Marauder Misprint @marauder-misprint - Tumblr Blog

Hi J!! I wish I could come up with something more original, but honestly all I can say is that I absolutely adore everything you write. I’ve been struggling to find fics I really enjoy lately, and yours always end up being my favorites!! You’re incredibly talented, and I really appreciate you sharing your work with all of us. You always make my days a little better ❤️

Please feel totally free to ignore this idea — it’s just something that’s been stuck in my head for a long time, and I completely understand if it sounds a bit silly. I always wonder what the Triwizard Tournament would have been like if it had taken place during the Marauders’ school years. I think a James x reader fic where they’re both champions would be so interesting, especially if she came from another school! Maybe she could be Sirius’s sister, but their parents didn’t like her and sent her to a stricter school instead. I feel like a dynamic where Sirius doesn’t want his friends dating his sister while James is completely smitten with her would be really funny. Sorry if this sounds dumb!! I’ll keep reading you no matter what ❤️

Hi! ❤︎ Thank you so much!

The most difficult part of this was deciding what I wanted the tasks to be because I didn't want to copy from Goblet of Fire, but if I do a Triwizard Tournament fic again, it will be the same as either this fic or GoF. I def did not include as much Sirius not wanting his sister to date James, but its present. ❤︎

I hope y'all enjoy ❤︎❤︎❤︎

Competitors

James Potter x Black!reader

20.7k words

cw: lil fluff, Y/N, slow burn (sort of? I guess), simple untranslated French, James falls fast and hard, James has teenage boy thoughts

You were never what your parents wanted. What a disappointment that their first born was a girl.

At least she’ll have good manners? Nope.

Advanced in learning? You were talented; your grades just didn’t show it.

Interest in femininity, delicacy, beauty? Not at the forefront of your mind.

Ballet – surely you could be trained to dance? Nice try.

French. You could learn to speak the language of your family! Unless someone was trying to ask you to get a coffee from the kitchen, then you’d be cooking in a cafe and everyone would be confused.

Okay, you weren’t that bad a French. You just realized that your parents didn’t love you so you played dumb.

In trying to mold you into who they wanted you to be, they sent you to Beauxbaton. Your grades were tolerable and if they sent report cards throughout the year, every class would say you have potential and you clearly understand that material, you just don’t do as told.

“Are you going to enter the tournament?” your friend Winnie asked as you lounged around your room after returning to school for the fall.

“Bien sûr,” you said. “Pourquoi pas?”

“Des gens sont morts.”

You laughed. “All the more enticing. The danger makes it exciting!”

“And the money,” Daphne, another one of your friends, sighed.

“I thought you were going to marry rich?” Winnie asked.

“It’s a backup plan.”

The next day you were loaded into the carriage and brought to Hogwarts. Everyone in their final three years had to come, even if they weren’t planning on entering the Triwizard Tournament.

It was interesting, to say the least, to see the school your brothers went to. It was so different from Beauxbatons.

“Haven’t they heard of lighting?” a girl asked as you gathered in an entry hall outside a large set of doors.

You could hear murmurs from the other side. Your headmistress shushed you. You took in all of the cold stone as you waited for something to happen.

Then the large doors creaked open and you were able to catch the last words of your school’s introduction.

“-of Beauxbatons!”

Your headmistress led the group to the front of the hall where all of the Hogwarts students sat at four long tables. You felt a little like an animal at the zoo with all of the eyes on you. It was definitely warmer and brighter in this hall, but you weren’t sure if that made up for the grimness of it all.

“Doesn’t your sister go to Beauxbatons?” Remus asked as students in light blue satin uniforms walked into the Great Hall

“Yeah,” Sirius said, uninterested.

“So she’s here,” Remus said.

“I guess so?”

“Wow, all three Black siblings in the same room. How often does that happen?” Peter asked.

Sirius didn’t answer. The boys knew it wasn’t often. You didn’t really come out of your room in the summer. At least, not into the rest of the house. Whether or not you climbed out of your window and shimmied down the drain pipe so you could walk around muggle London was none of his business.

You knew that your brothers were there, somewhere among the tables of green and red. You didn’t bother looking for them. What were the chances you’d be able to spot them among tens of students crammed together.

“And our friends from the Northeast, the ladies and gentlemen of Durmstrang!”

The doors creaked open again and more students came pouring into the hall. You swore each student had an identically pristine uniform. That was impressive. While Beauxbatons’ uniforms were supposed to be identical, not everyone wore it quite the same. From your minimal exposure, it seemed like Hogwarts was even more lax about it.

The Hogwarts headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, said a few more words and then invited the two schools to join his students. A majority of your school headed for the blue table so you went with them.

‘Even better,’ you thought. ‘I won’t have to risk accidentally sitting next to Sirius or Regulus.’

You sat between two of your friends, luckily with other Beauxbatons students across from you. You wanted to minimize the amount of “Where are you from?”, “If you live in London, why don’t you go here?”, “Your brothers go here?”, “So are you fluent in French?” Those conversations couldn’t interest you. You’d let your classmates mingle with the other schools and you’d do what you did best – avoid being everyone wanted you to be.

Dumbledore stood at the podium again, joined by two men. He raised his arms and the hall fell silent. If there was one thing he did, it was command respect.

“The reason we have gathered the three schools together is for a legendary tournament. You may have heard of the Triwizard Tournament. For those who haven’t, and for those who may need a reminding, it is a series of tasks meant to challenge select champions beyond what a classroom can offer. These tasks do not offer the same safety and leeways a classroom does. This is not for every witch and wizard. It is a measure that many adults fall short of,” he explained. “That being said, what awaits the winner is eternal glory. It is an achievement that cannot be matched by anything else. Remember that it may come at a cost if you so choose to enter.”

Dumbledore approached a large wooden chunk to the left of his podium. With a descending wave of his wand, the wood melted away until a cup remained; another wave of the wand set it ablaze.

“Let me introduce Mr. Adam Frankiver, Head of Magical Games and Sports, and Mr. Marius Arbres, Head of International Magical Cooperation.”

You were only half-listening to the two ministry officials as they gave more details about the tournament and its rules. There were some shouts of protests from Hogwarts students when it was announced that you had to be fifteen to enter. You chuckled softly. Did some kid, barely a teenager, really think they’d have a chance against witches and wizards who were of age? They’d be dragged through the mud. And from how they were describing it, the youngster probably couldn’t fathom how much danger they’d be in if chosen.

“Eternal glory?” James whispered as Arbres continued talking. “It’s a tournament made for me.”

“Don’t forget the galleons,” Remus said.

“Don’t worry, Moony,” Sirius said as he leaned over the table to pat Remus’ hand. “When I win, I’ll give you half.”

“Or it’ll be you and me planning their funerals,” Peter said to Remus.

“Oi, only one of us can be a champion,” Sirius said. “And it’s going to be me.”

“I’d cheer for you,” James said, tilting his head and batting his eyelashes in an exaggerated fashion.

“Oh, bugger off, Prongs,” Sirius laughed as he gave James a shove.

After dinner, you were walking back to the carriage with your friends.

“So, what do we do until October 31?” Daphne asked. “Just like sit around and watch everyone who puts their name in?”

“I think we’re going to go to class with them?” Winnie said. “Not really space for class in there.” She gestured ahead of you.

“Damn, and here I was thinking they would let us slack off for a year,” you laughed.

It made sense that the Hogwarts professors would teach you. Not all of your professors came with; most had stayed behind to teach the younger students.

So you went to classes in the castle. The professors were quick to compare you to your brothers. Whether that was a good or bad thing apparently depended on which brother and which teacher. You almost laughed when Professor Slughorn said you had the skills of Regulus but the ability to pay attention of Sirius. Why did it matter if you paid attention if you could brew? It was lost on you.

A few weeks passed. You went with your friends to put your names in the goblet. There was a good amount of people sitting around the hall, watching as people entered the competition. You didn’t notice Sirius nor Regulus sitting with their respective friends. Both had entered earlier in the day.

“Y/N, going first?” Trina, another friend, asked.

“Obviously.”

You walked up the goblet and tossed your name in.

You had all the eyes of the room. Most of all, you had James’ full attention. He had seen you around the school but never quite in this light, and he can’t take his eyes off you. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t even know who you were, or that you were related to his best friend. He just knew that he liked the way you led your friends and the way you smiled after putting your name in, like you knew you were going to see that slip again. He adored the energy you gave off. He could feel it from across the room. It was something special.

You and your friends didn’t sit around. James frowned slightly as you left, not noticing that Sirius was also frowning, albeit for a different reason. He wasn’t exactly the most supportive of you entering.

After that, you started growing impatient. You were ready for the tournament to start, for the champions to be chosen. Then you could either focus on the tasks, if chosen, or you could completely tune out the tournament. You’d go to the events of course, but you wouldn’t care about all their preparing and such.

Needless to say, but the entire Great Hall was vibrating with excitement on Halloween. Each table in the hall had students who were confident that their names were about to be called. You may have been one of them.

“It could really be any of us,” Trina commented. “We all put our names in.”

“Uh-huh. That is true,” you said, although you didn’t believe it.

You had a feeling that the goblet would choose people with the best chance to win from each school. Your friends were skilled; there was no doubt about that. You just thought there were times where you were quicker on your feet, more impulsive and faster to draw your wand and make a move. It was those kinds of skills the champion would need.

Dumbledore stood at his podium and raised his arms like he had on the first night. And just the same, the hall fell silent. He didn’t need to announce what was going to happen. He approached the goblet. Its flames burst larger and spit out the first paper. It unfolded in the air and floated gently in the air before Dumbledore snatched it.

The entire hall was silent. Every eye was on Dumbledore, waiting for him to read the name. You didn’t know which school was first. But this was what everyone was waiting for. Anticipation buzzed in the air.

“Y/N Black!”

It felt like half of Beauxbatons broke out into wild cheers; others eyed you with jealousy or disapproval of your being chosen. Most of the Durmstrang and Hogwarts students applauded politely.

But there were also whispers. You heard them as you walked to the front of the hall. They couldn’t wipe the proud smile from your face.

“Black? Like Sirius Black?”

“Is that Regulus’ sister?”

“Do you think they’re related?”

Professor Dumbledore gave you a polite smile as you reached him. Your headmistress didn't. She simply gestured for you to enter a backroom. She didn’t even say anything as you passed her. You thought she was wishing a lead academic had been chosen, someone who would be good press for the school if they won. “Troubled daughter of the Black family” was exactly something she’d want to hang in her office.

The door closed behind you with a deep thud. It damped all noise from the hall. It was eerily quiet as you descended the stairs you were immediately met with. You entered a room with various shelves and cabinets holding tons of trophies, shields, and plaques. You did a slow lap of the room. The few trophies you skimmed were all for inner-school accomplishments – none of it meant anything to you.

There was a cheer. It was faint yet audible. The quiet returned, only to be broken by the opening and closing of the heavy door at the top of the stairs.

A boy from Durmstrang had been chosen. He nodded at you from the bottom of the staircase, which was on the other side of the room from where you stood. He remained over there. You didn’t take any offense to it. You didn’t know each other and now you were competitors.

It was a tad awkward for a minute. Then there was a massive cheer. It had to be louder than yours and the Durmstrang’s with how loud it was. You reminded yourself that the Hogwarts champion had an entire school cheering for them while you had less than half. The noise got louder momentarily and then quickly faded.

A boy with messy hair, glasses and a confident grin appeared at the bottom of the stairs. His smile shifted into the kind of smirk where you knew it lived on his face. You had a feeling he was like you: he knew he was going to be chosen. He immediately went to shake hands with the Durmstrang boy, and then he turned towards you.

There was a shift on his face. You didn’t know what it was but you noticed it.

“Congrats,” he said after crossing the room to shake your hand as well.

“Likewise.”

Then you were joined by the headmasters, Mr. Frankiver, and Mr. Arbres.

“Our three champions, Y/N Black, Armand Hanes, and James Potter,” Mr. Frankiver said. “We have some brief things to go over before we release you for dinner.”

Mr. Arbres started to talk about minor rules and your task uniforms and other information that you should’ve been paying attention to.

