#during cedric week too.

[nots0nu]

Pretend I posted awesome art because this week has been kicking my ass in busying my schedule..

[catiuskaa]

horny kitchen [not hell's this time].

SUMMARY: whenever you were home, he wasn’t. it wasn’t totally your fault if that had made you believe he was never home in the first place, but it sure had lead into an interesting meeting.

WC: 1.7k

CW: crack! felix and olivia as cupids (i love them), mentions of alcohol, mentions of the movie After: Ever Happy, slight Changlix showing up, drunken courage, nsfw! marking, dry humping.

REQUESTED! by annonie right here. i had fun, tysm, pookie!

[☆🔹🛋️🔹☆]

“Tell me you were kidding.”

You stared at Felix’s puzzled face, his hands on your shoulders, and Olivia passed her hands through her hair as she leaned against your room’s door, shutting it close.

“What— why would I lie?” You frowned, smiling in confussion. “I wasn’t kidding. We’ve just never really talked, and I only know one or two things about him.” You repeated, and watched as your friends both made the same exhasperated grin, and then shared a look that only them, brother and sister, were able to decipher.

“Your roomate, who’s basically famous in our college, who looks like— like that,” Olivia stated, stumbling on her words. “And you haven’t had a normal chat? Not even about the weather?”

You shrugged. “Not that I remember, no. He doesn’t look like he’s a fan of small talk.”

They had both stared at you with wide eyes when you opened the door and the figure of a tall man with short hair surprised you at the other side.

“Oh, right,” you had smiled, turning to introduce him to your friends. “He’s my roomate, Hyunjin. I texted you a while back to check if they could come over, remember?” You said softly at him, and he smiled, nodding.

“Right, yeah. Sorry that I can’t stay, I have someone waiting for me downstairs. It was nice to meet you.” He had greeted, as politely as he had smiled, and rushed to catch the elevator again.

And that had been it.

“God, he looks like a model.” Felix sighed as he took his jacket off, blinking slowly, as if trying to comprehend what he had seen. “He looks like he travels to Italy and France during fashion week. What the fuck, he looks like he knows when fashion week is.”

“He’s like a hundred times better than the last guy you dated,” Olivia chimed back, and you frowned at the mention of your ex. “Don’t look at me like that. Babe, tell me that at least you find him attractive.”

“Sure. He’s good looking.” Felix deadpanned at you, and you huffed. “Okay, fine! He’s really hot, yeah, I have eyes, you know?”

Olivia and Felix snickered, and you pouted, snickering too, grabbing a pillow from your bed and yeeting it at him.

“I didn’t come here to see you drool over Hyunjin, guys. It’s bad movie Sunday, and we have to watch After 4. I need this to finish soon.” You giggled cheekily.

“I’ll go get the shots!” Olivia smiled with enthusiasm as she went to grab three shot glasses and a bottle of cheap wine you kept.

“I thought we were gonna watch Twilight?” You saw Felix smile, taking his shoes of as he sat on the bed.

He rolled his eyes in amusment, faking pettiness while you turned on the computer and looked for the movie.

“Liv likes the saga, we can’t.” You chuckled. “Maybe she starts crying when Cedric Diggory starts pouring glitter over his face or something.”

“Have I heard disrespect against Robbert Pattinson?!” She yelled from the kitchen, and you two cackled loudly.

You settled your laptop on your desk and used your chair as a table to keep the glasses and wine on.

“Shot rules?” Olivia pondered, taking her shoes off and getting comfortable, much like Felix, who was stealing all the pillows and cushions and settling them behind his back.

“Seungmin said that a shot for every red flag was fine.” You shrugged.

“Seungmin watched After?” Olivia wondered in slight shock.

“Of course, he loves to complain about anything.” You mocked slyly. “But you guys aren’t driving back, right?”

Felix handled the movie blanket, hiding everything except his eyes and his nose under it.

“Bin has to drive this way to get home from the studio. He said he could take us.”

You smiled.

“Let’s get this over with,” Olivia chimed with a snicker.

[☆🔹🛋️🔹☆]

Tipsy could be an understatement. That, you had to admit. But only to yourself, because to your drunk mind, getting to that level of drunkness —just because of the walking red flag the love interest in the movie was— seemed a little lame on your side.

“‘m ok, livvie,” you smiled at Olivia and her skeptical look. “I won’t even drive.”

Changbin huffed in amusement, passing one of Felix’s arms over his shoulders as the very much freckled very much drunk man started pouting his lips.

“i wan’ kis, binn…” he blabbered messily.

“Why did we do a drinking game,” his sister mumbled, rubbing her eyes, clearly showing much more control on downing wine shots.

“Harvey burned his mom’s house! I mean, we clearly had to drink twice because of that.” Felix said in a hiccup, then clung back to Changbin.

You messily bid goodbye to the Lee brothers and the poor designated driver that carried Felix with Lix’s arm over his shoulder, closed the door and waddled back to your room.

The main issue movies like After had —aside from its preposterous attempt at trying to take itself seriously— was the copious amount of long and dull sex scenes.

Well. They seemed “dull” when you were sober.

But the thought of them brought naughty ideas to your just-a-bit-willy-nilly-tipsy body.

As if someone had been there staring at you, sitting in a dim-lit corner of your room, not bothering if it was late at night or if your door was wide open, your hands trailed down to the zip of your jeans, and you bit your lip, drunkily teasing yourself, lowering the fabric slowly down your hips, and letting it plop down on the floor with a soft thud.

The idea had been to take a step back and kick the clothing away, but you accidentally hit one of your bed’s legs, and cursed loudly, half because of the weirded out drunkness who had forgot that was there in the first place, but you shook it off, not actually in pain.

You shook your head, and continued with the frenzy, enticingly tickling your sides when reaching for your shirt and slowly took it off, letting it down next to your pants, as if leaving a happy trail that headed to your closet, one you opened and took an oversized shirt you usually wore to bed.

But sleeping with a bra on was not the smartest move. The clip started stining and the tag on its side started itching, so with a quick snap and a perky throw, you giggled, still a bit drunk, but starting to turn sober enough to start craving water.

You passed your oversized shirt over your head, turning to face your door when the long fabric covered your body.

Covered from a surprised and flustered pair of dark brown eyes, iris so dark that his pupils, blown out and enticing, almost devoured it whole.

“Hyun…jin?”

His hair was the messiest you had ever seen from him, dressed in his pj’s, some old blue squared-pattered pants that he got gifted a couple of Christmas ago. Solely the pants.

The waistband of his underwear, brand name staring at you like a deer in headlights. And even so, it wasn’t as intense as how that teasing little mole on his tummy.

Mmh. You wanted to kiss it.

“Ah… I uh…” he mumbled, messily so, enough for you to notice.

“Oh. Y’re drunk too.”

He smiled wryly, nodding.

It was a bit blank, how you two ended up in the kitchen. Your brain fuzzy, enjoying the alcohol that lingered in your system. Dazed, you feel two warm hands on your waist, and how they turn you around and sit you on the counter.

“Y’know?” Hyunjin smirks, and you notice you could almost taste the drinks he had taken from how close he was. “It’s s’weird how we never… uh… talk, mmh.”

Your breath hitches, his hands not leaving your waist, stroking and teasingly caressing underneath your shirt, that had ridden up from when you sat.

“Talk?” You mumble giddily.

“Yeah. It’s stupid. How can I live with someone so hot and barely say good morning?”

The way he states the sentence, as if it was something as factual and axiomatical as one plus one, baffles you almost as fast as the speed your cheeks turn red.

He snickers, watching you turn to putty in his hands. “I heard moans when I arrived.” The stupid movie. “For a moment, I thought it was you and it made me wild.”

Hyunjin leans his forehead against yours, his lips barely an inch away from temptation. You.

Cheekily, he moves even closer to the counter, until he’s slotted between your legs. He slides you over the counter, pressing you against him.

“Hyune…”

It’s a mumble, its slurred, and he drinks it up like he’s been thirsty for days. Neither of you are too sure of what’s happening, but it’s easy to say neither of you care enough about that now when his lips find yours.

Like he said, wild. You can’t be sure if it’s the moonlight that hits him from the kitchen’s window of the alcohol that gives him such freedom to kiss you in a way that, for a second, you feel like he’s going to eat you alive.

But he’s got it clear. He needs you, he’s been waiting for the moment you two would finally speak like human beings and stop behaving like robots who share comparments, barely addressing the other. He’s sick and tired of it, tired of waiting, and sick, because he’s been craving you for what seems like weeks, even months, and Hyunjin knows he can’t hold back any longer.

You’re both drunk, and maybe you shouldn’t, but how could he stop when you drop from the counter and his thigh fits perfectly between your legs? How could he stop, when he wants nothing but to tore your shirt to shreds and mark as much skin as he can see? How could he stop, when he’s been waiting for so long to let go?

“A-ah, Hyun…”

And he’s gone. One little whimper from you, and he knows that one thing’s for sure.

He’s not stopping until you come for him for the night.

Besides. There’s plenty other nights to keep having more fun.

[☆🔹🛋️🔹☆]

~kats, who in reality should be tiding up her room, but will most definetely keep reading the pjo pdf she found.

catiuskaa, september 2024

PERMANENT TAGLIST! @stayconnecteed @lyramundana

[isaacarellanesismyhusband]

you’re going to be a dad, Fred…

pair: Fred Weasley x reader

requested by @cherryblossom-92

(requested via messages & too long to put here, sorry)

masterlist | navigation

❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿❀✿

From the moment Y/N entered Hogwarts, everyone knew she was special. Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of their generation, might have had the answers first, but Y/N was always right there beside her—an inseparable pair of brains and magic. The two best friends never competed; they only pushed each other to be better, a quiet understanding between them.

But for Y/N, Hogwarts wasn’t just about learning spells or making potions. It was where she met Cedric Diggory.

It started simply—he was a Hufflepuff like her, kind, humble, and devastatingly handsome. They had crossed paths in their first year, but it wasn’t until her second that their friendship turned into something more. Cedric had a smile that could light up the dimmest room, and Y/N couldn’t help but fall for him.

And he fell for her too.

The Triwizard Tournament changed everything. When Cedric’s name came out of the Goblet of Fire, Y/N felt both pride and fear. She cheered for him in every task, always by his side to celebrate victories and ease his worries. She remembered the day of the Third Task as if it were yesterday. The maze loomed like a monster, its darkness swallowing him whole as he walked toward it.

He had kissed her forehead and whispered, “I’ll see you soon, I promise.”

But he didn’t.

“Kill the spare.”

The words echoed in Y/N’s head for months, years even. When Harry brought Cedric’s body back, lifeless and cold, something inside her broke.

Y/N didn’t smile anymore. She didn’t laugh. Not even Hermione could help. Y/N shut herself off from the magical world completely, refusing to see the beauty in anything. She didn’t want to learn spells or attend classes. Hogwarts had become the place where Cedric died.

Hermione, ever the loyal friend, never left her side. “You have to keep going,” she would whisper, but Y/N couldn’t find the strength.

It was Umbridge’s reign of terror that brought back the first flicker of life. Y/N sat stiffly in her chair during a dreadful exam when the ceiling exploded with color.

Boom! Crack! Sizzle!

Fireworks flew in every direction—dragons of light, rockets that spelled out “Goodbye, Umbridge!” The entire room erupted into laughter, and even Hermione, ever the rule-follower, couldn’t help but smile.

Fred and George Weasley had turned chaos into art.

Y/N found herself laughing softly, but it wasn’t until Fred’s eyes landed on her that something changed. He’d been running past with a mischievous grin when he noticed her quiet expression. He stopped in his tracks, as if seeing something no one else could.

He didn’t bother her that day. Fred, despite his loud and chaotic ways, somehow understood.

Days turned into weeks, and Fred found ways to pull her out of her shell. Notes appeared under her plate at breakfast:

“Why did the broomstick fail its test? It swept through the answers!”

She rolled her eyes, but a smile tugged at her lips. Fred noticed.

Letters passed between Gryffindor Tower and the Hufflepuff dorms late at night, written in swirly, magical ink. Fred never pushed her, never demanded she “get better.” He just... showed up.

And slowly, Y/N started to feel like herself again.

One night, Fred led her to the Quidditch pitch. The sky was dark, stars hidden behind clouds. She shivered slightly.

“What are we doing out here, Fred?”

Fred grinned, holding up his wand. “You’ll see.”

With a flick, the sky exploded in gold and red. Fireworks spelled out:

“Y/N, will you be my girlfriend?”

Her heart swelled. The world felt warm for the first time in forever. She turned to Fred, tears in her eyes but a smile on her face.

“Yes.”

Fred and Y/N were inseparable. The halls of Hogwarts buzzed with their pranks—Fred’s arm always slung over her shoulder, his lips pressing quick kisses to her temple, even in front of teachers.

Y/N found joy again in their cuddles, their whispered jokes, and Fred’s constant, undeniable love.

At the Weasley house, laughter and warmth filled the room. But when Mr. Weasley raised his glass, Y/N’s hands started to tremble.

“I want from this war justice and no pain and no loss in any way…”

Cedric.

The glass slipped from her hands, shattering on the floor.

Everyone stared, but Y/N couldn’t stay. She rushed outside, her breathing ragged, panic clawing at her chest.

A hand touched her waist. Fred.

He didn’t say anything, just pulled her close. She pressed her face into his chest, sobbing softly.

“I lost Cedric in a game,” she choked out. “In a game.”

Fred’s voice was quiet. “Do you still love him?”

Y/N looked up, tears streaming. “I did love him. But I love you now, Fred. I don’t want to—”

Fred held her tightly. “Don’t say it… ‘cause it’s not gonna happen.” He kissed her forehead. “We have so much to do together, you know? We’re gonna get married and have kids…”

Y/N blinked up at him, her heart pounding. “I want that with you, Fred.”

He cupped her face. “Promise me something.”

“What?”

“Promise me that if something happens to me, you’ll be happy. You’ll find someone else, get married, and have kids.”

“No. I can’t promise you that.”

“Promise me, darling.”

Through tears, she whispered, “I promise.”

Y/N and Fred kissed one last time before the battle. “Be safe,” she whispered. “You too.”

The castle shook with spells and screams. Hours passed like a blur until Y/N found Harry.

“Harry, have you seen Fred?”

Harry turned, his eyes wet.

“Y/N—”

And that’s when she saw him. Fred, lying still.

Her heart shattered.

The Great Hall was filled with the cries of survivors and the silence of the fallen. Y/N’s legs felt like lead as she moved through the sea of bodies, desperate to reach him.

She found Fred lying next to Percy, his lifeless face frozen in an expression of laughter. Her knees hit the cold stone floor with a thud as everything inside her collapsed.

“No… no, no, no,” she whispered, her voice cracking. Shaking hands reached out to touch him, to find warmth, but he was already cold.

“Fred?” her voice broke into a sob. “Please, wake up. Please.”

But he didn’t.

Her tears fell onto his chest as she crumbled against him. “You can’t do this to me. You can’t leave me… I need you.” Her hand trembled as she pressed it to her stomach, her breath hitching as the words escaped her in a broken whisper.

“I’m pregnant.”

The words hung in the air, unheard by anyone else. She clutched Fred’s jacket, pressing her forehead to his. “You’re going to be a dad, Fred… You promised me we’d have so much time.”

Hermione found her there hours later, still holding him. The war had ended, but for Y/N, the world felt emptier than ever.

The days turned into weeks, and the world moved on, but Y/N couldn’t. Fred had been her light, her warmth, and now there was nothing but cold silence.

When Molly found out about the baby, she held Y/N close, tears streaming down her face. “You’ll always have a home here, dear. Always.”

Y/N moved into the Burrow, surrounded by the family Fred loved so much. George was the only one who seemed to understand the depth of her grief—after all, he’d lost his other half.

When the baby came months later, the pain of losing Fred hit Y/N all over again. Holding the small, wiggling bundle in her arms, she whispered through her tears, “You look just like your dad.”

She named her Y/D/N, a mix of her and Fred’s names, a constant reminder of the love they’d shared.

George became a constant presence in their lives, offering his support without ever overstepping. He was there for late-night feedings, for baby giggles, and for moments when Y/N couldn’t bear to face the world alone.

“You don’t have to do this,” Y/N said one night as George rocked Y/D/N to sleep.

He looked up at her, his expression soft but firm. “I want to. Fred would want me to.”

It was early one morning at the Burrow. The sun had barely risen, and Y/N dragged herself out of bed to make tea. She didn’t expect anyone to be awake, but George was already there, leaning against the counter with a mug of coffee.

“Morning,” he said, his voice quiet as he sipped from his cup.

Y/N blinked at him, her mind foggy. He looked so much like Fred in that moment—wearing one of his old jumpers, his hair sticking up in every direction. Before she knew what she was doing, she walked up to him and kissed him.

It wasn’t soft or slow; it was desperate, fueled by exhaustion and heartbreak. For a split second, George froze, but then his hands came up to hold her waist, kissing her back.

And then—

“Y/N?”

Y/N pulled back instantly, her breath hitching when she turned to see Hermione standing in the doorway. Reality hit her like a ton of bricks.

“George…” Her voice trembled as tears filled her eyes. “I— I thought—”

But she couldn’t even finish the sentence. Her chest tightened as the weight of what she’d done sank in.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, covering her mouth as she turned and bolted from the room.

Outside, the crisp morning air hit Y/N like a slap to the face. She leaned against the wall of the Burrow, sobs racking her body. “What is wrong with me?” she cried out, shaking her head.

“Y/N.”

She flinched at the sound of George’s voice, his footsteps quiet as he approached. He didn’t say anything at first, just gently pulled her into his arms.

“Why did I do that?” she sobbed into his chest. “You’re not him, George. You’re not Fred.”

“I know,” he said softly, running a hand over her hair. “I know I’m not.”

Y/N pulled back, her face tear-streaked and exhausted. “It’s like… I can’t let him go. And now I’ve dragged you into it.”

George hesitated, looking at her with so much understanding it nearly broke her. “You haven’t dragged me into anything, Y/N. I’ve been here because I want to be here. You’re not alone.”

She looked down, her voice shaking. “It’s not fair to you. Or to him.”

George sighed, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “Fred’s gone, Y/N. But I’m still here. And so is Y/D/N. And I’ll do whatever I can to help you both.”

Y/N’s tears fell harder. “How can you even look at me after that?”

“Because I get it,” George said quietly. “I miss him every day, too. But we’re still here, Y/N. We’ve got to keep going. For Fred. For Y/D/N.”

He paused, looking her in the eyes. “Let me be there for you. Let me be there for her.”

Y/N couldn’t find the words, so she simply leaned into his hug, letting him hold her as she cried.

Twelve years had passed since Fred’s death, and Y/D/N was on her way to Hogwarts for the first time. Y/N and George accompanied her to Platform 9¾, making sure she had everything she needed.

“Ready to go?” George asked, placing her trunk on the trolley.

Y/D/N beamed up at him. “Ready!”

Y/N knelt to adjust her daughter’s scarf, smiling warmly. “You’ll do great, sweetheart. Write to us as soon as you get sorted, okay?”

Y/D/N nodded enthusiastically, giving George a quick hug before running off toward the train. She paused at the door, turning back to wave. “Bye, Mum! Bye, Dad!”

Y/N’s chest tightened at the word "Dad," but she waved back, her smile faltering slightly. George, noticing her hesitation, placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. “It’ll be fine, Y/N. She’s going to love Hogwarts.”

Y/D/N had been bubbling with excitement during the ride to Hogwarts, chatting with new friends about the sorting ceremony. As the train neared its destination, one of her compartment mates—a confident boy with a mischievous grin—leaned over and said, “So, are you a Weasley too? You’ve got the hair for it.”

Y/D/N blinked, confused. “A Weasley? What do you mean?”

“You know, one of George Weasley’s kids. He’s your dad, right?”

“Well, yeah—of course he is,” she replied, though something about the boy’s smirk unsettled her.

“Strange,” he said, leaning back casually. “I thought Fred Weasley was your dad. At least, that’s what my brother said.”

The words hit her like a hex. “That’s not true,” she said, her voice trembling. “You’re lying.”

“Ask your mum,” the boy said with a shrug.

The rest of the journey felt like a blur. By the time Y/D/N stepped off the train, her head was spinning. She couldn’t stop replaying the boy’s words as she waited in line to be sorted.

When her turn came, the Sorting Hat barely touched her head before it said, “Ah, a complicated one. I sense confusion, anger, and pain… SLYTHERIN!”

That night, Y/D/N sat alone in the Slytherin common room, staring at a piece of parchment. Her hand trembled as she wrote:

Mum, is it true? Was my dad’s name Fred? Why didn’t you tell me? Why would you lie to me? I don’t even know who I am anymore.

She sent the letter with shaking hands, tears streaming down her face.

Y/N’s heart broke when she received the letter. She knew this moment would come but had always hoped for more time. George found her sitting at the kitchen table, staring at the letter with tears in her eyes.

“She knows,” Y/N whispered.

George took the letter from her hands, reading it quickly. “You have to tell her the truth.”

“I was trying to protect her,” Y/N said, her voice trembling. “How do I explain that her real father isn’t here? How do I make her understand why we didn’t tell her sooner?”

“You’ll find the words,” George said gently.

My dearest Y/D/N, I owe you the truth, and I’m so sorry for not telling you sooner. George isn’t your father—your dad’s name was Fred. He was George’s twin brother. Fred was kind, brave, and full of life, but he died in the war before you were born. We didn’t tell you because we didn’t want you to feel the pain of his loss, especially when you were too young to understand. George has always loved you like his own, and I hope you know that he and I both only wanted what was best for you. You are so much like Fred—kind, clever, and strong. He would have been so proud of you. I hope you can forgive us for waiting so long to tell you. Love always, Mum

When Y/D/N read the letter, her heart shattered. She spent days feeling angry, betrayed, and confused. She didn’t respond to Y/N, and though her Slytherin housemates tried to include her, she felt completely out of place.

“Are you okay?” one girl asked during dinner, but Y/D/N only shook her head, tears threatening to spill.

Back at the common room, she stared out the window, clutching the letter. She didn’t know how to reconcile the love she felt for George with the pain of realizing he wasn’t her real father.

When Y/D/N came home for Christmas, the tension was palpable. She barely spoke during dinner, and George noticed the way she avoided looking at him. Afterward, he found her sitting outside, staring at the snow-covered garden. “Can I sit with you?” he asked gently.

She shrugged, not meeting his eyes.

George sighed. “Y/D/N, I know this has been hard for you. And I know you probably feel like we lied to you, but I need you to know something. I love you. I’ve loved you from the moment you were born, and nothing will ever change that.”

Her bottom lip trembled. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I thought it was what Fred would’ve wanted,” George admitted. “He would’ve wanted you to grow up surrounded by love, not grief.”

Y/D/N finally looked up at him, her eyes glistening with tears. “Do you think he’d be proud of me?”

George smiled, pulling her into a hug. “Of course he would. And I am too.”

Y/D/N clung to him, her anger melting away as she realized how much love surrounded her.

With time, Y/D/N began to embrace her identity, learning that her house didn’t define her and that she could honor Fred’s memory while still being herself. Y/N and George continued to support her, helping her grow into a kind and confident young woman.

And though Y/D/N still missed the father she never got to know, she found comfort in knowing that Fred’s love lived on through her and the family he had left behind.

[slu7formen]

what jealous Cedric would be like…

slu7formen’s masterlist | cedric diggory masterlist

Okay but, Cedric was not actually jealous.

Of course, he doesn’t like it when guys are too close to you but, he was fine with you having as many friends as you want so… there was no need to be jealous about anyone.

But oh, if we talk about that Ravenclaw guy.

He was in the same year as you, and as far as he knew, you and him were partners in potions. Cedric saw him many times around you, walking next to you or exchanging notes you wrote during class, but didn’t actually know the guy’s name.

Your boyfriend didn’t pay much attention to it until one week you started to spend too much time with him —not actually that much time but it felt like a century to Ced, since he wanted you around all the time— because of a project. Now the problem wasn’t that, the problem was, that guy wouldn’t leave you alone.

He would walk behind you with the excuse of discussing something about the project but it was so obvious that he just wanted to talk to you and spend time with you but of course: that didn’t happen when Cedric was around.

It almost was as if your boyfriend was a shield to his failed attention seeker mission.

Cedric knew how guys worked, even though he never wanted to steal someone’s girl, he obviously noticed when someone tried to steal his girl. And he didn’t like it.

So, he waited for you to get out of class, as he often did, but not only with the purpose of seeing you, but seeing him.

That shiny black haired bastard with his bright perfect smile and sharp jawline was laughing about something funny you said as you stepped out of the classroom. None of you noticed Cedric’s presence just three meters away from you.

His jaw slightly clenched when he immediately noticed the desperate desire of that guy for you to stay with him and talk, when you tried to leave. He had grabbed your wrist, forcing you to turn around to him again. Was he dumb? Was he dumb enough to really think that he could have a chance with you when you had a boyfriend?

And even if you didn’t have a boyfriend, why was he so insistent!?

Cedric couldn’t deny that maybe if you were single, his now handsome enemy would be the perfect match for you; he was truly good looking… but come on, who could beat Cedric? No one, to your eyes. He almost felt insecure about himself as he walked towards you and saw the Ravenclaw’s face closer and closer, if you hadn’t told him a million times how perfect he was while kissing his lips the night before, and as many nights as you could.

