A large portion of one's last year at Hogwarts was spent preparing for their future career. For Jessica, she didn't know whether to be grateful that she had more time to focus on that since Quidditch had been cancelled that year, or to be even more upset because her source of stress-relief and enjoyment had been taken away.

It was a cool afternoon in November when Jessica found herself seated in the chair opposite Professor McGonagall. She had been called in for another one of their Career Advice meetings. Fortunately, they weren't starting from nothing like they had when Jessica first came in for her first session back in her fifth year. This time, she had narrowed down her options to a Legislator at the Ministry or a Curse-Breaker. She was aware of how different the two were, but as they discussed her strengths and potential, they seemed to fit her in their own ways. McGonagall personally felt that working at the Ministry would be better due to the girl's background as prefect, current status as Head Girl, and her aptitude in academics. However, Jessica was admittedly leaning towards the other choice — it just seemed more exciting, despite it being much more out of her comfort zone.

Part of her wished she could go back to the innocent and oblivious eleven-year-old first year who was just eager to do magic and explore the castle. She also wished she could be more like Oliver in the sense that he had always been sure of himself and what he wanted.

Jessica stepped out of Professor McGonagall's office with a soft sigh. She had just walked half the length of the corridor when she spotted a group of Hufflepuffs seated by the ledges, some of them sporting badges that read Potter Stinks in a luminous, ugly green text.

Of course, there was more going on at Hogwarts, much bigger than Jessica's personal dilemmas — the Triwizard Tournament, which now had four champions. How could she forget? A couple of weeks had passed since then, but she could still remember how it began clearly. The night the champions were selected on Halloween would probably be ingrained in everyone's heads for a long time. Nobody expected a fourth piece of paper to come flying out, or for the name written there to be Harry Potter.

The school was divided on the matter. Most of them shunned Harry and supported Cedric, who they claimed was the true champion of Hogwarts. To an extent, Jessica understood their side — after all, Cedric had been picked first, and there were only supposed to be three champions. But after her initial shock faded, Jessica found herself sympathizing more with Harry along with the minority of the population. She was almost fully convinced that he had not entered his own name in. There had to be an explanation for it — perhaps a rival had pranked him, or an older person submitted it, or worse, someone was legitimately trying to sabotage him. She was hoping that it would be investigated further, but the teachers, staff, and Ministry officials barely did anything. In the end, Harry had no choice but to accept his position as the fourth champion.

And so, Jessica stalked towards the group of Hufflepuffs wearing the Potter Stinks badges. Her irritation spiked when she realized that some of them were prefects.

"Macmillan, Abott," she said loudly, catching their attention. The pair straightened up and tried to look professional when they recognized their Head Girl's voice.

"Hawthorne," they greeted in acknowledgment. Jessica's eyes merely trailed down to the badges on their robes, but it was enough for them to get flustered.

"Really? Potter Stinks badges?"

"Oh, well, you see..." Hannah began.

"We'll change it back to the Cedric one," Ernie offered. He and Hannah hurriedly pressed their badges, and the green words warped into bold, red ones that read Support Cedric Diggory — The Real Hogwarts Champion. This only caused Jessica to purse her lips in disappointment.

"That doesn't make it any better," she deadpanned.

"No offense, Hawthorne, but do you really think Potter deserves to be the champion?" said Hannah, though she sounded like she was genuinely asking for her opinion. Still, Ernie elbowed her in the ribs as if to warn her.

"What she means is... well, it's just suspicious, okay? How could he have submitted his name and get chosen when he's not even seventeen?" Ernie shifted his weight.

"If you're sincerely asking me, I really don't think Harry's clever enough to trick a Goblet with so much deep magic in it," Jessica said, wincing slightly when it dawned on her that it sounded like she was insulting the boy's intelligence. "But that doesn't matter. You're prefects, for Merlin's sake. You should be reprimanding this kind of behavior, not partaking in it."

Ernie and Hannah shared uncomfortable glances but didn't utter another word.

"Take those badges off and I won't lecture you two in the next prefects meeting," Jessica sighed. She turned away to leave, but she managed to catch sight of them unpinning the badges from their robes, albeit reluctantly.

