THE CHEERS WERE DEAFENING AROUND THEM. Dev and May stood with many other Ravenclaw students as they peered into the arena, anxiously awaiting the champions to emerge. Chained up was a Swedish Short-Snout who was beginning to look particularly angry. Nerves bubbled in Dev's stomach as she gazed upon the beast and wondered what professor thought this was a good idea.

"You were right," May jabbed the girl's side, raising her eyebrows. It wasn't exactly a surprise, in the time since that vision, Dev had only grown more sure of her abilities. Their research seemed to be bringing them closer to answers while simultaneously coaxing more vivid visions out of her. The days of small, cryptic dreams were long passed, and now every rest felt like another piece of a puzzle to a bigger event to come.

Dev nodded at her friend before gazing back into the arena. As she did so, Cedric emerged, causing the crowd to cheer wildly. Dev and May shouted for the boy as well, throwing their arms in the air. A canon sounded, and soon, the beast was unleashed. It was now time for Cedric to face it. Dev hoped he had headed her warnings.

"You've got this, Cedric!" Dev cheered.

"I can't watch," Cho sighed from the other side of May, tucking her head away. "This is so dangerous!"

"He'll be okay," Dev leaned over and reassured the girl. If only she could reassure herself.

After peaking through their fingers and various shouts, Cedric eventually completed the task. He had retrieved the golden egg and the crowd went wild. Dev released a breath she didn't know she was holding and confirmed to herself that she did the right thing in telling him.

Next was Fleur from Beauxbatons. While the Hogwarts section was notably less enthusiastic in cheering her on, no one wanted to see the girl get hurt, so they still cheered for her. Notably, one boy in the Ravenclaw section was cheering louder than the others.

"Oi, Davies, will you cool it?" Eddie Carmichael snapped around as Roger cheered loudly. The older boy just shrugged and continued on in his cheering.

"Looks like someone moved on quickly," Cho whispered to Dev and May, causing the two to laugh and roll their eyes.

Dev had a conversation the day after finding out about his lie, and unsurprisingly, he denied it. Dev didn't care to argue, so she settled on ceasing all meaningful interactions with him and they went their separate ways. Occasionally, she'd still catch him eyeing her with his friends or hear a rumor about how he was saying he gave up on her after she wouldn't stop talking about the Weasley boys. Dev didn't mind, she had bigger things to worry about than him.

Fleur's task went extremely well as she almost immediately coaxed her dragon to sleep. Dev couldn't help but wonder if she too had some sort of warning, and judging by her calm demeanor and immediate plan, she guessed she did. Krum went next, his also going releatively smooth, save for the few eggs his dragon smashed, docking him points. Last, was Harry's.

Dev's breath hitched as she saw the exact dragon she had seen in her previous vision. The exact vision she had faced weeks before was now coming to fruition before her very eyes. In moments, Harry Potter would emerge and take on the task. The only problem was, her vision didn't last long enough for her to know how things would end.

"This is exactly what I saw," Dev whispered to May, her eyes fixated on the dragon.

Harry emerged, earning cheers from the crowd. It was frightening just how young, how small, he looked thrust in the middle of everything. Dev watched with bated breath as the boy made a run for the egg, only to be blocked by the dragon. She shrieked as it breathed out fire, causing Harry to duck behind rocks for cover.

"Come on Harry!" She cheered, cupping her hands around her mouth.

The crowd watched as Harry summoned his broom. It was a tactile approach, sure, one Dev was certain she would not have made herself. He mounted it and began flying, the dragon trailing closely behind him. Soon, he was flying out of the arena, the dragon in tow. People gasped as they no longer had a view of the action, curiously wondering if any professors or dragon tamers would intervene.

"What is he thinking?" Dev shrieked, looking around to see if there was any view of him.

"You've gotta admit, he's got flare," May shrugged, giving up on looking for him and waiting for his return.

Within a few minutes, that felt like hours, Harry was flying back into the arena. As more people took notice to his incoming figure, the cheering resumed. He made his way immediately to the golden egg, successfully retrieving it.

"Thank god!" Dev breathed a sigh of relief as the task was officially completed.

☽

HARRY CAUGHT UP WITH DEV NOT LONG AFTER THE TASK ENDED, having slipped away from the crowds of Gryffindor's cheering him. She was on her way back to the Ravenclaw common room, and him gripping her forearm was the last thing she would've expected. Her brows furrowed as she looked on at him, expecting him to seem a bit more excited than he did.

"Hey?" She spoke first. She let her confusion dissipate slightly as she thought about just how well he did. "Good job out there, by the way."

"Thanks," Harry grumbled, pulling her away from the many on-lookers. While people were calling for him, asking why he wasn't heading to the Gryffindor common room for the celebration, he ignored them until they made it to a corridor alone. "How'd you know?"

