Cedric and Megan weren't given a chance to talk after the task because his friends tugged him off to the castle as soon as Bagman had announced the date of the third and final task, 24th of June, with a months' forewarning of the task in question. Megan, her entire body still sore, walked slowly forwards.

"You were really great, today," Harry said, his arm around her.

"Thanks... probably the only one stupid enough to think Dumbledore would let any of them come to actual harm..."

"Oh, don't feel bad," Hermione smiled. "You were determined! And even if Dumbledore had released Gabrielle, there's no guarantee she wouldn't have been caught by the Grindylows too."

Hermione grinned at Megan.

"So, what was that about?" she asked. "With Cedric?"

Megan's cold cheeks suddenly felt rather hot.

"Oh, it was..."

"Miss Potter!" called a voice.

They looked round to find Mr Crouch walking towards them.

"Mr. Crouch," she said politely. "I heard you were ill."

"I was, but you know how it is. Duty calls," he chuckled. "Well done on your task, Miss Potter, a fine achievement."

"Thank you, sir."

"May I trouble you a moment?"

Megan wanted to got to bed, not talk to Ministerial staff. She fought back her sigh and turned to her friends:

"I'll meet you back in the common room."

They nodded and walked off. Megan trudged forwards after Crouch.

"I'm sorry we haven't truly spoken. I've heard your story quite a few times, of course... terrible, to loose one's family... it marks us for life."

In my case, literally... Megan said to herself.

"Yeah... it does."

"I'm sure your parents would be proud."

"Did you know them, sir?"

"No, I must say I never had the pleasure." He said.

A voice suddenly interrupted them and they looked around.

"Not trying to lure Potter into another of those Ministry summer internships, are we?" Growled Moody. "Last time they took in never came out!"

A corner of his lip twitched, and Crouch went pale. Megan saw him squint his eyes, but nothing more. He marched off. Moody glared after him and followed. Megan was too exhausted to want to think about this bizarre scene. It was over, she thought dazedly. She had until June to worry about the last task. Harry and Ron supported her back to the castle, where Hermione took over to get her to the dormitory, where she enjoyed a long, well-earned sleep.

The aftermath of the second task was that everyone wanted to know the details of what had happened. Megan soon grew tired of repeating over and over again how she had swam through the lake, found the hostages, realised Fleur wasn't coming so she had freed her sister, and how she been caught by Grindylows... which people seemed to find positively heroic, while she had been more worried about her charge than much else. It soon got so bad Harry had to help her keep them away. Because Megan was also getting comments about Cedric kissing her, which of course many people had seen. She didn't regret it at all, but she was unhappy that it had happened the way it had.

She was pretty sure he hadn't kissed her because he had any real feelings for her. The crowd had been cheering and excited, they were too because they were tied for first place... and the fact that they hadn't been able to talk about it gave her no hope that it could be anything else. If there had been any chance, he would have tried to get a message of some sort to her, right? The Slytherins, of course, were saying she was using him to gain points in the Tournament. Cedric seemed to be just as busy as her because they didn't get a chance to speak. Hermione was having her share (thought not really wanting it) of attention because people were making comments about how she had been Krum's hostage.

"Have you seen Cedric since the task...?" Hermione asked one evening at dinner.

Megan had been glancing at him from over her glass, her food barely touched. He was too busy with his friends to be able to look her way.

"No. But I know he just did it because of the general excitement."

"Why?" Harry asked.

"... Because he is three years older, and anyway... he's with Cho." She said. "Why else would she have been his hostage?"

The weather turned colder for a few days after the second trial, and that weekend, a layer of snow covered the ground. Megan was heading to the common room after working in the library when she saw Cedric.

"Hi," he said. "I was looking for you."

"Hi..." she answered.

Cedric paused.

"... Can we talk?" he asked.

"Sure." She said.

Here we go, she thought to herself. Oh, well... might as well get it over with... I mean, it's not like I didn't know this was coming...

"What is it?" she asked, trying to hide the despair in her voice.

"About what happened after the second task..."

Megan didn't need to ask if he meant him saving her or him kissing her.

"... Just say it, Cedric." She said.

"... What?" Cedric looked confused.

"Just get it over with... it'll be easier on both of us."

"... Get what over with? Say what?"

"That that kiss was just a heat in the moment thing, that you only did it on impulse." She said. "And that I was stupid for even thinking different..."

She turned and walked outside into the snow, her eyes filling with tears. She didn't know where she would go, but anywhere was better than seeing Cedric. It hurt too much to imagine him with Cho. She was so much prettier than her, and a year older, of course he'd prefer her... she wanted him happy, even if it wasn't with her... but boy, did it hurt... it was like having a blunt knife stuck in her chest non-stop...

"It wasn't on impulse," Cedric called after her.

She stopped. The snowflakes were falling around her. She took a deep breath, expecting more pain, and turned around.

"I didn't kiss you on impulse," Cedric said, stepping into the snow towards her. "I did it because I wanted to. I've wanted to for some time."

"But... Cho..." Megan began, confused. "I thought..."

"Our parents know each other, they both work at the Ministry. We grew up together, but we're just friends!" he said. "I could never go out with Cho, It'd be too weird. You're the one I fell head over heels for. You and no one else. Why else would I have asked you to the Yule Ball?"

Eyes still shining, she chuckled.

"My mad dancing skills?" she suggested.

He laughed.

"No..." he smiled. "You could have been the worst dancer in the world, I wouldn't have wanted to ask any other girl."

"But the lake..." Megan said.

"Harry was your hostage, but you're not together, are you?" he smiled. "Same for Cho and me. But I'll tell you something: If you hadn't been champion, you would have been my hostage."

Megan smiled. A single snowflake fell on her nose. They laughed and then, he gently lifted her face and kissed her. And it was the best moment of Megan's life.