But another commotion caught Jessica's attention. From the corner of her eye, she saw McGonagall brisk walking out of her office and into the Transfiguration Courtyard. Only then did she notice that a crowd had formed by the large tree, and she couldn't ignore the curiosity building up inside of her. In the end, she decided to run over there and see what was going on. There, she found a strange bunch: Harry Potter, Crabbe, Goyle, Professor Moody, and a white ferret.

"Professor Moody, what are you doing?" McGonagall said in a shrill voice the moment she arrived.

"Teaching," replied Moody, bouncing the ferret up and down in the air with his wand. Jessica's eyes were furrowed in confusion, but she had to admit that it was also an entertaining sight to see compared to his intimidating lessons in the classroom.

"Is that a — is that student?"

"Technically, it's a ferret."

"Witty, isn't he?" said someone to Jessica's right. She glanced to her side and relaxed when she realized it was just Cedric Diggory, smiling gleefully at the scene with his arms folded over his torso.

"When he's not threatening his students, then yes," she agreed, making Cedric chuckle.

"Does it count if he transfigured Malfoy into that ferret?"

"That's Malfoy?" Jessica gaped. Just then, Moody had shoved the white ferret down Crabbe's pants. The boy squirmed and panicked, unsure of how to get the animal out. Goyle tried to help him — tried being the key word, for he stuck his hand down Crabbe's trousers, only for him to yelp and pull it back because the ferret bit him.

At long last, the ferret crawled out of Crabbe's pants and back onto the grass. McGonagall whipped out her wand and wordlessly waved it at the animal. There was a small gust of wind and distortion as the ferret transfigured back into its human form in all its scrawny, pale, platinum blonde glory: Draco Malfoy. The Slytherin boy scrambled up to his feet and glared at Moody.

"My father will hear about this!" he said indignantly.

"Is that a threat?" Moody questioned, limping towards Malfoy who scurried away as fast as he could. "Is that a threat?!"

"Professor! Professor!" McGonagall called out.

"I could tell you stories about your father that would curl even your greasy hair, boy! It doesn't end here!" Moody shouted as Malfoy and his goons ran away, and so did majority of the onlookers that had gathered.

"Alastor!" McGonagall said firmly, finally getting Moody to listen. "We never use transfigration as a punishment. Surely, Dumbledore told you that."

"He might've mentioned it," Moody mumbled.

"Well, you will do well to remember it." McGonagall spun on her heel furiously, shooing away the students that were still standing by to watch the scene. "Away!"

Jessica hastily retreated, bidding a quick goodbye to Cedric. She had a lot to recount to her best friends about what she had just witnessed.

★ ★ ★

Draco Malfoy's ferret incident was a hot topic for days. Alista even said that she and her other housemates liked to tease the fourth year boy about it in the common room, much to his displeasure. However, it was eventually forgotten when the 24th of November came and the First Task was set to take place, capturing the attention of all the current residents inside the castle.

That chilly autumn morning, Jessica was bundled up in layers of clothing, gloves, and a bonnet as she fidgeted anxiously in her seat, a few stories high above the ground in the Quidditch Pitch — only this time, it had been transformed into what looked to be a battle arena. It hurt Jessica for a moment to see her favorite spot in the castle be disfigured that easily, but she reminded herself that it would be back to normal afterwards and she could hopefully spend some alone time there again.

"Bets, place your bets!"

"Bets taken, bets taken here!"

"Step up, folks, who fancies a flutter in today's bloodbath?"

"Oh, Merlin," Jessica muttered under her breath. Fred and George Weasley, living up to their scheming yet playful image, had the smart idea to hold bets for each of the Triziward Tasks. They were currently scouring the bleachers of the Quidditch Pitch where the task would unfold for people willing to place bets. Fueled with anticipation and adrenaline, many students actually ended up betting on their predictions, much to the twins' delight.

Eventually, Dumbledore came up to the podium, though it wasn't like people could see him, per se. It was hard to recognize who was who in the massive arena filled to the brim with students, teachers, staff, and officials. The only reason the audience quieted down was because Dumbledore's voice boomed throughout the stadium after using the Sonorus Charm.

"Your attention, please!" he started. "This is a great day for all of us. Each of the three tasks involves very considerable danger. Please keep your seats at all times. This will minimize any risks you may be exposed to. Now, for the First Task, the champions have been tasked to collect a golden egg... from a dragon."

