#okaaqm

Prologue (recommended to read)

Chapter 9 (previous)

Pair: Cedric Diggory x Male Slytherin Reader

Word count: 2.6K words

Summary of the book: You and Cedric Diggory hate each other. It has always been this way. But everything changes one night when you kiss each other at a party. Now, it seems you can’t escape each other — from being partnered up in Herbology for an important project to having to help Cedric during the Triwizard Tournament.

Summary of the chapter: Cedric just finished his second task; you've been ignoring him for nearly a month. But how long can you keep up the act?

Notes: Please comment on anything I should change to improve this. Also, I am not British, so I am not 100% sure how to correctly write people from the UK. Also, let's ignore that I'm a few hours late; I fell asleep while finishing the chapter.

Content warning: Swear words, usage of slurs, and possible kissing.

!PLEASE DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE WITHOUT PERMISSION OR CREDIT TO ME!

...

Cedric stood in the middle of a crowd of Hogwarts students, his brown hair sticking to his forehead like glue, beads of water trickling down his glowing face. Not even a month ago, you’d be standing there beside him, convincing yourself that he was just a friend.

But you stood afar, smiling at success with pride, secretly rejoicing that you had helped him win the second challenge. You listened to Elsie’s advice to take care of yourself first, and for you, Cedric was the root of your problem. At least, that was the conclusion you came to; ever since you became friends with him, everything went to hell. 

Or was it Professor Sprout’s fault? It was that night that your friend group started distancing themselves from Alistair. But you couldn’t blame a professor, could you? And you could have befriended Alistair again if it weren’t for having to spend time with Cedric. Besides, there was no way he’d ever like you back. You could just wait for the feelings to go away and then hang out again. You did miss him. Although you weren’t sure whether that was your head or your heart talking.

You felt bad, too; whenever Cedric came to chat with you, you made up some random excuse for you to leave. The look in his eyes made your stomach clench in guilt. You told yourself that you just needed time. But how much time do you need?

You turned away from Cedric and his joyous fans. The other champions hadn’t returned from the water yet, but it wasn’t as if you cared.

The rest of your friends were still there — Alistair included — but they’d find you soon, even if you left early. You’d been hanging out for the past few months; all that time you'd have spent with Cedric was instead spent with your closest friends.

In a way, you were happy. Unlike your fears, they had welcomed you and forgiven you for straying. Apart from Destiny joining the group and Alistair barely acknowledging you, it was like you never left. Destiny was really sweet and cheerful, like a less whimsical and odd Winnie. You got to know her and even spent some time alone together; she was nothing like the girl who dated Alistair back in September. In fact, all of your friends seemed happier without him around. Winnie seemed more present, Brian laughed, and Elsie was more physically affectionate with everyone — especially the two other girls.

You flipped through the books in the library, skimming the titles on the shelves for something fun to read. Your homework had been completed over an hour earlier and with no one to talk to, your only option was to read. There was a pile of around five books on the table next to you, but you had barely even touched any of them.

But it had been hours now, and you were surprised that your friends hadn’t found you yet.

“Maybe they were in the Slytherin common room…” you mumbled to yourself, lightly rubbing the back of a novel about a love triangle between a werewolf, a vampire and a human girl. “Wait, have I read this one before?”

Silently, you placed the book back onto the shelf and, grabbing the pile of books that seemed interesting to you, headed to the librarian’s desk. 

As Madame Pince checked out your books, you glanced out of the window. The sky was painted with warm colours of red, orange and yellow, and clouds were sparse, letting the golden light of the sinking sun. The second task of the Triwizard Tournament must have finished hours ago, for not only did the skies clear, but it had been early afternoon when Cedric had come out of the water.

“It’s dinner time. Maybe my friends are in the cafeteria.” You reflected, taking your books off the librarian’s desk. You waved goodbye to Madame Pince and headed to the Slytherin dormitory, wishing you had brought a bag. There were only five books, but they were all relatively large and heavy.

Since you couldn’t see past the books blocking your vision, you couldn’t tell if anyone was walking in your direction, so you hoped everyone was eating dinner.

Suddenly, just as you rounded a corner, you collided with someone. Your books slipped from your arms, and you frantically tried preventing yourself from falling from the sudden force.

“Shit! Sorry, I didn’t see you there, man,” a voice you recognised apologised.

You looked up to meet Alistair’s gaze. The soft look on his handsome face turned steel-cold when he registered the person he was talking to. You quickly averted your eyes and bent down to collect your books, alarmed at the sheer intensity of his stare; although Alistair had attitude and dislike towards certain things, the way he looked at you was full of disgust, and restrained fury, as if he were looking at a deformed mutt who just shat on his favourite rug. What on earth had you done to him to deserve such a look?

“(Surname),” he sneered, “I was just looking for you.”

WHAT THE FUCK.

“Ohhh, what do you need me for?” You asked politely as you got up with only two books in your arms, attempting to mask your fear and confusion. Did he just use your surname? He even called some teachers by their first name, so why hadn’t he used yours?

“I’ll get straight to the point,” he crossed his arms, “It’s about the party back in September.”

You shifted nervously, replaying the events of the night with Elsie storming out and later informing you that she had kissed Winnie. Certainly, it was about that. “What about it? Is it about Elsie?”

“Why would it be about Elsie?”

“I just thought, nevermind.” You quickly responded.

“Ziggy was talking about it — “reminiscing”, he called it. Then, he mentioned something after I went to help Elsie.” Alistair’s jaw tightened.

You inhaled deeply, forcing yourself to look at him. You felt your heart drop; you knew what it was about. 

“It was just a game.” You stated calmly.

“I want you to tell me exactly what happened.” Alistair ordered. “Ziggy only mentioned it.”

“How did Ziggy tell you? He casted a curse, so that he couldn’t tell anyone who wasn’t in the room.”

“DON’T AVOID THE FUCKING QUESTION!!”

You flinched at the volume, quickly glancing around for someone — anyone — to help you, but the hallway was barren. Of course. The students must be eating.

You hesitated before answering while trying to mask the unease in your voice, “I think you know exactly what happened.”

Alistair paused, then backed away with surprising calmness. “You said he cast a spell so that he couldn’t tell anyone who wasn’t part of the Spin the Bottle? Well, I was there. Just not at the time when you-you—” he struggled to say the word, running his hand through his red hair, “kissed that stupid Hufflepuff. Which also means that I don’t have a spell on me. I can tell whoever I want of your little secret.” He hissed, and your eyes widened.

“Alistair, it was just a kiss,” you attempted to appease him, “It meant nothing, in fact, it was probably absolutely torturous—”

“You fucking liar!!” He spat, “And don’t you call me that. We aren’t friends, I don’t even know you, I don’t think I ever did.” Despite his absence from your group, Alistair was one of your closest friends. He was funny and relatable. So you felt the stab right in your heart when he spoke those words. Well, it was bound to happen. “Didn’t I warn you to not fall for that dickhead? Now, look at you. Disgusting faggot. I hope you rot.”

You gaped at him like a fish.

“Oh don’t be surprised,” he rolled his eyes, “Why would I ever want to stay friends with someone like you?”

“Maybe because (Name) is a lovely person to be around, unlike you with your prissy, entitled attitude.” A familiar voice said from behind you. A voice that made your brain go wild and your heart frantically take control of your every move. Cedric Diggory.

“Oh look, it’s the boyfriend,” Alistair shifted his focus to the taller student. “Oh, (Surname), your prince is here to save you. Go kiss him again, don’t be shy.”

“Piss off, Campbell, I need to talk to my friend, and can’t have a homophobic bigot bothering us.” Cedric barely addressed his presence, instead turning to look at you — who seemed to be very interested in the architecture of Hogwarts.

Alistair laughed — something so cold and deranged that it sent shivers down your spine. “So it’s true, faggots. God, I’m sure everyone would love to know the two ex-enemies stopped their little battle to go have a shag with each other.”

“You’re disgusting,” You finally snapped, “And we’re not together.”

But Alistair just shrugged, a cold smile plastered on his handsome face, and walked away.

When he was out of sight, you sighed and went to pick up your books that were still on the floor. Cedric bent down to help you out, but instead of giving you your books, he held them for you.

“Thanks,” you mumbled, unsure whether or not you preferred Alistair’s aggression or the awkwardness between you and Cedric. It had been a while since you’d had a proper conversation with him, and you weren’t sure whether he’d be upset or pretend like nothing had happened. Not to mention the ordeal with Alistair; he called you and the Hufflepuff boyfriends and made some crude comments that were sure to unnerve Cedric. You had a crush on your ex-rival, but that didn’t mean you didn’t feel uncomfortable at Alistair's inappropriate imagery.

To your surprise, Cedric chuckled, “So, do you want to stand here in silence or shall we go to your dormitory?” You nearly smiled at the sound of his silly voice but refrained yourself. “I mean, I’m assuming you were heading there with this heavy pile of books.”

You nodded and walked with him.

The trip to the dungeons was awkward, to say the least not a word was spoken between you two, and the only sound was the echoing of your footsteps. It took everything in you not to look at Cedric, but you could feel his intense stare and the tension between you two.

When you arrived at the entrance to the dorms, Cedric placed the books he was carrying into your arms. You turned back to the door, a large stone door with two snakes intertwined in the middle.

“Legacy.” You spoke the password, and the snakes separated to reveal the barren common room. 

“Thanks for helping, Cedric, you can leave now.” You said, stepping into the dorm. But before the doors could close, you heard footsteps following you. Of course. He did say that he needed to speak to you earlier, but at this point, you didn’t care enough to shoo him off, so you placed your books on the couch and turned to him. “What do you want?”

He seemed taken aback by your reaction but quickly recovered, “At first, I was going to ask you about why you were avoiding me so much, lately—” Oh, so it was bothering him, “—but now I can’t stop thinking about what Campbell said. Is that why you stopped hanging out? Because you didn’t want to be seen as…” He trailed off, unsure what exactly to say, but you knew what he meant.

His silver eyes met yours, and he looked away. Guess he felt the tension in the room. If it were a calm conversation, you’d be sitting on one of the couches or even up in your room. Come to think of it, this was his first time in the Slytherin common room. “Hopefully not his last time,” a small voice from the back of your mind prayed.

After a long pause, you responded, “That’s not the reason. And I’m sorry, it’s just-”

“(Name) do you like me?” Cedric looked at you. You saw the doubt in his eyes and felt a pit of dread forming in your gut. You were about to refuse, but something in his eye convinced you not to lie.

“What do you think?”

He paused. “Can you answer my question? Please? Or at least tell me what’s been going on?”

You don’t know what made you do it maybe it was the way he looked at you, or you were tired of hiding your feelings for him. 

“There is a reason why.” You mumbled, unsure of yourself, “It’s stupid, but I just couldn’t spend time with you because I needed time to myself, time to figure out my emotions.”

“So you ditched me?”

“Yes.” You hugged your arms, realising that you did the same thing to Cedric that you did to your friends, “I’m sorry, I thought I was working on myself, but instead I was escaping from what I truly felt.” You met his gaze. “Cedric, I think I love you.”

His eyes went wide.

“I know you probably don’t feel the same way.” You mumbled, unable to look at him in the eyes. Your cheeks were red, and your neck felt hot in embarrassment, “After all, I kind of ditched you and we aren’t really close enough to you, and I’m sorry I feel this way, and it’s okay if you don’t want to be friends anymore; I understand how awkward this is for you and-”

“You oblivious idiot.” He chuckled.

Before you could respond, you felt his warm hands on your cheeks, lifting your face to look him in the eyes. In that moment, time slowed. He was so close, his lips fanning over yours, the air between your mouths mingling. Your eyes widened. The only time you were this close was… the party. Was he going to—

You let out a squeak as he crashed his lips onto yours. It wasn’t like you’ve never kissed someone before — you’ve kissed people on dares, Spin the Bottle, and in old relationships — and you did it with Cedric at the party. But this was different. You had no feelings for those whom you kissed on dares and games, and all of your past relationships with girls felt fake, and you had to convince yourself to act lovingly towards them. It was also quite different at the party; you had been enemies back then and both of you were hesitant to share that moment of intimacy.

But, now, when Cedric kissed you, your heart felt as if it leapt out of your chest. When you kissed back, you could feel him relax. One of his hands travelled to your waist, pulling you closer to him, and your hands rested on his shoulder and in his brown hair.

When you two pulled away, breathless and giddy, he grinned at you like a little boy who just received a rainbow-coloured lollipop. “Sorry I kissed you without permission.” He apologised, biting his lip.

You chuckled, unable to wipe the smile off of your face, “Oh it’s quite alright. But… I know a way you can truly apologise.” You teased, looking at his lips once more.

He seemed to understand what you meant and leaned in to offer you another kiss. This one was different. Less passionate, more careful and sweet, as if a butterfly were tickling your lips. When you parted — his hands still on your cheek and waist, yours now both on his shoulders — you asked Cedric, “Wanna go up to my room for more privacy?”

...

Chapter 11

Prologue (recommended to read)

Chapter 10 (previous)

Pair: Cedric Diggory x Male Slytherin Reader

Word count: 4.1K words

Summary of the book: You and Cedric Diggory hate each other. It has always been this way. But everything changes one night when you kiss each other at a party. Now, it seems you can’t escape each other — from being partnered up in Herbology for an important project to having to help Cedric during the Triwizard Tournament.

Summary of the chapter: The fact that Cedric asks you on a date to Hogsmede seals the fact that you two are now officially a couple.

Notes: Please comment on anything I should change to improve this. Also, I am not British, so I am not 100% sure how to correctly write people from the UK. I added the part 1 of this chapter to here

Content warning: Swear words, an argument, implied BOOMBAYAH, and making out (although I will warn y'all when it happens and ends).

!PLEASE DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE WITHOUT PERMISSION OR CREDIT TO ME!

...

Usually, when you were allowed to visit Hogsmede, you’d throw on your everyday Muggle clothes, which you didn’t mind getting tarnished; however, as you scrolled through your wardrobe for the perfect outfit at 6:30 AM — still in pyjamas — you wondered to yourself what on Earth had gotten into you.

A small voice at the back of your mind whispered Cedric’s name, and your cheeks warmed at the thought of that night where you shared a kiss… and more. You could feel the knot in your stomach twist as butterflies swarmed around in your gut.

Only two weeks ago, as you fell asleep in his bed, unclothed, sweaty, and out of breath, your nervous mind wondered over and over again if this was real, and, if so, were you two a couple? Like, officially? You couldn’t ask Cedric as he was fast asleep; you could tell by the way his chest rose and fell under you, and how relaxed and unmoving he was. Now, however, you couldn’t deny the fact that your relationship was an actual romantic one. You definitely weren’t fuck-buddies since you two rarely had sexual encounters, and he’d sneak you gifts, wrap your smaller frame in his arms when you were alone, and, most recently, he asked you out on a date during breakfast.