James wasn’t listening. He couldn’t take his eyes off of you. Simply put, he was intrigued by you. He had seen you put your name in and thought you were special then. Now he knew you were a Black. He loved Sirius as a brother, and he admired Regulus’ impressive yet quiet competitiveness. Surely you shared some of their qualities. You had entered the tournament afterall, just like both of them.

You could feel James staring. You figured he was trying to gauge whether or not you were going to be a real threat. The Durmstrang boy, Armand, obviously was.

You were trying to figure out where you heard his name before. Potter. He wasn’t a part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. You’d heard it before. You knew you had. His face wasn’t familiar, at least not before arriving at Hogwarts.

The headmasters led you back out into the Great Hall and you were greeted with cheers. Each school roared for their champion. The three of you were beaming and waving, soaking up the attention. You weren’t going to lie – it was nice to be cheered for.

Then it was time to eat. You were distracted throughout the whole meal, trying to figure out where you’d heard James’ name before. You acknowledged everyone congratulating you. But your heart wasn’t really in it. James was bugging you.

He didn’t really sit down for dinner. He walked up and down the red table, venturing occasionally to the yellow table and the Hogwarts end of the blue. He was getting pats on the backs as he went. It was clear that he was well-liked.

It hit you later when you were laying in bed. You had heard his name before. It was never said nicely. You were never around to hear the conversation in its entirety.

James Potter was Sirius’ friend.

Mother had screamed about it when Sirius came home for Christmas his first year, and again that summer. Sirius stopped coming home for Christmas and you assumed he stopped bringing James up. You were surprised you actually remembered that.

“So your sister’s a champion. That, what, makes her better than you and Regulus?” Remus teased Sirius as the four boys went up to their dorm.

They had been hanging around the Gryffindor Common Room since everyone still wanted to talk with James.

“I wouldn’t say better, Moony. I’m sure if we went to that pansy-ass school, we’d’ve been chosen.”

“But you wouldn’t be the same,” Peter said. “Having gotten a pansy-ass education and no us.”

Sirius rolled his eyes and pushed open the door.

“How come you never mentioned that she’s fit?” James asked.

“Excuse me?”

“Y/N. She’s easy on the eyes,” James said.

“More than easy,” Peter added while Remus chuckled, shaking his head.

“That’s disgusting. And foul. Horrendous. I might need to throw up,” Sirius said as he headed for the bathroom.

Peter wasn’t done though. “Right, I forgot. It’s only acceptable if it’s your cousin!”

“Fuck off, Wormtail!”

James joined Peter and Remus’ laughter.

Your curiosity got the best of you in the morning. You spotted James from across the hall as he strolled in and down the length of the Gryffindor table.

Sure enough, there was Sirius.

It was the first time in a long time that you really looked at your brother. Even across the hall, you could tell something was different with him. He looked… happy. You can’t recall the last time you saw him smile like that with his head thrown back, laughing. Maybe when you were too little to understand the world.

You scanned the Slytherin table for Regulus. He was more difficult to spot. Perfect posture and dark fair was fairly common over there, and you expected him to be with a quiet group. When you did spot him, some dark haired boy was trying to get his attention while he spoke to some students who had stopped by to talk to him.

(Regulus had gotten permission to have open quidditch practices for those who didn’t want to go a year without playing, and the students talking to him were getting the times. Not that you’d know that.)

“Merlin, that’s weird,” you muttered, shaking your head.

“What’s weird?” a boy named Marius asked.

You considered him your friend; he was one of the few Beauxbatons boys who didn’t irritate you endlessly.

“Actually seeing my brothers.”

He nodded and took a sip of his tea. “I always forget you have those.”

“I assume their friends forget about me too.

“They won’t be forgetting about you when you win,” Daphne said, sitting next to you. “How did Mr. Old Man say it? Eternal glory!”

“His name is Professor Dumbledore,” a Ravenclaw boy nearby corrected, but Daphne just waved him off.

A week went by and the awe of being champion wore off for the other students. The first task was in two weeks. Until then, you were to go to class and do everything as you usually would.

“Miss Black, Miss Weasley here will escort you to your Tournament meeting,” Professor Flitwick said, gesturing to the redheaded girl standing next to him with a note in her hand. “Do take your things.”

You nodded, grabbed your stuff, and followed the girl out of the room.

“They wouldn’t tell me anything more than where to find you and where to bring you,” the girl said. “Champion stuff, they said. It’s so exciting!”

“Uh-huh,” you said.

The girl kept talking as you walked. She wondered about what the first task would be, told you what some previous tasks had been since she read up on the tournament since the other schools arrived, and raved about how James was an obvious choice for the Hogwarts champion. You were glad when you came to the room where you were needed.

“Alright, here we are!”

“Thanks,” you said before the girl disappeared down the corridor you had just been down.

You stepped into the brightly lit room. James and Armand were already there, along with the Transfiguration teacher and another lady.

“Ah, there she is!” the lady exclaimed, clasping her hands together. “Our Beauxbatons champion! Now we can get started!”

You raised your eyebrows and crossed your arms.

“The interviews can get… emotional. So, photos first!”

A petit man walked out from somewhere within the room, holding a large camera. He smiled awkwardly and then meekly gestured for you to join the boys.

“Right,” you mumbled.

At the photographer’s directions, you posed for several photos. You stood with the boys, sat with the boys standing, stood with one boy sitting and then the boys swapped, stood for individual photos. It was a whole ordeal.

“I’m sure that’s enough, Trisha,” Professor McGonagall said. “Let’s get the interviews going.”

“Mr. Hanes, let’s start with you,” the woman, Trisha, said.

Armand and Trisha walked over to the table on the other side of the room. James took the opportunity to talk to you.

“What do you say we ditch this and go snog in a broom closet?” James said, his teenage boy mouth moving faster than any sense in his brain.

Luckily for him, you weren’t expecting to be talked to and your brain didn’t fully process what he said.

“Pardon?”

He cleared his throat. The tips of his ears turned pink, but his hair covered them.

“So, how are you liking Hogwarts?”

“Oh,” you said, flexing your eyebrows and then turning your body more towards James. “Bit cold.” You shrugged. “Drafty.”

“You just don’t have the proper uniform for it,” he said. “But other than that, how does it compare to Beauxbatons? Like the Great Hall, the classrooms, you know.”

And we could go to my dorm if you want a tour of that.

Nope. He could not and would not say that. He took a deep breath to recenter himself and hopefully steer himself towards a cleaner mindset.

“The moving stairs are atrocious. Bloody torture trying to figure them out,” you said.

James smiled. It was a soft kind of smile that made your heart skip a beat. You reminded yourself that he was competition.

“I mean, classrooms and dining hall, good enough lighting, I suppose. The corridors… must they be lined with portraits? Can’t go anywhere without feeling watched.”

“No way you’re not being watched,” James said, before immediately running a hand through his hair. “Merlin, that came out wrong. I mean, blokes got to have their eyes on a pretty girl like you.”

You laughed, and James adjusted how he was standing. He leaned down to be closer to your height.

“Flattery won’t make me go any easier on you during the tournament,” you said.

Then there was the scraping of chairs as Armand stood up and left the table.

“Armand, can you find your way back to class?” Professor McGonagall asked.

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Then go on. No need to miss any more of it.”

Armand left and Trisha called you over, leaving James alone on the other side of the room. He sighed as you sat down. How could Sirius not see how beautiful you were? You were slightly intimidating up close and personal, but James attributed that to your parents. From his experience, Regulus was the same way. And you weren’t going to lay off him nor Armand in the tournament. He knew you’d fulfil that promise.

Trisha started off by telling you the type of article you could expect to see in the Daily Prophet in a few days. She’d need some time to gather all her notes and write the profiles before having her editor look at it. You just nodded. You didn’t care about all the little details.

You thought nothing of the questions she asked you.

Why did you enter? Sounded like fun.

What did your parents think? Do I look like I care what they think? I’m 17.

How do you feel about being the only girl chosen ? There’s three of us so unless it’s all boys or all girls, someone’s going to be the odd one out. Not that it means anything. I have no disadvantage here.

And the boys are both younger than you. Again, so? I know more magic.

The more questions she asked, the more frustrated you became. It was like she was trying to get a rise out of you based on your sex. And get a rise out of you she did. You exploded into a rant of being the best that Beauxbatons had to offer and it didn’t matter that you did go to Beauxbatons - you would’ve been chosen no matter which school you were at, beating out James and Armand from being chosen.

You thought steam must’ve been coming off of you when you exited the room without being dismissed. You took your things and went to your next class.

James witnessed the whole thing. He actually heard most of your answers before you started yelling, and he thought your outburst was warranted. Trisha hadn’t been trying to smooth things over. It sounded like she was trying to agitate you.

“Alright, handsome, let’s get started with you,” Trisha said, giving James a sickly sweet smile.

James looked to Professor McGonagall to silently ask if he should after that, and she nodded grimly. The questions Trisha asked James were much more mild. He assumed they were the same ones she asked Armand since he hadn’t left the room looking like he was going to punch something.

A few days later, the article came out and the Great Hall was passing around papers like there was no tomorrow.

“What is wrong with you?” a seventh year Ravenclaw girl asked you with a paper in her hand. “Sirius is a fantastic wizard.”

You snatched the paper from her hand before she could react. You hadn’t mentioned Sirius in your interview, and that was the only reason you could think of that would have you in the paper. Trisha was the only person from the Daily Prophet whom you had spoken to.

“Page 6,” the girl said.

“Thanks,” you said flatly as you sat down and read.

A frown formed and got deeper the more you read. You didn’t say a single thing she had written. James and Armand’s sections were what you had expected with questions about them entering and what they expected and what they would do with the prize money. Yours had been twisted into some family drama. According to Trisha, instead just saying that you didn’t care what your parents thought because you were 17, you went on a rant about not caring for their permission to enter but now that you were champion, you were going to prove that you were the heir your parents wanted all along. It only got worse from there. She had you dissing Sirius and Regulus. Apparently you thought Sirius was too much with his outbursts and trying too far from the family and Regulus was pathetic for trying so hard to be everything your parents wanted, which was everything you and Sirius weren’t.

“What. The. Fuck,” you breathed.

You set the paper down, grabbed a muffin, and left the Great Hall. If that was going to be the talk for a while, you didn’t want to be there.

At the Gryffindor table, Sirius was reading the article with a frown that mimicked yours.

“Bit rich coming from her,” he said.

James hummed curiously.

“The article? Did you not hear her telling this… Trisha McCatchy that I’m too much and Regulus tries too hard?”

“She said what?” James said.

Sirius slid the article towards James.

“This is not what she said. At least, not about you.”

“What do you mean?”

“She trashed me and Armand a bit, but that’s not important. Trisha was asking about how she felt facing us and being the only girl and stuff. I heard her whole interview. The only real thing in there is that Y/N doesn’t care what your parents think. Wanting their approval? No. Sounding all hoity-toity? No.”

Sirius started at James, taking in what he said. Then he shook his head. “Don’t say hoity-toity.”

“I’m just saying,” James said, tossing the paper to the middle of the table. “She never said any of that.”

If only James could have told all of Hogwarts that. The rest of your week was spent putting up with comments about the article and how harsh you were on your brothers and a little about your parents. Not many of them were too creative. You got called a brat several times, and many Slytherins liked waste of pureblood.

You didn’t have the energy to deal with it all. You needed to start focusing on the first task, which you were given no clues about. It was really to test your ability to think on your feet. So you were to go into it blindly with only your wand and your wits. Which actually wasn’t that bad in your opinion. You assumed it would be some kind of duel.

James and Armand thought the same thing.

Well, James did until he learned more.

He was walking with Sirius and Peter, all under his Cloak of Invisibility, to the Whomping Willow. They were approaching the door they usually snuck out of when they heard voices. There had never been people around that door at this hour.

“And Dumbledore is sure they can handle two Nundus?” the first voice asked. It wasn’t anyone the boys knew.

“He’s confident. Said around 30 people are coming to take care of them when they arrive a day before the First Task,” the second voice said. Mr. Arbres.

