THE SATURDAY before the First Task dawned bright and clear, crisp and cold; Helga Hufflepuff's portrait had donned a festive badger scarf to stave off the late November chill, and the little plants that rested upon the windowsills had all been dressed in the tiniest knitted hats of sunflower yellow and baby pink, with teeny gloves over their leaves to keep them warm. ( Courtesy of Elaine herself, as her knitting skills were getting quite good! ) The succulents seemed to really enjoy their new adornments, and they swayed with content happiness as they watched the loose autumn leaves tumble over the stiff, brown grass.
Beneath the backdrop of the milky blue sky, tiny puffs of steam curled upward from the incoming ruby train, and it was that that Elaine had been watching for carefully since she'd awoken near dawn, too excited to sleep. Because the most important person in her entire world ( sorry Cedric! ) was on that steam-engine.
Ben. Sure, it hadn't been too long since Elaine had last seen her older brother, but he had always been the most constant presence in her life, and she always missed him dearly. Plus, it was his birthday, and out of anything in the world he could've done ( because it was a Gallagher family tradition to do whatever or go wherever the birthday boy or girl wanted! ), he'd chosen to catch a train to see her. Yes, Ben could be prickly and prying and irritating and obstinate on occasion, but he was also so incredibly sweet. And though she didn't say it that often, Elaine loved her brother, and she really thought the world of him.
At the sight of that steam, Elaine was up and out of bed in a flurry of lean limbs and giddy smiles, already dressed in her coziest sweater and jeans, and she'd braided her golden hair back into two pigtails at five in the morning, while trying to tone down some of her excited energy. In a flash, she'd shrugged on her thick lavender coat and jammed a baby pink hat onto her head ( she had knitted herself one too, of course, to match the plants ). Her mittens were already in her pocket, which she patted to make sure because she was quite forgetful, and Elaine was foraging about in her trunk trying to find her scarf, which she had a habit of losing, when a soft knock rapped at the door.
She turned to see Cedric there, his grin endearingly lopsided as he leaned against the doorframe. His caramel curls were messy from sleep and a warm tiredness pulled at his eyes adorably, but he'd insisted on waking up early to accompany her to Hogsmeade. Because Ben was basically his brother too, he'd said. ( And, yes, her heart had done a cartwheel at that, because Cedric was the cutest human alive. )
"Ready?" he whispered, slipping his hands into the pockets of his olive coat, which lay unbuttoned over his favorite mustard yellow sweater and charcoal plaid scarf. She nodded eagerly as she slipped the strap of her camera around her neck, giving up on finding her scarf because the fruitless search was wasting precious minutes.
The strap was new — colored a pale cream and embroidered with little dancing strawberries and blackberries, tiny bumblebees weaving about them. Blake had ordered it a few days ago, using an express owl service, as an apology for his behavior; she'd hugged him extra tightly after that, the kind of squeezy hug that left you both breathless. Blake Barrett was, despite popular belief, a wonderful friend with the biggest heart. ( And even though Milo complained about him often, Blake was one of the good ones. )
She had hurried across the room in a silent flash, golden braids bouncing on her shoulders in excitement, and Cedric's face crinkled in amusement. His smile grew as he slowly looked her over, from the tip of her pink hat to her fuzzy socked feet, and said, "Ellie. Are you sure you aren't forgetting something?"
She wiggled her toes, cozy in their thick woolen socks, and went through her mental checklist. "Ben's gift!" she whisper shouted, and frantically began patting all of her pants and coat pockets while Cedric laughed softly. A sigh of relief escaped her as a package ( an adorable framed photo of the two of them hugging last Christmas, that she'd decorated with stickers and the like ) crinkled in her breast pocket, and she glanced up at Cedric with confusion plain on her face, cheeks already flush with joy. "No?"
Cedric gently touched the tip of her nose, and then he reached out to tuck a pale strand of hair back behind her ear. His warm fingers were soft as a feather, seeming to linger on her freckled cheek, and a faraway look came over his eyes; they gleamed like jewels of captured starlight. Elaine found she couldn't look away, and held his tender gaze as steadily as she could, though her heart thundered and her stomach performed flips and she knew her cheeks were red hot. She was utterly transfixed by him, and like a magnet, she was drawn to him. She always would be. Elaine was positive that Cedric Diggory was her sun, the star of her universe, the point around which everything she was and ever would be revolved. And she was more than okay with that.