You were peacefully eating your food as your friends blabbered about the upcoming Hogsmede trip that weekend, when the focus was on someone else (Elsie and Brian arguing about some stupid shit), a certain Hufflepuff slid into the seat next to yours. He draped an arm around your shoulders, and you jumped as you had not noticed his presence.

“Morning, love.” He whispered near your ear. You blushed slightly at his nickname, heat rushing to the back of your neck. You felt oddly aware of how close he was to you, your thighs touching, Cedric’s pretty lips fanning over your neck. You could feel his breathing and could practically hear his heartbeat.

“Goodmorning, Ced.” You smiled back shyly.

He offered you one of his stunning grins, and you swore your heart tripled its speed. “I’ll get to the point since I promised my mates I wouldn’t take too long like the last time we had a conversation at breakfast.”

“Alright, what do you need to tell me?” You asked him curiously, turning your head so that his lips were nearly touching your left cheek. A small voice in the back of your mind warned you that such a gesture could be seen as romantic or sexual to students around, but you dismissed the thought.

“Well, there’s a trip to Hogsmede this weekend and I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date with me.” 

It took you a small moment to comprehend what he was requesting, “As a friend?”

He merely chuckled, a sound that vibrated through your bones and weaved its way into your heart. “Of course not! We’re together, aren’t we? So why would we go as just friends?” He paused a moment. “Although it’ll be how others will see it, a hangout session between two close friends… Have you told anyone about,” he leaned in closer to your ear, lips practically tickling your lobe, “us?”

You gulped slightly at the proximity, but murmured back, “No, but I’m planning on telling my close friends.”

You turned your head to look at him, and he nodded thoughtfully until you made eye contact. For what felt like maybe a few minutes, you stared into his eyes and he stared into your own. His gaze was like a siren song luring you into the deeps of his eyes, grey like a storm. Your breath hitched when Cedric glanced down at your lips, but, remembering that you two were in a public area where someone might have seen you, you turned your head to make sure no one had noticed. To your relief, everyone was too focused on their conversations and their food to notice the devouring looks you were sending to each other. You might have seen a flash of familiar burgundy hair turning away just as you looked in that direction, but you brushed it off as nothing.

Cedric leaned away from you after taking a glance at your lips one last time and got up, “So, Saturday, we meet at Zonkos and we’ll walk around a bit?” You nodded in response, “Well, see you there, (Name).”

“See ya,” You responded, then, murmuring under your breath so that no one heard, you added, “Darling.”

So there you were, at 6:30 AM the day of the date, scavenging your closet for something half decent to wear at Hogsmead. It was the reason for your anxiousness at picking an outfit. Half of the shit you owned was a more-or-less copy of one another, and the other half were clothes you’d never wear. 

Finally, you settled on a good-looking outfit, but didn’t scream “ON A DATE WITH MY HOT AS FUCK BOYFRIEND”. You glanced at the clock hanging above Ziggy’s wall, and your eyes widened as the clock’s hand pointed at 7:03. How the fuck-

“Well, it didn’t matter now,” you breathed to yourself, spreading the clothes onto your bed. A shuffle brought your attention to the bed right next to yours.

Brian turned to you, still snuggled in the warmth of his blanket, “Wha on earth ‘re you talking ‘bout?” He rubbed his eyes, brown and grey hair tousled like a mini tornado struck his head while he was asleep, and one of the buttons on his striped pyjamas had disappeared sometime in his sleep.

“Nothing, nothing.” You reassured him.

He gave you a strange look and groggily got out of bed, “Well, since you’ve already woken me up, I might as well get changed.” After a pause, he glanced at the snoring form of Alistair, “Are you gonna hang out with us at Hogsmede, Alistair isn’t gonna be there, of course.”

Your eyes flicked towards Alistair, taking in his messy red hair and the drool dripping from the edge of his mouth. You smiled sheepishly towards Brian; ever since you formed your friend group, you would always spend the weekend at Hogsmede together. Even when you and Cedric were on good terms, you still hung out with the Slytherins.

“Um, not this time, sorry.” You rubbed the back of your neck, feeling slightly guilty at not considering the factor of your friends, “Ced wanted to hang out.”

Brian hummed, disappointed, but not surprised. “Alright.”

As you met with your boyfriend at the outskirts of the Hogsmede village, you noted how a faint hint of cologne wafted around him, and a smile tugged at your lips at the thought of the effort he had put in to be with you.

“You look lovely,” he grinned, and you almost squealed at the way he was looking you up and down, until you remembered that you were not, in fact, in the privacy of your dormitories, but out in the open of the Hogsmede village. As it was already March, there wasn’t a single bit of snow in sight, but a cold breeze gave reason to bring a coat, which you did.

“We’re in public,” you whispered back, but then shyly added, “Thank you, though. I like your cologne.”

Cedric quirked an eyebrow, “Thanks, I got it for you. You wanna smell it better?” He teased, leaning in and exposing his neck to you.

“Okay, too far!” You pushed his face away from yours, giving him a look that got him giggling as if you had told him the funniest joke he’d ever heard. A passing old couple gave you an odd look, and you nudged him. “We should get this 'hang out' started, no?”

His laughter faded into a warm smile, “Alright alright. I’ll stop stalling and take you where I planned to bring you. But first…” He grabbed your hand, dragging you into Zonkos, “A little treat!”

You rolled your eyes as you let your Cedric drag you into the shop, coloured rainbow from the endless variety of candy.

For the next 20 minutes or so, your boyfriend stood behind you as he let you choose whatever you wanted, occasionally kissing your neck whenever you were far from the other customers, which earned him an embarrassed shove from your part. 

When he was paying for your sweets — because he refused to have you waste your money — you noticed how he didn’t choose any for himself. When asked outside of Zonkos, Cedric shrugged, responding that he wanted to know every part of you, even your favourite sweets. In response to his romantic approach, you sighed and handed him a candy. 

After the shopping trip, he slowly led you down the busy street, hand barely brushing against yours, in a manner that got you to believe that he knew exactly where he was going.

That place turned out to be Madame Puddifoot’s, a setting typically flocked with couples sharing smoothies and locking lips in full view of other people. The building was decked out in pink and white, as if Cupid himself had painted and decorated the place. Strips of light teal were a small accent to the monochromatic colour palette, but you discreetly remembered walking past in on Valentine’s that year, where the blue was replaced with a vibrant, romantic red.

The moment you saw the café, your cheeks flushed red and the back of your neck burned as you were flustered, charmed and embarrassed at the same time.

You pulled Cedric towards a nearby alley, pinned him against a wall, and hissed at him, “The fuck are you thinking? Does Madame Puddifoot’s scream 'best friend meet up' to you?? Are you trying to wave me a round as your boyfriend? I’m serious, Ced, I don’t want people to know when I’m not comfortable!”

Hurt filled his eyes, a small from replacing his golden smile, “Oh. I’m sorry, (Name).” He glanced to the side, “I mean, I can cancel the reservation, if you don’t wan to go… I just thought it would be a nice place to take you. But I you’re right. It was stupid of me, I didn’t think of that.” He trailed off.

Your eyes widened as you realised what you were doing. “Oh shit. No, I’m sorry. I—” You quickly backed away, “I panicked, I guess. That was a really asshole move of mine.”

“No, no, I understand!” Cedric grabbed your hands reassuringly, “I totally get that you aren’t comfortable being out in public; people can be… hateful. It’s just - Madame Puddifoot told me a week ago that couples don’t tend to come this specific week for some reason, and I thought that maybe this could be a cute date, y’know. I can still cancel, of course!” He added hurriedly.

“No! It’s fine,” you chuckled nervously, “I’d love to go in, but just, not all couple-y, you know?”

He nodded, “We could say that we came in because we heard the cupcakes were amazing?” He suggested, and you smiled.

After a pause, his lips tugged upwards, “C’mon, friend, let’s go eat some cupcakes. And maybe something else, too.” He shrugged, walking from the alley where you were to Madam Puddifoot’s, and since you were half convinced that that was a sexual innuendo, a small hint of pink dusted your cheeks. 

You took a moment to calm your racing heart. The pace it was going at reflected your state of mind, at the time, excited to be doing this with Cedric, but also dreading what you were doing. You loved him; that was a guarantee, but, in your opinion, some things were meant to stay private. You figured your boyfriend struggled to tell when you should be more discreet or not. A knot twisted in your stomach — the same knot that churned whenever you thought of people knowing about your Muggle father. Your relationship was now the other big secret you kept from others. Maybe after the school year, you’d tell Elsie, Brian and Winnie. Perhaps Destiny, too, since you’ve been talking to her more.

Cautiously, you stepped out of the alley, attempting to act inconspicuously as you slid into Madam Puddifoot’s. You didn’t recognise anyone outside, but a flash of artificial red hair had caught your attention slightly. Where had you seen it before?

The inside of the romantic café was surprisingly less pink than the outside — a relief for your eyes — and a sweet smell wafted through the air, tickling your noses. Your alibi would definitely check out; the cupcakes must be incredible. Cedric stood by a table in the corner of the store where no windows but a light hung from a golden frame.

As you approached, he pulled out the chair for you in a gentlemanly fashion, and you did a little curtsy before settling into his seat. As he sat on his, you chuckled lowly, “This is a nice place. Very pink but quite lovely.”

“Thanks, I’m glad you like it.” He responded, hands in his lap as if he were almost afraid to touch you. You felt a pang in your heart. Was this really what you wanted? Sure, you felt uncomfortable with displaying your relationship, but, like him, you were craving the affection.

After a moment of awkward silence, Cedric suddenly stood up. “I gotta go to the bathroom, you order when the servers come, okay?” Without waiting for a response on your part, he swiftly left the table, leaving you alone.

For what felt like hours — but according to the magical pink clock on the wall, it was barely a minute — you shifted in you seat anxiously, sparing glances at the other people, an old couple in the room, an old woman at the counter and a young lady with black hair chatting with someone who was in — you assumed — the kitchen. You bit the inside of your cheek, knee bouncing up and down as you awaited Cedric’s arrival with thoughts filling your mind.

Was he mad at you? Upset? And why was the knot in your stomach twisting even more? You asked for this, though, to be in public without seeming like a couple! But that didn’t mean no-touching whatsoever, although you did admit to yourself that Cedric might have taken it that way from how you’ve been reacting to his touch. But you were in Madame Puddifoot’s home for Merlin’s sake! A romantic place! You groaned internally when you realised how you were contradicting yourself from when you were talking with Cedric earlier.

You inhaled deeply before standing up and walking towards the bathroom, which was pointed by the glowing red sign of a stick man and a woman holding their bladders.

When you entered the men’s bathroom, which was as pink as the rest of the café, Cedric looked up at you in surprise, washing fruity-smelling soap off his hands.

“Are you okay, (Name)-”

(WARNING!! THERE IS SOME MAKING OUT AFTER THIS POINT!! SKIP IF YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE!!!)

Without a second thought, you grabbed his cheeks and slammed your lips onto his. He stumbled back with a surprised noise, but he soon melted into the kiss, not with the same intensity as you, but with a passion that you quickly mimicked.

You knew he was no stranger to kissing, or even making love – something that you took note of when you did it for the first time – and although he had taught you well in the privacy of your dorms, the minute his still-wet hand slid to the small of your back to pull you closer to him, you let out a sound that was almost a whine.

Cedric pulled away from you with a cocky smirk, “Now, when did you start wanting to kiss me in public bathrooms?”

“Since I realised within the minute you were gone that I wanted you.” You breathed, already chasing his lips again. He put a finger to your mouth to stop you from doing so.

“Woah, woah woah, if this is your apology, then I don’t want it.” He stated suspiciously, “I don’t want to be the type of guy that forces his partner into doing things they don’t feel comfortable doing, so if you’re only kissing me so that I forgive you even though you’d much rather be sitting around the table eating cupcakes as friends, than I don’t want it.”

You cupped his jaw with your hands, “Of course I want this. Do you really think I don’t yearn for your touch? I just don’t want to be judged by others.”

Cedric glanced away, “What you said earlier contradicts that statement.”

You turned his head to face you, “Well I was wrong. And, yes, this is partly to make it up to you, but mostly for my own pleasure. Now kiss me you lovable oaf.”

“Wow, okay, but don’t you think we should go in one of the stalls for more privacy?” He questioned.

Without another word, you grinned and dragged him into the one furthest from the door, from the collar of his shirt. The stall was pink and teal, like everything else, and surprisingly clean. Once Cedric locked the door behind him, you immediately pinned him to it with your body, your arms caging him. The next kiss you shared was intense. You could feel his beating heart against your chest — or was it yours that was beating? It didn’t matter either way as your focus was drawn to his tongue slipping past your lips. 

He backed you up until the back of your knees hit the toilet — which wasn’t a great deal of time. Then, he broke the kiss, hot breath mixing with your own, a string of saliva connecting between your tongues. Since the stall was pretty big, you twisted both of you around so that he was in your place and you were in his. You pushed him onto the closed seat, a hand on his chest, before straddling him, one hand on his shoulder, while the other stayed placed near his heart.

“I’ll be honest with you, Ced,” you breathed, “I’ve never done this before.”

He cocked his head in confusion, “Sex?”

“No, like, sitting on someone’s lap in a sexual way.”

“Well, then, I hope you’ll find it enjoyable. There’s a lot of things you can do in this position.” He gave you a grin, playing with your collar before kissing you once more.

You tongue found his and you rubbed them together, the friction sending jolts down your spine. Drool dribbled down your chin, but you didn’t care; the only thing that mattered to you was the delicious feeling of your lover’s lips pressing against your.

And of course, it got better.

One of his hands trailed down your back to cup your ass. You let out a squeak, pressing your body closer to his. Cedric groaned at the friction and, seeing as he seemed to like what you were doing, gave an experimental roll of your hips, which earned you another noise. Your face flushed scarlet, and the back of your neck felt hot when you felt the bulge in his pants.

He pulled your head back by your hair and buried his head in the crook of your neck. You moaned at the feeling and ground against him once more.

He breathed laboriously, “Fuck, (Name), you have no idea what you do to me.” The sound of his gravely voice sent shivers down your spine, and heat flooded your dick.

“I think I know.”

Although you couldn’t see him, you could feel him smiling against your neck. Without a word, Cedric moved your shirt to the side and kissed your skin.

Your breath hitched, and you tilted your head to the other side to give him more access to your neck.

He pressed kisses to your skin, occasionally sucking experimentally. At some point, he found a place that made you let out a shaky sigh that made him pause for a moment before continuing, sucking on that same spot so much that you were convinced that it would leave a mark. A small voice in the back of your head warned you about how visible it’d be later, but you didn’t care. Not in that moment.

