𝑏𝑒𝑤𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ𝑒𝑑 | harry potter & the goblet of fire
dartmoor, england. 1994
from our seats high in the top box, the entire stadium stretched beneath us in a sea of colors and movement. thousands of witches and wizards filled the stands below, and their voices blended into one great roar that rose into the night sky.
next to me sat my older brother, charles. he was looking way more interested in the match than i was. my father sat on my other side, speaking quietly with my uncle lucius, like if they had something more important to discuss that just couldn’t wait until after the match.
as the quidditch world cup begun, and i’m looking down at the crowd, my cousin draco finds himself a seat behind me. “still at beauxbatons?" he leans over to ask. i nod, “for now." hesitant to make more of a conversation, draco gets on my nerves enough. he always has.
he narrowed his eyes immediately. “for now?” i sighed quietly. i already knew where this was going. the problem with draco was that he had inherited two unfortunate traits. curiosity and persistence.
“father wants me closer to home apparently.” i said.
“apparently?” draco repeated. i could just hear him preparing a hundred more questions. “i’m transferring for fifth year.” his expression shifted slightly. i looked away before he could ask anything else. and to be honest, i hadn’t known how i felt about it yet.
i mean beaxbatons has always felt familiar, the warm halls, french voices, faces i’ve known for years. and plus my mother attended this school, as well as my great great aunt vinda. hogwarts had always just existed somewhere distant, and now suddenly im gonna be there?
i tucked a loose strand of dark hair behind my ear. “at least on this trip i’ll get to experience a bit of hogwarts before then,” i said. “this tournament should be interesting.”
draco smirked. “oh yeah, i know a few idiots who want to put their names in the goblet.” i laughed softly.
fast forward to the beauxbatons arrival
the carriage ride to hogwarts felt much longer than it actually was. the girls sat around me with perfect posture, smoothing their skirts and adjusting their sleeves. whispering to each other in french. i stared out the window, watching the rain slide down the glass softly.
and behind the dark trees, i could see the lights beginning to appear in the distance. and before we enter, madame maxime looked over us.
“girls, remember who you represent.”
the doors open fully, and a loud voice echoes through the hall.
"and now, please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies, of the beauxbatons academy of magic, and their headmistress madame maxime.”
the great hall stretched before us, there were candles floating beneath an enchanted ceiling filled with stars. long tables filled the room, hundreds of faces.
the girls ahead of me moved gracefully into formation. i followed, looking straight ahead, but i could still feel it, the stares and whispering. i even heard a familiar voice.
“my cousin's here, there she goes right there.”
i looked over at him and smiled. draco leaned back into his chair. and later that night, after dinner, draco caught me in the entrance hall. “hogwarts is better!” i looked at him clearly annoyed. “gosh draco you’ve told me that like three times already.”
blaise appeared beside him. “ignore draco.”
“we know he likes to hear himself talk.”
“i do not.”
“you absolutely do!” i say.
blaise laughs quietly. i hold eye contact with him for a second. then walk away.
days passed strangely, us from beauxbatons and those from durmstrangs stayed to ourselves, sticking together with our own schools. yet i still found myself wandering hogwarts whenever i could. i mean the castle felt so alive. during potions one afternoon, i walked past draco’s table.
“enjoying hogwarts?” blaise asked.
“it’s definitely different than what i’m used to.”
