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THE SOUND OF LAUGHTER AND YELPS RICOCHETED THROUGH the halls of Hogwarts as Cedric Diggory ran and randomly spun through the corridors, with a cautious Clover Carstairs on his back. The girl clutched onto the boy's jumper for dear life while Juliette and Hugo chased after the two with gleeful grins as all four raced towards the Great Hall.

There was a feeling of pure adrenaline and giddiness that hung in the air- a feeling that Clover could only truly find when with her friends.

Cedric slowly came to a stop outside of The Great Hall doors, panting heavily as Juliette and Hugo finally caught up to the two. With a single movement, Clover jumped down from the boys back causing Hugo to take charge and latch onto Cedric, ushering him forward into the hall.

Younger students were milling around the Hall as they admired and observed the Goblet of Fire. Many of them sat on the tables, which had been pushed off to the side, with looks of awe and inevitable envy as people entered their names. Clover laughed heartedly as she followed after Cedric and Hugo. The goblet had been placed in the center of the hall on the stool that usually bore the Sorting Hat. A thin, glowing line had been traced on the floor, forming a circle ten feet around it in every direction.

Hugo finally pushed Cedric forwards into the circle while Juliette and Clover clapped and whistled encouragingly. Students now gathered to watch the Hufflepuff boy enter.  Cedric laughed as he turned back towards the goblet. He gingerly walked up to the goblet, a small slip of paper balancing between his fingers, and with one swift movement, the paper with his name on it had been thrown into and engulfed by the blue flames.

Applause erupted from the students as the boy exited the circle while Clover, Juliette and Hugo were quick to tackle the boy in a hug, all of them smiling from ear to ear while those around congratulated Cedric. The four friends stood back, allowing the boy to be patted on the back and complimented. As soon as they'd all dispersed once more, Cedric turned back to his friends with a joyous expression.

"Kitchen then?" The boy offered but just as Clover went to respond, a loud chorus of cheering echoed through the hall. Fred and George Weasley came running into the Hall holding two vials of a blue-ish potion. The girl scanned the twins before turning to Cedric with a small smile.

"Can we stay for just five more minutes?" The girl pleaded, her eyes following The Weasley's as they cracked up. With a slow nod of agreement from Cedric, Clover linked her arm with his and dragged him over to an empty spot in the hall.

"You guys can stay but I'm going to head to the kitchens," Juliette stated as she promptly pulled Hugo by the arm. The two disappeared out of the Hall doors, leaving Clover and Cedric behind. The girl turned her attention back to the twins as applause and scattered laughter erupted from the students as Fred and George high-fived as many people as they could.

"Thank you, thank you, well lads we've done it," George announced to the students watching, his head tilting slightly as he scanned the hall. His eyes seemed to land and linger on Clover for a few seconds before he shifted his gaze back around to his twin.

"Cooked it up just this morning." Fred declared proudly, swirling the potion around in its vial.

                                   
"It's not going to work." A voice chirped, all eyes were now on Hermione Granger as she continued to read from her book. Fred and George exchanged a glance before crouching down either side of the younger girl.

"Oh yeah? And why's that Granger?" Fred questioned, causing the younger girl to huff quietly and look up in mild annoyance.

"You see this? This is an age line." Hermione stated as she gestured to the thin line surrounding the goblet. "Dumbledore drew it himself."

"Odds on this working?" Cedric muttered to Clover as she smirked. The girl tilted her head in thought before glancing towards the boy next to her.

"Very low." Clover concluded as she whispered back. The two stifled their amused laughter before zoning back in on the twins.

"Ready Fred?"

"Ready George."

"Bottoms up!"

The twins linked arms and downed the potions in unison. People watched in anticipation as the two threw the vials off to the side. They exchanged another mischievous grin before they jumped into the circle together.

A tense second passed and nothing happened which earned a triumphant cheer from Fred and George as they high-fived. For a split few seconds, Clover thought that it had worked, but as the twins reached up to put their names into the goblet, the flames erupted and there was a loud sizzling sound.

Quicker than the blink of an eye, both twins were hurled out of the glowing circle as though they had been thrown by a slingshot. They landed roughly ten feet away on the cold stone floor, and it took all of Clover's might not to laugh while those around her snickered. Just as she thought the funniest part had passed, there was a loud popping noise, and Fred and George sprouted identical long white beards, and this time Clover didn't try to contain her giggles.

The Great Hall rang with melodious laughter from everyone who was watching but the twins turned to each other in anger and frustration both of them in a state of shock as they examine their newly grown beards.

                                  
"You said..."

 
"You said.."

The two lunged for one another and began to roll around on the floor as they fought. Clover and Cedric joined in with the chorus of laughter as they watched the two boys struggle to take the other one down.

