A week passed by without any further discussion of Draco Malfoy, or Y/N’s father. Frankly, the girl was just happy to have Cedric in her life the way she did, meaning the effect of Draco’s cold glares and that growing pit of curiosity she’d buried were stifled almost entirely. Almost. On the blond’s end, it almost seemed as if he had been sure she would come back. So, the longer she didn’t, the more bitter she watched the Slytherin grow. It was only at the end of the week, during which Draco had been especially frigid with the two Hufflepuffs, that Cedric spoke. But, when he did, his words certainly startled his girlfriend.
“I reckon we should talk to him,” he said as they left Potions class.
The sun shone magnificently on the cold day. The girl, folding her arms across her crisp black robes, stopped. The two had just emerged from the dungeons, the air sharp and cool as it snapped against her cheeks. Students in the corridor bustled noisily past without a care, and birds chirped encouragingly from the nearby greenery.
“What are you on about?” the girl asked questioningly.
“Don’t get me wrong, I hate the git,” he added cooly, “but he might know something about your father.”
“So?” she said defeatedly. “I cut him out, remember?”
“Right,” the brunette clicked his tongue, “that’s why I said ‘we’.”
She folded her potions book under her arm with a tilt of her head.
“Huh?”
“If the both of us talk to him, maybe we can get through to him,” Cedric elaborated.
“Cedric, he hates our guts,” she reminded him.
“Not our,” he corrected, “my.”
She grimaced.
“Well it’s true,” he shrugged in defeat.
“I’m not so sure.”
A contemplative silence ensued. Then they resumed walking. The halls emptied as students made their way to lunch, leaving the slow-moving pair in a thoughtful stroll.
“I don’t get it,” she chuckled, “why would you of all people want to help Draco?”
“Simple,” he replied at once, “for you. You deserve the truth.”
The girl sighed, full of so much love for the boy.
“That’s very sweet, Ced” she smiled softly. “But, aren’t you forgetting he nearly killed a girl? And that he’s likely a death eater?”
“Course’ not,” the Hufflepuff grinned. “That’s the only somewhat leverage we have on the ferret. And we haven’t said a word on it.”
“Meaning?” she asked confusedly.
“Meaning,” he stopped, “either he helps you, or we out his misdeeds for good.”
Cedric’s big blue-green eyes sparkled in the sunlight, the boy looking as handsome as ever as he blinked down at his girl. Y/N’s mouth fell into a hard line, the words ringing uncomfortably and weirdly in her ears as she stared up at her boyfriend. She wasn’t sure she liked the sound of that, after all. And then, at once, they were conveniently interrupted by a boy with a mess of black hair and a prominent scar on his forehead.
“Harry!” the girl chuckled in uncomfortable surprise.
“Hullo,” he waved with an on-brand nod of greeting.
Then, not knowing how else but to skip the niceties, he mumbled with a wave of his hand.
“Y/N, have a moment?” he asked distantly.
“Erm,” she cleared her throat, eyes darting to Cedric’s, “is this about Draco?”
The boy-who-lived read the two Hufflepuff’s with a squint, a crease forming between his brow.
“Malfoy, yeah,” Harry said timidly, eyeing Cedric. “Does he–” Harry began.
“I’ve let him in on everything, yeah,” the girl answered Potter’s hanging phrase.
Harry didn’t judge, only observed curiously, a cautious smile dancing on the corners of his mouth. Beside her, Cedric nodded, folding his long fingers into the pockets of his robes. Not revealing a word, the Gryffindor blinked in silence for a second, his green eyes narrowing as the cogs in his brain whirred.
“Ah,” Harry shrugged at last. “Well, erm, that’s good actually. There’s something I’ve been meaning to tell you. It’s about Katie and that cursed necklace.”
The Hufflepuff pair tensed in anticipation.
“I–” Harry began timidly, “–I think he did it. Malfoy, I mean”
Y/N and Cedric exchanged a silent glance, communicating wordlessly in their wide stares.
“What makes you say that?” Cedric feigned ignorance, moving his eyes back to Harry.
“Well, I’ve already got the itch that he’s working for Voldemort, right? But then I saw him leaving towards the castle looking desperately guilty only moments before she was cursed. And he’s been acting extra offputting this whole week since,” he rambled.
The girl clenched her jaw. His pieces were lining up, even if the latter ones had far less to do with the necklace than Harry knew. Sucking in a breath, Y/N darted her eyes to Cedric’s before responding carefully.
“I don’t know, H…” she tried.
“If the three of us all come forward,” he stammered, “surely then McGonagall or someone would listen, right?”
Probably, actually, he was right. But doing so meant severing ties with the blond for good and making him suffer a deserved but likely ghastly fate. And it also meant losing any chance of gaining intel on her father, she thought. Not that she loved Cedric’s idea morally, either. But, she felt upon his proposal that she couldn’t not try.
“Listen, Harry,” she sighed. “I don’t think it’s best unless we have actual proof.”
Harry frowned, “and have you found any?”
The girl shook her head, hating to let him down like this again. More specifically, she hated that she was keeping secrets from a dear friend.
“Draco and I haven’t been talking,” she told the half-truth.
“Again?” Harry retorted.
She winced.
“Sorry– just–” Harry caught himself, “that git is one hell of an emotional rollercoaster.”
The girl looked at Cedric, swallowing, “I know.”
He looked rather off-put, as his mouth hardened into a faux smile of assurance.
“Well,” Harry cleared his throat, “okay. I suppose you’re right. I can’t go about sounding loony with baseless accusations, even if they are true, so… okay. You’ll let me know if anything changes?”
The Hufflepuff’s made a noise of agreement, staring at the jet-black-haired boy as he pushed his glasses up his nose and made down the corridor with a sigh. She noticed he was looking a little disheveled, what with his laces undone and a rather crumpled set of robes on. Kindly, Cedric gave his friend a pat on the back as he departed, the polite smile fading from his lips as he watched him go. Then, slowly, he turned back to his girlfriend. He didn’t look all the most pleased, but what was there to do? This was them being honest with each other, after all.
“Alright, Ced,” the girl exhaled slowly, bringing each of her hands to the side of his robes as she leaned into his torso, “what do you think I should do?”
…
This time it was Y/N who sent the bird-shaped parchment Draco’s way. On it, she’d written:
. . - Y/N
Of course, what she hadn’t mentioned was that Cedric would be joining. After a rushed dinner of rosemary glazed potatoes and pork in the Great Hall, the pair slipped away into the castle and pattered over to the library. For a second, they stood outside together. The girl wore her robes still, her hair in a high pony and her lips flushed a little red. Cedric stopped, grabbing her gently by the wrist. His blue-green stare moved all over her face, his expression worried.
“You look very lovely,” he offered nervously, rubbing his thumb against her wrist.
Taken aback, the girl chuckled a bewildered thanks.
“You do,” he prodded again, moving his free hand up to brush back the loose pieces of hair she sported.
Then, eyeing her hair with an odd determination, the boy moved his hand to her hair tie, pulling her hair loose altogether.
“Ced?” she questioned, scrunching her nose as her locks fell around her halo face.
“Well, now you just look arguably more beautiful,” he huffed in annoyance, fiddling at her with his long fingers again.
“Ced– what–” the girl was laughing now as she slapped his hand back with a giggle. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” he shrugged through his lie, letting his fingers stay on her rosy cheek, “nothing. Come here.”
Then he brought his lips gently down to hers, the kiss soft and brief. Blinking through her surprise, the girl cleared her throat and stared at the towering boy’s mouth. He looked utterly love-struck, and something else, too. If she didn’t know any better, she’d think he was jealous.
“What was that for?” she mumbled softly.
“Nothing,” he lied obviously, silencing her with a peck to the lips and a grin. “Nothing.”
Struggling to breathe right, the girl came off of his lips once more, breath faltered. Regaining her composure, she smoothed her hands over her little black skirt and cleared her throat with a nod. It was odd, but she wasn’t complaining. Entering the library first, the girl slinked between its opened doors. She knew where to go immediately this time. Brushing past huge wooden oak shelves, focused huddles of students, and warm gas lamps, the girl made her way to the musty and dusty abandoned back corner of the room. Crammed between the two back shelves, she stood alone, just like last time. Recalling her previous encounter there, she reached nimbly for an old blue book on healing incantations, the one she’d skimmed the time before. Flipping it open, she barely had a second to observe its old yellowed pages before Draco Malfoy stood before her. He didn’t hide behind the opposite shelf this time, embarrassed to be seen near her. Rather, he strode quite confidently to her, his long pale fingers glittering as he pushed the book gently down from the girl’s nose with a smirk.
“Hello,” he murmured, icy blue eyes gentle.
She lowered the reading slowly, growing nervous at the proximity. He wore his uniform, too, but minus the robes. His dark emerald tie stood out against the white fabric that clenched to his definite chest. His bright white hair was neatly framed over his head. His pale and sallow features held some smug in them, she noticed.
“Hi,” she cleared her throat, setting down the book.
She gave a nervous glance around. Some nearby students had lifted their heads from the other side of the shelf. She could just make out Cedric’s tall frame approaching from the opposite side. In front of her, Draco hummed curiously.
“I was wondering how long you’d shut me out,” he spoke softly, “before you’d come back.”
The girl’s doe-eyes narrowed. Was he really that full of himself? Or was this him being vulnerable?
“I missed you,” the blond added softly, taking the girl immediately off-guard.
Perhaps it was both, she decided with a swallow. His words and that dark minty smell alike were making her head spin. She wasn’t sure how to reply. In all truth, as much as she was furious with him, this– him– she’d missed. But she couldn’t ever admit that to herself, much less Draco Malfoy. Opting for something curt, she straightened.
“Draco, I’m not doing this.”
His pale brows came together, his pink lips creasing, “hm?”
“We’re here on behalf of my father and nothing else,” she continued, leaning back away from him and into the bookshelf.
Draco’s face grew dark.
“We?” he asked dangerously.
“That’s right.”
Cedric stood behind the blond, both of his hands in his pockets as his hard gaze leveled that of the snow-white boy. Grimacing, Draco tilted his head with a scowl.
“Diggory,” he uttered with dislike.
From behind him, Cedric’s throat rumbled an acknowledgment
The smug Draco wore dissipated, the blond hardening before Y/N’s very eyes. The glitter in his icy eyes melted, a cool gray glaze replacing it.
His hands moved to his pockets, “what is this, hm?”
Cedric stepped around him now, Draco’s eyes dead-set to the girl still.
“What is this?” he repeated, flicking a finger between the two Hufflepuff’s but speaking only to one.
There was a brief silence. The girl felt as if her heart had grown tendrils that were now reaching from her chest to her throat, shutting her down from the inside out. Now the cozy library suddenly felt too hot, and the turning of yellowed pages too loud.
“If you’re going to say anything to me,” the girl said through an unconfident stammer, “it should be something the both of us are hearing.”
The Slytherin pondered this for a moment, his enrapturing eyes glinting devilishly.
“Anything?” he dared, ego consuming him.
The girl swallowed, “to the both of us.”
Draco’s lips split at once – it was as if she was just begging for it.
“Alright,” he decided with cheek, turning to the brunette with predictable spite. “I kissed her.”
He aired it so confidently that the slow stopping shuffle of nearby pages had to be an indication that his words had reached a few perked ears. Draco didn’t seem to care. As the girl swallowed, she thought back to when she’d last been with him, like this. At the time, Draco Malfoy had tried with all efforts to keep the girl a secret, a mindset he’d clearly lost interest in sporting.
Cedric sucked in a breath with a straight smile, “I know.”
And there went his cheek.
“What?” his facade crumbled quickly, his brows lowering on his handsome face.
“I know,” Y/N’s boyfriend uttered, leaning in a little this time, so he could really get it.
“I don’t–”
Draco’s face softened, then grew hard again. His snowstorm gaze was slow as it moved back to the girl’s face. She wore a look of feigned togetherness and a hint of something else… guilt? Her eyes were quick to flee to the floorboards, her bottom lip disappearing beneath the gentle bite of her teeth.
“Did–” Draco began, so soft now that his quivering was hard to place as rage or upset, “did something happen with you two?”
She hadn’t responded, but judging by the Slytherin’s next words, her and Cedric’s expressions had told him enough.
“Right,” he said, and it came as a sour, hurt, laugh. “Well, I suppose you’re in luck then, Y/N.”
Her glossy eyes lifted. His own were right where she’d left them. Buried under the familiar loathing within his demeanor, she sensed a quelled but definite rage, one he barely had on edge.
“I have nothing to say to you,” he uttered, cold and firm, his back straightening.
His stare flickered to the other boy, who folded his arms in silence.
“Diggory.”
“Still feeling cocky?” he shot back cooly, the reply fired instantaneously.
The blond’s nostrils flared, his slender fingers growing tight in unison.
“Right. You must be loving this,” he snarled sarcastically.
“As a matter of fact, I am.”
It was like watching a ticking bomb.
“Ced,” the girl perked up glumly, reaching for his arm, “don’t.”
Two blue-green eyes moved to hers, but they were shrouded in defiance. Before them, the snow-white was shaking. But then, pale fingers trembling as they came undone, Draco Malfoy stopped. That crystalline stare went dim as he turned, various curious eyes and ears tuned into the sight of his swift exit from the library. It was only after he left that Cedric spoke.
“I’m going after him,” he announced coldly, bright eyes forward.
“What?” the girl stammered, pulling her fingertips from their gentle clasp of his wrist. “He’s never going to want to help us.”
“He will,” the boy said, barely giving her a glance as he began striding forward.
“Ced! No! Ce–” the girl tripped on her boots after him.
Y/N went stumbling through a maze of novels, hands still clasped to her own book as she tried to slow the Hufflepuff with a loud library-like whisper-scream. When wandering eyes turned, her mouth closed, the girl straightening her back as a good Prefect might. Palms to her sides, she proceeded to curtly and formally chase her boyfriend through the doors of the library in silence.
