♙CHAPTER FIVE♙

( LYDIA BLAKE )

TWO: UNUSUAL ACTIONS

"some don't understand how truly stupid they can be"

7th october 1994

it was seven-thirty in the morning and all of the hogwarts students had been summoned to the great hall for an important announcement. lydia already being awake was dressed, her hair although was not done. elena was all ready, hair done, robes on. sharon was the one who entered the great hall in her pyjamas, with a pair of fluffy socks clad to her feet. so say she was freezing was an understatement.

"todd!" a very recognisable voice called out from behind the three girls as they stood outside of the great hall waiting for more people to arrive.

sharon spun around quickly wondering what the boy could be wanting at this time in the morning, she knew he was probably going to say how bad she looked considering her dark circles were exposed.

"you cold?" he asked as he held his robe out to her, him now only being in his uniform.

lydia and elena smirked as sharon turned a red they had never seen and daniel changed his balance from foot to foot, his nerves getting the best of him around the girl in the moment.

"thank you, grey" she said taking it without question and sliding it on over her clothes, she sent him a nod before turning to enter the hall not really knowing what else to say.

"improvement?" daniel asked turning to the two other girls with a hopeful expression.

"improvement" elena assured him as she placed a hand on his shoulder, pulling him into the hall with her knowing lydia would be waiting for cedric considering tyler was already inside.

since that night that cedric made them fall down the stairs in the common room the two had been hanging out more often. just them. alone. sure they had been doing that before but there was something else about it. lydia was seeing the boy in a much different light. a much more attractive light.

"lydia!" speaking of the devil. cedric was rushing towards her, as he dragged his robe onto his shoulder. his messy dirty blonde hair had not been groomed yet she could tell.

"in a rush, aren't we?" she asked taking a step back as he nearly fell on top of her due to his anxiousness.

"couldn't keep you waiting now, could i?" he asked with a grin as she rolled her eyes as a small blush spread across the bottom of her neck. which was hidden, luckily.

"let's go" she urged grabbing onto his elbow dragging the boy into the hall with her. cedric was much taller than her. she was only 5'2, which hugely contrasted with him being 6 foot.

people did stare, but not as many as usual. that was only because people has gotten used to seeing the hufflepuff students together. they were both perfect and they weren't going out? it confused everyone to new levels. they obviously liked eachother anyone could tell. except maybe them.

after settling down in their seats the hall waited another ten minutes before it silenced with dumbeldore walking to the front "the castle will not only be your home this year... but home to some special guests as well" low whispers began to spread through the students at this news.

"you see, hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event" excitement spread throughout every cell of lydia's small body as she latched onto tyler's hand squeezing it tightly. the boy would've tried pulling it out of her grip knowing she could squeeze it till the circulation cut off, but knew it was no use.

"for those of you who do not know. the triwizard tournament brings three schools for a series of magical contests" would her cousins be coming? "from each school, a single student is selected to compete" lydia felt like she had read somewhere about the event.

"now let me be clear. if chosen, you stand alone. and trust me when i say  these contests are not for the faint- hearted. but there is time to discuss that later. the schools who will be joining us are the beauxbatons academy and durmstrang institute of magical learning"

and after that anything else dumbeldore had said went through one ear and out the other because lydia was ecstatic. she was basically bouncing in her seat as she turned to her friends with a blinding smile. she couldn't even control the french as it came out of her mouth. her native language was always something special to her, she treasured the fact she was fluent in it and sometimes forgot she was not surrounded by others who couldn't speak it.

" savez-vous ce que cela signifie?mes cousins viennent. oh mon dieu! je peux voir fleur, elle avait encore ma chemise qu'elle a emprunté l'année dernière! que-" she was cut off as a hand slapped over her mouth.

she didn't notice the eyes that had trailed over to her from other house tables, because that was what lydia did. she grabbed the attention in the room without realising. but when she spoke french her voice was hypnotising. and that she could blame on her veela blood.

"remember kitty cat. not all of us speak french" elena said removing her hand from her friends mouth. although elena knew some french due to her visiting the blake house nearly every break she didn't understand it when lydia spoke.

"remind me to ask your mèmè for that french dictionary" sharon mumbled as she stared at lydia. she also had been round the blake household enough to learn a bit, but that was only because of her and lydia's father, noah, both trying to learn it.

noah blake was a pure blooded wizard from london, who was sorted into ravenclaw when attending hogwarts. after finishing school he met the half veela, camille blake, the rest was history. because from their blossoming love was born a baby. lydia. noah knew not one word of french when meeting camille but over time he eventually began to learn simple terms and phrases.

"i'd like to say a few words. eternal glory. that is what awaits the student who wins the triwizard tournament. but to do this, the student must survive three extremely dangerous tasks" survive and dangerous. lydia didn't like those words in this situation and her bubble was burst just like that.

"for this reason, the ministry has seen fit to impose a new rule. after due consideration, the ministry has concluded that, for their own safety no student under the age of 17 shall be allowed to put forth their name for the triwizard tournament" seventeen.

daniel was seventeen, so was tyler. cedric's seventeenth birthday was next week. and lydia, sharon and elena were all under seventeen. lydia knew daniel would never enter, but she didn't know about tyler or cedric. they couldn't be that stupid to enter. not to mention her cousin fleur, who was in her final year of school.

