The weeks flew by. While Pippa found Malfoy a completely disagreeable partner, they still achieved high marks on all of their assignments. No one else in the class could fathom how this happened.

Once a week, the odd pairing met at the library. Pippa showed up ten minutes early and Malfoy showed up twenty minutes late. They read and took notes in absolute silence. A few words were exchanged when necessary, but they largely left each other alone, a mutual agreement.

Pippa refused to let Draco Malfoy's cold demeanor get to her. Even though all of her friends did, she couldn't bring herself to hate him. She didn't hate anyone, not really. What she saw was a single page of a detailed book. He just wouldn't let her read it.

On Halloween night, all of the students from Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang gathered in the Great Hall for the moment they had all been waiting for. Pippa sat down and the Hufflepuff table in between Dove, who was busy scribbling in a notebook as usual, and Cedric, who couldn't seem to stop tightening and loosening his tie. People wished him well as they passed, but he only nodded numbly. She nudged him.

"You okay?"

He nodded. "I know the chances are really slim - they'll probably pick a Gryffindor champion - but I really want this."

"Me too," she replied, giving him a warm, reassuring smile. "You've got this, Ced."

He smiled back.

"Sit down, please!" Dumbledore called as he moved through the crowd of students to take him place up front. Everyone immediately listened and stopped talking. A small smile twitched on the old man's bearded face. "Now the moment you've all been waiting for: The champion selection!"

He dimmed all of the lights in the Great Hall with a simple wave of his hand before walking toward the Goblet of Fire. Pippa rested her elbows on the wooden table and propped her chin up with her hands, interested.

The Goblet of Fire's blue flames turned red and spit out a single scrap of parchment. While it was still smoldering, the Headmaster snatched it out of the air. "The Durmstrang champion is... Viktor Krum!"

"HOLY MERLIN, YES!" Amy screamed so loudly that Pippa had to cover her ears, but her outburst was drowned out by the cheering of the Durmstrang students. Several other Hogwarts students had reacted similarly.

Viktor Krum stood and punched his fist in the air for his school, causing them all to cheer more. Dumbledore gestured for him to leave the hall thorough the door behind the staff table, and slowly, everyone calmed down again as the Goblet gave another name.

"The champion for Beauxbatons... is Fleur Delacour!"

A pretty girl with long silvery hair and and a soft smile emerged from the army of powder blue-clad girls as everyone clapped. Pippa had an odd feeling about this girl. As she walked, nearly every boy's head turned. Yes, she acknowledged that Fleur Delacour was pretty, but so were other girls at Hogwarts, and no one drooled when they walked by.

When Fleur left the Great Hall, the Hogwarts students began to shush each other, eager to hear the name of their own champion. Pippa leaned forward and held her breath.

"The Hogwarts champion... Cedric Diggory!"

"YES!" Pippa shrieked excitedly, jumping up to engulf her cousin in a tight hug. He grinned and hugged her back.

The entirety of the table exploded. Everyone was cheering and hugging and laughing. They rarely received glory of any kind, mainly because they never went looking for it, but the recognition felt good. Maybe Cedric Diggory could finally prove to the world that Hufflepuff wasn't just the house of leftovers.

Cedric stood up. As he walked, his fellow Puffs clapped him on the back and embraced him. He approached Dumbledore and gave him a hearty handshake before following the other champions into the back room.

"Can you believe it?" Dove asked. "Diggory's our champion! A Hufflepuff! Holy Helga, imagine the party tonight!"

"Lynn, how're you feeling now that lover-boy's in the tournament?" Amy teased. "Maybe he'll give you a victory snog if you're lucky."

The blonde turned beet red and blew a pink bubble with her gum. "Not gonna happen," she mumbled shyly, twirling her ponytail over and over again.

Dumbledore clapped his hands together with a bright smile. "Excellent! We now have our three champions. But in the end, only one will go down in history. Only one will hoist this chalice of champions... this vessel of victory... the Triwizard Cup!"

Gasps echoed through the hall as he unveiled a beautiful silver and crystal trophy. Light shone through its many sides. Pippa imagined how it would look on the Diggorys' mantle in their living room, right above their fireplace. Amos would show off that cup to any and every guest that visited.