“CED!” she hollered the second her feet landed outside the place.
But the boy was practically miles ahead as he hollered down at his target, Malfoy.
“Draco!” he called. “DRACO.”
Cedric’s hand touched his shoulder, and he stopped. The blond looked like he was holding it together by a half of a hair as he turned, his eyes alight with rage and facade tremoring with something more wounded. Very slowly, his lips split.
“Malfoy,” he responded.
There was that voice thick with hatred – she knew it from memory.
“Malfoy,” Cedric corrected himself with a curt smile. “Won’t you hear us out?”
“No,” he responded simply, eyes darting to the girl who came to a halt behind Cedric’s shoulder. “Not you. Not her.”
Cedric’s jaw went stiff, the boy half-turning to cast a pair of sad eyes upon his girlfriend.
“I’ll talk to him,” she tried softly, willing Cedric to listen.
His brows creased. This was grappling with logic and ego.
“Please, Ced. It’s fine.”
Her words were soft, the boy’s demeanor shrinking as he stepped back with a nod, a brown lock of hair falling handsomely over his right eye. His gaze grew defeated as he turned, moving to stand just behind the heavy-breathing Hufflepuff. Sighing with relief, the girl closed her eyes. Bomb diffused.
“Draco,” she began softly, her eyes opening.
He didn’t correct her.
“Draco, I want to know more about my father,” she spoke, stepping closer.
The boy’s ice-colored eyes doubled in size as they moved from Cedric to Y/N, his entire face softening with the like for her that he couldn’t quite hide. He shook his head with a clear of his throat, masking whatever pain was crawling around at the back of his vocal cords.
“Why is he here?” he asked back simply, dodging her plea.
“Because I trust him and I want him to be a part of this,” she responded firmly.
From behind her, Cedric’s back straightened a little.
Draco moved a hand to his emerald tie, pulling at it with unease. He looked unhappy with her reply.
“And because you kissed me,” she added definitely, moving her hair behind her ear with a glance down.
This was the answer he’d both expected and dreaded together. The boy’s lips tightened as he rubbed at his chin, the silver on his long fingers glittering. Next to her, Cedric didn’t move.
“Because you kissed me,” the girl repeated breathily, “which means you can’t be trusted alone around me.”
Draco’s frosty stare glimmered, his slender fingers dropping from his face.
“Because I can’t, or because you can’t?”
He’d asked it so softly, so calmly, that she’d barely caught it.
Feeling her throat close, the girl stammered in a wordless reply.
“Watch your mouth,” Cedric warned, turning a broad shoulder out with a glance at the Slytherin.
But Draco didn’t pay him any mind. Rather, his eyes were still locked to the flushed cheeks of the girl before him.
“Draco please,” she ignored his remark, “I’m ready for this.”
It was true, not that she knew what ‘this’ implied. Knowing more? Absolutely. Vengeance for her mother? Most certainly.
His eyes softened, “Y/N, this is so very dangerous. For bot– all of us.”
Her jaw hardened, “it’s a risk I’m willing to take.”
He tilted his perfect face a little, white locks splaying across the edges of his sharp features.
“This might not work,” he tried.
“Well, then I’ll take that risk too.”
The blond sighed, his jaw pulsating as he shook his head with a sheepish laugh.
“Ever stubborn,” he said with a press of his tongue to his cheek.
The girl suppressed a smile, eyes flickering around nervously. And, for a moment there, Draco looked at ease – happy, even. Hie eyes on the girl’s uplifted mouth, the Slytherin’s smile faded slowly, his stare shifting to the Hufflepuff boy beside her. Cedric was facing him now, wearing a look of mingled stress and upset on his creased brow. As the brunette’s shoulder bumped against his girlfriend’s, Draco Malfoy grew quickly bitter.
“I don’t trust you,” Draco announced simply, his eyes dead-set on his rival.
“I don’t trust you either,” Cedric chuckled, voice thick with distaste.
“Then it’s her or nothing,” he shrugged simply.
“Draco,” the girl chimed, stepping forward.
His crystal stare moved quickly down, hurt visible behind those wide pupils. He took a step forward, lowering his voice for her.
“I do trust you, you know?” he uttered gently, sucking his lower lip beneath his teeth with a shake of his head. “That’s something you earned.”
True, she thought. Trust wasn’t something Draco Malfoy gave easily. But then again, the basis of their trust revolved around a lie she’d schemed with Harry, which of course he had no clue about.
He threw a glance at Cedric as if he wasn’t a person worth actually acknowledging, “but not him. I mean, what would I even get from this? From him?”
“The skin on your back,” Cedric replied flatly, interjecting the exchange before him.
The Slytherin didn’t look too pleased.
“C’mon, Cedric,” the girl moved her head, shaking it.
“I haven’t forgotten about Katie,” Cedric continued calmly. “Watching you terrorize students under my nose isn’t something I could’ve.”
Draco scoffed, “so righteous. And even if that lie were true, what would it serve you, Diggory?”
This was pointless. Even without flat-out blackmail, the girl had found herself on the verge of earning Malfoy’s agreement. What was happening now served no purpose but to quell Cedric of the sting of his challenged ego. She had never wanted it to come to this, not if there was an alternative.
“Stop,” the girl tried, finding herself growing quickly invisible.
Only the light from the cobbled wall’s torches illuminated the deserted hallway as the three stood there, fiercely entangled.
“I’m suggesting that you’ll help the both of us, or I’ll report you to the headmaster myself, and out you as the traitorous death eater you are.”
Cedric looked pleased as he aired out his threat.
“Impressive, for a Hufflepuff.”
Draco’s head tilted, his ice-blue eyes wide with alarm and even horror, like he couldn’t comprehend the words he was hearing from good-boy Cedric Diggory’s mouth.
“Cedric!” the girl hissed quietly, shaking her head in frustration.
Draco Malfoy moved his bewildered stare to the girl, begging a question of her from within his eyes. Was this her idea? Had she been in on it? The answers in her expression told him no, and also somewhat.
“And was this what you wanted?” Draco then asked the girl, bonds of trust fraying quickly.
“No,” she said surely, throwing her boyfriend a disappointed glance. “No, Draco. I just want to know about my father, but… I don’t want to see you hurt, either.”
The bonds somewhat mended, Draco just looked disappointed now. So did Cedric.
“Even if he deserves it,” Cedric worded from behind her shoulder.
She snapped around, “don’t.”
The bronzed boy’s expression fell, his face hardening and ocean eyes moving to the stone ground. Turning back to the blond now, the girl released a sigh of distress, hating every second of what was happening. Timidly, she approached the Slytherin. She came before him, folding her hands into her pockets with a nervous chew of her jutted lip.
“Will you help us?” she pleaded softly, blinking up at the boy through long lashes.
Still stinging, Draco looked down at her with a sense of betrayal festering in his stare.
“Have you left me a choice?” he asked softly.
The girl couldn’t reply, opting for a gentle head-shake of sadness. She could barely hold his gaze, feeling her heart race and blood rush hot against her ears as she tried desperately not to break the guilt-inducing scrutiny of the blond. With no words, she begged of him.
“Okay,” he decided softly, clearing his throat. “I will.”
Cedric perked up, eyes lifting. It had worked. Now, however, Draco acknowledged him.
“But know one thing.”
He swallowed.
“I’m doing this for her,” Draco spoke firmly, stepping so close the girl had to retreat into Cedric’s front with alarm.
The boy’s arm snaked into the girl’s front, holding her arm snugly into the grasp of his large hand. She could feel Cedric’s heart thumping against her frame.
“Not for your sake, or the sake of the skin on my back,” he murmured assertively, confidently. “But for her.”
Cedric tensed, his face hard as he nodded with unenthusiastic understanding.
“Whatever it takes to help her,” Cedric responded calmly.
She felt his grip tighten. From before her, Draco’s eyes fell, resting on hers with a mingled hurt and care. It looked as if there were a million things he’d wanted to say to her, but he had restrained them behind his parted lips.
“We’ll need somewhere to meet,” he said at last, straightening. “Somewhere we can’t be found.”
The girl thought hard, eyes widening as she thought back.
Then, with a clear of her throat; “I know a place.”
…
The two Hufflepuffs had made their way from the Library and to their Common Room in almost absolute silence. It was quiet, save for the clack of their shoes on the ground and the occasional passing set of students chattering. The girl was aware of the silence, of course, since it was paired with the intense and upset stare of one Cedric Diggory. The boy, though keeping his mouth shut, looked desperately like he was fighting for his life. Only when reaching the set of barrels at the entrance to the Hufflepuff Common Room did Cedric dare make a noise.
“Wait.”
A large hand sprung out, its hold gentle as Cedric’s long finger curled against his girlfriend’s wrist. She turned, her eyes blank as she tilted her jaw up, giving him the floor. Cedric’s handsome face looked stricken with regret.
“I shouldn’t have been so–” he tried.
“So eager to get yourself into a pissing contest?” she replied.
“Y/N, he almost killed a girl,” he defended.
“And is that why you said what you did?” she challenged with a raise of her brow.
Slowly, Cedric’s hand moved away, his lashes fluttering as he stood straight. From outside their Common Room, the girl could hear the jovial delights of fellow friends and the wonderful smell of fresh cookies. She craved knowing those two things at that moment.
“No,” the boy admitted, running a hand over the curve of his jaw in agitation. “No, you’re right.”
The girl swallowed, sucking in a breath.
“I got very defensive, I’m sorry. I didn’t need to be that way he just–” Cedric heaved, his head rolling back. “He’s infuriating.”
“I’m aware,” she replied, stifling a tired chuckle. “Ced, I’m aware.”
“No, you d–” the brunette started, stammering and growing quickly flustered. “You don’t see what I see, Y/N. When he– When he looks at you, he does it like you’re a piece of food. Like you’re prey and he’s the predator.”
It sounded ridiculous. She couldn’t help but to snort, her nose scrunching. Cedric involuntarily smiled at the sight, then grew more frustrated yet. His brown locks were becoming messy as he streaked his fingers through them in distress.
“I’m being dead serious,” he tried, “it’– it’s maddening.”
The girl’s smile faltered. What was she supposed to say to that? She pulled nervously at her skirt as Cedric’s big bluish greenish eyes grew sad. He stepped forward, bringing his index and middle fingers to her cheek with a tilt of his head.
“Y/N,” he began slowly, so slowly she could feel his thickly layered hesitation, “are you sure about this? About him? There’s still time–”
“I’m sure,” she answered shortly, blinking through a shaky sigh. “I’m almost certain of it. And I’ve committed now, so, I suppose I can’t run from my past forever… right?”
Cedric’s face softened, “yeah. Right.”
There was a moment of tension. It was somewhat dark in the little corridor and felt cold in comparison to what lay behind the bricked wall. The girl ran her tongue against her teeth nervously, then shook her head. This was right, and everything was going to be okay. Desperate to ease herself of the rigidity of it all, the girl allowed herself a smile.
“And you promise you’ll not go about making trouble?” she said, voice rising with cheek.
The girl’s lips quivered as they split. Slowly, she stepped forward into her boyfriend’s muscular chest. Her small hands moved to his golden-yellow tie, grabbing him by it with ease, and tugging in playful request.
Cedric let out an attractive sigh, lowering his forehead closer to his girl’s.
“Not unless he does first,” he said.
She smacked lightly at his bicep. The boy’s lashes fluttered closed as his forehead came upon the girl’s. Beneath him, she giggled. His lips twitched into a devastatingly gorgeous smirk, his shoulders relaxing from her touch and the sound alone. Eventually, the two and their quiet laughs fell quiet, their breathing low as they embraced each other’s gentle touch. Silence ensuing, the girl’s eyes opened, meeting Cedric’s magnificent ocean stare. He had something clear on his mind.
“Nothing,” he began, his voice wavering. “Erm..”
He pulled away, clearing his throat and curling his arms to his chest with a nervous and adorable chuckle.
“Ced?”
He tried again, smiling anxiously
“Nothing frightens me more than the thought of losing this,” he announced simply. “This. You.”
The girl felt her brows crease and her heart grow three sizes. He was certainly direct, not to mention he had caught her very off guard. Blushing furiously, Y/N bounced to the balls of her feet, grabbing each side of her boyfriend’s face with a flicker of her love-struck stare. Cedric burned red beneath her touch, his lashes fluttering as his dimples creased beneath the girl’s palms.
“Good thing I’m not in a rush to go anywhere,” she teased, smiling into his mouth.
Her lips closed to Cedric’s. They were delightful and soft, just like always. He hummed lowly with content against the girl’s mouth, two hands coming gingerly beneath her chin so as to keep her propped to his level, the kiss slow and drawn. He smelled wonderfully of aftershave, and his skin was perfectly smooth. When at last the two pulled back, it was with a slow and drawn sigh, as well as a lingering smile. Cedric grinned one of those earth-shattering grins of his as he reached for his wand and turned to the barrels before them like he was a little drunk. Taking Y/N’s hand, he tapped at the barrels in order, the warmth and light of the Hufflepuff Common Room spilling invitingly over the pair. Fellow housemates were eager in greeting, and a set of cookies was soon to make its way over to them, of course. Smile fading, the girl trailed after her best friend, the noise around her beginning to ring ever so slightly. The voices grew a little fainter, and the lights a little brighter, Then, amongst the commotion, she heard it. It was soft but present, and there was no denying it, for that was surely the dreadful and indistinguishable sound of a bomb, its ticks growing louder, and louder.
a/n: sorry for the winter break delay, buuuut this is super long and some of you are about to be very happy w me (and some of you not so much hahah)! but believe me, there’s still so much im excited to write. <3
It lasted only for a second. Only one. But that second alone was enough to process a wall of various things. First, surprise. Surprise that he’d tried such a maneuver, yes, but also surprise at other things. Namely, how much warmer his lips were than she’d anticipated, for example. And another thing was his force. He’d gone into it with such a hunger, and such a desperation, that he’d entered the ordeal like every second he had on her lips was his last. It was almost like he knew what would come. Gasping into his lips, the girls’ eyes had fluttered open and shut with alarm as a set of long fingers streaked ravenously through the head Draco cradled to his mouth. His breath was short and faltered as he locked a kiss to the girl, his whole body dissolving into her like he’d die if he didn’t. And there was his other hand. It had come up to grab her hand in the air and pull it forward against him, and then pressed her wrist in a cage up against his chest. There, beneath their intertwined hands, she could feel Draco Malfoy’s heartbeat under his hard front. It was racing at lightning speed, she noticed. It was likely as fast as hers. Coming to her senses quickly, the girl’s eyes shot open, and she used her free hand to push her fingers against the blond’s chest. It was such a hard kiss that they both came off of it gasping, Draco’s huge icy eyes were overflowing with desire as a sharp breath detached from his flush lips. He didn’t look guilty in the slightest.
