Suddenly the whole world came back to him again. A gong sounded somewhere and then a tumult rose up from the stands. The entire school had risen to their feet. Sean felt light-headed with relief. A grin spread across his face of its own accord. This was why he had wanted to enter the tournament. This was what he had always envisioned.

The sky was dark now, a deep blue, and there were a thousand stars in the sky, surrounding a crescent moon. He looked to his right where it only took a second to be sure the other two champions had not yet made it out of their rooms. He had won, then, hadn't he? He had been the first to escape, maybe the only one to escape. Time had to be nearly up now.

He heard an amplified voice saying something over the roar of the crowd, but he was not listening. He did not feel quite present. His whole body was tingling like it had fallen asleep and was just coming back, pins and needles. His teeth were chattering although he did not feel cold, and his breath came in shallow and out shaky.

He had done it. He had finished.

Before long, the school nurse, Raigan, had taken him by the arm and was leading him away. He followed her blindly, still stunned into a dumb silence. The student body seemed to be gaining volume with time instead of settling down again. "Don't worry," said Raigan, misinterpreting the way he continued to look back at the crowd as she walked him back to the champions tent. "They won't announce your scores until the hour's up or everyone's finished. But I think the hour will finish first..." She looked down at her watch. "Yes, just three minutes to."

She sat him down on a cot in the tent. "If you could remove your robes," she said. "Just need to take a look at that shoulder."

Sean shrugged his robes off and peered down at his own shoulder. The spider had cut right through his robes and shirt and into his skin. He could see a fairly deep gash through the ripped fabric of his t-shirt. There was some kind of silver gooey substance in it and his skin was looking a little green. Sean looked away quickly, feeling light-headed. He had only just realized that he was in excruciating pain.

The nurse put her thumb and forefinger on either side of the injury and peered down at it for a moment. "Nothing to worry about," she said, but he heard her mumble something under her breath about acromantulas and honestly.

Sean turned his head towards the opposite shoulder while she pointed her wand at the cut and murmured some spell to clean it out. He was surprised to see Professor Mason standing with his arms folded in the doorway of the tent, looking right at Sean. "Nice job out there," he said.

Sean blinked. "Thanks," he said. He winced. Raigan had just put something in the cut that stung and fizzed. It was an odd sensation, like the tissues and blood vessels in one region of his body had been turned to carbonated beverage.

"Sorry, meant to warn you that would sting a bit," she said.

Professor Mason ignored this exchange. "Good to see a Ravenclaw out there," he went on gruffly. Sean got the impression that he did not often give positive feedback and was feeling a bit uncomfortable. He kept looking at the nurse, as if for help.

Sean watched them make eye contact over his head. "Were you a Ravenclaw?" he asked. Professor Mason nodded. "We both were," he said with a pointed look at Raigan.

"I didn't know that," said Sean.

There was another uproar from the crowd outside. "Time must be up," said Professor Mason and he strode out of the tent without another thought for their abruptly ended conversation.

"Bring the others in here, will you?" called Raigan. Sean saw him throw back a hand in assent before he disappeared outside.

Raigan pointed her wand at his cut again and sealed it. "There you are," she said. "Good as new. You'll need to go easy on it for a few days and you may find you're a little dizzy from time to time for a day or so, but nothing serious."

Sean nodded, not quite sure whether he was meant to go back outside or not. Then he heard Eline's voice outside, snapping angrily about the devil's snare. "Oh-" he said. "I think I have a few..." he trailed off, looking at his forearm, now exposed without his robes. Great big bruises were already blooming on his skin. He could only guess there were others like them on his legs and torso, maybe worse.

The others had just begun to file in after Professor Mason when Raigan looked up at Sean. "Bruises?" she filled in. He nodded and she turned back to her things, rummaged through a box for a minute and pulled out a small tub. She unscrewed the lid to show him a thick, gray salve. "Spread that on them before you go to bed tonight and keep it up until they've faded, alright? That devil's snare can be nasty stuff." She handed him the tub. "And incidentally, my daughter... I don't know if you know Piper? I've just remembered she asked for an autograph, if you don't mind. I told her I'd try to get one from you."

