A/N: My birthday treat (although it's a few days late) to myself and you guys is a new chapter ashdgsf sorry for the past 2 1/2 months of inactivity 😅 Hope you guys enjoy, and do vote and comment bc I'd love to know what you think about it :> I also updated the playlist if anyone is interested in listening to it!

The Triwizard Tournament was the biggest buzz around the castle for the weeks that followed. Sixth and seventh year students who were eligible for the event spoke of it daily, either hyping themselves up to enter or encouraging their friends to do so.

Jessica, Bethany, and Alista were not excluded from that category. They entertained the idea of entering the tournament and they gossiped about their predicted champions, but none of them actually seemed to want to push through with it. It was a bright morning when the three girls were engrossed in yet another discussion about the topic — that is, until the usual flock of owls that came by every breakfast time to deliver mail, and one barn owl swooped down low and dropped an envelope dangerously close to Jessica's stack of waffles doused in syrup.

"Is it from Oliver?" Alista wiggled her eyebrows.

"Of course it's not from —" Jessica started, but the words died in her mouth when she picked it up and saw his name written there. "Er, okay, maybe it is."

"You guys are a sickeningly cute couple," Bethany scoffed, though it was obvious she was only joking.

Jessica couldn't even deny that because in fact, she and Oliver had written to one another quite regularly from the moment she stepped back inside Hogwarts. She personally found it sweet, and she didn't mind taking a few minutes out of her day just to update him about what's been going on in her end — N.E.W.T. classes, Hogsmeade trips, Head Girl duties, and all that. She also liked hearing about how he was doing, of course, even if he always talked about training with Puddlemere United or briefly mentioned the mundane events of living independently now that he was of age and out of school. The letters weren't long, either, but she appreciated them all the same. However, it was also a little embarrassing when her friends pointed it out.

"Let her be, she misses her boyfriend," Alista teased.

"Oh, shut it," Jessica blushed, waving them off and proceeding to open the letter. Thankfully, they stopped their teasing and went back to eating their breakfasts, allowing Jessica to read Oliver's latest letter.

Jess,

Training's been intense. We haven't even had practice matches yet because we're still doing a bunch of drills for building stamina and muscle. It's way more exhausting than anything we've ever done at Hogwarts, but I'm enjoying it... Charles called me masochistic for that, though... I let it slide because he's your cousin and my senior. He sends his regards, too, but I was tempted not to write this here since he wouldn't stop teasing me earlier (I wrote part of this before training began and he caught me in the locker rooms).

I still can't believe you can't play Quidditch this year, though. If I were still there, I'd organize a protest immediately.

Jessica chuckled upon reading that. There was no doubt he'd throw a fit and demand that Quidditch be put back right away, and she imagined that somehow, it would work.

It was hard enough to convince you to tryout for the team back then, so I hope you still find some way to unwind when you're not studying or doing your Head Girl duties nowadays. Also, how's that tournament thing going? When will the champions get chosen?

Anyway, I'll be able to make it to your Hogsmeade trip in December. That's still roughly 2 months from now, but do wait for me — don't you dare go on another date with Higgs!

Jessica didn't bother holding back a giggle, which caught the attention of the girls next to her.

"She is so in love," Bethany pretended to whisper to Alista only, which was physically impossible since Jessica was sat in the middle.

"Am not," Jessica denied, her cheeks flaring up.

"Well, what did he say to make you act so giggly?" Alista said, the teasing tone still laced in her words.

"He just said he'll be able to go to one of our Hogsmeade trips this year."

Saved by the bell, Bethany and Alista weren't able to keep poking fun at Jessica because a couple of loud voices entered the scene.

"We're already sixteen. That's got to be old enough, right?"

"Right. The rules are absolute rubbish."

It was Fred and George Weasley, accompanied by their closest friend, Lee Jordan. Like many of the other students who weren't of age yet and thus could not enter the Triwizard Tournament, they began their days by complaining about it. Soon, they spotted the seventh year girls sitting at the Gryffindor table and decided to whine to them instead of each other for a change.

"It's unfair! We're practically the same age as you lot," Fred huffed when he was near enough.

"Yeah, we turn seventeen in April. What's the difference?" George added, coming up to stand behind the three girls.

"The difference is you're not of age yet. It's as simple as that," Bethany rolled her eyes at the twins.

"Don't be a downer, Faye," Lee said, sliding into the seat across her.

"I'm just being realistic."