“What are you doing?!” the girl stammered, her eyes doubling in size as she fumbled back in horror.
His chest still heaving, Draco slurred quietly through a love-drunk mumble, “something I should have done long before tonight.”
She was momentarily at a loss for words.
Her jaw unlocking, the girl stammered and pushed the Slytherin from her frame, “what?! I–” she tried.
But she didn’t even know where to begin with that statement.
“I’m with Cedric, Draco,” she huffed at last, her brows knitting as she brought her hands to her hair with anguish. “I mean I’ve barely known you for a month and a half and now you’re saying these things and it’s just– you can’t I mean– y– you have NO right,” she tried.
But her words were coming hard to her.
“That’s not true,” the boy interjected, speaking to her mouth, “I know you.”
He paused, crystalline stare moving back to her eyes with intent.
“I have always known you,” he corrected.
Her hand still in his, the girl yanked her touch free from him with a pang of realization.
“You’re right,” she said stiffly. “You do. Or you did. And you spent five of those years tormenting my every move. But then our sixth year comes around and then you finally decide I’m worth seeing. And– only after I had to beg it of you.”
The Slytherin shook his head, a look of anguish growing in his eyes.
“And only now, now that I’ve finally realized what I want, now you decide to make me the object of your desire.”
Draco’s eyes narrowed with hurt as he retracted his long fingers back into the pockets of his suave black suit.
“Is this some kind of game to you?!” she hissed, growing angry now.
He shook his head, blond locks catching on his brow, “never.”
“Well, it must be!” she spat bitterly, her chest heaving, “or else why would you do this, and why now? Now that I finally have something good.”
He thought about this for a second, choosing what was about to be a layered response. His jaw clenched, his voice matter-of-fact when he replied. Staring at her through his loose light hairs, Draco sighed.
“Because you shouldn’t be with him,” he announced simply.
She felt her heart drop through her chest.
“What?” she mumbled, so softly he had to read her lips to catch it.
He stepped closer, his lids heavy, “you heard.”
Finding her soles glued to the cobblestone now, the girl blinked breathlessly up as he approached.
“And what do you think gives you the right to say that?” her voice came as a whisper.
He took another step. Once more, the scent of fresh mint and his dark cologne went through her, and she remembered coldly what her Amortentia had smelled of as it did. The tall boy towered over her as he arched his frame over hers, blinking longingly into her glossy stare. A long finger, sparkling where a silver ring decorated it, came to her cheek. The Slytherin brushed her flesh softly, making her shiver horribly and flinch at the touch.
“I want you,” he hummed softly, with a tilt of his head.
She swallowed, hard.
“So does he.”
Draco smiled one of his cruel smiles, a large dimple creasing at the corner of his pink lips as he chuckled with amusement. Drawing his hand back to his pocket, he stood straighter.
“Well, I wanted you first.”
She found herself shell-shocked for what seemed like the millionth time today. Arching her head to get a look into those blue eyes, the girl felt her throat go dry.
“You’re lying,” she tried weakly.
“No, you are,” he said, the words coming as a half growl. “I’ve wanted you since my eyes first came upon you.”
“You made my life a living hell,” she hissed in instant disbelief.
“And you, mine,” he retorted cooly, lowering his height so as to stare at her head-on. “I loathed the parts of myself that felt for you.”
Electricity was crackling through her blood now.
“Why?” she said through a short breath.
The blond shook his head.
“Because you fight back. Harder than anyone. You bite at my heels and spit at my nose. Your maddening stubbornness and infuriating passion has made you impossible to not see,” he explained softly, his eyes darting back and forth over hers.
She swallowed again, “and?”
Catching on, the boy tilted his head with a low hum.
“And when I became invisible,” he murmured, sucking in a breath, “you saw me yet.”
She felt her throat tighten, a wave of emotion crashing upon her. It took every ounce of strength she had to act unaffected by the words he spoke. Watching with intent, he opened his lips once more.
“I see you too, you know,” he whispered, his eyes softening. “I always have. Even before you opened your heart to me, truly. It’s why I know the stomp of your boots, the various glints in your eye, and the smell of the lavender scrub that I caught in Slughorn’s first lesson.”
She felt her heart give a slow lurch. He was exposing his truths faster than she could process them. Still, he went on.
“But then you did, and that–” he paused, faltering, “–what was a stifled hunger became a ravenous famishment.”
He bent in more closely, his nose so near to her visage that it almost touched her own. His eyes drooped, mournful as he stared down her lips.
“And we are more alike than you even know,” he murmured his closing statement.
For a moment they just sat in the silence. The girl breathed a rattling breath as she urged her eyes to fight their journey to Draco’s mouth. Her blood was so hot she could feel it against her skin. Her heart raced so fast that the sounds of the night went unheard of. Her words had to fight their way out of her parted lips.
“I–” she shook her head.
Draco urged the words he wished to come from her, but the look in his storm-blue gaze was doubtful.
“Draco…”
He could sense what was next, but there was a surefire way to know, he thought in defeat. Moving his hands back to her high cheeks, his palms engulfing her feminine face, Draco descended on her lips a second time. His lashes fluttered as he curled his fingers against her, gripping her with the passion of a thousand fires as his lips came to meet hers. But they’d barely touched, barely even grazed, before her own were gone.
Her head was turned against the set of cold rings on his fingers. Against them, he felt a harsh tear splatter down against his hand, the moisture sparkling pathetically in the moonlight as he kept his eyes closed, his forehead to the side of her face. Though gone from his mouth, the girl pressed her cheek harder against his forehead, her chest rattling as a massive sob came sharply through her chest – the meaning of which remained unknown to him as she moved her lips slowly against his palms, quivering in his hold.
“I can’t,” she cried, mumbling against his skin. “Draco, I can’t.”
Then he was gone. His touch was devoid of hers just as quickly as it had come.
“I know,” he said simply, his iris’ growing huge as he looked at her in defeat.
The girls’ eyes opened, her mouth bent into a downturned and trembling shape. She just tilted her head in confusion.
“I know,” he said again, sounding cool now. “That’s what makes you a liar, and not me.”
Sadness morphed quickly to anger.
“What?” she breathed in astonishment.
“Because I’m honest about the part of me that craves for something I shouldn’t have,” he said, standing up straight again. “And you’re not.”
Her mouth was frozen open.
“Because we both know what feels wrong and what is wrong,” he added. “But only one of us can admit that to ourselves.”
She managed the only thing she could.
“Go to Hell.”
She snatched herself away from his grip, stepping backward as she drew further with a quiet gasp. Turning her cheek to him, she just shook her head as she made to leave. Eventually, she gave up on adding anything else, her head down as she began to walk.
Draco was unmoving as he watched her go. The boy only smiled with a low chuckle.
“Alright. I’ll see you there.”
She kept going.
“But, if you want to see your father–”
Her footfalls stopped.
“Then you’ll be back.”
Silence.
The footfalls began again.
She was marching back towards the blond now.
“Give me your sleeve,” she demanded.
“What?” the boy recoiled with a laugh of surprise.
“Give me your wrist,” she snapped again, the cries silent now as she threw her hand forward. “Right now.”
Draco snapped his left arm back with realization, his icy eyes narrowing.
“Don’t,” he warned through a low hiss.
“Then show me yourself!” she barked, her despair and fury mingled as she practically yelled it. “Show me you aren’t what I think you are!”
His face was hard and raw, her words slicing his disposition deeply.
“No,” he growled, moving a hand out so as to fend her advances off.
The girl moved into him but had no luck. He was stronger than her and she knew it. With a sigh, he looked down upon her. Draco sucked his tongue through his teeth as he ‘tsk-ed’ her softly.
“No,” he uttered again, softly this time. “I’m not.”
…
“Cedric?”
He was there in the Common Room, much to the girl’s disbelief. The earth-shatteringly handsome Hufflepuff had pulled forward the small table before the fire and was sitting perched on its edge like it was an actual seat. His head had snapped aside the moment he heard her enter, his giant shadow spreading across the plant-speckled walls as he stood. He didn’t say anything.
“Ced?” she said again, approaching him slowly, and with an unbearably heavy heart.
He turned, and it was a tragic sight. His muscular jaw was set forward with the hard clench of his teeth, and his magnificent ocean eyes fought back tears as they sparkled in the firelight.
“I’m going to let you talk first,” he heaved through a struggled breath. “I’m going to let you share your side first, before I say anything. Okay?”
It was a simple enough request. But God, he was fighting back every demon in that stunning and strained stare. The girl noticed, feeling exhausted from the whole night and hanging on by a single and final thread as she nodded with a slow step forward. She padded over the thick faded carpet under her boots and stopped to meet her boyfriend in front of the fire. He sighed, so desperately wanting to touch her, but not allowing himself the permission.
“It started earlier this year,” she began nervously, shoving her hands into her pant pockets. “I had noticed Draco behaving strangely on the train, and I hadn’t thought much of it. But then– then Harry told me about this theory he had. About Draco. Well, he said he thought he was a death eater. And I shouldn’t have touched it, but I did. I gained his trust and his time because I needed to know if it was really true.”
Cedric blinked at his girl with a heavy sigh.
“But then–”
He swallowed, his nostrils flaring.
“–then I gave him my trust,” she said.
Cedric ran his tongue over his lips with a dart of his eyes to the side, “and?”
She sighed.
“And he became the unthinkable,” she decided. “My friend.”
Cedric’s eyes shifted back to her own.
“Your friend?” he asked.
“Yes, my friend,” she said confidently. “And so I couldn’t bear to betray him anymore because of it. I stopped trying to find out the truth about him because I no longer wanted the answer.”
The Hufflepuff shook his head, bitterly reciting the words she’d just heard back to her.
“Draco Malfoy doesn’t want to be your friend,” he dropped knowingly, hurt clear in his intonation.
“I know that now,” she tried, voice wavering. “If I’m being honest, then…” she struggled. “Well, I suspected it from that night when I drunkenly told him about you. About us. Because then he’d said something about how you were foolish for waiting, for not–”
She stopped. Cedric looked unnaturally pale. Shaking her head, the girl faltered.
“But nothing else happened after… that night…” she trailed off.
“After that night?” the boy uttered thoughtfully, sunshine hair falling over his tear-filled eyes.
She opened her mouth, “well he– and then tonight he– he kissed me.”
Cedric looked as if a ghost had passed through him.
“What?” his voice became strained.
“But it was only for a second, and by the time he tried to do it again I’d seen it coming–” she rambled hopelessly.
“Draco kissed you TWICE?” Cedric’s voice dropped dangerously, a dark anger residing upon his facial features.
The girl panicked. This did not look good.
She touched his chest, “y– n– no. No. He tried, but I stopped it both times, Ced.”
Her fingers splayed over his front, she could feel Cedric’s heartbeat running a million miles an hour beneath her touch. He opened his mouth wordlessly before closing it with a slow shake of his head. His huge ocean stare moved first to her hand, then to her mouth, and finally her eyes.
Mouth dry and eyes stinging, the girl whispered softly, “it didn’t mean anything.”
Cedric’s hurt gaze softened momentarily, and he tilted his head to the right with a flutter of his lashes.
“So then why is this the first that I’ve heard of any of it?” he said, for the second time that night.
The girl froze, her throat tightening as her fingers fell from the boy’s front. He stepped back away from her, turning his face towards the fire with a shaky exhale.
“Well?” he spoke to the flames when she didn’t reply.
“Ced–” she began.
He was staring at her again now, his jaw clenched as he struggled to maintain any sense of composure.
“I– I don’t know–” she stuttered with difficulty.
He nodded knowingly, sucking in a sharp breath with a forced smile of his quivering lips and an “okay.”
“No, but–” she grabbed the side of his muscular arm as he turned. “It doesn’t matter anymore, okay? Because I don’t want him. I knew it with certainty when he tried to kiss me tonight and– it was wrong and– I don’t want him, Cedric. Only you.”
Cedric blinked at her through the crystal sheen that enshrouded his eyes.
“I won’t see him anymore,” she pleaded, her words catching on the trip of her voice. “I promise. And I’ll never lie to you about him again.”
His eyes moved to her mouth once more, and then once again back to her gaze. He looked like he was fighting a losing war with himself.
“Do you trust me?” she asked, her voice shaking.
Cedric swallowed the lump in his throat, his nostrils flaring, “I do.”
She sighed, breath turbulent as she stepped closer towards him with a curl of her fingers into his bicep. He watched her with intent, his tongue coming to his cheek as he restrained himself.
“But I can’t–” he cut her off, shaking himself free of her hold.
“What?”
“I trust you,” he said. “I trust your story and your promises but–” he paused. “But it’s not as if it undoes everything. It’s not as if I can forget it, just like that. You know?”
She stared into his helpless eyes with a bow of her head.
“You’re right.”
Still, he stared.
“I just,” he sighed in defeat, “I need some time.”
Running a large hand through his gold-brown hair, the sun-kissed Hufflepuff made to leave, his feet dragging across the thick carpets and hard floors.
“He said my father is still alive.”
Cedric stopped dead in his tracks, his back still turned.