The three boys stilled before shuffling more into the shadows. It didn’t matter that they were invisible. James’ mind was spilling. The First Task included Nundus? Dumbledore hadn’t been kidding when he said these were going to be challenges that a classroom couldn’t offer.

“I don’t envy those students… but I would’ve entered too when I was their age,” the first voice said with a laugh.

“I’m just glad Dumbledore is bringing in people to deal with the Nundus. You won’t see me anywhere near them and their poisonous breath. Frankly, it’ll be a miracle if they all come out the same way they go in,” Mr. Arbres said.

Peter tugged on James’ sleeve and started pulling him and Sirius in a different direction. They could find a different door.

“Don’t let them get in your head,” Peter whispered once they were outside. It was clear that James was thinking about the first task. “There’s fresh air charms. You’ll be fine.” He grabbed James’ arm and shook it. “You’re James fucking Potter! If anyone can do it, it’s you!”

James huffed a laugh.

Sirius, however, didn’t read the room. “Aren’t they bloody vicious though? Ain’t that why they need thirty people to manage two of them?”

“Padfoot!” Peter hissed. “Although it is curious. Why only two when there are three champions?

The boys looked at each other and shrugged. They hurried to the Whomping Willow and down the hole to find Remus, transformed and waiting. It would hit Peter later that he should’ve told James that he deals with a werewolf every month, a Nundu would be no problem.

When James woke up in the morning, he made a decision. He needed to find you. He waited until after breakfast, not actually knowing where you’d be and praying it wouldn’t be in the massive carriage. Luckily for me, you were outside of the library with some of your friends.

“Y/N.”

You looked up. Your bright smile from laughing at Winnie faded into a neutral expression.

“Can I have a moment?” James asked.

You stared at him blankly for a few seconds. This was your opponent and the task was only three days away. What on Earth could he have to say to you right now?

You sighed and stood up.

“If I’m not back in five minutes, know I’ve been sabotaged,” you said before following James a little ways away and out of sight.

“Don’t ask how I know this, but they’re bringing in Nundus for the First Task,” James said quickly and quietly.

You blinked. Part of you was expecting to get chewed out for what Trisha wrote, despite having been there for all of your interview.

“What?”

“They’re bring-“

“I heard you the first time, Potter.” You narrowed your eyes. “If I believe you, why would you tell me this?”

“Because I… I want to help you?”

“Because I need help?” you laughed disbelievingly. “Do I look like some damsel in distress?”

James’ mouth worked faster than his brain again. “It’s because you’re pretty.”

“Right. Sure. I’m your opponent, Potter, and I don’t need your help.” You rolled your eyes. “So don’t talk to me.”

“Less than five minutes,” Marius commented when you got back. “Guess no sabotage.”

“I guess not,” you said.

You watched James cautiously as he walked away.

For what it was worth, you did briefly look into Nundus. On the off chance that James actually had good intel and was sharing it with you, you wanted to be mildly prepared. Its main descriptors were resembling a massive leopard, toxic breath, moves silent and carnivorous. Not the most ideal creature to deal with.

The Great Hall was alive with something new on the morning of the first task. Armand and the rest of the students had no clue what the first task included. You had a sinking feeling in your stomach that James was telling the truth and you’d be facing off with an XXXXX-rated creature in a matter of hours. James, despite his friends’ best efforts, was stuck on Mr. Arbres comment: It’ll be a miracle if they all come out the same way they go in.

“Prongs, don’t let it get in your head,” Remus said. “You dodge bludgers on the daily. You perfected Ventus. You’re ready.”

“I might be ready, and I’ll be fine, but what about them? Mr. Arbres said-”

“Don’t matter what he said,” Sirius said, cutting James off. “They all entered on their volition.”

“That’s your sister you’re talking about,” James reminded him.

“And?”

He shrugged. “Just thought you’d be a little concerned about her.”

Sirius didn’t respond. He was still not totally convinced that you had talked about James and Armand during your interview with Trisha and not him and Regulus. He didn’t have any reason not to believe James, but he couldn’t shake it. Maybe it was all the summers you hid in your room while Walburga went off on him and Regulus.

Professor McGonagall walked down the length of the Gryffindor table and stopped by the boys.

“Mr. Potter. It’s time. Come with me.”

“Yes, Professor.” James gave his friends a forced smile and followed his head of house out of the Great Hall.

You and Armand had been gathered by your headmasters and the six of you headed out to where an open-air arena had been constructed.

“Mr. Arbres has told us that all the tasks will be held in here. Do with that what you will,” your headmistress told everyone as you walked in. They lead you and the boys to a large room with some chairs and four doors. Three of them were marked with one of your names, and the fourth simply said “Arena”.

“Your task uniforms are inside your rooms. You have an hour before you need to be back out here, changed and ready to go,” Professor McGonagall said.

No one moved.

“Well, go. Change. Settle your nerves,” she said with a gesture to the three doors with your names.

James nodded and headed to his, and you and Armand followed suit.

The door closed behind you and you were met with a smaller room with a couch, an armchair and a full-length mirror. A blue jumpsuit-type uniform was hanging from the mirror. You changed and then quickly decided that you did not want to wait in that little room. There were couches in the larger room; you could sit out there until it was time.

James had the same idea. While your uniform was solid blue, his was red and gold.

“How are you feeling?” he asked.

“Fine.”

James frowned slightly at your short, clipped answer. You didn’t ask how he was. He hoped that you were actually not feeling fine and that was why you were acting colder than he wanted. For the next forty-five minutes, it was quiet. You fidgeted with your wand, going back and forth between pacing the room and sitting on the couch. James watched you, fascinated, the whole time. Armand didn’t come out until five minutes before he needed to.

The three headmasters came in along with Mr. Arbres and Mr. Frankiver.

“You are moments away from the first task,” Mr. Arbres said. “I suppose it’s time to tell you what’ll be expected of you.”

He cast an excited glance around the circle.

“There will be five totems within the arena when each of you starts. You need to collect all five within an hour. Of course, if you collect them before your time is up, you get more points and we can start the next champion’s attempt. These totems will be your clue for the next task.” His smile curled with a mischievous glint in his eyes. “Finding the totems won’t be your only challenge though. There’s a beast out there that you must get past and it won’t be easy.”

Your eyes flicked to James and he gave you a small nod. A Nundu.

Mr. Frankiver stepped forward into the middle of the circle. He held out a bag to you.

“Pick a marble.”

You did as told. Then he turned to Armand and then James. Once all three of you had a marble, they all glowed bright for a moment before a number was burned onto the glossy surface.

2

“That is the order you’ll go in,” Mr. Frankiver said.

James held up his with the number facing out. “I’m first then.”

“Are you ready, Mr. Potter?” Mr. Arbres asked.

“You don’t even need to ask,” James said, giving him a confident grin.

“You’ll follow us into that room. Then you’ll wait for the cannon. Once that goes out, you’ll enter the arena and your hour begins,” Mr. Arbres said. “Let the games begin!”

The headmasters followed the two Ministry members, and James followed them. He looked over his shoulder at you and winked.

“No need to wish me luck. I’ll be back in no time.”

You rolled your eyes. Armand sat down on one of the couches as James disappeared out the door. You heard some muted announcement and then the boom of the cannon. You started pacing again.

There were cheers, gasps and screams. The moments of silence were more worrying for you. It went on for forty-eight minutes. Then there was a larger cheer.

Mr. Arbres appeared out of nowhere.

“Ms. Black. It’s time.”

You nodded and followed him into the smaller room between the waiting room and the arena. He walked out. From this room, you could hear the announcer.

“Ms. Y/N Black of Beauxbatons drew second. Please give her a warm welcome!”

Boom

You opened the door and stepped out into the light. Tall, dry grass was about all you could see. Looking up, you could see stands.

The Nundu. It was going to be fast, silent and trained on you. You’d have to avoid its breath. You needed to be quick and quiet while you searched for the totems. It would’ve helped if you knew what they looked like. Size, color, shape, anything.

There was a rustle of the grass.

“Shit,” you whispered before covering your mouth with your arm and breaking into a sprint into the opposite direction.

Not too far from where you started, the grass became less dense and shorter. Then you tripped. You swore louder this time. Fear of the Nundu paralyzed you for a few seconds; there was no rustling but you didn’t take that as a good sign. There was a sparkle in the grass where you tripped.

A totem.

You lunged to grab it and then held it above your head. The crowd roared.

You took a deep breath. You could do this. No magic used and you had a totem.

Rustling.

Right. You needed to keep moving.

“Avis,” you said, pointing your wand at where you had run from.

Birds burst out of the end of your wand and into the tall grass. The beast might like human flesh, but you could offer it other snacks.

“Serpensortia.”

A snake slithered into the grass.

You took off in the other direction. You had a lot of ground to cover with less than an hour on the clock. A small roar from the Nundu told you it was close. You sent more bird in the direction of the noise and there was another roar.

“Ventus,” you cast, blowing the grass down until you could see the Nundu.

Bad idea, you thought as the crowd gasped. While you saw the Nundu for the first time, it also saw you.

And there was another totem in between you.

It was a long shot. “Accio totem!”

“Ooh, looks like Black and Potter think the same!” the announcer said with a laugh. “Perhaps we should’ve told them that won’t work!”

You swore again. The Nundu started toward you, slow steps even though you knew it could take you out within a single second.

“Glacius-maximus!”

Ice trapped its feet long enough for you to sprint for the totem.

“Ventus!”

A gust blew the Nundu’s breath back at its face, which didn’t affect it at all, but at least you weren’t hit by it. You took off into the tall grass, and cast the Snake Summons spell again. Maybe the Nundu would see its movements and go after the snake rather than you.

You slowed to catch your breath. There was a small mound of dirt.

“Aguamenti.”

The dirt washed away to reveal another totem. Was this too easy besides all the running? You took a second to pocket the totem. Then a reckless idea crossed your mind.

“Incendio!”

There was a small crackling and then a woosh that filled the arena with an intense heat. Flames now danced around you as the dry grass burned. There was a pained roar from the Nundu, giving you its general location. It was far enough away.

Now you were able to see the area better, minus the smoke from the smoldering ground. You could see a totem not far from the door where you started. It was where the Nundu had started, which was why you hadn’t gone that way to begin with. The Nundu, despite its earlier pained roar, seemed to sense where you were heading and beat you there, standing over the totem as if guarding it. You swore and turned. Maybe you could loop the arena and somehow beat it back?

You conjured more birds as you ran. Something inside you said the more birds you conjured, the better. You could hear the Nundu chomping at them.

You jumped to avoid a chunk of grass that was still burning. You had three totems and knew where the fourth was. You just needed to find one more. You scanned the ground as you ran with the occasional conjuring of birds to distract the Nundu.

Squelch.

You stopped running. Mud? It seeped over your shoes. The arena seemed to hold its breath, waiting for you to squeal in disgust. Except you didn’t. You hadn’t noticed the small pond at this side of the arena, but you were glad you did now. You took two large steps and then you were sprinting into the shallow water. The last totem had to be in here somewhere. Why else have a pond in the arena if you weren’t going to put one of the items in it?

The more steps you took, the muddier the water got. You fell to your knees and started feeling around for something hard, something not mud nor sand. You looked over your shoulder for the Nundu. It was still chasing the birds from your last conjuring.

You felt the totem. You pulled it from the water and held it above your head, causing the crowd to cheer loudly. You stood and slowly walked out of the water. The last totem remained behind the Nundu. You moved as close to the wall as you could, not taking your eyes off of the Nundu. It had gotten bored with the birds. You tried conjuring more but it let them fly away.

“Sourisentia!”

A large number of mice appeared in front of you and ran into the field. Their squeaks caught the attention of the Nundu, giving you the chance to move more quickly and undetected. You tried another snake. You figured it would go after the mice and therefore hold the attention of the Nundu.

The Nundu heard you step on an ember as it popped under your foot.

You swore under your breath.

“Bombarda!”

The snake you had conjured was thrown into the air by the minor explosion you cast. The Nundu was caught off guard by the noise. You sprinted the last leg and as soon as your fingers wrapped around the last totem, multiple stunning snd freezing charms were cast at the Nundu.