"Just you wait," Fred said mysteriously.

Alista cocked an eyebrow at that and said, "Hold on, you don't mean to say...?"

"I do, Greene," the boy winked as he looked down at her. "We're gonna find a way to enter the tournament."

"Good luck trying to outsmart the Goblet of Fire, then," Jessica commented, folding Oliver's letter and tucking it into the pocket of her robes — she'd read the rest of it and write back later once she was alone. If the twins spotted and got ahold of it there, she would have to deal with another round of teasing, which would undoubtedly be more unbearable than what her own best friends would do.

Fred and George shared a look before squeezing themselves in between Alista and Bethany respectively. The two girls yelped in protest, but the twins were strong enough to slide them further down the bench and steal their seats on either side of Jessica.

"Is that a challenge, Jess?" George nudged her lightly.

"Don't doubt our skills," Fred grinned. "We aren't giving up that easily."

"What I doubt is that Dumbledore and the Ministry would overlook the possibility that two knobheads like yourselves wouldn't try to pull a trick on the Goblet," Jessica said, pushing both their heads away from her when they got too close.

"Knobheads? I'm offended," George placed a hand over his heart.

"She's more outspoken than before, Georgie. I think our little Ollie has been a bad influence on her," Fred shook his head, feigning disappointment. Jessica was about to retort, but Lee spoke before she could.

"Are you entering the tournament, Hawthorne?" he asked. At that question, both Fred and George eyed her expectantly.

Aside from discussing it with Bethany and Alista, Jessica had actually mulled over possibly joining and getting chosen for the tournament on her own. It happened on the evenings when her mind would wander in the middle of studying, or at night before she fell asleep. Her academics had been her number one focus for most of her time at Hogwarts, and they still were — but then she was able to find a new passion through something as exciting as Quidditch. The Triwizard Tournament sounded like a great way to put those mental and physical skills to the test, not to mention the glory and prize she'd receive if she won. At the end of the day, though, the idea of it didn't appeal to her as much as she thought. Perhaps it was because she was already too preoccupied with N.E.W.T.s and the pressure of choosing a career after leaving Hogwarts. She had always strived to be at the top of her year, but she didn't quite crave the attention that being a champion would entail. Besides, she was still bitter about Quidditch being cancelled on her final year as a student, too.

"Er, no, I don't think so," she finally answered.

"Really? Why not?" Lee said. "I think you've got a shot at it."

"Yeah, you've got a better chance than Diggory, at least," said Fred.

"What does Cedric have to do with this?" Jessica asked.

"We heard he's submitting his name soon and a lot of people think he's the biggest contender for the tournament by far," George said in a low voice. "Nice guy, but come on, a Gryffindor should represent Hogwarts!"

"If you want a Gryffindor to get chosen so badly, then doesn't that mean you should be working on how to outsmart the Goblet?"

Fred, George, and Lee exchanged glances before nodding thoughtfully.

"Great point, Jess."

"We'll get to work now."

"Good, now can you get out?" said Bethany, trying with all her might to force George out of the way — however, he only budged by an inch or so.

"Yes, as much as I'd love to continue this chat," Alista began, playing with a lock of Fred's hair, which the boy responded to with a cheeky smile. "I'm trying to eat breakfast, so if you could just shoo, we'd appreciate it."

"Alright, alright, we'll leave you girls," Fred gave in, standing up.

"Jess is right, anyway. We need to strategize!" George agreed. Once they were out of the bench, Bethany and Alista sighed in relief, settled more comfortably into their seats, and got back to eating their meals. The sixth year boys finally left them in peace, moving to the farthest end of the table to discuss their plans in secret.

"Do you think George would agree to go on a date with me to Hogsmeade?" Alista wondered.

"The one you were flirting with earlier was Fred," Jessica corrected her, chuckling in amusement with Bethany.

"Oh, oops. How can you even tell?"

"It's still tricky, but we are teammates, after all."

"Never mind that. I can't believe you encouraged them to enter," Bethany said pointedly. Jessica shrugged sheepishly.

"In my defense, I only said that so they could leave us alone."

Much to Jessica's dismay, Fred and George did end up concocting a plan to enter the Triwizard Tournament — although, she had to confess that she shouldn't have been that shocked about it since they were pretty insistent on pushing through with the notion in the first place.