He took big yet small steps towards the two of you. Your back was turned to him, so you slightly jumped when a big and heavy arm smoothed over your shoulders. “Ced” you smiled when you saw him, an instant relief drawing your face “You scared me” you said while placing a hand over your chest.

“M’ sorry, love” he replied, trying to make the last word extra clear, his signature smirk on his rosy lips as he looked down at you, but a sharp looking stare at your friend when he looked forward, right into his eyes. “And you are…?”

His tone was nice… but still a little, poisonous, as if his words had a slight glimpse of venom or acid, falling right into his victim’s cheeks, which blushed with embarrassment. His posture immediately changed as he introduced himself to your boyfriend, and you looked at the both of them, confused.

Cedric was big next to him. His large figure and height out stood your potions partner’s with ease as his arm was still around you, and your friend walked away shyly, muttering something about seeing you around, and then cursing to himself as he disappeared into the crowd of students.

You pushed Cedric’s arm back, as you looked at him with frowned brows, your neck slightly going up to look at his whole face.

“What was that about?”

“What was what?” he played dumb. You rolled your eyes.

“Ced…”

“I don’t like him” his voice interrupted you as he crossed his arms over his chest, taking another dominant position, this time to you. “He’s looking for your attention, and he tries too hard”

You noticed the jaw clench as his mouth closed, and you shook your head slightly, squinting your eyes and letting a small smile show from behind your lips.

“Are you jealous?” you asked.

He scoffed, turning his head to the left, as if something interesting was happening towards that direction. You laughed this time.

“Oh my God! You totally are” you took his hands as he rolled his eyes. His body followed yours as your feet took a step back, dragging your boyfriend to you as your back hit the cold wall behind you. Cedric would never admit he was actually jealous, but it felt good to you to know that he was, so he kept it that way just so you could keep smiling. “Why?”

“I told you, I don’t like him. Whenever you are alone, he comes right after you. Like you are his prey or something” his hands played with your fingers before he felt your lips press into his red cheek, you knew how much he loved those kisses.

“Then don’t leave me” you pleaded and whispered to his ear. He blushed at your voice tone as you pulled him by the arm, already taking a new direction to somewhere he didn’t know yet. “I need some help with a few books at the library, will you help me? Maybe I could snatch the jealousy out of your system”

Cedric smiled, he knew exactly what library meetings were.

“Yes, ma’am”

requests open!

[mosquego359]

𖤐One Kiss and A Quidditch Match — Chapter 4: Beauxbatons and Durmstrang𖤐

Prologue (recommended to read)

Chapter 3 (previous)

Pair: Cedric Diggory x Male Slytherin Reader

Word count: 2.7K 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: Two weeks after you became partners with Cedric, Hogwart's Rival Schools arrive.

Notes: Please comment 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, Wix is the gender neutral term for witch and wizard and, like in the books Durmstrang and Beauxbatons are a school with mixed genders. This is the video I'm basing for the guests' introduction.

Content warning: One curse word. It's also a bit fruity.

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

...

Around a week or two later, you decided to hang out more with Alistair. Your judgy grudge against him had dimmed to a slight annoyance, and the two of you agreed to not bring it up.

It was now the 30th of October, and Hogwarts’ rival schools, Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were to arrive in the evening. You personally hadn’t given the Triwizard Tournament much though for you were too young to participate and not keen on putting your life in dangerous situations.

The rest of your friends, however — particularly Alistair and Ziggy — were buzzing with anticipation.

And that was how you, Brian and Ziggy’s friend — whom you found out was named Roman Conyngham — silently watched Ziggy and Alistair passionately fantasise about the Triwizard Tournament.

Their conversation buzzed around the air of the grand Dining Hall, a complex and complicated interaction that caused you to zone out from boredom. Your eyes strayed from any of the boys you were with and to Elsie, Winnie and Destiny, sitting together at the Hufflepuff table.

Your mind shifted to the day you and Cedric became partners. 

After class, you watched as Elsie rapidly marched away from the classroom, Destiny by her side. You swore you saw her glance back at you before finally disappearing into the corridor.

At lunchtime, you swiftly devoured your meal, curious yet concerned for Elsie. She was often serious, and that meant what she would tell you was something important. It was probably rather personal since, if it wasn’t, she would have informed you on the spot.

You craned your neck to see if she was still in the great hall — which she was not — before heading to the library with a goodbye from Brian and Winnie. 

It wasn’t hard finding Elsie; she was pacing by a window at the corner of the library — your usual studying spot.

“Elsie?” You said softly to grab her attention.

Her head snapped up, and — with a furrow in your brow — you noticed a stressed look in her golden eyes. She gestured for you to come closer, simultaneously looking around for any snooping students.

“(Name),” she paused, nervously playing with her hair, “It’s about the party…”

You nodded carefully as curious thoughts circled your mind. Was this about Alistair?

“You see, after the whole…fiasco with Campbell,” Elsie cringed, “I went to the drink table since I was looking for Winnie. And I may have taken a couple too many shots. So I was drunk when I finally found Winnie. Stay with me on this, alright?”

You arched a brow. This was about her? Was there drama between them you didn’t know of? If so, why had they been so friendly with one another since the party? Sure, they seemed a bit off at some points, but you didn’t think too much of it.

Elsie glanced nervously to the side, “Winnie agreed to tell you. Please don’t say anything to Alistair, (Name). We’re telling Brian later.”

“You can trust me.” You promised, “Take your time.”

Tugging her brown curls, Elsie stayed silent momentarily, staring at your eyes. You saw how hesitant she was about the conversation and mentally applauded her for opening up to you. She inhaled a big breath, “I kissed Winnie.”

“So, Alistair, how do you feel with your little sis getting along with your ex?” Ziggy asked, snapping you out of your daze.

Alistair shrugged but looked visibly uncomfortable. He shifted in his seat as he replied, “Eh, don’t care much for it. I mean, Winnie can do whatever; I don’t control her life.” He puffed his fringe out of his face.

Ziggy and Roman shared a look, and the former responded in mild disbelief, “Yeah, of course.”

Personally, you were glad that they were all finally getting along, but a small pang of jealousy shot into your heart when you recalled barely talking to them for the entire day. In DADA, they had moved their seats to the back where Destiny sat, and you barely saw them in Herbology because of your project with Cedric Diggory.

Professor Sprout had given you a different room to work in, and when you came out covered in cuts and bruises from the Snargaluff, your class would joke that you were physically fighting.

For example, earlier that day, the Snargaluff was particularly peeved and somehow tangled you and Cedric in its bulky vines. You felt embarrassed to say that Professor Sprout had to rescue you from its grasp.

Needless to say, you felt triumphant when Cedric had to hobble to the nurse to get his scratches checked. Apparently, the Snargaluff’s vines had squeezed his leg so hard it turned blue, thus causing him to get healed. You, on the other hand, felt fine despite an ache in your core and a few scrapes from being compressed by the plant.

You admitted that you felt an odd pang of pity seeing your usually all-powerful rival limp out of the class like a fragile bird. You weren't used to seeing his vulnerable side.

Hands-on your cheek, you glanced over to where he was sitting with his friends. He was laughing, his perfect pearly smile gleaming charmingly. You felt as if some of the girls you knew thought of him as a fairy prince with those gorgeous grey eyes and soft-looking brown hair.

The last time you saw him was in the hallway, walking to his next class, which you believed to be his Transfiguration class. His leg was still in a cast, but he looked to be trying to apply some weight to it with the help of his mates and a mutual friend of yours — Chunhua Chang, also known as Cho.

A wave of warmth subconsciously flooded your heart at the thought of him recovering from the incident. You were honestly glad of his healing and smiled when you noticed he was recounting something to his friends. He was so…

Wait, what were you thinking? 

You shook your head, and despite no one being able to hear your thoughts, your neck grew warm in embarrassment. Sure, you were mildly aware of your attraction to boys, but there was no way you liked Cedric Diggory of all people.

You felt a nudge from your right, “You doing okay, man? Your face looks a bit red,” Roman asked in concern. Sometimes, you were glad most of the other students were ignorant of your odd condition.

“I’m alright, thank you for your worry, Roman,” You smiled calmly at him, and he shrugged.

“Did you see the chariot outside?” you heard a 4th Year student to your left ask her friend with excitement, “Today is the day the foreign students arrive!”

Her friend giggled, “Ahh! Do you think there’ll be any cute boys?”

“Obviously,” the first girl huffed, “French boys are hot.”

“What about those at Durmstrang?”

“Don’t even think about it, Emily! I heard they are troublemakers. Apparently they’ve been cheating at the Triwizard Tournament for years. I doubt any good guys go to that dreadful place.”

You turn away from their conversation, feeling rather awkward listening to a bunch of children for information regarding Hogwarts’ rival schools. Luckily for you, Ziggy and Alistair were now gushing about the games. 

“Hey, Brains, do you think the new schools will arrive soon, I’m starting to get hella impatient,” Alistair huffed and nudged Brian, who was snoozing off. You stifled a laugh at his confused expression.

“Huh?” He asked, and you swore you saw drool trickling down his chin.

“When will we get introduced to Beauxbatons and Durmstrang?” You rephrased Alistair’s question, leading forward curiously.

“So you were listening!” Ziggy jumped in.

Brian ignored him and frowned, “Well, I expect Dumbledore to give us a speech any minute now. I believe he is waiting for the rest of the students to settle in their seats. Surely he won’t make us sit here impatiently for long.”

You craned your neck to the entrances of the Great Hall, noting not a single student in sight seemed to be trickling in. Everyone was here so why wasn’t Dumbledore doing anything.

As if your thoughts were a trigger, the old headmaster stood up from his chair, and, like a magnet, attracted the attention of all the students. Despite your dislike for him because of how he favoured Gryffindor and detested Slytherin, you admitted he was rather excellent at drawing everyone’s eyes to him.

“Well now that we’re all settled in and sorted, I’d like to make an announcement.” Dumbledore commenced. The door to the main entrance cracked open and Filch scrambled over to the headmaster as he continued, causing a few students — including yourself — to chuckle at his silly run, “This castle will not only be your home this year, but home to some very special guests as well.”

The old man paused to listen to what Filch had to say. He nodded carefully, whispering something in his ear before continuing his speech. “You see, Hogwarts has been chosen to host a legendary event: The Triwizard Tournament.” You glanced at the Hufflepuff table, seeing how Cedric’s friends were teasing him and the way he smiled in mild embarrassment. A pang of jealousy shot through your heart. It wasn’t fair that he got to compete, and you weren’t. You were just as powerful, perhaps even more. 

“Now, for those of you who do not know, the Triwizard Tournament brings together three schools for a series of magical contests. For each school, a single student is chosen to compete. Now, let me be clear, if chosen, you stand alone. And trust me when I say these contests are not for the faint-hearted, but more on that later. For now, please join me in welcoming the lovely ladies and men of the Beauxbatons academy of magic and their headmistress: Madame Maxime!”

The doors of the main entrance slid open, and a bunch of students your age strutted in, perfectly in sync and classical music played as they walked.

They were all dressed in a similar fashion: a silky, baby blue uniform with an elegant poncho and small hat. The girls wore skirts over lights while the few boys wore tight-fitting pants that totally did not make you stare at their asses. 

You heard Alistair whistle when they passed. The girl's repressed smiles at his flirtatious move. 

At some point in the song, they extended their arms with a very flowy movement, making you realise they were dancing. They then separated themselves into two groups and lined up in a v formation in front of the students.

A tall woman dressed in furs and leopard prints walked after her students. She had to be at least 2.5 meters if not more. You assumed she was the headmistress, Madam Maxime, as you and many others gaped at her. 

Ziggy and you shared a look, and he mouthed, “She’s humongous.”

In front of her, two students performed a gymnastic choreography, elegantly bowed to their headmistress and finally stepped into the lines their fellow students were placed in. 

Hogwarts erupted into applause, and a few wix even stood up. However, you spotted many girls in the room with disapproving looks on their faces.

Dumbledore carefully took Madame Maxime’s hand and placed a respectful kiss on it. He then walked a bit higher up on the steps and quickly silenced the crowd with his hands.

Alistair whispered to your group with a smirk, “Did you see the pretty blonde one?”  But he was quickly hushed by a few people to his left.

Your eyes scanned the Beauxbaton girls until you spotted one of the girls who bowed to Madame Maxime next to the Hufflepuff table. Her hair was a golden blonde, wrapped in a ponytail, and the front curled around her jaw like a perfect ribbon, framing her glowing face. Even at a distance, you could tell she was stunning.

“And now, our friends from the north!” Dumbledore boomed, grabbing your attention, “Please great proud sons and daughters of Durmstrang and their headmaster Igor Karkaroff.”

A more sombre music started playing along with drums. A band of mostly boys marched in, occasionally hitting their staff on the group and shouting on time with the music. They stuck their staffs forward and twirled them, performing a simple yet powerful choreography as they neared the front with the Beauxbaton students, who had moved to the sides next to the wall.

Suddenly, they rushed forward, and two of them executed a series of somersaults and gymnastics, breakdancing their way where the Beauxbatons students once were while the others placed themselves in a v shape.

Two men entered the Great Hall, and you heard Ziggy and Alistair gasp, and Roman whispering, “Is it really him?”. This caused you to recognise one of those faces as the famous Bulgarian Seeker, Viktor Krum. 

You assumed the mean-looking man in white behind him was the headmaster Igor Karkaroff. You finally noticed a smaller man trailing them, dressed in grey.

The two students who breakdanced blew fire from their wands like dragons, controlling it to make it resemble a phoenix, giving the other students a little spectacle.

When the fire disappeared, they rapidly lined themselves up with the others, making way for Karkaroff and Hogwarts erupted in applause. The Beauxbatons students clapped respectfully.

The headmaster of Durmstrang walked up to Dumbledore, who spread his arms wide in greeting, and they both hugged each other, patting each other on the back in a friendly manner.

Once Karkaroff had moved to the side, Dumbledore cleared his throat to grab the student’s attention from the attractive Beauxbaton candidates, the gymnasts from Durmstrang and Krum.

“Please, please, take a seat, you all, make yourselves at home,” Dumbledore smiled at the crowd of guests. The students shared a look before ultimately choosing their tables. Luckily for you, Durmstrang had chosen the Slytherin one and had settled into their seats. Krum sat next to Alistair and across from Ziggy, who both started shifting in their seats in excitement.

But before they could say anything, Dumbledore spoke.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen, ghosts, and — most particularly — guests. I have great pleasure in welcoming you all to Hogwarts. I hope and trust that your stay here will be both comfortable and enjoyable.” You heard a snicker from the Ravenclaw table and rolled your eyes at the disrespect.

“The Tournament will be officially opened at the end of the feast,” Dumbledore continued, “I now invite you all to eat, drink and make yourselves at home!”

Through the meal, Viktor Krum, Ziggy and Alistair started having a conversation while you and your two other friends talked quietly amongst yourself.

Brian and Roman were rather alike: calm and collected, introverted and you found out Roman was a top student in most of his classes. At first, it confused you since you never saw him until he mentioned being in Year 7.

“You gotta have someone to control that energetic idiot,” he shrugged when you asked him about being friends with Ziggy.

Speaking of him, he and Alistair were gushing over Krum, whom you noticed was rather unresponsive. It wasn’t until the Quidditch player glanced at his peers and shifted in his seat that you realised he didn’t like the attention. You felt pity; he was worldwide famous and yet never enjoyed the attention.

At the end of the meal, Dumbledore brought in something called the Goblet of Fire and when he started speaking of signing up for the Triwizard Tournament, you tuned out, a jealous hole forming in your heart. 

Like Alistair, you wanted to participate, but in contrast, you were too young. You recalled the Weasley twins complaining about it in the hallway earlier that day, and despite your indifference to them, you couldn’t help but relate.

Your eyes drifted away from the headmaster to the Hufflepuff table, first to your girl friends, then to Cedric Diggory. To your surprise, he was already staring. Since you were competitive, you instinctively kept your eyes on him until he turned away.

Slowly, you faced the front again. You felt heat rushing to your cheeks and neck for the second time tonight. Your hands were cold, so you pressed them to where your skin felt warm.

Merlin’s Beard, what was happening to you?

...

Chapter 5

[mistress-riddle]

𝐇𝐎𝐋𝐈𝐃𝐀𝐘. cedric diggory

request — Cedric and his parents go on a trip to another country during the summer and during it, Cedric meets reader at a park reading, they strike up a conversation but seeing as they are both wizards and neither of them realize the other is also a wizard they dont keep in touch. when they return to Hogwarts, Cedric glances around and sees reader sitting with the Slytherins at dinner and asks them on a hogsmeade date to catch up. — @hea-vin

you sigh as you take a seat on the bench, family long discarded in favour of resting your aching body from the shopping and sight-seeing you've been doing for the past 5 hours and reading a book instead. you fail to notice the boy taking a seat at the exact same time as you and so you startle when he chuckles and asks "long day?"

"sadly," you groan and stretch your neck to the side, closing over your novel "you in the same predicament?"

"sadly," he huffs and ruffles his hair as he leans back, legs spreading slightly in the process "where abouts are you from?" he asks shortly after.

"live in central london," you turn to properly look at him "what about you?"

"near devon, england." he seems to be around your age, brown hair mixed with golden highlights that seemed too soft and fluffy to be dyed. his face was certainly something to admire, high cheekbones dusted with pink and freckles that accompanied them, lips wide and full and jawline sharp in its edges. his eyes are a mix of hazel and green with specks of gold similar to the ones in his hair, once you notice you've been looking for a bit too long you clear your throat and look to the side.

.

"how long are you staying here for?" the boy asks you, head tilted to the side as he scans you, your face seemed familiar but he wasn't sure where he recognised you from.

"i think two more days," you ponder "i'm not sure, i'm just tagging along with my family." you shrug and he smiles in return.

"same here, though i think we're staying for the week." you nod and he follows it with "how have you liked it so far then?"

"it's been pretty alright actually," you respond with a grin "i mean apart from the heckling of being with family and having siblings, the sights here are so pretty and the food is delicious."

the brunet agrees with you, the same amiable smile decorating his lips "it is quite beautiful here, though i don't have any siblings to put a dimmer on my experience."

"oh lucky you," you sigh "i wish i was an only child."

the boy laughs as he shakes his head "i often wished i had a sibling to play with."

you glance at him with a cheeky look "want to trade?"

"i'm afraid i'm too used to being an only child." he shrugs and you pout.

"bummer, i could've been having the time of my life had you agreed." you shut your eyes as you allow the sunlight to bathe you in its rays, peeking an eye open after a few seconds, you focus it on the boy beside you "you sure?"

"you didn't exactly sell it out to be the greatest thing," he pauses and hums "might need some convincing."

you tap your fingers against your thighs as you ponder "well for starters, i guess they're somewhat cute—" you're cut off by a yell of your name. the two of you turn to see a 6 year old running towards you with a cup full of fruits.

"mama said you have to come back, we're going to another place." the child rushes through her words and almost chokes on a pineapple during the relay of her message and you send the boy next to you a look which caused him to chuckle.

"slow down, you're going to choke." you pat her back gently and shake your head as you stand up, sending her away as your bags go back in your hands and your book is put away.

"well, it was nice chat," you smile at the guy still sitting "i'll work on the pro's for the next time if i see you around."

"i look forward to it, farewell, my chatting companion." he waves and you try to mimic him with a tiny wave of your own as you follow behind your sister.

it's a shame you met the handsome stranger in a foreign country and not back at home. alas, it was probably worse that he was most likely a muggle who you could not communicate with. a bummer how all the good ones you're destined to only meet once you think to yourself.

the bustling of the students feels familiar as you take your seat beside your friends in the great hall.

"how was your holiday?" asks emma from your side, nudging you with her elbow the second dumbledore announced that the feast shall commence.

"emma, had you not slept the whole ride from kings cross to here, you would've known."

your other friend, ben, interrupts as he places a hand on his chest and haughtily stares down at emma "since i was actually awake to converse with my friend like normal people do, i had the opportunity to hear about [name]'s first crush on this british boy she met on holiday."

emma ignores bens attitude as she turns to you with her mouth open, a gasp escaping her lips "no. way." she whispers and you roll your eyes.

"it's not a crush, ben just wants to mess with you." you retort at her wide eyes and disbelieving expression.

"come now, [name], it's not everyday you compliment a boys look to us, he must've really swooned you." ben teases and you sigh.

"you make it seem like i've never complimented anyone." you deadpan and your friends scoff.

"fine, i'll never tell you anything again." you mutter in spite and ben and emma hurriedly attempt to placate you throughout the rest of dinner as they try to coerce you to spill about the handsome stranger who caught your attention and affection.

towards the end of dinner when conversations take over and everyone is only lightly taking bites of their desserts, ben finds his eyes drifting behind you before his expression changes into one of curiosity "say," he interrupts you and emma, you two turn to him with an unimpressed look "does anyone know why the diggory boy keeps looking back here every now and then?" he gives you a look "any of you associated with him?"

emma wistfully sighs as she places her head on her closed fist "i wish, i'd totally get with him if he wanted." you give her a look and clear your throat.

"umm, who's diggory?"

the two sigh "cedric diggory? the captain of the hufflepuff quidditch team?..." ben asks as if that'll help you and you turn to emma "he's blondish, tall, absolutely dreamy?" she quips and you hum.

"he sounds like the perfect package, how come i don't know about him?" you ask and they shrug.

"merlin knows how in your world you are, as a slytherin, it will do you good to build connections." ben adds and emma taps your shoulder to get you to turn around and show you who exactly cedric is. as you turn your head however, you catch the eye of a certain quidditch captain, you're met with the sight of the boy from your holiday and your breathe hitches as he stands and makes his way over.

"okay, now why is he coming here?" ben asks once more and emma shrugs as she watches the two of you stare at each other.

"it's you." you both utter at the same time and his face breaks out into a smile that you can't help but reciprocate.

"i thought i'd never see you again." the boy scratches the back of his neck as his cheeks colour a rosy hue.

"and i you." you nod in reciprocation.

"well since luck seems to have found me, i think i have to take full advantage of it and ask you on a date." you hear one of your friends choke but you choose to ignore them and put up a front of a thinking face as cedric waits for your answer "i just have to find out what the pros are."

you sigh as you cross your arms "i did try to come up with an extensive list..." you look up at the boy and nod "fine, i'll free a day and make a compelling case for you."

you did not think cedrics grin could widen anymore and yet you stand (sit) corrected as his teeth show "i look forward to it!" he waves you goodbye as he heads back to his table and rejoins his friends.

"turns out this priss not only knows diggory but managed to bag a date with him."

"prick."

"dear merlin, why don't i have their luck?"

[downtherabbitholewithauntieblegh]

Linkin Park/Emily Armstrong Controversy

Y'all paying way too much attention to this Linkin Park business. Move on. Rock and metal are suffering from drama. We're forgetting the music and why we pack into venues and festivals. We're forgetting that band members have families they're away from for months at a time. We're forgetting that suicide, depression, mental illness and addiction are rampant in our business because of the stress. STFU about Linkin Park and let those people move forward. Go to a show, buy a t-shirt, hit the pit and tell all your friends about it.

#inuswetrust always. Peace.

~ AJ Channer (Lead Singer of Fire From the Gods)

So, let's talk about Linkin Park, Emily Armstrong and this controversy. Almost a week ago, Linkin Park premiered a new song along with their new co-singer, Emily Armstrong. Emily is the front woman of the band Dead Sara. The controversy was almost immediate with a huge amount of backlash.

The first round came from Cedric Bixler-Zavala (The Mars Volta) and his wife, Chrissie Carnell-Bixler. The husband-and-wife duo did not hold back with their disdain for Armstrong, her ties to Scientology and her alleged support of convicted rapist, actor Danny Masterson. According to one article, Carnell was a victim of Masterson. Bixler and Carnell are former Scientologists themselves and left years ago.

Armstrong has since come out and apologized for her actions in supporting Masterson, explaining that she went to one court appearance and supported him as an observer to later realize her mistake. Some people, including Bixler and Carnell, say that the apology isn't enough.

Bixler and Carnell released a statement after Armstrong's apology and did not accept it, stating, "If you're not going to speak out against the human and child trafficking cult in which you are a part of and in which you enable by remaining silent on crimes you know about then you have no right to fill the shoes of Chester Bennington, a true advocate."

Mike Shinoda, original founding member, as well as Joe Hahn, have both released statements. Both stated that they support Armstrong and know that having her a part of their band would be a "hard pill to swallow" for most people.

"To say it as clearly as possible, I do not condone abuse or violence against women, and I empathize with the victims of these crimes," Shinoda said as a part of his statement.

That wasn't good enough for Chester's son, Jaime Bennington. Bennington released a scathing statement, denouncing Shinoda and the other original members that are still in the band. Bennington released his statement via Instagram on September 9th. Ever since Bennington made his feelings known, he has been getting death threats from Linkin Park fans.

Some folks are even questioning him and whether he truly understands what his dad would want if Chester were alive today. Bennington highlighted the hypocritical comments, saying if they really understood how his father died, they would realize that their comments are inappropriate and crass.

Bennington was very outspoken with his disdain and blasting Shinoda for betraying their fans by choosing Armstrong as their new singer, especially during International Suicide Awareness month. Bennington addressed Armstrong's alleged ties to Scientology and support for Masterson.

