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No one knew what was wrong with Ramona.

Not even madam Pomfrey had the slightest clue. The potion she gave Ramona should have worked, and it did for the most part, except when the Hufflepuff had the vision of Cedric, which she did not dare tell anyone about, besides Magnolia and Serena.

So, she drank the dark blue potion once more. As there was nothing else to do, the three girls spent the rest of their day in the library finishing up their homework, on Ramona's orders, of course.

Before they knew it, it was the day of the first task.

The morning of the 24th of November was filled with great tension and excitement. During breakfast, banners donning Hufflepuff and Gryffindor colours were passed out, Serena taking a flag that had both house colours. She tackled both Harry and Cedric in a hug, and wished them good luck. Sure, she already knew the latter's future, but she still wanted to give him a little boost of confidence.

People were bouncing their feet on the floor or tapping their fingers all throughout morning lessons in anticipation. By midday, all classes were stopped. Serena practically skipped her way to the Great Hall for lunch, knowing after, she and the rest of the school would be led outside to watch the first task. In the middle of it, both Harry and Cedric were pulled up from their seats and out of the Great Hall. 

The Gryffindor watched with a smile when Ramona quickly gave Cedric one last hug, holding each other for a little too long. Professor Sprout had to tap Ramona's shoulder to get her to let go. Noticing the entire Hall was watching, Ramona hastily took a step back, growing redder by the second as she took her place beside Serena and Magnolia.

Finally, after everyone had returned their books and bags to their dormitories, it was time to head out to the field. "Oh, wow, it's actually happening! The first task is today!" Serena exclaimed, exhilaration zooming through her body.

"That's the third time you've said that, Serena. We get it." Magnolia said with a roll of her eyes.

"Oh, shut up," the girl said before looking down at Ramona. The auburn haired girl was playing with the ends of her plaits, something she often did when she was nervous. "Are you alright, Mona?"

"Uh? Oh, yes... yes I'm alright."

"She's just worried," Magnolia said. "But there's nothing to worry about. You saw what happened yourself, so Pretty Boy Diggory will be alright."

"I know that, but..." Ramona hesitated, before shaking her head. "But nothing. He'll be just fine."

"That's the spirit! I know Harry'll be good, too." Serena smiled. Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted two tall redheads walking down the path behind her, sporting two suitcases around their necks. "Oh, no! Hide me!" Serena briskly went to walk in front of Magnolia, attempting to use the slight height difference to conceal herself.

"What in the world- hide you from what?" Magnolia asked as she tried to step around Serena, but the Gryffindor did not budge.

"From Fred and George." As if on cue, both Magnolia and Ramona glanced back to see the twins with their ridiculously sized cases hanging from their necks.

"Bets! Place your bets." George shouted with a grin. "Bets taken! Bets taken here!"

"Step up, folks! Who fancies a flutter in today's bloodbath?" Fred said, opening his case toward the crowd.

"Smart money's on Krum to survive! Any bets?"

Magnolia seemed impressed. "They're taking bets? Sweet."

"What? No, not sweet, Magnolia!" Ramona argued. "That's gambling!"

"But it's easy money-"

"Will you two just- turn around!" Serena said in exasperation. "Under no circumstance can they see me."

"And why is that?"

"What did you do?"

Serena choked on air. "What- no! I-I didn't do anything! Well, I mean... it wasn't just me!" Magnolia and Ramona looked even more confused, and though every part of Serena was yelling at her to just shut up already, she sighed. "You see, erm... I sort of almost kissed Fred on Saturday."

There reaction was exactly what she expected. "You what?!" they simultaneously shrieked, catching the attention of everyone around, more specifically Fred and George.

"Damn it, I've been spotted! Thanks a lot, you two!" Serena hastily tied her voluminous curls in a low ponytail, as if that would help hide her, though it only made her feel even colder due to the harsh November wind.

Magnolia shrugged. "Eh, no problem, really." Serena stepped on her shoe in response.