You know that feeling of dizziness that you get on a merry-go-round, when you're spinning and laughing and the world is a beautiful blur of vibrant color and light and sound, and everything has that distinctly golden, rosy hue, and it's just such a perfect moment of distilled happiness that your heart seems to leap a little higher with the joy of life itself? Because that's what Elaine felt like, with Cedric's fingers soft and light as butterfly wings caressing her cheek, his eyes melded with hers in an endless sea of silvery blue.
"Elaine," he said, his voice so impossibly gentle that it tugged at the very strings of her heart.
"Cedric, I —"
One of the slumbering girls released a particularly loud snore, and their trance broke. Cedric's tender touch slipped from her cheek, and Elaine released a breath she hadn't realized she was holding as she quickly ducked her head. His warmth lingered, like a dearly beloved ghost.
Merlin, she hadn't been about to tell him, had she?
"Shoes!" they said simultaneously, and then slipped into hushed laughter as Elaine hurried back over to her bed, thankful for a reason to have a moment to compose herself, gather a few calming breaths, as she laced up her boots. How dare he get her so flustered, with just a touch, just a look! ( But she loved it, maybe, secretly. ) The nerve of it, for him to have such a powerful effect over her, while she held nothing over him.
The negative thoughts threatened to cloud around her, swirling like thunder: Cho and Cedric, the First Task, Cedric and Cho, dragons, human transfigurations, Cho and Cedric. But Elaine closed her eyes and focused on the light. The new camera strap from Blake, that she really just never wanted to take off because it was so adorable. Ben was there, waiting for her, just moments away. His girlfriend too. Cedric was spending the day with them, just them, alone. And everything would always, always be fine. So for now, she wouldn't let herself worry about anything. Because Ben could always sense when she was worried and he had a terrifying way of teasing her fears out of her.
She exhaled the rest of her doubts and a smile rose to her lips as she skipped back across the room to where Cedric waited with an amused look on his face and a faint rosy blush. The pair looped arms, and they were off through the winding corridors with Elaine leading the way, walking as fast as her legs would take her. Though his legs were much longer, he fell in step beside her, matched her pace, and they walked perfectly in sync with their shoulders flush against each other. Already, the late autumn chill leached through the glass panes and nipped at their cheeks, and before they slipped outside, Elaine made sure to tug on her pink mittens ( because her hands were always cold ). Cedric squeezed the tips of her fingers as she looped her arm through his again and they shared a smile as sweet as summer as they set off down the path.
The sun was still low in the pale sky, burning a soft butter yellow, though its warmth couldn't fend off the brisk winds that buffeted them. Elaine pressed herself closer to Cedric's side, both for balance and for warmth, and his arm slipped around her shoulders instead, pulling her in even more. She glanced up at him through her lashes as they followed the dirt path down the sloping, sleeping hills; in the distance, Hogsmeade grew steadily closer, though the village streets were still quite devoid of Hogwarts students. Cedric looked down at her with a softness in his eyes, and the wind ruffled his hair. There wasn't a sound except the light song of the rustling amber leaves and the faint crunch of the dirt beneath their feet.
Elaine made to reach up, to brush the curls out of his eyes, but before she could, Cedric's face had split into a crooked grin and he had whisked her pink hat off of her head, shoving it quickly onto his own. He then promptly took off at a sprint towards the village, his scarf trailing behind him and his bright laughter singing out like a melody.
"Ced!" Elaine cried, and took off after him, pigtails bouncing on her shoulders. His legs were so long it was quite unfair, and he actually ran for fun. ( Who even does that? ) He had already turned down the street that led to the station before she even crossed over the cobbled bridge into town. "Wait up!"
"Elaine!" came the answering shout, and it was a voice that set her heart soaring into the cottontail clouds.
