But six days flew by, and she still hadn't managed to speak to James.

She'd tried a million times. She'd tried to ask him how his day was going, if he liked dinner, what he thought of a lesson, etcetera, but he didn't respond.

Every time, he just gave a non committal shrug, or else completely ignored her.

By day four, Azalea had given up. James hadn't spoken to her, let alone looked at her, for days. And neither had Fred or Louis, really. Azalea suspected James had told them not to engage with her.

"I don't know what to do," she declared, head in her arms on the desk, during a potions lesson on day five, the day before the task. Despite the task being the next day, the champions still had to go to classes, in case of missing important learning.

However, all Professor Slughorn had done was give them the instructions to brew a Draught of Living Death, a notoriously tricky potion that they'd started working on last year. Azalea, who was his model student (his words), had managed it then, way before everyone else, but she wasn't exactly trying now.

"You can cheer up, that's what," said Louis over the top of his cauldron.

Azalea raised her head, looking at him miserably. "Why are you talking to me? I thought you were icing me out."

"Not icing you out, more just not chatting to you when James is around," Louis shrugged. "But he and Fred aren't in this class, so here we are."

Azalea rolled her eyes, burying her head back into her arms.

"Come on, Lea," Alice, who was also at the table, said. "At the very least, you need to brew this potion. You're the only one who really knows how and I'm relying on copying you."

"Crush the sopophorous bean to release the juice," Azalea muttered, head still in her hands, her friends not able to hear her.

"No, I mean you have to do it," corrected Alice, who had barely heard her.

"No, what I have to do is figure out what I'm gonna do about the task tomorrow," she groaned. "Louis, is James seriously mad about this?"

Louis sighed. "He seems it, yeah. He hasn't really told Fred or I anything, but what he does say is that he's annoyed at you."

"Lils was right. He does still like you, it's obvious," Alice told her best friend.

"Urghhhh," Azalea growled, head in her hands this time. "I just wanted one year where everything was normal. Now I'm in a tournament where I could die, I have two boys after me and I've just seriously, seriously pissed off one of them, the one I have to work with tomorrow."

The other two watched with a sigh as she lowered her head to the desk again, a groan coming from the back of her throat.

"Right, listen to me," Louis said. When she didn't look at him, he said. "Get your head up and listen, Azalea."

Lea sighed, lifting her head up and resting her hands on her chin. "What?"

"This is not broken beyond repair," Louis told her. "Yes, James is butt-hurt, but tomorrow in the task you're going to have to work together, and he can't say anything about that."

Azalea sighed, continuing to look at him as he went on. "You're prepared for tomorrow. You two've been working so hard for it, I know you're ready. Yes, James may act a bit frosty towards you, but when it comes down to it he'll work with you, I know he will."

Azalea smiled slightly.

"And after all this is finished, I can talk to him if you want, and tell him you want to be his friend," Louis told her. "I mean, it might take him a while to adjust, but... he could go for it."

Azalea nodded, saying. "Thanks, Louis."

"Oh," Alice added with a shy smirk. "And if this experience has taught me anything, it's one important lesson about you."

Azalea frowned. "And that is?"

"You're afraid of losing James Potter."

✾✾✾

"You're afraid of losing James Potter."

She wasn't.

She really was not.

She was just afraid of losing the task, not losing him.

She didn't care if she lost him or not.

But looking across the breakfast table at him, sat stabbing his fork aimlessly into his bacon, she realised that might not be true.

Fuck.

It was the morning of the first task, and Azalea was more scared than anything. She and James both had their quidditch outfits on, his with POTTER 09 on the back and hers with EDWARDS 08.

They weren't looking at each other.

"You ready for this?" Lily asked the both of them, trying to break the very tense atmosphere that was being created.

"Yeah," both of them muttered in sync, still not looking up.

"Well, that's reassuring," Rose, who was sitting next to her cousin, said tensely.

"Yeah," Azalea and James repeated at the same time, still not looking.

