No Goodbyes This Time

I sat down with Fred and George in the stands. Today was the day of the first task.

"Time to get the work!" They said and stood up.

"Work?" I asked.

"Bets! Place your bets!" George said.

"Bets taken here!" Fred shouted.

"Have a vote!" George said.

"What are you doing? Placing bets on their lives?" I said.

"We've got to pay for our joke business somehow." They said. I mulled it over for a second.

"Bets over here!" I shouted. They grinned. "Ten for Delacour, sir? Thank you very much." I threw it into George's case.

We ran around taking bets from students from Hogwarts, Durmstrang and Beauxbatons. Fred and George seemed keen to be taking the girls from Beauxbatons money. They giggled as Fred told them a joke that must've been hilarious.

"This one over here, Fred!" I said, pulling him away from the girls. He looked over at me dazily and stumbled over. I shook my head at him.

"It's their perfume, Amsterdam!" He said. "It draws you in!"

"Sure it was. Keep moving, Fred." I said, shoving him forward.

The cannon blew and Cedric began.

I watched him more carefully this time, he did have a crush on me according to Dean, after all.

He looked around worriedly then turned a nearby rock into what looked like a labrador. The dragon chased after the dog while Cedric snuck over to the egg. Just as he grabbed the egg, the dragon had decided it had lost interest in the dog and went after Cedric instead from behind.

"Look out!" I yelled. Cedric turned and dived out of the way just before the dragon was about to burn him to a crisp. The side of his face was burnt, but he was otherwise fine.

He later found me up in the stands.

"Thanks, if you hadn't warned me, I don't think I'd be here." He said.

"I'm sure if I hadn't said something, someone else might've." I assured him. He scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"I'll see you around, Hayley." He said and walked away.

"What was that then, Amsterdam?" George said, nudging me in the side.

"Your new boyfriend?" Fred teased.

"Oooooh!" They both poked and prodded me.

"Stop it! Stop it!" I said and hit them both over the back of the head. "Do you remember what happened last time you accused me of liking someone?"

"What, Malfoy?" Fred asked.

"It was the other way around, wasn't it?" George said.

"Yes, and that's exactly how this situation is too." I said.

"Well, aren't you popular!" They said.