June did not just bring about Draco Malfoy's birthday, but also the impending doom that were finals.

Beginning on the first week of June, teachers from every class started pilling excess assignments, essays, and study guides to complete, outline and focus on at every waking moment. The nice warm weather that had once made me excited, now only seemed to tease me from the windows of the library.

"At least your exam doesn't involve flying needles turning you into a pin cushion!" Mila complained from her complicated dress pattern she was supposed to complete by the end of term.

"Oh woe is you, Mila. You have to finish a dress pattern, not a cure. Take a chill pill," Marie said with little pity as her friend continued to groan.

"I don't see you working on your dress pattern," Sam pointed out from her spot next to me. She, like most Hogwarts students, was studying the basic core curricular that involved only a textbook and study materials. Nothing fancy.

"I already finished it," Marie gloated brightly while Ana and Mila fumed jealously behind her.

"I don't understand why they would make us take exams at a different school. It hurts my head focusing between two languages," Mila continued with a pout.

"It hurts your head? Gees, wonder what that feels like," Rosalie muttered under her breath in a tone just loud enough for the table to hear. Gisele failed to stiff off a laugh while the rest of us, feign Mila, snickered uncontrollably.

"I take it, bickering is everyone's way of having fun in this group?" Ella asked Sam hesitantly. I giggled into my textbook while Sam explained just how intricate our humor really was.

The announcement for the third task came at the end of our third week of June. It was to take place the night of our last finals.

"So we can celebrate the end of classes by watching the champions get beat up. Love that," Ana said with some sarcasm. The rest of us actually were looking forward to this third task, even if it meant the end of our visit to Hogwarts.

After Rosalie brought to my attention just how little time I had left at Hogwarts, it became part of my everyday thought. I would walk past a line of classrooms and think "Ah yes, in a month I won't be standing by these rooms again."

Or I would be sitting in the great hall, watching Dumbledore listen intently to McGonagall about who knows what, while thinking about how I won't see them again anytime soon.

Suffice it to say, my mood was beginning to drop and my friends were noticing.

On the night before the third task, Ella came up to us with Sam in tow, with another one of her wickedly sly smiles on her face.

"I hope you haven't eaten yourself full," Ella began, in her usual cheerful voice. "Sam was telling me none of you, including Ava, has been to the kitchens. Wouldn't want you to leave Hogwarts without seeing the best place in the castle."

"The Kitchens?" Marie repeated, confused. "What happens in the kitchens?"

"Sweets, Marie! And Chocolate I hope," Ana exclaimed with a new glow in her eyes as she double backed on Ella. Ella gave her a thumbs up to the chocolate idea.

"It's where all the house elves are. Just ask and you shall receive," Sam added lazily.

"So you've been there?" I asked. "All this time and you're only now telling us! How did you find it?"

"This one," Sam said with a nod toward Ella's brimming smile. "Those Hufflepuffs have that kitchen down as a secondary headquarters. Food parties every night."

"Not every night," Ella confirmed, but Sam only rose a brow my way.

Later that night, after a bit of a hassle on our end to get out of the carriage without Madam Maxime noticing, the group of us found ourselves in front of a fruit portrait on the bottom floor, opposite the Slytherin common room.

"Remind me again how the Hufflepuffs managed to figure out the kitchens when the Slytherins haven't?" I questioned Sam's way while Ella rose on her toes and tickled the pear in the picture.

"Wouldn't go with the grumpy Slytherin aesthetic is my guess," Sam said casually to my frown. Marie, who stood right next to us, found this very funny.

A green knob appeared in place of the pear, which Ella grasped and flung open to reveal an entry way. Leading the way, Ella brought us into the most spectacular kitchen. Bronze stove ware with matching pots and pans that shone in the late night candle light greeted us. A roaring fireplace stood on the other end where a house elf sat, hiccupping.

Two large tables made of dark wood stood out in front of the wash area, clean with only the sight of house elf ears poking out from the other side. A dash of small feet followed by many of these creatures appeared.