While he was busy marking you, you continued to grind against him, slow at first, but then faster, at a pace that made both of you moan. You wrapped your arms around his neck, body impossibly close to his, creating friction that made unholy sounds escape from your lips.

Cedric’s hand left your hair and trailed to the hem of your shirt, slipping past the clothing and feeling you up, from chest to stomach. He traced greedy circles on your skin that made the back of your neck heat up.

The combination of his mouth claiming your neck and his hands groping your ass and exploring your torso made you moan his name and groan harder.

As if that were a trigger, the hand on your stomach trailed lower and lower and lower until it was nearly on your growing bulge. Cedric occasionally pressed against it, earning him a high-pitched moan from you, but never did anything more while you grinded against him in desperate need for friction. You gripped his hair and shirt, whining and begging him to touch you. You’d had sex with him once, but this felt completely different from it. He was teasing you, and you knew it. And God did you love it.

(OKAY YOU’RE GOOD. NO MORE SMOOCHES AND FOR CONTEXT, Y’ALL MADE UP IN THE PROCESS AND EVERYTHING WAS ARRANGED.)

Suddenly, when you thought he was actually going to do something, you heard the door of the bathroom slide open.

You froze. 

Cedric glanced at you, attempting to calm his breathing as you held your breath, heart hammering in your ears.

You heard the sound of pissing, then water rushing, footsteps receding and the door closing.

You let go of the air trapped in your lungs.

Cedric let out a laugh. “Who in the world was that?”

“Probably the old man that was with his wife. He was here when we came in, remember?” You asked.

He hummed, “Slightly, but I’d rather not think of some random person when my perfectly edible boyfriend is here in front of me.” You blushed at his comment.

After a small silence, Cedric continued, “Do you wanna go back to Hogwarts? I think this would be much more fun if we finished this in the privacy of my dorm.” 

You considered that suggestion for a moment, thinking of the bulges in both of your pants and the fluttering feeling in your gut, but ultimately nodded, “Sure. Let’s get my candy from the table and get out of here.”

You made sure no one was around before both of you slowly left the stall and fixed yourselves up. Your hair was a mess, and your clothes were creased, but the worst part was the hickeys that bloomed on your neck. You had quite enjoyed the feeling of getting them, but worried about how visible they were. Luckily, you could cover them with your jacket’s hoodie as per Cedric’s suggestion.

You were just about ready to leave, but when you opened the bathroom door, you noticed three new people had entered the café. A short chubby girl with deep brown skin, curly black hair styled into two buns and a colourful outfit that matched with her pink headband; a taller, ghastly girl with sharp eyes, brown hair in a pixie cut, and dressed in a black lace skirt-dress combo; and finally, a medium-height blonde in a cutesy outfit holding a pink smoothie and staring lovingly at the two other girls.

Your eyes widened, and you closed the bathroom door, heart racing. Had they seen you?

Cedric noticed and asked you what was wrong.

You didn’t know how to put it into words, you still looked like you had been in a heated make-out session with a still pretty visible hickey on your neck, and you were leaving the bathroom with another man. You didn’t really want to be seen like that in public. Much less seen by people you knew.

You didn’t know what was worse: your dishevelled appearance, or the fact that Winnie, Elsie and Destiny were seated around a pink table in Madame Puddifoot’s café.

...

Chapter 12

Prologue (recommended to read)

Chapter 12 (previous)

Pair: Cedric Diggory x Male Slytherin Reader

Word count: 2.8K words

Summary of the book: You and Cedric Diggory hate each other. It has always been this way. But everything changes one night when you kiss each other at a party. Now, it seems you can’t escape each other — from being partnered up in Herbology for an important project to having to help Cedric during the Triwizard Tournament.

Summary of the chapter: Discussion between you, Winnie and Elsie about their relationship and the whole Alistair situation.

Notes: Please comment on anything I should change to improve this. Also, I am not British, so I am not 100% sure how to correctly write people from the UK.

Content warning: Swear words, mention of BOOMBAYAH.

!PLEASE DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE WITHOUT PERMISSION OR CREDIT TO ME!

...

You blinked slowly at them, brows furrowed as you struggled to process that information. You glanced at their grinning faces, their hands holding, your memory bringing you back to Miss Puddifoot’s, where you remembered Elsie and Winnie to be. Tiny little puzzle pieces clicked into place enough to notice some of the signs that could have been interpreted as romantic, but with those details alone, you wouldn’t have guessed they were a couple! Maybe you were a little too focused on Cedric…

Clearing your throat, you smiled, brows still furrowed with processing the new information. “Oh. That’s nice.”

Elsie gave you a deadpanned look, “Really? That’s all you have to say about this?” You shrugged slightly, “I mean, you clearly didn’t know, so why aren’t you more reactive? Are you…okay with this?” She murmured the last part of her sentence nervously, squeezing Winnie’s hand.

You snapped out of your trance. “What? Of course I’m supportive of the two of you; you are my closest friends! It doesn’t bother me that you are together, I’m just still processing this information. Honestly I’m…happy for you.”

Elsie’s eyes softened, and Winnie scooched her way next to her girlfriend. 

“How long have you been a thing? I mean, like, what day?” You asked, trying to keep the awkwardly sweet conversation going.

“I’d day around…” Elsie looked to Winnie for confirmation, “Was it October 17th or 19th?”

“I told you I liked you on the 17th. You panicked and didn’t talk to me until I brought it up again a few days after.” Winnie stated, eyes staring at the ceiling as she often did when attempting to remember something. 

“Yes, still sorry about that.”

“You’re good.”

“So the 19th?”

“The 19th.” Winnie confirmed with a curt nod of the head.

“That was five months ago.” You stated, drawing their attention back to you. “So I didn’t notice you two were dating for five months? My best friends. Dating. And I didn’t know until five months later.”

Winnie cocked her head to the side, “Wow, you really are ignorant.”

“Or obsessed with Diggory.” Snickered Elsie.

You rolled your eyes at both comments, even though a little voice inside your head murmured how they were pretty spot on. “Anyway. So did you…y’know?” You smirked, suggestively wiggling your eyebrows.

Elsie scoffed while Winnie smiled nervously, “Okay, ew, (Name). Let’s not go there.”

“You asked me the same thing, hypocrite.” You pointed out teasingly.

“Yeah, but your neck was — and still is — coated with hickies. It was obvious.” Elsie retorted calmly. “And I don’t think you really want to know what we do.”

You shrugged, “Yeah, I don’t actually care. It was mostly to get back at you. What happens in your dorm, stays in your dorm.”

“I figured.”

Winnie hummed thoughtfully, “Yeah, so what happens in Proffessor Snape’s class stays in his class, too.”

Both you and Elsie snapped your heads, your mouths open, and eyebrows raised in a shocked manner while Elsie gave her an accusatory stare, cheeks flushed.

Winnie blinked in confusion, looking between the two of you before she realised the implications. But instead of looking remotely embarrassed, she shrugged. “My bad.”

Elsie coughed, “Um anyway, I think we should stray back to a more important matter at hand: whatever the fuck happened with Alistair. You said Brian argued with you for being pissed at Alistair. I think we need to know why. This isn’t a personal grudge anymore; it could break us apart.”

At the mention of her brother’s name, Winnie’s back straightened, and her full attention was on you. “Yes. Tell us everything. I don’t care if we’re twins; I want to know what’s up with him and you. I know you don’t shut people out for a reason, and I need to know if my brother is doing something bad or not. Don’t hold back, (Name).”

You hesitated, but nodded when you saw the serious expression on her face — a rare occurrence. “Well…I think it clicked for me that night at the party.” 

You paused, glancing at Elsie. Her jaw was stiff, eyes cold. “Continue.”

You glanced quickly towards Winnie, remembering how Ziggy apparently cast a spell to make you unable to spill whatever happened in the Spin the Bottle game to someone who wasn’t there, which, in this case, was Winnie.

“I don’t think I can. Brian said Ziggy casted a spell that would punish anyone that spilled what happened to someone who wasn’t there. Like, warts or a broken nose or something.” You frowned.

“Were you there when he casted the spell?” Elsie asked you.

“No, why?”

“Then it might not affect you.”

You pressed your lips together, thoughtfully, “Huh. I never thought of that. That could be true, but how would you know?”

Elsie shrugged, “There’s one way to find out.”

You looked away, a bead of nervous sweat trickling down your forehead. “Right. Well, then, it’s always bothered me how promiscuous he has been lately. I mean, yeah, he’s been doing it since, like, 4th or 5th year, but I think I just shrugged it off as him exploring or whatever. Doing adult stuff and having fun. But…at the party, when he was still with Destiny, he kissed another girl.” You paused for a moment, cautiously, glancing between the two girls in front of you and raised an eyebrow as if asking if something happened to you.

Winnie shook her head while fidgeting with the bed’s covers. “Nothing seems off.”

“Okay, good. So, um, anyway, Alistair kissed another girl when the bottle landed on him. I know it may not seem as a big deal, but it’s just…the way he was kissing her…it seemed…”

“Odd?” Elsie asked you.

“Something like that. He was kissing her like they were in a relationship. In front of Desti-Tina, no less. I could see she was uncomfortable, but I didn’t think it really mattered all that much because y’know, he’s a bit of a natural flirt. But then the bottle landed on you, Elsie.” You glanced up at the girl. “And he refused, saying you weren’t attractive to him or something like that, which meant he found that other girl…attractive in some way.”

You let your words sink in. Elsie seemed oddly calm, although anger flashed in her eyes. In that moment, you knew for a fact that she was over Alistair for good. Winnie, sensing her negativity, scooched closer to her and brought her head down to her thighs and stroked her short hair comfortingly. She was handling this pretty well, although you admitted that none of this was really serious.

You cleared your throat and continued. “I had a conversation with him later but he excused his behaviour by saying how it was just a game. I didn’t push it further since I didn’t see the warning signs that were right in my face. But, looking back on it now, I can see how bad it was. Dest-Tina knew it was wrong, which is why she broke up with him as you two know. I think Alistair knew he was in the wrong too since he looked so uncomfortable with Tina around the two of you. I think I actually noticed when we were watching the first Triwizard Task. He seemed oddly quiet apart from when he was shouting insults when Ced came out.” You chuckled at the memory, looking down at your hands.

Then, you remembered something from that day. Fleur Delacour. Her eyes filled with tears she refused to let spill, cheeks red and hair dishevelled, right after the tournament ended. You remembered what Alistair said.

You looked back up to your friends.

“After the Task was over and we were walking away, Alistair and I saw Fleur Delacour, the French champion, you were slightly ahead, I think so you didn’t see her. She had the lowest score out of everyone and she was crying, messy hair, red face, you get the picture. I think she was with Madame Maxime. Anyway, you know, she was distraught. And… I thought Alistair was going to empathetic towards her like any decent human being would be, and I hope I’m not making this out to be really bad, because in hindsight, it probably wasn’t that serious but… he called Fleur hot when she was crying.”

Elsie got up from Winnie’s thighs, eyes cold, but you could see the flicker of something bigger than anger building up in them.

“I think his words were: 'Even when she’s crying, she’s still hot.' Or something like that.”

Winnie took a deep breath, some sort of worry forming in her soft features. “Did he really say that?”

You looked down, unable to meet her eyes as you heard her voice crack. “Yeah, I remember it pretty well. And when I called him out he called me a slur, so… I don’t think I will forget something that bad.”

And suddenly, the silence was so thick, you swore, if a pin had dropped in the few seconds it lasted, the noise would have echoed like a booming drum at a festival.

While Elsie’s face morphed into some sort of furious rage, Winnie’s turned white as a sheet, her lips pressed so harshly together that they formed a line much straighter than she was. In that instant, deep regret filled your heart and crawled into your bones. A deep regret that, instead of telling Winnie, you would’ve had a calm conversation with Elsie. You couldn’t imagine what it felt like to have a brother against a part of your identity, much less a twin. But there was no turning back now; she needed to know the truth.

“Why would he say that?” Elsie asked coldly as she squeezed Winnie’s hand.

You opened and closed your mouth before settling on your answer, “Well… he said it because he thought I was being emotional.” You took a deep breath, wondering whether or not you should mention the other times, “He also said it to warn me against getting to close to Cedric, and when he talked to me after finding out that I kissed Cedric during the Spin the Bottle thing. That’s when I decided to fully cut him out.”

“He what?” Elsie snapped. 

You looked down once more and shrugged, wondering how your lighthearted conversation turned into such a dark one. Was what Alistair did even that bad? Asked small voice in the back of your head. Afterall, it was just a few words, nothing more. Was it truly worth breaking a years-long friendship? 

You’d had these sorts of thoughts often after cutting off Alistair, but every time you thought you shooed them off, they would always come back. However, it only took you remembering the way he talked to you a bit before you confessed your love to Cedric that day — all the heinous things he said, slurs and all — for you to realise you were in the right. If he knew that one of his close friends was gay, who’d know how he’d treat his sister?

“How’d he know?” Winnie mumbled in a small voice.

You met her wide brown eyes. “Excuse me?”

“Well… how’d he know you kissed Cedric then? Didn’t Ziggy cast a spell of secrecy?”

“Yeah, he did.” You murmured in an attempt to recall if he had said anything regarding that. “I think Alistair said Ziggy told him, but I don’t quite remember how. It doesn’t make sense: Zigs was there when the spell was casted since he was the one who did it, so unless he didn’t include himself, he’d face somesort of consequence, right? He doesn’t look any different to me last time I checked.”

“Could you perhaps repeat what he said exactly?” Wondered Winnie. “Ziggy, I mean. When he casted that spell.”

“According to Brian, who was the one to tell me, he said no one could physically reveal what happened with somesort of physical deformity as punishment or something like that.” You mumbled. 

Then, it finally clicked; you recalled the rest of that conversation. “Wait, Ziggy said that you couldn’t tell the people who didn’t participate in the game, but, the thing was that Alistair was in the game, which is why Zigs didn’t get magically punished for saying what happened.”

“So, Alistair is able to acquire the information on what happened during that time because he was counted as someone who participated in the Spin the Bottle, but he can also repeat that information because the spell doesn’t really apply to him? Or something like that.” Elsie summarised slowly, calmly. Her tone was relatively monotone, as if she were merely stating the weather, but you saw the blazing anger contained in her eyes.

Your stomach dropped when you fully processed what she had just said. “Wait, you’re saying that he can blab to the whole school that Cedric and I kissed a few months ago and he will have no repercussions?”

Winnie groaned, putting her head in her hands as she rolled into a ball on the bed. “Why must this happen? Why must he be like this?” She moaned, shoulders shaking. Elsie simply placed her hand on that shoulder and rubbed circles with her thumb.