Bixler-Zavala resurfaced some messages, one that showed Armstrong did indeed attend the 2020 preliminary hearing of Masterson. That did hit fans hard, as Chester had openly discussed surviving sexual abuse in the past. Chester passed away back in 2017.

With the drama weighing heavily on everyone involved, Shinoda, Hahn and the others are sticking by Armstrong and their decision to have her as their singer. We cannot take away the noticeable missing original drummer, Rob Bourdon. Bourdon made the choice to not reunite with the band for this new venture.

It just came out that original lead guitarist, Brad Delson, will not be touring with the band moving forward. In a statement by Shinoda, Delson has made the choice to just record with them in the studio and not take part in live performances in the future. Colin Brittain has replaced Bourdon on the drums. Brittain is known for playing with Oh No Fiasco.

Alex Feder has been announced as Delson's replacement for the upcoming tour to support their new album, From Zero.

With all this information provided, people are still divided on whether Linkin Park making a comeback, 2.0 as some people have called it, is a good thing. What people are failing to realize is how hurtful their comments are. Shinoda has stated that they will not be getting rid of Armstrong.

Some fans are saying they should change their name. Something a lot of people agree with. Some are saying they should just not continue on with Linkin Park without Chester. At this point, everyone just needs to take AJ Channer of Fire from the Gods advice. We are forgetting the music. We are forgetting that these musicians have families at home. We are forgetting that suicide, depression, mental illness and addiction run rampant in the music industry.

We are forgetting that they are people like we are. No one is perfect. We all make mistakes. If you want to listen to Linkin Park, by all means, listen to Linkin Park. If you don't want to support them, don't. That's the end of that story. How do expect people to heal and move forward when people constantly bring up the past, negative or not?

Everyone's feelings in this situation are real and valid. Don't negate someone's feelings if they don't align with yours. We as a society, we must do better. In the end, it does really matter....

[bluedaisy12]

~ Things I have scripted about Hogwarts

Each new student gets a map of the castle to help them get around it without getting lost on their way to classes and such.

Dorms – Students have the option to pick from four dorm sizes: singles, doubles, triples and quads.

Uniforms - Students have to wear their uniforms during school hours, they are free to change in the clothes they have bought with them after their classes are finished. During the evening classes like Astronomy or club meetings the students have to wear some part of their uniform, it can be the cloak or the tie or something alike.

House of Slytherin

☆ I have scripted that the Slytherin common room looks like the one in Hogwarts Legacy because damn is it beautiful. (link to a youtube video showing it)

☆ The passwords are changed each week, and we get a slip of paper of what it is on Sundays during supper.

☆ The head of the house is still Sour Snape, just for the fun of annoying that old man.

School Events

There is a New Years Eve ball during the last week of school before Christmas break. Parties in the common rooms usually happen every month or two, it really depends on how far into the school year it is. All students from 5th year and above are allowed to go to the parties, and people follow this rule religiously.

Prefects and their responsibilities

There are 3 prefects in each house, there has to be at least one of each gender. The prefects don’t have a lot of duties / chores (I still want to live my life you know?). All they have to do is patrol the Hogwarts Express during the train rides, taking house points for misbehaviour and dish out detentions. Prefects do not have a curfew and can walk around freely unless told otherwise by the teachers, the same goes for head girls and head boys.

Slytherin's prefects: Draco Malfoy, Pansy Parkinson, Daria Krum (me)

Ravenclaw's prefects: Padma Patil, Anthony Goldstein, Cho Chang

Hufflepuff's prefects: Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Cedric Diggory

Gryffindor's prefects: Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Dean Thomas

School life

There are electives that students can choose from, some of the electives have felid trips, for example muggle studies go and visit a museum or something. The basic subjects like History of Magic sometimes have a fieldtrip once in a while too, historical magical places and such.

Laundry days are on mondays, wednesdays and fridays, the laundry itself is done by the house elves. To have your clothes washed you have to take them to the laundry room which is by the kitchen, you do not have to pick your clean laundry though, it appears back in your closet after it has been washed and dried.

[desideriumwriter]

Anyone But You | Chapter 5 | F.W. x Fem!Reader

Chapter Summary - Reader makes her way to the Quidditch World Cup using a map of confusing directions and a portkey, she finds out who will be at the games with her. After the games, she gets stuck in the midst of an attack, left injured and on her own.

Pairing - Fred Weasley x Fem!Gryffindor!Reader

Category - enemies to lovers, hurt/comfort, angst, fluff, slowburn

Content Warnings - cursing, arguing, the quidditch world cup attack, depictions of torture? mentions of blood, mentions of fire, crying, injuries, trampling, mass chaos + fear, (tell me if i missed anything)

Word Count - 4.4k

A/N: not really sure what to say for this one! it's truly chaotic is the most i can say lmaoo, hopefully you enjoy it! feedback is greatly appreciated!

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You folded your pajamas in a neat stack and shoved them in your bag. 

You’d spent the past hour packing for tomorrow's events. The Quidditch World Cup games had already started, but you didn’t care all that much. 

You tend to claim you're not a huge fan of quidditch, but there has been one or two times you’ve lost your voice from screaming and cheering during a school match.

Anyways, you stood up, taking a billionth look around your bedroom, making sure there was nothing you needed laying around. 

Preparing for a single night away from home should not be this stressful.

As your eyes traveled around the room, they stopped once they saw the necklace sitting on your dresser.

The moonstone necklace the twins gave you. It sat there, untouched. It’s stayed in that exact same spot since you tossed it out of your suitcase from when you got home for summer break. It’s been like that all summer. 

Until, your mum saw it and fixed it with some simple spell. 

Even though it was fixed and in perfect condition, you still hadn’t worn it, nor touched it.

You walked up to it slowly, moving at a pace that made it seem like you were expecting the damn thing to jump and attack you somehow.

Picking it up, you wondered if you should set it along with the outfit you already had laid out for tomorrow. Or if you should shove it in your bag. Or just keep it in its previous spot.

You set it back down, turning away from it and walking to your bed. Only for you to change your mind. Turning back towards it quickly, snatching it up and shoving it into your bag.

You laid in bed, eyes unable to stay closed, and a grin on your face.

Though you knew that in the next week you’ll most likely be stuck with crowds of people in Diagon Alley, gathering school supplies. You had the same excitement as a kid on Christmas Eve, too eager to sleep.

There wasn’t much information given on what today’s plans were.  

You didn’t know how you’d get there, or if there would be anyone else going with, or how long the game would last. All you knew was that you were going to the Quidditch World Cup and staying at the campsite for one night.

And a strange list of directions. It had you take a few stops on different trolley cars to get to your spot. The last place you were dropped off was at another stop, so you decided to walk the rest of the way.

The handwriting on the paper with the directions looked familiar, it wasn't Cedric’s however, it was too messy. Maybe it was his fathers. Maybe he’d got it from a friend.

Thinking of it, the paper was never directly given to you by Cedric. Your father gave it to you when a stack of mail came in.

You let your thoughts wander around, imagining how today would go as you began to get closer to the designated spot the directions gave you. It was at “a hill with an old boot on it” according to the paper.

A tall, older man, with wired glasses, a scrubby beard and brown hair stood on top of the hill. Amos Diggory. Cedric’s dad.

As you got farther up, you could spot Cedric, laying down on the grass next to his father, using his bag as a pillow.

Both of their heads shot up and faces changed into a smile once they looked up, seeing you heading towards him.

“Y/N! Good to see you!” Mr.Diggory reached out to shake your hand.

“It’s good to see you too, Mr.Diggory.” You accepted his greeting, shaking his hand and giving him a warm smile back.

“It’s been quite awhile! How’s mum and dad? Doing well?” He asked while the boy behind him sat up. You gave a small “mhm” and nod in response. 

Cedric hopped up from his spot on the grass, giving you a tight hug, purposely ruffling up your hair once he pulled away.

“So how’s your summer been? I didn’t get many letters from you.” He jokingly gave you a dramatic pout.

“It’s been lovely. No work, no uniforms, no getting up at the crack of dawn, and no annoying twins.” You sighed happily, you didn’t catch how Cedric’s expression faltered when you mentioned the twins.

“So, shouldn’t we get going? What are we waiting on?” You tried your best to sound as patient as possible, ignoring the excitement running through your veins.

“My dad invited a work friend. We’re just waiting on him I suppose.”

“Should be any moment now!” Amos added in, smilingly nervously and rocking back and forth on his heels.

“He said that about an hour ago.” Cedric whispered to you, “Anyways, what's that?” He gestured at the paper in your hands. You gave him a blank stare, expecting him to know what it was, he was the one who sent you it, right?

“The directions?” You said hesitantly, holding the paper up. “That you sent me?” Cedric's brows knit together, tilting his head to get a straight look at what was written.

“I never sent any directions?” He copied your tone. “Plus, that is not my handwriting.” He scoffed, amused at the scribbles on the page.

“Then who-” Your thoughts were interrupted once chattering and footsteps were heard in the distance.

"Amos!" A voice shouted from a distance. The shout came from Mr. Weasley, who was grinning as he strode closer. A group followed behind him. 

All the excitement and joy in your veins was drained out once you saw who was part of that group. Those two dreadful boys. Your jaw tensed at the sight of them.

“Are you kidding me? You didn’t tell me those gits were coming along!” You hissed as you turned back towards Cedric.

“Don’t say that, y/n. The Weasleys are nice people.” Cedric scorned, you rolled your eyes. You were sick of people telling you that, of course they were nice people, they were the sweetest people you ever met, except for two of them.

“I know that! I’m not talking about the Weasley family Cedric, I'm talking about the Weasley twins!” You groaned, the bickering stopped between you two as Mr.Weasley began to speak.

"This is Amos Diggory, everyone," said Mr. Weasley. "He works for the

Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures! And I believe you

know his son, Cedric?"

“Hi.” Cedric let out, his eyes darting around them all. Everyone greeted back, except the twins, who gave barely a nod, they looked as if they were already miserable.

“Oh, I’m sure everyone remembers Y/N!” Mr.Weasley gestured, you gave an uncomfortable smile and a small wave.

Mr.Weasley and Amos went back into their own separate conversation, as you and Cedric did into your bickering.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” You kept your voice low and stern.

“I didn’t tell you because you wouldn’t go! They didn’t have any idea you’d be here either, they don’t even know where we're going!” He scoffed. “Mr.Weasley and my father set this whole thing up! Can’t you push aside your hatred for one night? You won’t even be in the same tent as them, you’ll have your own bed…or you can share one with me.” He joked, giving you an exaggerated smolder.

“You wish.” You shoved him in the chest and let out a slight laugh, slowly forgetting about your bad mood.

The both of you turned your attention back to the older gentlemen. At this point, Amos was gawking at Harry’s presence, he began to unknowingly boast about Cedric and how he beat Harry at Quidditch last year.

The twins were scowling, you caught on quickly to that. It seemed as if they were still upset about losing to Hufflepuff and getting beaten by Cedric in the first Quidditch match of last year.

Cedric, obviously embarrassed, tried to explain it was due to Harry falling off his broom. His father only shrugged that off and continued to speak.

It looked like with every word Amos spoke about his son's win, the scowls on the twins' faces grew. You wanted to laugh, you wished you could laugh. You could only attempt to bite back your smirk.

You turned your attention back to Cedric. 

“They don't seem very joyous.” You mocked as you jerked your head in the twins direction.

“Oh come on, I’m sure it’s not personal.” The hufflepuff shrugged it off, you raised your brows at him in disbelief. “But, I would really like to get going now.” He said through gritted teeth, eyes pointed at the boot in his fathers hand.

“So, what is it?” You asked, relating to the shoe.

“It’s a boot.” Fred's voice appeared from beside you. He was standing right there, it scared you for a second. Causing you to whip your head around quickly, you were unsure how he got next to you so quickly and silently.

“Yeah I know that, dimwit.” You sneered at him, “How are we going to use a ruddy old boot to get there?”

“It’s a portkey, dimwit.” He shot back, using your insult. “I’m sure you remember learning about those.” The redhead raised his brows at you, unamused. 

“Well, I assume it’s time to get on our way!” Mr.Weasley spoke out, fortunately cutting off all the tension in the air. “Now, all you need to do is touch the portkey.” He said happily as he laid a hand onto the shoe, which was being held out by Amos.

“Glad to know you got here safely with the directions George and I wrote down for you.” He shot you a sarcastic smile as he walked up to the boot, nodding his head at the paper in your hand while passing you.

Your face went from confusion then dropped into irritation.

Everything made sense now. Of course those assholes sent you those puzzling directions.

The paper crumpled around your grasp once you tightened your hands into fists, you wadded up the parchment and shoved it in your pocket.

Once everyone was crowded around in a tight circle, a hand or finger touching the boot. Mr.Weasley stared at his watch and began to count down from three.

Suddenly, you felt your feet detach from the ground, you were flying through the air, it looked like you and everyone else was stuck in the middle of a tornado. You accidentally banged into others while being stuck in the swirl of wind.

Then, you were falling from the sky and heading towards the ground. You used your forearms as a shield for your head as you hit the rough grass.

However, Mr. Weasley, Cedric, and his father were literally walking on air. Their legs moving as if they were walking down an invisible staircase. They landed neatly onto the ground, standing, while everyone else was scattered around them.

You were just about to push yourself up before a body came flying towards you. Letting out a small yelp as you covered your head once again, feeling a weight hit your legs.

Once you removed your arms from your face, Fred was laid uncomfortably across the bottom half of your body.

His back pinning down your left leg while his head and arms were laid across your right.

“Ow! You landed on my legs!” You cried out.

“Whoops, sorry.” Fred smoothed back his hair. “They're not broken are they?” He smiled. You moved around your legs, they were sore, not broken.

“No.” You muttered as you waited for him to fully get off your limb and stand up. “Get off!”

“Right.” pushed himself up and dusted his clothes off from any grass.

 “M’lady,” He jokingly bowed and reached out a hand to you, waiting for you to grab it so he could help you up. You ignored his gesture, picking up your bag while getting up without his help, rolling your eyes and shoving past him.

“Everyone up! We still have some walking to do before we get to the campsite!” Mr Diggory called out, everyone else began to pick themselves and their belongings up as they muttered and sighed under their breaths.

Thank Merlin you had your own room in this tent. You would’ve gone mad if you weren’t able to get some amount of isolation to cool down. It was shocking how easily the smallest interaction with Fred could ruin your mood.

You had about an hour before you had to get going. That’d be more than enough time for your irritation to go away.

“I’ve got great news!” Cedric jokingly sang as he pushed open the flaps of the tent leading into your space, making his dramatic entrance.

“What now?” You sat up amused. You assumed from his sarcastic tone that maybe the match had been postponed to a later time or you’d somehow got moved to shitter seats.

“Mr.Weasley invited us to go over to his tent tonight, after the game ends.” He let out quickly, knowing that you are not going to be pleased.

“What?” Your expression dropped. “That means- no! I’m not gonna be stuck in a tent with Fred and George!” You exclaimed, you’d already had your interaction with one of them today, now you would not be dealing with both.

“Well, my dad already agreed. So…” He trailed off. You groaned and fell back on the bed, you were too tired to argue.

“Fine, whatever. Just let me have a moment to myself, please.” You ran your hands down your face.

“Yeah, yeah. Oh, take this also!” He threw a red and black scarf at you, “We’ve got to sport some pride, right?” He shrugged before disappearing behind the flaps of the tent.

Merlin knows how many stairs you had to climb to get up there, your legs began to hurt once you made it to your seats.

Cedric and you were the first to make it to your spot. The seats that were set at the highest point of the stadium. The Weasley party was not far behind you.

As Fred walked up, you let out a small laugh of disbelief due to his appearance. He had a large three-leafed clover painted on his face, a white and green scarf hung around his neck, and wore a cartoonishly large white and green top hat. 

While George only had stripes of white and green painted on his cheeks and Ginny wore a large Leprechaun hat.

Fred had truly outdone the others and himself.

Cedric noticed the laugh you let out and was not going to let you get away with that.

“Are you smiling at him?” Cedric looked at you with disbelief, but he sounded excited that you were smiling, almost like he was waiting for this to happen.

“I’m laughing at him.” You corrected him. “And it’s only because he looks like an idiot.” The small smile was still on your face. Cedric's eyes analyzed your expression.

“Sure.” He narrowed his eyes at you. You ignored him, looking around the large stadium.

A tall figure slid up next to you, and it sure as hell wasn’t Cedric.

"Aw, did you miss me?" Fred cooed, tilting his head.  

"Absolutely not." You spat out the last word, your smile dissolving and a grimace taking over your face instead.

Just before you could get another snarky response out, a string of players flew past your head. The strong wind from their brooms nearly made Fred’s hat fly off.

The stadium roared and boomed with cheers from excited fans as more players from the teams flew out. You felt like your eardrums would burst with how loud the twins were.

They only got louder once Viktor Krum flew out.

“Who’s that?” Ginny shouted to her brothers.

“That, sis, is the best seeker in the world!” George exclaimed as he pointed at the Bulgarian wizard excitedly.

“Aren’t you supposed to be cheering for Ireland?” You narrowed your eyes at him and scoffed.

“Yeah, but who doesn’t love Krum!” Fred and George said in unison, George went back to screaming and cheering as players flew past on their brooms. Fred’s eyes averted to your neck, you noticed.

Do not let them ruin your night. Do not let them ruin your night. Do not let them ruin your-

“You know what I haven’t seen in a while, George?” Fred nudged his twin, getting him to look back over. “That necklace we made for her.” A smirk took over both of their faces as George decided to join in.

“Yeah, what happened to that? I reckon you wore it for a bit, then one day it just vanished.” George added in, peeking over Fred’s shoulder.

“I got rid of it. Could you two just watch the bloody game?” You turned your attention to the stadium, not wanting to be reminded of that embarrassing day in the library, the day you stopped wearing the stupid piece of jewelry they’d given you.

Not long after, Cedric returned, and this time, he stood between you and those red-headed boys. Freeing you from being pestered any more.

Despite the final game lasting over two hours, it went by fast. 

And despite being near the twins, you had a good time overall. 

The twins nearly fell out of their seats when Ireland won. They were screaming joyfully at each other. It was something about money and winning a bet. You could barely hear them over the rest of the stadium.

You secretly giggled as they jumped up and down like little girls.

Your time at the Weasleys tent wasn’t as bad as you expected. You talked with Hermione and Ginny some, while Ron preached about Krum to the entire tent. 

“There's no one like Krum!” Ron shouted as he stood up on the small ottoman next to a chair. 

“Krum? Dumb Krum?” Both Fred and George began to repeat this nickname to Ron, acting as if they weren’t cheering for him in the stands.

“He's like a bird the way he rides the wind!” He went on, sounding as if he was performing slam poetry.

“Dumb Krum!” The twins chanted as they ran around him, flapping their arms, mimicking the look that baby birds have when learning how to fly. Fred took the flag he had draped around him and threw it over Ron’s head.

“He's more than an athlete! He's an artist!” Ron cried out as he took the flag off.

“I think you're in love, Ron.” Ginny giggled, Ron only let out a muttered “Shut up.” in response.

“Viktor, I love you!” George began to sing loudly as he grabbed onto Ron’s hand, Fred grabbed onto his other.

“Oh Viktor, I do!” Fred sang mockingly while getting down on one knee. This led to Harry choosing to sing along.

“When we're apart my heart beats only for you!” The three sang to a frowning Ron, who was still standing on the ottoman, shoulders slouched.

Screams and blasts coming from outside interrupted their singing. 

“Sounds like the Irish have got their pride on.” Fred said amusedly as he stood up, not bothering to get a full look outside at what was happening.

He grabbed a cushion and was preparing to join in on a fight between Ron and George when his father came rushing in.

“Stop!” Mr.Weasley shouted at them, getting the attention of everyone in the tent.

“It’s not the Irish.” His voice was stern and there was panic filling up in his face. “We’ve got to get out of here. Now.” His tone of voice didn’t make it sound like a suggestion, everyone began to run out the tent.

Outside was pure chaos. 

Terror. 

Tents were crushed and lit on fire. People were running into the woods, screaming, apparating, trying to get away from something.

You stood frozen in fear at the sight not far from you. 

A group of hooded, masked wizards had their wands pointed upright, above them was a group of four floating in the air. Their figures being contorted and twisted into disturbing shapes. Something you’d see out of a horror movie.

“We’re going to help the Ministry.” Mr.Weasley's voice got your attention, he was standing next to Cedric’s father. “You lot, get back to the portkey and stick together!” He ordered as he took out his wand. Automatically you began to move towards Cedric.

“Fred and George, Ginny is your responsibility!” Mr.Weasley shouted before running off. Fred grabbed onto Ginny's hand and started heading towards the forest with George. 

Harry, Ron, and Hermione grouped together and ran off with them.

“Here, I think I know a separate path!” Cedric shouted as grabbed onto your arm.

“You think? Or you know?” You questioned him, your feet stuck in place.

“Can you not do- Would you just trust me?” He bellowed out before he began to run, his hand still gripped around your arm, pulling you with him.

You ran for what felt like ages, constantly bumping into people and dodging fallen over remains of tents and trees.

You could see the forest in the distance when you heard a blast right next to you.

Suddenly, you were being knocked over by strong, hot, wind. It was strong enough to where Cedric lost his grip on your forearm. You hit the ground and your head hit something too.

Cedric tried to turn and run back to you, it seemed impossible due to the crowds pushing him, he could move with the crowd and not against, leaving you there. 

You brought your hand to the side of your head, feeling a warm liquid smudge onto your fingers and you put your hand in front of your eyes, blood.

You weren’t able to process the fact that your head had just been busted open for long once more crowds of people began to run through, many accidentally kicking or stepping on you while rushing to get out.

All you could do was just lay there, groaning and trying to stay conscious as you were repeatedly hit. Your weakened limbs weren’t much help when trying to pick yourself up.

Even if you could get up, you wouldn’t know where to go. Cedric was out of sight and people were running in different directions.

You don’t remember how long you were stuck on the ground for. Maybe it was only a minute, maybe five, maybe ten. Who knows. It felt like forever. 

Only remembering the horrible feeling of hundreds of scared and panicked feet running over you, on you, or accidentally kicking you, few people tripping over you, only to get back up and continue running. The wet tears sliding down the side of your face and the taste of metallic in your mouth, the smell of sweat and smoke filling your lungs.

You could see the dirt footprints from peoples shoes all over your legs, stomach, everywhere, some blood too. 

You couldn’t tell if it was others or your own.

You started to lose all hope of someone helping, you chose to close your eyes and depressedly wish your body would go numb or that you would fall unconscious so you wouldn’t have to feel the pain anymore.

“Hey! Help me get her up!” A voice shouted as you felt someone lift you up by the underneath of your armpits. You were being dragged away from your spot on the ground and through the fiery campsite, you couldn’t even hold up the weight of your own head.

Eventually you heard the same voice mutter the words  “Fuck it.” and you were no longer being dragged, you were being picked up and held bridal style. You were able to use enough of the little strength you had left to get a good look at who was holding you. 

You lifted up your head and saw the last person you’d expect to see.

“Fred?” You mumbled, your eyes squinted and your head dizzy.

“It’s okay, it’s okay, we’re gonna get you help.” Fred said as he ran, his breathing heavy and panicked. 

The orange flames all around lit up his face, you scanned it with your eyes, taking in the details.

Has he always had so many freckles?

Has his hair always looked so soft?

Have his eyelashes always been so long?

It must've been the fumes of the smoke getting to you, causing these thoughts.

Fred would occasionally look down at you while running, making sure you were still conscious. You saw the look on his face, the look of shock, of worry, of panic, of fear.

Your eyesight began to get blurry, it was getting more and more difficult to keep your eyes open and your head up. Your body gave in, your head fell back, you went limp. Fred was cursing to himself.

“Oh shit. Shit, shit, shit.” He uttered, breathing heavily as he caught up to his family.

You had small moments of consciousness, constantly fading in and out. It was a struggle to keep your eyes from going blurry, you were only able to get a clear look of the night sky, trees above you, and occasionally Fred's face. 

You remembered bits and pieces of conversation between the group once he had reached the rest of them.

“Where were- oh Merlin, what happened?” A similar voice to Fred’s called out, most likely George.

“She must’ve tripped or got knocked over, people were trampling her.”

“Fred, is that your blood?” Ginny pointed out, she noticed the fresh stains of blood covering the sleeve of his cardigan.

“No. It’s hers. Possibly. I think she hit her head somehow, she’s injured somewhere.”

Large running footsteps were heard coming towards you. 

“Dad!” You heard Ginny call out.

“Are you all- oh dear, is she-“ It was an older man's voice, most likely Mr.Weasley. You cut off his question with a groan of agony.

“Well, that shows she’s alive.” George quipped in with some poorly timed humor.

“Wait, where have Ron and Harry and Hermione gone?” Mr.Weasley stressed.

One of the loudest explosions shook the ground, you felt the vibration as your arms and legs dangled around when Fred ducked down.

“We’ll search for them, get the girls to the portkey, go!” Arthur commanded, Fred shook his head frantically, you felt him begin to run, stress filling his face.

“Don’t get her hurt anymore than she already is!” Arthur called out from a distance.