"Oh," said Sean. One side of his mouth cracked into a smile. "Sure."

She found him a piece of paper. "You can just sign it, nothing fancy. She'll be thrilled."

She left him to go check out the other two champions and Sean picked up the quill she had handed him. He took a glance at Oscar and Eline, both of whom seemed to be in worse shape than he was. Eline was actually covered in angry, red rashes that were distinctly vine shaped so he thought he'd gotten off lucky with his bruises. Oscar looked physically fine but he was white as a ghost and had laid himself back on his cot where he stared blankly at the canvas ceiling, unblinking.

Sean put the quill to the parchment and wrote a quick note (To Piper, Love Sean), feeling a surge of affection for a young girl he'd only ever seen around. It was so strange to think he was some kind of role model to the younger students.

After a few minutes, Professor Mason came back in for the third time and asked the champions to come out for a moment to receive their scores. Sean's stomach started to flip flop again. They followed him out and Professor Osset began to speak.

"I think you will all join me in congratulating our three champions on a job well done." Sean saw his mouth continue to move but the rest of his sentence was drowned out by a new swell of noise from the stands. Even Oscar, who was still looking like he had seen better days, managed a little smile.

"It is now time," continued the headmaster when the noise had died down some, "To discuss the placing at this point in the competition. Points are awarded out of fifty, with ten points possible from each judge."

He turned to the champions. "In third place, Oscar Durand of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, who showed excellent reasoning and was the only champion to reveal the bookcase which held much useful information. Unfortunately, Mr. Durand was stalled by his boggart and did not complete the task. We award him twenty eight points."

The boggart, Sean thought, explained why Oscar had looked so terrified. He glanced at the middle room, which he could still see into and noticed now that Oscar had indeed revealed a small bookcase on the left wall which Sean had not discovered. He hoped this would not count against him.

"In second place," he went on. Sean gripped his jaw tightly and crossed his fingers behind his back. "Is Eline Halvorson of Durmstrang Academy." Sean released his tension again. He had won, then. He had actually come in first place. "Miss Halvorson demonstrated quick responses and kept cool under pressure, but allowed herself to be overtaken by the devil's snare for too long, and had to be rescued. We award her thirty nine points." Professor Pavlov clapped loudly and Sean heard a chant coming from the Durmstrang section of the stands. He could not make out the words, though he thought it might have been in another language anyway.

"And finally, in first place, Mr. Sean O'Connell of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Mr. O'Connell was the only one of our three competitors to escape the room which he did with time to spare. An outstanding job, just outstanding. We award him..." he paused, building up the suspense. "Forty seven points out of fifty." Once more, the crowd had risen to their feet and was stamping and shouting. Sean beamed, feeling lightheaded, not from the healing wound in his shoulder, but from pure disbelief.

"Yes, an outstanding job. Outstanding job. To all three of our competitors, of course. As I'm sure you know, the second task will be performed on the second of February at seven o'clock. We can announce today that the second task will be a sort of obstacle course, with various magical barriers to break past. As winner of the first task, Mr. O'Connell will be given the privilege of choosing from three items, each of which will help the champions to pass through one of the elements unscathed. Miss Halvorson will choose from the remaining two items, and Mr. Durand will receive the last.

"But as the second task is still months away, we shall talk no more of it for now. I have only one last announcement before I send you all up to bed or, in the case of our guests and Ravenclaw house, to celebrate with your champions, as I'm sure you are already planning.

"On Christmas night, we will come together for what is perhaps the most beloved part of the Triwizard Tournament's festivities: the Yule Ball. This event is open to fourth years and above, although a younger student may be taken by an older student if desired. We look forward to seeing you there and remind you not to sign your name on the list to return home for Christmas if you plan on attending the ball. Now, congratulations again to these three outstanding young people, and goodnight to all."