The stadium was filled with gasps.

"Bloody hell," Jessica mumbled. "That's crazy."

Dumbledore went on to explain the intricacies of the task and the safety precautions they had taken, such as hiring dragon keepers, tamers, and dragonologists as well as having the creatures chained down during the event. Still, it did not ease the mixture of worry and excitement Jessica was feeling.

"Who do you think is gonna place first?" she wondered out loud, making sure Fred and George were out of earshot to avoid them from luring her into betting.

"Not to be biased or anything, but Cedric," Alista said. "He'll probably find a way to get through the dragon without hurting it."

"Or that Delacour girl," Bethany piped up. "She seems like the type to work smart, not hard."

Dumbledore went on to give a few more instructions and reminders. As he spoke, animalistic roars could be heard in the distance, but they grew closer and louder by the minute. Jessica couldn't see from where she sat, but it was obvious that the dragon keepers were on their way to bring the first dragon.

Murmurs and gasps broke out when a silvery-blue dragon was pulled into the arena — a Swedish Short-Snout. It was gorgeous and frightening all at the same time for its beauty was certainly a sight to see, but Jessica knew that the brilliant blue flames they expelled could reduce a person to ashes in seconds. She gulped nervously, wondering who would be on the receiving end of it.

"For our first contestant!" Dumbledore announced, another hush falling throughout the crowd. "Cedric Diggory!"

Shouts and claps of pride and encouragement ensued, causing the stands to shake a little. From a white tent at the bottom of the stadium, Cedric, clad in black and yellow athletic robes, strolled out with a nervous yet determined look on his face.

The horn sounded, and Cedric began his task. It was nerve-wracking as a mere spectator, to say the least. Cedric ducked the dragon's large and heavy tail, jumped and dodged to avoid its life-threatening flames, and shot spells here and there to defend himself. Almost every second was a close call. At long last, he transfigured one of the boulders into a Labrador; the Swedish Short-Snout got distracted by the new creature, giving Cedric the chance to run for the golden egg. He managed to retrieve it, but the dragon changed its mind halfway and returned to eyeing Cedric, breathing out fire when it realized he had gotten the egg. The crowd yelped, worried for his safety — thankfully, Cedric's injuries weren't as dire as they though as he came out with just a few burns and a singed robe. The dragon keepers re-entered the arena and calmed down the Swedish Short-Snout, allowing Cedric to return to the white tent and get treated for his injuries.

Fleur was second to compete, her assigned dragon being a Welsh Green. Like Cedric, she faced a lot of close calls, but she was light on her feet and managed to evade most of its attacks. She ended up charming the Welsh Green, placing it under a deep trance. She took this opportunity to snag the golden egg, but the dragon snored and let out a breath of fire, burning her skirt but otherwise coming out unharmed.

Next was Krum against a Chinese Fireball, a bright red and gold dragon who breathed out balls of fire. It should have been expected that as a Seeker on a professional Quidditch team, his reflexes were quick and he worked well under pressure, but it still impressed Jessica. He wasted no time in shooting a Conjunctivitis Curse directly into the Chinese Fireball's eyes, blinding it effectively. Krum grabbed the golden egg and left the nest in a flash, but as the dragon howled and thrashed in pain, it ended up crushing some of the other eggs.

And finally, Harry came last. Jessica was especially anxious for him — Good Godric, he was only fourteen. She still couldn't wrap her head around the fact that he was allowed to compete at all, even if the Goblet of Fire permitted it. To make matters worse, Jessica soon learned that he would be facing the most dangerous dragon from the lot by far when the dragon keepers brought in the last one. It had jet black scales, yellow eyes, massive wings, a spiked tail, and was definitely the biggest in size: a Hungarian Horntail.

The horn sounded, and Harry stepped out. He looked incredibly small down there, and Jessica wasn't sure if she was babying him or she was right in thinking that he truly shouldn't be there in the first place.

"Accio Firebolt!" Harry shouted. There was a brief moment when the audience quieted down just a little, almost as if they were waiting with Harry for his broom to arrive.