She looked back up at you, “I doubt Alistair would do that; he’s not exactly smart enough to figure it out on his own and besides, he doesn’t have any substantial proof that you are in a relationship with Cedric. He’ll need that to actually do some damage.”

You nodded carefully, still slightly worried. 

Winnie sniffled, and from the position she was in, she mumbled something about how Brian.

Elsie turned back to her, and you noticed the small relaxation in her features. You leaned closer to Winnie and, in a soft voice, asked her to repeat what she said. This wasn’t the first time you had seen her upset, and you knew how to act in those moments, being a close friend and all, but never had you seen such pain in her body language alone. When sorrowful, she would usually face you or at least be showing her features, and if you cracked a joke, she’d laugh through the tears, but now, you could tell that the sadness she was displaying was nothing like anything before. In your mind, however, you did feel her reaction was actually less intense than you would have thought.

Winnie got up. From that short time curled up, her cheeks had been stained by tears. She looked between you and Elsie and wiped her eyes dry, sniffing back snot. “I don’t think Alistair should be the main issue we’re focusing on right now.”

Both you and Elsie gave her a perplexed look.

“What are you saying, Wins?” Elsie murmured sweetly, hugging Winnie to her side.

“Well, my brother — Alistair — is a little too far gone to do anything to help him out of that weird mentality of his.” Winnie sniffed again. “I mean, I do remember how Pa was like about this stuff. Kinda why I hide liking girls. I think, since my Pa, y’know, kinda prefers Ali, he probably taught him all that ideological stuff. In a way, I’m glad he’s never really paid much attention to me. I’d rather be in a relationship with Elsie than some rando guy.” A small smile appeared on her face. Not one of those typical grande ones that could light up a room, but still a nice alternative to how she was a minute ago.

She nuzzled into Elsie’s neck, and the latter stroked her hair lovingly for a moment. 

You felt like you were interrupting something when you shyly suggested that Winnie should go back to what she was saying.

“Oh, yeah. My bad. Anyway, my point is: Ali has been indoctrinated into believing that gay is bad. Brian, however, has been convinced by him to hate you by telling him falsities. I know that brainy boy isn’t a homophobe; he’s just a little gullible with his friends, and, y’know, (Name), he really feels hurt that you aren’t hanging out with him anymore. At least that’s what I think.” Winnie gave you a chin nod, and you looked away, nodding. “I think you should talk to him. Calmly, this time.”

“Alistair?” You cocked your head to the side.

“Brian.” She corrected. “Tell him your version of events. What Ali has done. Your relationship with Ced. Basically all you’ve told us. Trust me on this, he’ll be easy to bring back to our sides.”

“Oh, so we have sides now.” You chuckled dryly as a way to cover up your nervousness.

“You’re not alone in this, (Name).” Elsie reminded you, her arm still wrapped around Winnie’s waist.

“I know.”

“Sure you do.” She chuckled, “But enough of talking about what happened in the past. We need to figure out what we’re going to do now: when we’ll talk to Brian, how we’re going to tell him and what we’ll tell him.”

Both you and Winnie nodded at her statement.

“But first,” Elsie continued, “I think we should get those marks on your neck covered up.”

...

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE WHO CELEBRATES IT!!!

Prologue (recommended to read)

Chapter 13 (previous)

Pair: Cedric Diggory x Male Slytherin Reader

Word count: 2.8K words

Summary of the book: You and Cedric Diggory hate each other. It has always been this way. But everything changes one night when you kiss each other at a party. Now, it seems you can’t escape each other — from being partnered up in Herbology for an important project to having to help Cedric during the Triwizard Tournament.

Summary of the chapter: You and the girls have made a plan: find Brian, reveal to him your relationship with Cedric, and get him onto your side. Only problem is that you can't find him.

Notes: Um so I finally updated yay. My bad, y'all, I didn't realise it's been this long. Please comment on anything I should change to improve this. Also, I am not British, so I am not 100% sure how to correctly write people from the UK.

Content warning: Swear words, a bit of angst.

!PLEASE DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE WITHOUT PERMISSION OR CREDIT TO ME!

...

You wiped your sweaty palms onto the sides of your pants. After the whole talk with Winnie and Elsie, you hadn’t seen Brian the entire day; he skipped mealtimes, avoided the library like the plague, and when you finally collapsed onto your bed right before curfew, you noted the empty space on his bed where his body should have been. In fact, the only person who had seemed to be already fast asleep was Ziggy, who snored softly in the bed diagonal from yours. Alistair appeared to be missing as well.

Now, however, it was Sunday, and you could practically hear Winnie and Elsie’s voices persuading you to search for Brian faster; they knew classes would preoccupy you once Monday came and had pressured you into having a conversation with him before you lost both your motivation and another friend.

The plan was simple: converse with Brian to better understand what Alistair told him and explain that you and Cedric were, in fact, a couple. Perhaps even bring him to your side. Seemed easy enough. Well, that was, if you could find him. You were certain he was avoiding you, but where he had been was a mystery to you and the girls.

Your shoes padded against the cool stone floors of the indoor corridor leading to the library. Cedric’s striped sweater enveloped you in a fuzzy embrace that was a little too warm for the rising heat of the year. Luckily for you, it had been a particularly cool weekend. It wasn’t time to shed your winter coats yet.

You rubbed your arms, feeling the fur tickling your palms. You had yet to tell Cedric about the issues with Alistair. Mainly since you hadn’t seen him all day, but you had sat with him during dinner, albeit preoccupied with the thought of what you could say to Brian, but then again, you still had to inform him of Winnie and Elsie’s knowledge of your relationship. Which was totally fine. Yup. Apart from the fact that you hadn’t told him anything despite being in a literal relationship that required trust and communication, but he’d understand, wouldn’t he?

Adding on to that thought, you reflected on the conversation you had with him in the bathroom yesterday. “You’re always on the lookout for something. Like you’re hiding something from me. Something important.”  He had said. You remember avoiding the question, which you assumed ultimately confirmed his suspicions. Honestly, a part of you wanted to tell him about being a Half-Blood. A part of you that genuinely saw the good in others and opened up to people like a flower as the sun rises. But that part of you was also the part that got you into this whole mess. You trusted Alistair. Now look where he’s got you. The red flags should have made you close off, but he seemed to have gotten close enough to clip your thorns before you pointed them towards him.

“Merlin, you trusted him. Look where trust got you.” A small voice hissed in the back of your mind.

“But Cedric’s different.” The other part of you replied.

“You keep telling yourself that, but that thinking is directly what led to your downfall.” The pessimist in you retorted. “Cedric’s a Pureblood. So was Alistair. He wouldn’t understand.”

“But Winnie’s a Pureblood too.”

“She’s Winnie!”

“Well so was Elsie!”

You sighed internally as you continued making your way to the library. Winning a battle against yourself was no easy feat, especially in a situation such as this one.

You rounded the corner leading to the hallway, which would bring you towards the library. Groups of wix passed by you. Exam season was approaching, and, despite it only being March, your peers had already started gathering in the large, cosy rooms for their study groups and tutoring sessions. You glanced at the faces leaving the library, taking note of whether anyone was staring at you in any strange manner. Who knows when Alistair was planning on selling you out to the entire school? Luckily, despite the shiver of anxiety crawling up your spine, it seemed that no one was giving you any negative attention. Perhaps you were acting too paranoid. And you might have to start studying somewhere else, considering the number of students mingling around the room like ant colonies.

The librarian, Madame Pince, glanced up as you approached before returning to diving her nose back into her book. She was a rather triangular-looking woman with red lipstick tainting her beak-like lips a rose colour and a dark attire fitting for a funeral.

“Excuse me, Madame Pince, sorry for disturbing you.” You coughed to get her attention.

“Well, it’s not like I get bothered every few minutes or so, now, is it?” She hummed, raising her thin eyebrows in an irritated, sarcastic tone. “Tell me. What can’t you possibly find? A book? A scroll? Perhaps a newspaper? Is the organisation in this library not clear enough for someone your age?”

Your eye twitched. The worst part about the library was the woman at the front desk. “No, Madame Pince, the organisation is perfectly fine. I was simply wondering if you have seen Brian Ashmore. You know, the pale, grumpy guy with a scar–”

“Yes yes, I know who you are talking about; how could I not.” She waved you off. “With the amount of time that young man spend in here, I wouldn’t be surprised if he knew these shelves better than I. He left a couple minutes ago.”

“Do you know where he went?” You pressed further, snaking a look at the entrance where a group of Ravenclaw 3rd years were giggling. Hopefully, he hadn’t gone far.

“Well how am I supposed to know!” Madame Pince sighed, exasperated. “By Merlin’s everloving beard, Mr. Canbell, I heard you were slightly obnoxious and oblivious, but I believe a question such as this one could have been answered by a troll infant.”

You gave her a perplexed, yet judgemental look at her mistake; both at the fact that she missaid Alistair’s surname, but also the fact that she had mistaken you for him (although, you suspected he wasn’t even aware of the library’s location, never visited, and therefore never met Madame Pince). “Madame, I’m-” you sighed, pinching your nose bridge; you had no desire to spend more time near this woman. “Nevermind. Have a nice day.” 

You heard her scoff as you turned away.

Once outside, you sighed, making your way back to the dorms to find the girls. Perhaps they had found Brian sulking somewhere in the commons, although you severely doubted that. He doesn’t sulk; he glowers in the corner of a room.

After a minute of walking, you heard something at the end of the hall. Voices. You paused in suspicion, walking with quiet precision, more on instinct than anything, carefully, one foot after another. The corridor was empty apart from you and whoever was talking on the other side of the corner.

As you approached, you started to make out the different tones and types of voice: there were perhaps two or three boys, with a clearly forced deep tone that was typical of the guys that you used to play Quidditch with, taunting and jeering someone else. A first year, perhaps?

Moving closer, you started to make out the words more clearly.

“Come on, filth, pick it up.” One of the boys taunted.

A round of chuckles resonated through the group. “Yeah, come on, can’t miss out on your precious studying time.” Said a boy with a Scottish accent.

You heard a soft thump and something slide on the floor far enough that you noticed it was a book. “Oops, sorry, my foot slipped.” A girl mocked.

You clenched your fists at the injustice. Really? 

“You know, I always wondered how a Muddy managed to get sorted into a statistically mostly Pureblood house.” Mocked the girl. “Did you just threaten the Hat or something? With like Muggle… weapons? Or like did you trick it or something?” 

“Maybe he used some acid and that’s why his face is so fucked up.” A third boy interjected, earning a couple of chuckles. Your eyes narrowed at his statement. Acid?

“But like why?” The girl continued. “Like did you just want to feel better than everyone by being in the house with the biggest Pureblood population without anyone noticing you were actually Mudblood? Like what did you think was gonna happen. With that fucked up face and fucked up Muddy family? You wouldn’t be found out? Hm?”

You sneaked closer to the corner before jumping when you heard something slam into the wall on the other side. “Hey, respond you fucking freak. And be honest. Maybe then the Sorting Hat could send you to the Hufflepuffs with all the other pussies.” Threatened the first boy.

You were now right by the corner and had heard enough. 

You stepped out into the open with a casual yet threatening demeanour, lazily pointing your wand towards the perpetrators. “Alright, kids, cut it out or I’ll hex you until even Madam Pomfrey can’t help you no more.”

The four Slytherins whipped their head towards you. You recognised them: the Scottish boy with short hair was the ex-Quidditch Keeper, the girl — who you believed was surnamed Rickard — with long wavy reddish-brown hair was one of the Bludgers, and the first boy that spoke was her boyfriend, the other Slytherin Bludger. You didn’t recognise the other two guys but presumed they were brothers from their similar features. One had his back towards you, while the other was further away from you than the rest.

Rickard’s boyfriend stepped away from the wall where he had pinned the — you assumed — Muggleborn, raising his hands in defeat, “Hey, hey man, we don’t mean no trouble. Truly.”

The boy with his back towards you backed away, bumped against the person against the wall and jumped away in surprise, revealing a pale, skinny figure, with Slytherin robes draped over a simple checkered sweater. His brown-ish hair, typically slicked back, now tumbled over his sharp eyes. You met his gaze and glanced down at the burn mark on his cheek. It was Brian.

You glared at the group of bullies. “If you mean no trouble, then I suggest you back the fuck up and quit being assholes towards people you can’t relate to.” 

They obeyed and slowly backed away. “Course, (Surname).” The boy closest to you mumbled apologetically.

You stared them down as they continued down the empty hallway before disappearing behind a corner, leaving you, still gripping your wand, and Brian, still tense, pressing himself against the stone wall as if trying to melt into it.

Once the group were visibly out of sight, Brian swiftly gathered his books. “Well, thanks a lot for that (Name). I was unsure what to do there.”

You bent down, picking up the book that had slid far from him before adding it to the small pile that had formed on the floor, unsure how to respond other than a grunt. You were hoping to confront him at some point today, but the whole situation was awkward. How did those Slytherins know he had Muggle blood? Did they know about you, too?

“Now, I best be off. No better time to study.” Brian coughed awkwardly, not meeting your eyes as he stood up with the books in his arms.

You felt a cold jolt in your senses as Brian shuffled away. He barely got 10 meters out when you grabbed his hood, and he jerked back slightly, the books light hitting his chest. “Wait, wait, wait, wait. Sorry, Brian, I know you’re busy, and I know that you don’t really want to talk to me right now—”

“Well that’s certainly an understatement.” He interrupted, pulling free from your loose grip but staying put to let you finish.

“But I have to tell you something about Alistair.”

Brian rolled his eyes. “Here we go again with your stories.”

“It’s not a story, Brian. Please hear me out.” You asked softly. “Then I’ll let you go, okay? A-And you can hate me forever if you want. Or not.”

“Fine.” He sighed, placing his books by the wall with a grunt.

You blinked in slight surprise that he relented so easily to your request, “Um well. So, first of all, you have to know: Alistair has been lying to you.”

“Wow, nevermind, this is utter bullshit.” He laughed dryly, leaning down to pick up his books.

“Wait, wait.” You hurried. “He found out I kissed Zedric at the party. Ziggy told him. Those that weren’t in the room when the spell was cast aren’t affected but are still counted as ‘people who participated in the game’, meaning that they can be told what happened in the room and pass it on without consequence.”

Brian stood back up, arms crossed. “So what? You think he’s going to try to ruin your life by claiming you and Diggory kissed all the way back in September? That’s just a rumor, something you can disapprove, and definitely not a way to ruin someone’s life like you ruined mine.”

You blinked in slight confusion. “What are you talking about.”