“Draco said my father is still alive.”
Slowly, he turned.
“What?” Cedric gaped with a shocked crease of his brow.
“I–” she stammered, folding her hands nervously together. “When I was leaving, after he– you know– well… he said I’d be back if I wanted to see my father.”
Cedric approached her, his eyes wide.
“What is that supposed to mean? Is he lying?” he pressed urgently.
She shook her head, “I don’t know anymore. I mean, maybe he’s not. Or–”
“Maybe it was a desperate sellout to keep you under his nose,” Cedric finished.
The girl nodded hesitantly. Then, she watched as Cedric’s face melted into an expression of contemplation.
“But your father,” he said slowly, “was a death eater.”
She didn’t move.
“Which would mean,” he swallowed, “that if Draco was telling the truth…” he trailed off with a shake of his head.
“Right,” she whispered.
“Well, is he?” Cedric stepped closer.
The girl clenched her teeth together, “I still don’t know for certain. He won’t let me see his arm, but he also expects me to believe he’s not. He says it’s his father who he heard it from.”
Cedric blinked, stepping back into the firelight.
“And what is it that you think?” he challenged with knowing.
Releasing the deathly grip of her jaw, the girl admitted her truth to Cedric.
“I don’t know about my father, but I do think he’s a Death Eater.”
He nodded slowly, his eyes softening.
“Well then I trust that too,” he said gently.
Within his reach now, she desperately wanted to seek comfort in him, but she couldn’t.
“And so,” he folded his hands into his pockets, “what are you going to do?”
She ran her tongue over her lips with a shrug, “nothing.”
Cedric tilted his head to the side with shock, “what?”
“I told you, Ced. I’m done. I can’t keep chasing these loose ends for a person like that. Not if it jeopardizes what I have with you,” she asserted confidently.
His mouth came open, “but this is your father we’re talking about!”
“Ced, drop it,” she urged.
“But what if it’s true?!” he exclaimed in disbelief.
“So what if it’s true?!” she retorted. “I’d be fighting for a man who stands for the darkest of evils rather than the one who–”
She paused.
Cedric was gazing at her with newfound surprise.
“Who what?” he prodded softly.
The shadows created by the fire’s thick red and gold flames shot smoothly over Cedric’s face. His hands were still tight in his pockets, like he was restraining them there, and his massive blue-green eyes sparkled beautifully. Awaiting her reply, the boy sucked a lip between his teeth with a little sigh of disbelief. Rocking his hips ever so slightly forward as he spoke to the girl’s mouth, his voice lowered.
“Who what?” he said again, dangerously low this time.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, the girl exhaled shakily, her back straightening.
“Who I love,” she said.
There was a moment where everything froze. Cedric didn’t move, nor did she. Aside from the flames, one would’ve thought they were a still moment in time. The boy wore this look of absolute stillness, his eyes dead-set to hers as he just stood there. Then, with that same curious and unreadable look on his face, he approached her. He was coming quickly, his hands drifting from his pockets and into the air as he grabbed the unmoving girl from either side of her face and yanked her forward into his mouth. For a moment she remained still, her lips barely moving as he detached quickly from her, his big eyes filled with emotion now.
Gasping with surprise against him, the girl managed a shaky “what?”
“Kiss me,” Cedric interrupted her with a desperate shake of his head.
“But–” she protested, feeling her stomach tighten at the way he was looking at her. “But you said–”
He didn’t even let her finish this time. His large hands were gripping her again as he lifted the shorter girl against his frame, her body melting into him as they connected once more. Still in shock, the girl’s hands just kind of floated awkwardly in front of her, not knowing where to go. The kiss was fast and short-lived, for he was soon drawing back again. It was so heated and intoxicating that she came off of it with a spinning head, her vision blurred and eyes almost crossing with mingled surprise and appreciation as she breathed against his opened lips. Slowly, she shifted her unsteady gaze to the Hufflepuff’s eyes once more. His chest was heaving lightly against hers, knocking her with each lift as he blinked down at her through a rapidly darkening gaze.
“Now I’m saying kiss me,” he uttered breathily, his lashes fluttering.
It’s not that she didn’t want to, because she did. Oh, she definitely did. It’s just that she wanted to know that it was right. That this was what he really wanted. And not something spurred in the moment only to be regretted later, she thought. Practically reading her mind, the bronzed boy shook his head, rubbing a finger against the curve of her cheekbones.
“Hey,” he uttered softly.
He pecked her lips just quickly enough to snap the girl out of her trance, the tip of his nose brushing to hers and sending a charge of electricity through her whole body and into her tummy. Slowly, she unhinged her jaw, her breath unsteady as she blinked at his storm-blue eyes. Whatever words she’d had were coming to her throat and getting trapped there, the will to speak being so overridden by her other ones that she managed only a quivering breath and helpless widening of her eyes. Any more like this, and she knew she’d be done for. Cedric, reading her again, moved one of his hands to her hanging ones. Slowly, he plucked up her hands in his, and brought them both gingerly in place to either side of his sculpted cheekbones. The girl just watched his eyes all the while, her feet cemented into the floors.
“Okay,” he decided softly, meeting her eyes again.
His lips quivered, his eyes darting between hers so quickly that she spun.
“Now,” he demanded very gently, “kiss me.”
This time it was her who was leaning forward, any sense of rationality gone from her as she stood on her tiptoes and fell into the boy’s lips. They were ever-warm and soft like clouds. Her hands slid from his cheeks and up to his ears as she curled her fingertips into his silky brown hair with a gasp that was stifled by the fast close of his lips over hers. He caught and swallowed her sound as he drew her further into him, their chests hard against each other as the kiss became quick and desperate. One of Cedric’s hands was on the back of her head now, and he was forcing the girl into him, harder. She gasped again, but it was unheard of as he pressed his mouth to hers and held his kiss to her for a long time this time, making her the subject to his passion for as long as they could hold their breaths. Then he’d detached again, only for a second, and their lips popped loudly as they split apart. There was only a moment of hesitation then, in which the girl stared foggily up at the boy and his heavily lidded eyes. There was something ravenous in his visage and she’d barely had the time to grasp that sense of him before he was hoisting her up. Yelping, the girl was pulled upwards, her legs folding around Cedric’s torso as his arms slinked under her thighs and against her back, where he hoisted her petite frame to the one that engulfed her. Kissing her again, the girl’s eyes fluttered closed on instinct. Her hands were drifting further through his locks now, both arms around his neck as she breathed in his warm and familiar scent. They grew tangled, the boy stumbling as he turned her and brought the girl’s back thumping into the side of the fireplace, where he pinned her and descended upon her swollen lips. The stone was hard to her back as he used its placement to his will. The kiss dragged from her mouth, to her chin, to her neck. Soon enough, he had latched his mouth to the flesh at her collarbone and was drawing all kinds of sounds out from her. Suddenly it all felt very real.
“Cedric,” she moaned breathily, closing one side of her fist against her teeth.
He pulled back. His hair was tousled and his lips were red. He looked giddy and insatiable.
“Yes?” he said through a low whisper.
“What–” she gasped, speaking through heavy breaths, “what are you doing?”
He breathed his answer through a touch of his forehead to hers.
“Something I should’ve done before,” he murmured, unblinking as his dark eyes fixated on her lips.
“But–” she tried, fighting against the knot in her stomach, “but what about what you’d said? About rushing things?”
He shook his head against hers, touching his nose to her and flickering his stare upwards.
“You were right about one thing, Y/N. I’ve waited long enough to get you,” he spoke breathily. “And no amount of waiting could make me want you any more than I need you now.”
She nearly fainted at his words, her throat closing as he spoke confidently now.
“I need you desperately,” he spoke softly, his fingers curling against her skin. “And–”
The girl felt her heart stop as he adjusted her so that his eyes were level with her own.
“And I love you too.”
Then they were kissing again. Somehow faster and harder. The girl’s stomach roared as she felt one of Cedric’s large hands grasp the underside of her thigh, a soft growl emanating from his lips as he fastened her to the wall and consumed her with ferocity. As soon as he’d met her neck again, she was moaning once more. The sound made her grow self-conscious as she splayed her fingers over her lips and tilted her skin away from him.
“What?” he demanded softly, his dark eyes perturbed at her motion. “What is it?”
“I–” she said, flustered. “I can’t be making too much noise.”
Her eyes moving up, she indicated at the students above with a tilt of her head. Cedric hummed thoughtfully with understanding as he procured his wand and uttered a sure ‘Muffliato.’ The magic resultingly enshrouded them in a space wherein no one outside of it would hear them, she realized. For good measure, he mustered up a decent invisibility shroud. Bringing her eyes back to his, the girl stared in silence at her boyfriend. A slow smile was spreading across his lips. It was devilish upon his rugged face.
“Now you can be as loud as you want,” he grinned, the words barely making it out as he dived back into her neck.
“Ced!” she exclaimed with mingled surprise and like, her legs tightening around him.
One of his hands slid back. He was fully grabbing her ass now as he ran circles across her collarbones and down towards her breasts with various speckles of kisses and sucks to her skin. She moaned, her breaths short as she curled into him, pressing the side of her cheek to his forehead as she trembled into his lips. When he reached her chest, his nose in the valley between her breasts, he dragged his eyes upwards and stared innocently up at her from beneath the tip of her nose. His hands brushed the edge of her knit black sweater in question.
“Can I?” he breathed through his pink lips.
Her chest was heaving, her hands shaking with nervousness as she gave the boy a little nod. He grinned, releasing her weight slowly as she came back down upon the balls of her feet before him, blinking up at him as she stood against his chest. Slowly, she felt his two large hands snake against her hips, clutch her top, and pull the fabric upward. She felt her throat tighten with nerves as it came over her head, her eyes shutting. When she opened them again, Cedric was staring at her with huge and unblinking eyes.
“What?” she prodded shyly.
He observed first her bright red cheeks and tousled hair, and next, her chest.
“You’re breathtaking,” he uttered, making her grow even more flush.
She had no idea how to reply.
“Thank you?” she tried.
“Come here, you,” he shook his head with a low chuckle, moving a set of long fingers under the girl’s jaw as he forced her chin gently up into his lips.
She sighed with contempt into his mouth, her hands reaching for his loose-hanging sweater. The kiss was so good that her hands struggled, her fingers fumbling awkwardly as she tried stripping the fabric off of the boy who towered against her. His throat rumbled as he laughed into the kiss, making the girl pull back with frustration.
“Want some help?” he offered coyly, making her grumble.
“Please,” she felt her lips split.
He was grinning again as he slid the fabric over his head, coming out with a devastatingly handsome and further tousled look. His bronzed chest was impossible not to notice, what with its definite ripples and the sharp V that protruded from his black jeans. The girl felt her mouth go as dry as a desert as her eyes moved down his torso and to the large lump that stuck out from his pants. Her blood suddenly felt very hot and she was overwhelmed with desire and anxiety. Indiscreetly flickering her gaze back to those huge green eyes, she swallowed.
“Alright?” he asked gently, checking in.
The girl tucked a lip under her teeth, “you’re breathtaking.”
Cedric’s huge white smile flashed as he smiled at the girl, ecstatic as he descended upon her lips one more. His hands cradled her face. Her hands splayed across his chest. The orange-red of the fire cast glows and flashes over their form as the two tangled passionately in one another, feeling each other’s smiles as they went. Then his tongue was in her mouth and hers was in his, the two working in sync at each other as their hands went in each other’s hair and they both went stumbling around. Ravenous, the girl swirled her tongue against his, drawing a moan from the boy that made her feral. He fought back at her neck, a spot he newly learned was easy to dominate. The girl’s lashes fluttered, mouth opening as he engulfed the area just below her ear, his long fingers forcing her hair to the side as he vampirically came upon her. Struggling, the girl moved her shaking hands to his jeans. Fighting his tongue, she tried desperately at the hem of his waistband, and then at his zipper, her fingers trembling. At the same time, he’d reached for her bra, which only made her heart quicken and anxiety double. She felt the jeans loosen as the boy blinded her by now kissing her mouth and blocking her view again. She chuckled knowingly into the kiss, forcing the fabric harshly down his form the best she could. She still couldn’t see, but she knew she’d gotten them down part of the way when a hard protrusion sprung up into her front, level with her torso. Cedric groaned into her lips, and she felt the knot in her body tighten at the noise. The popping sound came again as the two came off of each other’s lips. Their foreheads both glinted with a quickly developing sweat, and Cedric leaned down so that he could press his against her own. When his eyes came open, they were massive and dark. But there was also a profound and overwhelming love in them, which she no doubt mirrored.
“Can you go first?” she asked nervously, brushing her fingertips across the V he sported.
He nodded, slowly, drinking her in.
The girl moved her eyes nervously down, staring not-so-subtly as she brought her fingers to the black briefs he wore. The second her hands touched him, he twitched against her, the member beneath stirring at her interest. Her throat was even drier now. Her eyes went back to his, and he was still staring right at her. He nodded with an adorable half-smile. Reciprocating, the girl moved the last layer of fabric down his legs, her mouth nearly dropping as his huge erection came before her. She was utterly speechless as she moved her lips silently, both impressed and terrified at the thought of fitting him. Cedric, reading her, spoke softly.
“You okay?” he asked gently.
She was back on his eyes now, nodding. Not really sure how else to answer him best, the girl moved her hands to her back and unclasped her black bra, letting her breasts fall free. Cedric’s jaw pulsed as his blue-green eyes flashed down and up at lightning speed.
“That’s a yes then?” he ran his tongue over his lips with a flare of his nostrils.
The girl suppressed a smile, “yes.”
“And you’re stunning,” he flattered her further, moving each of his large hands to her hips.
He pulled her against him, and, feeling his member hard against her front, the girl let a long sigh out. She was fighting with not much luck to keep her composure. Cedric still didn’t kiss her, but only stared. He brought her in closer, and she felt her breasts mold to the front of his hard chest. His eyes grew darker, and he swallowed. He leaned in slowly, offering one soft kiss before retracting.