It was a rainy evening when Jessica was joined by her best friends, room mates, and other acquaintances back in the Great Hall, but it looked different compared to their meal times — the tables had been pushed to the sides and the Goblet of Fire was nestled at the center, casting a blue light over the entire room. Many people had gathered there to watch applicants submit their names as the deadline was fast approaching. They had seen a lot of familiar faces do so already, like Angelina Johnson and Roger Davies. Of course, there were also a lot of unfamiliar people who came by, mostly from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons, and Alista, ever the social butterfly, didn't miss the chance to make small talk with them.

Cedric Diggory, the sixth year Hufflepuff that many students idolized and were already supporting, had literally just finished placing his name in when two cheers sounded from the entrance of the hall.

"Yesss!" they whooped and laughed. Jessica sighed hopelessly, finding Fred and George running into the room. They high-fived their housemates when they passed by, and as they got closer, Jessica noticed the small vials they were each holding.

"Thank you, thank you," George mused. "Well, lads, we've done it."

"Cooked it up just this morning!" Fred beamed as he and his brother showed off the potion they brewed.

"An Aging Potion?" Alista said uncertainly.

"Looks like it," Bethany whispered. Neither of them needed to speak up because Hermione Granger beat them to it.

"It's not going to work," she said in a sing-song voice. The twins turned away from the crowd and plopped down beside Hermione with smirks.

"Oh, yeah?" Fred challenged.

"And why's that, Granger?" George piped in.

"You see this?" Hermione gestured to the ground right beneath the Goblet where a faint, white, shimmering circle hovered. "This is an Age Line. Dumbledore drew it himself."

"So?"

Hermione sighed in frustration and slammed her book shut. Before she could scold them further, Fred jokingly said, "Don't bite our ears off, Granger. Jess already did enough of that the other day."

"I'm right here," Jessica said with a hint of humor. The twins and Hermione looked over their shoulders to find the black-haired girl seated by the wall with Bethany and Alista. As usual, Jessica had a book laid out next to her and a sheet of paper floating before her as she tried to take notes of the course material she had been reading; she had always been such a conscientious student, but she was taking it to a whole other level now that she was taking advanced classes and she would be graduating soon. However, she had evidently gotten distracted in no time and was now paying more attention to the scene unfolding before her.

"Brilliant. You can watch us prove you wrong, then," said George.

"No, she won't," Hermione went on. "Because a genius like Dumbledore couldn't possibly be fooled by something as pathetically dimwitted such as an Age Potion."

"That's why it's so brilliant," Fred started.

"Because it's so pathetically dim-witted!" George finished. Not giving her another chance to reply, the twins hopped up onto the bench excitedly and shook their vials.

"Ready, Fred?"

"Ready, George."

They interlocked their arms and tipped the potions into their mouths. Then, in unison, they jumped over the Age Line and landed right before the Goblet. Jessica waited with her breath held for something, anything to happen, but it never came.

"Yesss!" Fred and George cheered, encouraging their little audience to clap and whoop even louder for them. Jessica frowned and leaned closer as if this would help her see better, but still, nothing happened in the seconds that ticked by.

Together, the Weasley twins carefully threw their pieces of parchment into the blazing, blue fire. They paused for a moment just in case it backfired, but it seemed that their plan was a success. George lightly punched Fred on the chest, then they high-fived each other triumphantly.

"There's no way —" Jessica muttered defiantly when suddenly, the blue fire blazed out of control. The students nearby ducked to avoid the flames, which had shot themselves directly at Fred and George. Jessica jumped a bit in her seat when the pair was sent flying out of the ring, twisted a couple of times in the air, and then landed and rolled onto the cobblestone floor with groans.

The Great Hall erupted into laughter when Fred and George sat up — only, they didn't look exactly like themselves anymore. Instead of youthful faces and red hair, they were wrinkly, had shaggy white hair on their heads, and sported thick beards and mustaches. Jessica couldn't help but laugh along with the others, and so did Bethany and Alista. Even Hermione had to stifle a giggle, both irritated and entertained that even after all her warnings, the twins did this to themselves.

"You said —" Fred accused.

"No, you said!" George cut him off, and then the two of them lunged at one another and got tangled up in each other's limbs.

"Fight, fight, fight!" the crowd yelled. The shouts and claps were deafening for only a moment, though, because it quickly died down when somebody else entered the Great Hall: Viktor Krum, flocked by another Durmstrang student and their Headmaster, Igor Karkaroff.

