CHAPTER XI:
he's got a crush!

( November 1994 )

"AND NOW OUR CHAMPIONS WILL FACE THEIR DRAGONS IN THE FIRST TASK!" Dumbledore announced as Cedric entered the arena to complete the first task.

      Ginger and Alexander had both been perched with the twins and Lee in the stands of the arena. All of them stood chatting waiting for the Diggory's entrance. Ginger locked elbows with Alex when she saw the boy enter and immediately try looking for them.

      His eyes set on them finally and he waved nervously at Ginger who matched his anxiety while putting a thumbs up of encouragement.

      Facing the dragon, Cedric took out his wand to use. People of the stands cheered his name as the short snout opened up its wings wide. Cedric shouted a spell and whipped his wand in the direction of a stone, the stone turned into a labrador. The crowd cheered even more for the boy as the beast became distracted from him to the dog. He inched forward, careful to not draw too much attention to himself, and he travelled up a steep set of stones.

      Ginger grasped onto the boy beside her tightly as her fear and anticipation grew more and more within the hour. George put his hand on her shoulder sending his support, noticing the sudden weight on her shoulder she looked up to George though he hadn't faced her and kept his eyes on the task. But as soon as she turned her attention back to Cedric, his attention went right back to the girl.

      Once Cedric reached the top of the stack he had the golden egg within arm's length, he then dove for the egg as if it would disappear if he would've taken any longer. Ginger and Alexander cheered loudly and embraced each other for their best friend as he stood and held the egg up for the audience to see. But as he had his back to the dragon, a powerful burst of fire was blown in his direction. Ginger gasped loudly as did the rest of the crowd while he hurtled to the ground after the short snout hit him.

      People from below opened the entrance to the arena to drag him out of it as fast as possible to avoid any confrontation with the beast.

      "We need to get down there," Ginger anxiously moved herself to try to see over the crowd for a way to quickly get to Cedric. The twins also began searching from the spots in the stands as they were the tallest in their group. George then spotted a trail down to the entrance, "I see a way, over there" he pointed. Neither Ginger nor Alex could see the way as they stood on the tips of their toes. Making a quick decision to help, George put Ginger's arm around his shoulders and picked her up with his arm around to waist to support her.

      The sudden action caught her by surprise but she decided to worry about the ticklish feeling she felt in the depths of her stomach later, George pointed his finger in the trace of the trail and she nodded her head in understanding as he let her back down. "Thank you, Georgie." She reached on her tippy toes and planted a short and sweet kiss on his cheek while grabbing Alex's hand to take him with her.

George stood stunned and pink in his spot as he processed what had just happened while he watched the girl leave. Fred and Lee both furrowed their eyebrows at the awestruck boy in front of them almost wanting to burst into laughter at the sight before them. "Hey, Freddie?" George breathed out. Fred hummed crossing his arms over his chest with an amused smirk at his twin, "reckon I may have got a crush on Ginger."

Fred snorted and so did Lee, George stared confused at their acts before Lee spoke up putting a hand on his shoulder, "mate, Errol could've told you that." George scoffed hiding his reddening face in his coat. "You literally stare at her as if she's one of the mermaids in the Black Lake, you even talk about her like she's the most interesting thing in the entire world."

"But she is interesting," he defended. Over the four months he had known about Ginger's existence, he managed to tell Fred and Lee quite literally anything and everything he had learned about the girl and all their encounters, minus the time in the library.

"Georgie, you are down tremendously bad for her."

"CEDRIC?" GINGER BURST INTO THE TENT SEARCHING FOR THE BOY. Alex trailed right behind her, not looking as distressed as the girl. Ginger had been minutes away from hyperventilating the night he was chosen at the thought of something terrible happening to Cedric during the tournament. And there she was, almost hyperventilating because something terrible really did happen to him just as she predicted.

Madame Pomfrey had been hunched over a body on a bed, Alex pleaded in his mind that it was not Cedric dead because of how distraught Ginger would have been. Approaching the bed steadily, Ginger came to find out the body in the bed had been a breathing Cedric Diggory with heavy burn marks on his face currently being covered in an orange paste by Madame Pomfrey.

      The duo brought chairs over to the boy's side, "you're an idiot Cedric Diggory," Ginger spoke relieved. He laughed but quickly winced as the nurse had concluded her aiding by wrapping his head in bandages.

      "Yes, Ginger, I am alright from being burned in the face by a dragon, thank you for asking," he jokingly rolled his eyes.

      "I definitely didn't ask because I can clearly see you're in one piece and still fully capable of being a prat," she flicked him.

      "He's actually not in one piece, if you look over here," Alex put his finger on an exposed bit Cedrics burns which made him hiss in pain and slap the boy's hand away, "there are pieces of him falling off."

      Ginger and Alex both laughed a bit at Cedric's glare, "I truly hate the both of you, the way you treat me has got to be some form of abuse."

      "I will put my fingers in the holes in your face, don't test me, Diggory." Alex threatened. Although Ginger had been nearly hysterical for Cedric only minutes before, she was extremely grateful nothing major had happened to him. She wasn't ready to lose her best friend at such a young age, no matter the circumstances. She just prayed the tournament wouldn't cut their friendship short.