"Hello, ladies," George suddenly appeared beside the trio, a charming smile on his face. "Fancy taking a bet?"

Ramona crossed her arms. "Absolutely not. Gambling isn't right!"

"No worries, love," George winked at the girl, "we've checked with some higher ups and they said all morally right."

"You know what," Magnolia said. "I'll bite. How much?"

George grinned. "Just for your much appreciated contribution and striking blue eyes, we'll bump it down to twelve Sickles."

She cocked her head to the side, blue eyes narrowed. "Just for your unnecessary compliment and ridiculously bright hair, I'll bump it up to sixteen Sickles for Cedric Diggory. I ain't afraid of losing."

"Not another Pretty Boy fan," George said, eyes flickering towards Ramona for a split second before landing on Serena, who was trying her hardest to run away in the more discrete way possible. After marking Magnolia's name down, George turned and spotted Fred a few feet away, taking bets from a couple Hufflepuffs. "If you'll excuse me for one moment," he said, and disappeared.

Serena sighed in relief. "Oh, thank goodness. I thought he'd never leave-" The poor girl spoke too soon. George came back not a second later, an arm wrapped around his twin's shoulders, guiding him, or rather dragging him, over to the three.

"Oi, Serena! Fred's got something to-"

"No, I don't George!" Fred said, struggling against his brother, the tips of his ears unusually red.

"Yes, you do Fred!" Serena watched as George roughly pulled Fred over to the trio of girls. He and Magnolia shared a glance, both sporting identical grins.

Unfortunately for them, Serena caught their gaze, knowing exactly what they were going to do, as they've done it at the World Cup. So before either George and Magnolia had the chance to take Ramona and leave her alone with Fred, Serena link her arm with Ramona's, pulling her away. "Would you look at that! We're already at the stadium! Let's get some good seats, eh, Mona?"

The girl looked back at Magnolia. "Wait, what about-"

"We can leave her traitorous ass behind." Serena said with a smile.

Magnolia ran a hand through her straight brown hair, looking at George. "This match making stuff is tough work, mate. I say we stuff those two in a broom closet and lock it from the outside." With a pat on Fred's shoulder, she jogged up the rest of the path toward her friends, who so rudely left her behind.

Fred glared at his brother. "George, if you're even thinking about doing that, I'll-"

"You'll thank me for my tireless work improving your nonexistent love life. Or really, existent love life as of Saturday-"

"Shut up, George!"

Serena and Ramona finally settled on one of the middle rows, as Ramona absolutely refused to climb up any higher. The stadium was filled with spectators, flags of every school colour lighting up the stands. A sea of bright red and golden yellow decorating the Hogwarts crowd, while the Beauxbatons students all sported a soft blue for their champion, along with the Durmstrang party wearing dark red.

Serena could see Ludo Bagman in the Judge's section of the stands, most likely going to commentate the game. Though he could not see her, she still stuck her tongue out at him.

It took a while, but Magnolia finally joined them. "You know how long it took me to find you lot? With the amount of people here?" she sighed, stretching her back. "An unneeded workout, really."

"You deserved it for trying to leave me alone with Fred. Again!"

"It worked last time, did it not?"

"Yeah, but-"

"You guys! It's starting!" Ramona said, hushing the two bickering girls. They finally turned their attention down to the dragon enclosure below, where the Swedish Short-Snout was finally let out. It had the same blueish-grey scaled skin and beady, yellow eyes Ramona saw in her vision. She quickly grabbed onto her friends' hands, trying to calm her nerves down.

Cedric was the first to come out, causing a massive uproar from the crowd. He dived behind a few rocks as the Short-Snout roared, its blue flames licking the edges of the stands as everyone ducked under cover. He stayed concealed by a rock before aiming his wand for another, transfiguring it into a Labrador. Just as planned, the dragon lost interest in Cedric, chasing the dog instead.

"Oooh, narrow miss there, very narrow," Bagman shouted over the noise. "He's taking risks, this one!"