“And she’s 11 minutes faster than James Potter!” the announcer said, his voice booming around you. “Excellent use of conjuring charms, and flawlessly done if you ask me.”

A man you didn’t recognize ushered you out of the main arena to a raised platform. You could see James sitting behind the headmasters, Mr. Frankiver and Mr. Arbres, with an empty chair next to him.

“Ladies and gentlemen, the scores for Ms. Y/N Black are…” The announcer paused as each of the five adults in front of James tapped their wands on the table in front of them and a ribbon formed a number above their heads. “Eight, seven, nine, eight, six. That’s thirty-eight to Potter’s thirty-five. Well done, Ms. Black!”

The same man who helped you out of the arena gestured for you to sit next to James. He smiled at you as soon as you sat down. You felt it was unfair how casually attractive he looked, knowing he also just went face-to-face with a Nundu.

“You were brilliant,” he said.

“Thanks.”

The announcer said something along the lines of needing a few minutes to reset the arena before the final champion. You noticed a broom on the ground next to James.

“You flew?”

“Huh, oh, yeah. Really helped with avoiding the Nundu’s breath,” he said. “Strange it didn’t really try to poison you all that much. Maybe it liked your birds?”

You shrugged and turned your attention to the wizards who were regrowing the grass you had burned. James wanted to talk to you more about your task. You were so clearly gifted at Transfiguration. It must be a family trait, given how easily it was for Sirius to do the final parts of becoming an animagus.

The one good thing about you not continuing the conversation was that James couldn’t accidentally let it slip that seeing you stand among the flames was the hottest thing he had ever seen. It did something to him. If he hadn’t been sitting, he was sure he would’ve fallen to his knees.

You were curious as to how James got all the totems if he was flying. You literally found your first one by tripping over it. You can’t trip over something if you’re in the air. You didn’t ask. You didn’t want it to appear like you were colluding, especially since James had told you about the Nundu, giving you a slight leg up. You couldn’t be getting too friendly with the competition.

Neither of you spoke when Armand entered the arena. He was visibly shocked at the sight of the Nundu since he didn’t know what beast awaited him. You hadn’t thought to tell him to even the playing field. Just like you and James, he tried to summon the totems and failed, much to the announcer’s amusement. Then he used a dirt sifting spell as he moved through the grass. He was trying to stay quiet and not move the grass so as to not draw attention to himself. It might’ve been fine if the Nundu hadn’t been completely entertained while facing you; it seemed to be laser-focused on any irregular swaying of the grass.

Armand took the whole hour and only found four of the totems. He didn’t make it into the water. He spent a good chunk of time actually fighting the Nundu. According to the announcer, he was the only one to get dangerously close to the Nundu’s breath. He had been jumping out of the way and was painfully coughing and struggling to breathe when he got up. He needed fresh air and water, which he managed to produce from his wand, but it was still worse than you or James experienced. In the end, he only got 17 points.

Everyone was headed back to the castle. It wasn’t quite time for dinner, even though you were starving. Everyone around you kept congratulating you as they passed, even Hogwarts students who had been whispering harshly about you days before. Then Winnie, Trina and Daphne found you.

They nearly pulled you to the ground with their aggressive hugging.

“FANTASTIQUE! INCROYABLE!” Winnie screamed.

“You were unreal!” Trina said. “And Professor Klauser says you’re mediocre at Transfiguration!”

You laughed as your friends hyped up your performance.

“First place. Way to go, Black,” Marius said.

He and Trevor, another friend, joined your group.

“I wouldn’t’ve accepted anything less,” you said casually, despite the large grin on your face.

You were practically radiating from the positive attention. It was holding all of your attention to the point you didn’t notice or care that you were still in the task’s uniform until you actually reached the castle.

“Merde,” you muttered, looking down at your body.

“Hmm?” Daphne hummed. “Oh, shit.”

You looked up to see Regulus headed your way. Your friends had figured out which ones were your brothers. Regulus stopped in front of you. He had a neutral expression and his hands shoved in his cloak’s pockets.

“Not disappointing,” he said.

Then he nodded and left.

“Um, que?” Trevor asked.

“He just said he loved me. That’s new.”

“He said not disappointing?” Daphne said.

“It’s the same thing.” You looked down at yourself again. “Merde.”

“What now?” Daphne asked.

“I’m wearing… this!”

As if on cue, Professor McGonagall walked up to you. She was holding the clothes you left in the arena’s dressing room and she was being followed by a Ravenclaw girl.

“Ms. Black, these are yours. And this is Ms. Vance. She’ll show you where you can change,” she said.

She handed you your clothes and then walked off.

“I’m assuming you want to shower,” Emmeline Vance said. “Come on.”

Emmeline didn’t talk as she led you up some stairs. She gave a password to a door and it opened for you.

“It’s the prefects’ bathroom,” she explained. “So limited access and a lot nicer. You’re a champion so Professor McGonagall thought it’d be fine for you to use.”

“Thanks. I appreciate it,” you said.

You took your time with the scented water and various soaps. It was strange that the most elegant room in the entire castle would be a bathroom for prefects, but in that moment, you weren’t complaining. You wrapped a robe around yourself and started your post-shower routine. You heard the door open.

“Y/N?” James gasped.

You didn’t turn around, just kept doing what you were doing. “Potter.”

James hadn’t considered that they were letting all the champions use the prefects bathroom, although he didn’t see Armand there. He set his things on a bench by the shower and walked over to where you were. He was immediately hit with a delightful aroma.

“You smell nice,” he said.

“It’s the green soap,” you said monotonously.

James stood there, watching you. He didn’t say anything. He was appreciating how beautiful you were in such simplicity. You didn’t need anything additional to be stunning.

“Can I help you?” you asked after an odd amount of time of his staring.

“Only if you tell me about yourself.”

James was proud of him for giving an actual answer that wasn’t crude. He didn’t need to think about how you probably had nothing on under that fluffy robe and if he had gotten there a few minutes earlier… Right, he was not thinking about that.

“You can ask Sirius.”

“I’ve heard him talk for years. And he’s not you.”

You hummed, not giving him anything more. You weren’t sure if you wanted him to stay or leave. You had told him not to talk to you after he told you about the Nundu, but that had turned out to be correct. He had been okay during the interviews. Maybe you had overreacted?

“You’re excellent at conjuring. Professor McGonagall will be singing your praises on Monday. In every lesson, I bet,” he said after you said nothing.

“Wow, it’s almost like I was chosen to be a champion because I’m competent,” you snarked.

James’ smile widened.

“There’s a difference between competency and talent. And, darling, you are talented.”

You paused what you were doing to look at James. “Well, thanks, then.”

“So what other tricks do you have up your sleeve?”

“I can’t just tell you. How else am I supposed to leave you awestruck in the next two tasks?”

“I’ll be awestruck either way.”

You laughed and stood up. James watched as you neatly folded the dirtiest part of the jumpsuit to be on the side before tucking it under your arm.

“Go shower. You don’t smell nice.”

You gave him a small smile as you left. James sighed. He hadn’t really learned anything more about you, except that you really were your brothers’ sister. A little bit of attention and a lot of aversion to opening up. That, of course, only made him more interested in you.

You quickly discovered the effects of winning the First Task. You were now a people magnet. While you searched for your friends, countless people congratulated you, which you could tolerate. It was the handful who tried to stop you to have full-on conversations that ticked you off.

“My friends are waiting for me. Excuse me,” you said, brushing past some students who had tried to say more than “good job.”

At least when you were with your friends, people didn’t stop to talk to you as frequently. It was reduced to one or two brave souls. Then it was time for dinner and more than a few people tried asking your friends if they’d switch spots with them.

“I just want to listen to the leading champion talk,” a younger girl said.

“And you can hear her talk, from three seats down,” Trina said with an eye roll. “Merlin’s beard, everyone thinks they're entitled to you now, don’t they?”

You laughed along with your other friends. You figured the intense attention would last a day or two and then the upcoming holidays would take over.

You were wrong.

The next week continued with students from all three schools trying to be in your space. Boys flirted with you; girls tried to gossip with you. Everyone was too close. You started to strategically place yourself within your friends, and when you couldn’t, you started hiding in the shadows the best you could. You found longer, less populated routes to your classes. You did anything to avoid people.

To top it all off, the Yule Ball was announced. That day three different boys asked you to be their date.

“No offense, but I don’t know you,” you told one of them.

“This is the perfect chance to change that,” he said with a wink.

“Yeah, I don’t think so.”

Two more days and it seemed like there was an endless supply of boys, many who didn’t care if you were with your friends when they tried to ask you. It really pissed you off when a boy who openly despised you at Beauxbatons asked you.

“Just because I’m a champion doesn’t mean I’m any less annoying,” you snapped at him.

“Tu n’as pas tort…” he mumbled and left.

You were growing more and more annoyed with it. If you just had a tolerable date already, word would get around and they’d stop pestering you as much. You didn’t want to wait for a tolerable boy to come around, which meant taking things into your own hands.

“Marius!” you called, jogging to catch up to him after leaving the castle after dinner.

He slowed his pace for you.

“Have you asked anyone to the ball yet?” you asked.

Straight to the point. If he wasn’t taking anyone, he could take you.

“Erm, no. I haven’t. I think Trina was going to see if any of the Hogwarts boys were going-“ he started to say.

“Do you want to go with me?”

“What?”

“I’m a champion. I need a date. I also need to actually like my date. So, will you go with me?”

“Doesn’t the guy usually ask the girl?”

You narrowed your eyes briefly.

“Okay, fine. Marius, would you ask me to the ball?”

He chuckled with a short shake of his head.

“Y/N Black, may I have the honor of taking the Beauxbatons champion to the Yule Ball?” he asked with a bow and dramatic flourish of his arm.

You were certain all of your friends who were trailing behind saw, and you burst out laughing.

“Happy?” you managed to get out. When you caught your breath, you added, “But great. It’s settled. Thank you.”

James entered the Gryffindor Common Room with his friends. Sirius was coming up with people that Remus and Peter could ask if they didn’t want to ask a Gryffindor. James was only half-listening. Professor McGonagall said that he had to have a date to the ball, but he was honestly more worried about his Herbology essay that he hadn’t started yet.

“Oh, there’s Evans. I’ll be right back,” James said, patting Peter’s arm and walking away.

Peter sighed. “He’s probably going to ask her right now. Think she’ll say yes because he’s the champion?”

Remus shook his head. “She’ll always rather have something decent than suffer for prestige."

“You don’t think James is dece?”

“I’m saying Lily doesn’t think so.”

Lily thought the same thing when she saw James headed towards her. She mentally prepared herself to let him down.

“Evans! I need to ask you something,” James said.

She turned towards him with her arms crossed. Here it comes…

“How many different uses of Sneezewort did Sprout say we needed in our essay? I’m only seeing like three in the textbook and I’m still a few inches short.”

She blinked dumbly.

“What?” she asked once the realization that his question was school-related and not dance-related fully hit her.

“Sneezewort. How many uses do we need in the essay?” He paused. “Please?”

“It’s just the three uses from the book,” she said. “You’re probably missing the Invigoration Draught for potions.”

“You know, I think you’re right. Thanks, Evans. You’re the best!”

James turned around and headed up to his dorm where his friends had gone. Lily thought that was one of the weirdest experiences she’d ever had with him, but she wasn’t complaining that he didn’t ask her to the ball.

As James climbed the stairs, he realized who he wanted to go with. It wasn’t Lily. He had been asking her for almost two years and she said no every time. He actually hadn’t asked her out since you arrived at Hogwarts.

James opened the dorm door and said, “I’m going to ask her to the ball.”

“Evans?” Peter asked.

“No,” James said, as if it were ridiculous that Peter suggested such a thing. “Y/N.”

“No, you’re not,” both Remus and Sirius said at the same time.

They looked at each other with mildly confused expressions and then back at James.

Remus spoke first. “Didn’t she ask you to leave her alone before the First Task?”

“And it’s my sister! You can’t take my sister to the ball!” Sirius added, sounding much more distraught than Remus.