"What?" Dev's face went pale.

"When Hagrid confirmed it was dragons to me, I wrote it off that the twins had told you from Charlie. But, then I remembered what else you said," Harry wet his lips, eyeing her. "Hungarian Horntail. You knew the exact dragon I'd face, and we picked at random only moments before."

Dev gulped. When she had let that detail slip, she had been under the impression they'd all face the same dragon, seeing as it was the only one she had seen. Now, she wasn't sure how she was meant to explain knowing Harry would go against the nastiest one.

"I—" She fumbled for an explanation.

"Devora, was it rigged?" His voice was low as he eyed her suspiciously.

"No! I don't know—"

"Do you have something to do with my name being entered, as well?" He was seeming to grow angry.

"Harry!" Dev gasped at the accusation. "I would never! Look—" She sighed, trying to gather herself. "You're right, Fred and George told me from Charlie. He only told them about the Hungarian Horntail and they were all excited to see one. I had no idea there'd be other breeds." She subconsciously let her hair cover her ears, remembering the way Fred could tell when she was lying.

Harry seemed to search her face, desperate to understand. She recognized how none of what she was saying could make any sense. In truth, Charlie Weasley might not even have known about the task that long ago. Also, if it somehow got out that he was telling his siblings about tasks, he could get into a lot of trouble. Dev could only hope it wouldn't come to that and that she hadn't made the wrong decision.

"Harry, I swear. Fred and George didn't want to say anything, but I didn't want to see you get hurt," She slowly reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder. Finally, her words seemed to resonate with him.

"I'm sorry," He sighed, shaking his head. "I guess I'm just a bit stressed out from everything."

"Well, I imagine going up against a dragon will do that to you," Dev smiled warmly. "Don't worry about it. Go on, you should be celebrating!"

Harry offered her one last smile before nodding his head and taking off. Dev let out a sigh of relief as he disappeared around the corner. While she didn't regret telling him, she also knew she was going to need to be a lot more careful.

☽

"WELL THIS IS QUITE BORING," May huffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "We're all in Hogwarts, why are the Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors celebrating alone in their common rooms!"

Cho skipped happily down from the girl's dormitory steps. There was an air of exuberance that followed her as she tried to control her wide grin. The girls noticed the way her hair was delicately pulled back and the light bits of makeup she applied.

"Going somewhere?" Dev raised her eyebrows.

"Cedric said he didn't want to celebrate without me there," She sighed dreamily, doing a twirl in place. "Aren't you two going to one of the celebrations?"

While it would certainly be possible for the girls to go to one, no one had asked them. So, if they wanted to attend, they'd have to wait awkwardly outside of one of the common rooms and hope that someone would pass by and let them in. It wasn't exactly their style. Of course, the twins were Gryffindors and would happily let them in, but in all of their excitement, they hadn't thought to make a real plan out of it. Neither girl wanted to wait around for them, either.

"Maybe," Dev lied, not wanting to admit to the girl that they had no plans to.

"Oh, come on," She sighed, reaching out both arms and pulling the girls up from the couch. "You can come with me. You'd be surprised at how well the Hufflepuffs throw a party." Cho wiggled her eyebrows, causing the two to giggle at her words.

Dev and May both gave each other a look before shrugging, silently deciding that they might as well go. The three made their way out of the common room with warm smiles on their faces.

"So," Cho started almost immediately. "The ball. Who are you both going with?"

Both girls glanced at one another, speaking in the silent language they had. The answer, even so close to the ball, was an astounding 'no one' for both. Cho seemed to read the glance, her smile faltering slightly.

"Well, there's still time! I'm sure someone will ask you both," She reassured.

"Oh, we've both been asked," May assured, shaking her head. In total, May had been asked by three different guys, and turned each down. Dev on the other hand had only been asked by a poor, sweet, 3rd year who she had to gently let down. "Just not by anyone we want to go with."

"Picky picky," Cho tutted with a smile.

"Easy for you to say!" Dev smacked the girl's arm lightly, a smile illuminated on her face. "You got asked by your dream guy. If you hadn't, you'd be picky too."

"That's probably true," Cho pondered, shaking the thought away with a shrug. "Oh well, I'm sure it'll be magical either way."

"Yeah," Dev nodded along, genuinely agreeing with the girl. After a semester of brutal classes, terrifying nightmares, recurring visions, and an ever-nagging crush on her best friend, she needed one, good, magical night. "You know, May, I'm starting to think we should just say 'fuck it' and be each other's dates."

"Yeah?" May looked at her with a smile.

"Yeah." Dev nodded. And just like that, it was decided.

"Where are you lot off to?" The girl's walking was halted as they came across the Weasley twins.

"The Hufflepuff celebration," Cho answered, practically bursting with excitement.

"Why would you want to go there?" Fred crinkled his nose.

