Clare grabbed her "Go Harry" banner and practically flew down the stairs and out of the castle. She was late for the beginning of the Triward Tournament's final task. She came panting up to the stands just in time to see the four competitors enter the maze.

"Clare" Seamus said, "I was wondering where you were."

"Oh, sorry, I got caught up in getting ready, did I miss anything important?"

"No, not really."

"Good."

After about fifteen minutes of waiting Clare and Seamus took a walk to stretch their legs. It was cool behind the stands and Seamus held her close to keep her warm. Soon they were wrapped in each other's arms and happily snogging away. They heard shouts about red sparks and broke off their kissing to see what it was all about.

"Where were you two?" George asked.

"Nowhere" Seamus replied as Clare turned pink all the way back to her ears.

George and Fred both laughed heartily and winked at Clare and quietly congratulated Seamus. Things were calm for a while. Clare gossiped with Katie and some of her other friends. She socialized throughout the stands. She saw a bedraggled Fleur Delacour come out of the maze, she looked as if she might cry. After a quick talk with the judges she ran to the loo by the stands Clare could only imagine that she was going there to cry more than to clean up. Madam Maxine did not look pleased. She went and talked to the judges who nodded and looked concerned. Fleur reappeared soon after and came and explained to the judges that no one had been around when she had fallen unconscious, so she did not suspect any of her fellow competitors.

Then after about fifteen minutes Viktor Krum emerged. He looked extremely stern as he approached the judges, the stands went silent and those nearest were perfectly capable of hearing what was said. His words were repeated throughout the stands "I was Imperio-ed into doing something against my moral code, I withdraw. But I don't think that this will end well, it was none of my competitors, someone is in that maze aside from us contestants." Karkaroff looked completely outraged. He approached Krum with every intent of dragging him away by his collar, but the bulky Bulgarian simply looked down his sharp nose at his headmaster, and then walked away.

The judges began frantically talking to one another. The people in the stands began talking to one another about what might happen, would the contest be called off. Rumor of this reached the judges and after a short conference they decided that the contest would not be cancelled, this non-contestant was just an unexpected obstacle for competitors, they assured the crowd that they would send some faculty members to look for the intruder as soon as Harry and Cedric had returned.

Tension filled the crowd as they waited anxiously, something had gone wrong. People began to talk of past Tri-Wizard tournaments and the deaths that had occurred. Cho was ringing her hands and looked so worried that it seemed she might faint from anxiety. Clare walked over to the cluster of Ravenclaws, most of whom were Cedric supporters.

Just as Clare reached Cho to tell her some comforting words a gasp went up throughout the stands. Clare turned to see a bloodied Harry and a vacant-eyed Cedric on the green grass not far from the entrance to the maze. Cho flew towards the lowest row of seats and she leaned out over the railing calling Cedric's name, louder and louder, until it became the funereal wail that it was. Cho shook her head as they carried Cedric's lifeless form away.

The judges announced what everyone had already surmised, Cedric Diggory, Hufflepuff House's Seeker and Hogwarts Champion was dead. Cho collapsed into the arms of her friends. Flitwick and Sprout came over to where she was and gently revived her. She looked up at their kind, pity-soaked expresions and then burst out crying Melanie Corner and Clare helped her to her feet and together they supported her and lead her away from the scene as fast as possible.

In the castle they took Cho up to the Ravenclaw Common Room's entrance.

"Come on Clare, it's not against any rules for you to be here and I think it will take both of us" Melanie whispered after Cho had entered the Common Room.

"Okay," Clare said and she stepped into the Ravenclaw Common Room. Had she not been distracted with comforting Cho she would have seen that the Common Room was designed perfectly for studying, plenty of windows, and very well placed lamps. Bookshelves on most of the walls and an open layout. However, she noticed none of this Cho was wailing and all she and Melanie could do to comfort her was to give her their shoulders to moisten with tears.

Gradually more students began returning to the Common Room and after Cho had cried herself tearless Clare excused herself and made her way to her own Common Room.