Everyone present stopped to watch the famous Bulgarian Quidditch player walk up to the Goblet of Fire. His strides were long and heavy, facial expression was stoic, and gaze determined. He didn't seem to pay much mind to the onlookers whispering and pointing at him as he crossed the Age Line and dropped a piece of parchment with his name on it into the fire. It blazed brighter for a second before settling down again.

Jessica pursed her lips. She was not involved in the tournament in any way, but it was difficult not to be curious about it. A lot of contenders had submitted their names, and from the ones she personally knew, she couldn't tell which of them deserved to be chosen. Add in all those other applicants from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons that she wasn't familiar with, and there was an even bigger selection of worthy individuals to pick from. Now, she couldn't wait to see how the Triwizard Tournament would play out.

★ ★ ★

Halloween rolled in quicker than Jessica expected it to. It was like time seemed to pass by faster now that she was just studying for the most part of her seventh year and didn't have Quidditch to focus on anymore. As it always was during this time of the year, the castle was adorned with floating candles with fake cobwebs, enchanted bats and pumpkins, orange streamers, and ghosts that were more active than usual. However, the inside of the Great Hall was kept bare, for on that very night, they would be tackling a serious matter: selecting the champions for the Triziward Tournament.

It was loud and crowded inside as the students and staff from three different schools tried to find their places. With the help of Jessica, the Head Boy, and the prefects, they managed to usher everyone into their seats, but it was still impossible to calm them down. Thankfully, Dumbledore's mere presence came in handy, because by the time he reached the center of the room where the Goblet of Fire stood, mostly everyone had settled in their areas.

"Sit down, please," Dumbledore's calm yet authoritative voice boomed. Jessica was able to find her way back to where her housemates were, so she sat down next to Bethany, Kaitlin, and Margaux, and opposite Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. The chatter and fidgeting turned into silence and stillness within seconds. "And now, the moment you've all been waiting for: the champions selection!"

Dumbledore raised a hand and pointed it on the left side of the room. The candles in that section dimmed, and he moved in a semi-circle in place to do the same to the others. Slowly but surely, the orange flames that lit up the room were reduced to tiny embers, leaving only the Goblet of Fire as the main source of light.

Then, Dumbledore approached the Goblet, his right hand still raised. The nearer he got to it, the brighter the blue flames became and the more the the Goblet rumbled. At long last, the flame's color transitioned from blue to red, and with a crackle, a ripped piece of parchment shot out of it. Dumbledore caught the singed paper with ease, and it was as if everyone in the room had moved to the edge of their seats by then.

"The Durmstrang champion is... Viktor Krum!" he announced.

"Yeah!" the Durmstrang group hailed. The ones surrounding Krum himself clapped him proudly on the back or shook his hands.

"No surprise there," Jessica heard Ron telling Harry, for they were quite nearby as well, leaning back on the ledge of the window across her. "The man's a legend."

Amidst all the congratulations, Krum was able to make his way to the center where he exchanged greetings with Dumbledore. Shortly after, Dumbledore motioned for him to go to the chamber at the side of the hall.

It wasn't long before the flames turned red again, and another name shot out of it. This time, the paper was pleated and baby blue in color, a clear sign that this belonged to someone from Beauxbatons. Dumbledore caught it and carefully turned it over in his hands.

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

Another round of applause ensued, but this one was more polite and respectful than the first. A beautiful girl with blonde hair tied back into a sleek, low ponytail came walking up to Dumbledore to shake his hand. Jessica also recognized her as one of the girls doing the fancy turns and acrobatics on the night they arrived at the school and performed.

After Fleur was directed into the chamber, the flames blazed red for the last time. Jessica watched in rapt interest, for they would finally get to know who had been chosen to represent Hogwarts. The slightly burnt paper shot out, fluttered down, and then Dumbledore caught it with one hand. The whole lot of Hogwarts students and teachers held their breaths, either stiffening up or beginning to fidget in place.

"The Hogwarts champion: Cedric Diggory!"

This was the loudest round of cheers yet. It thundered throughout the room and the accompanying claps and stomps even caused the floor and tables to shake. Cedric Diggory stood up from the Hufflepuff table, an ecstatic smile on his face as he walked up to Dumbledore and shook his hand. The whistles and praise didn't end even after Cedric had entered the chamber.

"Excellent!" Dumbledore beamed, his arms open wide. At the same time, Barty Crouch had walked into the hall and placed a heavy-looking item covered by cloth in front of the staff's table. "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 victor: the Triwizard Cup!"