You couldn’t remember anything after that. You’d lost consciousness for the last time.

Fred kept his eyes on you the entire time you were both flying and falling through the portkey, focused only on you, he used his body as a shield when you both hit the ground, hoping neither of your bones broke.

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[beware-of-pity]

Cinnamon Girl - I

Masterlist

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Harry James Potter x Reader

Crossposted on Ao3

Summary :

Only dreams can awaken consciousness. As the final battle between him and the Dark Lord draws nearer every day, Harry attends his sixth year at Hogwarts, warped by strange dreams, which he's sure someone is having a hand at. Hidden away by the shadows of the darkness in which those hands are summoned, he finds a girl not in synch with the world she dwells in. A seer, a siren, or perhaps just a girl he finds himself madly intrigued by.

Prologue: Oh, my life is changing everyday (In every possible way)

. ⚯ ͛

They say dark times require dark measures. It seems that after ‘He who must not be named’ had revealed his presence in the halls of the Ministry of Magic during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, no one was willing to deny the obvious return of the Dark Lord, which had been the causing of much speculation after the Tri-Wizard tournament, and the much distressing death of the young Cedric Diggory.

Open war on the wizarding community had been declared, and no one could consider themselves safe anymore.

Harry had spent a long time laying his eyes upon the purple leaflet that an owl, who had made his way on the perch of his window, had delivered to him. The instructions were simple, or at least, those were the measures the Ministry of Magic believed to be sufficient enough to protect oneself against the dark forces of the Death Eaters on the loose to spread chaos upon the world Harry had known ever since he was but a boy.

To not leave the house unattended had been a challenge enough, seeing as he could not rely upon the presence of another wizard to accompany him wherever he went, especially at night when he would sit at the old, run-down food stand on the platform of the train station he had found a fondness for wandering around and riding the trains off. He had been precarious, looking behind his back all the time. To say he had become paranoid would be a little too over the top, but he surely could not find the ease he felt when at Hogwarts or any of the familiar surroundings, where he could be safe or could find a helping hand at the simple turn of a corner.

He could not advise his aunt and uncle of the precautionary ways to protect themselves were it to come down to it either, for no charm or spell they could master, seen by their lack of magic, and even if there was a way for him to know how to defend them, he wasn’t sure they would be too open to hearing him out. Their pride, especially his uncle’s, beget him to ignore Harry. He could not blame them, he supposed, the less they knew, the better, left them less exposed and more into safer hands were something to happen to them.

He shared letters with both Ron and Hermione in the weeks following the battle of the Department of Mysteries. Both of his friends tried to be there for him as much as they could, sending comforting words that would put him off any sort of ideas that may come to his mind in light of Sirius’ passing. A tragedy, it had been deemed, by people who could not come near comprehending just how much the death of one of the few people he considered close to him and which he held dear to his heart had truly impacted and affected him. He grieved him still, and he was sure he would for a very long time, even surer he was that he would never stop, for the love he held for the man called his ‘godfather’ could never go away from the cave in his chest that had been carved and reserved for Sirius.

Things had been chaotic, to say the least, as the dust ruffled by the events ending his fifth school year slowly settled back upon the shots that had caused it to move in the first place. As recommended by the leaflet, he, Ron and Hermione had agreed upon several security questions to detect if the friend they thought was presenting in front of them was truly them or a Death Eater masquerading as others by use of the Polyjuice Potion.

But unlike all the ruffled feathers filling the air, his had been a couple of quiet weeks. He had not heard from Dumbledore ever since the time he had tried to shield him from the photographers rounding him, flashing their cameras too close to his eyes, practically blinding him, and shouting questions which made his eyes ring in a way that pulled at his eardrums, quickly sending waves of pains through his temples, reaching his forehead, where the nerves under his skin probed him in pain and left him disoriented. He made for a horrid sight, with speckles of blood on his face, pale, with a twisted pain he had come to know very well burning at the skin of his chest, where his heart resided. 

His breath had begun to quicken; his lips had tightened from the lack of moisture he tried to recover by wetting his lips, but to no avail, it did nothing but dry his mouth in turn, while the hard knot on his troath continued to tighten in the chord of the flesh there.

Had it not been for the comforting presence of his headmaster’s hand which had been placed on his shoulder as he had been led away from the sworn of journalists, he wasn’t sure he could have endured the ordeal for much longer before he could begin to lose his mind.

He needed a remedy to clear his mind, so he wandered the streets of the little Surrey town of Little Whinging, where he had lived his entire life since being placed in the care of his aunt and uncle. Trains were fast, and the rush of adrenaline they gave him felt nice. It would blind him of all the thoughts his mind had been filling itself with lately, if only for a moment.

He then began to find himself unconsciously spending time sitting at one of the tables of the food stand, watching over the train from across the window, and the pretty waiter, who would cheekily smile his way whenever she found him looking at her, peering upon the latest copy of the ‘Daily Prophet’ he’d bring with him, reading it as slowly as he could as an excuse to spend more time in the establishment.

He wasn’t sure he liked her, liked her, in that way. His feelings had been all over the place, especially in the romantic department, which he found himself more than not fumbling his way into.

First, it was Cho, a kind girl which he knew would never find the love she had felt for Cedric in him, but he hoped she would see a new, mature one, born upon the shared feeling of the hardship and the loss of a person which they found a friend into. He had been mistaken, in that he realized, as had Cho, who liked him, she truly did, but the pain of the loss of her first love shadowed everything that could have blossomed between them.

Then it had been Ginny, the younger sister of his best friend; he found in her a wild, young nature that he grew attracted to. Ginny embodied everything in her that meant being a Gryffindor. She was brave and good at everything she settled her mind upon, and he knew she would accomplish great things if given the opportunity, such as the path he could see her embarking on in the sport they both loved and played, Quidditch. 

He had wondered, at times,  how Ron would feel about him possibly crushing upon his sister, who he knew Ron was protective of.

It had all begun, he would think, after meeting at King's Cross. Ginny developed feelings for him and talked about him all summer, or so he had heard about it from an amused and teasing Ron, and when he was rescued from his family and brought to the Burrow, she became extremely shy in his presence. Since then, they have both gone on different romantic paths, but he knew it was hard to omit what was always there and would probably leave unless they faced it.

Overall, everything was just too complicated for him to get ahold of, especially his very complicated feelings, and with everything that had gone down in recent years, he could not think of affording the time to get to know anyone. Or so he thought, he had more important things to worry about, such as the flickering light that had begun to go wild on the opposite platform on which the food stand stood. He had stood to peer over the fogged window, trying to get a closer look at the sight before him that he knew could be of no normal nature as glitter dust began to dance over the opposite platform. As a train roars past, Harry squints through the flickering window and watches the dust transform into the headmaster of the place he had come to know as his one true home, Albus Dumbledore.

Levelling his glasses, he peers across the platform. Dumbledore smiles and gives Harry a wave. Although amused, Harry tightens his lips at the sight, knowing no good could come out of Dumbledore’s presence before him.

He was right, as he told himself he always was when his second instinct kicked in. One moment, he was standing beside his mentor, looking up at the rather provocative billboard he had seen being glued there not a few days past from his usual spot at the table at the stand; the next, he was being led through a steep, narrow street lined with darkened houses. It had lasted but a moment, but once he had placed his hand on that of his headmaster, the pitched headlong tornado he had been pulled into, and that trashed him into a sound of rush and fury had his guts twisting in ways he did not know could be twisted.

Even as he walked, he reeled from the apparition he had experienced. His eyes sting with tears, his steps heavy and unsteady, he followed Dumbledore in what he apparently required his assistance with.

“Most people vomit their first time. Don’t be too hard on yourself” he heard Dumbledore call out as he walked on the front.

“Can’t imagine why that is…” he murmured to himself, trying to regain his footing.

He glances about as Dumbledore explains to him that they are in the village of Budleigh Babberton. For what, Harry could only wonder, and as such, he says when asked of his opinion of the matter.

“After all these years, I just sort of roll with it, sir.” Dumbledore smiles mildly as if pleased by Harry’s willing compliance before the old lines on his face harden once they reach the objective of this ‘mission’ they had set out. A small stone house, in which Harry could not find any appeal whatsoever. Run down, the door blasted and misplaced, the windows on its sides broken and completely not whole. Something’s wrong, and Dumbledore takes the moment to voice it.

“Wands out, Harry”

Utter devastation is what they meet as they pass through the cracked door, moving smoothly and swiftly through the entrance hall, the light coming from the tips of their wands as their guiding light, with careful steps, avoiding the many possibilities of making noises that presented themselves to them in the form a grandfather clock laying on the floor, its face cracked, a piano sagging in in the corner, keys strewn like teeth upon the rug. A copy of the Daily Prophet, the same one he had been reading at the food stand, trembles in the breeze from a half-open window, broken shards of glass, more likely being the busted chandelier no longer on the ceiling, where in its place a hollowed hole in which a wet, dark and glutinous substance dripped down from upon, strikes the word ‘chosen’, written upon the gazette.

Harry gasped softly as it hit his face, flicking down on his forehead, right on his scar, and startling him. He went to dabb at it before Dumbledore stopped him, grabbed his hand, tapped the blood with his finger, and went for a taste.

The reaction is immediate, surely recognizing that which he had just gotten a taste of. Dumbledore turns, his eyes narrowing on an overstuffed armchair. A couple of perfectly placed slippers are in front of it, giving away the hiding spot of the person they were here for. 

Moving to it, Dumbledore jabs his wand into the plump seat cushion, awakening that which had not wanted to be disturbed in the first place.

Horace Slugghorn was many things. Some would say he was a fool. 

A naive, foolish fool who priced himself too much. A fool, indeed, but a prepared one he was.

The armchair he had mutated into reveals his plump, aged form, even as he briefly gets caught between the two forms. After a bit of grumbling and wrestling his way to the parts of him unwilling to change, seams splitting and the popping of a cushion button or two, the fat old man known as Horace Sluggorn reveals himself in all his glory, looking overly mighty in a pair of well-worn lilac pyjamas.

Quite the scene, Harry thought, as he watched the two converse before he was introduced to the man and he, in turn. Sluggorn looks at him as if he were a dragon, ready to pounce upon his new shining toy to add to his prized collection as he makes the observation many made at his sight. His father’s through and through, yet when people would meet his eyes, it was his mother staring back at them.

Harry didn’t know for how much longer in his life he could hear this comparison any longer; it brought him mixed feelings, to say the least. On the one hand, perhaps it was the fact that he could not remember either the face or the eyes most talked about if only by the memories brought by the many times he had passed flipping through the album of photos of them he held as a dear possession. But also, he felt a sort of pride in carrying the face of the people who were his parents, a mix of the love they had bore one another in the living form that he was. A true testament to who Lily and James Potter were, living and breathing, walking and very much alive in the form of their son.

Throughout it all, Sluggorn stared at Harry as if hypnotised, even as he gestured for him to walk closer to the dresser crowded with photographs, which his mom is part of many, it seems. Sluggorn rambled on and on about the other students he had the pleasure of teaching, whom he had stayed close to during the years, and his best students, his best picks, and members of his prized collection.

Harry remains disinterested in the description of many of these people until his eyes land on a framed photo, where a boy, no older than he was now, stands beside the professor, clad in his Slytherin quidditch uniform, who, for Harry’s liking, resembles Sirius too much.

He had come to know the boy as Regulus Black, Sirius’ brother, and Harry, hypnotised, just as Sluggorn had been of his presence, stares at the photo intently as Sluggorn describes him, the pleasure it had been being his teacher while professing the disappointment of not being his brother’s, how he had never been able to complete his collection of teaching members of the Black family through the lack of Sirius.

Before they can continue, they’re interrupted by Dumbledore coming back from the loo, a muggle magazine in hand about knitting patterns, a jolly expression on his face as he holds it up for Sluggorn to see as he asks if he could keep it. Sure enough, he’s given the go, and before Sluggorn can protest they make a go for the door once more, now in its place again.

Not even a few steps out of the door, Sluggorn comes rushing through, yelling about relenting to the hidden proposal that Dumbledore had come to present to him, as he had, it seemed, many times before. Returning to Hogwarts to teach potions. To Harry, it seemed a rather redundant proposal, especially coming all this way to pursue and persuade a man who did not ask to be impressed or be offered more than he bargained for and one who had seemed to be more than willing to take the offer once considered through. With just one interaction, Harry had come to understand who Horace Sluggorn was. He likes his comfort, the company of the famous, the successful, and the powerful. He enjoys the feeling that he influences these people as he boasts about them to others. He has never wanted to occupy the throne himself; he prefers the backseat — more room to spread out. It had been, just as they returned to the spot they had apparated to, that Harry truly realised just why Sluggorn had so easily accepted that which he had so vehemently denied before.

Him. It had all made sense. Harry wondered if he was so appealing to a man like Sluggorn, who did not seem to want anything and asked for nothing more than what he needed, that he would risk it all just to acquire him in the list of students Sluggorn had the pleasure to boast about.

The was something more, which he was shielded from, yet, but one that he knew would be revealed to him soon. Not now, it seemed, perhaps not the time yet. He didn’t ask or inquire, he knew it would be futile. He trusted Dumbledore, and he knew that he did things a certain way because those same things required them.

He took a deep breath as he placed his hand on the one Dumbledore extended to him, dreading what was to come next.

What he did not expect was for his next apparition to be worse than his first. His shoes, as well as a good chunk of his trousers, were wet from the running pond in the field the Burrow was built around, he had just landed into.

He groaned as he stumbled through the muddy ground under the water, trying to regain his footing as he winced.

Once he gets close enough to the house, he glances about, until his eyes land on the fiery-haired girl he shared complicated feelings for, Ginny, as she flits briefly past an upstairs window.

His reunion with his most dear friends had been bittersweet but a happy one nonetheless, even as he greeted Ginny, with whom he shared an air of awkwardness after she gave him a great grinning hug, the moment oddly charged, a surprise to both of them, which he thinks of even as he greets her mother, Molly Weasley, who he viewed as his own.

A copy of the Daily Prophet tumbles within a makeshift campfire of blue flames, protruding by Harry’s wand, but magically doesn’t disintegrate. Harry teases the fire with the tip of his wand, where ‘The Chosen One?’ mingles with Draco’s haunted face in flames, the photo taken outside the hearing for his father’s trial.

He, Ron and Hermione catch up on what’s been happening as of late, the fact that both Hermione’s parents, muggle-born that had no idea of the intricacies of the wizarding world, and Ron’s mother deemed the idea of returning to Hogswart to be too unfit to happen.

Harry shook his head as he argued against the notion of Hogwarts ever being dangerous.

“But we’re talking about Hogwarts. Dumbledore. What could be safer?” His question was met with both of his friends sharing a knowing look. Perhaps it was his naivety or the simple trust he blindly placed in a man who had proven to be more than reliable, but Harry truly believed in the idea that as long as Dumbledore was around nothing would happen. He knew that to be true, he would stick to his gun unless proven otherwise.

He believed he knew the old man, who he viewed as his mentor, better than everyone at school; what a fool Harry was, he didn’t know the man at all, only what he was given to believe he was. But such a young spirit could not be dispirited by the harsh reality of the world he was not shown, that which was purposely hidden from him. He needed to believe, otherwise what else would there be for him to believe in?

The comforting silence in the room breaks as the three break off in laughter, and the night comes alive with the flesh of youth. That night, as Harry lies on a straw-together makeshift bed, he looks out upon the blue field, where shining stars glisten brightly, contrasting their dark surroundings.

With his nose filled with the smell of sweet vanilla candles, he falls into the depths of his dreams, where warm fingertips trace and trail upon his face. The echoes of a muffled voice lull him into the darkness he had become so afraid of before he falls into their warm embrace.

He would soon find out whose hands those fingers belonged to and why they were reaching for his dreams.

AN: I wanted to preface that i'm writing this fanfic as a birthday gift to one of my friends and that with her permission I heavily edited this to make it a x reader story for you all to enjoy. I am not the biggest fan of this franchise even though I appreciate it for what it is, its impact on fandom works, and the childhood it took me through. It's been a long time since I've interacted with this fandom (which i'm not sure it's still alive for this x reader story to enjoy) or since I watched one of the movies, so please, if you think I'm not educated enough in the source material it's mostly likely because I am actually not. I will try my best to be faithful to the events of the movies since this is canon-compliant to them (especially because I have not read the books), and I hope that with that little warning in mind, you will be able to enjoy this as much as I actually found myself while writing it.

[kitty-tea]

Can you write a smut story with cedric where the reader is shy, introvert and not very bold (the complete opposite personality of the reader from your other cedric story) and cedric is a gentlemanly soft dom?

I'm going through a edric obsession rn and I read your other story. It was really good and well written, but I'm nothing like the reader in it, so I couldn't relate to it 🥲.

New girl

Link to masterlist

Cedric Diggory x Muggle!reader

Summary: Cedric notices a new girl in town.

Hi sorry this is so late I started this story shortly after receiving the request in my inbox but then I kept having to rewrite and re-edit every time because I wasn’t happy with how my story was turning out, but I’m finally done!

I thought it’d be interesting to write a fanfic about Cedric with a Muggle!reader since I’ve never read any before

Warnings: NSFW, smut, oral sex, nipple play, pet names, shy!reader, might contain typos, p in v sex, all characters are of age, 18+ only!

After telling his parents his plans for the day, Cedric headed out to the same familiar coffee shop in town he’d gone to since before he could remember. He expected nothing but the same tables, chairs, customers, and workers when he walked into the cafe. What he wasn’t expecting was a new employee, you.

He could see you wiping the counter, too focused on your task to notice him until he said hello. You let out a gasp. Apparently, you were one to get startled easily. You had on a black Henley top paired with matching black leggings, and your hair was in a bun that was as big as the cinnamon rolls in the pastry case with some hair left framing your blushing face.

“H-Hi, how can I help you?” Cedric thought that little tremble in your voice complemented so well with this adorable shyness you were displaying.

“I’ll take a latte and a slice of peach pie. For here.” He said, sounding cool and confident.

After you rang up his order, he took a seat not far from the counter. It was a small cafe, with enough room for only about five tables to be lined up. With there being no other customers inside, he was able to savor the silence that was occasionally broken by the sounds you made with your footsteps as you worked behind the counter.

As you brought out his food and drink, you gave him what looked to be a half smile, but it wasn’t a type of rude or lazy half-smile. It was more of a customer service smile that you weren’t trying to overdo.

“Here you go sir,” you set the plate and cup down, careful not to mess up the heart that was crafted onto the latte. Cedric thought that you did a lovely job on it, and he wanted to let you know.

“Thank you. It’s a lovely heart by the way.” He smiled.

“Oh, I’ve only just started working here a few weeks ago.” You fidgeted with your sleeves and the hem of your little apron around your waist.

“You must be new in town.” He guessed, more like stated.

“How did you know?”

“I’ve lived here my whole life. I don’t meet new people everyday.” He said. “My name’s Cedric, what’s yours?”

As quickly as you looked into his eyes and told him your name, your eyes went back to where they were looking at originally.

“Thanks again,” He tried making eye contact with you to ease you up, but it apparently had the opposite effect as you kept looking down and nodded before retreating to the counter.

Cedric was used to girls at school throwing themselves at him and following him around like a lost puppy. Now it was his turn to be the lost puppy.

Cedric told himself that he wasn’t technically stalking you since he liked to go to that particular cafe since before you started working there. It was his little routine during the summer holidays for him to sometimes walk over there and get breakfast. It also happened that he noticed that you were there almost every weekday for the opening shift.

It caught him by surprise when he was taking a late afternoon walk around town and he saw you coming out of the cafe after it was scheduled to close. You huffed as your purse fell from your shoulder. Before you could bend down to pick it up, Cedric had it in his hand, ready to hand it over to you.

“Thank you.” You said as your eyes met his. “It’s Cedric, right?”

“Yeah, you remembered my name.” He let the corners of his eyes crinkle in its own way of smiling. “You just got done closing?” He asked, pointing to the sign that said “closed” just because he loved to awkwardly point out the obvious in front of a pretty girl.

“I had to cover for someone today. Normally, I work the opening shift.” You were still holding onto that habit of occasionally looking down while in his presence.

“I see.” He nodded. He had to come up with another question to keep you talking. “How do you like it here?”

“It’s nice and quiet. Although I’ve seen some strange families around here.” Strange families? He knew exactly which strange families you were referring to because he was a part of one of them.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with people who are different. They’re what makes this town unique.” You said quickly, as if you were worried you insulted his hometown.

“Yeah, I pretty much grew up with this entire town, I know what you mean.” Cedric said. He then reminded himself that he got so distracted by talking to you that he forgot that you had to get home. “Sorry if I’m holding you up. It was nice talking to you. I’m sure you have to get home.”

“It’s okay. I was actually going to the park.”

“Me too.” No he wasn’t. “Maybe we can go there together?”

“Really? I wouldn’t want to impose.” You looked down at your worn out shoes.

On the short walk to the park, you and Cedric talked and got to know each other. He told you all about his life except for the part about him being a wizard and how he used to attend a magical boarding school while you told him about how you and your parents moved here from a big city after you had finished school.

As the first sign of sundown became visible, you and Cedric said your goodbyes to each other, but before you could leave, he asked you, “Would you like to go out with me sometime this week? Like on a date?” He assumed from your conversation with him that you had no current boyfriend, so the chances of you saying yes were increased. Unless, he was wrong and some other guy had asked you out already which he would feel down about if it were true.

“Are you sure you want to go out with me?” You started fidgeting with your sleeves, blushing.

“Absolutely.” He brushed a strand of hair out of your face, making you look up at him. He wanted to melt as soon as you made eye contact with him, showing the sparkle in your eyes.

“What time do you get off work?” Cedric asked.

“At one.” You said.

“Perfect. I’ll meet you there tomorrow.” He cupped your cheek in his large hand and placed a light kiss there.

As he was laying in bed, Cedric looked out at the dark ceiling above him. The last thing he remembered before closing his eyes was that he was thinking about your beautiful smile and how couldn’t wait to see it again.

A couple months had passed in his new relationship and Cedric dreaded having to be subjected to his parents’ questioning about how he was going to tell you he was a wizard, or if he’d already told you which was why he didn’t bother telling them he was seeing someone. He knew when the time was right, he’d tell you everything you needed to know about him. You had given him no reason to feel as if you’d judge him no matter what. He was lucky you weren’t one of those nosey girls to pester him about meeting his family or ask of any secrets he might be hiding.

The day did come when he felt ready to tell his parents that he was seeing a Muggle. Of course they knew he was seeing someone. It’s a parent’s job to know everything about their kids, so it was inevitable that they’d want to meet you.

It was on one of your days off that Cedric invited you to lunch in his home with his parents.

He had warned you his parents were a bit unusual themselves, but you assured him not to worry. What he didn’t tell you was that they were the way they were because they were wizards who weren’t very knowledgeable about Muggles.

As soon as you hopped off your bike in front of Cedric’s house, you noticed the lack of cars in the driveway, something you weren’t used to seeing in front of other homes, but you brushed it off.

You were happy meeting his parents was without a hitch. Mr. and Mrs. Diggory told you what a delight you were to have around as well as saying you seemed like the right girl for Cedric.

After his parents left to go attend to magical business (not that you needed to know what it was) Cedric was alone with you in his bedroom.

“What’s this, Cedric?” You asked as you pointed to a Mooncalf plushie he forgot to hide in his closet. His eyes widened even more than the plushie’s as realization sunk into him.

“It’s… just something I drew as a kid and my parents made it into a toy.” He came up with that excuse.

“It’s so adorable! I love how big its eyes are! Can I hold it please?” You begged. He didn’t see any harm in it. It wasn’t like you stumbled upon the real thing.

Once he nodded in approval, your smile widened as you grabbed the toy off the bookshelf and wrapped your arms around it.

“Aww, I wish this was a real animal, don’t you?” Cedric thought you looked adorable when you were mesmerized like you were at that moment.

Of course they’re real. They’re magical creatures called Mooncalves. He wanted to tell you.

“But you’re real. And way cuter than that thing.” He took the plushie out of your hands as he placed it back into its proper place before stepping forward and encircling his hands around your waist. You blushed at the close proximity of your faces before the both of you felt your lips being pulled to each other’s.

As you continued making out with Cedric, you started to feel a dull ache between your thighs that only got stronger.

It was only when he heard a soft moan come out of your mouth that he pulled away and looked at your flushed face.

“Do you want to take this further?” He asked, searching all over your face for any sign of discomfort. It wasn’t that you were uncomfortable, you were shy and unsure of how to proceed with what was going on, but you still felt like you could trust Cedric.

After giving him consent by nodding your head, he led you to his bed where your back hit the soft mattress. A tiny whimper escaped you as you felt what you assumed was his erection bumping against your clit through the thin cotton of your shorts, sending a powerful, tingling sensation throughout your body.

“Does that feel good, Sweetheart?” Cedric’s deep voice brought you back from your pleasure-induced mini-trance. “I can give you more.”

“O-Okay.” Your response came out as a choked out whisper. Cedric was a patient person. He took his time admiring how sweet you looked as he slid each piece of clothing off your body until he unhooked your bra, which made you instinctively cover yourself.

“Don’t hide yourself from me, please.” His voice sounded like a gentle plea as he pried your arms off your chest. “You’re beautiful. I want to give them the love they deserve.” He cupped his large hand around one of your breasts, giving it a light squeeze.