“I’m going to set you down, okay?” he said softly.
The idea of what was next sparked electric tension in her.
“Okay,” she breathed nervously.
Cedric scooped her up and turned her a little, setting her down on the edge of the large rectangular table before the fire. Quickly, he grabbed a stray blanket and timidly set it behind her, for when she would lay back. That’s when she noticed him shaking, too. The girl blinked up at her gorgeous boyfriend in surprise.
“Are you nervous?” she whispered with a smile and a crease of her brow.
Cedric stared down at her with a sheepish grin, “that obvious?”
“What–” she giggled, reaching for his front like a child, “really?”
He tilted his head, snorting, “why is this surprising to you?”
“Well– cause–” she stammered. “I mean, you’ve done this part before.”
The smile on his face softened, his expression melting as he shook his head.
His voice was infuriatingly low as he hummed back, “not with you.”
Her own smile vanished. The butterflies in her stomach attacked. She was yanking him down upon her lips now, the boy letting a noise of surprise out as he kissed her right back, her weight gong down on the table as she lay flat upon the surface. He stayed kissing her as he brought down the rest of his jeans, and then her own pants. Eyes still closed, the both of them engulfed in the sensation of their hot and bare flesh pressed flush together. That feeling in her stomach was practically pulsing now, and she’d never felt more excited or afraid in her life. She could feel Cedric’s length right up against her thighs, which she embarrassingly noticed were dripping all over him, not that he minded at all. And then Cedric’s long fingers were gripping at her breasts, making her tremble into his mouth. Next they were at her stomach, then along her thighs, drawing goosebumps as they went.
He detached for a second.
“Can I–” he began.
“Yes,” she cut him off and forced his lips back down, the boy smirking into her mouth.
His index finger came to the outside of her entrance, where he dipped it ever-so-slightly in her. The girl clenched and moaned and melted like butter. Groaning at her reaction, he slid in further the next time. She was louder, of course, making him all the more frustrated. He pulled out his finger from her, making her pull from his lips in dissatisfaction, but she was soon made still again when he rubbed his thumb against her clitoris. Her head fell back, the boy grinning again as he ran circles against her sensitive spot. As she lifted her head to look, she saw his own descending. Gasping, the girl recoiled in surprise as she felt Cedric’s mouth close at her entrance, his tongue going first inside of her, and then to his thumb, where he aided his fingers outside of her.
“Shit, Cedric,” she went back again, seeing a set of stars alight before her eyes as her body turned to jello.
He responded by inserting his finger into her. Then, gauging her body’s reaction, he tested another. Her whole body tensed and relaxed, her mouth opening as the boy focused his tongue against her clitoris, and his fingers, which he pumped slowly, inside of her. Dissolving, her fingers grabbed at his hair, tugging him by his golden-brown locks as he hummed against her, sending vibrations through her form.
“Oh my god,” she breathed incoherently, her hair falling around her face.
“You okay?” he stopped for a second, interjecting politely.
“Yes, Ced,” she covered her mouth with an embarrassed laugh. “Yes, please. Please, more.”
His lips glistened as he smiled a “good,” and came back down on her. Her legs grew tight as she clasped both of her thighs to the side of the boy’s head, breathy gasps tumbling from her mouth as his fingers worked rhythmically to the beat of his tongue. Feeling her stomach clench like she was about to explode, the girl trembled and shook, fingers going limp in Cedric’s hair as her head rolled back. As his name fell from her, her lidded eyes caught him staring at her, his iris’ huge and dark as he watched Y/N disintegrate. It felt like a hundred fireworks went off and the rope inside her was cut, the girl shaking as she finished onto and into Cedric with a series of short gasps. Heaving, the girl brought a hand to her burning red face as Cedric snaked back over her with a big grin.
“Alright?” he cooed, dropping a kiss on her nose.
She brought a hand to either side of his face with a giddy chuckle.
“Alright,” she beamed breathily, smiling into his wet mouth.
They kissed like that for a minute, the girl regaining her breath as she consumed him with deliberate slowness. Cedric was glowering when she pulled back, hearts practically shining across his eyes. His eyes then widened suddenly as he felt a hand reach his member, his breath short-circuiting.
“Erm–” his visage melted, looking taken aback and bashful all the same.
“Do you have–” she started nervously.
“Yeah, yeah,” Cedric flashed his canines and dropped another kiss on the girl’s nose as he leaned over the table.
Watching as he fished around for a condom in his wallet, the girl sat up against her elbows, glowing in the firelight as she tracked him with giant eyes. Her long hair fell beautifully across her shoulders and breasts, and her legs hung partially open from where he’d been. As he turned, she blinked slowly at him. Her heart was pounding out of her chest now.
Cedric’s face seemed to fall too, looking ever-serious as his eyes fell upon his girlfriend, splayed out poetically before him. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he sucked in a deep breath and descended over her, the girl’s back lowering slowly in matching the lowering of his. His definite muscles came against her chest, his hand sliding through her hair and against her cheek as he bore into her with those ocean eyes. He smelt of aftershave and sweat as he lay into her, cradling her in silence.
“Are you sure?” he murmured at her lips, his voice low.
She brought a palm to his face, dragging her thumb over his cheekbone with a shaky inhale.
“I am,” she assured, bringing her forehead to his again.
He nodded, moving one hand down, the other still on her face, as he propped his thick member against her entrance, making the girl release a small gasp. His eyes were then back again.
“I love you,” he said a second time, his gaze gentle.
She smiled, kissing him gingerly.
“I love you too,” she whispered back nervously.
And then he was entering her, the feeling slow and drawn out as he moved steadily past her folds. She felt her walls tighten at once, the feeling certainly more foreign and larger than that of two fingers. It only hurt a little, the girl thought as she went straining lightly against him with an extended moan of mingled emotions. Cedric pushed a little further, the girl’s eyes shutting as she pressed her forehead harder against his. He brushed his nose against hers, attaching his mouth to her lips as he extended himself fully now, the girl involuntarily pouring a groan out from her mouth and into his.
“Okay?” he mumbled gently against her mouth.
“Yeah,” she nodded, bringing her other hand to his face as well.
He hummed, kissing her more deeply now as she felt his hips move back. Only, as they came back in, it had hurt a lot less, her walls growing comfortable to his cock now. He drew out again, slowly, then back in again. By the fourth time, she was already mewling incoherently. A various set of mumbles dropped from her lips, the boy devouring them all as he rocked his hips slowly back and forth into the girl.
“Good?” he breathed, moving his lips back to her neck.
“Good,” she echoed breathlessly, her head rolling back.
Cedric used his left hand to grab her neck, capturing the girl in a gentle chokehold as he patterned a set of kisses down her throat. His right hand went sliding down her front and to her left breast, which he molded easily into his large hands, his nimble fingers running circles over the girl’s perked up nipples. Overwhelmed, the girl cursed once, then bit her tongue between her teeth to refrain from being too much. Cedric’s right hand was back, and he was sliding his thumb over her closed lips now as if in permission for her noise, but she fought back with a tilt of her head and a shut of her eyes. Playing her game, Cedric rocked his hips a little faster, and the push as he came in was harder as it clashed the bundle of nerves that the girl had pent up for him. His name bounced out in reply, the girl moving to turn her head back away. With his left hand on her throat, Cedric yanked her gently forward, so that she was forced to keep her face level with his, and so that she couldn’t escape his ravenous stare.
“You can look at me. Talk to me, you know,” he encouraged, sliding his thumb from the corner of the girl’s mouth and right between her lips.
The movement caused her to open her mouth, a desperate moan escaping her as it did. Her eyes fluttered open, Cedric looking incredibly impressed as he grinned. He looked so handsome and devilish in his victory that she couldn’t help but blush furiously at his cheek.
“You’re so beautiful,” he murmured through a low chuckle, pecking her lips. “Talk to me.”
Her heart racing, she moved her hands to his chest, “faster.”
“Faster?” he echoed with a smile, as if he hadn’t heard.
She dug her nails into his chest in reply.
“Okay,” he scrunched his nose with a laugh, quickening his pace.
Then it was him groaning. And, she realized, if Cedric Diggory moaning her name had the same effect as her moaning his did, then she understood his requests. Her fingers splayed over the boy’s muscles as her mouth came open. Cedric dropped his right hand from her face and moved it instead to her hip. He used it to tilt her up a little more, so that the two were angled against each other as he fucked her a little faster. The repositioning made the clenching feeling only stronger in the girl’s body.
“Fuck, Ced,” she moaned, her voice strained as she writhed beneath him, the pleasure growing overwhelming.
They were so sweaty that liquid dripped over and between their fronts, the girl moving her hands to his bicep for a better grip as he found rhythm in his deepening strokes. The gap between them open now, her breasts rolled and bounced to the beat of his movements, Cedric’s eyes moving up as he fixated on her chest, and then to her trembling mouth.
“More,” she uttered.
He didn’t hesitate at all this time, not a second spared for her as he came into her with more force instantaneously. His hips crashed against hers. Each thrum of his digit into her sent a loud slap of his balls to her entrance sounding. The Hufflepuff boy was dropping hard and sharp profanities left and right, his hands sinking into her cheek and face as he used the spots like pinpoints by which to grab and hoist her. The grip he held there was strong as he fucked her harder, the girl rolling into his palm and hips melting into his grasp like honey. Forehead coming off of his, she couldn’t bear to stay fastened in such a way any longer. Instead, she leaned back again on her elbows, Cedric holding her there by her throat as his cock slid easily in and out of her. Feeling euphoric, the two of them held each other’s gaze next, maintaining it there in their whirlwind of lust. Even then, his beautiful cheekbones, the sweat that ran down his nose, and his pink opened lips were hard to see through the cloud of stars that were growing in the girl’s line of vision. He released her neck now, scooping both of his arms under her back, his hands grasped to her petite frame as he held her there and fucked her into the table. The girl writhed and gasped and squirmed, making him hit harder. The table shook beneath her. Her legs were growing tired. The knot inside of her was next to unbearable. Whining, she begged him further. More. Faster. More. Cedric. And more again. He was twitching as he pounded her now, keeping his length buried deep as he attacked her sensitive spot with a series of several sloppy kisses to her mouth.
“Please, Ced. Ced I’m gonna–” she said, practically crying now as tears sprung from her eyes.
“Good,” he encouraged through a sharp breath. “Good.”
Her eyes opened. He was waiting, waiting to watch her unfold. The only sound was their breathing and the definite slap of his thrusts as she winged something absolutely incoherent into his front and arched her head forward.
He caught her chin against two fingers.
“Come,” he said. “Come for me.”
His words alone could’ve pushed her over the edge. The girl went blind, her eyes open but vision going absolutely black as she began to convulse violently in Cedric’s arms. He cooed and kissed her and held her tight to him as he slammed his hips forward, causing the whole table to slide back as the two hit their highs. The girl collapsed into the high-ringing curse that left her lips, her whole body falling limp and back against the table as Cedric finished in her with a huge groan.
“Ced,” she half-mumbled-half-cried as her head rolled to the side.
She felt him leave from inside of her. They were both filthily drenched, the boy’s skin sticky as he pulled his girl into his open arms and held her gently to his collarbones as she recovered from her orgasm.
“Y’okay?” he sighed, kissing her hair with a shuddered breath.
She pulled back, sweaty hair tangled in his long fingers as she stared foggily up into the boy’s eyes.
“I think I am, yeah,” she grinned with a sarcastic taunt, her lids heavy. “You?”
The boy smiled, grasping either side of her face in his palms with a warm chuckle. He didn’t respond as he laughed, kissing her again and shaking his head in awe.
a/n: literally having the most fun writing this rn, thank you all for your support! i know this one is gonna tear many of you to shreds but i am ensuring y’all that there will be smut in the next chapter, though i won’t reveal with whom it’s happening. >:)
The next week, they had potions class again. In the few days since their drunken encounter, the girl and Cedric had timidly avoided stepping near the topic. The same went for Draco. The three had seemingly silently agreed not to communicate about that which had occurred between them. It was standard, anyways, given the house duties and crippling hangover the girl had bore just previously. Come class time, Y/N sat at a rickety stool beside Cedric, who took his place happily beside her as Slughorn jovially welcomed his students in. The man wore a devastating purple suit and orange bow tie combination. Today, they would learn to make the Elixir to Induce Euphoria, a sunshine yellow liquid which the professor had set an example of up in a large and bulbous glass vial at the front of the room. Stools scraped and feet scuffed on the dungeon floor as the stirring from the room began to settle. From across the room, the girl made eye contact with the snow-white boy whose icy stare was already settled very obviously to her own. His mouth was hardened into a thin line, his white hair looking neat and smooth over his pale skin. Draco blinked slowly at her, shifted his eyes coldly to Cedric, and then removed his gaze altogether. Feeling as unsure and uncomfortable as his deathly silent communication typically left her, the girl shifted awkwardly in her chair and cleared her throat as Horace Slughorn launched into the usual pre-lesson rant.
“…shrivelfig and porcupine quills,” his voice came swarming into focus. “It will induce a euphoric frenzy in you that will cause you to rejoice with glee, and perhaps even burst into song.”
The class stirred with interest.
“Can you imagine this stuff at the next house party?” a student nearby chuckled quietly.
“Reckon we wouldn’t need it,” Cedric said in reply, speaking to his surroundings discreetly.
The girl’s eyes flickered curiously up to Cedric’s mischievous ones, and they swum blue-green with a sparkle of delight.
“Like we need to bottle a potion for this elixir when we already have empty bottles of the stuff lying round’ the Common Room,” his cheeks creased with dimples as he spoke softly, running a large hand over his mouth in an attempt to hide his grin.
Referring to the alcohol-strewn disaster of a Common Room they’d had to clean up that weekend, of course, the Hufflepuffs in close proximity all bent forward in suppressed laughter. Collectively, a strangled noise of amusement sounded from the table. This included one from the girl, who was taken aback by the boy’s cheek but enjoying it nonetheless as she blew her cheeks up in surprise at him. Giggling mutely, she turned her head back to the professor and kicked Cedric’s foot from under the table. He shrugged with a lopsided smirk and kicked her right back.