And it did. Because the crowd had lowered its voices, Jessica could hear the familiar sound of a broom speeding through the air. She looked up and around, squinting her eyes for it. The Firebolt entered the arena and was now hurtling towards Harry, only stopping midair once it had reached his side. The crowd went wild; nobody had expected Harry to make use of an object outside of the enclosure, but it wasn't against the rules at all. Ludo Bagman, the Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports that Jessica saw back at the Quidditch World Cup, was commentating enthusiastically, but she could barely hear it above the noise.

Harry swung his leg over the broom and kicked off from the ground, soaring high into the sky. Jessica almost forgot how it felt as an outsider to watch someone as talented as Harry fly since she had played alongside him in matches the past two years, but now that she was seeing it again, she in awe. Aside from the Firebolt being such a high-end model, Harry himself was just an incredible flyer.

If only Oliver could watch this, Jessica thought to herself, knowing he would have been stoked to see something so adventurous and Quidditch-related.

And then, Harry dived. Jessica clutched onto the railings she had been leaning on as he did so. The Horntail's head followed Harry's movements, who was fast enough to pull out of the dive because of the jet of fire that had suddenly been released.

"Great Scott, he can fly!" yelled Bagman as the crowd shrieked at the narrow escape. "Are you watching this, Mr. Krum?"

Harry flew even higher in a circle, but the Horntail was still watching him intently. Harry plummeted again when the Horntail opened its mouth once more, but he wasn't as lucky as earlier — he missed the flames, but its tail came whipping up and one of the long spikes grazed his shoulder, ripping his robes. Jessica, Bethany, and Alista all winced and shared concerned looks. They could only hope the wound wasn't deep and that Harry was alright.

Harry continued to fly here and there, looking like a fly you just couldn't catch. This seemed to aggravate the Hungarian Horntail, especially when he rose higher and higher until the dragon couldn't reach him with its tail or fangs. Jessica wasn't sure what Harry was trying to achieve, but she desperately hoped that it would work.

After all that taunting, the Horntail spread her great, black, leathery wings to rise a few feet in the air, just as much as the chains that held it down would allow it to — and that was when Harry dove again. He was plunging downwards at such a speed that he looked like a blur. Before the dragon knew what he was doing or that he had disappeared from its sight, Harry was right in front of the now-unprotected eggs, reaching out for the golden one with his uninjured hand, and flying back out of the creature's reach.

Jessica cheered louder than she had ever done for any of the contestants before Harry.

"Holy hipogriff, that was so smart!" she exclaimed.

"I know! Who knew Potter had it in him!" Alista agreed, jumping up and down in exhilaration.

"I think he's the fastest one by far!" Bethany added.

It was almost impossible to hear one another because of how deafening the screams and applause were for Harry.

"Look at that!" Bagman was yelling. "Will you look at that! Our youngest champion is quickest to get his egg! Well, this is going to shorten the odds on Mr. Potter!"

The dragon keepers rushed into the arena to subdue the Hungarian Horntail. It wasn't long after that the judges revealed Harry's scores as well as the rankings of the champions for this round.

"First! He's tied with Krum!" Jessica realized after reading the final scores. The task got her so pumped up that she couldn't stop bouncing on her heels. She hadn't felt this thrilled since playing Quidditch last year, and while she would've preferred getting to fly again, watching this tournament was compelling enough to keep her on her toes. "Brilliant!"

"Karkaroff shouldn't have given him such a low score, though," Bethany commented.

"Who cares? We're in the lead!" said Alista, and the group shared bright grins. Harry was first with Krum, Cedric second, and Fleur third. Things were looking up for Hogwarts, and maybe even after this, people would start supporting Harry more, and Hogwarts could win this whole tournament.

★ ★ ★

Jessica thought that the Triziward Tournament itself would be the biggest event that year. She soon learned that she was mistaken, though, for another event — one that traditionally only occurred alongside the tournament — would be taking place on Christmas Eve: the Yule Ball. It sparked even more interest because this was an occasion in which most of the student body could get involved rather than just four individuals. That said, the Heads of House were given the responsibility to orient their students on what exactly the ball was, as well as the proper decorum when attending it.

And that is how Jessica found herself seated in a spare classroom with fourth to seventh year Gryffindors. The girls sat on one side — aside from Bethany, Kaitlin, and Margaux who were nearby, she could also see Angelina, Katie, Alicia, Hermione, Lavender, and Parvati there to name some of them. Many of them looked either eager or shy, whereas the boys on the opposite end of the room looked plain awkward. Professor McGonagall and Mr. Filch (with Mrs. Norris, of course) were also present.