You let your eyelids close as he continued massaging both of your breasts, giving them equal attention until you felt something warm and wet around one of your hardened nipples. The sensation of your nipple being sucked on felt too good for you to keep quiet.

The sweet little noises coming out of your pretty mouth did nothing to soothe the painful erection restricted in Cedric’s clothes. He needed more, and he could sense you did too.

With a plop, his mouth left your nipple, and you opened your eyes, a noise between a breathless sigh and a moan leaving you.

“How about I take off my clothes? Would that make you feel better?” Cedric asked as he ran the back of his pointer finger over your heated cheek. You nodded.

How could he say no to your cute face with your lips pouted looking like you were ready to suck on his cock?

You watched him like he was the most exciting thing in the world as he stripped off his T-shirt and jeans, revealing his muscles. He gave you a brief smile before hooking his fingers beneath the band of his underwear and pulling them down.

You couldn’t stop yourself from gasping, your eyes going wider than they’d ever been, making Cedric smirk at the effect he had on you.

He intertwined his fingers through your hair as he used his other hand to guide your face upwards until you were in a kneeling position with his dick in front of your face, less than an inch away from your lips.

“Come on, Sweetheart, let me see those pretty lips suck me off.” You let another soft gasp escape you as he put his thumb on your bottom lip slowly prying your mouth open.

He couldn’t comprehend how he so badly wanted to just lose it right there and shove his dick straight into your warm mouth and feel your throat closing and gagging around him. That wasn’t going to happen now because he reminded himself that he had to be patient with you and let you adjust and get comfortable, something he was also willing to do, reveling in your innocence and shyness.

“That’s it, good girl.” He praised you as you reached out with your tongue to lick the tip before wrapping your lips around it completely. “Just like that. You can go deeper if you’re ready.”

The feeling of having a cock inside your mouth was completely new to you, but it wasn’t unpleasant. You took a few experimental licks before deciding you enjoyed how the round tip felt on your tongue. You were curious and excited to find out how the rest of him would feel, so you wasted no time in running your tongue along the entire length, eliciting a deep groan from him.

“Was that good?” Your voice squeaked out, the loud plop of your lips disconnecting from him bringing him out of his thoughts.

“It was perfect.” Even though he didn’t get to cum, Cedric told himself it was okay. Maybe next time. He had already made up his mind about wanting to do this with you again.

“Why don’t I take a turn and make you feel good this time?” He ran his fingers through your hair before letting them trail along your neck before pushing you back towards the pillow you previously propped up against.

“I can take these off.” His thumb circled along the front of your panties before feeling your clit through the cotton. “I really want to see all of you.”

You were quickly starting to get dizzy from the pleasure of having Cedric rubbing the swollen, aching nub between your legs. The only thing on your mind at that moment was how good it felt to have that soft pressure on that sensitive area.

Cedric couldn’t get enough of staring at the blissed out expression on your face. He knew he was experienced enough with his fingers to be able to make you cum just from that if he wanted to.

Instead, he pulled his fingers away just before tugging your panties down, letting the delicate material glide along your soft thighs before tossing them in the same pile as your other clothes.

Before you could think about closing your legs, Cedric grabbed one of your ankles and maneuvered it so that his torso was between your thighs.

One look was all it took to know your pussy was already wet and eager for him to insert something into it. He could start small with one finger and add more until he stretched you out good enough before you were ready.

“How does this feel?” He asked you as he inserted his pointer finger into your hole.

“I want more… please?” It took him by surprise to hear how needy, but small your voice sounded, but he was more than eager and willing to fulfill your wants, so he added a second finger and curled it upwards.

That was when your eyes widened and your mouth started to twitch around a high-pitched whimper.

“Right there! Please!” You pleaded for him to give you more of that pleasurable sensation with his fingers, but unfortunately he pulled away, making you gasp at the new emptiness.

“Is this all for me?” Cedric asked as he brought his fingers to your face. Your wet and sticky juices coated them, its shine and gloss thick, making his fingers almost look like a sweet treat. It might as well have been just that for Cedric, having popped them into his mouth. You watched in awe as he licked off every drop of your arousal from his fingers without breaking eye contact with you.

“Darling, I think it’s time both of us give each other pleasure.” He smiled at you as he leaned forward, using one arm to prop himself up as he nudged the tip of his hard cock against your folds.

“Don’t you agree?” His deep voice whispered through your ear, making you melt as you lazily nodded along.

Holding onto the soft flesh of your hips, Cedric sheathed himself inside of you.

“Oh bloody hell, you feel so good.” He grunted as he felt your walls squeezing around him. “You’re doing so well.”

With his encouragement, you were prompted to become more responsive as you started to pant and moan louder with each thrust that became quicker. That was when you felt a pressure inside you start to build up.

To make that pressure even more intense, Cedric started rubbing your clit in circles. Your body was so close to convulsing around his dick at this point. It couldn’t have been more than ten seconds that you had shut your eyes as the pleasure overtook your entire body, and you saw stars behind your eyelids.

“Oh my God… Cedric!” You gasped. “I just finished…” You ended the sentence with a whisper.

“I’m almost there too, Angel.” He said to you with that same hushed tone as he continued to thrust into you with the same deep but measured pace as before until he gripped the pillow next to your head. A loud grunt left his throat as he bit his lip.

As if he had momentarily lost control of himself and regained it, he slipped out of you before he stroked himself one last time.

You looked down at your breasts and stomach where he had spilled himself and then up above you where he was catching his breath.

He let his head hang low above your shoulder, while your fingers glided over his back once. He returned the action except this time his agile fingers started at your cheek then your neck and shoulder before ending at the curve of your waist. He continued this a handful of times, seeing as how it seemed to soothe you, compelling your eyelids to shut slowly.

When a couple of minutes had passed without a peep from you and Cedric was absolutely sure you were asleep, he dug his wand out from his bedside drawer before casting a spell, cleaning the both of you up before tucking you under the blanket and joining you with his arm around you.

[t1oui]

no voldemort au where jegulus raises harry and marpanlily raises luna. sirius, remus, peter, barty, and evan are the cool uncles while dorcas and marlene are the cool aunts. there's nobleflower who got together later in life and who are currently living in one of the black family's ancestral homes in france with neville and draco. (frank is around frequently and lucius isn't around at all.)

neville and draco being brothers. neville telling alice about draco's crush on blaise and draco chasing him around the school, landing them both in detention.

luna and harry being siblings. while neville and draco, their cousins, are fighting, they simply sit back and watch. they adore each other and, if they can help it, are almost never seen apart.

harry being a slytherin. he rooms with draco and blaise, is best friends with pansy, and still frequently visits hermione, ron, and neville up in gryffindor tower.

pansy and harry (and vincent and greg) have been losing their minds for years over draco and blaise's pining. the two of them finally get together when harry tells them to shag and spends the rest of the night in ron and neville's room. the next morning, it takes a glance at draco and blaise and him wiggling his eyebrows to get a detention from snape.

harry and luna firecalling lily from the hearth in ravenclaw tower at least two or three times a week. the two of them talking to her about homework, crushes, and their latest exploits in teasing draco.

their parents showing them how to become animagi, which leads to narcissa and alice wanting to learn how, too. mcgonagall giving her students a fond eyeroll when their words are slurred in class because, really, it is quite obvious when you're hiding a leaf underneath your tongue.

harry being best friends with the patil twins, some of the few people outside of his dad's family that he shares a culture with. him spending hours in the library studying with padma, even longer out on the quidditch pitch flying with parvati.

harry, who's been dating cedric since his fourth year (where he watched the tournament instead of competing), and padma, who isn't interested in romance, being the cause of at least 90% of hogwarts's couples: dean and seamus, draco and blaise, luna and ginny, neville and hannah, hermione and pansy, and - of course - parvati and lavender.

remus being the d.a.d.a. professor from harry's first year through to his seventh, and retiring soon after when harry decides he wants the position himself. neville becoming the herbology professor, pansy and blaise going to potions and charms, but draco deciding to become a healer. ("what the hell are we meant to talk about if we're all bloody teachers?" he asked them once, much to his friends' amusement.)

cedric becomes the transfiguration professor when dumbledore finally agrees to retire and promote mcgonagall, and cho spends three years playing for puddlemere united before becoming the school's newest, coolest flying instructor. hermione surprises no one by rising through the ranks to minister for magic, and pansy quickly finds herself the chief editor of the daily prophet. rita skeeter quickly finds herself without a job. ron becomes an auror, a job he excels at, and during a mission in bulgaria he finds himself running into viktor krum. harry and padma see an opportunity.

every summer without fail, harry finds himself curled up on regulus and james's couch with a book, legs tangled with luna's or draco's or nev's or sometimes cedric's. he spends hours flying above the burrow's fields with the weasleys, spends long summer days taking lessons from krum because even in regulus's increasing age, he's the best seeker harry's ever seen.

harry spends his evenings sitting on the porch of his late grandparents' farmhouse, braiding hermione's hair the way pandora and mary taught him when he was young. the adults are inside. pansy is curled into hermione, flipping through a copy of witch weekly while luna sits on harry's other side and flips through her own copy of the quibbler.

neville is showing hannah and blaise some sort of frog by the creek that lavender is swimming in with seamus, dean, and the patil twins. up high in the sky, ron, draco, and cedric are flying with viktor, ginny, and cho in a two-vs-two match that is most definitely in the latter team's favor.

here, harry thinks, is home.

[mrsstruggle]

All The Good Girls Go To Hell - Prologue // Harry Potter AU

Summary: It's been a year since the war ended. Cedric Diggory is found dead and in debt to The Damnation. His sister, Y/N Diggory, offers to take her brother's place in The Damnation to pay off his debt, but things become complicated when she starts to develop feelings for the two handsome leaders.

[Wattpad]

Pairings: Y/N x Fred Weasley, Y/N Diggory x George Weasley (separately, not together because I will not write that)

Series Warnings: Language, Mentions of Death/Injury/Grief/Torture, Possible Grammar Mistakes (please let me know if there is anything else), and A Lot of Smut!!

Words: 1.5K (this is short but chapters will be longer!)

Note: This is a Harry Potter AU. This is set after the war.

Another Note: Cedric was not killed during the Triwizard Tournament, but he was tortured at the cemetery.

[I had this queued for 7PM, but it didn't post :/]

Masterlist

All The Good Girls Go To Hell Masterlist

---

Standing outside the infamous joke shop Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Y/N Diggory never felt so out of place. She has a briefcase in one hand and the other nervously tugging at the end of her short, red dress in hopes that it would somehow get longer. She needs to go inside but can't find the willpower to get her legs to move.

Kids run past her, shouting and laughing, as their parents rush after them into the shop. There are more people out than she thought there would be. She chose to come as close to closing time as possible, hoping there would only be a few people there. She wonders if it stays this crowded or if it's because the kids return to Hogwarts in a week.

"Are you actually going to go inside, or are you going to stand out here all day?" Y/N jumps slightly and quickly looks to her side to see where the voice is coming from. She locks eyes with a handsome redhead who is now standing to the left of her.

"I'm supposed to meet someone inside, but my legs seemed glued to the sidewalk for some reason." She nervously jokes.

The guy chuckles lowly. "Do I need to see if I can find something to get the glue off," he quickly retorts.

Y/N snorts out a laugh as she looks back down at the ground. She notices that he's wearing a thick, black pair of combat boots. As she looks back up at him, she observes that he doesn't look like the type of guy who would come to a joke shop. With his black tactical joggers paired with a plain black t-shirt, he seems out of place, but she knows he could say the same thing about her.

"Hopefully it will just wash away with my nerves," she brings the briefcase in front of her so she can grip the handle with both hands, "I don't know if you can tell, but I've never been here before."

He glances down at her briefcase before shifting his gaze back up, "I wouldn't say it's too obvious, but you do look a bit overdressed. What's in the briefcase?"

"It's nothing," she chuckles nervously. "Would you believe me if I said I was trying to start a new trend?"

"Not at all, but if you don't want to tell me, you don't have to. My name's Charlie, by the way."

"I'm Y/N."

"Well, I've got to get to work, but it was nice to meet you."

"Yeah, you too." Y/N watches as Charlie walks into the joke shop and disappears into the sea of children.

She takes a deep breath as she tries to remember what Hermione told her to do. She needs to go inside and get a Penelope's Purple Pussy Cats. Take it to the front counter and ask if it comes in red. She remembers that Hermione told her to specifically ask, "Does this come in red?" and she can't ask any other way.

After standing in place for a few more seconds, Y/N finally wills her legs to move and opens the large entrance door. If she thought the sound of children screaming and laughing was loud from outside the shop, it was even louder inside. Kids were running around—going from stand to stand—checking out whatever caught their eye. You would think it was the shop's opening day, but it's been open for years.

Y/N moves to the side as a group of boys runs past her towards the back of the store. She looks around, hoping to see what she's looking for, but there are too many people in the store to see anything else other than people. Right now, she's cursing Hermione for not giving her instructions for where the hell to find a Penelope's Purple Pussy Cats.

She slowly weaves her way through the crowd as she searches for what she's looking for. She can feel her nerves get more and more on edge as people bump into the briefcase she's holding.

After walking around the store for another ten minutes, she finally spots what she needs. Tucked into a corner of the store, behind what appears to be love potions, she finds the Penelope's Purple Pussy Cats. Y/N grabs the box closest to her and makes her way to the checkout.

As she approaches the checkout, she silently thanks the universe for there not being a line. She quietly approaches the blonde girl standing at the checkout and sets the Penelope's Purple Pussy Cats on the table, "Um...does this come in red?"

Y/N's heart starts to race as the girl stares at her silently. Did she say the wrong thing? Is this one big prank to make her look like an idiot?

The girl, Verity (according to her name tag), entered something in the cash register before turning back to her, "Three Galleons."

Y/N quickly dugs into the purse that is hanging from her left shoulder. She slams three Galleons onto the counter, wincing at how harshly she set them down.

Verity slowly scoops up the Galleons and puts them into the register. She closes the register as her other hand dings a bell right next to it. The ding rings loudly throughout the store.

Y/N's hands tap nervously on the briefcase's handle as she waits for something to happen. Hermione told her that someone would come and take her to where she needed to go, but is she supposed to stand here and wait, or is she supposed to step aside somewhere?

"Bill will take you to find what you need," Verity says as a tall redhead—who, other than the large scars across his face, looks like the one she met earlier—emerges from the sea of people around the store. He stops when he's next to Y/N.

"Follow me," he says gruffly. He turns and starts walking toward the back of the store. Y/N tries to follow as closely as she can so she doesn't lose him amongst the crowd.

As they reach the back of the store, Bill opens a door with a sign that says 'EMPLOYEES ONLY' and gestures for her to follow him inside. Walking inside what appears to be a large storage closet, she watches as he easily moves a large shipping crate labeled 'FRAGILE' to reveal a trapdoor on the floor.

As he opens the trapdoor, Y/N can hear loud music and see flashing lights coming from the now-open hole in the floor. Looking a little closer, she can see an enclosed stone staircase that seems to spiral down into somewhere unknown. She looks up to see Bill looking at her expectantly—like she was supposed to just be okay with walking down into an unknown place underneath a joke shop.

"Are you going to go in?" Bill asks her.

"Yeah, obviously..." she looks back and forth from him to the staircase nervously, "Are Fred and George down there? If so, how do I find them?"

Bill's face somehow turns more serious than before, "What do you need with Fred and George?" He glances down at the briefcase in her hand before looking back at her face.

"I need to speak with them," she replies, straightening her posture a little to look more confident.

"About what?"

"That's none of your business."

Bill sighs, "Look, I don't know what you want from them, but they don't like to mix business with pleasure. If you need to speak to them about business, you'll need to make an appointment with Verity. If you need to speak with them about something else," he looks her up and down, "you should be able to find them quite easily. Just don't come back crying when they don't see you again."

Y/N scoffs in disgust, "I'm here to talk business, and I won't be making an appointment. It's important."

"If it's so important, why can't you tell me?"

"Why would I tell you?"

"I'm their brother, and I'm the one holding this door open for you. I can easily close it if I'd like."

Y/N sighs as she contemplates what to do. Does she tell him why she's here? Does she turn around and come back another time? She doesn't know how many people know about her brother's involvement with the twins or about what he did.

"I need to talk to them about Cedric Diggory," she says, trying to look as serious as possible. Y/N notices Bill's jaw clench in anger when she says Cedric's name.

"What about Cedric?"

"I'm here to pay off his debt."

Bill scoffs, "What? He decides not to show up today and sends some girl in to pay off his debt for him. It's going to take a lot more than whatever's in that briefcase to make up for what he did."

"Well, considering he's never going to show back up again, this is the best they're going to get." Y/N shrugs.

"What does that mean?"

"He's dead. Cedric's dead."

---

@xxemmarldxx @esposadomd @ladyjenjay

[nadinebrooks]

Hello!! Can you do a couple head cannons with hufflepuff reader x Draco and a hufflepuff reader x Cedric (separate),maybe some Yule ball head cannons too only if you want to though (: if not just wanted to let you know I love your writing and your understanding of the characters is just incredible <3

Here is the link to my masterlist.

Cedric Diggory x Reader: Blossoming Love

Warnings: I don't believe there is anything.

The start of the school year at Hogwarts was a magical whirlwind of excitement and anticipation. The castle buzzed with energy as students returned to their beloved home away from home. Among those students was (y/n), a warm-hearted and hardworking Hufflepuff entering her sixth year.

Over the past couple of weeks, she was really starting to settle into her schedule. Her favorite class had always been Herbology. She absolutely adored Professor Sprout. 

Professor Sprout’s voice rang through the greenhouse as she attempted to capture the attention of all of her students. 

“Class, for this semester, we will be working on a long-term group project. Each of you will be paired with a partner and before you get too excited, I will be selecting your partners randomly.”

(y/n) exchanged excited glances with her closest friend, Eleanor Wilson, as they silently prayed that they would be partners. Nobody wanted to be partners with someone that they didn’t like or had never talked to.

The professor waved her wand as enchanted parchment soared through the air with names on them. (y/n) watched as a piece glided toward her and she held her breath in anticipation. 

When the parchment landed in her hand, she unfolded it to reveal the name of her partner:

Cedric Diggory.

Eleanor’s eyes widened with surprise as she leaned over (y/n)’s shoulder and looked at the name. She giggled and winked at her friend. 

Cedric wasn’t just any Hufflepuff. He was one of the more charming, talented, handsome guys (y/n) had ever come across during her time at Hogwarts. She thought he was absolutely perfect. However, the two of them had never really gotten a chance to know each other on a more personal level. They were in the same year, but (y/n) always looked at him like an unreachable star in the Hogwarts constellation. 

Cedric slowly gathered his belongings and made his way toward her. Elanor smiled one last time at (y/n) and went to find her partner. 

“Hi (y/n),” He grinned down at her. “I’m actually happy that we’re partners.” 

“Really.” (y/n)’s eyes shot up in surprise. She was a little surprised that he even knew who she was. 

“Yes.” He nodded earnestly. “Usually I end up pairing with one of my friends and that never goes well because I always end up doing all the work. But you don’t have to worry about that, I plan to pull my weight.” 

For the project, the two of them had to explore and document herbal remedies for common magical ailments like burns, insect bites, or minor curses. Then they had to create a detailed pamphlet with instructions.

“Thank you, Cedric. I really appreciate that. I’ve also had my fair share of assignments where I’ve had to do most of the work.” (y/n) told him. And in that moment it seemed as if the two of them decided to pull their weight for the sake of the other one. They decided that the best thing would be to meet every other evening in the library when Cedric didn’t have Quidditch practice. 

(y/n) very quickly learned that Cedric was so much more than just a pretty face. He was intelligent, funny, and above all, he was genuinely interested in their assignment and eager to collaborate. 

As the weeks went by and the project unfolded, Cedric and (y/n) found themselves spending more and more time together. They were even spending time together doing things that had nothing to do with the project.

Even after doing their research in the greenhouse, they would have dinner together or play chess in the common room late at night. Rumors even started floating around the castle but somehow they hadn’t made their way back to them. 

Once when the two of them found themselves alone in the common room, Cedric finally told (y/n) something that he had been wanting to tell her a couple of months ago. She uncovered a side of Cedric that only a few had seen - thoughtful and vulnerable. He found himself confiding in her about his aspirations, insecurities, and his innermost thoughts. 

“You know (y/n), I really do appreciate your company. It’s nice to have someone to talk to.” Cedric’s voice had gone somber. 

“I hope you know that I’m always here to listen.” (y/n) looked over at him with empathy. She couldn’t image how hard it was to be him. 

“Thank you.” His eyes were filled with gratitude. “I like that you treat just like you treat everyone else you come across. You just see me as Cedric and that means a lot.”

Their bond deepened over the course of the semester, and Cedric found solace in sharing his thoughts and worries with (y/n). He began to look forward to not only their meetings but staring at her across the room in Potions or getting to have breakfast with her. It was nice to know that he could be himself without the weight of the spotlight. 

However, their growing friendship did not go unnoticed by Cho Chang. The rumors had made their way back to her. She was someone who had caught Cedric’s eye in the past and even though they weren’t officially dating, she always wanted to a presence in his life. She couldn’t help but feel jealous of the connection (y/n) and Cedric was forging. 

One day, Cho confronted (y/n) while she was sitting out by the Black Lake reading a book.

“Stay away from Cedric.” She hissed dark eyes piercing into (y/n)’s. 

“Cho, there’s no need to worry.” (y/n) was taken aback by Cho’s hostility. “Cedric and I are just friends. I would never try to come between the two of you.” 

“I’ve seen the way you and Cedric have been spending time together. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.” 

“We’re just working on a semester long project together.” (y/n) responded completely unfazed by Cho’s hostility.

Cho’s expression softened slightly when she saw that (y/n) was genuine about not wanting to come between the two of them. “You better keep it that way.” 

“Cho, you and Cedric aren’t officially dating.” (y/n) let out a patient sigh that caused Cho’s left eye to twitch. “Besides, I doubt he sees me the same way that he sees you. I’m not as beautiful as you.” 

“Not as beautiful as me?” Cho let out a dark laugh. “I can’t believe you actually think that. Not only are you beautiful on the outside, but Cedric sees your kindness and genuine nature.” 

Deep down, (y/n) couldn’t help but feel that Cho was a vision of grace and beauty. Someone that she could never compare to. There was no way that Cedric thought about her the same way he thought about Cho. 

Despite her insecurities, (y/n) continued to be a supportive friend to Cho. She listened to his hopes and dreams, offered advice when he sought it, and cherished the moments they spent together. Cedric found himself seeking (y/n)’s company more and more.  

As winter approached, the Yule Ball became the talk of the school. It was an event filled with excitement and anticipation. Of course, the idea of the Yule Ball crossed (y/n)’s mind, but she hadn’t given it a ton of thought. Eleanor tried to convince her to mention it to Cedric but after that conversation with Cho, there was no way. 

“You know, (y/n), the Yule Ball is coming up.” Cedric sat down his quill. His hand had started to cramp from writing so much. “I was wondering if you wanted to go with me?”

“Me?” (y/n) sat her quill down and looked up at him. “Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure.” Cedric nodded with a warm smile. “I would love to go with you. You’ve been amazing and I can’t imagine a better date.”

“I’d be honored to go with you, Cedric.” (y/n) felt herself grinning. The thought of attending with him made her both nervous and excited. She never considered that someone like Cedric Diggory would ask her. And for second, the two of them felt themselves leaning in. 

The world seemed to fade away as they shared an unexpected moment of intimacy. Their lips met in a tender heartfelt kiss. It was a silent confession of emotions that had grown stronger with each passing day. It was a realization that their bond was more than just friendship. 

“I’ve wanted to do that longer than I care to admit,” Cedric whispered when they pulled away. His cheeks were flushed and both of their hearts were racing. 

Now that their feelings were finally out in the open, the two of them spent the rest of the night working on the project, but not without sneaking glances at the other for the rest of the night. 

[roonilwazlibimagines]

all too well - c.d x female reader

Blurb: literally just all too well by taylor swift; young reader x older cedric Word Count: 14.7k Warnings: cedric's an ass, i did a lot of editing but i haven't looked at this in like a year A/N: what if i told you i started this the week after red (tv) release #oopsies #iwasnevergoingtoproofreadthisagainsoifiguredishouldjustpostit #ihaveinspiraitontowrite #howdowefeelaboutfratboyregulus #howdowefeelaboutmeselfprojecting

Masterlist

An Upstate Escape    

It was my first year of Hogwarts when I first saw Cedric Diggory and, even if I didn’t necessarily believe it, the first thought that came to my mind was that one day he would be mine. It was a far stretch because while I was in my first year he was in his last and ready to graduate from Hogwarts. But it didn’t matter because really, it was just a silly schoolgirl crush. 

Cedric Diggory was the golden boy. Quite literally. He had all the best attributes of a great Hufflepuff: he was Head Boy and captain of Hufflepuff’s Quidditch team, he was top of his year academically, and while he managed to accomplish all of that, he competed in the Triwizard Tournament and won. 