“And for today, I thought we’d shake things up a little,” the frog-like man clapped his hands together. “So we’ll be doing this with a little help from a friend! Yes, yes! Do partner up for this class!”
Y/N’s eyes moved instinctively to the bronzed boy beside her, and he was already staring down hopefully at her through his long lashes. In silent question, he flashed his white teeth handsomely at her with want.
“But,” the professor interrupted them, “a rule! Now I know the house rivalries have been getting next to hostile these days, especially between these two.”
Slughorn stopped and wagged a large finger at the Slytherins and Huffelpuffs who crowded around him. His beady eyes landed on the girl, and she couldn’t help but to recall the remark he’d made on the issue upon taking over for her and Draco’s joint detention.
“And so, to bolster our spirits and teamwork, you must pair with someone from the opposite house.”
A collective groan ensued. Nobody seemed particularly enthused about the idea, but Slughorn cheered over their complaints with several flaps of his chubby little hands. The girl felt her stomach lurch as she dragged her eyes forcedly to their next target. Only, this time, upon looking at him, she noticed that he wasn’t doing the same. No, Draco Malfoy’s eyes were fixated on the boy beside her. Turning, the girl felt her throat harden as she watched the events beside her unfold, a mild horror spelling across her face. Cedric had seemingly caught Draco’s stare, and he was holding it unflinchingly with a pulsing jaw and a flare of his nostrils. A large hand clasped at his potions book, his knuckles whitened against it as he stood.
“I’ll get the brat,” he decided, his eyes glued forward still.
“Uh–” the girl’s stool scraped loudly as she shot up, her eyes moving with panic over the two of them, “no!”
Cedric froze, his eyes slow as they tore from Draco’s and resumed their focus on her own.
“No?” he asked with bewilderment.
He couldn’t, she realized, looking up at the boy. There was a quiet and contemplative hatred behind that stare, she deciphered. And, moving to look at Draco’s not-so-quiet-and-contemplative-hatred filled scowl, something dangerous dawned upon her. The handsome and slender framed boy’s light blue contemplation was laced with spite, and glimmered dangerously as he fixated it now upon the girl. If Cedric did anything to rile him up in the slightest, he would undoubtedly weaponize the secret the two shared. Not just of their last encounter, but of any before that. Panicking, and feeling her mouth go dry, the girl placed a hand to Cedric’s chest. She could feel his heart thrumming excitedly beneath her fingertips, and she had to snap twice at him to regain his flickering attention.
“Ced,” she protested, “you’ll only start a row.”
The boy showed not an ounce of care as he forced his tongue over his teeth with a bitter laugh.
“Only if he starts one first,” he grimaced.
“Ced,” she said again, hissing through her teeth now.
Jealousy was a new look on the boy. He sported a bead of sweat on his knit brows, his full lips curved in distaste, and his eyes had hardened with a coldness that softened the instant he looked back down at his girlfriend.
“Y/N,” he repeated curtly.
She shook her head with a laugh of mingled amusement and fear, “you can’t. As house prefects, it’s our job to set an example.”
She felt the tense muscles beneath her touch loosen, Cedric’s brows lowering a little with disappointment. Huffing softly, he gave his girl a defeated nod, and brought his fingers briefly up to her own so as to grasp her small hand in his large one.
“Okay?” she whispered softly at him, blinking with worry up at the boy.
“Okay,” he decided, “you’re right. Okay.”
Taking her hand up in his own, he brought her knuckles briefly to his lips, dropping the faintest of kisses upon her hand with a defeated little smile.
“But if he tries anything–” Cedric began with a flare.
“I will gladly take care of him myself,” she finished, flashing him a confident smile as she drew his hand back to her mouth and returned the favor.
Cedric released a slow sigh, his golden brown locks spilling handsomely over his ocean eyes as he blinked lovingly down with defeat. Letting him go with upset, the girl turned, her back pressed against Cedric’s large front as she took position in line of Draco’s sight. The pale figure of Draco Malfoy held an aura similar to that of a black stormcloud around him. His mouth had curled down with distaste at whatever he’d just witnessed, and his eyes narrowed in frustratingly silent communication at the girl. Clearing her throat and tucking a book beneath her arm, the girl stepped confidently towards her target, her black skirt swinging confidently at her hips as she took her place across from the Slytherin. Beside her, Cedric begrudgingly partnered up with Pansy Parkinson, his narrow eyes attentive to the two as he took his place across the dungeon.
The girl threw her book against the table with a slam, throwing its crisp pages open coolly.
“Shall I start, or shall you?” she said to the pages beneath her nose.
“Hm,” Draco’s throat rumbled. “And hello to you too.”
Her eyes flickered up. The boy before her wore a smug half-smile on his pink lips.
“Hello,” she responded mechanically. “Pass me the Shrivelfig.”
Draco’s long and ring-clas fingers moved slowly, his eyes ever-present on hers as he slid their first ingredients across the faded wooden table. The girl paid him no mind as she began slicing and grinding their materials on her own, her tongue firm against her teeth as she forced a slow breath through her nostrils. Draco eyed her all the while, his cogs turning.
“Porcupine quills,” she commanded.
She could feel his gaze burning through her as he handed over the next ingredients. The girl’s eyes flashed quickly across the room to Cedric, who was peering out of the corner of his eye at the two of them. Swallowing, the girl’s fingers began to tremble. Draco took note, his sharp focus catching the scene before him.
“Why wouldn’t you let your little boyfriend have a go with me?” he asked after a minute of further silence.
Her head shot up, hand dropping as she placed both palms flat against the table before her.
“You too oughtn’t start a row in the classroom,” she spoke her prepared reply formally.
The corners of Draco’s mouth twitched.
“Shall I wait til’ after, then?” he shot back cleverly.
Her teeth came together.
“Draco!” she hissed loudly.
Drawing the attention of a few turning heads, the girl went beet red. Nodding awkwardly with a forced smile, she tugged her long strands of hair back behind her ears and composed herself as she prepared her next attempt at conversing.
“Draco,” she said again, gently this time.
He just smiled. And he smiled with his lips still shut in sly knowing, making her grow all the more furious. This was internal, of course.
“Draco, you really should leave him alone.”
“Oh believe me, I would love to,” the blond scoffed sheepishly, standing. “But it really does seem that he wants to have a word. And who would I be to stop him?”
The girl felt her cheeks flare as Draco began his nonchalant stride over to her side of the table. Ignoring him, and making an attempt to play casual, the girl retrieved their stirring utensil. And, with timid hands, she began to stir the funny-looking fluid beneath them in a clockwise manner.
“Anti-clockwise,” came a smug voice from beside her.
As if it was nothing, she felt the cool movement of the boy behind her. The typical smell of mint and the dark aroma he sported came charging at her lungs, making her head flood further as Draco slinked an arm around her side and plucked the utensil from her fingers before nudging her right out of the way with a bump of his elbows to hers. Stepping aside with a sharp exhale, the girl folded her arms, eyes fixated on the pot before her as the Slytherin stirred their ingredients four times, counter-clockwise.
“Draco,” she tried again calmly, speaking to the fluid under her nose, “I need you to promise me something.
The stirring stopped. Draco let the thing fall from his long white fingers with a blinding flash of his teeth, the boy turning casually to his side as he folded those long arms over the ripples of his black robes, mirroring his subject of interest. At last, the girl met his ferocious ice colored eyes.
“And what might that be?” he asked innocently.
She grimaced, still facing forward as her eyes moved quickly to the big ocean ones that peered at her from across the room. Feeling her stomach lurch, she took her bottom lip between her teeth with a drawn sigh.
“Don’t tell Cedric about the other nig–”
She’d barely gotten a word out before Draco, anticipating her response, interjected.
“Why not?”
Now she turned, facing him.
Blinking desperately at him through her long lashes, she watched the boy’s sickly deviant gaze softened.
“Please,” she uttered quietly.
His jaw pulsed, his hollow cheekbones growing hollower as he sucked a breath between his teeth. He looked torn between choosing pettiness, or letting his soft spot for the girl get the better of his cheek.
He asked the question again, tenderly this time, “why?”
“He already doesn’t like–” she paused, shaking her head and waving her hand in indication at the boy, “–this. Us.”
“Us?” Draco echoed back, the word sounding strange on his lips.
“Yes,us.”
She sighed shortly, lashes fluttering as the two just stared in silence at each other. Draco’s slender form towered over her, the boy restraining himself from edging closer with a dart of his eyes up and above the girl’s head. Moving his large hands to the folds of his pockets, he hummed with soft contemplation.
“Well I don’t like him either,” he decided after a moment.
She almost laughed. What a stupid reply, she thought, fighting the curl of her lips.
“If he finds out,” she phrased carefully, adding, “even if it was nothing–”
“Mm, mhm,” the icy figure nodded casually.
“He’ll be,” she sucked her tongue back, “furious.”
“Oh I suspect so,” Draco swung his hips forward with an infuriating little smile.
“And I’ll never be able to see you again,” she finished.
The attitude vanished from the boy’s visage at once, his face falling.
“Oh,” he spoke.
“Right,” she replied slowly, mirroring the boy with a move of her hands to her pockets.
She looked at the deathly handsome Slytherin, awaiting his reply. But, his mind overflowing, he never did. Rather, he turned back to their pot, looking dejected. Silent in thought, his nimble fingers plucked up their next ingredient, and he got back to work. Not knowing what else to say, the girl cleared her throat, doing her best not to stare too much as she scrutinized him. And so they went on like that, helping one another and working frighteningly in sync at their concoction. Approximately forty-five minutes later, a shimmering sunshine yellow fluid sat before them. From its top, a literal rainbow glow emerged, spilling like fog from the edges of the cauldron before sizzling out over a set of luminescent little pops. As usual, Professor Slughorn made his rounds through the students, inspecting their results one by one. Cedric and Pansy’s, he claimed, was very well done. But Y/N and Draco’s, he scoffed, was spectacular.
“Just brilliant, just brilliant!” he danced, pouring a vial of the fluid into a thin vial before his frog-face.
Giving a cheers to the class, the professor downed a serving of the potion right before them, making his students jitter excitedly.
“It’s all well,” he giggled, slamming a hand to the back of the two students before him in appreciation. “I haven’t any more classes today, there’s no harm in some singing, I suppose.”
The class laughed. Well, except for his proclaimed prodigies, who exchanged a terrified glance. Draco moved his eyes back and forth over the girl’s features, deep in thought. She felt her legs almost jelly at the sight. Anxious, she scanned the faces before hers, and landed on a familiar one. Cedric looked like he was unsure whether to be proud of his girl or devastated by the look of guilt she and her partner wore. Still, he clapped her on, giving her a nervous smile. Even that, she thought as she straightened, made her feel better.
“And so you see how–” Slughorn realized, bubbling, “two students such as these old foes, can– can come together.”
The faces of the Slytherin and Hufflepuff students around them looked equally unimpressed.
“Very good dear girl,” he finished with a beam. “You too, Mr. Malfoy.”
Draco nodded, and the class was dismissed. As the girl made to run, scrambling as she picked up her things, a hand stopped her. Grabbing her frayed and dustied book, Draco’s long white fingers snatched the object out from under her, making her huff. His silver rings glittered beautifully into her face.
“What?” she snapped, not even bothering to feign niceties at this point.
“Not seeing me again,” he said quietly, plucking up the line from which they’d left off.
“Yes?” she said with uncertainty, her heart quickening as Cedric approached the two.
“You say it’s my punishment,” he phrased matter-of-factly. “You say it like it would be me who suffers that consequence, and me alone.”
The girl went still. Her mind fired hot shocks of panic down to her heart. Then her heart came to an abrupt halt, her throat growing hard in turn. The boy read her expression easily, his next words deathly quiet.
“But you fear it too,” he finished.
Dumbfounded, the girl found herself unable to breathe. Looking unsurprised, but confident with his choice of words, the snow-white boy leaned closer, if only for a second. He forced the book between her hands, making the girl gasp sharply as her lashes fluttered up into his dead-set crystalline gaze. She instinctively took a faltered step back, her brows knitting as cement seemingly poured down and through her throat. Muttering softly as he drifted away, Draco Malfoy now spoke vaguely to her mouth.
“Not just me,” he breathed. “You.”
She stared.
“You fear it as well,” he murmured.
…
Two more weeks passed after that. Two weeks in which the weather assumed its frosty autumn bite, and during which time Y/N found it increasingly more difficult to manage the entanglement of lies and meetings which she’d spun between herself, Cedric, Draco, and even Harry. It was Harry who was perhaps the most suspicious. Upon discovering his plan had worked and she’d gained the Slytherin’s trust, she’d had to satisfy his need for Voldemort-related answers with something of a shrug and a “it’s not like I can just ask him to roll up his sleeves.” Promising she’d dig deeper, the girl had continued to meet Draco Malfoy a few times in secret, only there was no sleuthing involved. Rather, they talked. They talked and grew closer. Every few days they’d meet at the Astronomy Tower, which was increasingly hard to get a spot alone at. Finally, come October, it was time for the students’ trip to Hogsmeade. The girl wore a knit black sweater with a striped pair of pants and the typical boot, her hair cascading down freely on that day. Cedric, conversely, wore a striped sweater and black pants, almost unintentionally mirroring the girl. Alongside their friends Julian, Ernie, and Hannah, they visited Zonkos, Honeydukes, and Dogweed and Deathcap. Finally, the two alone headed to the Three Broomsticks, losing their friends to J. Pippin’s Potions on the way.
“Thank God,” the girl breathed, stepping into the establishment.
It was toasty and warm inside. The sloped ceilings glimmered with rings of candlelight, and it smelled deliciously of something roasted. The sounds of chairs scuffing against the gray floors, silverware clattering, and happy chattering sounded from all around. Cedric released his girlfriend’s hand with a content sigh.