"Right, this is ridiculous," Alice said, after a look at Louis. "James, we get it, you like Lea, but you need to push that aside for the sake of your survival today. Lea, it wasn't the best move to yell at him the other day, but you made a mistake, he'll get over it. The point is, you two are being idiots and for today, you need to set aside your drama, and work together."

"Way to chuck us under the bus, Alice," James snapped at the blonde girl.

"Don't talk to her like that," Azalea told him, still not making eye contact.

"It's all true," Louis told them. "Listen, we're all gonna be watching and supporting you with everything we have, but you guys have to support each other as well."

Azalea and James still weren't looking at each other, their eyes instead boring into the table.

"Come on, guys, you need to head down there soon," Fred said, giving James a clap on the back. "Good luck, mate."

And as Alice, Rose and Lily hugged Azalea and the boys hi fived her, she decided that maybe she was being ridiculous.

But that didn't make this situation any less confusing.

✾✾✾

They ended up walking down together.

Not by choice, exactly, but more by circumstance. The champions had to be down at what was the quidditch pitch earlier than the spectators, and they were heading from the same place.

The first thirty seconds were awkward, until Azalea finally spoke.

"I'm, er... I'm sorry for going off on you," she muttered.

"It's fine," James said quickly, awkwardly. "I shouldn't have done it, it's fine."

"But James," Azalea knew she sounded desp, but she was. "We have to work together out there, and-"

"And what?"

James had stopped walking, turning to face her fully and making eye contact with her for the first time in days. Azalea stopped too, her face looking like she'd been slapped.

"James-"

"And what, Azalea?" James questioned, his eyes narrowed, his tone cold. "You made it very clear that you didn't like me, and were never going to, and you know what? That's fine. Let's not even be friends, Azalea, that's fine by m-"

"We have to work together here, James! That was your whole reason for entering us into the tournament!" Azalea exclaimed.

"Well, I'm feeling pretty stupid about that now!" James raised his voice, taking a step closer to her.

"Don't say that," Azalea told him, shaking her head. "D-don't-"

"Yeah? And what if I mean it?" James snapped. "What if I wish I had never done this fucking tournament?"

"Shut up," Azalea shook her head.

"I think you've taken me liking you all these years for granted," James told her. "I think you're an absolute bitch, Azalea, who always thought I'd be hung up on you."

"James..." Azalea shook her head, tears appearing in her eyes. "James, I didn't-"

"Oh yeah?" James raised his eyebrows.

And as Azalea looked into his eyes, she realised it was maybe a little bit true. Maybe she had taken James liking her for granted, never really imagining him being anything but loving and annoying to her.

"Y-yeah," she replied, her eye contact wavering.

James scoffed. "You're lying."

And Azalea couldn't even deny it as she looked down, a tear leaking down her cheek.

"Come on, let's go work together as though we're not dying to tear each other apart," James snapped, getting ahold of her arm and dragging her along with him.

Just as she second tear fell.

✾✾✾

Well, the quidditch pitch was definitely not a quidditch pitch anymore.

Azalea came to a stop when she saw the big open space, with stands high around it for the spectators. But it was the actual stuff on the pitch that made her falter.

In the middle of the pitch were what appeared to be three lanes, separated by thick bushes that Azalea was sure would be enchanted. What the lanes contained was yet to be seen, but Azalea suspected some kind of obstacle course.

However, the lanes weren't the only thing. Because, up above them, there was something else. Three rings, suspended in the air over each lane. Rings big enough to fit a broomstick through-

"They said we only had wands," Azalea shook her head. "They never said anything about flying."

"Well, lucky for us, I'm a competent flyer, so it's fine," James said back in a frosty tone, that let Azalea know she wasn't to tease him and say if he was sure the competent flyer in the group was him.

So Azalea just ignored him.

"Come on," she said, her own tone frosty, as she walked on to where the champions' tent was, silently praying that Lauri would be there so she could hug him.