"the goblet of fire!" dumbeldore's voice boomed as a box was rolled out. a long box. "anyone wishing to submit themselves to the tournament need only write their name upon a piece of parchment and throw it before the flame. you may begin doing this upon the arrival of the competitors"

and with that the man walked off the podium back to his seat. breakfast appeared in front of all the students, all of them speaking about the tournament. many complaining about the age restrictions and many chattering in glee. all of her friends being included, even elena.

――――

lydia blake was paranoid. no one would deny it. and neither would she. that is why, right now, she sat in the schools library with three books opened around her about the triwizard tournament. and she didn't like one word she read.

hundreds of students had died before it was discontinued in 1792, and it was only brought back now due to demand. she couldn't risk losing her friends or her cousin. she refused, it was not a thought she ever wanted to cross her mind.

"what's on your mind, buttercup?" tyler asked plopping down on the seat right next to the girl causing her to literally jump.

she sent him an annoyed look before sub-consciously reaching to fix the messy ponytail on her head. "just reading about the tournament. do you know how many people have died participating?" she asked with a urgent look.

"no. how many?" he asked rolling his eyes and leaning back in his seat.

"neither do i! no one does, because so many people have died they couldn't count" she yelled making the librarian, ms. pince, shush her.

"so it's obviously safer now if they brought it back" he shrugged as if it weren't a big deal. this annoyed her.

"what do you mean? people could die, are you stupid?" she asked harshly, the tone she took was not one she used a lot and when it was used it sounded bitter.

"wow, wow, wow. calm down" he started scrunching eyebrows noticing how her voice changed "listen to me, it'll be safer this year" he said, although he didn't know why he did.

she only hummed in reply before he stood up and shut the books she had open before lifting her up from under her arms. the girl letting a small laugh escape her lips as she let her body be lifted by the boy.

"let's go find the others" he suggested not waiting for her reply as he threw an arm around her shoulder and dragged her towards the exit of the library.

"you're lucky" she told the boy not looking up at him. she only nodded not knowing what she was referring to.

she was referring to how she liked him as a friend. anyone else tried dragging her away from something as important as what she was doing in the library she'd have hexed them. but no tyler jones had caved a hole into the heart of lydia blake.

――――

"ced" elena sung out in a happy tune as she plopped down on the couch beside the boy in the common room. she didn't even send sharon a greeting as the raven haired girl seemed to enticed in the quidditch magazine she was reading.

"yes, elena?" cedric asked with a smile putting down the parchment he was filling in with his charms homework.

"do you know where lydia is?" she asked, making sharon look up with a raised eyebrow wanting to know what the girl was doing.

"where's your boyfriend?" sharon asked referring to draco. her and lydia were sure the two had kissed or something because she had become much more secretive of their relationship.

"where's yours?" elena retorted back defensively not paying attention to how her cheeks warmed at the mention of the platinum blonde haired boy.

sharon sent her a glare knowing she meant daniel, the two had been teasing her relentlessly for how much nicer he had been to her. and how she wasn't wishing he'd be eaten by a dragon every second of the day.

cedric just sat amused, a usual expression he took when around the girls. they weren't like lydia. nothing like her. but they were still special, in their own way. sharon was the light that shone without being asked to and elena was the star that lead you in the right direction. it was quite intimidating being in both presence's at the same time but cedric was used to them.

"anyway, where's lydia?" elena asked turning back to cedric hoping her blush had gone.

"why would i know?" cedric asked as he turned his full attention to her, his eyebrow raised. he knew where she was though. he didn't know why he replied like that.

"because you're obsessed with her" sharon answered for elena certainly not holding back on her thoughts.

cedric's face turned to one of embarrassment, doubt and annoyance. he was not obsessed with lydia blake. sure they were good friends and hung out a lot but he was not obsessed.

"i - i am not obsessed with her!" he nearly yelled as his posture became stiff. there was no one else in the common room luckily, else they would've been able to see the nervous reck cedric diggory had become.

sharon and elena raised their eyebrows knowing he was lying, cedric diggory was not a good liar. him and lydia were perfect. the boy who couldn't lie and the girl who refused to ever lie. a match made in heaven.

"really? what's her favourite book" elena asked, it was the first thing she could think of to prove her point.

"the picture of dorian gray" he answered with no thought or hesitation. it was not obsession 'though. it was remembering things she told him that he shouldn't have remembered.

"even i didn't know that" sharon laughed honestly as she watched elena's face turn to one of accomplishment before deciding she wanted to have some fun.

"what does she want to be when she leaves hogwarts?" the raven haired girl questioned with a grin.

"a magizoologist. but we all knew that" cedric added knowing it was a well known fact throughout hufflepuff of her dream.

"ok, what will you name your first son?" elena asked, it was a tough shot but it would answer all their questions if he answered.

"if it's a boy we'll name him amos after my father" cedric answered with a grin not even realising his words. we'll. as in him and lydia.

elena and sharon squealed before springing out of their seats and onto cedric giving him a hug. the boy pushed them off with a questioning look still not understanding what he said.

"you said you'll name your son amos. your son with lydia!" elena reminded him making his pretty lips part and grey eyes widen.

cedric diggory sat and thought to himself in those few seconds of silence he had. he was obsessed with lydia cordelia blake. and he couldn't deny it to himself any longer. what did this mean? did he like her? how would he get rid of this feeling he felt growing in his stomach? those were all questions he'd be able to answer later.