Megan and Cedric walked out in silence. The Great Hall had been evacuated. The silence was overwhelming. They crossed it without a word. Once in the Entrance Hall, they climbed up the stairs to their common rooms. After a moment, Cedric said:

"I guess we're playing against each other again..."

"Yeah..." Megan said in a muted voice.

She couldn't stand it any more, and turned to him:

"Cedric, I never put my name in. Please tell me you believe me."

He smiled sadly.

"Well, as good as you are, I can't see how you would have been able to," he said. "So, yes, I believe you."

She sighed with relief.

"So, school champion. How does it feel?" Megan asked, trying to ease the tension.

He raised a meaningful eyebrow at her.

"Yeah, I guess that was a little obvious..." she said, half smiling sheepishly.

They sat down on the stairs.

"... What's wrong with me, Cedric?"

He stared at her.

"Nothing's wrong with you, Megan, where did that come from?" he asked.

"... Ever since I stepped into the wizarding world, I've done nothing but cause trouble and polemic..."

"That's not your fault!" he said incredulously.

"I put people around me in difficult situations," she insisted. "You, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Mr Weasley... even Dumbledore! Look at what just happened tonight!"

"They're rivals, they'd jump at anything to get past him in the Tournament," Cedric said.

"Maybe..." Megan allowed. "But for once, I'd like to just be normal. You know, just... me, without getting involved in Dark magic, or evil plots and violence... without all the drama."

"Well, I can see how you'd want that," he said. "You've certainly had your share of drama. But the way I see it, you were condemned to live a complicated life."

Megan glanced at him, not following.

"How d'you mean?"

"You survived a Killing Curse when you were just a baby," he said. "You stood up to a very skilled and powerful wizard twice and survived, while barely being a teenager. That alone makes you very unique. And while all they want is normality..."

"They never have any..." Megan sighed. "I know. I just didn't think I was in one of my books..."

Cedric sighed and put his arm around her.

"Sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't have just stayed at the Dursleys... I wouldn't pull everyone around me into my mess..."

"And you'd be dying inside a little more everyday," Cedric said, turning to look at her. "You're not meant to be looked down upon. You are a strong person, and I will never let you go to back that life again."

Megan wasn't sure what to say. Cedric got to his feet.

"And besides," he added, holding out a hand to Megan to help her up. "If you had stayed at the Dursleys, we would never have met."

Megan didn't answer. She had to admit she hadn't looked at it that way.

"We wouldn't have been such a close group. And don't you think that all the moments we shared, the things we stuck together through, the moments when we were just being ourselves, are worth a few complications?"

Part of Megan wanted to say that it was a lot more than a few complications, but she knew her answer, and she was fairly sure Cedric did too.

"Yes... it is. But sometimes, being different is a heavy burden."

They reached the staircase where Cedric turned off to reach the Hufflepuff common room. before he did, however, he looked at Megan.

"Well... good night, Megan." He said.

"Night, Cedric."

They parted ways to their common rooms.

As she made her way to Gryffindor Tower, Megan paused to calm herself and think after realising she was still shaking. She sat down on the cold floor and tried to think calmly. She was a champion, had no way of getting out of it and had no idea how her name had gotten into the Goblet or who had put it there. And she tried not to focus too much on Moody's theory as to why whoever had put her name in had done it. She was terrified enough as it was. Maybe it was a sick joke. People wanting to make her stand out even more than she already did. Her mind briefly contemplated Malfoy doing it, but he wouldn't have been able to cross the age line any more than she could. Fred and George were just months from the minimal age and they had been rejected, and Malfoy was just a few weeks older than Megan. Plus, he was so arrogant he would probably have signed himself up instead. He might have asked an older student to do it in his place, but two things countered that theory: first, he hated asking anyone anything, except from his parents, and that qualified more as demanding in Megan's opinion. And also, unless he had hidden his emotions to not give himself away, she was fairly sure he would have reacted somehow when her name had come up. She raised her hand and touched her mother's bracelet.

"... What am I supposed to do...?" she whispered.

It was not only the tasks that worried her but the students' reactions. She'd heard the comments, seen the looks she'd been given, even if they only registered with her now that the initial shock had subsided. She tried to put herself in her parents' shoes. Her mother would have looked at this calmly and methodically. Her father probably would have been surprised, but then excited at the chance to prove himself, judging by the little she knew of him. After a few moments, she had to face it: She had no other choice but to take her place as champion with the others. And that started by getting her sorry bum off the floor and standing tall. Her parents would have been ashamed of her if they'd seen her like this, cowering like a mouse. Of course it was scary! But facing Riddle had been as well, or Quirrel, or the Basilisk, and she'd never backed down.

"So I'm not starting now," she said to herself and got to her feet.

The Gryffindor common room was bursting with cheers and applause.

"How did you do it, Megan?" Fred and George asked. "Should have let us in on the trick! We're your friends, and you know we wanted to enter!"

"I didn't enter," She said, wearily.

It was tiring to have to say it again and again.

"If it wasn't me, at least it's a Gryffindor..." Angelina said.

"Here, have some Butterbeer," Dean offered.

"No, thanks, I had enough at the feast."

"I think she wants some rest, so let's just let her get to bed!" Hermione said loudly, leading her to the girls' dormitories.

"Thanks." Megan said.

Harry and Ron were waiting for her.

"Are you okay?" Hermione asked.

"I think so..." she said. "How did you boys get up here?"

"When I came up they followed, that way the trap's not activated."

"You sure know how to cause a sensation," Harry teased.

Megan was about to answer that she would have been fine without the attention when Ron asked:

"How d'you do it?"

He was sitting in a corner, looking angrily at Megan.

"What...?" Megan began.

"Never mind. Might let your best friends know, though."

After a moment of blankness, she understood and couldn't believe her ears.

"I never asked for my name to come out of that stupid cup! How many times do I have to say it?! Especially to you, my friend who's known me for years!" Megan said frustratedly. "I don't want eternal glory! I told you so just a few hours ago! Especially not if it turns my best friends against me!"

"Yeah, should have thought of that before." Ron said shortly.

"I didn't do anything, Ron, I –"

"Yeah, right. I'm going to bed."

He strode past her and down the stairs.

"Ron...!" Megan called but he didn't answer.

"I'll talk to him... it's the stress." Harry said. "Well... night, girls..."

He kissed Megan's cheek and headed out after Ron.