Professor Osset pointed his wand at his throat and murmured "Quietus," and turned to Sean to wring his hand. "Excellent job, son. Really impressed." He leaned closer and said. "It would be so good to have a Hogwarts victory, you know. We haven't won any since the tournament was reinstated permanently. And you just may be the one to do it." He clapped Sean on the back and walked away before he could say thank you. Sean wasn't sure if he felt bolstered by the praise or terrified at the thought of letting his headmaster down after he had shown such potential.

---

The crowd began to surge out of the stands as the speech finished, everyone chattering excitedly about what they had witnessed, and about the likelihood of a Hogwarts victory in the end. Evelyn shuffled along in the crowd with Caiti and Marlowe going over the finer details of their plan to throw Sean the best post-first-task party they could manage in twenty minutes.

"Okay, so you distract him," Caiti was saying. "So we can sprint back and get food and a few other things ready in the common room. Do whatever you have to to stall him, okay?"

"Yeah," said Marlowe. "Kiss him if you have to. That'll keep him where he is."

Evelyn nodded, her cheeks pink, but did not say anything about this last part.

"Don't forget to get pumpkin pasties if you can," she said instead. "They're his favorite." Her eyes kept darting around. She was feeling jittery, her hands shaking a little. What if he did kiss her?

At the bottom of the stands, Caiti and Marlowe immediately pushed their way through the crowd and took off running. Evelyn watched them for a few seconds wondering how much time she would actually be able to win them, and then began weaving through the crowd like a fish swimming upstream, heading towards the champions who were still talking with the judges, instead of towards the castle. When she had finally made her way to the outside of the moving people, Sean caught sight of her. She stopped and they just looked at each other. Sean gave her a goofy, embarrassed smile, and then she ran at him full speed and threw her arms around him. The force at which she hit him knocked him back a few steps and he laughed as he caught her up in his arms, squeezing her tight.

"I knew you could do it," she told him, over and over. "I knew it."

Finally she pulled back slightly, without removing her arms from around his back. She peered up at him and felt herself blushing again when she realized just how close their faces were. There was a beat when she thought it would happen, thought he actually was about to kiss her. His eyes flickered down to her mouth, but then, instead, he pulled her back into a tight hug. She pressed her cheek into his shoulder, not sure whether she felt more relieved or disappointed. 

She couldn't think of anything to say to him so she just stood there and didn't let go, and hoped that just this could buy Caiti and Marlowe enough time.

Eventually, they did need to start heading back up to the castle. A breeze had picked up and it was getting chilly in the dark. Evelyn shivered and Sean wrapped his arm around her shoulders, even though he was the one not wearing robes. She wanted to walk quickly, to get inside sooner, but she also knew the other two would need as much time as possible, so she forced herself to slow down.

"I'm really proud of you," she said after they had walked in silence for almost two minutes.

"What was it like for you?" he asked. "Like could you hear the riddles and stuff?"

"The riddles?" She frowned up at him.

"Yeah, there were these riddles. And it was all based on logic really, getting out. I mean most of it anyway.

"Didn't hear them," said Evelyn. "Weird. And what happened when you went down that ladder?"

"Devil's snare," he said. "And then a big tunnel that led right back into the room and that's when the acromantula came out."

"Yeah, I didn't watch that part," said Evelyn. Sean laughed.

"That's okay, wish I didn't have to either."

Evelyn looped her own arm around his lower back, pulling him into a kind of walking side hug, and decided that she did feel more disappointed than relieved after all.

---

"Marlowe," Caiti hissed. He looked up from where he was levitating a new cartoonish drawing of Sean, this time holding a bonnet-clad lobster, so that it could be tacked on the wall. The common room was full and bustling - not a single Ravenclaw had gone up to bed.

"We have a problem," she said, sidling up close to him so that no one else could hear.

"What, not enough food?" he asked. They had gone to the kitchens first thing to snag some food from the house elves - Marlowe had learned how to get in when he had, very briefly, dated a Hufflepuff girl in his fourth year. It had fizzled out quickly and they had avoided each other ever since. She had, after all, broken up with him immediately after he kissed her the first (and only) time. But if any good had come from the debacle, it had been learning the entrance to the kitchen.

