Jessica Hawthorne was in a dilemma. Seated at the edge of her four-poster bed, there were two options presented before her. It was difficult to choose, but she was pressured for time and had to make a decision.

She took yet another deep breath, mulling over the pros and cons. The first option was the safe choice while the second one was more daring. But which of them would make her happier and leave her with no regrets in the long run?

"Jess, you have to make a choice," said Alista, who had once again snuck into the Gryffindor common room that day.

"It's not easy, alright?" Jess sighed.

"I hate to break it to you, but you don't have the luxury of time for this."

"I know, but —"

"For Godric's sake, just pick the nude nail polish already!" Bethany interrupted.

Jessica and Alista snapped their heads away from the bottles of nail polish on the side table and towards the girl laying on her bed just across them.

"You make this whole ordeal sound way more dramatic than it actually is," she went on.

"Picking the color and shade of nail polish holds some significant consequences, Beth," Alista said, dead serious. "It should not only complement your skin tone, but you should also take your outfits into account!"

"We wear uniforms everyday except for when we go to Hogsmeade — and those trips are done," Bethany deadpanned. Alista and Jessica shared a look, shrugging when they realized she was right.

"Good point."

"Shall I go with the red, then? The one that's not too vibrant," said Jessica, pointing at it. "I mean, the nude one is nice, but I'm feeling red."

"Red, it is. It goes well with your house colors, too," Alista said.

And so, Alista got down to business — that is, painting her best friend's nails in the shade of red she requested. The blonde girl had insisted on doing this that day, claiming that they all needed to pay more attention to the little details of their appearances. Deep down, though, Jessica knew that this was just an excuse for them to bond more. After all, there were only a couple of weeks left until the end of the term, and with that, the end of their stay at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

As Alista worked on the nails on Jessica's left hand and while Bethany waited for her turn, Jessica was busying herself with something else: rereading Oliver's latest letter, and wondering how to respond to it. After she received the news of her acceptance into the Curse-Breaker training program of Gringotts Wizarding Bank, she told him about it, of course. The only issue was that she didn't say where she would be going, or how long she'd be gone — according to the package that came with the letter, it was a 10-month program.

And so, clutched in her free hand was the roll of parchment filled with Oliver's slightly messy scrawl, waiting to be properly read and answered.

Congratulations!! You deserve it more than anyone. I have to confess, though, that I'm not surprised. With all your academic achievements and extra-curricular activities, there was no way they wouldn't accept you. There would've been something terribly wrong with them if they rejected you.

When does the program begin? Do you have to prepare anything for it? Will you have to travel every once in a while since the nearest Gringotts branch is just the one in Diagon Alley? Let me know, or if you can't say everything now, tell me all about it once your summer break begins. I'm really proud of you, Jess.

Off topic now, but you'll never guess what happened to Zimmerman's interview with Spellbound. He was just talking about his own skills as Beater but that wretched magazine twisted it to sound like he was hating on the American Quidditch teams! I know they're just biased because they're based in USA, but still...

Jessica zoned out, unable to concentrate on the rest of Oliver's story about his teammate. Should she answer him completely? Or should she have told him from the start about what entering her training program meant?

She shuffled uncomfortably in her seat. She felt warm when reading his praise for her, and yet, why did she find it so hard to tell him everything else? Was she still actually mad at him for ditching her and making her wait in the last Hogsmeade trip, or for when his letters were inconsistent? Or was it his rushed apology that made her feel like he didn't really care?

No, Jessica told herself. He's been sending lots of letters recently, and he seems sincere now. I'm probably just being petty about what happened.

"I just realized that you wearing red is perfect so you can show your support for Potter at the Third Task," Bethany suddenly said. Jessica merely hummed in agreement, still distracted by her thoughts.

"I told you nail polish colors are important," Alista teased.

"Fine."

"Should I use yellow on myself, then? They go with green, anyway."

"Wait, so that means you're supporting Diggory?" asked Bethany.

"I can't choose between them, actually." Alista's hands paused in the air as she pondered on this, just before she could finish applying the next coat of polish on Jessica's nails.

"Why don't you just use both yellow and red?"

"Oooh, I could do that. Maybe I can alternate them with each nail, or have one color per hand."

"If you add blue somewhere in there, you'd be a walking Hogwarts mascot," Bethany said.