“I mean, she did say that,” James said to Remus. “But we’ve talked since then! She hasn’t been seething or anything.”

“Neither was Lily and you kept bothering her,” Remus said.

“Y/N’s not Evans.”

“Oh, I know,” Sirius said. “She’s my bloody sister! Who you can’t take to a ball!”

“Why not?” James asked.

“It’s my sister? That’s incest!”

“It’s not?”

“But what if she was your cousin? Would it be okay then?” Peter asked.

“Wormtail! Not helping!” Sirius yelled. “Prongs, don’t.”

James just smiled. He knew he was still going to ask you. Sirius didn’t control you, nor did he control James. James liked how you didn’t let people control you; you didn’t care what people thought and it gave the ability to be more free than others. Sirius didn’t want to be associated with his family so he made sure people knew, and Regulus cared about upholding the Black family name so he acted like his parents thought he was supposed to. You did what you wanted. It didn’t align with your family, but you weren’t going out of your way to ensure that everyone knew it.

James started trying to find the right moment to ask you. He’d prefer to do it alone. He didn’t know your friends - yet - and that made them a little off putting. However, you asking Marius to the ball didn’t spread as quickly as you wanted it to and people were still flocking to you. It had gotten to the point where you went off on your own to explore the castle with the hopes of finding the most unfrequented area.

And James had to find that area.

He tried using the Marauders’ Map but with all three schools, there were a lot of names to scan. It was almost easier to wander the castle.

That’s what he was doing when he did find you. You were in an unused-looking classroom down what you deemed too many flights of stairs. It was musty, but you were intrigued by the various objects on the shelves.

“No adoring fans down here?” James asked with an easy smile as he entered the room. His shoulders relaxed at finding you.

You barely looked up from the metal ball and its gears you were twisting.

“Adoring fans or twats who want to get into my pants?”

James chuckled awkwardly. He just wanted to take you to the ball and maybe if he got lucky, he’d be able to kiss your cheek. He wouldn’t deny the thought of something more had crossed his mind. But that wasn’t something he’d do with you right off the bat. With you, there was too much at stake.

You set the metal ball down.

“So you were looking for me?”

“Well, I, um, am I that obvious?” He ran a hand through his hair before walking further into the room.

“More like you’re not the type to just wander a school you already know. This-“ You waved your hand to the whole of the room. “-doesn’t seem like your go-to spot.”

He ran a finger along the top of a shelf. Dust coated his fingertip.

“It’s not.”

“Told you. So, you were looking for me. Why? Already figure out the twist in the second challenge?”

“The twist?” Oh, you were making fun of him for telling you about the Nundus. “Ha. Actually, I wanted to ask you something.”

“No, I haven’t figured out the totems yet. At least, not all the way.” Or at all. You weren’t going to think about them until after Christmas.

“Huh.” He adjusted his glasses and took another few steps toward you as you kept moving around the room. “Not what I was going to ask but okay.”

You looked at him over your shoulder. He had no right being so casually handsome. And he had been consistently kind to you despite your attitude and being his competitor. You waited for him to ask his question.

“Would you come to the ball with me?”

The words came out easily. It was too simple. Yet they hung in the air and you felt like all the air got sucked out of the room. Was he being serious? It was one thing to be friendly, but going with another champion was on a whole other level.

You blinked, not saying anything. James leaned his hip against a desk.

“Speechless? I do have that effect on girls.”

He wanted to smack himself upside the head. That line wasn’t something he knew you’d find charming. Even worse for him, the startled look on your face shifted into something more neutral, and James recognized the shift. It was a wall being put up. Sirius had done it many times during first year.

“I… I already have a date. And even if I didn’t, Potter, the answer’d be no. We’re competitors,” you said, trying not to rush your words. You no longer wanted to be in that room. “Thanks for the offer though.”

You were headed for the door, but James reached out.

“Wait!”

As soon as his fingers brushed your arm, you stopped and looked back at him.

“Who’re you going with?”

His eyes looked sad, disappointed, but he wasn’t accusing you of anything. He just wanted to know.

“Marius. He’s a friend.”

James nodded and let his arm fall. You gave him a weak smile and left him in the dingy classroom. You wished that the dorm situation was closer to what it was back at Beauxbatons; then you’d be able to hide away in there. But it wasn’t. So you were stuck with hiding your friends and avoiding eye contact with anyone but them.

Although disheartened, James didn’t let your refusal bother him too much. You already had a date and it was a friend. Just a friend.

A friend who you stayed by at all times now, not that James was looking for you every time he wasn’t in class.

He just happened to make sure that the Marauders were in the all-schools common areas in between and after classes. He was simply being social, that’s all.

Later in the week when it was just James and Remus in their dorm, James said, “I don’t think she hates me as much as you think she does.”

“She?” Remus assumed it was you, but James needed to learn to give context.

“Y/N.”

“You asked her?”

“Few days ago, yeah.”

“And clearly she didn’t hex you. Is that what you’re going off of?” Remus laughed. “Because there’s no way in hell you snogged her and didn’t say anything.”

James mocked his laughter.

“No, she didn’t hex me. I told you, we’ve talked and we’re good. But, Moony! Moony, Moony, Moony… she said we can’t go to the ball together because she already has a date annnd we’re competitors.“

A beat.

“I’m not seeing the significance,” Remus said flatly.

“You remember when I’d ask Evans out, yeah?”

“Impossible to forget.”

“She always had something to say about me being the problem. Like, me and her weren’t a good fit because of who I am. Whatever. Y/N. She said we’re competitors. That’s the reason why she can’t be my date.”

“And that she already has one.”

James sighed and fell onto his bed. “Yeah. And that. Stupid Marius.”

A few minutes passed with James staring at the ceiling. Remus was working on homework. He had asked Mary to the ball so he didn’t have to worry about finding a date.

“Shit. I need to actually find a date now,” James said, taking off his glasses to rub his face. “Who’m I going to take?”

Remus paused his writing, tilting his quill back and forth in his hand.

“Ask Sirius? I think he has a list of everyone available.”

James huffed a laugh. It would be the kind thing that Sirius would start as a joke but then get overly invested in.

He did end up asking Sirius in the morning. Sirius gave him a handful of names of Hogwarts girls whom he deemed tolerable and knew were still dateless. So in between classes, James found Peggy Coyne, a Hufflepuff who was a sweet girl but too mellow to be considered James’ type. She happily agreed to go with James.

Having a date took some pressure off of James. He could finish the term strong and put his focus on the totems. There was still plenty of time before the second task. He just hoped that he’d be able to figure it out.

But when he got tired of thinking about school and the second task, his mind always seemed to drift to you. You and setting the arena on fire. You and diving into the pond so easily. You in the Prefects’ bathroom… He had to adjust his pants. He needed things to go somewhere with you. Even if it was just one date, maybe just one kiss, so that he’d know how it felt.

So he held onto being your competitor and the endless possibilities for when he was no longer that.

On the night of the Yule Ball, you walked to the castle with Marius. He had greeted you with an “Ah, you look stunning as always” paired with a dramatic bow and kiss on the hand, which reduced you to giggles. You knew it would be a fun night. It was dancing with friends - what could be bad about it?

You and Marius waited outside the Great Hall as the rest of your friends walked in.

“Ms. Black, have you seen Mr. Hanes? I have Potter over there. You three will be entering the hall soon,” Professor McGonagall said as she pointed to where she had come from.

“No, ma’am. I haven’t.”

“Very well. Go stand with Potter and Ms. Coyne. I’ll find him…”

Marius followed you off to the side of the space where James was. From a distance, he had looked like he usually did, but up close you could see he tried to tame his hair and actually put in effort to his appearance. It was well done and worthwhile in your opinion. You gave him a polite smile, which he returned with a nod. His date was a pretty girl who looked like she made flower crowns in her free time. Knowing that James had wanted to go with you, it felt like a drastic change in taste.

James would’ve said hi if he knew that his voice wouldn’t crack. He also figured a simple nod was a lot less incriminating than the stream of compliments he wanted to give you. He and Peggy weren’t dating, but he had asked her. It would be rude.

He could tell you that you look beautiful later in the evening, he told himself. He wouldn’t let you leave the dance without letting you know.

“She’s looking for Armand,” Marius said, breaking the silence.

“He might’ve gone in already,” Peggy said.

You shook your head. “We were told explicitly to meet out here. He’s not that dense.”

James turned a snorted laugh into a cough. You gave him a peculiar look. He cleared his throat loudly.

“I’m okay.”

There were a few moments of awkward silence, with the light sound of music in the background. To stop yourself from staring at James and how good he looked tonight, you looked at Marius. You reached over to straighten his collar.

“Thanks, mum,” he said.

You patted his cheek. “Any time.”

e.”

Then you were waiting for McGonagall to find Armand. No one said anything more. It wasn’t long before she returned with him in tow and another girl.

“Champions, I’ll let them know that you’re ready. Do not go anywhere.”

The professor shot Armand a sharp glance and then she disappeared through the large doors of the Great Hall. Armand muttered something to his date in a language you didn’t speak. She giggled and leaned into his side. Professor McGonagall wasn’t gone for long. Reappearing at the doors, she gestured for the six of you to line up.

The music faded and a voice inside said, “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Please welcome your champions as, per tradition, they have the first dance!”

Applause filled the air as you entered the hall behind James and in front Armand. It continued until you found your spots on the floor and the music crescendoed dramatically. Marius placed one of his hands on your waist and took your hand in his other. You took a half step closer to him before the actual dancing part began. It was a simple dance, one you’d learned ages ago. You had never actually danced with Marius before.

“Watch the toes,” he whispered after you stepped on his foot a second time during the one song.

“Told you I knew the dance, not that I was any good at it,” you whispered back.

Daphne had suggested you practice the dance with Marius after he agreed to go with you, and neither of you jumped at that idea. He had said something along the lines of ‘It’s too simple. What could go wrong?’

The song blended into a new melody and your headmistress joined the champions on the floor with one of your male professors. Other teachers followed her. Then students took the hint and joined in as well. There were two more formal songs. After that, higher tempo songs began playing and the dancing felt less choreographed. Some professors lingered on the floor to ensure that the dancing was appropriate. Others seemed more than happy to retreat to man the drink and snack tables, or to supervise by the walls.

You stayed near your Beauxbatons friends for a while. Marius started gravitating towards Trevor as Daphne, Winnie, and Trina got closer to you. You weren’t all that surprised when you saw them sitting at one of the tables off to the side of the hall.

“The boys gave up,” you laughed.

“Paresseux,” Winnie sighed before laughing.

After another song or two, you went to the drink table, needing a breather. You had barely grabbed a cup and stepped off to the side when James approached you. You took a slow sip.

“You look absolutely lovely,” he said. “Breathtaking, really.”

“Quite the charmer, aren’t you?”

“Are you charmed?”

“Shouldn’t you be charming your date?”

James chuckled and moved to stand to your right, looking out at the floor with you.

“I think we both know I’d rather be here with you.”

“Potter…” you sighed.

“I know, I know. Competitors.”

You nodded and took another sip of your drink.

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t talk to each other. Dance together?”

You coughed, trying not to choke on your drink.

“Just one dance. And if anyone says anything about it, we can tell them that it’s… good sportsmanship and I’ll be dancing with Armand next.”

“Good sportsmanship,” you laughed. “If you’re going to say anything else ridiculous, make sure I’m not mid-sip, okay? I plan on making it to the end of this tournament alive.”

“Noted. So… what do you say? One dance?”

You rolled your lips together before looking up at him. The most hopeful and beautiful eyes peered back at you from behind glasses.

“Would you actually dance with Armand if someone says something?”

“Yes,” James said, having never answered something so quickly in his life.

“Okay. One dance.”

As if some greater power was listening to your conversation, the music slowed down and James smiled at you. He offered you his hand. You downed the rest of your cup, placed it on a table, and took his hand, letting him lead you out back into the sea of people. Surprisingly, no one was paying either of you much attention.