"No, not that," said Caiti. "Much, much worse. I just overheard Amelia saying she was going to try to kiss Sean when he comes in. And she was showing her friends this chapstick that I saw when we were in Hogsmeade... it's got Amortentia in it."

Marlowe burst out laughing, but Caiti gave him a sharp look that quelled him immediately. "It's not funny," she snapped. "Ev will freak. Because if Amelia kisses him with that stuff on, he won't push her away."

"I need to get me some of that," said Marlowe. Caiti smacked him on the arm.

"Joking, joking," he said. "What do we do?"

"I don't know. We need to let him know somehow, but I think she's going to try to ambush him as soon as he comes through the door."

Marlowe could not keep the grin off his face no matter how hard he tried. "Okay," he said, "Why don't you hang out near the door until he shows up so you can get to him first. People will understand if you hog him. You're his sister. And then you can warn him."

Caiti frowned hard, then she said, "Yeah, okay," and she hurried off to stand near the door, making sidelong glances at Amelia the whole time.

It was another couple of minutes before they showed up. Sean entered first, with Evelyn just behind him. Everyone began cheering again and Caiti saw Amelia heading straight for Sean with a look of determination on her face. Caiti made a run for it and threw her arms around her brother. She pressed down on his shoulders hard to get him to bend down so she could shout in his ear.

"Amelia's going to try to kiss you, don't let her!" she said. But it was so loud in the room. She felt like she was trying to yell underwater.

He looked at her blankly and yelled, "What?" Caiti tried to repeat herself but Amelia had arrived just behind them and Sean, unable to hear her still, straightened up, shaking his head. Then Amelia was on him and Sean, as she had known he would, could not help kissing her back.

The room became, if possible, louder still, with wolf-whistles and catcalls. Caiti looked at Evelyn, her heart pounding. Her friend's eyes had grown wide and her face was even paler than it had been when she had seen the acromantula begin to claw it's way out of the trunk during the task. She ran a hand over her head, apparently unable to tear her eyes away.

Caiti looked back at Sean, wondering what she could possibly do to fix this before it went further wrong. They had broken apart. If she could just get him away from Amelia, make him wipe his mouth off so none of the chapstick remained to blind him to what was happening... but then Sean did the one thing she knew Evelyn would find unforgivable and he kissed her again. She saw Evelyn's mouth shut tightly and her eyes grow pinched at the corners and then she backed right back out of the door she had just come in.

Caiti stayed around only long enough to pull Sean off Amelia and kick him hard in the shin. "You. Complete. Idiot," she said. He looked bewildered. Caiti turned on her heel and stalked off, furious with the pair of them. She knew she shouldn't be mad at Sean, it was not really his fault after all. But she couldn't help it. Seeing Evelyn's face had broken her heart. She hoped she would be able to find her.

Outside the door, her question was answered immediately. Evelyn had not gone far at all. She was standing just outside, back to the wall with her palms pressed against the stone, taking deep, shaky breaths. She had not started to cry. Yet.

She turned when Caiti emerged and then threw her head back in frustration. "Please, go away," she said. Her voice was thin and high.

"In a minute," said Caiti. "If you want. But first, I need to tell you something."

"What, that's he's been waiting to hook up with her all this time and I should be a good friend and be happy for them?" spat Evelyn. She was blinking very fast.

"Of course not," said Caiti gently. "Listen, I'm not saying he's not a complete jerk. And I just told him so, for the record, but you should know that Amelia was wearing this chapstick... I saw it last weekend when Marlowe and I were in Hogsmeade. It's called Love-Gloss or something. And it's got love potion mixed in with it."

Evelyn glared at her like she did not believe this.

"All I'm saying," said Caiti, backing up again, "is that it wasn't completely his choice. He still sucks. And I don't blame you for being mad at him. But... I don't know... maybe talk to him again tomorrow, and he'll be acting differently." Evelyn's eyes started to go glassy with coming tears. "It's not her, Ev, I promise." Evelyn turned around and started walking very quickly down the corridor. This time, Caiti let her go. She knew perfectly well what it was like to just need to be alone.

