Just Say Yes || Fred Weasley

Chapter Seventy Eight

With the afternoon free, I abandoned the Weasley's and Lee, instead seeking out Cedric.
I eventually found him surrounded by his Hufflepuff friends, all of them seemingly hyping him up for the Third Task while his dad parroted the same 4 phrases, bragging about his son's achievements.
"He looks scared shitless" Miles stated, arm resting on my head as he came to rest by my side, "we should probably save him"
"You think?" I laughed, slapping his hand away, "I think this is more fun"
Finally spotting us, Cedric raised his eyebrows, frantically trying to convey a message with his eyes.
"I think he wants us to save him" I laughed, leaning against the column, "Do you want to go get him?"
"Nah. You?"
"Nah"
The two of us smiled and waved, laughing when Cedric gave us an angry glare.
"Why are you torturing the poor sod" Beth laughed, arriving with her arm looped through Ebony's, pushing past us with a grin, "I'll go and save him"
Relief washed over his face as Beth grabbed his arm and dragged him away from the group, stammering excuses as he went.
"We're too good to him" Ebony joked, smile brightening as Beth returned, releasing Cedric with a flourish.
"His parents are gonna stay with his fan club over there" Beth teased, nudging Cedric's side, "his dad wants to keep talking about his perfect boy"
"Oh he's not started that rant again has he" Conor asked, exasperated, "that's never ending"
"He's just excited" Cedric blushed, rubbing the back of his neck as we walked away from the courtyard, "I just wish he wouldn't put down the others so much"
I nodded, remembering the conversation at the World Cup.
"Well we're here to save you from your existential crisis" Miles grinned, massaging his shoulders, "I could see you were about to blow over there"
"Thanks" he sighed, wandering towards the Black Lake and sitting down on the grass with a huff, the rest of us following suit, "it's just a lot and I don't want to think about tonight too much or I'll panic"
"I get what you mean" Beth smiled, punching his shoulder lightly, "So instead shut up and listen to this. We saw Professor Flitwick and Snape having a fight in the corridor-"

By the time the sky had started to turn a light pink, Cedric sighed, rubbing his hands over his face before plastering on a large smile.
"Not long now" he grimaced.
"You're gonna smash it Ced" I smiled, grabbing his face and pulling him towards me so I could place a kiss to his forehead, "go kick their asses"
Laughing, we all stood up, shaking the numbness from our legs.
"Bring back the win!" Beth cheered, lifting him up in a hug and backing away after placing an overenthusiastic kiss on his cheek.
He chuckled, shaking his head at our madness, "I will, promise. I've got to find Cho-"
"Go to your girlfriend you dork" I laughed, shoving him in her direction, "shoo!"
We watched as he walked off, Ebony wrapping her arms around Beth's waist comfortingly.
"He's gonna be fine" Conor said eventually, clapping his hands together with a smile, "all we can do now is eat our dinner and wait"
"Speaking of dinner" I said pointedly, "I've got to get back, but I'll see you all after the task"
"Oh, right you're in the tent! Good luck with your... healing?"
I giggled at Beth's attempt of support, pulling all four of them into a hug, "Thanks Beth, have fun all of you"

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes time I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch Pitch for the third and last task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr Bagman down to the stadium now"
I watched as Harry got up, applauding along with the rest of the Gryffindors.
"He'll be fine" Hermione said, almost as if reassuring herself.
"He will be" I smiled, placing a hand on her shoulder.
As the doors shut behind the champions, Madam Pomfrey came up behind me, "Come on now. We need to get there before the rush"
"Ooh, we get a fast pass" I joked, huffing good naturedly when Madam Pomfrey levelled me with an unimpressed look, "it's a muggle - oh nevermind"
Ignoring the laughs of the Weasley's around me, I waved goodbye, sending one last reassuring smile to Fred before I went.

Seeing me constantly eyeing Harry, Pomfrey sighed, "Go and talk to him - just be back before the beginning of the task"
"Thanks Poppy!" I smiled, running away before she could scold me for using her first name.
Seeing me approach, Harry seemed to deflate, shuffling away from Ludo Bagman with a grateful smile in my direction.
"Emily!" he smiled, grabbing my arm and pulling me further away from the man, voice dropping to a hiss once we were far enough away, "he wont leave me alone"
"Creepy bastard" I laughed, humour dropping as I looked at Harry, placing my hands on his shoulders, "are you ready for this, HP?"
"Yeah - yeah I think so. Hermione and Ron have been going through hexes and charms with me, so I think I should be okay" he said, straightening himself as he tried to sound wholly confident.
"Just remember that hexes can rebound from hard surfaces - so be careful if you come across any creatures" my eyes settled on Hagrid, "I wouldn't be surprised if there are some weird things in there. Aim for the stomach, 9 times out of 10 that's it's soft spot"
"Aim for the stomach. Got it"
"I'm proud of you" I smiled, ruffling his hair, "just know that everyone will be, no matter where you place, okay?"
"Yeah I know"
"That said... I'd love to see the look on Draco's face when you win, wouldn't you?"
That made him laugh, the final cord of stress seemingly gone for the moment. The distant sound of people began to flood the pitch, the small frown returned to his face.
"I've got to get back to the medical tent now" I sighed, looking over my shoulder, "Just make sure I don't see you until the task is done, okay? Be safe"
"Got it"
I brought him into a tight hug, patting his back before pulling away, waving to Cedric as I walked past.
"Good luck Ced!"

"Thanks!" he smiled, face peeking at me from over his father's shoulder, "See you after"
"Not a moment too soon, Diggory!"