"Wow," Pippa whispered in awe.

Everyone was so captivated by the Triwizard Cup that no one noticed the flames in the Goblet of Fire turn once again from blue to red until gasps started to spread. Dumbeldore edged closer, a confused, almost frightened expression on his face as a fourth slip was released from the flames. His long fingers snatched it out of the air, shaking slightly as he read it.

His first words were indistinguishable. Pippa strained her ears, but he spoke louder next, so this wasn't necessary.

"Harry Potter."

A cold feeling swept through her. She glanced at her friends, who looked just as confused as her, and the she turned in her seat, craning her neck to find Harry. He shrunk down into his seat, obviously trying not to be found. A wave of pity rushed over her. At least to her, it was apparent that he didn't want this.

"HARRY POTTER!"

A few of the Gryffindors shoved him forward, and he stumbled before finding his footing again. Slowly, he made his way to the Headmaster, whose blue eyes, for once, were unsmiling. He handed Harry the smoking scrap of paper and gestured for him to follow the other champions into the back room. With perplexion in his green eyes, he started to walk.

"He's a cheat!"

"He's not even seventeen yet!"

"I wish they'd stop," Pippa said softly, empathy written all over her pale face. It was amazing how quickly her emotions had morphed from elation to worry in the last five minutes. "Look at him. He doesn't want this."

Dove shrugged and returned to her notebook. "Maybe he shouldn't have put his name in, then."

"But he couldn't! Didn't you see what happened to everyone who tried to cross that age line? Besides, Harry's not the type to cheat. He's too good of a person."

"No, you're too good of a person," Dove replied, the slightest edge to her voice. "You can't bring yourself to ever doubt anyone, Pip. To you, there's good in everyone. I hate to break it to you, but not everyone's as loving and caring and pure as you."

"And not everyone's as cynical as you!" There it is. For the first time, she had finally been able to fire something right back, and as soon as she said it, regret swept over her. "Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it-"

"Yeah, you did." Dove gathered up her books and stood. Her face was devoid of emotions, but her dark eyes were like smoldering coals. "We should go. I'll bet there'll be a celebration in the common room for Cedric."

The four girls walked in silence through the throng of students. Too many thoughts were rushing through Pippa's head. I messed up. Dove's mad now. At least Cedric's a champion. But so's Harry. What if something happens to either of them in the tournament? Did Harry actually enter? Should I apologize to Dove again?

She tried to enjoy herself at the party, especially because it was in honor of her cousin, but she wasn't generally one for parties on a good day, let alone now. The kitchens provided endless snacks for the Puffs. A few of the older students performed music in the corner. When Cedric entered, everyone screamed so loudly that Professor Sprout had to come in and ask everyone to quiet down, but she did it with a smile and a wink.

Pippa perched herself on the armrest of her favorite armchair, the yellow squashy one closest to the fire. Part of her wanted to go grab her ukelele and join her fellow Puffs in a jam session, but she really wasn't feeling up to it. Instead, she was content to sit and watch everyone have fun, a soft smile on her face.

Lynn sat on the actual chair part of the chair. Holding up a plate, she asked, "cookie?"

"Thanks," Pippa said, taking the sugar cookie decorated with yellow and black checkered icing. "Is Dove still mad?"

"Are you kidding? No! She doesn't get mad at you. Maybe annoyed, but she's more impressed than anything."

"Impressed?"

Lynn nodded. "She says she's been waiting four years for you to lash out at her."

"Well, mission accomplished then," Pippa giggled. "I do still feel bad, though."

"Don't. And don't apologize to her again, you apologize too much as it is. You know, if you ever sassed Draco Malfoy like that, he wouldn't know what hit him."

"I'd rather not anger someone who already hates being in my mere presence, Lynn. It took me weeks to get the blue out of my hair."

Pippa and Lynn watched a few of the seventh years lift Cedric up onto their shoulders triumphantly. He was so tall that he almost smacked his head on one of the low ceilings, which made everyone laugh.

"Maybe," Pippa said, grinning, "this could be fun."