“I’ll grab us both a hot butterbeer?” he asked excitedly.
“Sure, thanks Ced,” she beamed.
“Wonderful, pick somewhere out for us?”
The boy bent forward, his chestnut hair flopping over his forehead as he knelt down to drop a kiss to his girlfriend’s forehead. Y/N felt her skin flush with rose, a smile spreading wide on her lips as she watched the boy slink off with a grin. Scanning the place, she eventually noticed a free table up on the second floor, across from the big bar Cedric stood at. Making her way hastily through the bustle, the girl thudded her path towards the stairs, stopping only when her nose came in contact with the front of a crisp black dress-shirt whose scent she recognized at once.
“Ouch, Draco!” she rubbed her face with a scowl, tilting her face up to get a look at him.
His sharp jaw was tilted down so as to scowl back better at her.
“You’ll never learn to watch where you’re going, will you?” he observed.
But his voice was quiet, and tired. Like he didn’t have the energy to be either funny or bitter with her. Instead, his eyes looked drained and tired, his skin somehow even paler than paper, and his lips hung down into a creased line of worry. Noticing her staring, the boy cleared his throat with a flicker of his ice colored eyes over her shoulder.
“You’d better be going,” he muttered. “Don’t want to be seen hanging round’ with me in front of all these people.”
She stiffened, feeling her heart sink at his words. The girl was unsure of whether she should be more upset with his statement or the fact that it was an evident lie to get her off of his trail, whatever that was.
“Oh, okay,” she mumbled unsurely, not moving.
That searing gaze penetrated her still, the boy unmoving as well.
“Draco, is everything alright?” she worded under her breath.
His eyes grew sad, contradicting the stiff nod he gave her.
“Your boyfriend is coming,” he answered in reply, his shoulders straightening.
The girl turned, and sure enough he was right. There was Cedric, navigating through the crowd with two drinks and a rapidly fading smile. His ocean stare fixated first above her head, and then back to her eyes. Turning once more, the girl watched confusedly as Draco slipped off wordlessly away, melting like a black fog into the sea of people.
“Hello.”
The girl snapped back around to Cedric.
“Hi.”
He raised an inquisitive brow, saying nothing.
“Erm,” she fumbled, suddenly at a loss for words.
Luckily, Cedric finished the thought for her.
“He looked rather grim, didn’t he?” he pondered aloud, handing her a drink.
The girl wrapped her hands gratefully around the beverage, taking a sip. The foamy froth hit her tongue first. It was sweet and fluffy like white clouds on her lips. And then the butterbeer. It was like pure delight was seeping into her system, warming her up and making her skin tingle. Cedric mimicked her as he slinked an arm through her side and around her waist, his arm so large it wrapped around to the front of her torso. The girl nuzzled silently against him as he guided her up the stairs, the smell of aftershave and parchment thick on his sweater.
“D’you remember what you told me, about how you thought Malfoy was a death eater?” he asked as the two assumed their seating positions upstairs.
The girl swallowed quickly, feeling the butterbeer struggle against her throat as she covered her mouth with a cough.
“Yes,” she responded flatly, her eyes itching to look at the scratched up table before her.
Cedric’s big blue-green eyes narrowed in observation.
“Well,” he started, “I think you’re right.
She tensed, “why?”
“What you said before makes sense,” he defended, “and the bloke has looked rather down, like he’s carrying the weight of the world on those stupid padded shoulders.”
The girl took a tentative sip of her drink, a nervous smile perching on her mouth as she leaned forward.
“Is this just because you don’t like him?” she joked lightly.
Cedric brushed her off sheepishly, “do you not think he is?”
She faltered, unsure of how to respond.
“I don’t know what to think,” she lied passively, tucking her bottom lip between her teeth.
Cedric read her every movement, his eyes narrowing with a sort of knowing.
“Is that just because you do like him?”
Her heart stopped. Her brain drew an utter blank. Honestly, she’d never seen those words coming. Struggling, the girl stammered and leaned back, her long lashes fluttering.
“Ced–” she began. “Look, no. I mean, not really. It’s not like that.”
The boy tensed, swallowing the hard lump in his throat as he knitted his brows together and shoved a large hand through his brown hair, like her flustered reply had worried him more than he’d anticipated.
“Well, what is it like?” he responded after a moment.
The girl felt her eyes well. He looked so taken aback, so struck. She needed to assure him, but she couldn’t do so as long as she kept up this lie. This lie, whatever it was. That her and Draco were, well, something like… friends. Friends. Even the thought sounded odd in her head. Anyways, she debated silently with herself, she couldn’t do it anymore.
“There’s something I need to tell you,” she said through an extended sigh, her jaw quivering with nervousness, “about Draco and I.”
The door swung open from downstairs with a massive slam, startling her. The occupants of the establishment all jumped in surprise at the sight of Horace Slugnorn in the doorway, the frog-like man paled with worry as a flurry of brown autumn leaves whirled around behind him.
“Get back to the castle!” he ordered.
For a moment, nobody moved.
“A student has been hurt!” he ordered seriously. “UP! NOW!”
…
Things only grew worse after that. On their walk back to the castle, the two moved swiftly, rounding up any students they could. Guiding a crowd of Hufflepuffs behind them, the prefects moved in deathly silence besides one another, their conversation put on an abrupt hold. Cedric said absolutely nothing the whole way back to the Common Room, and so neither had she. After leaving their housemates for a Prefect’s Meeting assembled by Professor Mcgonagall, they’d learned the victim of the recent tragedy: Katie Bell. Apparently she’d been carrying a cursed necklace in a parcel back to Hogwarts, only she’d touched it through her glove and just barely survived it herself. And she has no recollection of what had happened, according to the Professor. As she spoke, the girl turned silently to stare at Cedric. His face had gone unnaturally pale, and his jaw was beginning to visibly shake. Her heart rate rising, the girl fixated her eyes on the boy as she extended a cautious hand to his. Her fingers trembled with nervousness as they tapped his slender ones. And then he stopped. His breath slowing, Cedric, with eyes still forward, closed his long fingers around the girl’s hand.
“I’m going to find Draco,” he’d said the moment they got out.
From down the hallway, the girl could see the backside of the suit-clad Slytherin Prefect, Cedric catching it too and turning briskly in his direction. The boy skimmed easily through the open corridor and its frames that cast triangular flares of moonlight onto the cobblestone ground beneath it.
“Ced?! Hey– oi! Ced!” the girl barked in quiet confusion.
Cedric was displeased as he continued to walk, ignoring his girlfriend with determination setting deeply into his distressed expression. The moon sent ominous sorts of shadows over his knitted brows as he practically flew.
“CED!” she demanded, grabbing at his hand.
He stopped, fuming as he moved his big blue-green eyes down to hers. It was so bad that she swore she could see the cartoon smoke billowing from his nose. And in her haste to call him, the girl had drawn the attention of the nearby Draco Malfoy, who stopped slowly in his tracks to listen.
“What?!” she hissed through her teeth, her little hands struggling to hold his hesitant wrist to her chest. “What are you doing?!”
“He did it,” Cedric fired back, deathly quiet.
“He– what?!” the girl blinked confusedly back.
“He. Did. It.”
“Ced–” she tried urgently.
“Didn’t you?” he interrupted, turning his beautifully pointed nose to the boy before them.
Draco Malfoy’s slender form turned around excruciatingly slowly, a hard and cold smile plastered to his cruel lips. The boy had both hands folded neatly into the pockets of his black suit, and he raised a pale brow with a light chuckle.
“What are you assuming, Diggory?” he murmured through a slow and innocent blink.
“That you gave that necklace to Katie,” Cedric said back promptly. “Didn’t you?”
Flabbergasted, the girl’s mouth fell open. Her hands dropped from Cedric’s wrist as she forced them instead into the pockets of her pants with a stiff sigh of disbelief. Surely it couldn’t be true, could it?
But Malfoy barely reacted, save for an amused twitch of his brow.
“Careful what you go around saying,” his voice dropped dangerously in warning.
“I saw you in the Three Broomsticks earlier,” Cedric ignored him calmly.
“Alright,” the pale boy shrugged, the light from the moon sending a threatening cast of his silhouette down by his feet.
“You left right after Katie did,” Cedric said. “I saw her go.”
Draco stiffened, ever so lightly.
“That doesn’t mean anyth–” he started.
“Katie was cursed by that necklace only about five minutes later,” Cedic completed his thought, silencing the Slytherin.
Draco’s raised brows lowered observantly with dislike, his lips twisting like he had something sour stuck in his mouth. He looked as if he may explode, for a moment. But only for a moment. And then, calmly, his face relaxed.
“I didn’t do anything,” he assured, his cerulean eyes flickering briefly to Y/N’s.
It was almost believable.
Her hands trembled in their pockets, and she held his gaze, feeling her stomach fall at the sight. But, fuck. He was lying. She could just barely read it through the facade, but there it was, the ever so slight quiver of his lower lip, something she’d only learned to be his tell through a month of careful study. Draco, reading her every thought effortlessly, clenched his teeth together, the grip so tight it made his jaw pulsate. His defined nostrils flared, and he brought his tongue briefly to the roof of his mouth so as to hold it hostage in place whilst he thought. At first he looked as if he’d snap back with something clever, but then, his face falling, he thought. She could see the cogs turning as he reflected back on their deal. That he would behave so long as it meant seeing Y/N.
Clicking his tongue, he sighed, “goodnight, you two.”
Cedric was not satisfied by this answer at all. His brows lifting, the boy followed briskly after the nonchalant Slytherin, who once again, came to a slow halt in his tracks. Then he stopped. The girl, extremely overwhelmed, skipped forward.
“Look at me,” Cedric demanded, “now.”
She froze. She looked at him. His face was hard, his lips were curled with fury, and a dark sweat had built against his forehead. The bronzed boy looked absolutely furious as he shot up a hand, pointing his wand in warning against the back of the boy’s suit. And his voice, it was so new. It was so low and threatening that she even found herself growing afraid at the sound.
“Cedric!”
Tensing, Draco sucked in a slow breath, his hands up in defense as he turned cautiously around to face Cedric, who stood just a bit taller over him. The blonde boy’s icy stare moved to Y/N’s, and she could see them visibly struggling to maintain control, a silent battle occurring in the iris’ of Draco Malfoy.
“Admit it,” Cedric snarled through his perfect teeth.
His gaze was wavering now, the rage seeping quickly into his sharp features.
“No,” he responded firmly.
Cedric raised his wand to the boy’s sloped nose, like it was nothing.
“Ced!” she pleaded again, to no avail.
Moving his eyes slowly back to the girl’s, Draco’s face fell. She could read the exact moment he’d tossed his composure aside. His eyes narrowed, darkening as he spoke his next words to the girl.
“I was only in there because I was trying to get a look at your girlfriend.”
Lie. It was a lie. She could tell he was lying. But that didn’t matter, because that wasn’t the point. No, the point was to fuel Cedric’s flames, and it had worked.
“What?” Cedric challenged, his voice barely audible.
“Cedric, please,” the girl tugged gently at his arm now, feeling her eyes grow wet with moisture.
It couldn’t happen like this. It couldn’t be happening like this.
He ignored her.
“Draco–” she tried
But it was as if she weren’t even there.
“It wouldn’t be the first time,” Draco shrugged, his voice growing thick with bitterness now as his lips twitched upwards into a sick grin. “Hasn’t she told you?” he continued to the stricken boy, feigning mock shock.
“Told me what?” Cedric said hoarsely, his breath short as he refused to look down at his girlfriend beside him.
“That she’s been sneaking round’ to see me?” he shook his head innocently. “That she came drunk and bustling into my arms after you so brutally dissatisfied her the other week? You know, the day of the quidditch match?”
Cedric tensed. He’d gone shockingly still now, the breath barely coming from his pink lips. The girl, meanwhile, had shut down completely. This simply could not be going worse. Not only had she been blinded by the charm of Draco Malfoy, but she’d been foolish enough to trust in it, and to hide it like a shameful secret from the one person whom she cared for most. And now she watched as he, Cedric, held it barely together before her. The starlight alone revealed in the reflection of the orb-like glaze over his eyes that he was on the verge of tears.
“What?” Cedric winced, lowering his wand at once.
But he wasn’t talking to Draco now. Rather, his gaze was fixated beneath his nose, to the girl who had swung in front of his torso with a touch of her palms to his chest. Her breath rattled as she blinked through bleary tears up at him.
“Cedric,” her voice quivered. “Ced, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. Please I– I was going to tell you earlier.”
“Earlier?” his voice faltered, his nostrils flaring as he grew hesitant beneath her touch. “Earlier. Not earlier, like last week, or the week before. Not earlier like right after you did it. Because you did, you did do it. And then you lied.”
“Nothing really happened–” she tried.
This made both boys grow visibly tense. Behind her, Draco turned his jaw aside with a hurt chuckle. Before her, Cedric shook his brown locks disbelievingly.
“If that was true,” he said quietly, “why wouldn’t you have told me?”
The girl felt her throat close as she stammered in silent reply.
Cedric’s eyes doubled in size, a single tear hitting his curved cheekbones as he pulled from her touch with a mortified flutter of his eyelashes.
“Right,” he said at once, his face hardening. “That’s what I thought.”
And he drew slowly away. Panicking, the girl began to follow, but he shook his head, his lips plastered tightly to one another now. He had nothing left to say to her. Feeling the knot in her chest pull so tightly that it reached her throat and caused her to release a sharp gasp, Y/N turned. She turned and she listened to Cedric walk away from her. Then, she had one hand to her opened mouth as a mangled gasp of pain hit her lips. A silent and strangled sob burst forth, and she snapped furiously to the snow-white boy who had frozen in place before her. He looked guilty already. Guilty, but with fumes still running from his nose and mouth.
“How could you?!” she said through a quivering breath.