“The whole school knows I’m a Half Blood now — or at least that I have Muggle ancestory, which I guess is what the bigots find more important.” He mumbled in slight irritation.

Meanwhile, you stood with your eyebrows raised, “Excuse me? Why would I ever tell anyone that you were a Half Blood? I’ve never had anything against you.”

He sighed in response, massaging his temple. “I-I don’t know, maybe you let something slip.”

“But that’s incredibly stupid! You know I’m also a Half Blood, so why would I risk it? I’ve never felt the need for external validation whilst putting others like me down, never claimed I was superior to those with Muggle blood, never told anyone you didn’t want me to. But do you know who has a running mouth? Alistair. You remember his reaction to the reveal of our bloodline, and, yes, I’m aware people can change, but you know him. He’s spiteful. He’s not afraid to get his hands dirty.”

Brian stayed silent, lips pressed thinly together, eyes not meeting yours.

“He hates me, man. He said so.” You said in a softer voice.

“And why do you trust him when he says that?” 

“Why would you trust his word at all?” You responded quickly. “You know him; he’s trying to break us apart, Brian. He doesn’t want you on my side. Let me guess, he was the one who told you I had informed the entire school that you a Halfie?”

Brian stayed silent.

“Alistair has been lying to you and talking behind your back in order to break us apart.” 

You leaned forward to place a hand on his shoulder, but he stepped back, still not meeting your gaze. “I don’t care.”

“...What?”

“I don’t care, (Name)!” His head snapped up as he locked eyes with you, flaming with anger, and was it… hurt? “Can’t you see? We’ve we've been apart!”

“What are you talking about?” You staggered back.

Brian sighed, averting your gaze. “Well, Winnie and Elise have each other, and you have Diggory, so, if we’re all supposed to shun Alistair, where does that put me? No where. I have no one, literally no one!” He snarled, his face twisting into a grimace, “And I’ve tried, believe me, to feel included in those groups, but the girls seem to have a secret bond that I don’t share with them and you’re always with Diggory. Alistair was kind and welcoming. I don’t feel excluded whilst with him, because unlike you, he treats me like I actually exist!”

Your heart sank, a deep pit of regret and guilt gathering in your gut. Perhaps it was just you as a person, but you hadn’t noticed the way you pushed Brian aside despite him being one of your closest companions. You had always just assumed he enjoyed the solitude, too focused on revision instead of socialising.

“I-I’m sorry, Brian, I hadn’t realised we-” 

“Of course you didn’t realise I had been feeling this way!” He snapped back, interrupting you before you could finish. You spotted wetness on his cheeks, dripping to his chin. “To you, I was the replacement friend. Always on the side, always second place. You were first the closest to Alistair. [Name] and Alistair: Star Duo of the Slytherin Quidditch Team, Best Friends, Wingmen, whatever the FUCK.”

Brian wiped away tears, still not meeting your eyes. You didn’t try to grab for him; you let him continue. “When he left the group to hang with Ziggy and Roman, I thought for sure I could finally be the shiniest star in someone, anyone’s sky, but then Diggory came around and ruined everything! And now I have no one. I am back in this darkness. I know I’ll never be good enough for that first place for friendship, because that crown now belongs to Diggory—”

“We’re dating!” You blubbered out, unable to hold your thought any longer.

Brian turned towards you, eyes tinted pink, a tear running down the bumps of the scar on his left cheek. He met your gaze, his shoulders dropping just a little as if he was letting his guard down, and his arms fell to his side. Confusion was written all over his face, but within his features was a willingness to understand.

“What?” he whispered.

You wetted your lips; it was now or never. “Cedric is not and will not be my closest companion as he is currently my partner and has been my partner since late February after the second Triwizard Tournement Task.”

Silence fell upon the empty hallway.

“I’ve missed you.” You admitted. “I miss how things were, all five of us. But I also have realised that I do enjoy this present: Tina’s pretty nice, Alistair — although you may not see it — is a massive bigot, and I genuinely enjoy my time with Cedric, but don’t want that to come to the expense of one of my closest friends. Luckily, Elsie has made me realise that I didn’t have to choose on or the other. Things can change for the better.”

Brian blinked before muttering in a small voice, “It was never as it could have been, even before.”

“We only left you alone because we thought you wanted us to. In truth, we were all somewhat worried about your mental and physical health, especially since you weren’t always like that. I’m serious, Brian. I’ve missed you.” You admitted. “And I promise we won’t ignore you or make you feel lesser. Or at least try not to.”

There was a moment of silence between the two of you. A moment where, for the first time, you noticed what you had always failed to perceive within Brian: the slow turning of his mental processing clock. A swirl of emotions — confusion, anger, hurt, pride — battled on his features until the muscles in his face relaxed as a wave of understanding washed over him.

“I… see.” Brian rubbed his chin carefully. “You know you don’t fully have my trust, right?”

You shrugged in response. “I doubted you would.” You had already given him a lot of information that explained your behaviour; you knew it was a handful to digest and thus realised, when discussing with Elsie and Winnie about having a conversation with Brian, that there was a very slim chance that he would believe every word that came out of your mouth.

“And you do know I will still need some time to fully process what just happened?”

You snorted, “Obviously.”

“And you know I don’t completely forgive you?”

“I wasn’t expecting you to.” You smiled, crossing your arms, acquiring a more friendly, casual position that you hoped showed your warmth to his reaction.

“What were you expecting?” Inquired Brian.

“Maybe that you stayed loyal to me because he’s been too busy snogging that freak of a Hufflepuff.” A voice came from behind you.

You whipped your head around, suddenly tense as you recognised the low voice by your ear, coming face to face with the handsome young man with curly, unnaturally red hair, carrying a belligerent stare on his sharp features. 

“I should know,” continued Alistair in an oddly calm, yet cold tone, “I saw them at Madame Puddifoot’s the other day.”

...

I will not be posting during the Summer as I am rather busy this year, although I will try to work on the next chapter to get it ready by September or October.

Prologue (recommended to read)

Chapter 11 (previous)

Pair: Cedric Diggory x Male Slytherin Reader

Word count: 4K words

Summary of the book: You and Cedric Diggory hate each other. It has always been this way. But everything changes one night when you kiss each other at a party. Now, it seems you can’t escape each other — from being partnered up in Herbology for an important project to having to help Cedric during the Triwizard Tournament.

Summary of the chapter: After you and Cedric manage to sneak your way out of the cafe, you leave him in order to change outfits and talk to Elsie and Winnie. On the way to the dorms, you bump into someone who was looking for you.

Notes: Please comment on anything I should change to improve this. Also, I am not British, so I am not 100% sure how to correctly write people from the UK.

Content warning: Swear words, an argument, and mention of BOOMBAYAH.

!PLEASE DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE WITHOUT PERMISSION OR CREDIT TO ME!

...

Your heartbeat drummed through your ears as you paced around the bathroom, hands running through your hair. Did they see you? Why were they here? Did they know about the date? You were going to tell them about your relationship with Cedric at some point in the near future, but not while you were covered in love bites. 

The man who gave you the marks hummed, “So your friends are sitting in the cafe having a chat? Sounds like a coincidence to me. Why would they want to spy on our date if they are in clear sight?”

“I don’t know!” You hissed, “I’m actually more concerned about how we’re gonna get out of here. I mean, what would they think if they saw the both of us walking out of the bathroom looking like this?” You gestured to your reflections, “And even if we didn’t, it’d be suspicious if we were in Madame Puddifoot’s without anyone else.”

Cedric hummed, “Fair enough. I guess we’re gonna have to sneak out.”

You glanced at him, “Yeah, how? We can’t use magic since we’re not on Hogwarts grounds, and the cafe can’t exactly hide people quite well.”

“Calm down, love.” You flinched when he placed his hands on your stiff shoulders, “Deep breaths; you need to calm down. We can get through this, I promise. I know a way out. There’s a backdoor near the kitchen.”

You chuckled, heart racing and a lump in your throat, “And how would that help? We can’t get to the kitchen because of the staff, and what about the candy you bought me?” Once the words left your mouth, you quickly shut up. The back of your neck heated up in embarrassment; why on Earth did you bring up the goddamn candy bag as if it were more important than getting out of the fruit-smelling bathroom without the three girls spotting you?

Instead of rolling his eyes, Cedric smiled softly, “I know some of the staff. The waitress with a dark bob is a friend of mine from a few years ago. She graduated a while back, though.” He brushed a strand of hair out of your face, “She’ll let us out, and I’m sure she wouldn’t mind getting the candy for us.”

You averted your eyes in nervousness and, after a moment of consideration, responded, “That’s actually a good idea.”

“What do you mean ‘actually’? Aren’t all my ideas fantastic?” Cedric teased.

You scoffed, “Well I was going to point out that it would mean that your friend would know about our relationship but I guess the fact that we are in the literal cafe known for serving couple would have given that away either way.”

“Cool. We’ll sneak out when your friends aren’t looking and I’ll talk to her. Don’t you worry your silly little head.”

You swatted playfully at the hand reaching to pat your hair, “Me? Worried? Never. You know me, always performing calmly under pressure.” You joked, the weight of dread tugging at your heart slowly lifting. 

Cedric grinned at you, but suddenly, you noticed his smile falter, a look of serious yet kind concern clouding his grey eyes. “But seriously, (Name), you gotta chill out sometimes. I mean, it’s like, whenever I get to see you, you’re always on the lookout for something.” He glanced at your fidgeting hand. “Like you’re hiding something from me. Something important.”

Your jaw tensed up and stopped fidgeting, “I don’t think these type of conversations should happen in bathrooms.” You coughed, finally noticing all of your nervous habits and remembering all the moments you were stressed or only half focusing on your boyfriend while keeping an eye out for unwanted attention.

Cedric looked down, “Okay. But please tell me at some point if you feel comfortable.”

The next two minutes were spent in silence, trying to catch the attention of the dark-haired girl, Skylar. Cedric introduced you two, and you discovered she was the older sister of one of Cedric’s roommates, Luke Walker. You weren’t quite familiar with him, but remembered seeing him a few times getting teased by your Slytherin peers for being Muggle-born. Sky was much calmer than you remembered Luke being, but you saw the bags under her eyes, recognised the tired look that both Luke and Brian got for being of Muggle descent.

Cedric was right. You should tell him about everything. Being Half-Blood, Alistair, just be completely honest with your feelings with him. He’d understand, wouldn’t he? “No. He’s a Pureblood. A respected one. He’d never understand.” Hissed a small voice in the back of your head. “All of them are the same. Always judging us for our ancestry.” You brushed away the comments it made, but you didn’t feel any lighter. Instead, that familiar pit in your stomach formed once again. 

Skylar and Cedric finished their short conversation, and the young woman directed you towards a back door of a pastel pink kitchen, and headed back in to get your candy bag.

You breathed out a sigh of relief, watching a puff of vapour leave your lips. Cedric pressed his hand on your fidgety ones. “Please don’t stress yourself out, love. Just breathe in. If you want, we don’t have to talk about this. We can stroll around town and then head to our dorms later on, okay?”

You chewed your inner cheek, eyes downcast, and nodded. “I’m sorry if I’m ruining everything Ced.”

“It’s fine, but I just hope that one day you’ll be able to share whatever’s bothering you with me, okay?” He smiled, placing a hand on your shoulder. “You wanna walk around some more or go back to the dorms?”

Your heart fluttered at the idea of spending some more time with Cedric. But then you thought back to Winnie, Elsie, and Destiny in the shop. Having to hide from them. For as long as you had known them, they were quite accepting, from not caring about your magical descent to always having your back when you and your current boyfriend were in your rivalry. Was keeping this secret really fair to them? Should they be the source of your worries? Your closest friends?

Slowly, you removed Cedric’s hand from your shoulder, placing it in between yours, “Actually, I’m getting pretty tired right now, and I’ve got some work to catch up on.” It hurt to see your lover’s grin slowly fade, but you told yourself that once you had become truthful with your friends again, you’d figure out how to make it up to him.

“But… a-and your candy, can’t you wait just a bit longer,” Cedric stammered, pulling you closer by the waist. “And what about, y’know…” he gestured to your crotch and your bite-covered neck.

Your cheeks flushed red, and you puffed up your coat so that the marks wouldn’t be visible“I’ll take care of it on my own, don’t worry! And I don’t mind the lack of candy; I did eat most of it already and the best part of today was spent with you, Ced.” You kissed him tenderly on the cheek. “But I really have to go.”

He whined but did not stop you as you peeled his hands from your waist, reluctantly kissing you goodbye when you were sure no one was watching, before you slowly headed back to Hogwarts.

You stepped onto the dark steps leading to the Slytherin’s dorm, eyes downcast, and your arms wrapping your coat tighter around your body as you descended into the dark staircase.

You already had it all planned out in your mind: you’d get changed into a turtleneck, and when the girls came back from Hogsmede, you’d pull them aside in the dorms to talk to them about Cedric, then you’d find Brain at some point after the conversation. A simple question popped into your mind: did he go to Hogsmede with someone else, or had he stayed in the castle? 

You bit your lip thoughtfully, speeding down the steps, and staring at your quick feet.

As you neared the bottom, you passed someone going up the stairs, too focused to recognise the individual until he called your name.

“(Name)? I thought you were at Hogsmede?” The gruff voice asked. You jumped, shivers running down your back at the sudden call.

Brian gave you a puzzled look. Although you were his roommate, rarely did you see him out of his uniform, much less without a coat, so it took you a while to respond as you stared at his faded red turtleneck.

“I hope you remembered to put your uniform into the laundry room. I don’t wan’t you smelling like an unwashed teen all day.” You commented with a short, surprised laugh.

“I shower, you eejit, and I own multiple uniforms for that exact reason, you know that.” He sneered coldly, crossing his arms. “I wanted to talk to you later, but now works fine, even if we’re in the middle of the staircase. After all, we don’t seem to be bothering the lack of people crossing through here.”

“Oh! What a coincidence, I was planning on speaking to you too!” You smiled and leaned on the wall. Although you were planning on telling Winnie and Elsie first, as they were more loving and easier to talk to than Brian, you didn’t mind flipping the order of things. He was your friend, after all.

“Fantastic, then you wouldn’t mind if I started?” He rushed and, before you could even formulate a response inside your head, he continued, “Great. So, I don’t mean to pry or to be invasive or even to be rude or anything of the sort, but what on Earth does Diggory have that we don’t?” 

Silence envelopped the empty stairwell, and your thoughts dissipated like clouds on a sunny afternoon.

You blinked, trying to process what exactly he said. “...Excuse me?” You mumbled in confusion, “Could you repeat that?”