His hands on your waist held you closer than Marius had, and his cologne was a pleasant smell, not something you would’ve imagined him picking. Your arms around his neck allowed you to feel his shoulders - muscular shoulders. You allowed yourself to forget the tournament for the song. You were just dancing with a handsomely fit bloke who wanted to dance with you more than anything, and while he was being forward, he wasn’t being aggressive with it.

With that mindset, by the end of the song, you were pressed against James, swaying, and his head was dropped, nose pressing into the side of your skull. You didn’t want the song to end. You enjoyed that one dance more than any before in your life and you knew it was because of James.

But the song was over so you pulled back from him, loosening your arms around his neck. You didn’t pull completely away from him yet. There was something in the way that he was looking at you. It made your heart skip a beat.

His eyes flicked to your lips and slowly, he started leaning in. You didn’t back away right away. You almost let it happen.

“James,” you whispered, turning your head and moving towards his shoulder. “One dance.”

You were reminding both of you.

“Right.”

Both of you took half-steps back. You smiled at him.

“Thank you for-“ He cleared his throat. “- the one dance.”

“Of course,” you said with a nod. “It’s, um, good sportsmanship.”

“Yeah, sportsmanship.”

You left James and the Great Hall for the girls’ lavatory.

He stood where you left him. You had waited until the last second before stopping him from kissing you. You had been holding him tightly. It was so nice! It felt like you thought the same but you were so focused on being competitors.

There was one thing he knew as he stood there amidst the dancing students: He was gone for you. He couldn’t understand how it got so bad so quickly.

You were just as confused. You stared at yourself in the mirror, gripping the sink like someone on the verge of a mental breakdown. James was… better every time you talked to him. How had a simple dance almost lead you to a kiss? He was your competitor; he shouldn’t be making your heart rate speed up. You couldn’t get feelings for him.

When you came back to the dance, you went straight to your friends. You refused to let yourself look at James. James, however, couldn’t look away from you. Your smile. The way your body moved. Your laugh. Everything.

The day after the ball, Sirius wasn’t speaking to James. James wanted to say it was because he was tired or drank too much when he got back to the dorm, but Sirius was talking to Remus, Peter, Marlene and Mary just fine.

“You good, mate?” James asked as they walked back from dinner.

Sirius gave him no answer.

“Padfoot?”

Still nothing. James frowned and as soon as they got back to the common room, James grabbed the back of Sirius’ shirt near his neck and pushed him to the stairs.

“What’s your problem?” James asked in their dorm with the door closed.

Sirius laughed harshly. “My problem? You want to know what my problem is? You! You and whatever this fascination with my sister is!”

“I didn’t take her to the ball,” James said calmly, crossing his arms.

“You might as well have! Staring at her all night? Dancing with her? I thought you were going to kiss her! What the bloody fuck was that?”

“I-“ James’ voice caught in his throat. It was easy to say in his head that he liked you. It was easy for him to see the tiniest signs from you that you might like him back. It was easy to say to himself that you only thought you couldn’t like James because of the tournament. Explaining all of that to Sirius wasn’t as easy. “I didn’t kiss her,” he said quietly.

“And the rest of it? You did stare. You did dance with her.”

“Because I do wish we could’ve gone together.”

Sirius threw his hands up and turned away from James as if giving up. “You can’t like her.”

“It’s too late for that.”

“You don’t even know her!”

“I’m getting to know her and… I can’t explain it. It’s just everything about her.” He sighed. “And it’s different than how I felt about Lily.”

“Is that supposed to make it okay?” Sirius asked, all but growling.

“I mean, it’s supposed to make you not hate me.”

“I don’t hate you.”

“Felt like it today.”

“You almost kissed my sister last night.”

“Then you should’ve almost hated me today. Or wait for one of us to break the other’s heart. Then you can hate one of us.”

Sirius laughed but this time it was warmer, mirthful. “Yeah, I’ll be picking you off the ground when she bolts.”

It was Marius, rather than any of the girls, who asked you about the dance with James.

“Did you actually dance with Potter?”

It wasn’t accusatory nor insulted, just disbelieving, which meant he hadn’t noticed it when it was happening despite being your official date to the dance. You turned over the totem in your hand that you were trying to figure out.

“Mhmm,” you hummed.

He sat down next to you. “Why?”

“Why? Um, he asked and I figured it was…” What had James called it? “...good sportsmanship.”

“Teresa says you looked cozy,” he said, mentioning a younger girl.

“She can say what she wants. James said he was going to find Armand and ask him to dance too. It was nothing special.”

Nothing special… That was a lie. You hadn’t been able to stop thinking about the dance since then, no matter how you try to distract yourself. His being your fellow champion meant that it was so easy for everything to lead back to him.

“The dance might not have been, but him staring at you all night probably was.”

You looked up from the totem. “Excuse me?”

“Come on, I know you don’t need me to spell it out for you.”

“I’m just his competition, Marius. I’m what’s standing between him and hundreds of galleons.”

“Uh-huh. I’m sure,” he said sarcastically, but he knew it wasn’t worth discussing with you since you’d dig your heels in. “So, that totem. Any ideas what it means?”

You didn’t. Each totem was different. Some of them had weird notching on top and bottom of them and others didn’t. As a group they had made no sense to you so you were trying to look at them one at a time, and you weren’t making any progress.

You could only hope that the boys were having the same amount of trouble.

Winnie was standing in your dorm, waiting for you to be ready to head to breakfast after the new term had started. You had the totems on your desk. She ran her hands over them.

“Huh,” she mumbled to herself.

One of the totems only had notching on its bottom and another only had it on its top, and the notching on the one’s top was the inverse of another’s bottom. She tried to stack them and they clicked into place with a loud snap.

“What was that?” you asked as she gasped.

She held up the stacked totems and practically shoved them in your face.

“THEY STACK!”

“What?”

You took the stack from her hands and looked at it.

“The notching,” she explained. “I thought they looked similar so I wanted to see if they fit together and they do!”

“Grab the rest!”

She hurriedly grabbed the other three and let you figure out which ones clicked together until you had all five combined.

“How did I not see this before?” you whispered.

“What do you think it means?”

“No fucking clue.”

You shoved the connected totems into your bag and left your dorm. Besides figuring out what it meant, you also had to decide if you wanted to tell James. You should. You know you should. He told you about the Nundu, which was honestly a bigger help than you would be if you told him. You went two days without saying anything.

You decided on a whim that you would tell him. You saw him turn for the boys’ lavatory on his way to lunch, so you told your friends you needed to use the loo. You waited in the corridor for him. He didn’t take long.

“Potter,” you said. “You got a second?”

His confused expression from someone saying his name as soon as he stepped out shifted into an easy smile.

“Y/N, always.”

He followed you into a shallow alcove.

“Have you figured anything out with the totems?” you asked.

He furrowed his brows and ran a hand through his hair. “Erm, not yet. Sorry… Is that all you needed?”

His pride took a blow at that. He thought you were going to say something about the dance. Maybe you were thinking about it as much as he still was and you couldn’t get him out of your head. Maybe you didn’t care that you were technically competitors anymore.

“They stack,” you said. “All of them. There’s notching.”

Pride was now only bruised, not completely blown to pieces. It wasn’t a love confession, but it was better than using him as a hint supplier.

“Notching?”

“I’m still working on what it all means, but I figure it’s something. And… I thought that you should know.”

“Yeah, okay. Thank you.”

You gave him a smile and headed into the Great Hall. Should you maybe have checked in with Armand and seen if he knew they stacked so that the playing field was completely level? Yes. But did you? No. He wasn’t any of your concern. James somehow made himself your concern.

“So the first one… No clue,” you said to Daphne, Winnie, and Trina as you all sat on your bed about a week before the Second Task. “I think the second one is a pixie? The ears and hands. Not sure what I’m doing with a pixie though. And that’s Hear No Evil. Like from the saying?”

“See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil?” Trina asked.

“Yeah. And that’s, um, a gardener? I don’t know. Same with the last one.”

“They have to relate to something you have to do,” Winnie said. She reached for the totems. “Freeze the pixie is your best bet there. And don’t listen to whatever is in three.”

“I’m so screwed,” you said.

“You set the arena on fire and made all the boys cum in their pants. I think you’re fine,” Trina laughed.

“I can’t seduce my way through the challenge…” You paused. “Can I?”

The girls laughed.

Each day passed with you getting no closer to understanding the totems. When you helped James, he seemed as lost as you were so that was a little comforting. You had no idea where Armand stood in all of it.

Like with the First Task, the three of you were gathered from breakfast and brought to the arena. You changed in your room and then you were pacing in the waiting room. James watched you from where he sat on the couch. His leg was bouncing with nervous energy. He had some idea of what he was walking into. Pixies and violent plants of some kind.

Armand remained in his own room until five minutes before they were told to be. Only Mr. Frankiver walked in.

“The three of you will be competing at the same time. Please follow me.”

You did as told. After being briefly blinded by the sun, you could see three tall, stone towers, each with a banner from one of the schools. You went to stand in front of the one with the Beauxbatons’ flag.

“The goal is simple! First one to the top earns the most points!” the announcer boomed. “Champions, are you ready?”

You waved to the stands. James gave the announcer a thumbs up. Armand adjusted his stance so that he was ready to sprint to the door.

“On the cannon!”

Boom!

Any thoughts of your competitors or the cheering stands vanished. You yanked the door open and stepped inside. You stood in darkness for a singular moment before torches lit up the room. It looked like a classroom with a door on the other side. You knew it wouldn’t be as simple as it looked. You crossed the room and tried to open the door.

Locked.

You looked around the room, really seeing what was there. It looked like a classroom. A potions classroom. You started inspecting the cauldrons and seeing which textbooks were on the shelves. A few of the desks had pre-measured ingredients set out.

“Sneezewort, eye of newt, boomslang skin… powdered…” You pinched the white powder and rubbed it between your fingers. “…daisies… Okay, maybe I need to…”

Your thoughts trailed off as you tried to lift the boomslang skin and it didn’t move. The same happened with the container holding the newt’s eye.

“Huh.”

You looped the room again. There were ingredients on the shelves around the classroom. You looked to one of the closer tables and immediately recognized it as a basic Pepperup Potion, only it was missing an ingredient.

You grabbed what was missing from the shelves and added it to the table. There was a click. A one-fifth circle slice glowed bright yellow on the door. Four more tables had piles of ingredients.

You moved to the next table and identified everything on it. You couldn’t think of the potion immediately so you moved onto the next one, hoping it would come to you. That’s how you kept moving about the room. One table to the next until you figured out what was missing. It was a little more nitpicky than you were expecting from a Tournament Task, but it was doable.

Before long, you placed the final ingredient on the fifth table and instead of a click, there was a chime and the door opened automatically. It revealed a staircase. You ran to it and up the stairs.

As you reached the top of the stairs, you could hear giggling. You were met with a door, but this one opened easily.

You sighed. You were right about the Cornish pixies. Hundreds of them flew around the room. They were fighting with each other, throwing various objects around, and causing general chaos. The door closed behind you with a loud thud and the room fell silent. Hundreds of pairs of beady, black eyes stared at you. You had a split second before you became their target.

Your hair was pulled. Objects thrown at you. You smacked away ones that tried to grab your ears to lift you up.

“Fuck this,” you mumbled. “GLACIUS!”

A frosty layer of ice blasted out of your wand and coated every pixie in your path. You cast it three more times to make sure each pixie was frozen. Then you crossed the room with ease. The door was unlocked and you headed up the next flight of stairs.

You thought that room had been easy. Too easy. The only justification for it was perhaps if you hadn’t been expecting them, you could’ve been easily overwhelmed by the sheer number of them.

You were still thinking about the pixies as you entered the third room. You stopped in your path and the door thudded shit.

The room was filled with fog. The fog was so thick that you could hardly see your hand in front of your face.

“Ventus,” you cast, but the fog remained.

You stuck your hand out, letting it disappear. It didn’t hurt. So you just couldn’t see. You could find the other side of the room. You started to move forward.

“Y/N?” a voice called.

You froze. That voice was far too familiar.

“Y/N? I’m scared,” it called again.

You realized who it was. Louis Verland. A muggle boy you met years ago over the summer. He barely counted as your first boyfriend, but he was your first kiss and you knew you’d always have a soft spot for him.

