PRANKSTER [1] ↝ C. DIGGORY

forty-three

Ron was next up the ladder, followed by Harry, all three of the newcomers being greeted with towels and robes as Clary and Cedric had been, as well as Viktor and Hermione. As the scene began to calm down, and Dumbledore ordered the judges over to discuss the events that had taken place, with Harry rescuing two champions despite returning after the allotted time, Cedric put an arm around Clary in an attempt to help her warm up, and she smiled as Vasantha and Newt managed to finally push their way through the crowd to them, closely followed by Fred and George, the latter's hand held tightly in Vasantha's, much to Clary's own surprise and excitement.

"You did it!" Newt exclaimed excitedly as both sets of twins reached them. "You made it back first, you won!" Newt went to hug his best friend, though stopped short as he saw both Cedric and Clary still drenched and slightly shivering in the frigid air after their swim in the lake in the middle of February. "On second thought, how about a fist bump?" Newt asked, and Cedric laughed, raising his fist and hitting it against his best friend's.

"Well, it's not over yet." Cedric said. "I may have returned first, but Harry made it down there before me. If he hadn't been so concerned with getting Fleur's sister back and making sure everyone was okay, then he would've won, there's no question about that."

"ATTENTION!" Dumbledore's voice, magnified through the power of his wand, rang through the stadium, causing silence to ensue amongst the student spectators. "The winner is... Mr. Diggory!"

Clary and her friends cheered in victory as Cedric was pronounced the winner, a flash going off from one of the cameras held by a photographer from the Daily Prophet, capturing their moment. Cedric was absolutely buzzing, and pulled Clary in for a kiss, his fist raising triumphantly into the air as Newt and Vasantha jumped up and down in celebration, Fred and George clapping and cheering next to them.

"However," Dumbledore continued, "as Mr. Potter would have finished first had it not been for his determination to rescue not only Mr. Weasley but the others as well, we have agreed to award him second place! For outstanding moral fibre."

The cheers roared through the stands again at the news that both Hogwarts champions had taken first and second place in the task, Clary watching as Ron and Hermione cheered for Harry near the ladder to the docks and clapping along for her brother's friend. Suddenly Fred and George stiffened where they stood next to Clary, their eyes landing on where the Triwizard judges still gathered in the center of the crowd.

"George," Fred said, "Look, it's Bagman. Let's go get our money, once and for all!"

"Let's go," George agreed, already making a beeline for the judges' table. "Oi! Bagman!"

Clary watched with a chuckle as Fred and George ran off, turning back to Cedric, Newt, and Vasantha. "Alright," she said, still shivering, and Cedric's arm pulled her closer in an attempt to warm her up. "I'd like to get into some dry clothes and warm up a little, but I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday. Food?"

"Food sounds lovely after fighting off hordes of grindylows to save you from the merpeople." Cedric said nonchalantly, and Clary elbowed him in the side. "What? No thank you? No 'Cedric, you're my hero?'" the boy scoffed sarcastically, causing her to roll her eyes.

"Just keep walking, hero." Clary said with a smirk as they began their trek back up to the castle.

Clary, Cedric, Newt, and Vasantha finally reached the top of the hill, the former two sighing in relief as they reached the warm air of the fiery sconces that lit the corridors. The girls bid a quick goodbye to the boys, rushing up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower with the promise that they'd all meet back outside the Great Hall in fifteen minutes. Clary tried her hardest not to slip up the stairs in her wet shoes as she climbed each flight, the weight of her long-discarded school robe hanging heavy in her hands.

When she finally reached the sixth year girls' dormitory, Clary slipped out of her wet clothes, pulling on a dry pair of jeans and the new jumper her mother had knitted her for Christmas that year, pulling it on and wringing out her damp hair. Vasantha also quickly changed out of the clothes she'd worn during the Second Task, also damp from a cold day spent in such close proximity to the Black Lake, and once both girls were ready, they retreated back down the stairs in pursuit of the Great Hall.

"Took you both long enough," Newt said as the girls reached the Great Hall, taking seats across from where the boys sat at the Hufflepuff table, Clary instantly pouring herself a hot glass of apple cider to warm up as she shot Newt a glare.

"Cut me some slack." Clary said. "I've been under a spell and at the bottom of the lake since last night, I needed some time."

"Glad our champion here could save you." Newt smiled, gesturing to Cedric as he raised his glass of pumpkin juice in a toast. "To Cedric Diggory, the next Triwizard champion."

Clary and Vasantha both smiled, raising their glasses high. "To Cedric."