Cedric used the momentary distraction to his advantage, running towards the golden egg, which sat in the middle of a cluster of cement-coloured eggs. The crowd went wild as he nearly reached it, and he would have, had the dragon not caught the dog in its razon-edged talons.

"Wait, that's... that's not supposed to happen." Ramona whispered, watching in horror as the Short-Snout turned, facing Cedric. His fingers managed to graze the smooth edge of the egg when the Short-Snout rushed forward, letting out a fiery breathe of searing blue flames. Cedric did not have enough time to move out of the way before the fire scorched the side of his face. The crowd gasped in shock.

"Clever move- pity it didn't work!" Bagman said as Cedric ducked behind another rock to shield himself from another wall of flames. After about another five minutes, Cedric had successfully distracted the dragon once more, and finally seized the golden egg in his gloved fingers. The cheers were deafening as he lifted the egg high above his head.

Serena, Magnolia, and Ramona remained motionless as everyone only them stood in celebration. Ramona's heart pounded, reverberating in her ears as all three thought the same the question:

'What just happened?'

However, they did not have time to discuss it as Cedric was rushed out of the enclosure. "One down, three to go!" Bagman yelled as the whistle blew again. "Miss Delacour, if you please!"

Fleur Delacure, the Beauxbatons Champion, entered the ring, long silvery white hair tied in a ponytail. She faced a Common Welsh Green, and eighteen foot dragon with sharp, grey eyes. The Beauxbatons students seemed to perk up at her arrival. The girl was was shivering in fear from head to toe as she rose her wand. Surprisingly, she managed to lure the dragon into a sleeping trance, successfully immobilising the beast.

"Oh I'm not sure that was wise!" Bagman shouted gleefully. "Oh.... nearly! Careful now..." she commented as she crept forward toward the egg. Before she could grab it, however, the Common Welsh let out a snore, a jet of green flames setting her skirt on fire. "Good lord, I thought she'd had it then!" Finally putting out the fire with a water making spell, she picked up the egg, and the crowd erupted into an applause.

"And here comes Mr. Krum!" cried Bagman, and Victor Krum slouched into the stadium. The Chinese Fireball emitted a horrible shriek while the crowd drew a collective breath as Krum aimed his wand for the dragon's eyes, sewing them shut with some sort of spell. "Very daring!" Bagman yelled as the Fireball stumbled around in its panicked confusion, and ended up crushed half of the real eggs it was guarding. Krum paid no mind to this, as he swiftly snatched up the golden egg. "That's some nerve he's showing- and- yes, he's got the egg!" Bagman announced, the applause shattering the air like glass. Serena swore she could hear Fred and George's cheers of glee above the noise.

Finally, it was Harry's turn. The Hungarian Horntail was released, the largest and most dangerous of them all. Its spiked tail thrashed around, menacingly staring down at Harry, who looked nothing more than the size of an ant. "Come on, Harry, come on..." Serena mumbled as the monstrous, black lizard roared, smoke trailing out of its flared nostrils.

Harry rose his wand. "Accio Firebolt!" he shouted. The crowd quieted immediately, everyone holding their breathe as they waited. And waited.

Then, Serena heard it, a whistling sound through the crisp air. The crowd simultaneously turned to see a broomstick hurtling into the enclosure, coming to a stop right beside Harry, hovering in midair, as if waiting for him to mount.

The moment harry swung his leg over the broom and kicked off the ground, the crowd screamed as loud of they could. "Yes, YES!" Serena exclaimed, pumping both arms in the air. Harry soared into the air, circling around the stadium as the Horntail followed his every move.

"Great Scott, he can fly!" yelled Bagman as the crowd shrieked and gasped. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?" Harry plummeted just as the Horntail opened its mouth, but was not very lucky. He missed the flames, but the tail came whipping up to meet Harry, instead. As he attempted to serve out of the way, one of the long spikes graved his shoulder, ripping his robes.