This reputation definitely didn’t help my crush. It only made me want him more. Subconsciously, I think it made me feel that if I ever was to have a chance with him I needed to be just as golden as him. So I became the golden girl. I was top of my class academically, I was head girl and I already had a job as a junior healer lined up for me after Hogwarts. Cedric had his own reputation and now I had mine. It crossed my mind, one random afternoon during my last few days of Hogwarts that I finally felt like I was on the same level as Cedric Diggory. 

Not that I had seen him since my last day of my first year. But I was still aware that he was golden. He was a famous Quidditch player which was one of the few things I lacked in comparison to him. Quidditch was never my strong suit, but I was happy to watch the game and I knew I would turn back into my first year old self if I ever got to see him play again. 

He seemed untouchable now, with his elite status, but for some reason, I just knew that someday our paths would cross again. 

And they did. The week after I had finished Hogwarts. I was out celebrating with my friends at a pub in Diagon Alley and even in the dark light I could recognise the familiar golden brown curls at the bar and I suddenly decided that I was thirsty. Offering to buy the next round I made my way up to the bar, pulling my skirt down and fixing my hair as I did so. I stood right next to him and leant over the bench so the bartender could hear me, forcing myself not to look at him.

I could feel his eyes on me and it gave me a confidence boost that I didn’t need. When I finished my order I stood back up straight, pretending to let my eyes search the room before landing on the man beside me. 

“Hi,” he smirked, angling his body to face me. He was sitting on a stool and I had to look up at him. 

“Hi,” I responded, smiling up at him and tucking a strand of hair behind my ear, “Cedric Diggory, right?” The words escaped my mouth before I could think them through. Great. He was probably going to think I was some crazy fan who stalked him. 

“You’re a fan?” Of course. He cocked an eyebrow at me as he took a sip of his drink and I chuckled. 

“Sort of.” I was already slightly tipsy and feeling a bit too confident as I continued, “I was in my first year of Hogwarts when you graduated.” He nodded slowly and I wondered if he was doing the maths in his head. 

“And you’ve been keeping up with me ever since?” There was a teasing glint in his eye as he went back to smirking and I laughed again. 

“Something like that,” I mumbled, just as my drinks were placed in front of me. Both of our eyes fell on them and when I went to grab them he spoke again. 

“So, you know who I am, tell me,” he paused, “what’s your name, pretty girl?” I almost dropped the drinks at his words and I think he noticed because he let out a low chuckle that was hard to hear with the music playing so loud. 

When I told him my name he repeated it as if he was testing it out in his mouth and he smiled as if he enjoyed the new taste. I smiled up at him, suddenly unsure what was going to happen next and fearing that this would be the last time I spoke to Cedric Diggory. 

“Well,” he thankfully continued, repeating my name once more, “I usually come here after Quidditch practice so maybe I’ll see you around?” He repeated his actions; lifting an eyebrow at me and sipping whatever was in his drink.

Smirking, I replied, “maybe you will,” and I walked away, my heart pounding as I tried to hide the grin on my face. 

I didn’t want to be distracted by Cedric Diggory the whole night so I made a conscious effort not to look back at the bar, but it was torture. When we finished our round of drinks I allowed myself to glance back over to the bar and even if I wanted to turn away the second I saw Cedric Diggory already looking at me I forced myself to keep eye contact and gave him a flirty smile. 

He seemed to like it because he smiled back and winked at me before downing his drink. I turned back around and let myself enjoy the way my heart fluttered. 

~~~

The morning after I realised that I was in a trap. Firstly I wasn’t sure when Cedric had Quidditch practice, but that was an easy fix, surely one of my friends who were into Quidditch would know. The second issue was what did I do once I found out? Did I go there after his next Quidditch practice or would that seem too desperate? But if I didn’t go straight away and waited then I ran the risk of him finding someone else to flirt with. Then, of course, the self doubt crept in and for a few seconds I wondered if he even meant that he wanted to see me again. He was a famous Quidditch player. Surely he could have any girl he wanted. 

I didn’t like chasing, there was too much thinking involved. But then I just had to remember how golden he still looked with his hair done perfectly and his eyes still gleaming and his confident demeanour and suddenly, I decided not to think too hard about it and went to find out when their next practice was. 

The Quidditch season was ending soon meaning his team was practising religiously to ensure they had a prime opportunity to make it to the finals. I pretended to be interested when my friend told me all this hoping that when it would, undoubtedly, be brought up in conversation with Cedric I wouldn’t look like a complete fool. They figured out I was asking this for help with a boy but I didn’t tell them who it was. Not that I was embarrassed by Cedric or my crush on him, but I didn’t want to look like an idiot if nothing came out of it. 

They trained Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays according to my friend and so I decided that Friday would be the best night to go. It was about a week since I first saw him so it didn’t look like I had rushed to find him and going out on a Friday night out was normal so it wouldn’t seem like I showed up just for him. 

~~~

I realised I got there probably a bit too early because there was barely anyone in there. It was dark and the music was just starting to get louder. I sat myself on one of the stools at the bar, hoping that he would eventually show. I got a drink to calm my nerves and hopefully give me some confidence and I sipped it slowly so it wouldn’t immediately go to my head. 

As I ordered a second drink I heard someone call my name and my head immediately snapped to find someone taking the seat next to me. 

“Cedric,” I smiled, noticing that there were a few more people now in the pub. 

“I’m glad you made it,” he smiled and I decided to act coy.

“Me too, did you have practice today?” I queried, thanking the bartender as I started sipping my new drink. 

“I did, it was bloody horrendous today,” he mumbled before ordering a drink for himself. 

“You must be training to get into the finals,” I commented, feeling proud of myself for relaying the information I had learnt last week. 

“Yeah,” he sighed, his hands resting on his thighs, “we are. Are you a Quidditch fan?” I tensed up not exactly knowing what my next move should be. I wasn’t, but would he lose interest in me if I told him that?

“Of the sorts.” I went with, but immediately regretted it when I realised it made me sound lame. No one says that. He only nodded before taking a sip of his drink. 

“So, tell me, what do you do?” I subconsciously sat up a bit straighter, proud to tell anyone my current occupation. 

“I’m just starting as a junior healer at St. Mungo’s.” He gave me a surprised look and replied, “impressive.” I hoped it was. Surely a soon to be healer was on a similar level as a professional Quidditch player, right? 

We spent the rest of the night talking and getting to know each other. He even gave me his personal insight into some of the tasks he had to do at the Triwizard Tournament and the whole night I was hanging onto each and every word that left his mouth. I was in awe of the man who really lived up to his reputation and was nothing short of golden and I was happy to hear all about him. 

When it started getting late and the music seemed to die down I started to fear what would happen next. 

“It has been lovely talking to you,” he said before finishing the drink in his hand, “I would love to keep this conversation going but maybe next time we could talk over dinner instead of drinks?” It took everything I had not to start squealing and shouting ‘yes!’. I instead cleared my throat to give me some time to relax before replying, “that sounds great.” 

~~~

So the next week we were at a new restaurant outside Diagon Alley and Cedric was telling me about his training routine for his upcoming Quidditch game next week. It was a restaurant I had never heard of and there was barely anyone inside at this late hour, but I wondered if the few people in there could tell that I was completely enamoured by him and the way he spoke. 

That night, despite the small crowd, I got a message from my friend alerting me of the ‘breaking news’ that Cedric Diggory had been spotted with a girl and could potentially be off the market. 

‘Remember when you used to have a crush on him?’ 

For some reason I felt like I wasn’t meant to tell her that the mystery girl was me. Had Cedric told anyone? We had organised another dinner, this time at his house and I wondered if these locations had been specifically chosen to prevent the media from finding out more. 

‘Worst news of my life’ I responded, hoping the conversation would end there. 

After a few more dinners - which were never explicitly called ‘dates’, but I was confident were - Cedric said, “I really like talking to you.” 

We were in another empty restaurant outside Diagon Alley and I beamed at him. 

“I really like talking to you,” I giggled and he let out a breathy chuckle. 

“You know,” he paused, “I’ve never met anyone like you.” My heart was pounding as I hung on his every word. “It feels like I’ve known you forever, you’re so mature for your age.” I wasn’t sure what to say but I thought it was a nice compliment so I looked down, hoping it came off as bashful. “Do you maybe want to come watch my game this weekend?” 

He said I could bring a few of my friends and I, of course, accepted. I couldn’t remember if I had any plans that weekend, but I was more than happy to cancel them because going to the game would mean that people would see me. 

The media knew that Cedric was seeing the same girl a couple of nights each week, but they didn’t know who the girl was, but going to his Quidditch game would make it official. 

I hadn’t spoken about this with Cedric because I was scared he was going to think I was using him for fame or money or whatever it was, but it was obvious he wanted the same thing and  had never been happier. 

~~~

“Cedric Diggory?” One of my friends asked as I told them about how I had seen him that night we went out and how we had been meeting up since meaning I was the girl in that article.

“Yeah,” I said, “he was in his last year when we started, he is a professional Quidditch player?” I asked, dumbfounded that they were asking about him as if they didn’t know him. 

“I know who he is,” they rolled their eyes at me, “he’s just kinda old.” They shrugged and I felt hot at the comment. I wanted to ask what the big deal was. We both enjoyed hanging out with each other, we were both adults. There was nothing wrong. But before I could speak another one of my friends chimed in. 

“So are you like,” they paused, “dating?” We hadn’t said. The answer was therefore no, but I felt foolish telling them that. They were making this out to be a much bigger deal than it originally was and I was sad because I was no longer excited about asking them to the game.  

“Well, we haven’t said we are officially dating,” I spoke slowly, “but surely he doesn’t ask every girl he meets to come to his Quidditch games, right?” They shrugged in response and I wished that, whether they believed it or not, they would have agreed with me. 

~~~

I had bought his team's scarf and had my hair tied up in a scrunchie with his team's colours and we were sitting at the top of the stadium where Cedric had bought our tickets. I cheered for him when he came out and I cheered for him when he caught the snitch and they won the game. I was feeling giddy for him and for some reason I had never felt so nervous when I waited for him to come out of the locker rooms. 

“Congratulations,” I smiled when he came out, his teammates trailing behind him. 

“You stayed back.” One of his teammates nudged him in the side before chuckling and walking away but my focus was entirely on him. 

“Of course,” I chuckled, bouncing on my heels. 

“Thanks,” he mumbled and brought me in for a hug, pressing the faintest kiss to the top of my head. I felt his chest rise and fall and I wondered if he was exhausted after a long match. 

“Listen,” he started, “we’re going out to celebrate tonight, but maybe tomorrow we can go out and do our own celebrating?” He pulled back and rose his eyebrow suggestively at me. 

“Sounds good,” I whispered and feeling bold I leant in and pressed a kiss to his cheek, “see you then.” I started walking past him, heading over to my friends who had given us our space. 

I heard one of his friends laugh and ask, “was that your girlfriend, Ced?” but I was too far away to hear his reply. I wondered if he would make it official tomorrow night. 

He would have to, right? We had been to dinner countless times and he had kissed me in front of his teammates. Well maybe it wasn’t a proper kiss, but it was something. He asked me to his game and he still wanted to see me afterwards so surely I wasn’t naive to think that he would ask me to be his girlfriend, right?

Well maybe I was naive enough to think that he would, because he didn’t.

We were back at his house and he was talking so quickly I could barely keep up, but I didn’t want him to think I was uninterested so I kept an interested look on my face. 

“And then I was sure that I was going to be hit by the bludger, but as you saw I moved away just in time, but then I wasn’t sure where the snitch went and I was sure the other seeker was just about to grab it, but-” I reacted at all of the right places, but for some reason my heart was in my throat. 

I knew we had only been talking for a short while, but I had feelings for Cedric Diggory and I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with myself if he didn’t reciprocate them. 

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I barely noticed when he stopped talking, until he took a bite of his food and pointed at me before saying, “That’s cute.” 

He was referring to his team's scarf that I had foolishly worn to dinner. I wasn’t sure why I wore it again. I had bought it just for the match and if I was being honest it was out of my budget. Apparently Quidditch merchandise is not in a financially struggling junior healer in training’s price range. I guess I just didn’t want it to be a waste of money. 

“Thanks,” I looked down at my food, “I’ve had it for ages.” I mumbled, not really wanting him to know that I bought it just for the match. 

He kept telling me stories about the team, what they got up to last night celebrating and when his next match would be. 

“It’s nice, just to be in private, don’t you think?” he asked after finishing a story about his friend who got so drunk that night he spliced himself.

“You must get a lot of unwanted attention in public.” I took a sip of the water and he leant back on the bench across from me. I was weary of this conversation. Nothing had come from the media about me being at his game. Apparently they didn’t stay for the players to come out at the end of the game, so Cedric Diggory was still taken by some mystery girl. 

I wasn’t sure why I was so caught up on this, I guess a part of me wanted to be public so it would feel real.

“Yeah, it gets hard sometimes,” he sighed, “you think you’re living a normal life but then it’s on the front page of the newspaper and suddenly everyone has an opinion.” 

I guess it made sense. He obviously wanted to take things slow because of this privacy issue, but I was certain that one day we would take the next step. 

And I was feeling pretty confident about it too when I was standing in his doorway, ready to apparate back home when he called out my name and grabbed onto my waist, bringing me closer to him and pressing his lips against mine. I smiled into the kiss and brought my hands onto his chest to steady myself from the sudden movement. He pulled away and I knew I was smiling like an idiot. 

“See you next week?” he asked, and I beamed. 

“Of course.” 

When I got home I realised that I had left my scarf at his house but that was the least of my concerns because all I could focus on was the feeling of him on my lips and the excitement of a new relationship beginning and all I could do was close my eyes and focus on my breathing so I didn’t pass out. 

The First Crack in The Glass

Cedric and I had been going out for over a month now and we were settling into our relationship. If that’s what we were calling it. I was unsure because we had never spoken about it explicitly. It did frustrate me, but I was so happy to be with him and I didn’t want to push him in a direction he didn’t want to go in, so I tried not to think about it. 

I hoped that he would extend that favour to me as well. Cedric had invited me to one of the training sessions and it was here where the media finally got the winning shot of Cedric walking over to me sitting in the stands. It didn’t take long before people found out it was me and even though Cedric hadn’t brought it up, I wondered if he was as happy as I was that our love was there for the world to see. 

Since our relationship had received a bit of attention from the media, we now had most of our dates at his house. Now that people knew we were together, media outlets seemed to be following our every move and it was frustrating having to use back exits and going out in inconspicuous clothing. I didn’t think Cedric really liked all the attention our relationship was getting. He would always get quiet when there were people waiting outside to take our photos and I would always find papers with our photo on them torn up in his bin. 

Which I was noticing a lot more now that we were spending more time at his house. 

But I wasn’t complaining about it because it gave us plenty of opportunities to make out. 

Cedric’s lips were soft and his touch was sure. Sometimes it made me feel a bit insecure because he obviously had experience whereas I had only had a few pathetic ‘pecks’ during school. 

But I had other things to worry about. Sometimes Cedric would get a bit handsy and I’d have to awkwardly make an excuse and remove myself from the situation. It wasn’t that I didn’t enjoy his touch, he was obviously skilled and I enjoyed it thoroughly, but I just wasn’t ready to take it to the next step. 

I hadn’t done anything like that with another person and while it had crossed my mind that I wouldn’t mind doing it with Cedric, I just wasn’t ready to give that up when I wasn’t even sure if we were officially dating. 

Tonight I was meeting his friends for the first time. They mainly consisted of the people he played Quidditch with as well as a few others who were in his year at Hogwarts. It was a celebration for his team who had made it to the finals and even though I still needed it explicitly said, the fact that he had chosen me to accompany him made me feel like we were official. 

“You look divine,” Cedric murmured, making his way over to me and placing his hands on my hips. He brought his head down to mine and he pressed a kiss to the outside of my ear making me giggle. 

“Thanks,” I mumbled, “I’m not going to lie, I’m a little nervous.” He pulled away from me. We were outside his doorway, my arms were wrapped around my chest in the cool night air and I was glad that his porch light was dim because I could barely see his face and I hoped it was the same for him. 

“Why?” His eyebrow furrowed in confusion and put a hand on my upper arm. 

“I don’t know,” I murmured, trying not to meet his gaze, “it’s just nerve wracking meeting new people.” He didn’t respond and so I continued. “I really want to make a good impression on your friends, you know? They’re obviously important to you and I don’t want them to hate me.” “Why would they hate you?” I wasn’t entirely sure. For a moment I reflected on it. They were the same age as Cedric. I had just left school. I didn’t think that we would have much in common and I guess a part of me understood how people perceived my relationship with Cedric in regards to our age gap. I didn’t want to tell him this though. 

“I don’t know,” I mumbled and he brought a hand under my chin so I would look up at him. 

“Hey,” his voice was just above a whisper, “there’s a reason I’m bringing you tonight, don’t doubt yourself, okay?” He brought his head closer to mine and placed a kiss on my forehead and I felt my heart flutter. Obviously he liked me enough if there was a reason he was bringing me tonight. 

My fears were unfortunately confirmed at the party. Cedric had kindly introduced me to all of his friends and I was holding on, probably a little too tightly, to his arm. We were at someone's house and it was loud and dark and I could smell the alcohol and some other foul odour that I had a suspicion was drugs. 

“She just finished Hogwarts, but she’s already a junior healer.” He sounded so proud that I didn’t have the heart to tell him that technically I wasn’t a junior healer yet. And all of his friends sounded impressed and I liked that. 

However, once he had introduced me to everyone, he got called over by one of his teammates and turning to me he quickly mumbled a, “I’ll be right back,” and left me by myself. 

I went to go over to his friends from Hogwarts, surely we would have some common ground because we went to the same school. We did. Kind of. Most of the teachers they had had either retired or left by the time I had started and I was getting lost in their stories. Not that it was their fault. They welcomed me in and they included me in conversation, but there was so much history between them and I didn’t have enough time to catch up. 

I excused myself and went to the bathroom, hoping that along the way I would find Cedric and he would rescue me. 

I found him on my way to the bathroom and changed trajectory so I was walking over to him. He was sitting in a lounge and there was a small space next to him. 

“Hey.” He sat up as I made my way over and I squished myself onto the empty space next to him. I brought my hands around his arm once more and he smiled down at me before going back to the conversation with his teammates. They didn’t include me as much as his friends from Hogwarts did and when he was talking he was using so many hand actions that my hands got shaken away from his and they were now resting awkwardly in my lap. 

He was facing away from me and I was glad because I didn’t want him to see me overreacting about this.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” I mumbled and it made me even sadder when Cedric didn’t even acknowledge me leaving. 

I was slightly panicked when I realised I didn’t even know where the bathroom was, but I was even more terrified when I found it and realised that I could potentially walk in on anything. I locked the door behind me and I looked at myself in the mirror and frowned. I didn’t even know why I was so upset. 

I put it down to just being overwhelmed. I was in a new environment with new people who I wanted to impress so I could impress my boyfriend, who wasn’t actually welcoming me into his friend group, who also isn’t actually my boyfriend, and who probably wants to have sex with me even though I’m not ready yet. 

So maybe I did know why I was so upset. 

I focused on my breathing and splashed some cold water on my face before opening the door and going out to face round two. 

I didn’t get very far because as I left I bumped into Ginny Weasley. She apologised and I apologised and when we both regained our composure she smiled brightly at me. 

“Hey, your Cedric’s girlfriend, yeah?” I was so shocked about running into someone and being known as Cedric’s girlfriend that I immediately replied with a, ‘yes.’ 

“You went to Hogwarts, right? I think you were a few years below me?” I was shocked that she remembered and had to swallow before I answered. 

“Yeah I did, we were a couple years apart.” She was so famous in the Quidditch world that even I knew who she was. “Congratulations on your team getting through.” She didn’t play on the same team as Cedric but Cedric had told me that her team had gone through as well. I guess they were here also celebrating. 

“Thank you,” she beamed, “so excited to be able to play in the finals.” After that I excused myself and told her that I had to find Cedric, but really all I wanted was to go home. 

I kept replaying the conversation with Ginny as I made my way back to Cedric. I wasn’t entirely sure where he was because I wasn’t even sure how I found the bathroom. 

People were shouting and bumping into me but all I could do was dig my nails into my hand as I recalled how I had foolishly said I was Cedric’s girlfriend. 

But then I heard Cedric’s laugh and when I saw him his head had fallen back and he had a hand on his abdomen and I smiled. 

I was definitely overreacting. 

I went back to the seat beside Cedric, but he barely acknowledged my return. I decided that if I wasn’t going to be explicitly included in the conversation then I was still going to support Cedric. So I sat there and looked pretty and laughed at the right times and listened to every single word that they said so next time I would be able to join in. 

Halfway through a conversation Cedric excused himself to go to the bathroom and I felt my breath get caught in my throat when I realised I would be left alone with his friends. 

“So, has Cedric gone soft?” One of them asked me as soon as Cedric was out of ear shot. I was so shocked at being addressed that I stared at them with my mouth open for a second before I let out a laugh. 

“I don’t want to embarrass him.” They all laughed at that. 

“You don’t have to,” one of them said. 

“We can do that.” I found myself laughing as well. Maybe this wasn’t too bad. 

They kept telling me embarrassing stories about Cedric and when he came back he had a look of confusion seeing us all laughing together.

“What are you guys talking about?” he asked, laughing awkwardly, obviously feeling left out of our laughter.  

“We were just reliving that time you fell of your broom when that reporter came and-”

“Don’t remind me,” he winced and for the first time that night I felt relaxed.

With Cedric back the conversation returned to one which I was no longer a part of and part of me was sad that we were no longer bonding. But before I knew it the party was over and Cedric was apparating us back to his place. 

I hadn’t stayed the night at his place, yet, but I was feeling giddy after the party and was hoping that he would offer tonight. 

“Did you talk to Ginny Weasley tonight?” he queried. His back was towards me but I could tell that the bubbly persona he had had with his friends was suddenly gone. 

“What?” I was so shocked about the sudden change in his demeanour that that was all I could get out. “Yeah I did,” I corrected myself, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion and my arms instinctively wrapping across my chest. “Why?” We were in the kitchen, he was facing the bench and I was facing his back. 

“Did you tell her we were boyfriend and girlfriend?” He finally turned around to raise an eyebrow at me accusingly and I was left standing at him dumbfounded. 

“What?” This time my voice was shrill and I almost let out a chuckle at the ridiculous question. 

“She came up to me and said something about how cute my girlfriend was and I was just wondering if you were telling people that we were dating?” I was so dumbstruck that all I could do was blink at him. 

“So we aren’t dating?” I squinted my eyes at him, my mouth still hanging open in shock. 

“Well, no,” he mumbled and I finally let out a laugh. I felt so foolish. I wanted to cry. 

“So why’d you bring me out tonight then?” I gave him an incredulous look and he rolled his eyes which only made me even angrier. 

“Don’t do that,” he grunted, turning away from me again. 

“Do what?” I took a step closer to him. 

“Get all upset and emotional about it,” he winced as if me showing any emotion disgusted him. 

“About the fact that we act like a couple but you won’t make it official?”

“Look,” he paused, bringing his hands out in front of him, his palms facing me, “I don’t want to fight with you about this.”

“Well what are we, Cedric?” I was practically shouting now but I didn’t care. “You can’t expect me to go on like this if you won’t put a label on us.”

“We were doing fine before all of this, why do we need to complicate things?” I just stared at him. My mouth slightly agape, wondering if maybe I really was complicating things. I hadn’t really had a boyfriend before, is this what it was like? 

“Cedric,” I begged, “we go out all the time, we make out on your couch almost every night, you invite me to your parties but then ignore me the whole night, and then when I-”

“Hang on,” he interrupted, “ignore you?” He finally turned to me and I shrunk under his intense gaze. I had seen Cedric angry before. When paparazzi followed us out of a restaurant, when he didn’t catch the snitch or lost a game. But that was an angry quiet. His jaw would visibly tense and his fingers would turn white as he dug his nails into his palm and he wouldn’t say anything to me until he had calmed down, which sometimes took days. No matter how much I tried to speak to him, he remained quiet. I was used to it. But this? I was not. 

“Well, yeah,” I mumbled, suddenly not as confident as I was only seconds ago.

“Explain,” he challenged.

“You introduced me to your friends but then you left me by myself and I have nothing in common with them and then when I do go find you you ignored me the whole time and-”

“I was just talking to my friends!” he exclaimed, “is that such a fucking crime?” I think it was the first time I had heard him swear and I wished that I had never brought this up. 

“It’s not, but I just, I wasn’t included in the conversation and I just felt-”

“You were in the conversation, you were laughing and they were telling you stories about me, I don’t know what the fuck you’re going on about.” I felt my bottom lip tremble, not used to being on the receiving end of such harsh words. But I took a deep breath and swallowed before continuing. 

“Okay, fine, whatever,” I didn’t want to fight, I had a feeling he’d win, “but I need to know where I stand with you.” My voice was weak and he brought his hands up to run a hand through his hair before he continued. 

“I don’t know,” he sounded frustrated, “I guess all my previous relationships have been physical and-” 

He continued but I didn’t process a single word he said after that. Of course he wanted to be physical. Intimacy was such an important part of a relationship and I had been depriving him of that. 

“I haven’t done anything before,” I spoke slowly, playing with my hands in front of my abdomen. He let out a sigh and came closer to me, grabbing my fidgeting hands in his own. 

“Well don’t feel pressured to do anything, but I just think it would maybe help us become more real, you know?” I didn’t know because I had never done it. When I didn’t respond he just continued. “Look, let’s just call it a night, you can think about it and you can stay over here.” He leaned over to press a kiss to the top of my head. “I’m sorry for yelling.”

I just let him hold me close to him, my body limp as he put a hand on the curve of my spin and led me to his bedroom where he let me borrow some of his clothes. 

I didn’t really want to spend the night with him anymore but it was what I wanted mere minutes ago and I couldn’t be bothered to fight it. 

I thought the first time I would sleep in the same bed with him I would have the best sleep of my life. I would feel comfortable and safe. He’d have an arm around my waist and we’d either be facing each other and watching the other until the first person fell asleep, or my back would be towards him and I’d feel him breath in and out. It was neither of those things. 

I was on my back, staring at the ceiling unable to fall asleep. It was a big thing to be willing to give up a part of myself for Cedric. I kept tossing and turning, hoping that sleep would find me, but it never did. 

All I wanted was to get some peace and so I decided that I was willing to give that part of myself up and suddenly I was able to fall asleep. 