He swallowed some saliva, and his jaw tensed — an observation you made by noting how his body seemed more rigid than it usually was. After a moment of hesitation, he continued, much slower, articulating all of his words to get his message across. “I was asking what Cedric Diggory has that we don’t. And by we, I mean Elsie, Winnie and I. Hell, even Tina! I mean, you’ve barely known the guy as a friend for a few months, and now you’re last-minute ditching us to go to Hogsmede with him. We’ve been friends since the beginning of our years at Hogwarts. I don’t understand why you never want to hang out with us. You’ve literally hated Diggory for years. What is it? Do you hate us now?”

You gaped at him, mostly stunned, somewhat flabbergasted, and slightly irritated. “Hate you? What are you talking about? I’m not even that close to Ced—”

“Does he know that you’re a Halfie like me?” Brian cut you off, careful to keep his voice low, but still loud enough for your heart to skip a beat in fear. “Are you that close with him?”

You hesitated. A muscle tightened in your jaw. “Maybe. Why would you care about who I tell my secrets to?” 

“I don’t want him to hurt you.”

You let out a short laugh. “Why would he hurt me? What proof do you have that Cedric would hurt me. He has been nothing but nice to me — to all of us — and now you want to spit in my face and tell me how untrustworthy and supposedly evil he is? Where on Earth did you get that idea from?”

“Oh don’t act sassy with me; I’m the one with the outside point of view on your relationship with him.” Groaned Brian.

“Outside point of view my ass! Maybe instead of being wary of Cedric, I should be wary of you.” You huffed.

“(Name), don’t be dramatic—”

“Me? Dramatic?? You should hear yourself and all your crazy theories—”

“Alistair and I are just trying to look out for you—”

“Oh, so he’s involved in this?” You laughed, your head so hot that you swore you could feel steam puffing out of your ears, “No wonder you’re thinking this fucking insanely!”

“I get it, so now you get to control whom I can and can’t talk to?” Brian raised an eyebrow. His face was impossible to read, but you knew from his tone that he was mad.

“Brian that was clearly not what I was saying—”

“Make buddies with that oaf of a Hufflepuff—”

“Don’t you call him that!—”

“— and cut off one of our closest friends just cuz you want me to—”

“Brian, there’s a reason why we don’t talk to Alistair—”

“No, there’s a reason why you don’t talk to Alistair–” he uncrossed his arms, jabbing an accusatory finger in your direction, “–and a stupid one at that.”

“What are you even talking about?” You yelled, running your hand through your hair.

“I’m talking about the fact that you cut him out just because he didn’t trust Diggory.”

You chuckled sarcastically, stepping closer to him, “Oh, and where did you get that information?”

“From Alistair obviously, he’s told me the story multiple times—”

“I didn’t even cut him off for that reason!”

“But you did and you’re probably going to do the same for me!”

“Okay, that’s it, you’re mad—”

“No, I’m concerned for one of my closest friends and worried that the state of our entire group’s relationship might change because someone we all hated decided to pretend to be buddies with us—”

“Ugh! He’s not pretending—”

“People don’t change that quickly!”

“You clearly haven’t been around many people then!” You hissed in Brian’s face, tapping him in the chest accusatorially with your index finger.

He sneered at you, “That’s it! I’ve had enough of you and your bullshit!”

“BOTH OF YOU SHUT THE FUCK UP!!!”

Your heads swivelled to look at the three ladies slightly above you on the staircase. Winnie was covering her ears, confusion etched in her features, while Elsie’s cheeks were turning red and her hands were on her hips like a pissed off mother.

“Any of you care to explain what was happenning?” She raised an eyebrow, gesturing to each of you.

Brian looked back at you, then scoffed, “I don’t have time for this.” He made his way out, pushing past Destiny and disappearing behind the girls, knocking Destiny into Winnie. The stairwell was so silent between the four of you that you could clearly hear his steps getting further and further away.

Elsie turned to the blonde, murmuring something to her before squeezing her shoulder with an oddly reassuring expression — a very uncommon expression of hers, especially right after she had screamed at Brian. Destiny glanced towards you, then back at the girl in front of her, nodded, then waved bye to the lot of you as she carefully walked up the stairs.

Then, Elsie turned back to you, her usual pointed look back on her pale face. “We’re going into my room. You’re telling us whatever the fuck is happening.” She pushed past you, towards the doors of the Slytherin dormitory. Winnie quickly hopped after her when she heard her name called as well.

You followed reluctantly, heart beating as fast as your thoughts. You were planning on speaking to the girls, but now you felt nude, unprepared for the conversation, especially after that argument with Brian. When did he talk with Alistair? Was that the true reason he hated Cedric? How long had the girls been listening? To be honest with yourself, you were grateful for the intervention — you weren’t sure how long you would last until an actual physical fight would have ensued with Brian. You’d never physically fought with any of your close friends, with the exception of Alistair — even if he no longer counted — when you’d wrestle during Quidditch training, but it surprised you that you actually nearly did. Was your fraction with Brian that breakable? You’d done something wrong, hadn’t you?

“After you.” Said Winnie, holding the Slytherin dorm door open for you to enter.

You mumbled a thanks and continued to follow Elsie to her room, Winnie blocking you from backtracking as if you were a prisoner.

When Elsie pushed open the door leading to her shared dorm, you realised you’d never been there before. It was much more personalised than the room you had with Alistair, Brian and Ziggy: posters stuck to the wall, a stack of letters neatly organised on one of the many beds, which varied in colour, and a few articles of clothing were scattered around the otherwise relatively clean floor. You awkwardly averted your eyes when you spotted a bra that Elsie quickly shoved under what you supposed was her bed.

Winnie ran past you and flopped onto said bed, and Elsie sat on the edge, one leg over the other, and her hands crossed onto her lap.

You stood awkwardly until Elsie motioned you to sit on the bed next to it, which you assumed was Winnie, as a framed photo of her family was placed next to the night lamp.

The girl kicked off her shoes and sighed, still lying behind Elsie.

You fidgeted with your hands. Averted your eyes.

“Nice neck, who painted it for you?” You heard Elsie mock. 

Oh shit. You had forgotten about the hickies. You quickly stammered out an excuse about mosquitoes, pulling your collar to hide them as best as you could, which wasn’t very well. You’d have to change your outfit when you get back to your own room.

“I totally believe you.” Elsie scoffed. “Anyway, what was that argument about? I’ve never seen Brian so pissed.”

You let out a breathy laugh, not meeting her eyes, “Me neither. He was just…” Your mouth formed shapes, but no sound came out until you could finally sum up whatever happened into a relatively short phrase, “Well, he’s just mad that I spend a lot of time with Ced, and he’s also mad that I’m mad Alistair — no offense, Winnie —” you could hear said girl whisper something and assumed you said that she was okay with your comment, “even though I totally have a valid reason, but he just won’t believe me and says that he’s just worryied for my safety, which is exactly what Alistair keeps saying to me.”

After a moment of unresponsiveness, you glanced up, but, when meeting Elsie’s eyes, quickly looked back at your hands.

“What’s the situation with him?” Elsie asked you.

You looked back at her, eyebrows furrowed, a perplexed look on your face. “Brian? I just told you the situation. Unless you want a timeline or something.” 

Elsie let out a short chuckle before rephrasing her question. “No, no, not Brian. Cedric. What’s up with the two of you?” 

A small knot built in your stomach as you caught her eyeing your neck. You slowly pulled up your collar again to hide whatever marks remained when, suddenly, you caught her gaze. You recognised that look. That smug, knowing look. That’s when you knew she knew.

“You know what’s up with the two of us.” You replied carefully.

Elsie raised an eyebrow, “I want to hear you say it.”

“No.” You paused suspiciously. “What do you think is up with us, huh? I’d like to hear your opinion on the situation.”

“Alright.” Elsie uncrossed her legs and leaned forward, a playful twinkle in her dark eyes. “I think you two are shagging.”

“Wow! Okay, insane prediction!”

Winnie pushed off the bed, eyes wide and enlightened, “You two are having sex??”

You gaped at her, horror filling your heart, “No! We’re just dating, what the fuck?!”

“Okay, so what are those?” Elsie gestured to your prominent hickies and attempted to cover her smirk.

Winnie jumped into a sitting position to Elsie’s right in order to get a closer look at your neck. “You have love bites, (Name)!” You slapped a hand over your neck, heat flushing to your face.

“And you claim not to be shagging Cedric?” Elsie challenged.

“I never said that!”

“Uh, yes you did!” Winnie exclaimed, “You said that you were ‘just dating him’ which means that you weren’t doing anything more, which is also a lie! You lying bastard.”

You groaned into your hands and slid from the bed to the floor, where you pressed your legs close to your chest. “Okay, fine! You win! We did…do that… but I consider him my boyfriend, not just a fuckbuddy, okay!”

“Oh, I already knew.” Elsie responded.

“You did?!” Winnie asked. “Since when?”

Elsie smirked, checking out her red and black nails, “Since before you two even started dating.”

You gave her a puzzled look while your other friend gasped in amazement. “Excuse me?”

“Oh, you’re excused, but you really should be more sneaky with hiding your feelings for someone if you don’t want anyone to know.” She continued. “And I’ve known since the Yule Ball. I could empathize with you because I remember feeling the same way with Alistair.” Her face grew solemn, and you could practically see memories flashing through her mind.

It took around three seconds for Winnie to process what Elsie was saying when she finally replied, “Wait, my brother? Oh, yeah! I remember you mentioning that.”

You felt a pang of pity go through your heart, remembering the hopeless looks Elsie often gave Alistair when she thought he wasn’t looking, the constant ranting where you could tell she felt something for him, and at the party where you kissed Cedric for the first time when Alistair shattered her heart with his wicked comment. That night was the beginning of the end of your friendship with him, the first time you acknowledged the warning signs that previously flew right over your head.

You were frozen in your spot on the floor; you should have been there for her during those times, but instead, you were too busy bickering with your now-boyfriend to do anything. But really, did you really have to pick between two things you loved? What about now? While the argument with Brian wasn’t pleasant, he did make a good point — one that he made before, which you took a little too far by ignoring Cedric. Did you really have to choose between your friends and your boyfriend? Why not have both? You could both spend time with Ced while also hanging with your group.

Things weren’t perfect before, and they would never be — you knew that well — but your goal wasn’t to reach perfection, it was to at least make an effort. And you could start here. Now. On the floor of Elsie and Winnie’s dorm room.

You stood up and sat on your friend’s other side, gently placing your hands on her shoulders.

“Hey, you know, love’s difficult. You’re gonna have heartbreaks and trial and error before you find someone that you truly connect with. Heck, you might have an experience with someone that doesn’t even feel right to begin with, and that’ll make you realise things about yourself.” You nudged your chin to Winnie, who smiled at the mention. “You might find out that girls aren’t really your thing, or maybe in you case boys. Who knows? You have all the time in the world to find someone of your own, Elsie. Maybe the person you’ve been looking for for your entire life has always been by your side, whether friend or foe.”

You spotted Elsie looking down at her hands, trying to suppress her grin but ultimately failing. You thought you had touched her heart until you felt her shoulders shake, the fast inhale-exhale rhythm of somebody laughing. Behind Elsie, you could see Winnie grinning wildly, taping her crisscrossed legs with her fingers in an attempt to control her energy.

“I-I don’t get it,” you looked between the two of them. “What’s funny.”

“You really didn’t notice?” Elsie asked.

“What? Notice what?”

You saw them share a playful look. Elsie raised her eyebrow while Winnie nodded rapidly. Your confusion grew by the minute.

“I saw you as a pretty observant person, (Name). You really disappoint me.” Elsie tutted lightly. “But I guess you were too enamored with Cedric to spot anything.”

Elsie gave Winnie her hand, and the latter squeezed it.

“(Name). We’ve been dating since October.”

...

Chapter 13

Prologue (recommended to read)

Chapter 8 (previous)

Pair: Cedric Diggory x Male Slytherin Reader

Word count: 3K words

Summary of the book: You and Cedric Diggory hate each other. It has always been this way. But everything changes one night when you kiss each other at a party. Now, it seems you can’t escape each other — from being partnered up in Herbology for an important project to having to help Cedric during the Triwizard Tournament.

Summary of the chapter: It's finally the Yule ball. Why do you feel so stressed all of a sudden?

Notes: Please comment on anything I should change to improve this. Also, I am not British so I am not 100% sure how to correctly write people from the UK. (I'm very sorry for the late ass update but motivation hates me)

I am also really sorry for posting so late; my life has been pretty busy right now and this is the most relaxing week so far. Also, no, the reader and Cedric don't kiss in this, you have to wait, my children.

Content warning: A singular swear word and a bit of angst.

!PLEASE DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE WITHOUT PERMISSION OR CREDIT TO ME!

...

Usually, whenever you dreamed of your ex-rival, you wouldn’t wake up until noon unless Brian or Alistair shook you awake. However, as your eyes adjusted to the dark room, you faintly spotted the numbers on your clock: 7:45.

It was time for breakfast.

You slipped out of bed, pushing off your blanket. You put on your uniform, for when you woke after the dream about Cedric, you couldn’t sleep, spending an hour or so on homework and then changing to go to bed for the night.

Your hands trembled as you buttoned your white blouse, mind warping around the fact that you were perhaps in love with the person you once despised the most. Not to mention that you’d already kissed him.

The party.

The memory had completely slipped your mind. You used to feel irked or embarrassed whenever you thought of it, mainly because you used to hate Cedric, but now, you felt as if there was a missing puzzle to your lips, a gap that could only be filled by the warm feeling of Cedric’s kiss.

And then there was Alistair. You knew he was closed-minded — even as kids, you could tell his discomfort with knowing that you were a Half-blood — but you never expected him to stay that way. To say that his homophobia shocked you was an understatement. His twin sister literally kissed Elsie at the party. How could he ever be homophobic? Was he unaware? Did that mean you’d have to cut ties with him? You didn’t want to — you had been friends for years — but was it likely that he’d change?

You finished dressing before heading upstairs to the Great Hall. On the way, you passed Brian.

“You’re awake?” he asked, slight surprise in his monotonous voice, “That’s a first. Never thought I’d see the day where our dear Sleeping Beauty would wake up without a shove from little old me.” He mocked you, but you knew it was harmless.

“Must have been good sleep, then.” You reasoned, ignoring how late you stayed up.

“Come on,” Brian turned around and started up the stairs, “The gang’ll be happy to see you eat breakfast with us.”

You followed him to the Great Hall, where most of your friends were settled. You noticed Alistair, Ziggy, and Roman sitting at the Slytherin table, apart from your group of friends.

Winnie and Destiny were chattering about something, and Elsie had her arm slung over the Hufflepuff’s shoulder, taking slow bites out of her toast. Over the past month or so, you noticed how happy Elsie seemed, and you suspected that her getting over her crush on Alistair and befriending Destiny helped a lot. 

