❝ The dangerous task. ❝
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Sounds of loud trumpets and bangs of drums echoes far beyond even until to the champion's tent. From where Harry sat nervously on the edge of the bed he acquired, he felt his mind about to explode and yet he remains perfectly healthy on the outside. The upbeat musical isn't helping him nor was the other champions pacing back 'n forth helping either.
Just near the entrance and exit of the tent they nervously wait in, Cedric partly peeks outside and his lips form into a grin that he couldn't prevent. "Thought you were joking, Rory." He says in delight, relieved to see a friendly and familiar face enough to welcome her with an embrace.
"Me? Joking? Never." Aurora chuckles and there it plead again of her wonderous laugh before she parts away from Cedric. "Did Bagman pressured you enough? You look so green, Diggory."
"Just chosen our dragons from a bag." He takes in a large amount of breath, laughing tiredly out like it was something so funny yet serious to claim. "Not at all worrying and frightening, you know."
Aurora replies in a silent chuckle, patting his shoulder and bid him goodluck as he is still needed after all this is over. Perhaps a drink in Hogsmeade but it wasn't like she wants him as a date. Merely friends like they are suppose to be years ago. Neither of them happen to approach the other since they are on opposite houses. If ever one of them did, they'd be inseparable or perhaps even dating. Aurora wasn't sure but she wasn't against it at all as well.
"You're not suppose to be here." Fleur exclaims, stopped pacing like a snail had been chasing her for the past couple minutes. Any second now, she felt like her breakfast would be sprawled on the ground if she stops. Seeing Aurora with somewhat of a comforting expression made it a bit better.
"Do you wish for me to leave?" Aurora pouts, seeing the difference between Cedric and Fleur. While Cedric seem so pale and tense, Fleur seemed calmer and more stoic than the rest. Even Viktor Krum who was in the corner of the room is muttering to himself of who knows what. "I can just go if you —"
Thus interrupted with an embrace, Fleur can't help but initiate. It made her calmer when Aurora hugs her in return, arms wrapped around her waist and delicately holds her as if she's the most fragile thing in the world. "You're shaking." Aurora points out in whisper, tense but soft when she holds Fleur.
"Well — I'm nervous, of course I'd be shaking." Fleur scoffs, taking time and pressure on herself to back away from the Black who held in the urge to laugh at her reply. "I admit, I'm nervous of another thing too."
"What can possible shake your boots other than facing a dragon?" Amused, Aurora can't help but ask. It's only a matter of time before the cannon strikes, indicating it's time for Cedric to go first.
"I heard there is a place where students can go in the weekends."
"You mean Hogsmeade?" Aurora was meaning to go there for a while now. Even more eager to now than before especially when she found herself being deeply under the influence of Fleur's charms. Not because of her veela heritage, but because it was insanely fun and relaxing to be with someone who does not look at you like your father's a killer.
"Well, yes. I've been meaning to visit and well. . . I'd really appreciate it if you want to come with me." It's been a long week of building up the courage to ask without knowing that Aurora did the same. Fleur may have been the most nervous in the tent than anyone else as she waited for Aurora to reply.
Before giving a proper answer, Aurora just bit back a smirk and said, "like a date?" Fleur realized that listening to Aurora speak french may just be the best thing she's ever heard.
"Like a date." Fleur repeats, sinking into the feeling that she just asked and there was no turning back if ever Aurora refuses her offer. "Don't build suspense. I'm nervous enough as it is." She mutters, impatient as her arms were now crossed and heard Aurora softly laugh and genuine.
"It's quite impossible to refuse anything you want, you know." Aurora always expected herself to do whatever Fleur wants and she was unsure if that time was now. Especially with acquaintances she knows warning her to stay away from Fleur because of her heritage and being quite literally on the opposite team, Aurora ignored their warnings as she fell too deep to get back up.
"You want to refuse?"
"No, of course not." Aurora quickly assures, seeing Fleur's shoulder deflate and her worries lessened. "If ever I did, I'm pretty sure Elias would kill me for missing such an opportunity." She comments out of nowhere, could see the Grant shake her of why she refused Fleur Delacour of all people in the world.
"Mind giving me a direct answer then?" Fleur isn't entirely amused by how many words she's heard from Aurora and yet not a single one has confirmation of a direct answer to her offer.
Aurora chuckles, "Where's the fun in that?" She sent a mischievous grin, arms unfolding and ready to go visit her dear cousin who must be puking or hallucinating from anxiety. "Just, um. . ." She pauses. It was crazy to see that she was playful earlier and now serious. "Be careful, yeah?"
Last thing Aurora needs was to lose someone she is beginning to feel hopelessly attached to.
"You're not really giving me an answer, are you?"
"We'll see, Miss Delacour." Aurora winks just as high as her voice is, pulling open the drapes to see Harry looking surprised to see her here. His elbows rest on his knees, seemed as if he was praying but all he did was recall his training to conjure something using a spell.
"Well. . . At least you aren't fighting in a pool of lava, Har."
Upon returning back to the cheerful crowd to watch Cedric Diggory battle a dragon first, Aurora spots Fred and George taking in bets like the sport was a professional athletic game. It made her shake her head at the scene before joining Elias and Daphne, albeit the three of them in a crowd of Krum of supports. Though they have full support in Cedric and in Elias and Daphne's case, a bit to Harry Potter for the sake of their friend, Aurora.
Watching intensely as Cedric turned a rock into a dog, making the dragon of his choosing chase off on it mindlessly. As Cedric advances his moved, making everyone sit on the edge of their seats, he almost tripped but slid down a large rock that caused a loud noise. At this point, everyone started to shout at him to hurry up as the dragon now flared at Cedric when it spots him reaching to a golden egg.
The moment he did touch one, the dragon spewed out a large chunk of fire that burnt the side of his face. People reacted violently as they saw and heard Cedric yell, rolling down on the ground while keeping his hold on the golden egg securely. The staff handling the dragon shrinked it back into a tiny size, making sure it won't hurt anyone any longer.
"Oh, that's got to hurt." Elias sucked in a breath, winced when Cedric was being escorted back up to where Madam Pompfrey awaits to heal him. Aurora's worried, leaned forward to the ledge and her hands curled in nervous for a friend.
"Think he'll be okay?" Aurora asks, barely a whisper.
Before either Elias or Daphne could answer her, Bagman now called Fleur's name, doubling down Aurora's nervousness as she now stood up with the rest of the Slytherin who leaned forward to the ledge. She watched Fleur come out, the dragon already twice the size of everything else in its path.
It was only for a second when Fleur looks around, possibly searching for Aurora and refused to look at fellow Beauxbaton students who were cheering her on. Afraid to have seen her little sister's scarred expression, she instead sees Aurora who broke into a comforting smile and mouthed, "you got this."
Fleur holds her wand tightly and puts the manic dragon down to a sleeping trance that further silenced everyone out of the tense atmosphere she created. Succeeded in her task, someone had cheered loudly and was silenced by their friend rather violently by a smack behind the head. Fleur carefully yet swiftly went around the snoring dragon and captured the egg and the loud cheer explodes.
It startled the dragon who snored heavily than before, unintentionally breathing out fire that reached Fleur's skirt. Immediately and before panic sets in, she extinguished the fire from out the tip of her wand that sent relief to Aurora who almost fainted if not, passed out.
"Thought you're the one dying there." Elias snickers, clapping heavily just like the rest of the students.
"Shut up." Then Aurora realized she won't get a break if ever Harry would face his dragon. Now that made her sit down, her legs wobbly like jelly.