"You know Gryffindors throw the best parties," George added with a wink.

"Well, we weren't invited," Dev challenged jokingly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oi, George, did you forget to send the owl?" Fred joked, lightly hitting his twins chest.

"Must've, Freddie," He grinned. "My bad, ladies."

Dev rolled her eyes lightly at the boys' words, a smile still lit up on her face. In the time since her somewhat awkward declaration of feelings for George, the group had continued on as if nothing had changed. In fact, none of them ever mentioned it. With Dev's constant research and general studying, she had begun to find it easier to keep her feelings in check around Fred, slightly.

Cho broke away from the two girls and continued her walk towards the Hufflepuff common room.

"Where are ya going?" May called after her.

"Oh come on," Cho paused and looked back with a smile. "We all know you two are going with them. I'll see you both later, yeah?"

The girl's couldn't deny her words, so instead they offered her a nod and a quick goodbye before falling in line with the boys. They began their rerouting to the Gryffindor common room.

"Where are you guys coming from, anyways?" May inquired, an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, the tasks been over for a few hours, why aren't you guys already there?" Dev tacked on.

"Oh, we were. Did all the initial celebration stuff, but then—"

"You two were coming to get us, weren't you?" A wide grin spread on Dev's lips as she made the connection, thinking back to the route they were on. Both boys just grinned in response.

"What's a party without two bookish Ravenclaws?" Fred teased, poking his finger in Dev's side.

"You missed us!" May cooed with a laugh.

"We're honored, really," Dev pretended to wipe away a tear, giggling when the boys rolled their eyes in unison.

"Keep it up, we could just tell the fat lady to close the hole before you come in," Fred warned.

"Leave ya both to be Filch food." George nodded.

"You would never!" Dev gasped dramatically before giggling.

"Try us, Bane," Fred winked, sending a chill down Dev's spine. Moments like this she realized her feelings weren't as in check as she had previously thought.

As they approached the Gryffindor common room, Fred and George spoke the password to the portrait. She seemed to eye Dev and May a bit before just shrugging and letting them all through. Inside, the Gryffindors were a sloppy mess. Dev scanned the crowd and wasn't surprised that amongst them, she didn't see Harry, Ron, or Hermione. How fitting, the boy they were celebrating had left his own party.

"Wow," May grimaced at the sight of students dancing and bumping into one another. Drinks were being spilled, people were chatting loudly. The gathering would certainly be broken up by a professor soon.

"I know right," The twins smiled, mistaking May's declaration of surprise as something positive.

"We'll get you guys a drink," In a flash, the boys were diving through the crowd and leaving the girls stunned at the entrance of the common room.

"Think we should've gone to the Hufflepuff's?" May posed nervously, sending Dev a glance.

"I dunno," Dev laughed awkwardly. "I've heard they can get quite freaky themselves."

May rolled her eyes lightly and gripped her best friends wrist as they made their way deeper into the party. People danced and chatted around them, not even really noticing how out of place the girl's felt. While the two were friendly with most people at Hogwarts, they didn't have a ton of actual friends in Gryffindor. So, now, they were just awaiting the twins return.

"Try this." Fred offered two drinks out to the girls. Dev took a gulp before really thinking about who she had gotten the drink from, regretting her decision almost immediately.

"Merlin," She gasped. "What the hell is that?"

"Dunno," Fred answered truthfully. "But it's what everyone's drinking, so."

Dev grimaced before taking another sip cautiously. The liquid in the cup smelt like the garage at the burrow and tasted even worse than it smelled. Still, whatever it was, it seemed to be making the other students have a good time, so she bit back her disgust and continued on. May eyed her drink warily, scrunching up her nose at the smell.

"You know what?" May thought, before extending her arm back out to Fred to return the drink. "I'm good, actually. I think I'll just go find Mione. She upstairs?"

"Uh, yeah, I think so," George nodded before pointing her in the direction of the girl's dorms. May took the opposite steps, knowing the twins too well to trust their directions the first time. As she made her way up the steps without them transforming into a slide, something that happened when someone of another gender tried to climb them, it was clear she was right in her distrust.

"Well?" Fred opened his arms and gestured around. "What d'ya think?"

Surprisingly, this was Dev's first time in the Gryffindor common room. Typically, May and her were too cautious to risk breaking the rules and entering other houses, but with the Triwizard tournament and all of the students mixing to celebrate, they figured this would be as good a time as ever.

"It's definitely..." Dev watched as a student began to wretch into a waste bin. "Something."

Both boys chuckled and sipped on their cups. As she gauged their reactions, it became clear that the two were already a bit buzzed. Most likely, they had started drinking before they went to search for the girls. It was evident in the way the putrid liquid no longer phased them.