"Ben!" That had her speeding up, her feet flying over the streets, the rustic buildings a blur of dark colors as she focused on the figures slowly coming into view — Cedric in her pink hat, smiling next to a tall, muscular man with golden hair that curled about his shoulders and eyes as green as the sea; a slender wisp of a woman with hair darker than the veil of the night sky; and an adorable, furry beast that began to bark and leap excitedly at the sight of her, straining against his maroon leash. "Parker!"
It was her dog that she embraced first, sliding to her knees beside the puppy that jumped immediately onto her thighs and began to smother her face with wet, warm kisses that smelled like his favorite peanut butter treats. Her arms were around Parker in an instant, and she buried her face into his gleaming, golden fur. Parker's sloppy tongue curled around the shell of her ear, and she shuddered in laughter as she squeezed him tighter.
"Hi, sweet baby," she cooed, pulling back to plant a kiss on his cold nose. He licked hers right back. "I hope Bat-Bogey Ben has been taking good care of you, Parkie, my handsome boy."
"It's nice to see you too, Ells-bells," her brother crossed his arms, and the woman next to him laughed as she leaned into his strong frame, her dark eyes alight like a flame of shadow.
"Well, I wish I could say the same!" Elaine said haughtily, though a wide smile lit up her face, and a second later she had thrown her arms around Ben's neck. Parker sat down at her feet and leaned heavily against her legs, not wanting to be left out of the family hug. "Happy birthday, Benny."
"It's good to see you, Ellie." Ben ruffled her hair, traced the white streaks through her braid with a finger, and pressed a gentle kiss to the top of her forehead, right over the patch of bleached skin, in a way that was so tender she hugged him tighter. "That kiss was from Mum, by the way. She and Dad say hi and that they love you."
"Wow." She pinched his cheek as she released him. "24 is so old, Gramps. Is that a — a gray hair?"
Ben smacked her hand away and rolled his eyes. "Ha ha, very funny. As you can tell, Lils, my baby sister thinks she's quite the jokester."
"Hey!" Elaine huffed, and Parker promptly nudged his muzzle into the palm of her mitten to comfort her. Cedric laughed softly as he readjusted the pink hat on his head, and Elaine smiled at how perfectly it brought out the rosiness of his cheeks.
"I think that is a gray hair though, Ben," his girlfriend teased, tugging at a thick curl with her brows furrowed in concern.
"It looks white to me," Cedric sighed, his expression woefully downcast.
Ben's eyes narrowed playfully. "Oi! Piss off, all of you! It's my birthday, not National Shit on Ben Gallagher Day. That's not until next Tuesday."
"Oh, my apologies then!" Elaine exclaimed, and Parker yipped as he stretched forward to lick Ben's fingertips. She wove her fingers into the softness of the retriever's fur and scratched behind his ears. "Since Ben isn't going to do introductions —"
"Elaine, my beautiful and exquisite girlfriend — Lilith Nolan. Lili, my pain-in-the-arse sister, Elaine. And, this strapping young man is the amicable Cedric Diggory, Elaine's boyfriend."
Cedric began to laugh at the look of complete fury that passed over Elaine's face as Lilith shook their hands with a bright smile. The heat that curled off the top of Elaine's head would've been hot enough to melt ice as she pinned her brother with a burning glare.
"Cedric Diggory, Elaine's boy friend. What did I say?" Ben amended with a cheesy grin, making it clear he was just waiting for the day when he could say otherwise. Then, he winked at her.
"It's lovely to see you, Ben, and to meet you, Lilith," Cedric said, grinning like it was the best day of his life.
"You're a saint," Elaine beamed, "for putting up with his obnoxious arse."
Lili Nolan only laughed and rested her head on Ben's shoulder, glancing up at him with a look of adoration that he mirrored, and looking at them, at Parker, at Cedric — Elaine's heart seemed to glow with love that radiated from her like a warm star.
SEATED AT a booth in the Three Broomsticks with butterbeers all around, their coats discarded, and Parker under the table at their feet ( yes, Ben had used his undeniable charm on Madam Rosmerta to get the puppy inside ), Elaine felt a lightness and a happiness and a carefree comfort that she hadn't felt in weeks — not since before Cedric's name had been pulled out of the Goblet. Ben's cheeks were rosy and alight with such joy, and his girlfriend was literally perfect, in every sense of the word. Cedric, still wearing her pink hat, was seated so close to her side that she swore he could hear how her heart thundered and whispered its declaration of love with each passing second. Parker had rested his head in her lap, closed his dark chocolate eyes, and was breathing with utter content as she rubbed behind his velvety ears.