“different good or different bad?”
i took some time to think about it. “different strange.”
blaise grinned. “yeah well, that’s hogwarts.”
as the triwizard tournament began, i stayed with my group and cheered on fleur. i clap as the dragons roar overhead.
weeks later, the yule ball arrives, it was unreal, i ended up going with theo, and draco was going with pansy but he ended up liking one of the girls from beauxbatons a bit more.
icicles hung from the ceiling, and the floating candles reflected against walls of ice. the music drifted through the room so softly that it almost felt like part of a dream. and while dancing, i couldn’t help but laugh at almost everything theo would say.
i was enjoying myself, and so was everyone else. though across the room, blaise was watching, me and my every move it seemed like. beside him was pansy, staring draco down, as he dances with another girl.
i didn’t quite know how to feel or act once I saw blaise was watching. it felt different coming from him. i didn’t know how to feel about that moment for the rest of the night.
and honestly, it was all i kept thinking about. i had the thought of approaching him but once me and theo were done dancing blaise was gone.
hours later, the music had slowed, some students were sat, some still dancing, and some just talking. i decided to take some time by myself, and i found myself leaning against the balcony overlooking the snow covered grounds.
cold air brushed my face, and footsteps approached. i looked over my shoulder and it was theo, he stood beside me quietly.
“do you like it here?” he asks.
i stare at him for a moment. “i do.”
“hm.”
“well, i know someplace that could make your stay better.”
i smiled “and where would that be?”
“hogsmeade,”
“me and you, we should go sometime.”
my eyes widened “oh…”
“as friends!” he clarified. “just to go check some things out.”
i tilted my head. “check things out?”
he shrugged awkwardly, hands in his pockets.
“okay…” i say. a smile pulled from my lips. “sounds great.”
he looked relieved. but later that night, i decided to spend some time alone, and blaise had found me.
“hey!” i smile and say as he approaches me.
“i feel like i’ve barely talked to you all tonight.”
he looked at me for a moment.
“what’s going on with you?” he says completely ignoring what i just said.
i frowned. “what do you mean?”
“you know exactly what i mean.”
“i really don’t.” i say completely clueless.
he takes a deep breath and looks away. “im talking about you and nott.”
i hesitated. “we’re friends.” i say. “i thought we were all friends…that’s why i didn’t bother to tell anyone that me and him were going it doesn't matter to me”
“yeah right. he obviously likes you,”
“can’t you see that?”
i shut it down immediately
“you know blaise, i don’t know why you’re making this such a big deal. it is just a dance.” i say getting up and walking away.
“oh please, you know how i feel about you too.” he says following me.
i stop right then and there. flashbacks of me and him last year sneaking away from family parties. spending our whole nights together. just us.
i pause for a moment. not knowing what to say.
“blaise, that was a while ago…”
“forget it.” he says as he walks right past me.
i stood there for a moment completely confused. i mean sure i understood he might've had some feelings for me but, i know he gets around with the girls here at hogwarts. he doesn't belong to me.
after that, i got the cold shoulder from blaise for the rest of my stay. and it did bother me but i wasn't gonna let that show. i felt guilty about the whole thing so i kept my distance from theo as well. maybe blaise knows things that i don't, and theo feels something for me.
and plus i was too invested in the tournament anyway. cheering on the champions for the last match. till all of a sudden the maze had gone quiet. almost too quiet.
at first everyone was cheering, standing, waiting, and watching. then confusion spread, professors stood, people whispering. i look towards draco and charles, and towards my father. then harry returned with cedric, except cedric wasn’t breathing.
once harry spoke up and people started realizing what had happened the cheering stopped. completely. and harry looked absolutely terrified. fleur broke out in a scream once she seen cedric.
and then cedric’s father. i felt my stomach drop. i looked over at my father, and he looked terrified too. worried and scared at the same time.
absolutely heartbreaking. returning back to castle i wanted to vomit the entire time it felt like. i never expected such a thing. i understood you could get seriously hurt but, hearing what harry had witnessed was just horrific.
and while preparing to return to beauxbatons, my father thought it was the perfect time to remind me.
“don't you forget.”
“you’ll be moving over here next year.”
i frowned. “permanently!?”
he nodded. “i told you i want you closer to me.”
“why?”
he hesitated to find what to say. and for a moment i thought he wouldn’t answer. but then he broke the silence. “because things are changing.” he says turning away and walking off.
draco approaches me, and we hug briefly.
“see you next year.” i say.