“Y/N! Help!”

Except why would the Ministry bring a muggle boy to a wizarding school? It didn’t seem right. You kept walking. Small steps, slow steps, and your hand outstretched to hopefully touch anything before you ran into it.

“Black! Fuck!” Daphne screamed somewhere in the fog.

That caught you more off guard. You spun, trying to figure out where she was. How had she gotten in here?

“Y/N! Please!” she yelled. “Hurry!”

There was so much pain in her voice. You turned away from the way you knew the door was.

“Where are you, Daph?” you yelled into the fog.

She didn’t respond.

Instead, you heard your favorite professor.

“Ms. Black! Augh!”

You stopped moving. Monsieur Bovine was at Beauxbatons. You knew that and hated it every day you woke up here at Hogwarts. It was frankly horrible to be spending your last year without any contact with your favorite teacher.

Then realization dawned on you. Hear no evil. They weren’t here. No one was in trouble. You weren’t supposed to listen to the voices.

You tried to retrace your few steps off course and started moving faster to find the edge of the room. At least then you could use the wall to find the door. The room felt larger than the previous two.

You thought you had to be getting close to the door when another voice called out your name. It was so pained that it physically hurt your heart. You didn’t turn around. You kept reaching for the door you knew was just out of reach.

Because there was no way James was in this room when he was supposed to be climbing his own tower.

There were more stairs. You opened the door and got blasted with humidity and the scent of plants. It was like stepping into a tree-less jungle. The plants that you did recognize did not leave a good feeling in your stomach. They were the type of plants that chose offense in order to survive. You didn’t know how to pacify any of them off the top of your head so you did what you always did: tried to light them on fire.

Except instead of flames, pale sparks fizzled out of your wand.

The room had been enchanted to damper fire spells. That would’ve made it too easy.

You tried to tiptoe forward, avoiding the Devil’s Snare. One more step. And you couldn’t lift your back foot. The plant had wrapped itself around your ankle. You swore loudly.

“Diffindo!”

Your ankle was freed, but you fell forwards onto another plant. You felt a sharp pain in your cheek. The leaves of this plant were razor sharp and cut more when exposed to blood. You forced yourself to stand up to get away from that plant. You wiped at your face and tried to keep moving.

Every step left you fighting with a new plant. Each required its own counter. You were swearing heavily by the time you finished crossing the room; it had taken you longer than the other three so far and you had no idea how far behind you were. At least there was only one room left.

You knew the drill. Up the stairs, through the door, and survey the room.

The final room was cluttered to the point where cluttered was too simple of a descriptor. A landfill or junkyard might be a more apt description. You couldn’t take a step without touching something new and potentially disgusting. What was worse was not knowing what you were supposed to be doing. You crossed the room to find the door locked. But there was a keyhole.

You turned back around to the room. So there was a key somewhere in all of the mess that would free you from the task.

You rolled your eyes and sighed. “Accio key?”

Nothing happened.

“Worth a shot,” you mumbled to yourself. You hummed. Then you said, “Levioso.”

Some items levitated off the floor, allowing you to move more freely and see more of the room.

You saw a desk in the corner of the room and decided to start your search there. A desk was a good place to put a key. Maybe it was a logic puzzle?

The key was not at the desk. However, there was a note that pointed you in the direction of the closet on the other side of the room. Inside the closet was another note. After following the note and the following two, you found the key underneath the deskchair’s cushion.

You never felt more relief than when you inserted it into the door and it unlocked. You opened the door.

Blinding light and deafening cheers met you. You looked to your right. Armand had already made it out of his tower. He waved to you. You turned to your left. There was no James. At least you hadn’t been last.

After James appeared, the announcer got everyone’s attention and said that the points would be given based on the order that you finished, giving Armand the most and James the least. You still have the most points over all. James’ first task points managed to keep him above Armand.

Staircases jutting out from the sides of the towers to let you down. Instead of going back to the castle right away, you made sure to change out of the jumpsuit.

James, still in his jumpsuit, waited for you. He had gotten stuck on the third floor and he couldn’t get what he heard out of his head.

“Hey,” he said when you came out of your room.

“Hi.”

He walked with you out of the arena. He didn’t say anything but something seemed wrong with him.

“You alright?” you asked. “You don’t need to worry about not doing well this task. You’re still above Armand.”

He shook his head. “The third floor… That was cruel.”

“Cruel?”

“Did… did you not hear-“ he started to ask you with wide eyes. Had it just been his tower that had the people he cared about crying out for him?

“People asking for help. That’s what I heard.”

“Just… people?”

“People I know.” You gave him a curious look. “Who did you hear?”

James looked straight ahead. He took a breath before saying, “My parents, Sirius, Peter, Remus, Professor McGonagall, some first and second years I’ve seen around… Marlene, Mary, Dorcas, Peggy, Lily, Emmeline. Some of my cousins. My neighbors back home. You.”

You grabbed James’ arm. You weren’t necessarily phased by him saying your name, especially given that you heard his.

“Merlin, that’s so many people.”

“I… I couldn’t find any of them. I couldn’t help them and they needed me.”

“James, none of them were in there.”

“I-I know that.”

“How could I have been there? I was in my own tower.”

“That’s, erm, actually how I was able to get out. That thought.”

“Everyone you listed off. They’re fine. No one needs your immediate help.”

“Right.”

You both kept walking. You wondered why James didn’t head off to find Sirius or any of his other friends. James couldn’t explain why he didn’t. He knew he needed to be by someone he heard in the tower to remind himself that it wasn’t real, but he heard all of his roommates. He could be in the presence of three of the people he heard, yet he stuck with you.

As you walked into the castle, you asked, “Are you going to be alright?”

He nodded, but you could see the worry in his eyes. That room had messed with James in a way that you couldn’t quite grasp.

“You’re Hogwarts’ champion. You’ll be okay,” you said, hoping that your confidence in him might help.

You placed your hand on his arm briefly before heading to where your friends had started hanging out regularly. James took a deep breath as you walked out of sight.

You were okay. His family was okay. His friends were okay. The young students were okay.

He kept repeating that in his mind. If he kept telling himself that, maybe he could shake the feeling someone was hurting and he couldn’t help them.

You didn’t think about that task any further. You had other things to worry yourself over. You were in your last term at school before you’d graduate and be able to go out into the world as an adult. You still had plenty of time before the final task, which you knew was always a maze of some type filled with various obstacles. There was really no way to prepare for it rather than focus on school and learn as much as you could.

To put it shortly, you weren’t losing any sleep over the voices you had heard. You may have thought about the fact that you heard James’ voice, but you didn’t linger on it to the point where it affected you.

Three weeks had passed since the task and you found yourself unable to sleep. You couldn’t figure out why you could fall asleep. You weren’t worried. There were upcoming tests or incredibly difficult homework assignments. The final task was still a few weeks away. You didn’t feel ill. You had no reason to not be able to fall asleep.

You raised your dorm’s curtain with the intent to open the window. Maybe you needed some fresh air. You didn’t get to the opening part. You could see a figure in the distance, sitting on the hill near the Black Lake, and you decided you’d go see who it was. Your stomach told you it was James. You had no reason to think it was, yet you knew it was.

Sneaking out of the carriage was much easier than sneaking out of the Beauxbatons school building would’ve been, and then you were crossing the grassy field with a blanket from your bed draped over your shoulders. You should’ve grabbed your cloak, you thought to yourself as you pulled the blanket up from sweeping the ground. As you got closer, you realized your gut feeling was right. It was James sitting there. It was rather embarrassing how easy it was for you to recognize him by his messy hair and shoulders from behind.

“Bit cloudy for stargazing,” you said once you got closer.

He jumped at the sound of your voice, but looking over his shoulder at you, he gave you a small smile. You sat down next to him. You didn’t notice him shift a shimmery fabric on his other side to be more under his leg and out of sight.

“So if we cross off stargazing, what are you doing out here?” you asked.

“I can’t sleep… What about you?”

“Same. But don’t you have a common room with a warm fireplace you could be sitting in front of? You know, inside?”

“It’s too quiet in there.”

He didn’t need to expand on that. The wind and the trees and the water made enough noise by themselves, and if you really listened, you could hear animals in the forest. The fireplace might’ve crackled and you might catch a loud snore, but the common room couldn’t compare.

“I can’t unhear them,” James said.

You didn’t need to ask to know what he meant. It had been weeks, but you knew he was talking about the Second Task.

“If it’s too quiet or too dark or too… nothing… I hear them again. I can’t stop hearing them and feeling… useless. Bloody helpless because I can’t do anything.” His voice cracked. “I can’t stop thinking about it and I just… Fuck…”

You were going to look at James and remind him that it wasn’t real and it was just a part of the task that he did finish. Then you saw his red-rimmed eyes. He wasn’t looking at you, but you knew he was going to cry. Rather than witness that, you stared at the soft waves on the water.

“You know, I think it’s good that it messed you up,” you said. “It proves how much you care about the people in your life. You are so… all-in with the people you love. You would do anything to help them if they needed you.”

“Anyone would,” he croaked.

You shook your head. “I don’t think so. Otherwise me and Armand would be unable to sleep too. And it’s crazy that you had a whole list of people; I only heard four.”

“You weren’t there as long as-”

“I wasn’t there long because I knew I couldn’t help those people. If they were actually in that room, needing my help? I would’ve been no help to them. It’d be something I couldn’t handle.”

“What do you mean?”

“Like, um, seeing them need my help, I guess. I wouldn’t be able to do anything.”

“Why?” If there was one thing James was good at, it was avoiding his problems to talk about someone else’s.

“It’s… It’s who I heard. Um, my favorite professor back at Beauxbatons, Monsieur Bovine. And Daphne. She’s, uh, she’s good, but seeing her hurt or in pain… Yeah.” You pursed your lips thinking about it. Then you laughed softly. “And this muggle boy. I met him in London like four years ago? I actually haven’t seen him in over a year, but I knew I couldn’t help him. If he was in that room, something beyond my abilities was going on.”

“Can I ask what’s special about him? If he’s just a muggle you haven’t seen recently?”

“He was my first kiss.”

“Oh,” James said. He sniffled. “And the fourth?”

You hummed in confusion.

“You said you heard four people. That’s only three.”

“Oh, um, yeah. The fourth… Well, if he needs help, we’re all screwed.”

“Must be pretty special then… Who is he?”

You didn’t answer right away. You couldn’t lie to him; that’d be cruel. It also felt strange to admit it out loud weeks after he said that he heard you and you didn’t tell him then.

“You.”

James chuckled, expecting you to join him. Except you didn’t. You just stayed quiet, staring up at the sky.

“Wait, you actually heard me in the tower?” James asked, sitting up straighter and turning his body towards you. “Y/N?”

You nodded, and then you hugged your knees to your chest.

“Over your brothers?”

“They have other people to look out for them. They’ve never needed me. They wouldn’t need me. I doubt they’d ever think to call out for me.”

“Over Marius?”

You gave him a slight side-eye.

“Marius?” you asked. “Why would I hear Marius?”

“You went with him to the Yule Ball,” James said with a shrug, trying to feign nonchalance and failing.

“I did. That doesn’t mean anything though.”

“And you heard me?”

You nodded. “Yeah.”

He waited to see if you would say anything more. He let out a breath.

“I… I don’t see how I rank,” he said.

“I don’t think we’re supposed to.”

“No, erm. You actually heard me?”

You gave him a faux-annoyed look. “I’ve already told you yes.”

He stared at you, eyes flicking to your lips. More than once. You really thought he was going to kiss you and if he had, you’re not sure if you would’ve stopped him.

But instead of kissing you, he reached for your hand.

“Is this something competitors can do?”

You slowly interlaced your fingers. “I think so. It’s… good sportsmanship.”

James smiled and you sat like that for a little while. He couldn’t believe that you actually heard him in the room where you heard people you really cared about. Maybe it made sense if he thought about how you let him hold you while dancing. And now you were holding his hand back. He would’ve been content to just hold yours, but you interlaced them. That was all you.