"The Yule Ball has been a tradition of Triwizard Tournament since its inception," said McGonagall, pacing the room while Filch tweaked the large phonograph on top of the table. "On Christmas Eve night, we and our guests gather in the Great Hall for well mannered frivolity."

"She makes it sound boring," Bethany whispered. Jessica lightly hit her arm warningly, but she had to bite back a smile at that comment.

"As representatives of the host school, I expect each and every one of you to put your best foot forward, and I mean this literally because the Yule Ball is first and foremost... a dance."

A chorus of groans emerged from the boys' side, while the girls sat up a little straighter in their seats and started to gossip with one another. Jessica became more interested as well. As much as academics and her future career were her main priorities nowadays, she couldn't help but grow eager over a night where she could get dolled up, eat fancy food, and have fun with her friends. She quickly realized, though, that this meant she would need a date, but she could probably only take someone currently in school.

"Silence!" McGonagall said when the room got too noisy. "The house of Godric Gryffindor has commanded the respect of the wizard world for nearly ten centuries. I will not have you in the course of a single evening besmirching that name by behaving like a babbling, bumbling band of baboons!"

"Try saying that five times faster," Fred dared George from their place at the corner of the classroom.

"Babbling, bumbling band of baboons," George attempted.

"Babbling, bumbling band..."

"Now, to dance is to let the body breathe," McGonagall went on. "Inside every girl a secret swan slumbers, longing to burst forth."

"I think the swan inside of me wants to keep sleeping," said Jessica, nearly causing Bethany to snort. Although the ball itself sounded enjoyable, she wasn't exactly keen on having to learn how to dance or socialize with strangers — that was more of Alista's field of expertise. She then briefly wondered how Snape was teaching the rest of the Slytherins and could only imagine it was ten times more awkward than what McGonagall was doing.

"Inside every boy a lordly lion prepared to prance. Mr. Weasley?"

"Yes?" Ron said hesitantly when McGonagall approached him.

"Will you join me, please?"

Ron gulped, having no other choice but to oblige. The moment he stood up, Harry and Seamus snickered obnoxiously and were soon followed by teasing comments from the other students. McGonagall guided Ron to the center of the room, the latter looking more embarrassed by the second.

"Now, place your right hand on my waist."

"Where?" said Ron in disbelief.

"My waist."

Ron reluctantly obeyed McGonagall's instructions. Somebody from the crowd wolf-whistled, and Jessica assumed it was one of his brothers. Ron turned red, but McGonagall ignored the jokes and continued to instruct the boy.

"Now, bend your arm. Mr. Filch, if you please?"

Filch pressed something on the magical phonograph. The recording started, and a soothing, well-paced instrumental played.

"One two three, one two three, one two three..." McGonagall guided Ron. After a while, she said, "Everybody, come together!"

Jessica and the other girls stood up without much persuasion, although she had to confess that she was a little shy about it already.

"Boys, on your feet!" McGonagall prompted when most of them just sunk lower into their chairs. Jessica was beginning to wonder if McGonagall would have to magically force them to stand up when Neville Longbottom made the first move. Eventually, the other boys followed suit and started to pair up with the girls.

Jessica danced with a lot of her friends: Fred, George, Lee, Harry (though it was a bit of a struggle since his arm was still in a sling after his First Task), and even Bethany, which McGonagall lightly scolded them for. It was definitely an amusing experience to learn how to dance formally, but if there was anyone she truly wanted to attend a ball with, it was Oliver. He was no longer in Hogwarts, though, so she would probably end up either going alone or finding a friend to go with; and while it didn't sound like a bad idea, she still wished Oliver was there. She even felt a little childish for taking the Yule Ball so seriously while he was out being an actual adult in the wizarding world. She supposed she'd just have to suck it up and not dwell over it. Instead, she might as well look forward to finally seeing Oliver again in the upcoming and fast approaching Hogsmeade trip.

A/N: Who else misses Oliver already? If you do, don't worry bc he'll be back in the next chapter yay :> Also, GOF is such a long book/film omg so I think this portion of the sequel will have a lot of long chapters 😅