You approached the Hufflepuff table — where you typically sat, now — and settled in the empty seat next to Brian and across from Elsie. When she noticed your presence, she quickly removed her arm from Destiny’s shoulder.

Winnie still hadn’t noticed you, too engrossed in her conversation with Destiny to spare a glance in your direction.

“You’re up early,” Elsie pointed out.

“Yup, I had amazing sleep.” You said, not trying to sound sarcastic, but your words came out that way.

“Sure seems like it,” she joked, “I’m surprised you actually joined us for a meal this time. You usually hang out with Cedric.”

You let out a nervous chuckle, scratching the back of your neck, “Yead, I guess. Sorry for that; I’ve just been so invested in helping him out with the egg. I don’t really want the other schools to win in the Triwizard Tournament, and being beaten by Harry Potter is embarrassing.” 

Elsie nodded in understanding, “Figured. It’s nice that you’ve been getting along. I’ve always been tired of that stupid rivalry. How did it even start?”

“Aparantly in year 2, when Slytherin won the Quidditch Cup, but my memory’s still foggy ‘bout that.”

Elsie hummed and glanced to the side, “Speaking of the devil, you’re boyfriend’s walking towards us — towards you.”

You felt the back of your neck heat up at her statement, and a light shade of pink tinted your cheeks. “Don’t exaggerate, he is not my boyfriend.” You turned your head to see that, indeed, Cedric was walking towards you.

“Hey, mate,” He smiled warmly as he neared you, slipping into the empty seat on your other side. You couldn’t help but smile back, finally aware of the butterflies fluttering in your stomach.

“Oh, hey.”

Don’t think of the kiss. Don’t think of the kiss.

“I don’t mean to interrupt your conversation with Wilson, but I just wanted to tell you that I tried your idea — y’know, putting the egg under water — and it worked!” Cedric recounted.

“Oh, that’s fantastic,” You beamed. You had totally forgotten that you had said that, but felt proud nonetheless. “That was relatively simpler than I imagined it would be.”

“Right? I’ll tell you all about it later, but I gotta head to the library to study. Just, thanks, man.” He stood up again.

As he started to walk away, he gave you a small wave and shot you a smile that melted your heart and sent a warm tingling sensation through your body. If that wasn’t love, then you didn’t know what was.

For the rest of breakfast, you chatted with Brian and Elsie (as well as Winnie when she finally noticed you). You and Destiny shared curt nods and small comments but never truly conversed. She was much less annoying than when she was Alistair’s girlfriends; now you understood why she was considered popular and well-loved by not only Hufflepuffs but the rest of the houses too.

The white suit fit like a glove, minus the fact that the sleeves of the silver tailcoat were a tad bit too short, although your snow-coloured gloves made sure that your wrists weren’t bare. Luckily for you, the black dress pants were long enough to cover up your socks and the top of your fancy suits.

Once you had carefully buttoned up the tailcoat with golden chains and buttons, you inspected your reflection in the mirror. You did a little spin, admiring the golden patterns engraved in the sleeves and along the sides and back of the tailcoat, as well as on your gorgeous waistcoat. Your dad had really outdone himself.

While your outfit was absolutely sublime, your hair was another thing. You personally felt proud of how you combed it back, but the way Brian scrutinized you made you sweat in self-consciousness.

“You could have added more eyeshadow and your eyeliner is relatively sloppy and uneven, but overall, not too embarrassing.” Brian remarked, a hand on his chin.

“Since when were you a professional makeup stylist?” You huffed teasingly. Winnie was the best out of the friend group, although she used it for excessively colourful looks.

“I’m just logical.” He responded, “At least one of us has to have a good sense of fashion.”

That was a bold claim for him to make with his bark-coloured suit and messy dark hair. You thought to yourself, but decided not to point it out. Tonight was a night meant to be enjoyed, and you wouldn’t let it go to waste.

“Here,” Brian said, stepping towards you to tie a cravat around your neck, “So that you look less like an eejit.” 

“I still think that tie makes me look stupid.”

“It’s a cravat.” Brian corrected, tightening the cloth. “Now, come one, we don’t want to be late to the party.”

“Shouldn’t we fetch the girls?” You questioned, waiting for your friend to put on his shoes.

“No, they said they’d meet us down there. You’d know if you hung out with us more.” You knew Brian didn’t mean it as an insult, but you felt a pang of guilt at his comment.

As both of you exited the dorm, you crossed paths with Alistair, whom you locked eyes with. You internally laughed, recalling your conversations the day before Cedric told you about him cracking the code to the egg; you had done the very thing Alistair warned you not to. Oh well, it wasn’t as if you valued his opinion as much as before.

You broke eye contact first as you and Brian left for the Yule ball.

Your breath caught when you caught sight of Cedric. His outfit was basic, but the icy blue lighting gave his features an angelic glow. His smile warmed the room, like the sun on a windy day. You felt a blush creep up your neck, and your heart was racing. It was just like that dream. The one where you realise your feelings for him.

Cho walked beside him in a pretty silver dress, her dark hair nicely made and pretty dabs of makeup on her pale face. Despite the knowledge that they were just friends, your heart ached at the sight of their arms wrapped around each other. 

Throughout the start of the party, you occasionally got up to dance and attempted to fit in, but your jaw ached from your forced smile, and your limbs felt sluggish. So you settle by the buffet table, munching on snacks, trying not to stare longingly at the man you love.

Suddenly, someone sat in the spot next to yours. It was Brian.

For a moment, you two sat in silence, however, your thoughts and the music filled that void of conversation. You remarked with a frown how odd it felt being near Brian. Sure, you shared the same dorm and you got ready with him for the Yule Ball, but those were the only times you hung out with him.

You recalled his previous comment about how you never hung out with him, Winnie and Elsie. Your stomach twisted as you realised he was right. You’d been friends with them for years, and Winnie was your closest friend — you’d gone through everything together — but you literally left them for someone who most definitely didn’t reciprocate your feelings.

Winnie, Elsie, and Destiny looked like they were having fun on the dance floor, holding each other’s hands with grins that shone like diamonds.

Winnie wore a long sun-coloured ball gown with tons of ruffles and sparkly stones. It was floor-length and puffed out like it was filled with air. How she didn’t trip on the fabric, you didn’t know. Her hair was equally voluptuous, layers and layers of curly black stacked atop her head, reminding you of the wigs people used to wear in the 18th century. It was decorated in feathers and pearls, something flamboyant and uniquely hers. 

Elsie’s sleeveless black dress fitted her body, especially with her corset wrapped tightly around her waist. It was much shorter than Winnie’s —only reaching her knees — but the back of the dress drooped down to the ground like crow feathers. Her short hair was in an updo, and her makeup was bold and dark. She stood out among the flood of soft, cool-coloured girls, but you didn’t think she minded, too absorbed with having fun with her friends.

Destiny’s dress was a little less decorated; a coral pink gown with poofy sleeves revealing her shoulders and a bit of her cleavage. Her hair was styled down in coils of blonde, decorated with pink ribbons that you were certain belonged to Winnie.

The trio spun around, hands clasped together and laughing with all their heart.

You felt something squeeze in your chest, remembering all the memories with your best friends. Oh, Merlin, you were a terrible friend. You left them. They who had been at your side forever. Sticking by you when you hated Cedric, and still seeking you out despite how little time you spent with them. You missed them, even that idiot, Alistair, whom you noticed was locking lips with a girl from Beauxbatons. Roman and Ziggy danced next to him. They made their own group. Your friends made another group. You felt like you were drifting around in the void of society. You didn’t belong anywhere, it seemed. Not with Elsie. Not with Alistair. Not with Cedric Diggory.

Brian seemed to notice your inner turmoil — easy, considering tears prickled your eyes — reaching for your hand.

You pulled away and got up; the room felt stuffy and too crowded. The sensation was overwhelming.

Air. You needed air.

Without a second thought, you dashed out of the room, dodging the crowd of teenagers, only faintly aware that Brian had called your name. You never felt so stressed. Only a few months ago, you’d been fine. Completely fine with your ordinary life, ordinary friends, and not too much to worry about. So why now, why you? 

You stumbled outside, frantically trying to get away from the crowd and all your feelings.

You collapsed onto the ground near a tree, confused tears finally spilling onto the grass like raindrops. You gasped, trying to gulp down air whilst hiccuping as you finally let your sorrows out.

Finally, when you had no more tears to cry, only numbness and the cold night wind on your cheek, you stumbled back against the tree, head hanging between your knees. How long had you been gone? It felt like ages. 

Suddenly, you flinched as you felt a hand on your shoulder. You looked up with wet cheeks to see Elsie. She sat down next to you without a word, not even glancing at you.

You two sat there for a minute, her hand on your shoulder, rubbing her thumb around in soothing circles. She reminded you a bit of Brian with her quietness, but this silence was different; soothing, waiting, but not anticipating. It was different from her usual self, who was loud and snooty. 

“I’m not good at comforting people,” Elsie said bluntly, breaking the silence. Her voice was clear and monotone, but much quieter and less condescending. “But Winnie is with the other two, and you’ve always been by my side to help, so it’s about time I repay the favour.”

You had arrived early to your class, excited for your first lesson. You had heard of Professor Snape’s harsh demeanour and strict grading, and as a high achiever and child prodigy, you arrived extra early to show how amazing a student you were. That’s where you found a little girl curled in the corner of the classroom, tears streaming down her flushed cheeks. She was a skinny twelve-year-old with brown hair that had been chopped to shoulder length by a pair of scissors.

A girl had been bothering her and cut her pride and joy: her long, silky hair. You comforted her and got the bully expelled. That was how you became friends. You handed her confidence while she controlled your ecstatic energy.

Now, that same girl you gave a shoulder to cry on when she needed it most was by your side the moment you felt that your life was falling apart. 

“Do you want to talk about it? Elsie whispered, staring at the moon’s reflection in the dark water of the lake.

You paused. 

“Not…really.”

“It’s fine you don’t have to.”

And it was silence all over. You twiddled with your fingers while she continued to stare at the lake. You looked at her, a puddle of anxiety churning in your stomach.

“I think I have feelings for Cedric.” It felt good to admit it.

She didn’t turn to you. For a moment, she didn’t respond. But then she nodded.

“For how long.”

“I’ve known since the day he figured out the secret to the egg. But it’s probably been around for longer; I just never seemed to notice.”

“Was it why you were acting slightly different that day?”

“Yes.”

Elsie hummed in response. You admitted the silence was comforting.

“Why are you letting your emotions for a singular person to dictate whether or not you’re having fun?” She asked, bluntly. It was a weird way to put it, but she was right, and you knew. “I’m not saying we — Brian, Winnie and I — should be your top priority. We shouldn’t be the reason that you do something you don’t want to do. You’re a person too. Live your live how you feel you should.”

With that, she got up. But before she could get far, you called after her, “Elsie! I’m sorry that I’ve been drifting away from our friend group. It… wasn’t very considerate of me.”

She shrugged, moonlight dancing off her sparkly raven dress, “Don’t apologise. You’re in love, it’s pretty normal to want to spend time with him. Just don’t pine over someone who won’t let you live your life. I’d know. And… we all love you. And forgive that stupid apology. If Winnie and Brian were here, they’d say the same thing.”

And with that, she turned away, and you thought a bit about what she said. Although Elsie had never been good with romance or even feelings, her logic made sense and soothed you quite a bit.

You sat back down for a moment, wiping away the eyeliner that had stained your cheeks.

You then walked back to the Hogwarts building, back to the great hall. Elsie was right. Why did it matter that Cedric was dancing with Cho? Why did it matter that he wasn’t hanging out with you at the moment? Why would you let that influence whether or not you had fun? Maybe that wasn’t entirely why you were upset, but having one of your closest friends by your side made you feel powerful.

With that in mind, you spent the rest of your night dancing and chatting with your friends. You even got to have some one-on-one conversations with Destiny, whom you hardly knew. She was actually quite a pleasant person.

During the entire night, you managed to avoid Cedric without problem, save for the numerous times you caught him staring at you. You left the party past midnight, a satisfying buzzing in your chest and glad that you spent time with Winnie, Brian, Elsie and Destiny.

...

If you have arrived this far, you've read 105 pages of this fanfiction. Congrats on the commitment.

Prologue (recommended to read)

Chapter 7 (previous)

Pair: Cedric Diggory x Male Slytherin Reader

Word count: 2.2K words

Summary of the book: You and Cedric Diggory hate each other. It has always been this way. But everything changes one night when you kiss each other at a party. Now, it seems you can’t escape each other — from being partnered up in Herbology for an important project to having to help Cedric during the Triwizard Tournament.

Summary of the chapter: You and Cedric talk about the Yule Ball, you slip up, accidentally nearly revealing a secret, and you realise something about yourself.

Notes: Please comment on anything I should change to improve this. Also, I am not British, so I am not 100% sure how to correctly write people from the UK. (I'm very sorry for the late ass update but motivation hates me)

Content warning: Swearing and a slur

!PLEASE DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE WITHOUT PERMISSION OR CREDIT TO ME!

...

Over the next few hours, it seemed Winnie had informed most of your friends because, after breakfast, Elsie and Brian came to visit you and handed you the homework you hadn’t completed yet so you didn’t have to go back to your dorm.

Even Alistair gave you a quick visit. He apologised for his behaviour and how rude he was back at the first Triwizard Tournament Task. It seems your friends had given him a strict talking-to based on how he swallowed his words, voice a nearly undeletable murmur. You forgave him, of course; you had been friends for years, and you had already corrected him when he said other stupid shit.

His jaw clenched when you informed him you and Cedric had made up. When Alistair held a grudge towards someone, he was likely to keep it for a while, so you barely noted his reaction. At least he didn’t say anything rude.

“All right, here are the last few books about magical riddles and puzzles,” you dropped a pile of around six books on the table next to Cedric.

Over the past few weeks, you had gotten closer, and you started considering him a friend as you tried to solve the mystery of the egg. Usually, you’d work on it in one of your dorms, but now, both of your roommates wanted quiet time, so you couldn’t open the egg around them. 

Cedric suggested heading to the library to skim through the books you hadn’t read to find ideas, but for the past few hours, you had found nothing of use. Besides, the egg was in Cedric’s dorm since you were supposed to be quiet in the library.

“Which one do you want to start with?” you asked him, checking out the overs of each novel.

“Ugh! This is useless,” groaned the Hufflepuff, running his hand through his hair in frustration. He had been skimming through an old, thick grimoire, and his irritation was evident. 

You huffed, “What? Giving up, Diggory? I thought you were beter than that?”

“Not funny, (Name). We’ve been going at it for, what, three hours? Four, even? And we still haven’t found anything that works. Spell are useless and it’s not in any languages we’ve seen.”