~~~

“I’m ready,” I had told him as I sat across from him at breakfast. 

“You’re ready?” He raised an eyebrow at me and I nodded. 

“To you know,” I paused, “have sex.” I hated how weak my voice got as I said those last two words. 

“Excellent,” he beamed, sitting up a bit straighter. 

“But, do you think maybe we could take it slow?” I asked, “I kinda want my first time to be special.” It sounded silly, I knew that. But it was a lot of him to ask that I give this up for him and I was hoping that he would be able to do this one thing for me. 

He let out a laugh and I wasn’t sure if I should have been offended or not.

“It’s not a big deal,” he said with his breakfast in his mouth, “your first time,” he added, “don’t put too much pressure on it.” 

I wanted to tell him that to me, my first time was important, but I was scared it would turn into a fight like last night so I let it go. 

I was a nervous wreck ever since that conversation. I wasn’t sure how to dress, I didn’t know what underwear and bra to wear. Did I eat beforehand? Surely I wasn’t meant to have a full bladder. I had all of these questions and really no one to ask. I wanted to ask my friends but they were still unsure about my relationship with Cedric and I wanted to ask Cedric but I feared he would think I was stupid and I wanted to prove to him that I was ready and mature enough to do this, so I figured it out myself. 

It didn’t really matter what I wore because it was off me within seconds. Cedric made a comment that my lingerie was cute, but then he took it off so that didn’t really matter either. It didn’t matter that I went in with an empty stomach either because by the end of it I had lost my appetite. But my mouth was dry and I desperately needed a drink of water. Cedric offered to get me one when I was lying naked on top of his bed sheets. 

My bottom lip was trembling and my chest was heaving but I knew I couldn’t cry. Cedric took it slow but it was all so quick it felt like it was over within minutes. 

I was on my back the whole time, my hands briefly going out to touch Cedric’s shoulders as he leaned over me to grunt in my ear.

Maybe I was naive to think that my first time would be romantic and special and about my pleasure, maybe that just wasn’t how sex worked. Cedric obviously had a lot more experience than me and so he would know better. 

But still, I just felt like there was a piece of me missing. And I knew it was stupid because I knew that virginity was just a social construct, but I had a feeling I was no longer the same person I was this morning when I woke up. 

“Here you go, baby,” Cedric hummed, passing me my glass of water as I sat up and started sipping it. He got back on the bed and I placed my glass on a tissue on his bedside table. 

“Thanks,” I mumbled, copying his actions and lying back down. I brought the bed sheet up to my neck. 

“That was amazing,” he seemed dazed and I noticed it was the first time I had seen his hair in a mess. I figured that if he looked like he had reached euphoria then I should as well and so I agreed with him. “Was it good enough for your first time?” He gave me a lazy smirk as he came closer to me and held my body close to his. 

“Yeah,” my voice came out shaky and he only chuckled in response. 

“Good,” he hummed, “only the best for my girlfriend.” His arms snaked around my waist as he brought me closer to him. I laid there, still. I couldn’t move. There were too many emotions that I had never felt before and all I wanted was to have a shower, get dressed and go home. But I let him hold me close to him because at least now we were officially boyfriend and girlfriend. 

Are You Real? 

We had been seeing each other for just over two months and we were officially a couple now. After that night things did get better. Cedric was inviting me to stay overnight at his house often and he was starting to introduce me to his friends as his girlfriend. 

The biggest shock for me was when he asked me to meet his family. I thought that was pretty serious and so I happily said yes. 

I was nervous again, about meeting new people, but I didn’t want to accidentally make him angry by reminding him of the last time I was nervous about meeting people close to him. 

“Don’t be so nervous,” he had chastised anyway. We were standing in front of his parents' door and I wasn’t sure if I was shivering from the nerves or the cold.  

“I’m not,” I had whined, my eyebrows furrowing together as I defended myself. 

“You are,” he chuckled, pulling me closer to him and wrapping my coat tighter around my body, “don’t be.” He pressed a kiss to the top of my head and we were walking into his childhood house.

“Cedric!” His father had cried out, hurrying over to give him a hug. I stood a little awkwardly behind him until his mother came up. 

“And you must be his new girlfriend,” I introduced myself and she brought me in for a hug. 

They were leading us into the living room and I couldn’t help but look at everything we passed as I took in his house. It was big. Bigger than any house I had ever lived in and probably even bigger than the house Cedric currently lived in. 

I followed Cedric in and sat down next to him in the lounge in the living room and his dad sat in front of us. His mother went to go get us drinks while Cedric and his father caught up. 

I held onto his arm, smiling the whole time and laughing at the appropriate times, fearing the moment the attention would be brought upon myself. 

“So, tell me, how did you two meet?” His mother sat next to her husband and I opened my mouth to talk. 

“We met in Diagon Alley,” Cedric beat me to it and I went back to smiling at them. 

“Oh, that’s so sweet,” she replied, “and what do you do?” She turned to address me and I went to tell her about how excited I was to start as a junior healer. 

“She’s starting as a junior healer soon,” Cedric had answered for me. 

“Wow,” they both exclaimed, “that’s impressive.”

“It is,” Cedric replied, placing a hand on my knee, “it’s no surprise though, she was top of her class and head girl,” he paused, “my perfect girl.” I stared at him a bit dumbfounded, blinking rapidly, trying to figure out what to say next. We had expressed ways we admired the other, but these were some of the most heartfelt words I had ever heard Cedric say about me. 

“You’re too kind,” I mumbled as his parents watched our interaction. He beamed down at me and I gave him a nervous smile. 

“We’ve never seen Cedric so infatuated with someone before,” his dad teased and I could hear his mum coo. Cedric chuckled. 

“Please, I don’t need you guys embarrassing me.” He let his head fall for a moment and I laughed. 

“He does that enough himself.” I looked over at him and we shared another smile. 

When we eventually made our way over to the dinner table I passed a photo frame of a young Cedric, he would have only been around five or six, with a broom in his hand. It was much bigger than him and in the other he had a fake golden snitch in his hand. His teeth were crooked and his eyes were crinkled from his beaming smile. I couldn’t help but stop and smile as I looked up at it. 

“We always knew he would be a Quidditch star,” his mum said. I turned around and smiled at her and continued walking to the dining room. 

“Mum,” Cedric complained. 

“Well we did, I’m sure you were riding a broom before you could walk properly.” I laughed as I sat down at the table. 

“Well, he wasn’t always good,” his dad chimed in and Cedric groaned. “There was the time you flew into our fence.” 

“Oh,” his mum laughed, “and the time you lost control and broke the door.” 

“I was a child.” Cedric tried to defend himself but he could barely be heard over the laughter. 

He was smiling, nonetheless and as I turned over to look at him I was sure that I could see the same smile as the little boy in the photo frame. Still bright, eyes still wrinkled, but maybe straighter teeth. 

And he was mine. 

I wasn't sure what it was, but I suddenly felt silly about how infatuated I was with him before all of this. Maybe he was just as golden as I had always pictured him to be, but he was still human and somehow, that made me love him even more. 

I had already planned that Cedric would have to meet my parents after he so graciously let me meet his and I hoped that it would go just as smoothly as it had with Cedric’s. His parents were so kind and welcoming and there was never an awkward silence which I really appreciated. 

He didn’t appear nervous at all and I feared I was carrying it for both of us, but his calm disposition made me feel better. 

I had a feeling it could be a little more rocky compared to meeting his because of the letter my parents had sent me when I asked them if I could bring him over. Even though I hadn’t really considered it, apparently our age gap was a bit of an issue for them and they had outlined how concerned they were for me in this relationship. I assured them that Cedric was nothing short of a gentleman and promised them that when they met him they would change their mind immediately. 

I didn’t want to tell Cedric this because, really, we hadn’t had the age gap conversation and part of me was scared that if we had it he would doubt himself and call this whole thing off. 

They gave me a hug when I entered and Cedric walked in and gave my dad a handshake and my mum a hug and I watched anxiously. 

“And you must be Cedric,” my mum said, looking him up and down. They were both smiling but there was an awkward tension in the air which didn’t seem to bother Cedric. 

“The one and only,” he joked and I eased up when I remembered how comfortable Cedric was in front of new people. 

We were ushered in and found ourselves in a similar position to the one at Cedric’s house except this time, the heat - thankfully - wasn’t on myself. 

“You have a lovely house,” he had commented as we walked through and I gave his hand a squeeze. 

“Oh,” my parents seemed surprised, “thank you.” 

“So, you’re a Quidditch star?” My dad asked when we were finally sitting down. 

“Not a star,” he looked bashful and I thought it was cute, “just someone who plays sport.”

“Well you’re very good at it.” It looked like it pained my father to admit it, but Cedric kept his confident demeanour. 

“Thank you,” he smiled sheepishly, “I’ve been playing ever since I can remember. Are you a big fan of Quidditch?” I was holding onto Cedric’s arm, looking between him and my dad as they conversed. 

“Yeah,” my dad nodded, “but not of your team.” 

“Dad.” I gave him a warning look, but he shrugged. Cedric just laughed. 

“Hey,” Cedric turned to me, “a man's team is important.” I shook my head but when my father told him his team he continued. “I could get you tickets to their next game if you want?” He perked up at that and soon they were planning to go to a game together. 

It seemed my dad had warmed up to Cedric and even though I was a bit weary he would give him a hard time, I was glad they had found common ground. My mum, on the other hand, still had a tight lipped smile as she studied Cedric. 

“Well I better start dinner.” She stood up but before she could leave Cedric chimed in. 

“Can I help you at all?” She paused and slowly turned around, her head slightly turned to the side. 

“No thank you, Cedric,” she paused, “you’re our guest. She gave him a genuine smile and I let out a sigh of relief. They were both warming up to him and that was all I ever wanted. 

When we finally made our way over to the dining room, Cedric pulled my chair out for me and I saw my parents share a look as my whole body suddenly turned warm. 

Cedric kept the conversation going all night, telling stories about his games and asking my parents questions about themselves and about me, which I was very embarrassed about, but was glad they were getting along. 

I was completely enamoured by how confident he was. If I didn’t know any better, you could tell me that he had known my parents his whole life and I would have believed you. He knew just how to charm them and somehow, I was falling even more in love with him. 

I stayed back when Cedric left to spend some time with my family and once he did so my parents let out a sigh. 

“He seems nice,” my mum commented. 

“He’s a nice guy,” my dad said at the same time. I hummed in content. He definitely was. 

I never really understood what people meant when they said their relationship was in the ‘honeymoon phase’. Wasn’t your whole relationship meant to feel like a honeymoon? I thought Cedric’s and I would. We had met the other’s family, and both times were successful. We had finally been intimate together, and I was starting to get used to it. He introduced me as his girlfriend all the time and when he wasn't busy training for the finals, we were spending every second we could together.

He had confided in me about his past relationships as well. Girls who were just in it for the fame and the money and I was glad I never brought up how stressed I was about our secretive relationship when we first started dating. 

“But you’re different,” he said, “I can picture a future with you.”

I think I finally understood what the phrase picture perfect meant. Everything between Cedric and I was going so well, we just fit together so well. Everything was falling into place and I was convinced we were matching puzzle pieces.

We still hadn’t said ‘I love you’ to the other, but I knew the feelings were there for me and I was sure the feelings were there for him. 

But it all started to go downhill on a random Tuesday night. 

When I went over Cedric was in a bit of a mood. It was one of his quiet angry moods. I didn’t like when he was in them, but it wasn’t something new to me. I tried to be as pleasing as I could so as not to disturb him anymore. 

“How was your day?” He only grunted in response, sitting at the coffee table with a hot mug of tea in his hand. I went over to the kitchen to make myself one. 

“What’s wrong?” I tried to keep my voice light but I mustn’t have done a good job at it. 

“Nothing,” he grumbled and I held back a sigh.

“You just seem a bit upset s’all,” I mumbled, pouring the water from the kettle into the mug that I always used at his house, “just want to help.”

“Well it is your fault,” he mumbled it so low under his breath I wasn’t even sure I heard him correctly. 

“What?” I went to sit next to him and he ran a hand through his hair before passing the newspaper over at me. 

There was a picture of me clinging to his arm from a night out with his friends only last week on the front page and a headline making a dig of our age gap in black, bold letters. 

“Oh,” I mumbled, my eyes scanning the article to find some not nice comments about myself. 

“Yeah, oh,” he scoffed and I turned to him with my eyebrows furrowed. 

“You’re making this sound like it’s my fault.”

“Well if you weren’t being so clingy that night,” he mumbled. I wanted to tell him that me being ‘clingy’ probably had nothing to do with the article. If I wasn’t so ‘clingy’ they still would have said horrible things. And most of the horrible things were about me, so really, why was he so upset? 

“What’s that meant to mean?” He rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated groan. 

“Look, I know you’re not used to being in the spotlight but now you are and every single move you make is important, it reflects on me and it reflects on my career.” 

“All I did was hold onto your arm.” It came out more like a question as I tried to wrap my head around what we were actually fighting about. 

“Which makes you seem childish,” he explained as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. He pointed to the comment about our age gap to prove his point and I sat back in the chair next to him.  

My instinct was to reply, ‘well I am a child.’ But I wasn’t. I was seventeen now. I was an adult. 

“Sorry,” I said sarcastically, “next time I’ll let them take a picture of me when I’m working.” He made an odd noise between a groan and a grunt and ran a hand through his hair so it was sticking up in odd places. 

“You’re always like this,” he groaned. 

“Excuse me?” 

“You’re always so clingy and when I bring it up you get all defensive. You did that night of the party as well.” My whole body got hot. Was I really that clingy? I didn’t think I was. 

I was speechless. 

“Look, I’m sorry,” he sighed, “I’ve got my game coming up this weekend and I’m stressed and you’re not used to this.” Cedric had his semifinal match this weekend to determine whether his team made it into the final so I understood that times were tough. 

I didn’t say anything back and when Cedric finally looked over at me he scooted his chair closer to me and wrapped an arm around me. 

I wanted to shove it off but I didn’t know how he would react. He was red and angry only a second ago. I couldn’t believe it only took him seconds to calm down. 

He was humming as he started tracing patterns on my arm with his thumb but I was too lost in my own thoughts to notice what he was humming or drawing. 

I was too focused on the article in front of me. I was smiling up at him in the picture. He was looking over my head. I looked bright and radiant. That was the night he had introduced me to everyone as his girlfriend. He had practically shown me off as if he was proud of the person I was and I wished that I could go back to that person because all I wanted to do now was hide. 

~~~

Cedric said he didn’t want me to come to his semi finals match. 

“What?” We were at his house again. His game was the next day and this afternoon when I apparated over to his house I thought that I would have to find that scarf I left over so I could wear it to his game. 

“I’ll be too nervous if you’re there watching me.” I thought he was making no sense, but I didn’t really want to fight with him before such a big game. 

“But I want to cheer you on.”

“You can,” he paused, “from home.” I sighed. It seemed ever since that article Cedric and I hadn’t stopped fighting. We fought when the restaurant got our take out order wrong (because I should’ve checked it before leaving with it), we fought when I told him I wasn’t in the mood for sex (because I had been acting distant lately) and we fought whenever we went out of the house (because there was always something I did wrong). 

And I was getting sick of it so I got my bag and shrugged my shoulders. 

“Fine, if that’s what you really want.” He opened his mouth to say something but I apparated away before he could get a word in. “Good luck, Cedric.”

I wanted to cry as soon as I got home, but I wouldn’t allow myself to. Allowing myself to cry was almost like admitting that there was something wrong in our relationship. Which there wasn’t. We were having sex now. Things were different.

~~~

I watched him play his stupid game on the lounge in my pyjamas. I didn’t even have my stupid scarf. I still cheered for him, even though it wasn't doing them any good because they were losing. Badly. 

I was tense the whole time. I didn’t think Cedric would react very well to losing the semi-finals. Especially when they got thrashed. 

I debated going over to see him, but I decided I didn’t want to deal with him in a shitty mood so I apparated to his house bright and early the next day. 

“He’s the reason we fucking lost.” I was standing outside his front door, but I could hear him yell.

“Mate, I know,” I heard a second voice, “but you have to calm down.” I stupidly let myself in. 

“No, I’ve been training my ass off this whole season, how is it fair that we all suffer because of his stupidity?”

“It’s not, but-”

“No, I don’t care.” I had never heard his voice so loud. I was frozen standing on the other side of his door. They were in the kitchen, but I wasn’t brave enough to make myself known. “I want him off the team.”

“Mate, you can’t-”

“He can’t even play.” I heard him hit something and I involuntarily jumped. I didn’t think I made much noise, but maybe I did because they stopped talking and walked out of the kitchen to find me standing foolishly in front of his door. 

I made eye contact with Cedric. My whole body was tense and hot in the worst ways possible and I wanted to walk straight back outside his door and forget this ever happened. 

“You need to calm down mate.” His teammate nodded at me in acknowledgement, before patting a hand on Cedric’s back. “I’ll talk to you later.” He said goodbye to me and walked outside, before apparating away. 

I didn’t know what to say. I stood there in silence before Cedric sighed. 

“I don’t want to talk about it,” he said. I didn’t either. He walked back into the kitchen, hitting the table and making me flinch again. 

Part of me wanted him to come over and kiss the top of my head and apologise to me just like he did whenever we fought. Part of me didn’t want him to come near me ever again. 

My heart was racing. I was frozen on the spot. I hoped once Cedric and I were intimate things would change and I guess in some strange way I had gotten my wish. I guess I should’ve been more specific. 

The Breaking Point

Almost at the end of three months since I had first met Cedric Diggory it was my birthday. I was very excited and I had told Cedric numerous times. 

“I’ve always loved my birthday.” I had mentioned to him when we were in bed one night. He hummed in response and I turned to face him. I was lying on my side and staring up at him while he had his back resting against the headboard. 

“Hello,” I chuckled, noticing that he wasn’t present. His eyes briefly turned to me before going back to staring straight ahead. 

“Sorry love, what were you saying?” He had been like this since his team lost the semifinals and I was trying not to get frustrated. He hadn’t had an outburst of anger since that day I walked in on him yelling at his teammate, but for some reason I felt like I had a false sense of security.

“Just that I was excited for my birthday,” I shrugged, turning onto my back. I suddenly didn’t want to have this conversation. 

“And I’m excited that you’re excited,” he smirked down at me before moving his body so he was lying on his side and looking at me. I giggled and playfully rolled my eyes. 

“I’m excited to introduce you as my boyfriend to all my friends,” I mumbled, giving him a cheesy grin. He beamed at me and moved his head to press a kiss to my cheek. Most of my friends hadn’t really shown any desire to meet Cedric, they still had their concerns but I was certain as soon as they met him they would change their mind.

“Wouldn’t want it any other way.”

But apparently there was another way. I didn’t have a massive party in his defence. It was just my family and my friends and him. If he was here. But we were only an hour into the party and he still had plenty of time to show up. 

We were out in a pub in Diagon Alley, the same one where I had met Cedric. I had had a few drinks but I didn’t want to forget my birthday so I was waiting a while before I had my next. 

My friends were around me, dancing and laughing and I tried not to think about how excited I was to introduce them to Cedric.

“Where’s your boy toy?” One of them had laughed when they arrived. I chuckled, trying not to let anything have an effect on me. 

“He’s just running a bit late, he will be here soon.” I didn’t know if he would actually be here soon, but it was what I kept telling myself. 

Surely he hadn’t forgotten, I had been speaking about it for the past two weeks. I’m sure that something had come up, he wouldn’t just not show up. 

Two hours into the party the fear crept in that he wouldn’t show up. 

“Where’s Cedric?” My dad had asked and I thought it was funny how even though it was my birthday everyone was concerned with Cedric Diggory. So maybe my thoughts were turning a bit sour. I guess that happens when your boyfriend is late to your birthday party with no explanation.

“Just running a bit late.” I couldn’t count on both hands how many times I had said that in the past hour. He gave me a sympathetic look and I smiled back at him in response, trying to convince him everything was fine. I was feeling bad enough for myself, I didn’t need anyone else to do so as well. 

I was a little embarrassed. I knew my dad was warming up to Cedric, they got along quite well. Part of me worried about how distraught my dad would be if Cedric didn’t show up (because he was going to show up). But the other part of me was too focused on how distraught I was that he wasn’t here yet.  

My eye was kept on the door for the whole night. I thought that maybe if I imagined him walking in with that charming smile and his golden hair styled to perfection that it might actually happen. 

It didn’t. We were now three hours into my party and I wasn’t sure that Cedric was going to show. The only word that kept replaying through my mind was why? A few times I caught someone’s eye when I finally stopped staring at the door and they gave me a sympathetic smile. I was sad that Cedric didn’t show and everyone knowing that he didn’t show felt even worse. I excused myself to go to the bathroom but it seemed everyone was trying to have fun for me and I wasn’t sure if anyone heard. 

The bathroom was empty and I walked over to the sink. My hands were shaking as I turned on the tap and I thought that I was being stupid. It was my birthday. I had had plenty of birthdays without a boyfriend and while this time I actually did have one - he just didn’t show up - I told myself that this wasn’t any different. 

But it was. He didn’t show up. I tried to tell myself that something had happened. He wasn’t the type of person to do this. But surely he would have sent an owl or a patronus or something. I let the cool water fall into my hands and I flicked them up so some of it would cool my face down. 

I took a look at myself in the mirror and frowned. The last time I looked at myself in this mirror I was a completely different person. I hadn’t even met Cedric Diggory. I was still a virgin. Suddenly I felt like I was going to throw up and not wanting to be even more embarrassed on my birthday, my body settled for a few tears streaming down my face. 

I let out a harsh sob and brought my hands up to my face. My palms were cool on my cheeks but the warm flow of tears prevented me from embracing it. 

I stood there, crying for a minute until I heard the door open and I quickly pulled my hands away from my face and brought them back under the sink hoping that whoever walked in would think I was just washing my hands. 

“Hey,” I heard a familiar voice and then I heard them say my name. I turned around to see Ginny Weasley, looking as stunning as ever. “What’s wrong?” The smile on her face disappeared as she saw my swollen cheeks and she started walking closer to me. 

“Nothing,” I smiled. I wanted to say more. I wanted to tell her that Cedric was what was wrong. I wanted to tell her that I was stupid for ever thinking that I had a chance with the golden boy because I was starting to realise the golden boy doesn’t exist. But I had only spoken to her, like, once before so I didn’t think it was appropriate.

She stared at me for a moment, seemingly unsure what to do. I gave her a small smile but she only frowned.

“You were crying.” It sounded more like a question and when she raised an eyebrow at me I almost told her everything. 

“You know what’s even worse?” I didn’t deny it. “It’s my birthday.” I let out a laugh trying to make an awkward situation better but I don’t think it had the effect I wanted it to. Her eyes widened and she took a step over to me. She put a hand out as if she was going to reach for my shoulder and I gave her a tiny nod before she placed an arm around me. 

“Where’s Cedric? I’ll go get him, yeah?” I knew she meant well but that only made me start crying again and I think she realised that he was the reason I was crying and so she pulled me closer towards her. “I’m sorry,” she mumbled and the conversation ended. She started stroking my back and when I calmed down she let out a deep breath before continuing. 

“You’re so young,” she mumbled, “this is only going to be a small part of your life, yeah? Enjoy your birthday.” I gave her a tight lipped smile and pulled away from her. 

“Thank you,” I looked at her, “I really appreciate it.” She smiled at me and I wiped my eyes before I walked out of the bathroom. 

I was going to enjoy my birthday whether a certain someone was here or not. 

I had a few more drinks, suddenly not caring anymore whether or not I remembered this night.

I was near tears when everyone sang happy birthday. My eyes were glued to the door no matter how badly I wanted to look away. 

I was surrounded by the people I loved yet I felt so alone and upset. I sighed when I blew out the candles. There was only one wish on my mind. 

I was on my second slice of cake when one of my friends sat down next to me. 

“It’s your birthday,” they slurred, “it’s supposed to be fun.” I mustered up my most convincing smile. 

“I am having fun.” I wasn’t. 

He should have been here.

I’m pretty sure everyone else was thinking the same thing but they were polite enough not to bring it up. 

I’m pretty sure my friend was thinking the same thing, but they didn’t say either. They picked up a spoon and took a bite of my cake. We sat there, not talking, just enjoying the cake. It was saying a lot that this was the best part of my night. 