"What can we get for you misses? Cakes? Tarts?"

"Chocolate," Ana said without further ado, causing a mass of elves to rush to different parts of the kitchen, returning moments later with chocolate cake, chocolate eclairs, fudge and a laced cookie of some sort.

"Wow," Mila sighed while the others looked around in similar states of awe. Ella only seemed that much happier by the turn out while Sam sneaked over to the chocolate cake and returned with some for me.

"That's alright. I'm okay," I said, truthfully. I don't know what it was about seeing all the house elves like this. But it made me feel rather nauseous.

"What will the miss want?" one house elf asked, coming to me in quiet steps. Sam gave me a small nudge in question.

"I'm alright, thank you," I replied. "I'm feeling rather nauseous actually."

"Peppermint. Fetch Peppermint tea for her," Sam ordered and the house elf dashed off happily.

"I don't need tea, Sam. I just ate a lot earlier."

"Well you should get something anyway. Otherwise you'll hurt their feelings. And we don't want that." She ushered me toward the fireplace where that lone house elf continued to hiccup oddly, it's big eyes angled toward the fire. A half empty bottle of butterbeer in its lap.

"I heard in Herbology that peppermint actually settles a person's stomach. Aren't you happy I learned something?" Sam went on, sitting on the edge of the chair next to me; half a piece of cake remained in one hand.

"I'm very proud," I said with a smile that made Sam's eyes dance with pleasure.

"You're still grumpy."

"You would be too if you felt like this," I said back. Sam wasn't swayed, as she bit into her cake.

"You know Theo comes here a lot too. He never feels bad about asking for things."

"I shouldn't be surprised," I replied, glancing toward the kitchen. A house elf was quickly boiling water while another was searching cupboards for peppermint. "Look what you've done, Sam. They're overexerting themselves all for peppermint tea."

"Good. They enjoy that sort of thing. Which you should know, given what I heard about your family's wait staff."

"It's not like I go down to the kitchens often."

"You should. They like the company. Or so says your brother. He's made friends with a lot of them here. His favorite here is a house elf named Pitts. Probably is the one serving you now."

"How would you know?" I asked curiously. The house elf in question was zooming around with boiling water over its head, looking for a tea cup.

"They seem to have a good sense of family around here. Or so I've heard." Finding the cup, the house elf filled the glass, and promptly rushed my way.

"Here you are miss."

"Thank you, Pitts," I said gratefully.

"I isn't Pitts, I am Dobby, miss."

"Oh! My apologizes," I said rather quickly before shooting Sam a look that she accepted with another one of her sly grins.

"I said it was a guess."

"You made me look like a fool."

"Uh huh," Sam said, unchanged. "Drink your tea, fool."

Sam must have told Theo about my "amazing" experience in the kitchens as he came to find me after breakfast the next morning.

"Always dramatic, aren't you? Can't even enjoy the kitchens without causing a scene."

"I did not cause a scene." I retorted, stubbornly. I glanced toward my friends who had kept walking toward our exam hall. Marie glanced back at me and placed a finger to her wrist like a clock. We only had fifteen minutes before exams started. "I was telling Sam that I had-"

"A stomach ache. Yeah, I heard," Theo said casually. I gave him a look.

"Well I'm all better now, so stop worrying about me and let me get to my exam."

"Merlin, Ava. I didn't come to talk to you because I was worried. Rather mortified, actually. Why you would call any old house elf Pitts is what baffles me."

"Seriously? You care more about a house elf than your own sister?"

"A house elf has the decency to make me desserts whenever I stop by, unlike you," Theo said with his usual flare. I glowered at him.

"When did you even learn about the kitchens? Not when I was here, right?"

"Would it be so bad if I had? Fred and George showed me. Was honestly one of the best nights ever apart from the stomach ache followed by all that time in the toilet-"

"Too much information, Theo. Too much!" I waved my arms at him, making those eyes of his sparkle.