However, the room suddenly cascaded into silence as Viktor Krum strode into the Hall with an air of arrogance surrounding him. Without a thought, he walked straight through the age line and swiftly dropped his name into the goblet. The Durmstrang boy glanced around at the lingering students of Hogwarts before exiting the hall once more.

"Kitchen?" Cedric spoke up eagerly, tilting his head to the side like a puppy as he awaiting the girl's answer. Clover nodded and within seconds, he had bent down and the girl was right back on his back as the two departed, leaving the wandering eyes behind them.

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"SO, JULIETTE, WHAT'S UP WITH YOU AND ELISE MAYCOTT?"

Clover looked to Juliette with a raised brow while scooping another spoon of ice cream into her mouth. Juliette scooted in her seat uncomfortably, glancing at Cedric and Hugo as they watched silently. The four were in the kitchens of Hogwarts, sitting on four stools while House Elves scrambled around, attending to anything and everything.

"Nothing." The girl answered finally, brushing off the question as her friend tutted at her.

"Aye, no lying during kitchen raiding." Clover scolded, "It's the most sacred rule." Juliette huffed and sent a sharp glare towards the other girl who merely shrugged and gestured for Juliette to spill.

"I'm not lying." Juliette reiterated, rolling her eyes as she lifted another spoon of ice cream into her mouth. "I wish something was going on but it honestly isn't."

"Is she even, y'know...?" Hugo asked, his voice trailing off as he spoke.

"With the eyes she keeps making at Juliette, 100%," Clover stated, taking another bite of ice cream.

"She's not making 'eyes' at me."

"Oh, she is, Jules." Ced butted in, shrugging apologetically at the girl. "It's obvious too...kinda of desperate really." Clover reached out and hit the boy's arm as a warning.

"Whatever..." Juliette mumbled, taking another grumpy bite of ice cream.

The four sat in comfortable silence, all four of them sitting blissfully while they finished up their treats. Hugo placed his dish down on a table and in an instant, a pair of House Elf hands reached out and grabbed it before scuttling away. The House Elves of Hogwarts didn't seem to mind the four's little kitchen adventures, but then again, the four didn't try to disrupt or disrespect them. Cedric yawned quietly, also placing his bowl off to the side.

"I'm knackered." He sighed, folding his arms as he looked towards the three.

"Curfew's in five minutes," Hugo stated, glancing at the small clock hanging on the kitchen's walls. "If we don't wanna get caught we should probably leave."

"I don't wanna..." Clover groaned, clutching her unfinished bowl of ice cream closer to her chest as Cedric took her by the shoulders and hoisted her to her feet, earning an inhuman screech from the girl.

"Come on." Cedric cooed, trying to pry the ice cream from the girl's grasp. "Don't want detention now, do we?" He grabbed the girl by the waist and dragged her back despite her efforts to run back in.

And so the four left the chaos and calamity of the kitchens behind them.

It was times like this that Clover was happy that the Hufflepuff common room was close to the kitchens because as soon as she stepped out of the portrait of the fruit bowl, her tiredness hit her like tidal waves. She leaned against Cedric's shoulder for support while he chuckled as he watched Juliette try and successfully manage to trip Hugo.

The four soon found themselves standing in front of a pile of large barrels, stacked in a shadowy stone recess on the right-hand side of the corridor. Juliette reached out and tapped the barrel two from the bottom, middle of the second row, in the rhythm of the words, 'Helga Hufflepuff'.

The barrels opened up revealing the familiar sloping, earthy passage. The four climbed upwards until the cosy, round, low-ceilinged room, (one which often reminded Clover of a badger's sett), came into view. The Hufflepuff common room always seemed to radiate a calm energy as hues of yellow and black  bounced off the colourful profusion of plants that the room was lavishly decorated with.

Clover sighed as Cedric detached the girl from his shoulder. The girl collapsed into Juliette's awaiting arms. Clover sunk into the girl's embrace, as Hugo swung an arm over Cedric's, now, open shoulder.

"See ya tomorrow morning I guess." Juliette huffed as she waddled towards the dorms with an exhausted Clover still in her grasp.

The two girls found themselves hastily climbing up a small set of stairs leading to a corridor that connected all of the girl's dorms. Clover and Juliette walked down the dim hall, before reaching their room. Juliette lightly kicked the door open, dragging Clover along with her as they entered.

Louise and Harlow sat on Louise's bed talking. The two looked up at the girls who had just entered and greeted them, inviting them to join the conversation. Clover shook her head and excused herself before making her way over to her bed to get ready. Juliette hung back and talked to the two girls while Clover quickly changed into a pair of pajamas.

"Night!" She called out to the three tiredly, swiftly closing the curtains around her bed before climbing under her duvet and falling into a dreamless sleep.

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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY HOLIDAYS MY BABIES!

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter (although the second half was literally a filler but oh well-)

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I love you all!