They had spent the morning wandering the village streets and trying to keep Parker from jumping on everyone they passed, while they caught up. Lili told them about her florist business and her favorite flower arrangements, and how she and Ben had met when he'd crashed his bike into the big planter of marigolds outside of her shop. For the record, Ben had said, he'd been too distracted by her beauty to see the massive pot. Ben, consumed by nostalgia, then regaled them with tales from his days at Hogwarts with his best friend, Bill Weasley, and caught them up with where he was at work. He'd been placed on the task force in charge of hunting down Sirius Black, and though they hadn't made much headway in the search yet, he was confident that with Kingsley Shacklebolt in charge, justice would soon be had.
( Of course, he also shared plenty of embarrassing stories. Like the time Elaine had done a handstand in the kitchen and hit her head on the counter and then promptly passed out on the floor, and Ben had told their parents she was only taking a nap, going so far as to cover her with a blanket — and their parents had believed him. Seriously! )
Ben willingly putting himself in such life threatening danger terrified Elaine to no end. His job entailed going toe to toe with the darkest wizards in the world, being forced to rely on your own magical capabilities for survival; a single misstep could spell disaster, could even mean death. But Ben had always been so casually confident, so sure of himself and his abilities as a wizard — even when they were children, he'd always boasted that he'd become the greatest Auror the world had ever seen. "Benjamin Gray Gallagher — The Most Awesome Auror in the Universe!" would be a news headline someday he'd sworn, in such an easy, assuredly confident way that she had no choice but to believe him. And believe him she did. Elaine thought her brother was extraordinary, some kind of untouchable idol, but that didn't mean she couldn't worry for him still.
( He'd usually follow his headline with one for her: Elaine Iris Gallagher — The Baker that Takes the Cake for Being the Best! ) ( Ben's talent was clearly not in journalism. )
They'd ducked into the Three Broomsticks in the early afternoon to warm up and get something to eat before Ben and Lili and Parker had to head back home, and Elaine already dreaded having to say goodbye again. It was her least favorite word — goodbye — and she hated saying it, hated the separation and distance it implied.
"Do you really have to go?" she couldn't help but ask as the conversation lulled into comfortable silence.
Ben reached across the table and squeezed her hand. "I'm definitely a little old to still be in school, Els," he laughed. "Hey Ced, would you mind showing Lili the old photo wall? I'm sure there's one of me holding all my teeth in my hand — a bludger to the face is never pretty."
Cedric nodded and scooted out of the booth, followed closely by Lili, and Parker was quick to clamber up onto the wooden bench beside Elaine.
Once they were out of earshot, Ben scooted closer to his sister, his brows pulled together in worry and his deep sea eyes bright. "Elaine, is everything okay?"
For a moment, she thought about nodding. She wanted to nod, to say that everything was fine. But his damn eyes. "I'm just — I'm just worried."
"Worried how?"
She bit her lip. "There's just been this pit in my stomach lately, persisting for weeks like a black seed that feasts on my happiness. I'm worried about the Tournament, I'm worried about Cedric. His safety. Because this whole thing has felt like a bad idea from the beginning."
For a moment, she thought he would dismiss her fears. Would tell her not to worry, because everything was going to be fine. But Ben had never pushed aside her feelings like they were nothing before, and he wasn't about to start then. "I'll keep an eye and an ear out, alright? I'm always here, if you need or want anything, just write to me and I'll come."
She nodded, and lifted her bottle to her lips. Ben — the most awesome Auror in the universe! — wouldn't let anything bad happen to her. Or to Cedric, since he was convinced that Cedric was going to be his brother-in-law one day very soon, and Ben knew he was going to be a fun uncle.
"So, you're worried about Cedric, but just his safety?" Ben prodded, a knowing look in his eyes, and Parker, sensing her annoyance, sat up straight and pawed at Ben's face.