Just then the doors to the great hall opened and out came Harry followed closely by Mrs. Weasley of all people and Bill, one of the older brothers from the gang. Theo recognized Bill too, as he waved over to him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Off for another show. Your brother here?" Bill asked, stopping short by his mother. Harry turned to see what was going on as the other champions and their families walked out of the hall.

"Not a chance. The Ministry's got control of him," Theo explained with a grin.

"Same with Dad," Bill agreed, as he turned to his mother. After a wave from them, we separated, with Harry taking the Weasleys on a tour, and my brother and I off to our respective exam halls.

"Good luck with your French exams," he called out as I started off in the direction my friends went in. I waved after him, without a glance back as I had only three minutes until it started.

Nothing is better than the feeling after your last exam on your last day of finals. You are exhausted but relieved because there is nothing left to study, and you can finally relax and be lazy without feeling guilty.

The girls and I spent the rest of the afternoon by the black lake, looking over at the white tarp that was once the Quidditch pitch in anticipation. Rosalie had kept leftover fudge from last night and was handing it out to everyone to nibble on while the sun graced our backs. Gisele had been shuffling through a newspaper, as usual, when she stopped, placed the paper down and tapped my shoulder.

I had been laying on the blanket we had provided for our little picnic with my eyes closed, so after drawing my attention I responded with the usual "What?" and sat up.

"Your friend is in the paper again. Here," she pointed and my eyes followed.

Harry Potter "Disturbed and Dangerous"

I didn't even read the article, rather I laid back down and grumbled.

"What was it?" Mila asked curiously from her spot.

"That Skitter woman isn't catching Harry a break."

"Go figure," Marie mumbled with a smile my way, before returning her gaze to her own book.

As the night drew near, the final feast before the task began, with everyone and their champion's family seated, enjoying what Hogwarts had to offer. Dumbledore and the judges, with the prime minister as a filler for one of them, watched over the students with mixed emotions.

Something told me we were in for something different this time around.

Our walk to the Quidditch pitch was similar to that of the Quidditch World Cup. Students were hooting with excitement, especially when we reached the stands that showcased a massive hedge, the likes of which I've never seen before.

Tall, dark and haunted in manner, this hedge spanned across the entire Quidditch field and further out toward the mountains. A heavy mist hang over the tops of the hedge like the vapor off of a boiling cauldron.

As the girls and I took our designated seats in the Beauxbatons section, I couldn't help clapping enthusiastically at what was to come. It almost felt like Halloween again.

Hogwarts had done what they could to make this third task a spectacle on itself. The Hogwarts band (something I didn't know existed until now) was playing a rowdy melody while the champions circled around the entrances with Bagman and Dumbledore by their sides. Mad-eye Moody looked on from the corner, playing watch dog.

Sam appeared in the seats next to us with Ella at her side and Tati following close behind.

"I'm ready for another round of that girlish cheer of yours," Sam said with her usual spunk as she got our attention.

"Oh don't worry, we won't disappoint," Mila said confidently while Marie and I slowly shook our heads.

When the time came to announce our champions, pointing out how the Hogwarts champions were tied for first followed by Krum and Fleur, us girls in blue stood up and began our cheer. And thanks to the last task, all six of us sang the Macarena along with a few other Beauxbatons nearby who found this twist to the cheer hilarious.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third task will begin on my whistle!" Bagman began, sending the band into a long rest. "Harry, Cedric, if you please, to the entrances directed- yes, follow there. Very good. Now on my whistle: Three – Two – One—"

The moment the whistle blew, the Hogwarts champions dashed into the hedge, and for a moment, the hedge closed up, as if eating the champions whole.

No visual of their whereabouts was brought out, so all of us in the stands watched as Bagman kept to his clock and Krum was placed into position.

"If this is how the third task is going to end up being, I'd say this was a bit of a letdown," Marie said by my shoulder.

"You're telling me," I muttered, glancing around until Bagman blew his whistle and Krum raced forward, being devoured by the hedge once again. All that remained was Fleur who entered after a solid minute later.

