Blissfully and Numbingly Aware (First Challenge)

Hazel eyes stared back at her as she gazed in the mirror at her reflection. Her face was still pale, and if you looked closely, you could see that little tremors were running a course through her body, making the young fifteen year old seem small and jittery. Mind you, she was always small and jittery, just that tonight was a bit more special. While Riley never regretted entering her name in the tournament,

Riley had to admit that she had been rather bold and rash when doing so. Sometimes, she got it in her head that she had to prove to her brother, her friends, and the rest of the Hogwarts staff that she wasn’t just some epileptic mute. She had been pleasantly surprised at her outburst in front of Professor Riddle, but while she regretted going off on him, Riley couldn’t help but silently think that that man had deserved it.Now, she was moments away from finding out who the champions were, and Riley was regretting now more than ever for eating this morning. She had already emptied out her stomach once, and if it weren’t for her brother, Riley doubted that she’d be even dressed and ready for this dance, much less becoming a champion.

Gazing at her reflection, Riley couldn’t help but note that she still looked unhealthy, even though she had gained some of her weight back from her little starving herself nearly three years ago, she still was pale and gaunt-looking as ever. Her reddish-brown hair hung in loose curls around her shoulders and back, and she was wearing her emerald green dress that hung over her shoulders and down past her feet.

She had to admit, if she just took a little more care to make sure that she prettied herself up, she could have any boy she wanted. There was still the fact that she was extremely shy around people though. Taking a last glance at her reflection, she turned as her brother surreptitiously peaked his head through the door, telling her that they had better hurry, if they wanted to be fashionably late. Riley rolled her eyes at him, before allowing her twin to lead her to the dance, and possibly to her doom.

~

Riley’s eyes had gone wide as she entered the Great Hall. While it always looked good with the enchanted ceiling and the many candles that floated around the halls, Riley thought that even the Christmas decorations could do no justice when it came to how the halls looked tonight. Riley jumped slightly as she felt her brother place a hand on her shoulder, indicating that they needed to move, so the other guests and students could enter. A slight blush gracing her cheeks, Riley allowed her brother to lead the way to the punch table. Grabbing a butterbeer, Riley smiled to her brother. Riley had been trying to face her fears and ask a boy out, but in the end, her nervousness had won over, and her brother had took pity on her and offered to take her, so that way she wouldn’t have to face this alone.

Riley interacted with a few students and professors as the night progressed. She smiled as Remus nodded her direction, and gave Jacen a nervous smile as well. Riley had done some rounds with Remus before as they were both prefects, and Jacen was their main leader of the whole prefect group. Her brother got her attention, as he pointed to Dumbledore who had started speaking. Wow, she really must have been zoned out, if she hadn’t heard Dumbledore speaking.

Eyes widening, she realized that Dumbledore was announcing the champions. This was it. The moment she had been waiting for since she first signed up to participate in the tournament. After weeks of arguing with her brother about joining, and after weeks of trying to convince herself that she had done the right thing, the names were going to be revealed. Her heart jumped into her throat, and she could vaguely feel her brothers hand squeezing hers gently. She paid no mind as the first pair were announced.

Her hands moved mechanically as she clapped for those who were announced. Nothing else mattered except for the announcing of the champions, and her world went blissfully numb as the next pair of people were called. For Hufflepuff. Eyes widening, her legs went numb as they buckled beneath her. Her brother caught her around the middle, and was supporting her. She was a champion. There was no backing out now, even if she wanted to.

Riley’s ears were ringing with the numbness. She wasn’t even aware that all of the champions have been announced and Dumbledore had called for the party to continue. She could vaguely hear someone calling her name. Eyes focusing on the ones that looked like hers, she could see her brother’s worried face in front of her, as he tried to call her back into awareness. Riley noticed that she was sitting on the floor. Looking up at her brother again, she covered her mouth with her hand. “I think I’m going to be sick” she said. She felt a goblet pushed into her hand, and looked up to see that the Pomfrey lady was kneeling next to her. “Take it, it’s a calming draught.”

Her brother helped her take the potion, and suddenly, her world righted itself. She smiled thankfully at the nurse before looking to her brother again. “There’s no way backing out now, is there?” Her brother shook his head. Riley nodded, determination welling up inside of her where moments before, doubts and regrets swirled. She could do this, there was no reason to panic, at least until the tasks showed.