I was sure everyone gave me an extra longer hug when they left and the pats on my back felt more sympathetic than celebratory but I tried not to linger on it. 

That night I went to my bedroom and got into my comfiest pyjamas. There was an owl at my window when I hopped into bed and I already knew who it was from. 

It was rolled up and for a moment I contemplated just ripping it to shreds without even reading it and when I opened it I wished I had. 

I’m sorry I didn’t show, 

Cedric xx

That was it?

I gave the owl a treat and ripped the note in half and in half again and in half again until I was sure that it could never be put back together.  I was feeling a similar way. I started crying. I guess it’s not really a birthday if you don’t cry, right? I threw the crumpled paper in my bin and sat on my bedroom floor. 

For a brief moment I wondered if it was my fault. It seemed all of the stupid fights we had been having had arose as a result of me, and maybe this one was the same. I wondered what it was. Whether it would appear too childish for Cedric to appear at a birthday party, or whether I would be too clingy throughout the night. 

If it wasn’t for the amount of alcohol I had consumed I was sure I wouldn’t have gotten an ounce of sleep. But I woke up the next morning as well rested as I could have been and I got ready and apparated to Cedric’s house immediately. 

I wasn’t sure what I planned on doing. I wanted to remember all of the good times Cedric and I had but they seemed so far away. Oddly enough they were before the first time we had sex which I only agreed to in hopes that things would get better. 

I felt helpless. I wanted to go back to those picture perfect days, but I knew that there was nothing I could do to get back there. But I guess I hoped that we could work from where we currently were and get somewhere even better. 

The Reeling  

Standing in front of Cedric’s door I realised that this was a horrible idea. Surely Cedric and I could just go past this and maybe even just pretend it didn’t happen. 

Part of me was scared that the reason he didn’t show up was because of something I’d done. For some reason I thought that maybe if I proved that I was willing to fight for our relationship, we’d unlock a new part of our relationship. Like when we finally had sex. Except this time it would unlock something even better. 

I knocked on the door and let out a shaky breath. 

He opened it almost instantly and he gave me a nervous smile. I let myself in and he shut the door behind me. 

“Did you have fun last night, darling?” I turned back to face him and stared at him dumbly. 

“You didn’t come.” I responded and he let out a sigh and walked over to me, grabbing my hand in his. 

“I’m so sorry, darling.” He only rarely called me darling and I suddenly hated the way it sounded in his mouth. “I was just upset about not making it to finals and-” I took a step back from him. 

“You should’ve been there.” He looked down and I sniffled when I felt the tears start to fall down my cheeks. 

“I should have.” We stayed like that for a moment. My hands in his. Tears streaming down my face while he continued to stare at our hands. I thought I would be the one who would have trouble with this. I really wanted him to just look at me. 

“Darling,” he paused, “I think we should break up.” My whole body went hot. 

“No,” I mumbled, trying to pretend that I didn’t hear what I thought I did. How did we get here? I came here so we could make up, not to break up. 

“Yes,” he replied, almost pleading with me. 

“I can get over you not coming to my birthday.” I was begging and I hated myself for it. The tears had stopped but I would much rather them than whatever this was. 

“It’s not about that.”

“Then what is it?” He took a deep breath as if it pained him to say this but I was sure that I was in much more pain. “I’ll do anything, just name it, I’ll do anything for you. We can make it work.” The worst part was that I meant it. 

“Don’t say that,” he sighed. 

“It’s true. I’m not angry,” I sobbed, “I can’t let you go.”

“You have to.” I wanted to scream. I wanted to throw my body on the floor or hit something. I already felt like a fool but I was ready to make myself look even worse and throw a tantrum right there and then. 

“We’re just not going to work out.” He gave me an apologetic look, but it only made me mad. 

“Why?” He blinked at me, his eyes saying that he hated me for making him say it. 

“Look,” he went to reach out for me again but I pulled away, “maybe if we were closer in age, I just-” I let out a dry laugh cutting him off and felt the tears start up again. I was no longer sad. I was angry now. I had given so much of myself to Cedric and it was all for nothing. All for him to just throw it all back in my face. 

“You said I was mature for my age.” I hated that I felt the need to defend myself. I was embarrassed. What a horrible thing to say. I wanted the world to swallow me up and forget that Cedric Diggory was ever an important person in my life. 

“You were-you are,” he corrected himself, “but you’re still so young and-”

“But we had sex.” He gave me a look that said I was only proving his point and I wanted nothing more than to shrink into the ground beneath me. 

“I’m sorry.” 

“So you’re just going to throw away everything we worked towards?” He put a hand on my shoulder but I only stood there, frozen in place, not knowing what my life had just turned into. 

I shoved it off and started walking to his door. 

“Hang on,” he followed me, “wait.” But I didn’t. I walked out his door and slammed it behind me. I thought he was being selfish. That he was taking the easy route. He was being childish, real adults would have talked it out, but he just ran away from his issues. 

I felt helpless. I wondered if I had done things differently if we’d still be together. Maybe if I didn’t make such a big deal about having sex he wouldn’t have thought I was childish. Maybe if I was more confident when we were out with his friends he wouldn’t have thought I was so clingy. Maybe we still would’ve been together. 

The Remembering

I apparated straight home and went right into my bedroom. I shut the door behind me and contemplated falling against it dramatically, but it felt more right to go jump on my bed and so I did that. The tears didn’t stop and I didn’t leave my room until the next morning. 

I felt so used. I was right when I was upset in the bathroom on my birthday. I was a different person and while I knew eventually this change would come, I felt that it had been forced to come early by my relationship with Cedric and it made me feel dirty. I wanted to shower to get rid of it but that didn’t help. I wanted to go on a walk to get my mind off of it but that didn’t work either. I tried to eat to cleanse my body from it but it seemed that I was stuck with this change. I was never going to get back the person that I was before him. 

I didn’t realise how much I had been relying on him until I didn’t have him. I suddenly felt like a child again. Not knowing how to make my own decisions, forever unsure about what I was doing and feeling so lost and alone. 

It seemed that everyone knew that our relationship had ended and I was happy because I didn’t have to tell them. I wasn’t happy, however, that they found out by a tabloid headline barely a week after Cedric had broken up with me. He was out with a model, only a year older than me, a hand on her lower back and her face close to his chest and I decided to rip that up into pieces as well. 

It felt so surreal that at times I thought that I would see Cedric again until I remembered what had happened and I was enveloped by a sinking feeling. It was a self made hell everytime I remembered what had happened and I wasn’t sure I would ever be able to think about him again without feeling this way. 

I was also stuck remembering all of the good times and conveniently forgetting the bad. I’d remember when we used to go out and he’d pay for dinner. Or when it was just the two of us at his house and he’d make me my favourite foods, dancing in his kitchen while we waited for it to cook. And when it was just us in bed and he’d trace patterns on my back and make me guess what he was drawing. 

And I would sob even harder because I wanted to go back to those times. 

But then I’d remember how he wouldn’t speak to me once the paparazzi found out where we were. Or when we would scream and fight in the kitchen and I’d be sick from it. And when I’d spend the night and we’d be on the edge of each side of the bed, our backs facing the other, refusing to be the first one to speak. 

I self indulgently let myself cry and cry and cry some more for at least a week until my parents called my friends for support. Time went so slowly feeling sorry for yourself in your bedroom, that I was shocked to hear that it had been a week when my friends told me I needed to stop feeling sorry for myself. 

A month later there was a charity Quidditch game that I was watching with my dad. He went to turn it off as soon as the familiar head of golden curls appeared on screen for an interview but I stopped him before he could. 

“Is it true that you’ve broken up?” They were quick to mention my name as soon as the niceties were taken care of. 

Just the sight of him made my heart ache. All of the memories came flooding back, the good and the bad and remembering them together felt like I was in a whole new hell. 

Cedric stared at the reporter dumbfounded until he suddenly found his voice. “The match tonight is for a very important cause and I think we should focus on that.”

“People are saying that you took advantage of her because of her age, what do you say about that?” I snorted at the question. 

“I think people should focus on the match tonight and the important cause it is for.” He let out an awkward chuckle but the reporter was relentless. 

“Do you miss her?” Cedric shook his head and must have looked over to his manager before he was pulled away from the screen. 

I felt happy that I was still affecting his life a month after our relationship because he was still affecting mine but I was sad that he didn’t seem phased by it. I was sure that if I was asked in an interview about Cedric I would start crying immediately. But then again, I was the one who was broken up with. 

I still wondered if I had done things differently if I’d still have him in my life. It was a sour taste. I had spent so much time with those thoughts that I was starting to get sick of them, but the more time I spent on them, the more things I remembered that made me wonder if he would have stayed if I had done them differently. 

During the match I realised that he still had my fucking scarf. The one that I had spent my hard earned money on only to wear one time. I wondered if he knew he had it. I was sure he did.  I kinda hoped he did. I hoped he kept it as a reminder of me. I wanted so desperately to forget him, but I didn’t want him to forget me and I didn’t think that was asking too much. 

Thirteen Years Gone

I continued to feel foolish. I remembered the first time we went out, the first time I came back to his house. Everything just seemed to fit into place and I had naively imagined a life of marriage and children. Probably little quidditch players who were just as bright as their father. At least I could laugh at it now. I was only just a child myself. 

It took months before I could go about my day without him crossing my mind and it took years and plenty of relationships until I realised what they were truly meant to be like. 

I mourned the loss of our picture perfect beginnings, the way he always made me feel safe and at home. The way he used to hold me at night after I had given myself to him over and over again. 

It took months before I could even go back to Diagon Alley without thinking of him. And even now, when I walked past, it was more that I was able to push aside the thought of him rather than completely disregard him. 

I thought that as time went on I would forget about it. That I would forget about him. And sure, I distracted myself and I eventually thought about him less and less, but my memories were as vivid as ever. The way he would look at me, his eyes crinkled, a piece of his hair covering his forehead, as if I was the only thing that mattered in his world. The way he would hold onto my hips when we hugged, his fingers drumming into the flesh of my side as I buried my face in his chest, thinking that I could stay there for eternity. But now they were all scars that I wore that changed the way I lived and thought, and even though it eventually got easier to forget him, I never forgot them. 

[mosquego359]

𖤐One Kiss and A Quidditch Match — Chapter 5: The First Task𖤐

Prologue (recommended to read)

Chapter 4 (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: You and Cedric get into an argument. The first task is a week later. A Professor (you and Cedric's number one shipper) wants to talk with you after it.

Notes: Please comment 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: There is an argument and many swear words. Also, a homophobic slur.

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

...

You were going to have a blast in Herbology.

Earlier that week, Cedric Diggory had been chosen as Hogwarts champion — which, because of your incredible luck, you were convinced was going to happen — and was required to bring honour to the school by winning the Triwizard Tournament.

For the past few days, he had to miss Herbology to attend interviews and get his wand checked, leaving you alone to take care of the Snargaluff, with the occasional aid from your teacher. Needless to say, you were struggling to handle the plant independently — not that you’d admit it if asked.

And today, Diggory was going to have his first Herbology class since he was elected as the champion, and you’d been dreading finally talking to him.

You bid goodbye to your mates to work in the oh-so-isolating room you shared with Diggory. Grabbing your Herbology coat, you pushed the door open, not surprised to see your rival already dressed in his equipment.

“Missed me, (Surname)?” he raised an eyebrow with a handsome, cocky smile, tracking you with his eyes as you dressed. You realised he was referring to the visible scars the Snargaluff had imprinted on you last class and sneered at him.

“Oh yes, absolutely, it was so boring without you to bother me,” you replied sarcastically, pulling your dragonhide gloves onto your nimble fingers and making your way next to him. You dropped your act quickly, “I’m so fucking happy this is the last day I have to deal with you.”

He huffed and crossed his arms, “I could say the same.”

After a short silence, you sighed, “Congratulations.”

“On what?” Diggory said, clearly knowing what you were felicitating him on.

You stayed silent, so he took that moment to ask you, “Did you put your name in?” 

You shook your head, and he let out a breathy laugh, “Seriously? Out of anyone, I would’ve expected you to try and find some sneaky way to be a champion. Wow. Were you that confident that I wasn’t going to be chosen?” He mocked.

“No. I’m just too young to participate.” You gritted your teeth, “Where’s Professor Sprout, she’s supposed to tell us how to finally kill this thing.”

“Are you seriously gonna change the subject? Are you embarrassed, (Surname)? Because I can guarantee even if you had put your name in, mine would have still popped out.” Diggory said presumptuously, a bit angry that you were suppressing your emotion, “I mean, just look at the wounds on your arms you got without me.”

That was your final straw. “You know what, Diggory? Yeah, sure. I can’t deal with this plant alone. You know why? Because I’m not fucking supposed to! The fact that I am able to stand my own against this Snargaluff without being sent to the infirmary proves my capability as a wizard.” 

Curious students had started trickling into your room, murmuring about you and Cedric’s argument. What was going on? Who was going to win? 

Diggory opened his mouth to retaliate, but you cut him off before he made a sound, “And if you want to argue that you’re so much more powerful than me, just look how you are in Quidditch. You think you’re a good flyer? Well, I’m better and I’ll bet I can beat you any fucking time of the week-”

“THEN WHY DID YOU QUIT?”

You recoiled at the volume of his voice. His face was red in anger and you could tell by the murmurs, whispers and gasps of the students that no one had seen him like this before.

It took you a moment to respond, for you hadn’t heard him raise his voice that loud before, either. You usually ended up punching him before he could.

But now, you were in class and a crowd of students were waiting for you to retaliate. They wanted answers to why you, the Slytherin’s star Quidditch player, quit just before you could ascend to the title of captain.

“Excuse me, pardon me, Miss Hilton.”

You turned your head when Professor Sprout squeezed through your classmates to get between you and Diggory. She ushered the other students out and once the door closed, she turned to the two of you.

“Now, what is the meaning of this?”

Both you and Diggory stood silently. The latter’s head hung in shame of not being capable of controlling his emotions. You knew him as a regularly calm individual, so you understood his disappointment in himself, but still feeling upset towards him, you couldn’t empathise.

Professor Sprout frowned at your soundless states before sighing, “You lads must be so stressed. How about you use this as a free block, I’ll handle the Snargaluff.”

Diggory’s head popped back up, “Won’t you get hurt?”

She chuckled, “I’ll be fine. Now go to the library or help out your classmates. If anyone asks, tell them I allowed it.”

You didn’t hesitate, walking into the room where everyone else was working, eager to escape Diggory’s presence, only to be met with every one of your peers eyeballing you as soon as the door opened.

You quickly shuffled next to your nearest friend — who just so happened to be Winnie. Around a week ago, she and Elsie had switched partners since she spoke better sign language than Winnie, who partnered up with Mary Rivers — the mute girl that you met going to the party.

“(Name)!” she hissed a bit too loud for your liking, “What happened in there? Are you in trouble? Where’s Diggory?” She grabbed your shoulders and shook you dramatically.

You nod towards the room you were in just before, “He’s still in there and no need to worry — nothing happened. Professor Sprout just told us we could take a break from working to help you out. She’ll take care of our plant for us.”

“Well in that case,” Elsie chimed in, “could you help us with our plant?” She gestured to where Mary was standing, carefully tending to some bite marks on her bleeding fingers. You rushed over and when you spotted the red rimming their Snargaluff’s maw, you realised what had caused those marks.

“You okay?” Mary nodded to your question, “Do you wanna sit out for a while and let Elsie and I take care of it?” She shook her head.

Elsie appeared behind you, leaning her head on your shoulder, “Hm, at the very least you should bandage up those wounds.” 

You noticed Mary silently sigh and walk over to where the Herbology med kit lay. It wasn’t uncommon that a student hurt themselves during a lesson — you dealt with poisonous and hostile plants constantly, especially in the later Years.

Compared to your larger, more vicious Snargaluff, Elsie’s and Mary’s was relatively easy to put down. 

Looking around the room, you noticed a few students struggling to get a hold of their plants, and only two other groups had finished; the first being Brian and Alistair and the second being a couple of Cedric Diggory’s friends with him standing between the two of them, carefully handling the fallen Snargaluff with a charming smile as if you hadn’t even fought.

“So,” Elsie said beside you, laying the Snargaluff down to not rip it, “Why did you quit Quidditch?”

“Didn’t I already tell you?” 

“No. But you told Winnie. And made up an excuse for Alistair — whom I still don’t forgive,” she added. “Listen, (Name), if it’s a touchy subject, I get it and you don’t have to say anything, but I really thought you trusted me more than that.”

You felt the back of your neck grow warm and pressed a cold hand on it to cool it down, “It’s not that… I just feel like my reason’s a stupid one.”

Elsie rolled her eyes, “Don’t treat me like Alistair. I’m not that judgemental.”

You took a deep breath. Apart from Winnie, you’d have to say you had the best relationship with Elsie. She knew most of the things that you told Winnie, but lately, you’d been keeping things from her, mainly about Cedric and the kiss.

“Well, I guess it was just something I couldn’t handle. All the stress and pressure to succeed. I already have that with my studies; I don’t need it in an activity I’ll never play again after graduation.” You looked away, “Quidditch won’t get me anywhere. That’s why I quit.”

Elsie was quiet for a moment, as conversations between the other students filled the silence, “I promise I won’t tell Alistair. Or Diggory.”

“Alrighty tighty!” Ziggy hooted, walking backwards towards where the first Triwizard Tournament task was to be, “Ladies and motherfucking gentlemen, are you ready to see our two champions, Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory, absolutely crush their opponents and winning the first challenge??”

Roman chuckled and shook his head in embarrassment, bringing his Slytherin scarf higher up his face. Alistair huffed, a clear expression of annoyance etched on his features.

Ziggy, noticing this, slowed his pace to match his friends, “What’s wrong, my man? You still pissed at not getting in?”

“Ha! As if,” Alistair snorted, puffing his burgundy hair out of his handsome face, “Diggory just pisses me off.”

“Oh don’t tell me you’re still mad at how he treated (Name) in Herbology,” Ramona Armstrong— Ziggy’s twin and Elsie’s roommate — jumped into the conversation, pushing the two boys apart, “It’s been forever ago, get over it. And it’s not even your battle.”

Earlier that day, at lunchtime, Ramona, Mary and Avery Hilton — the third member of their group — approached you and the rest of your gang, asking if they could tag along to sit alongside you during the games. You assumed this was because you were friends with their roommates, but you found them friendly enough, so everyone nodded in agreement to their proposal.

So there you were. A ten-person group loudly chatting as they approached the Triwizard Tournament’s arena somewhere in the forbidden forest.

Despite the rumours, the forest was calm and beautiful, so much so that you challenged the idea of it being dangerous. However, reminding yourself of what your parents told you about not judging things by their appearance, snapped you back into reality. This was a treacherous place. Danger lied in every bush. You had to be careful but admitted that the gnarly trees and whispering leaves felt less menacing with the teachers up ahead.

“I’m so friggin’ excited! Tina’s already waiting for us!” Winnie said, eagerly skipping alongside Elsie and yourself. Her curly hair was tied up in high pigtails, occasionally, brushing across your arms.

“Who’s Tina?” You asked.

“Um, Destiny, obviously,” Winnie said as if it were obvious, but seeing both yours and Elsie’s confused expression, she finally explained, “Destiny. Tina. Tiny. Tina. Get it?”

You and Elsie shared a look and the latter sighed, “Please just stick with Destiny.”

Winnie pouted but eventually got over it in a matter of seconds.

“(Name)!” Ziggy called for you, rushing to grab your bicep and dragging you to his conversation, “We can both agree that Potter’s not gonna fuck this up, right?”

“Oh please, Ziggs,” Ramona huffed, brushing her spiky red hair out of her face, “He’s just a kid. Sure, he’s “the Boy Who Lived” but dumb luck can only get him so far in life. Just admit it.”

“I agree with her,” Roman chimed in.

“I don’t care,” replied Ziggy sarcastically, before turning to you, “What about you, (Name)? What do you think?”

“Uh,” you hesitated. 

Luckily, Winnie pulled your arm, grabbing your attention, “Look! Look! There it is!”

You turned your head to where she was pointing and made out a stone wall in between the masses and masses of trees surrounding you. The professors near the front vanished into a relatively large entrance.

You and your group passed the archway, a few of them (notably Winnie) craning their neck to get a good look at the fancy architecture and carvings engraved on the walls. 

Since you were one of the first groups, you got to choose your seats first — which turned out to be somewhere in the middle-lower rows where you were facing smaller entrances — presumably where the champions would enter from. The arena was a large dome with thousands of seats for the three school’s students. Your keen eyes noticed the floor was actually a trap door and you wondered about the first challenge.

“Winnie! Elsie!” 

You turned to see Destiny White navigating the crowd settling in and embraced both girls in a warm hug. You noticed out of the corner of your eye Alistair shifting uncomfortably in his seat next to Brian.

Despite your support for the three girls’ growing friendship, you did feel rather uncomfortable with the tension between them and Alistair. You feared your friend group was splitting apart and dreaded being stuck in the middle of the confict.

As the rest of the three schools gathered into the humongous arena, you and Brian chatted and continued to do so even as Dumbledore gave his speech — not unlike most students. 

Similar to the majority of Slytherins, you held a certain disdain for the man. His obvious favouritism towards Gryffindor irritated you and his contempt towards Slytherin fueled the fire in your heart to win every year’s House Cup just to spite him and his efforts to prevent that from happening.

One by one, the Triwizard Tournament Champions were called to enter the arena. 

First was the man you dreaded seeing (despite his attractiveness): Cedric Diggory. Most Students hooted and cheered for the handsome contender, but you sulked in your seat — a mild reaction compared to Alistair full-on jumping out of his chair to boo and yell something a blast-ended skrewt and Diggory’s genitalia, but Brian quickly pulled him down to quiet him, scarred face flushed with second-hand embarrassment.

As Alistair seethed in his seat, you wondered why he took things so much more personally than you did with problems that weren’t his own.

For the next fifteen minutes, the crowd gasped, cheered and wailed at Cedric’s every mishap and close encounter with the dragon as he briskly evaded the beast’s attacks. He had transfigured a rock on the ground to be a dog and sent it out as a distraction — a smart move, you admitted to yourself quietly. However, the dragon changed its mind halfway about who to chase and Diggory had to run and dodge its attacks.

He got the egg with a couple of burns on his limbs — which caused him a few points in the grand total.

Next up was the gorgeous contender Fleur Delacour who caused over half of the students to cheer and hoot and whistle — you swore even a few of your friends joined in. 

The fierce Quidditch star Viktor Krum went before the final competitor Harry Potter. 

Overall, Krum and Potter were tied first while Diggory was second, meaning Delacour was placed last. On the way out of the arena, you and your friends — especially Alistair and Elsie — agreed that she should have scored higher since her spell was effective and the only problem was when her skirt caught fire. You theorised that the judges weren’t entertained enough by her performance and Ramona blamed it on sexism.

Your group chatted with one another, and, being one of the last students out of the gigantic stadium, you happened to leave at the same time as Fleur Delacour.

Her cheeks were red from crying and you noted that she was holding back tears. Her hair was a mess, strands sticking out from her once beautiful ponytail and spit flew from her mouth as she wallowed to Madame Maxime in rapid french.

“Damn,” muttered Alistair, who was walking next to you, “Even crying, she’s hot.”

You gave him a disgusted look, “What the fuck, Alistair?”

“What?” he asked.

“That’s so rude!” You scolded, “She’s bawling her eyes out because she lost a competition that is clearly important to her in front of our entire school alongside her peers and those at Durmstrang, and the only thing you can think about is whether or not she looks good or not while doing it?”

Alistair stared at you, dumbfounded. “Relax, weirdo, it’s just a harmless comment.”

“Harmless-?”

“Geez, you’re so sensitive. Why are you acting like one of those fags?”

Your mouth hung wide open at his words, and before you could retort, Elsie jumped in with rapid-fire insults. 

You deeply inhaled and walked ahead, past the rest of your friends staring at the argument. Delacour was out of sight — which was unfortunate since you wanted to compliment her on her performance — and everyone else was already inside the castle, so you walked alone, attempting to calm yourself.

Near the entrance stood Professor Sprout.

“Quite a spectacle, wasn’t it?” She smiled.

You scowled at her, the anger towards Alister being redirected towards the sweet woman, “I apologise, Professor, I’m not in the mood for a chat.” You pushed past her.

“Wait!” She grabbed your forearm.

You retained yourself from pulling away and turned to face her with a cold, dead expression and she recoiled from your sharp glare before coughing and composing herself.

“The second task!” Professor Sprout spluttered, “It has to do with an egg!”

“An egg?”

“An egg. I am aware that you enjoyed riddles and challenges and — well — as I suspect this egg contains the answer to something related to the second task, it made me think of you and your love for brain puzzles and — well—”

“Please just get to the point, Professor.” You cut her off, rubbing your forehead in annoyance, despite knowing how rude you seemed at the moment, “What do you want from me?”

Professor Sprout bristled, tentative, “I am aware that I’ve asked you to do multiple things you were uncomfortable with but I promise you, Mr. (Surname), this is the last time.”

You raised an eyebrow in confusion, “And that is.”

“Well,” she hesitated, “It has to do with a certain Cedric Diggory…”