"That's not a bad idea," Alista remarked, causing Bethany's eyebrows to shoot up in surprise for she had only been joking earlier.

"It's not?"

"Yeah! Besides, I don't want Ravenclaw to feel bad that I didn't include their house color. Wait, should I paint some green for Slytherin, too? I know my uniform already has green, but..."

While the two girls carried on with their conversation, it was no surprise that Jessica continued to overthink about herself and Oliver, which is all she had been doing recently. Even when Oliver seemed to be putting in the effort to make up for his slip-up, Jessica felt as if she couldn't really reach him anymore. Whether it was the long-distance relationship, them being at different points in their careers, or a combination of everything, she wasn't so sure.

On the contrary, maybe she was just imagining this distance between them. Perhaps she was only convincing herself that there was one at all in an attempt to protect herself for when things would get even more complicated — when she'd move to Egypt and have no choice but to live farther from Oliver and spend even less time with him.

"Jess, you still there? You look like you've been bewitched."

"Oh," Jessica blinked and sat up straighter, Bethany's comment having pulled her away from her thoughts. She looked down at her left hand, surprised to see that Alista had finished painting it already. "I was just thinking."

"You do too much of that these days," said Bethany, who was now braiding her own hair out of boredom.

"Well, somebody in this trio has to have a working brain," Jessica said.

"Touché," Bethany gave in.

"I'm going to ignore your insult because I need your right hand so we can get this over with," Alista said. "Come on, then."

★ ★ ★

On the 24th of June, 1995, the energy circulating inside the walls of the castle was contagious. With the Third Task taking place in just a few hours, nobody could sit still and wait any longer. This was the moment they've all been waiting for — to watch the exciting and entertaining events of the task unfold before their very eyes and to see which champion would finally bring their school glory. And for those who placed bets (thanks to Fred and George Weasley, of course), they were eager to see whether they'd be ending this term with a bag of money or not.

The Third Task's location was the Quidditch Pitch once again, transformed and unrecognizable for the competition. Instead of a clear field with three golden hoops on each side, it was filled with twenty-foot-high hedges that ran all the way around the area to create a maze. The tiny gap in the front and center seemed to be the only entrance into it, which gave everyone a glimpse inside — however, they couldn't find anything other than to conclude that it was dark.

In contrast to the eerie energy coming from the maze, the stands of the pitch were full of life. The band at the lowest level of the bleachers was playing a song with a lively beat and rhythm. Students joined them and filled up the seats within minutes, all dressed in the colors of the champion and school they were supporting. The Hogwarts crowd was unsurprisingly the most colorful as they were sporting a mix of yellow and red. There were even some who, like Alista's freshly painted nails, chose to wear all four colors of their school. There were also a couple of Ministry officials including Cornelius Fudge, the Minister of Magic himself, who were seated in the stands. Apparently, this event was grand enough for even them to make time out of their busy schedules to attend.

Clad in a Gryffindor jumper and holding two flags — one that read Diggory and the other scribbled with Potter — Jessica scooted her way into one of the only empty seats left, which, unfortunately, were next to the Weasley twins.

"Come to place a bet, Jess?" Fred said.

"You might win and get something bigger in return," George added.

"Don't push it. I was generous enough to not report you two even if I'm the Head Girl," said Jessica, half-joking.

"Understood."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I'd like to place a bet," Alista spoke up, eyeing George. "If Diggory wins, you go on a date with me."

"Wrong twin again," Jessica whispered, hoping that the noise from their surroundings was enough to drown her voice. "You flirted with Fred before."

Quickly and yet subtly at the same time, Alista switched her gaze to Fred. Bethany held in a snicker at that, and Jessica tried not to let her amusement show, either.

"And if he loses?" Fred pressed on, looking intrigued.

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

Fred decided it was good enough, shaking hands with Alista to seal the deal.

By the time the sun had set and the sky was now a deep, blue color, the four champions of the Triwizard Tournament made their entrances. Cedric Diggory emerged first with his father, Amos, who insisted on escorting his son out there. Fleur Delacour and Madame Maxime were next, followed by Viktor Krum and Igor Karkaroff. Lastly, Harry Potter came walking out with Headmaster Dumbledore.

Dumbledore stepped away from Harry and looked up at the audience. Then, he pointed his wand to his neck and murmured a spell.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin!" Dumbledore boomed, his voice now magnified. The band took this as their cue to stop playing their music, and the audience was polite enough to settle down for the meantime. "First, let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each — Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts!"