"Oi, boys!" A voice called above the music and talking. All three of their heads shot up to see Angelina Johnson beckoning them over to where she stood with Katie Bell, laughing at some joke probably related to quidditch.

George began to make his way over, only to pause when he didn't feel the familiar presence of his twin on his side. He turned back with an inquisitive look on his face as Fred remained perched next to Dev. He leaned against the wall comfortably, making no effort to follow.

"Go on," Fred waved him off. George simply shrugged and continued on.

"You can go chat with your friends," Dev laughed, ignoring how excited she was that he chose to stay with her. "I'm okay, really."

"Nah," Fred shook his head. "Whatever it is, she can tell me about at it later. I think I'll stay with you."

Dev felt the oh-so familiar blush rise to her cheeks. She lifted her cup to her lips and gulped, hoping it provided enough coverage so he couldn't see the tint of her face. Luckily, the room was pretty dim, so she assumed he didn't notice.

"So, Freddie," She started, lowering her cup. "How many galleons did you lose betting on the dragons?"

"I don't wanna talk about it," He chuckled, so Dev knew that meant a lot. He took a sip before changing the subject. "So, I saw Roger Davies chatting up a certain French witch after the task."

"Ugh," Dev rolled her eyes at the thought of the boy. "I couldn't care less, really. If anything, I feel bad for her."

"There's the old Dev," Fred chuckled, thankful she was no longer associating with the boy. "You know, it really hasn't been your year, love wise."

"Why do you say that?" No year was 'her year' when it came to love, it seemed.

"I mean, first Davies, then everything with Georgie." He explained, his gaze trailing to where his brother was standing chatting to Angelina and Katie.

"Yeah," Dev snorted. It was the first time they'd brought up the George incident since that day, so she was quick to steer away from a conversation about it. "Well, it's not like you've been so successful, Freddie." Fred raised his cup to his lips and nodded slightly. "Why is it you don't have a girlfriend, then?"

"Suppose I'm just waiting for the right girl," He lowered his cup and looked the girl in the eye, causing her breath to hitch in her throat. Before she had the chance to respond, the lights flickered on quickly and the music was cut.

"What do you all think you're doing?" McGonagall's high-pitched voice screeched.

Fred's eyes widened and he quickly threw his cup to the side. Dev downed the last of the contents of hers before copying his actions. He held up a finger to his mouth, signaling for her to be quiet, before taking her hand and guiding her along the wall towards a set of stairs. Luckily, they were far from the entrance of the common room and the crowd provided a bit of coverage.

"I can't make it up!" Dev eyed the boy's stairs worriedly.

Without a second thought Fred picked up the girl and dashed up the stairs, hoping his plan would work. Perhaps if her feet didn't actually touch down, the stairs wouldn't transform into a slide. As they touched down at the final step without problem, both breathed a sigh of relief. Fred continued down the small corridor until he made it to a room Dev presumed was his and he hurried in, gently pushing the door shut behind him.

"I can't believe that work," Dev breathed out.

"I know," Fred nodded, sounding equally as shocked.

Both stared at the other for a moment, neither commenting on the fact that he was still holding her in his arms, bridal style. Dev's arms remained tightly wrapped around the boy's neck. Dev noted the light golden streaks in his brown eyes and the way his freckles even reached his ears. In all of their years of friendship, she couldn't think of a time she'd been this close to him for this long.

The moment was interrupted by the sound of approaching voices outside the door. Fred swore under his breath before quickly setting her down. He began to shove her into his wardrobe before she could protest. She heard the sound of his bed squeak as he presumedly jumped into it. Then, she heard the door open.

"Fred?" A male voice called out his name in surprise. Through the peak in the wardrobe door, Dev recognized it as Dorian Prickett, a 5th year Gryffindor Prefect. She assumed McGonagall sent him to do rounds and see who was in bed and who wasn't. "Gotta be honest, wasn't expecting you to not be at the party."

"Oh, I just decided to catch up on some light reading," Fred explained nonchalantly. Dev had to stifle her laughter.

"Right..." Prickett glanced around the room, seeming to determine there was nothing else for him there, before leaving. As soon as the door shut, she tumbled out of the wardrobe.

"Light reading?" She laughed, the alcohol suddenly catching up with her.

"Oh quiet," Fred rolled his eyes, removing his comforter and throwing his legs around the side of the bed. "I reckon you better stay here a bit before trying to sneak back, I'm sure they'll be searching around for awhile."

"It's okay Freddie, you can just admit you like my company," She wandered over and plopped down on the end of his bed with a smile.

"Well, that too," Fred grinned at that girl. As she searched his nearly flawless face, she realized she was in for a long night.

author's note !

um this is so long I apologize

also, I love writing cho. I feel like she gets a lot of hate for nothing. so I like showing bits of her relationship with cedric & how sweet she is.

anways, poor love sick dev why do I do these things to her

rose <3