To our relief, four smaller screens erupted from spells to the sky, dropping like silver fabric over the hedge. The screens showcased each of the champion's viewpoints, without us actually seeing them ourselves. At the corner of each screen there were the initials for each player.

Right off the bat we saw Cedric being attacked my monstrous creatures with heavy armor that shot fire from their backsides.

"Blast-Ended Skrewts! I hate those things," Ana said ruefully from the side, sending some of us to cast curious glances her way. I didn't know she was this clever with her magical creature terminology.

Harry was plagued by a dementors that eventually turned into a bogart, while a few screens down, Fleur was stunning back a cursed hedge that tried to rope her in.

The only player who seemed rather lucky so far, was Krum, who walked in a simple line without coming across any obstacle. The Durmstrang boys were getting very excited by the sight up until Fleur appeared into the picture.

It was normal for the champions to run into each other at the maze, but usually one would leave the other alone and keep walking.

Krum did not.

A stun spell in bright red shot from his wand and hit her in the back, just as she screamed in surprise.

Now, as I've said, most of the Beauxbatons girls could care less that Fleur was chosen as our champion, because she was the perfect little Fleur. We could speak trash about her because we were from her school. But seeing someone else inflict anything, let alone a stun spell at her in an out of bound fashion would not do.

All of us, and I do mean, all of us in blue shot out of our seats and started booing, yelling at the judges for the foul, and calling Krum out. Even Mila joined in on the hissing.

Durmstrang responded accordingly, waving us off, but the judges did not ignore us. They were looking to the Krum's screen very intently, waiting for him to slip again.

And he did.

Not even five minutes later, Krum came across Cedric Diggory, who he used of all things, the Crucio curse on the boy. Now that was a red flag.

The Hufflepuffs stormed up from their seats like a scary wave of gold and called for the judges to do something. Durmstrang didn't know what to say about their champion's actions. Even their headmaster seemed confused.

Dumbledore made short work of this, casting his wand to the sky, which illuminated Krum's name with a slash over it in red. The word, disqualified lingered under the name.

Cedric wasn't lost as we all thought. Harry must have heard the commotion as he angled his wand toward one of the hedges next to him, creating a hole through the bush to climb through. Seeing Krum turn toward him, Harry released a stunning spell that knocked the guy back.

As the two remaining champions shot red sparks in the sky, I couldn't help but wonder what Hermione was thinking of all this.

Harry and Cedric split up again and were met with interesting monsters. Harry with a sphinx, a creature that made everyone ogle. Such a creature was only seen in textbooks. To be in front of one seemed daunting to say the least. I did not envy Harry.

Cedric interacted with three snakes that interwoven themselves into the hedge for cover only to strike when Cedric had his back turned.

Everyone stood when both champions were in view of the cup, a glass with silver emphasis that glowed blue in the night.

"I don't get why we're all excited here. It's not like Hogwarts isn't going to win the cup," Jacqueline said in quick French while the rest of us shushed her. A giant spider had just rushed onto the scene and was attacking both champions with wicked fast movements.

"Tell me when it's over," Tati said, hiding her face in her sister's robes. Sam was so into the fight that the moment the boys grasped the cup and disappeared, with the video footage cutting off to silver, she became annoyed.

"All that build up for this," she pointed toward the silver screens like they were clueless. "It was getting good too!"

"I wonder where they're off to next,' Gisele wondered aloud while the rest of the student body stirred.

"Maybe they were sent directly to Madam Pomphry," Ella guessed from her stand. "And they will walk out after they got bandaged up. Harry definitely needs it; did you see the state of his leg?"

"Yeah, it was gross," Sam muttered in a monotone as her eyes watched the judges table. I too turned my gaze their way and found them also shifting uncomfortably in their seats. Dumbledore had stood up and was walking toward Moody with purpose.

What if the cup had sent them somewhere they shouldn't have gone?

Well, while we wait, I might as well bring up some great news," Marie said to the group of us, making me turn back to her. "My mother wants you all back for some point in the summer. Just to enjoy the warm weather and boating in Holland. She was thinking about right after school ended."