He wasn't, to her disappointment. The champions tent so far only contained the two Beauxbatons champions, Adelaide and Eleanor, the heads of all three schools, so McGonagall, Madam Maxine and Miss Korkonen, and Harry Potter.

He grinned as soon as he saw the two Hogwarts champions, coming over.

"Hey you two, you ready?" He asked with a grin.

Azalea didn't know whether she was supposed to act the way they had been around Harry or pretend they were fine, so she let James take the lead.

"Yeah," her fellow champion said with a huge grin. "We've been practicing like mad, so we should be prepared."

Okay, guess we're pretending we're fine, then.

"That's good," Harry grinned. "Well, everyone's here to watch you, so you better do well."

"Who's 'everyone'?" James raised his eyebrows.

"Well, all your uncles and aunts, including Uncle Charlie who's over from Romania, all your cousins that aren't already here, Hannah, Alice's mum, Teddy and your granny and grandad," Harry grinned. "They're taking up a lot of seats."

"Are there other families here?" Azalea asked with interest.

"I think so, I heard a couple french accents earlier," Harry said with a smile. "Are your parents not coming, Azalea?"

Azalea shook her head. "Erm... my parents barely even know what this tournament is and my sister absolutely despises me, so... yeah, not much choice there."

"Oh yes, James told me about your sister from the summer, she sounds... well, like you just described her," he said with gritted teeth.

"Yeah," Azalea nodded, feeling James' eyes sliding from his father onto her.

"Okay, I have to go and see what Professor McGonagall is saying about this, but good luck for the task, you'll be amazing," he grinned, hugging James tightly.

"Thanks, dad," his son told him, grinning back at his father. (The first proper smile Azalea had seen him give anyone in ages).

As he left, the last two champions entered the tent. Lauri and Adrian were wide awake, grinning and chuckling as they came in.

"Lea!" Lauri said with a grin, heading over to Azalea who smiled back at him.

"Hey, Lauri!" She said with a smile, hugging him tightly before pulling away. "You ready for this?"

"Born ready," Lauri smirked. "We're gonna wipe your score out the park."

If James and I can't find a way to work together in the next five minutes, you're probably right.

"Yeah right," Azalea said with a confident tone, despite not feeling as confident inside.

"No, I'm serious," Lauri's face hardened. "You don't stand a chance."

"Alright," Azalea crossed her arms. "We'll see who's laughing once we've finished."

"Yeah, us," Adrian, his friend, butted in. "What'd you think we're here for, a holiday?"

Azalea crossed her arms, staring at the both of them with narrowed eyes. "Alright then," she said, eyes sliding from Adrian and onto Lauri. "Bring on the task."

She turned on her heel and headed back over to James, who had a weird expression of confusion, anger and another emotion she couldn't place on his face.

Now, James had been watching these events unfold very carefully. At first, he had wanted to scope out the vibe between Azalea and Lauri in a way that meant he couldn't be yelled at, but after seeing the way she was just treated, he felt something else.

Anger. Anger for how he was dismissing her, anger for how she was being treated. But he was angry at himself for feeling angry. Because that meant he still cared, and he couldn't afford to.

(Deep down, however, he knew full well that he still cared for her, in more than the way a friend would another friend).

He didn't let himself concentrate on any of that, however, because despite the anger he was feeling at Azalea, he knew they would have to put their feelings aside and work together.

And it appeared this was their window, as when Azalea turned around she too looked angry, and she too clearly was feeling a (however momentary) annoyance towards Lauri.

"We have to fucking beat him- them," she hissed as she neared him, crossing her arms. "Listen, I know you hate me, but I swear to fuck if you don't put it aside right now and help us win, I'm going to lose it."

(Shit, she looked cute when she was this fired up-)

He didn't reply, instead just giving her a small nod and crossing his arms.

Because despite how much he wanted to pick her up in his arms right now and snog her, he knew he couldn't.

And although feelings of love were shining through, ones of hate still lingered, and her words echoed in his head.

"I will never go out with you, James Sirius Potter. Because I just don't like you like that."