Dumbledore pointed at what Crouch had been carrying earlier. Using wandless magic, he unveiled it to reveal a glowing, silver trophy. The cheers were now paired with gasps of awe.

But the excitement was short-lived. Jessica had been eyeing the Triwizard Cup, so it wasn't hard to miss when Snape slowly stepped forward with a perplexed frown plastered on his face. Her eyes followed his gaze to see Dumbledore turning on his heel, and then finally, they landed back onto the Goblet of Fire. It was going haywire, the previously undisturbed flames flaring erratically.

A hush fell across the room as everyone gradually noticed this as well. Dumbledore cautiously approached the Goblet once more, having to shield his eyes briefly when it burst into red flames again and yet another slip of parchment flew out. Whispers erupted from everywhere in the hall, but it was still quiet enough for Dumbledore's voice to be heard when he read out the fourth and hopefully final name on the paper.

"Harry Potter... Harry Potter?"

Jessica's jaw dropped. She couldn't mask her shock as she whipped her head to the right where Harry was situated. The bespectacled boy looked just as startled, if not more, and seemed to be in denial, too. Even after Dumbledore called out his name, all Harry did was shrink into the shadows and sit back down in his seat.

"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore roared. Jessica flinched at that, not anticipating him to sound so angry.

"Go on, Harry," Hermione shook her friend's shoulder, but he looked frozen. She had to tug him by the back of his sweater for him to actually move. "Harry, for goodness sake —"

Eyes wide and legs trembling, Harry stood up and slowly walked to the middle of the Great Hall. All heads turned to watch him, a mixture of emotions building up in each and every student — shock, confusion, bitterness, envy. When he stopped in front of Dumbledore, the man handed him his parchment that, without a doubt, brandished the name Harry Potter in clear, black ink.

"He's a cheat!" someone exclaimed.

"He's not even seventeen yet!" another one spat.

But even Jessica didn't know what exactly to feel. Harry had been her teammate for two years now, and in all the time she had gotten to know him, trouble always seemed to find its way to him. Was this yet another one of those instances? Or perhaps, had he been clever and ambitious enough to actually trick the Goblet of Fire?

Despite her puzzlement, she also felt concerned for Harry. It was clear as day that he had not expected this, either, and it did not help that more and more insults and jests were thrown his way as he walked down the hall. The only person who was kind enough to offer him any encouragement was Professor McGonagall, who placed a comforting hand on the boy's shoulder before lightly pushing him towards the chamber.

Just like that, Jessica knew that this would likely be her most eventful year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry yet.

A/N: Oliver's been gone for one chapter and I already miss him, but he'll be back soon :') Also, I tried not to make this too long, but here are my answers to your questions from last chapter's lil Q&A section!

Q: What inspired you to write Finder's Keeper?
A: I wanted to write about a (1) muggleborn or half-blood OC since it seems like Oliver doesn't know much about muggles and (2) an OC of Asian descent since I hadn't ever written one yet even if I'm Asian myself lmao. Also, I had only ever seen/liked a few Oliver fics back then, so I wanted to try writing one of my own hihi

Q: Who would you ship Oliver with aside from your character?
A: Charles Hawthorne HAHA just kidding (maybe... who knows?)

Q: Top 3 fave HP characters?
A: George Weasley, [book] Ginny Weasley, Oliver Wood

Q: What other fanfics have you written? Which of them is your favorite?
A: Always (Edmund Pevensie) on my other account vxrsatile is my favorite :) It already has an ongoing sequel called Eternal, and I've also written Descendants and Teen Wolf fics there and am planning to write content of AOT and MCU! On this account, I just finished writing A Change in Fate (Cedric Diggory) and started posting its sequel, too.

Q: What are your other fandoms?
A: The Chronicles of Narnia, ATLA/TLOK, AOT/SNK, MCU, a lot more tbh haha

Q: Tell us about yourself!
A: 21, she/her, Filipino, and commits to way too many things until I have no time for myself lmao!! I don't wanna say too much in case someone I know irl is reading this HAHA

Q: What is your favorite subject in school?
A: I'm in pre-med so I like anything to do with bio tbh. Physiological Psychology is my fave so far.

Q: What is your favorite sport?
A: Gymnastics and competitive cheerleading are my faves :> I haven't tried figure skating and dance, but I love watching those too!

Q: What inspired you to go into med school?
A: Not yet there actually, but I basically wanna become a doctor because public health and mental health are my main advocacies!