To Hell ~ Fred Weasley

Chapter 40.

A/N ok I'm sorry for taking this long to update but working in retails during the holidays is no joke! Total chaos lol.

Anyway, here's the next chapter and I promise to update more often :)

"You're kidding me," said Helena a bit surprised, holding her porridge-filled spoon in mid-air.

"Not very fond of the idea, I see," replied Cedric with a chuckle, taking a sip from his pumpkin juice.

"Not really, no," she said truthfully, "but I guess I see the appeal. A thousand galleons is a lot of money!"

The first morning back at Hogwarts was chilly, the rain had ceased but the sky was still gloomy. But that didn't bother the student packed Great Hall during breakfast, as they were all happy to return to the magical school and chat about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament that would take place at Hogwarts.

"It's not just about the money. You heard Dumbledore," the brunet whispered excitedly, "'the glory of their school'... It'd be great if someone from Hufflepuff got chosen."

"What d'you mean?" asked Nina with a mouthfull of porridge, adjusting her uniform skirt on her seat where she had joined the boy at his house's table.

Cedric shrugged his shoulders and leaned closer to the girl.

"Well," he began, looking around the table before turning back to Helena, "Hufflepuff could use some of that glory, to be proud of something as big as having a Triwizard champion representing us and the entire school. It'd be nice, for a change."

"A change from...?" said Nina confused, not knowing what he meant.

"Okay, don't get mad at me for saying this," said Cedric, raising his hands in defense, "but Gryffindor makes it hard for us Hufflepuffs to stand out, especially since you have Harry Potter."

Nina scoffed at the comment, but then thought about what Cedric had said. She understood his point of view.

It was true Gryffindor was considered to have more of a presence than Hufflepluff, in some manners. And ever since Harry started at Hogwarts, he has put Gryffindor in the spotlight one way or another.

"It can get dangerous," she added, sighing. "But if you really want to go for it..."

"I am seventeen," Cedric pointed out with a grin.

Helena chuckled at the comment.

"Which reminds me... I have to check on a pair of redheads. See you in Charms?" asked Nina, pushing her empty breakfast bowl aside and rising from her seat, the time table Professor McGonagall had given her in hand.

"See you then!" said Cedric before a couple of his friends surrounded him.

Helena walked to her house table, waving at the famous golden trio and noticing Hermione was eating again after her rant in the common room about house elves last night. Nina convinced the bushy haired girl there were other ways to show her disapproval of house elves working at Hogwarts instead of starving herself.

Owls had been flying in and out of the Great Hall delivering letters or packaged if you had forgetten something at home, like in Neville's case. Helena's owl, Alfie, had stopped by as well but empty handed. The girl then assumed the owl wanted to join the party and promised him she would send a letter to her father later that day.

Reaching the spot were the twins were talking with Lee Jordan, Helena struggled to squeeze herself to sit between Fred and George since they did not move an inch and decided to enjoy watching their stubborn friend.