning. Plus she has a very elaborate bedtime ritual,” Mionee said.

“What do you have to do in the morning?” Katherine asked me, stuffing her hands into the pockets of her slacks.

“My morning workout. I just didn’t keep up with it for the last couple weeks of summer, so I have to get back on track starting tomorrow.”

“That sounds gross.”

“Yeah.”

“And sweaty.”

“It is.”

“But so is sex, so...” I exploded into laughter, my liking of this girl suddenly skyrocketing.

“I think I’m in love with you. Is there such a thing as love at first joke? Because I’m pretty sure that’s what just happened,” I laughed.

“Where have you been all my life?” Katherine asked.

“Waiting for you!” I said, dancing excitedly.

“I’m not gonna lie, I’m getting a little bit jealous over here,” Cedric teased.

“There is definitely some neglection going on,” Mionee agreed. We all laughed and decided to turn in for the night. I hugged Cedric, waved goodbye to Kat, and followed Mionee to the Gryffindor Common Room. “Balderdash,” Mionee said to the woman in the painting at the top of Gryffindor Tower, reciting the common room password.

“Welcome to Hogwarts,” she said groggily, taking a sip of red wine as she swung open. Behind the the portrait was a hole in the wall, through which Mionee and I climbed to get into the room. The common room was pretty crowded with all the friends catching up with each other, and Mionee and I had to push our way through the throng just to get to the staircase that led up to the girls’ dormitories. Our bedroom held two adjacent four poster beds, two dressers, two desks and a small bathroom, complete with toilet, shower and sink.

“I’m really excited that we’re going to be living together,” Mionee admitted, taking pajamas out of her suitcase.

“That’s only if we don’t kill each other first,” I added. The two of us laughed and Mionee agreed with me. We didn’t talk much as I performed my complex nightly ritual, complete with face washing, hair brushing and so much moisturizing. We got dressed in our p.j’s and flopped down on our beds, burrowing beneath the heavy scarlet covers.

“What do you think of the Tournament?” Mionee asked me, laying on her side so she could look at me across the space between our beds. I did the same and shrugged.

“I don’t know. It sounds really dangerous to me. I’m just glad they added an age requirement. Now I don’t have to worry about any of our ginger friends or Harry competing.” Mionee nodded.

“That’s true. But you know who you do have to worry about?” I gave her a strange look, unsure of what she was referring to.

“Hm?”

“Cedric.” My gut clenched hard and suddenly, and didn’t seem to be returning to normal any time soon.

“I guess so...” I wasn’t able to say much else, and rolled on my back, staring at the ceiling of my four poster.

“Sorry. That was kind of a stupid thing to bring up this close to bed.”

"Mm," was all I could muster as a response, my throat having gone dry and my mind buzzing with thoughts of Cedric and what would happen if he entered himself in the tournament.

“Okay. Well, I love you, Nayeli.” She sounded sorry, and I knew she didn’t mean to freak me out on purpose.

“Ditto,” I responded dryly, absentmindedly gnawing at my fingernails.

“Good night.”

“Good night.” Mionee rolled over and went to sleep, but I stayed awake a while longer. The last thing I thought before I finally drifted off was, “Thank God I don’t have to worry about Harry too...”