"You know how I feel about him," she admitted grudgingly. At the excitement that brightened in Ben's eyes, she quickly continued, "Ced doesn't feel that way about me though. We're just friends."
"Friends who steal each other's hats and sit close enough to touch?" Ben teased, pushing gently at Parker's head, and the golden retriever began to lick his hand. "You two sat closer than Lili and I did. Have you told him about your letters yet?"
At that, Elaine flushed scarlet and chose to look anywhere but at her brother. Her gaze darted around the pub, from the Weasley twins and Blake guffawing in a far corner to Milo engaged in an excited conversation with Professor Flitwick at the bar, from the hustle and bustle of laughing students bouncing from table to table to Cedric and Lili, admiring a stellar portrait of toothless, grinning Ben holding the struggling bludger that had nearly decapitated him during the final game against Slytherin in his sixth year. Cedric's face was rosy with laughter, animated as he no doubt recounted many of his own quidditch misadventures to Lili, who listened, arms crossed at the pure idiocy of some boys. He glowed like the sun, radiating a heavenly energy that was made of pure gold.
"I haven't told him," she said, somewhat dreamily, as she admired the joy on Cedric's face.
"I'm not getting any younger here, kiddo," Ben said. "I would like to become an uncle soon. Preferably in the next three years."
"In the next three years?" Elaine hissed, her head whipping back to face him as Cedric and Lili began to make their way back to the table. "You are mental."
But Ben only laughed, waggling his eyebrows in an infuriating way, and his eyes seemed to tell her to "get a move on."
AS ELAINE embraced first Lili, then Parker, then Ben, she couldn't help the little tear that escaped, glittering in the afternoon light like a diamond. Ben hugged her tightly, practically crushing her against his chest, and then he reached out and yanked Cedric and Lili into the embrace too. Parker, whining, wove between their legs, his tail thumping the ground like a drumbeat. None of them spoke for a long minute — not until the train's bell chimed, beginning the countdown to departure. Finally, Ben released them all and wiped Elaine's cheek.
"I'll come visit again soon, yeah?" he said as Lili led Parker onto the train, the puppy yowling about having to leave her.
Elaine nodded feverishly as she leaned back against Cedric's side, and his arm automatically wrapped around her shoulders for support as he lifted his other to wave. "You better!" she cried back.
Ben glanced back over his shoulder as he climbed aboard, waving back at them with a bright grin. He winked at Cedric's arm around her, and then turned to make his way towards his compartment.
Elaine pulled her lavender coat tighter around her, and the sound of something crinkling in her breast pocket had her sprinting towards the steam engine, Ben's name on her lips. He was hanging out of a window as the wheels began to churn, slowly slowly slowly, and the wind began to pick up, tugging at her honeyed braids. Chasing the train, she reached and reached for his outstretched hand straining for her, the beautifully wrapped parcel in her mitten, but the engine was picking up speed and she couldn't reach him, and how in the world could she have forgotten to give him his gift?
Cedric's hands were on her waist in an instant, lifting her into the air and closing that extra inch she couldn't reach — and Ben's calloused hands closed around the package, laughter bright in his eyes as he called out to her, "I love you!"
"I love you, Benny!" she cried back, feet now firmly back on the ground, though Cedric's hands still rested on her waist.
Together, they stood watching the train until it disappeared into the pastel sunset, and the blue-black palette of night found them there alone beneath the winking stars — Elaine, enveloped in Cedric's warm embrace, her pink hat still planted over his curls, his chin resting on head, and the aroma of evergreen and honeysuckle sweet as a dream around them.
author's note: hehe just a little light hearted and happy chapter!!! with an adorable surprise guest: parker!!!! I'll say it. hogwarts needs dogs. & we got to meet ben's soulmate, lili and nolan <3
also I didn't make them aesthetics but I found some pics that really capture how I picture my other babies (ben, lucien, and adrianne) so I'll attach them right below!
thanks for reading n I love u all SO MUCH !!! see u next chap for the first task!
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BEN GALLAGHER
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LUCIEN BISSET
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ADRIANNE DEMONT