"Oh I love sailing!" Rosalie said with true pleasure. "I haven't gone for a few summers now."

"Since my soiree," I reminded her with a reminiscent smile. Her gaze met mine as a similar smile graced her features.

"I'll go as long as you don't feed me that disgusting salted fish on a string," Mila said with a pout.

"Oh Mila, how could you say that. It's herring! A Classic!"

"Raw salted fish should not be a classic. It's gross in every way. There's still fish bones in there you know," She said turning Sam's way with vigor. Sam didn't seem to understand where this conversation had come from, her mind seemed far away again. I gave her a questionable look.

"Look at the teachers," she mouthed quietly for her sister to not hear. I scanned the field, catching sight of Dumbledore in a huddle with McGonagall, Flitwick and Hagrid. Sprout had entered the hedge with her wand drawn while Madame Maxime had her wand drawn toward the screens, as if pointing a remote at a television set.

Ludo Bagman and the Durmstrang Headmaster were gone.

"What say it, Ava? Coming over to visit finally? Or is your lovely mother going to get in the way again?" Marie asked with her hint of humor. I gave her a joking smile, before explaining that if all goes well, I should for once, have complete control over my summer plans.

"So I will for sure be joining you guys this time. Kicking or screaming."

"Wonderful," Marie exclaimed, and she did truly look happy.

"If your summer really is open, you know, you could visit me and my family. But only if you want, or are in the area," Sam said quickly, blushing at her words. Tati, looked over her sister's shoulder, smiling wickedly at her before turning to me.

"Sam has been wanting you over for a while. Mum and Dad would want to see you if you had the time-"

"Tati!"

"Sure I'd love to come. Does mid-July work?"

Sam turned my way with a stubborn smile and nodded. "But only if you are free to come. Don't make a hassle-"

"Oh shut up!" I mused happily, giving my dark-haired friend a side hug.

It was in this moment that the sound of the stadium changed. Shouts of glee and clapping erupted form down below which quickly worked its way up the seats toward where we were. Looking down I could just make out Harry on top of Cedric.

"Finally! Now we could go back to the carriage. I have more fudge to eat," Ana said with relief, but she seemed to be the only one. Just as quickly as the stadium changed to happy and exciting energy, it switched again, with a girl down below screaming into hysterics, the likes of which sent my hair on edge. This was followed by another student screaming, "He's dead! He's dead!"

"Who's dead?" Another student closer to us asked, standing up on her seat to get a better look.

"Cedric's dead!" Another voice cried from the Hufflepuff section, causing many students both girl and boy to scream and cry. The wave of panic built up as Ella, in true panic rushed forward to have a better look. She was blocked by other students being pushed out of the way as Cedric's parents rushed from their seats.

"He's fine! He's just very ill. Dumbledore, we need to transport him immediately," Fudge announced to the crowd, but Dumbledore was crouched on the ground, looking to pry Harry from Cedric.

Like a switch in my head, I saw the scene below differently. It wasn't Harry and Cedric collapsed on the ground in exhaustion. Harry was still moving, even with the gory state of his leg. His robes were much more distressed since we last saw him and the color in his face was red from crying. Cedric on the other hand remained very very still.

His eyes were open and glassy.

My subconscious must have put two and two together as I felt tears, hot and thick, rush down my skin before I even knew why to cry. But the moment Cedric's parents stopped short of their son, all questions were answered and everyone, my friends included, erupted into hysterics.

Cedric Diggory was dead. 

-

It's getting dark. Finally.

Apologizes on my late update. I had been writing this chapter since Sunday, hoping to post on time. But I just couldn't get through it. This is a long chapter and I knew it would be. I ended up writing a bit each day since that Sunday. The video above is technically a Hufflepuff aesthetic video. I love the editor's style for her harry potter videos so I like to add them whenever I can. When I first saw that video I knew immediately that I was going to upload it with this chapter. 

Because poor Cedric. 

I'll post again on Friday. See you then.

-WG-