“Actually, it’s a quarter to five, so it’s been three hours and a half.” You checked your watch, “But I agree. Trying to find out what that dammed egg is trying to tell us is way too difficult. We should take a break.” You suggested, sitting on the table, your feet on the chair next to Cedric.

He nodded eagerly.

“Great! Let’s just talk for, like thirty minutes to refresh our brains.” 

Cedric hummed, “I actually do have a question for you. I mean, everyone’s been talking about the Yule ball for a while and a lot of people already have date. I was just wondering who you’re going with.”

The answer slightly startled you, but it didn’t shock you. As he said, everyone — especially the girls who got to go — was ecstatic for the Yule ball. Every corner you turned, giggles, murmurs and questions could be heard about this rare event.

And a school full of romance-focused teens, an event where you could bring someone you liked to, and a bunch of attractive foreign students most definitely resulted in trashy love confessions and awkward rejections. Unfortunately for you, no one had asked you to go with them on a date. Even Winnie hadn’t — which was strange, considering you did almost everything together.

“Nah, I’m not really interested in that stuff right now,” you replied, but you felt it in your gut — you were lying to yourself. “How about you? Any special girl you’d want to spend the night with.” You didn’t know why, but despite your curiosity for his answer, the words felt like vomit coming out of your mouth.

Cedric chuckled, “Yeah: Cho Chang. She’s a fifth year in Ravenclaw. You know her?”

You nodded slowly. Although you weren’t close, she was one of the few friends you and Cedric shared back when you were still enemies. She was really sweet and intelligent — so much so that she once corrected your homework in your 3rd year at Hogwarts. Like everyone else in her house, she was creating: inventing stories and other worlds, recounting them to the few people who attended her storytelling club a year ago.

A knot twisted in your gut, but you ignored it.

“That’s nice,” you said carefully after a small beat of silence, “How long have you two been dating? I don’t recall you saying anything about a relationship.”

Cedric let out a light chuckle, “ That’s because we’re not.”

“You’re…not?”

“Nope. Everyone just assumes so since we’ve been close in the past couple of months, but we’re just friends.” He explained.

You nodded, internally letting out a sigh of relief. “What are you wearing, if you don’t mind me asking?” You slid into the chair next to him and placed your chin onto your palm.

“I thought I was asking the questions,” Cedric smirked but continued before you could apologise, “Don’t worry about it, (Name). My mum just bought me a new fancy outfit when she found out I was the Hogwarts Champion. What about you?”

“Me?” You asked, pointing to yourself, “My dad sewed me a white suit. He sent it to me by owl a few days ago, but I’ve yet to try it on. It’s honestly impressive rather, considering it was handmade. I mean, sure, it has a few loose threads and it isn’t the best quality, but I appreciate the effort.”

Cedric’s eyebrows furrowed, but he kept his charming smile, “Handmade? I’ve never heard of a wizard who doesn’t use his wand to sew.”  Shit. “What’s it like, what does he do.”

Oh, you fucked up. 

There were not many known Muggleborn or Half-blood Slytherins, considering that not only most of the house were Pureblood, but kids were often bullied for merely being not “fully wix”. For a while, you’d been pretty good at keeping the fact that your father did not practice magic — only informing your close friends — but it was so difficult whenever you got close to anyone else. Even the thought of telling Cedric nauseated you with how his opinion of you would change.

“Oh-um, well,” you stammered, “He’s very fascinated with Muggles, y’know?”

“I’ve never heard of a wizard sewing by hand before. He must really care a lot for you. What does he do for work?” Cedric attempts to get the information out of you. Was he onto you? Did he realise you weren’t a Pureblood like most people thought you were?

You shrugged, visibly uncomfortable, but trying to hide it. “It’s nothing, really. And as for his work, he’s, um,” You made incomprehensible hand gestures, trying to fill the void of silence.

Before anything else could happen, a young Slytherin girl peeked her head over a bookshelf, “Oh, (Surname), there you are!”

You and the Hufflepuff turned to look at her.

“I need yur help: someone pranked my sister and we need your help to undo the jinx.” The girl looked at you with panicked eyes, “Someone dumped auto-freezing water on her and I don’t want her to die.”

You stood up, using that opportunity to escape from the conversation with Cedric, “Of course!” You turned to Cedric to wish him goodbye when a thought struck you. Water. “Ced, about the egg, have you tried to pour water into it? Maybe it only screams random nonsense when human ears hear it without anything to…change it, I guess.”

With that, you followed the Slytherin girl out of the library, leaving Cedric with a possible solution to the egg riddle and more than a few questions about your personal life.

That night, you opened your closet to the white suit your dad sent you. You definitely downplayed how beautiful it really was. It looked like it was made for a royal ball, with golden chains and pins decorating it. You hadn’t tried it on yet since you were honestly afraid to break it. You loved your dad. You really did. But the thought of everyone’s judgement on your bloodline was nauseating.

You carefully took it out of your closet, stroking the silk fabric. Your auntie and your grandmother loved sewing, so it was only natural that your dad picked up the skill. But that outfit was really something else. Would Cedric like it?

“(Name)?” You heard Alistair call your name from behind you, “We need to talk.”

You carefully hung it back up and turned to Alistair. His arms were crossed and he had a serious look on his face — a rare sight. Truth be told, you were still slightly annoyed at him for his disrespect, but you felt as if you had forgiven him.

“What’s up?”

He paused and a sense of caution and dread settled in your stomach. “I’m really worried about you?”

“How so?” You frowned.

“Well, it’s only been, what, a month, since you recovered from that injury, and I don’t mean to say that you shouldn’t have healed or whatever, but,” Alistair paused and sighed, “I just feel that it’s odd that you and Diggory are super close in such a short span of time.”

You gave him a look that said you were clearly not unimpressed, “Really, mate? I already told you, we forgave each other. You should know by now that I love giving others second chances, considering how many I gave you.”

“I know,” He sighed, “But, I’m genuinely worried. I know I haven’t been the greatest friend, but trust me when I care for you. I mean, I doubt you’d ever date him, because you’re not one of the fag-”

“I swear to God, Alistair I am not in the mood for you to say a fucking slur, understand?” You snap at him, cutting him off, “I know that you care and I know that you mean well, but you can’t be rude just because I held a grudge against a Hufflepuff, okay?”

Alistair’s jaw clenched, and the glint in his eyes was all but friendly, but for the first time in forever, he stayed calm. “Okay. I’m just looking out for you.” He started backing away towards the door, “Just don’t come running back if he breaks your heart.”

After a few seconds, you sat on your bed. Man, this was a stressful day.

But…that short conversation with Alistair left thoughts bubbling in your head. You recollected the way Cedric’s smile made you feel, the little details you noticed about him, like the way he rested his forehead in his hands whenever he read intensely, and even the odd thing you felt when he mentioned going to the Yule ball with Cho.

Was it possible that you…

No. No way you’d fall for Cedric. After all, as Alistair stated, it had only been a month, and how could you have fallen for the person you once hated the most in that short amount of time?

You exhaled loudly, deciding to just curl up into your covers and rest to clear your mind, and possibly gain more clarity in the morning. No, it did not matter that you were still in your uniform. You were tired and to you, that was all that mattered at the moment.

You closed your eyes and sleep surprisingly came easily.

Sometimes, your dreams were difficult to separate from reality. Sometimes, they were memories, and other times you dreamt of things you desired.

This one was situated in what you believed the Yule ball to look like; a white room with silver accents and and engravings on the walls and ceiling shining like glittering ice. The floor was marble and you saw the reflection of the crystal chandelier that hung from the silver ceiling. 

You could hear classical music coming from all around the room and saw that you were all alone except for one person. Cedric. What was he doing here? And why were you two slow dancing together?

Your confusion disappeared when you looked into his gorgeous grey eyes and saw his dashing smile. Butterflies tickled your stomach and you felt heat rush to your cheeks and neck. The whole experience felt surreal, and you found yourself returning his smile.

Slowly, the music started fading, and all you could focus on was Cedric. He squeezed your hand. It felt so real. He put his other gloved hand on your lower back, sending shivers down your spine. It felt so real. His eyes flickered to your lips and he closed them as he leaned his face closer to yours. It felt so real. When your lips finally connected, you thought to yourself: “I wish this was real.”

You woke up. Not to a glittering ballroom, but to your dark dorm, staring at the ceiling that was not silver like in the dream, but green. That was all a dream? You would have asked yourself if not for the realisation of your feelings towards Cedric. 

You liked him.

...

Chapter 9

Prologue (recommended to read)

Chapter 10 (previous)

Pair: Cedric Diggory x Male Slytherin Reader

Word count: 1K words

Summary of the book: You and Cedric Diggory hate each other. It has always been this way. But everything changes one night when you kiss each other at a party. Now, it seems you can’t escape each other — from being partnered up in Herbology for an important project to having to help Cedric during the Triwizard Tournament.

Summary of the chapter: The fact that Cedric asks you on a date to Hogsmead seals the fact that you two are now officially a couple.

Notes: Please comment on anything I should change to improve this. Also, I am not British, so I am not 100% sure how to correctly write people from the UK. I'M HALF BACK. STILL WORKING ON THE CHAPTER WHICH WILL LIKELY BE POSTED AT THE END OF SEPTEMBER. Also no smut this time cuz I'm scared to write dat shi.

Content warning: Swear words and implied BOOMBAYAH.

!PLEASE DO NOT REPOST ANYWHERE WITHOUT PERMISSION OR CREDIT TO ME!

...

Usually, when you were allowed to visit Hogsmede, you’d throw on your everyday Muggle clothes, which you didn’t mind getting tarnished; however, as you scrolled through your wardrobe for the perfect outfit at 6:30AM — still in pyjamas — you wondered to yourself what on Earth had gotten into you.

A small voice at the back of you mind whispered Cedric’s name and your cheeks warmed at the thought of that night where you shared a kiss…and more. You could feel the knot in your stomach twist as butterflies swarmed around in your gut.

Only two weeks ago, as you fell asleep in his bed, unclothed, sweaty, and out of breath, your nervous mind wondered over and over again if this was real, and, if so, were you two a couple? Like, officially? You couldn’t ask Cedric as he was fast asleep; you could tell by the way his chest rose and fell under you, and how relaxed and unmoving he was. Now, however, you couldn’t deny the fact that your relationship was an actual romantic one. You definitely weren’t fuck-buddies since you two rarely had sexual encounters, and he’d sneak you gifts, wrap your smaller frame in his arms when you were alone, and, most recently, he asked you out on a date during breakfast.

You were peacefully eating your food as your friends blabbered about the upcoming Hogsmede trip that weekend, when the focus was on someone else (Elsie and Brian arguing about some stupid shit), a certain Hufflepuff slid in the seat next to yours. He draped an arm around your shoulders and you jumped as you had not noticed his presence.

“‘Morning, love.” He whispered near your ear. You blushed slightly at his nickname, heat rushing to the back of your neck. You felt oddly aware at how close he was to you, your thighs touching, Cedric’s pretty lips fanning over your neck. You could feel his breathing and could practically hear his heartbeat.

“Goodmorning, Ced.” You smiled back shyly.

He offered you one of his stunning grins and you swore your heart tripled its speed. “I’ll get to the point since I promised my mates I wouldn’t take to long like the last time we had a conversationat breakfast.”

“Alright, what do you need to tell me?” You asked him curiously, turning your head so that his lips were nearly touching your left cheek. A small voice in the back of your mind warned you that such gesture could be seen as romantic or sexual to students around, but you dismissed the thought.

“Well, there’s a trip to Hogsmede this weekend and I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date with me.” 

It took you a small moment to comprehend what he was requesting, “As a friend?”

He merely chuckled, a sound that vibrated through your bones and weaved its way into your heart. “Of course not! We’re together, aren’t we? So why would we go as just friends?” He pause a moment. “Although, it’ll be how other will see it; a hang out session between two close friends… Have you told anyone about,” he leaned in closer to your ear, lips pracrically tickling your lobe, “us?”

You gulped slightly at the proximity, but murmured back, “No, but I’m planning on telling my close friends.”

You turned your head to look at him and he nodded thoughtfully until you mande eye contact. For what felt like maybe a few minutes, you stared into his eyes and he stared into your own. His gaze was like a siren song luring you into the deeps of his eyes gray like a storm. Your breath hitched when Cedric glanced down to your lips, but, remembering that you two were in a public area where someone might have seen you, you turned your head to make sure no one had noticed. To your relief, everyone was too focused on their conversations and their food to notice the devouring looks you were sending to each other. You might have seen a flash of familiar burgundy hair turning away just as you looked in that direction, but you brushed it off as nothing.

Cedric leaned away from you after taking a glance at your lips one last time and got up, “So, Saturday, we meet at Zonkos and we’ll walk around a bit?” You nodded in response, “Well, see you there, (Name).”

“See ya,” You responded, then, murmuring under your breath so that no one hear, you added, “Darling.”

So there you were, at 6:30AM the day of the date, scavenging your closet for something half decent to wear at Hogsmead. It was the reason for your anxiousness at picking an outfit. Half of the shit you owned was a more-or-less copy of one another, and the other half were clothes you’d never wear. 

Finally, you settled on an outfit that was good-looking, but didn’t scream “ON A DATE WITH MY HOT AS FUCK BOYFRIEND”. You glanced at the clock hanging above Ziggy’s wall, and your eyes widened as the clock’s hand pointed at 7:03. How the fuck-

“Well, it didn’t matter now,” you breathed to yourself, spreading the clothes onto your bed. A shuffle brought your attention to the bed right next to yours.

Brian turned to you, still snuggled in the warmth of his blanket, “Wha on earth ‘re you talking ‘bout?” He rubbed his eyes, brown and gray hair tousled like a mini tornado struck is head while he was asleep, and one of the buttons on his striped pyjamas having disappeared sometime in his sleep.

“Nothing, nothing.” You reassured him.

He gave you a strange look and groggily got out of bed, “Well, since you’ve already woken me up, I might as well get changed.” After a pause, he glanced at the snoring form of Alistair, “Are you gonna hang out with us at Hogsmede, Alistair isn’t gonna be there, of course.”

Your eyes flicked towards Alistair, taking in his messy burgundy hair and the drool dripping from the edge of his mouth. You smiled sheepishly towards Brian; ever since you formed your friend group, you would always spend the weekend at Hogsmede together. Even when you and Cedric were on good terms, you still hung out with the Slytherins.

“Um, not this time, sorry.” You rubbed the back of your neck, feeling slightly guilty at not considering the factor of your friends, “Ced wanted to hang out.”

Brian hummed, disappointed, but not surprised. “Alright.”

To be continued....