The cheers and applause from the Hogwarts crowd were so thunderous that the ground beneath them rumbled, and the birds from the Forbidden Forest were startled enough to fly out and into the dark skies.

"In second place, with eighty points — Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute! And in third place — Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

More whoops and clapping ensued for the other two champions.

"Now, earlier today, Professor Moody placed the Triwizard Cup deep within the
maze. Only he knows its exact position.
Now as Mr. Diggory and Mr. Potter are tied for first position, they will be the first to enter the maze... followed by Mr. Krum and Miss Delacour."

The crowd went wild yet again, each school trying to outdo one another.

"The first person to touch the cup will be the winner!" Dumbledore continued. "I've instructed the staff to patrol the perimeter. If at any point should a contestant wish
to withdraw from the task, he or she
need only send up red sparks with their
wands. Contestants, gather around quickly!"

He ushered the champions to form a circle around him, right in front of the maze. They inched closer together as the man gave them the instructions, all while Jessica and the rest of those watching waited in anticipation. After a few moments, Dumbledore gestured for the group to separate.

"Champions, prepare yourselves!" he said.

Harry went straight for the entrance in silence. Amos embraced Cedric tightly before the latter did the same as Harry. Krum and Fleur exchanged a few words with their heads of school, then followed after the other two champions.

"On the count of three!" Dumbledore warned. "One —"

The cannon went off before he could finish. All eyes went to the culprit, Mr. Filch, who merely shrugged at his mistake. Dumbledore shook his head in disbelief but let him be. Then, as the champions entered the maze one by one, the band began to play their music again.

"You reckon the people at the top of the stands can see anything?" Bethany asked, tiptoeing in an attempt to get a better look into the maze.

"I doubt it," Jessica sighed. "We're more than halfway to the top and still can't see a thing."

"This is gonna be the Second Task all over again."

"No, it won't," Alista piped up, making her friends look at her curiously. "Because I brought a little something."

From under her jumper, Alista pulled out a set of binoculars. No, they're not the Muggle ones, Jessica realized. They're omnioculars, just like the ones that were being sold at the Quidditch World Cup last summer.

"Blimey, you came prepared," Bethany said, impressed.

"That's brilliant!" Jessica praised.

"I know," said Alista smugly. "You can use it first."

Jessica beamed, taking it from the girl's hands and immediately putting it up to her eyes. Even with the device, it was hard to see into the maze — the hedges were incredibly tall and unruly, and there was barely any light inside. She tilted and crouched up and down multiple times until she finally got the right angle to see through a slim opening. She zoomed in closer and closer, gasping in awe at the detail.

"What? What is it?" Bethany said eagerly.

"Nothing, it's just cool," Jessica replied, causing the other girl to groan disappointedly. "I don't see much happening, but — oh!"

There was a flicker of movement. Another. A flash of light. She twisted and pressed on some of the knobs to replay it. She gasped once more, but this time, she had a good reason to do so.

"Blast-Ended Skrewts!" she exclaimed.

"What?" said Alista.

"Hagrid's giant, deadly worms!"

"Bloody hell, really?" said a voice from Jessica's other side. Before she knew it, Fred was grabbing the omnioculars out of her hands and replaying the scene for himself.

"That wasn't very gentlemanly of you," Jessica said with a hint of humor, though she was a bit irked since she hadn't finished her replay.

"She's right, brother," George nudged his twin. "But give the omnioculars to me before you return it to her."

"Those are mine, by the way," Alista pointed out.

"Don't worry, I'll give it back — hey!" Fred said. "That was Cedric! He's fighting with the Skrewt!"

There was a mini commotion between the group of friends. Jessica tried to pry the omnioculars away from Fred, who raised it up in the air and well out of her reach. George, being the only other tall person there, snatched it from his brother's hands. However, he wasn't able to dodge Alista who lunged forward next. Startled by her, George loosened his grip just enough for Alista to grab her omnioculars from him.

"If you all behave, everyone gets a turn," she said simply. Like children, Fred and George sat down obediently, eager for their chance to use the omnioculars.

For the rest of the audience, there was nothing much to do but wait for the Third Task to finish because they couldn't see anything at all. Most of the students had quieted down and began to chat amongst themselves. The band stopped playing, drinking water and laying back into their seats to rest.