Harry rose up into the sky once more, trying to coax the dragon into following him. The Horntail twisted all around, keeping its fearsome yellow eyes on Harry, but refused to move away from its eggs.

Harry flew higher and higher, and just as the dragon stretched its neck to its greatest length, with its leathery black wings spread as wide as possible, he dived. The dragon hadn't even realised where he had gone as he sped towards the ground where the eggs laid unprotected. Taking a hand off his Firebolt. Harry scooped up the egg in his uninjured arm.

The crowd went cheered as loudly as the Irish supporters at the World Cup. Serena jumped up and down, clapping until her hands reddened. "Look at that!" Bagman screeched. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"

"He did it! Harry actually did it!" Serena shouted as she, Magnolia, and Ramona set off down the stands.

"Do you think we're able to check on Cedric? Are we allowed to go see him in the tent?" Ramona asked, worriedly playing with her braids once again.

Magnolia shrugged. "That won't really stop us from going in, to be honest."

After squeezing through the thick crowd, the three finally made it to the medical tent. Ramona hesitated in front of the open flap, and it took Serena pushing her forward for her to actually go inside. Before Serena could follow, Magnolia pulled her back, pointing at Ramona as she approached Cedric's cubicle. The moment he saw her, Cedric immediately jumped up from where he was sitting, picking Ramona up in a tight hug. She squealed as both hurriedly separated, blushing profusely.

"You see that, Nolie?" Serena whispered. "That was all me. I was the one that told Cedric to ask her out to Hogsmeade."

Magnolia simply smiled, walking toward the two Hufflepuffs.

Serena furrowed her eyebrows, and was about to ask what she was smiling about when she spotted Harry with Ron, Hermione, and Iyla. 

The girl strode over to the fourth years, and was taken aback when Hermione suddenly burst into tears. "You two are so stupid!" she shouted, stamping her foot on the ground. Then, she gave both Harry and Ron and tight hug before running out of the tent, tears streaming down her face. Serena looked from where Hermione stood a moment before and where she just ran out. "Er... what-"

"Ron was being a prick, and he and Harry just made up, so now 'Mione's crying, but it's happy tears... I guess," Iyla explained with a chuckle, going after Hermione.

"Right, well," Serena chuckled, ruffled the green-eyed boy's hair. "You were brilliant, Harry! Absolutely amazing!"

"Thanks, Serena!" Harry smiled up at her.

With a friendly nod to both boys, Serena went back to where Ramona and Magnolia sat around Cedric's bed. He didn't seem to be hurt too bad, as he was sitting up and smiling. "Woah, you look like an orange peel," she said, pointing at the side of his face now that she was close up.

Cedric laughed. "It's called Burn-Healing Paste, Serena."

"Personally, I think burnt is a really good colour on you, Pretty Boy," Magnolia said. "But I suppose Madam Pomfrey thought it best to cover it up, what a shame."

Serena nodded. "I agree! I for one thought the charred black brought out his grey eyes, for sure."

"Cut it out you two," Ramoona lightly scolded, turning back to Cedric. "I'm... I'm glad you're alright," she murmured.

Cedric beamed at her. "It takes a lot more than a dragon to get rid of me." Serena fought hard to not laugh at his embarrassing attempt at flirting. "Though i still don't get one thing... who did you know the first task was dragons?"

Serena, Magnolia, and Ramona shared a knowing glance before the former grinned. "Sounds like a story for another day, Pretty Boy."

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Author's Note:

Wow so this chapter is extremely late. :(  I keep apologizing for it and you all keep telling me to stop doing that but I can't help it!  I literally wrote this during all of my online classes... I think I'm going to fail school because I really don't know what I'm doing LMAO. 

Gosh, I don't know why, but I'm not a fan of this chapter at all. I guess that's why it took me so long to write. But now that it's out of the way, we're finally so close to the Yule Ball!!  ;)

Well, I hope you lovelies have a great day! Wish me luck on this really hard test I've got this afternoon... It'd be a wonder if I pass.

With much love,

~Lena