He was distracted by thoughts of you possibly liking him back that he didn’t actually notice you scooting closer to him. It didn’t register with him until you rested your head on his shoulder. You were growing tired. James provided some kind of comfort that eased you into a relaxed state.

Without saying anything, he switched the hand you were holding so that he could put his arm around you. You didn’t object. He was surprisingly warm, having been sat out there longer than you and you were already getting a little cold. He rested his head on yours for a short while.

Eventually, you found yourself fighting yawns.

“D’you think you’ll be able to sleep?” you asked after a while.

You were comfortable and didn’t really want to move, except for knowing that if you stayed for too much longer, you would fall asleep, and you didn’t want to think about the consequences of being caught sleeping wrapped in your competitor’s arms outside. That had to be against some rule. You weren’t discussing the tournament so maybe it wasn’t cheating. You didn’t know and you’d rather not find out.

“I think so,” James said. “You headed back?”

You hummed affirmatively, and he removed his arm from around you. Then he helped you stand up.

“I’ll walk you back,” he added.

“Oh, you don’t have to. I’ll be okay.”

“I want to. … And my way back into the castle is that way so…”

“Okay.”

You didn’t say anything more. You walked in silence back to the carriage and James gave you a little wave before you slipped through the door. He turned the corner of the carriage and put on his Invisibility Cloak. If anyone else had seen him, they would’ve thought he was in the imagination.

That night helped James moving forward. Whenever his thoughts trapped him back in that foggy room, he remembered holding you and how you leaned into him. He remembered that you had heard him. It was enough to pull him out.

James kept an extra keen eye out for you whenever he wasn’t in class. If there was a smidgen of a chance he could see you, he was looking. If he did see you and made eye contact, you gave him a tight-lipped smile and kept on your way. He didn’t understand that.

You needed to keep your head clear. You had two goals in front of you: finish school, survive the tournament. Neither of those were “get a boyfriend.” Especially when said boy is your competitor and best friend to one of your brothers. Seeing and knowing that James looks for you only made you want to spend more time with him. So you kept to yourself.

“Did you shag her or something?” Sirius asked after seeing your barely-there smile as you passed the boys’ table in the library.

“We didn’t shag. Haven’t even kissed her,” James sighed.

“Then what? I’d say that looks like her bolting, but you don’t seem broken.”

“It’s nothing.”

Nothing for Sirius to concern himself with is what James meant.

Whatever was between you and James just wasn’t concrete. He wondered if he had kissed you that night on the field that things would be different right now. You had told James, to his face, that he was special and you wouldn’t be able to function if he was so in trouble that he needed your help. And he hadn’t kissed you.

Idiot.

He held your hand and then put an arm around you in lieu of a kiss. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.

“Are you feeling okay?” Daphne asked when you sat down next to her.

“I’m fine.”

She scoffed a laugh. “Do you think me dense? I’m fine. Say that to your face.”

“I’m just trying to stay focused. There are just some…” You looked in James’ direction. “… distractions that are trying to pull my attention.”

She followed your gaze.

“Sirius or James?”

“Well, it’s not my brother.”

She gasped and grabbed your arm.

“You can’t leave me hanging! What do you mean? He’s pulling your attention?”

“Shut up!” you whisper-yelled. “It’s nothing.”

“My nothing or your nothing?”

You made a face. “Nothing is nothing.”

“No,” she laughed. “My nothing is actually nothing. Your nothing is there’s something there but you’re refusing to acknowledge it. You know, how there was nothing with Paul.”

“Because there was nothing.”

“He was in love with you.”

“You’re delusional.”

“Am I delusional about Potter?”

You clenched your jaw. “No.”

“So it’s not nothing. You just don’t want to talk about it, hmm?” She grinned at you while resting her chin on her hand. “Le pauvre bébé aime un garçon.”

“Ta gueule.”

Daphne gasped dramatically, but she dropped it. Getting you to admit that you like James out loud, even in the vague, roundabout way that you did, was an accomplishment. Being that she knew that you were avoiding your feelings, she helped steer conversations away from your behavior. It was nice to have her in your corner.

It was difficult to believe how quickly time passed after that. Far too soon, in your opinion, you were putting on the jumpsuit for the last time. Part of you didn’t want to wait in the waiting room like you had before the first two tasks. James was guaranteed to be out there. A larger part of you couldn’t sit in your dressing room. So you went to the larger room to pace.

Like you predicted, James was out there.

“Hey, Y/N,” he said, standing and pushing his glasses up his nose.

“James.”

“I… I wanted to wish you luck out there.”

You nodded. “Thank you. You as well.” You paused, momentarily debating letting it end there. “Do you feel ready?”

The corners of his mouth twitched upwards. You were continuing the conversation. It might’ve been because he had stood up and you still had half an hour until it was time for the task, but you still said something more than thanks.

“After last task? Godric, no. What about you?”

“Without knowing what’s inside the maze, I’m as prepared as I can be. Practically all my learning is behind me.”

“Right. D’you think you’ll still have to take finals if you win?”

You sighed with an easy smile. “It’d be amazing if I didn’t. I would rather die than redo my final year after winning.”

“Why so confident you’re going to win?” Armand asked, stepping out of his room.

“I mean, it’s hypothetical,” you said.

James watched your smile fall and walls go up. So much for a calming conversation before going out into the arena.

“What’ll you do if you win?” James asked. Maybe he could ease the tension.

“You didn’t listen to Trisha or read her article?” he snapped.

“Uh, not really…”

James was talking to you while Armand was being interviewed and when he read the article, it was to explain to Sirius that your portion was filled with misquotes and lies. He barely processed his portion of the article and skimmed Armand’s.

“Maybe you changed your mind,” you said. “I wouldn’t say I’m the same as I was when we talked to that bitch.”

“Wow, bitch, huh? Because she published what you said?”

“I didn’t say-!” you started to yell as Mr. Arbres, Mr. Frankiver, and the headmasters walked in.

“Little tense in here, champions,” Mr. Arbres said with a cheeky smile. “Do you feel moments away from victory?”

“More than moments,” you muttered, and James elbowed you lightly.

If Mr. Arbres heard or cared for your comment, he didn’t show it. “As I’m sure you know, the last task is a maze. The Triwizard Cup is hidden within. Professor Sprout hid it this morning and she has told no one where it is. Not that it’d do us much good if she did.” He paused to laugh; you didn’t catch what he found funny. “And it’s fairly simple from there. First one to find it wins it all. Your current point standings determine the order you enter the maze.”

“That’s not fair!” Armand protested.

“Hmm?”

“Y/N gets the most time in the maze? What if she finds it before I even get in there?”

Mr. Arbres smiled firmly and reached over to pat Armand’s shoulder.

“You’ll understand why that’s simply not possible when you enter.”

“Alright. Follow me. Let’s begin the Third Task,” Mr. Frankiver said.

The group followed him out the door leading to the arena. As usual, the crowd cheered. The towers were gone; they were replaced with hedges taller than 10 feet. You weren’t sure how the students were going to watch, and then you realized that you had no clue how they watched the Second Task. Not that it was your main concern right now.

“Being that she scored the most points in the first two tasks, Y/N Black will enter the maze first!” the announcer said, their voice drowning everything out.

You didn’t process much else as a cannon went off, signaling the start of your time. You entered the maze. After you took a few steps, there was a strange rustling noise behind you. The hedges closed off your way in.

“So that’s what he meant,” you mumbled.

You figured there was no strategy for finding the cup. It wasn’t like you could stick your right hand out and follow the edge until you were out of the maze. You had to find something in an ever-changing maze. You’d hear the rustling again after passing a fork in your path. There was no going back.

The first you encountered that wasn’t a hedge was a dark mongrel. It was pacing around a wider stretch of path, as if waiting for the first champion to cross it. You didn’t give it the opportunity to react to your presence. You hit it with a string of offensive spells. It yelped and collapsed on the ground. You hurried past it, not giving it the chance to recover and attack.

Every so often the hedges would shoot out vines that wrapped around your arms and ankles. Diffindo quickly became your best friend.

You heard a yell somewhere in the distance. It was the first sign of the other champions since you entered, which you found odd. You felt like you should’ve heard their cannons go off.

Your path was blocked by a pool of water. It felt too shallow to make a bridge over so you waded through it. Halfway across you felt a burning sensation on your ankles. The water was murky, but a little further away you could see yellow spotted creatures moving erratically. You watched as one spewed a dark substance in your direction. You tried your best to sprint out of the water.

You rinsed your ankles off, hoping it would soothe them. It didn’t. You tried to remember what those creatures were and what remedied their venom, but your brain wasn’t cooperating.

On the other side of the water, you were met with a forked path and you could see what obstacles await you in each direction. To your left was fog and you did not want to risk it. To the right was a three-headed snake. It was also something you wanted to face off with but your options were limited.

You took the right path and a vine wrapped itself around your thigh.

“Diffindo,” you cast immediately, drawing the snake’s attention to you.

The three heads appeared to be sizing you up. You moved towards it slowly. Maybe you could slip past it without it registering you as a threat. You just needed to get by. As you got closer, one of the head’s eyes narrowed and another started bobbing in a way that mimicked your walking. You swallowed nervously, but you didn’t stop moving.

It twitched and you yelled, “DEPULSO!”

You sprinted away, hoping it wouldn’t follow you. That was only a hope. If you looked over your shoulder, you would’ve seen it slithering after you with all three heads on high alert.

You didn’t look back. There was no need to because ahead of you on top of an elevated platform was the cup. You’d have to find a way up there and fast.

Not because of the snake, but Armand was running at the platform from a different direction. You knew you’d laugh later about him being worried about your time advantage.

Not sure how you were going to go up, you cast a ripple spell, causing the ground under Armand’s feet to rise and fall like waves.

“Wha-?” he yelled before dropping a long string of swears as he fell to the ground.

Then you heard hissing behind you. You finally looked over your shoulder to see it had followed you all the way here and it was angry. You were reaching where Armand was struggling to stand up as the ground was still unsteady. You could practically feel the snake getting closer to you.

At the edge of the rippling ground as it was beginning to wear off, you lurched to the left. It was pure luck. For you, at least.

The snake had been mid-strike to bite you, but with you no longer directly in front of it, it went for the next closest person: Armand. He screamed in pain as the heads started biting him.

“Ascendio!”

Your body shot vertically in the air and you aimed for the platform. It wasn’t a soft landing. The moment you wrapped your hand around the cup, the platform started moving higher until you were far above the hedges and you could see everyone in the stands.

“We have our winner! Y/N Black is the Triwizard Champion!” the announcer said.

You lifted the cup in the air, beaming. Nothing happened for over a minute. It was just you and the cheering students. Then you felt the platform start to move. It brought you over to where you entered the maze, and shortly after, two more platforms brought over James and Armand.

James was smiling as widely as you were; if he didn’t win, he was glad it was you. Armand looked bitter, at least as much as he could as he held his torso, which was oozing some kind of bodily fluid and puss. You didn’t get to talk to either of them as Trisha and her photographer appeared to whisk you away.

You stood next to your headmistress for a phone. Then Trisha got out her notepad and smiled at you.

“No comment,” you told her before turning around.

You disappeared through the door that led to the waiting room. You were not going to give her another interview to twist into whatever she wanted, which apparently was family drama. You didn’t see where James and Armand had gone. Neither one was in the waiting room. You grabbed your clothes and decided to head for the castle. You wanted to shower in the Prefects’ bathroom.

Clearly, you hadn’t been thinking. A crowd of students was loitering around the exit of the arena, waiting for you. You opened the door and immediately they bombarded you with questions, compliments and congratulations. You smiled and thanked them. You tried your best to keep moving.

Not too far ahead of you, you spotted one of the few people you actually wanted to talk to.

“Hey Potter!” you yelled.

He turned toward you and people seemed to make way for you to approach each other.

“Hey Champion,” he said with a wide, genuine smile.

“You know, I just realized something.”

He tilted his head slightly. “What’d you realize?”

You carefully set the Cup and your clothes on the ground. Then you grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him down to your height.

“We are no longer competitors,” you said before closing the gap between you, not caring about the gasping students around you.

tags: @navs-bhat @faceache111

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