"Oh, the hedges are moving," said Bethany when it was her turn to use the omnioculars.

"Moving?" Alista said incredulously.

"Yeah. They're twisting and turning, changing directions, narrowing paths — oooh, Krum nearly got squished there."

It wasn't long after the group deduced that the maze consisted of live hedges and magical creatures that a scream pierced through the air. It was a woman's, and undoubtedly Fleur Delacour's. Seconds later, a red spark was sent into the air, alerting the staff and piquing the interest of the audience.

"Fleur isn't having the best luck in this tournament, huh?" George commented.

"Either she's awful at this, or someone's sabotaging her," Fred joked. Jessica wanted to reprimand him, but paused when his words struck her.

"What if you're right?" Jessica wondered. The twins glanced at her, and so did Alista and Bethany.

"You can't be serious," said Fred. "You think someone's purposely out to get Fleur?"

"It's a possibility. What if it's the same person who cheated the Goblet of Fire and placed Harry's name in there?"

"Come on, Jess," George chuckled, though there was a tone of uneasiness laced in there. "Like I said, she's probably just unlucky."

Dropping the conversation, they all went back to watching the Triwizard Tournament. However, even with the help of the omnioculars, they couldn't find anything else aside from the moving hedges and the Blast-Ended Skrewts from earlier, presumably because the champions must be much deeper into the maze at that point. They eventually had to accept that there was nothing else they could do but sit and wait like the others.

And then, there was another red spark, causing everyone to either sit up or stand. Minutes later, the staff exited the maze with an unconscious Krum. A murmur broke out as people speculated the possible reasons that caused him to get knocked out cold. Meanwhile, the Hogwarts students were talking for a different reason: they knew that no matter what happened next, the Triwizard Champion would be from their school.

"Who do you think it's gonna be?" Alista bounced in her seat out of excitement.

"I don't know, but I'd be glad with whatever outcome," Bethany said with a grin. "I'm a little biased, though, so I kinda want it to be Potter."

"Me too," Jessica agreed. "But Cedric is much more experienced, so I think it's more likely that he'll win."

And so, the real waiting began. Some students were already on their feet, holding their posters, banners, and flags, all ready to wave them when the winner arrived. Many, including the judges and teachers, were getting impatient. Even they couldn't hide their curiosity, especially since this was such a big competition that had taken hundreds of years to be revived.

At long last, there was movement. Out of thin air, Harry and Cedric appeared before the maze with the Triwizard Cup. The stands erupted into cheers and applause, possibly the loudest one yet. The band played their song again, somehow still audible even with all the shouting and clapping.

But something was terribly wrong. Fleur let out a shriek, Dumbledore rushed into the center with the judges, and some teachers were panicking amongst themselves.

"Harry! Harry!" Dumbledore tried to pull Harry away from Cedric, partially blocked from the onlookers' view due to the judges and staff gathered around them.

"No! No! No, don't!" Harry cried.

"Tell me what happened!" Dumbledore was pleading Harry. The applause died down.

"For God's sake, Dumbledore, what's happened?" Fudge demanded. The music stopped.

"He's back, he's back! Voldemort's back!" Harry yelled. Those words alone sparked fear in everyone, and the hush that fell over the stadium was instant. "Cedric, he asked me to bring his body back. I couldn't leave him, not there."

"It's alright Harry," Dumbledore gently held the boy's face as he weeped. "It's alright, he's home —you both are."

"Keep everybody in their seats — a boy has just been killed," Fudge told the teachers and staff before hurrying back to the commotion. "The body must be moved Dumbledore. There are too many people."

But it was too late. People were gasping in shock and quivering in fear. Some had started to cry and stumble when the reality hit them. And worst of all, Cedric's own father was there to witness everything — to see his only child's dead body in front of his very eyes.

"Let me through... let me through!" Amos choked out, shoving people out of his way. "Let me through!"

No words were said as everyone parted for the man to pass. When he finally saw his son up close, unmoving with his eyes lifelessly staring into the sky, he collapsed onto the floor.

"That's my son!" he wailed in agony. "That's my boy! My boy!"

Nobody moved or uttered a sound, completely distraught. Jessica didn't even notice how tightly she was gripping onto her friends, or how she could barely breathe, and not even when a tear slipped down from the corner of her eye.