She reentered the common room alone and found Marlowe. He had been silently shaking with laughter as she approached but he sobered up immediately when he saw her coming. "Well," he said. She could hear the strain in his voice. "That was interesting."

"Evelyn's a mess," said Caiti. She plopped down on the couch, sliding down low so that her legs were extended straight out in front of her, feet on the ground. Marlowe sat himself next to her, putting one arm on top of the couch cushions around where she sat.

"Well when she knows it's a love potion involved," he began. But she cut him off.

"Told her," said Caiti. "It's gonna take more than my word her to make her forget."

"Come on Caiti, you have to admit it's a little bit funny. Evelyn will understand eventually."

Caiti's eyes flicked over to him, unamused.

"I don't think Sean's ever kissed anyone before, either," said Marlowe. "I mean he's been obsessed with Evelyn for years and too scared to do anything. Neither of them have ever dated anyone else."

"Yeah, and that's tragic. His first kiss was the result of a love potion."

"Doesn't count," said Marlowe. "That's only a technicality. It won't count till it matters."

Caiti considered this. "That's kinda true," she said.

"I know it is. You could have a hundred first kisses before the real one that counts. But that's if you're really unlucky. Does suck that it wasn't Evelyn though," he said, cracking a smile. "'Cause then you would've had to kiss me. I haven't forgotten our bet."

"You're as much of an idiot as Sean is," said Caiti, rolling her eyes.

"Nah," he said. "There's only one girl I'll kiss."

Caiti was trying to think of a good retort when she spotted Sean stumbling over towards them looking lost and dazed. He had apparently broken free from Amelia and his many admirers at last. He saw his friends and headed straight over.

"Hey, where's Evelyn?" he asked. Caiti scoffed at him, and shook her head, unable to come up with words for how she felt about him just then.

"You disgust me," she said finally. "You think she was going to hang around and watch you snogging some other girl?"

Sean got this goofy grin on his face than infuriated Caiti. "Go wash your mouth off, I'm not kidding. Now. And then go find the girl you're actually in love with."

Sean blinked at her. "My leg hurts," he said blankly.

"Good," said Caiti. "That was the point."

Marlowe melted over, head in his lap, laughing silently.

"What's wrong with him?" asked Sean, still grinning stupidly.

"Sean Tomas O'Connell, go upstairs and wash your mouth off, right now!" said Caiti.

"Why?" he asked.

Marlowe looked up at Sean through his fingers. "She used your full name, man, you'd better do it."

"And I'll make Marlowe escort you if you don't do it now," said Caiti, folding her arms huffily across her stomach.

Sean returned downstairs a few minutes later, still looking dazed, but much less jolly. Amelia came running over and said "There you are, silly!" but Sean frowned at her like he had never seen her before and said, "Where's Evelyn?" for the second time.

"Not in here," grumbled Caiti.

"Did she go to bed?" he asked, confused.

Amelia tugged on Sean's arm. "Don't worry about her, come on!"

But Sean pulled away from her and then it seemed to dawn on him.

"Did she? She- she didn't see?" he asked. He sound panicked, like he had that morning.

"Sean, you are head boy. You are a triwizard champion. You are a Ravenclaw for Merlin's sake! What do you think?" said Caiti in exasperation.

"Where did she go?"

Caiti shrugged. "Out."

Sean strode away.

"Think we shoulda told him about the amortentia?" murmured Marlowe.

"No," said Caiti firmly. "Let him grovel. Might help her forgive him."

"Hope he kisses her," said Marlowe, raising an eyebrow at Caiti. He shot her a cheeky grin that made the one dimple more prominent than ever.

"Oh, give it a rest, Marlowe." She slumped over sideways so that her head was on his shoulder and yawned, not bothering to cover her mouth. She never bothered.

"Only joking," he said, but he looked pleased all the same, and let his arm drop from the back of the couch to around Caiti's shoulders.