Draco’s icy eyes softened, his shoulders relaxing, “Y/N. He should know.”
“Did you do it?” she cut him off, her voice shaking as she pleaded gently before him. “Tell me he’s wrong. Tell me you didn’t.”
If there was this, at least, maybe it meant there was a shred of a salvageable human in the cold figure before her. Draco’s mouth came apart, his head tilting as the verdict of her question read simply across his features.
“I had no choice–” he tried softly.
“GOD!” she screamed.
It had been so hoarse and so loud that her throat burned, but she paid the sting of it no mind. Instead her hands came flying up, and she thudded them against Draco’s definite front, making him stumble back in surprise, his chest heaving and brows lifting. He looked devastated, his head shaking as he muttered a quiet plea.
“I trusted you!” she said, the words coming out as a half-statement-half-sob.
Tears were streaming down her cheeks now, the light from the sky making them look like little falling stars as they ran down her face and upon her unsteady lips. She hit him again, thudding her fists defeatedly to his chest as she dropped her hands with a shaky cry.
“I trusted you,” she uttered again, more softly this time. “You were my friend.”
The boy’s eyes were turning red as he held back a wall of emotion behind their blue-ness. He scoffed defeatedly, running his ring-clad fingers over his mouth with a pained laugh.
“Right,” his chest heaved as he bit his lip frustratedly, “right.”
The girl, sucking in a deep breath, stood straighter. Her head came forward as she hung it before him, blinking desperately up into his gorgeous stare. She folded her arms against herself in the cold, her hair cascading around her halo face as she awaited his words with a splatter of a tear to the bridge of her nose. Draco looked as if he’d wanted to collect it, but upon meeting her eyes again, thought twice. And he shook his head. His gorgeous blond hair fell messily from its sculpt over his eyes, the sallow boy locking his jaw closed with a horrible and wounded chuckle.
“Right,” he said again, shaking his head now.
The girl felt her breath cut short as the boy stared determinedly at her mouth now, his throat tightening as he forced his eyes back to hers. She was shaking, and her words struggled to leave her. The wind, biting nimbly at her face, had sent a pink flush to her cheeks and nose. And the tears, like diamonds upon her visage, made her twinkle with an ethereal presence in the dark. From between her twitching lips came a slow stream of cool silver air.
“What?” she tried at last.
Draco shook his head, making his mind up now as he moved his focus between her eyes and back down to her mouth.
“Right,” he began again. “Except I don’t want to be your friend.”
She felt the cold of his rings clasp to her wrist, and he was pulling her in before she could stop him. The Slytherin yanked the Huffelpuff forward, and she stumbled on her toes and into the welcoming and familiar minty-dark aroma that enshrouded her. Only, having anticipated her movement, Draco ensured that the girl would no longer meet her nose to his chest. No, he’d stooped down into her this time, his other hand flying to grasp her cheek as the cold of his rings met her skin again. He’d caught her in midair, the movement so swift and effortless that her lips had simply had no choice but to fall into his as the boy’s slender fingers moved to her ear, through her hair, and pulled her flush against him. Any noise she had tried to make was lost, silenced as he devoured it. And as the force of it brought them stumbling back into the shadows, Draco Malfoy tried to make the girl his own.
Hii! I wanna create a public, collaborative playlist for everyone with songs that remind you of fred and/or george!
I already added “freddy my love” and “this side of paradise”
So add as many songs as you’d like that you listen to when thinking of them! Or just remind you of them! I would love for you to comment the songs you added and why!
Hii! I wanna create a public, collaborative playlist for everyone with songs that remind you of fred and/or george!
I already added “freddy my love” and “this side of paradise”
So add as many songs as you’d like that you listen to when thinking of them! Or just remind you of them! I would love for you to comment the songs you added and why!
Feel free to share the playlist!
Here’s the link:
Update: for the past few months a spam account called “RapGame” has been spamming the playlist with an entire album of a amateur band called Morisdown. I’ve tried to report them several times but Spotify doesn’t have a report spam option. I’ve been deleting them everytime but they pop up again after a day or 2. So if you often listen to a playlist and you notice these songs in there, please delete them and report the account. Thanks!
Hii! I wanna create a public, collaborative playlist for everyone with songs that remind you of fred and/or george!
I already added “freddy my love” and “this side of paradise”
So add as many songs as you’d like that you listen to when thinking of them! Or just remind you of them! I would love for you to comment the songs you added and why!
Hii! I wanna create a public, collaborative playlist for everyone with songs that remind you of fred and/or george!
I already added “freddy my love” and “this side of paradise”
So add as many songs as you’d like that you listen to when thinking of them! Or just remind you of them! I would love for you to comment the songs you added and why!
We’re off to a great start! 27 songs already! But of course we’d all love for you to share even more songs that remind you of Fred and/or George! Any song you like can be added!
I would also love to know the reason why it reminds you of them or what you imagine while listening to the song(s)
Requested: 13(Why can’t you love me back?) Cedric x reader
Warnings: angst
A/N: I know most of these are happy but I’m not in a happy mood so… yeah here we are angst with a dash of happy
———————————–
You were with Cedric for a few years
But once your brother started attending school with you it had to come to a stop
You made a big scene of it
Both of you knowing it wasn’t real to either of you
You kept the relationship on the downlow
Your brother hadn’t been the smartest when he was in his early years at Hogwarts
So it was a shock to you when he started to catch on during his fourth year
You knew if word got back to your father about your relationship he’d have your head
You became more distant
Ignoring him every chance you got
No longer giving him the sweet kisses you both loved to share
It hadn’t been until you were hanging out in the quad with your friends that Cedric had brought it to your attention
“Why aren’t you hanging out with me anymore? Did I do something?” He’d asked making you gape up at him
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” You shook your head, looking around at the crowd that was forming
“Why can’t you love me back?” Cedric demanded catching you by surprise
This made you look around at all of his friends who were stood not too far behind him
You wanted nothing more than to say you did love him back
But meeting your brother’s gaze across the quad stopped you
With a deep shaky breath you’d mustered the courage to look back to him
“You don’t deserve my love. I never loved you, and I never will.” You lied through your teeth, biting the inside of your cheek to stop yourself from crying
a/n: my Christmas gift to you because 2020 has sucked ass and I want to finish this series before it’s over❤️ enjoy also READ THE MF TRIGGER WARNINGS THEY ARE REALLT IMPORTANT THIS TIME
word count: 4590
warnings: major character death, lots of blood, anxiousness, mentions of vomiting, sad sad stuff dude, also literally loss of a limb (there’s a warning before it begins, please don’t read if you can’t stomach it)
summary: the truth about the Y/L/N’s is to be revealed soon when Y/N is facing the dangers within the maze of the third task.
News about the sudden death of Barty Crouch spread throughout the student body quickly.
Y/N was growing anxious, more than she ever was for any other task. The spots from the grindylows had faded to a lighter color, similar to the two gashes on her back.
But now here she was, waking through a doorway to face the entire Hogwarts student body along with families and the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang students clad in a black and yellow outfit to represent Hufflepuff.
The three Hogwarts champions stood by their entrance to the maze. Cheers could be heard from every angle at which they stood, a lively march being played by the band.
Many students had homemade banners with the champions’ last names written all over. Y/N smiled at the sight of Draco holding a large banner with a silly drawing of her and Y/L/N written in big, bold, sparkly letters. She gave him a funny face and a thumbs up, and he blew a kiss right back mouthing “good luck.”
“Sonorus!” Dumbledore casted the amplifying charm, and the sounds of cheers and music died out. Students clambered to sit down, eager to hear about the task.
“Earlier today, Professor Moody placed the Triwizard Cup deep within the maze. Only he knows it’s exact position. Now, as Mr. Diggory…” cheers erupted at the sound of Cedric’s name, and Amos held his son’s hand high in recognition, “…Miss Y/L/N and Mr. Potter…” cheers grew louder and students stood, yelling for Harry and Y/N, including Ron, Hermione, and Draco, “…are tied for first position, they will be the first to enter the maze, followed by Mr. Krum…” more cheers, “…and Miss Delacour.”
“The first person to touch the cup will be the winner. I’ve instructed the staff to patrol the perimeter. Should, at any point, a contestant wish to withdrawal from the task, he or she need only send up red sparks with their wands. Contestants! Gather around. Quickly!”
Y/N rushed up, following Cedric to where Dumbledore stood. Her heart was pounding.
The five champions huddled up, and Dumbledore placed his arms around Y/N’s and Krum’s shoulders.
“In the maze, you’ll find no dragons or creatures of the deep. Instead you’ll face something even more challenging. You see, people change in the maze. Oh, find the cup if you can. But be very wary. You could just lose yourselves along the way.” The ominous undertone to his voice gave Y/N goosebumps.
Draco watched intently, trying to listen to what Dumbledore was saying to the five teens, but had no luck. His heart was pounding just as hard as Y/N’s was.
“Champions, prepare yourselves!” Dumbledore instructed, and the crowd cheered again.
Without thinking, Y/N turned around and bolted to the stands, stopping right in front of where Draco was.
“Wish me luck!” She said, jumping up to wrap her around a around his neck and pulled him close. He sat up to lean over the railing blocking the two of them, hugging her so tightly. “Awes” and “oohs” circled around the two of them.
“Good luck.” Draco whispered in Y/N’s ear, pulling back just enough to press his lips on hers in a rushed and anxious kiss.
She pulled away quickly, touching her feet to the ground and smiling warmly at him, before rushing back to her designated entrance to the maze, unknowing of what she should find inside.
Y/N looked into it, her heart hammering. It was too foggy to see any clearer than maybe 6 feet in front of her, and the hedges were impossibly tall.
Her thoughts began to bite at her. What if I don’t make it through in time? What if something in there kills me? What if I get lost and nobody can see the red sparks?
She wished she had the support of a representative like the other champions did. Y/N looked over to see Amos giving Cedric a tight hug, whispering something in his ear.
Just as quickly as he had hugged his son, he made his way over to the young girl and gave her a big hug too. “You’ll do amazing, Y/N. I wish both you and Cedric the best of luck.” He said into her ear.
“Thank you, Amos.” She smiled at him, allowing him to step back over to his son.
Cedric smiled at her, but it was wobbly. He could tell she was just as nervous as he was, and tried his best to comfort her with the distance between them.
“On the count of three. One-“ Dumbledore’s voice was cut off by the canon exploding early. Y/N couldn’t breathe as she watched Harry take the first step into the maze. Cedric followed right after, and the lively music from before flooded through the small arena.
The second Y/N stepped at least two feet into the maze, the entrance sealed off. It was deafening, how silent it had suddenly become.
Draco watched closely, as his girlfriend was suddenly separated from the eyes of the spectators. He knew her parents were watching somewhere in the crowd, feeling just as nervous as he was.
The only thing Y/N could hear was her own staggered breathing and the snaps of twigs beneath her feet. The passage was narrow, and she kept her want tightly in her hand.
The maze seemed to change every passing second, passages forming quickly. She was running now, trying to make sure she wouldn’t get crushed.
The first scream caught Y/N’s attention. It was loud, and bone chilling, and echoed throughout the entire maze. She was so sure the other champions must’ve heard it.
She was frozen. The scream must’ve come from Fleur, she had decided, and was silently praying the girl wasn’t hurt.
It was when an explosion over head, red sparks from only a passage over, had broken Y/N from her trance.
From outside the maze, everyone was silent at the first sight of surrender. Draco was repeating a mantra in his head.
Don’t be Y/N. Don’t be Y/N. Don’t be Y/N. Don’t be Y/N. Don’t be Y/N. Don’t be Y/N. Don’t be Y/N.
A glimmer caught her eye. She had barely moved from the entrance, not nearly putting in as much effort as she thought she would.
Y/N walked slowly towards it, whipping around and keeping her eyes open for any threat. A twig cracked behind her, and she screamed when something tackled her to the ground.
Draco heard the second scream. He knew it was Y/N after Fleur was removed from the maze. It took all of his control not to jump from the stands and force his way into the maze to find her himself.
“Y/N? Oh, Merlin I’m so sorry!” Cedric pulled himself off of her. “I thought you were Krum! He’s gone insane!” He helped her up.
Y/N’s eyes were blown wide and her breath was short. “You- you scared me! Don’t do that!”
Cedric must’ve seen the glimmer too, a glowing object in the distance.
“Together?” He asked her, not taking his eyes off the prize.
“Together.” She spokes quietly, taking the first step towards the cup.
Indistinct shouting not very far from the two Hufflepuffs made both of them jump. Krum, who’s eyes seemed to be incredibly cloudy from what Y/N remembered they actually looked like, was shooting hexes at Harry.
Harry’s defenses were down. “Get down!” Cedric yelled, jumping in front of Y/N and dodging the hex that had missed Harry. Y/N shrunk into the hedge to the left of her, covering her face with her hands.
“Get down!” Cedric yelled once more, Krum yelling another indistinguishable hex at Harry who was now on the ground.
“Expelliarmus!” Y/N gained the courage to jump up, hitting Krum square in the chest. He was thrown further away from the three of them, and seemingly unconscious.
Cedric ran over to him, kicking his wand from his hand. Y/N and Harry both realized he was about to cast another spell on him, Godric knows which one.
“No! Stop!” Harry yelled, holding him back. “He’s bewitched, Cedric!”
“Get off me!” He shoved Harry harshly.
“He’s bewitched!” Harry repeated.
“Cedric! Stop! Listen to him!” Y/N yelled, holding him back as well. Cedric shoved her to the ground so hard, her wrist snapped in half from the angle at which she hit the hard dirt. She cried out and it echoed, using her elbow to sit up and her feet to push away from the two boys. She had already caught a look at the ungodly angle her hand was suddenly bent at, and it made her want to vomit.
Cedric realized what he had done at the sound of his best friend’s scream. He was about to hold his wand up to send sparks for both Y/N and Krum, but Y/N jumped up before he could.
“Stop! We’ve already made it too far.” Her voice trembled. She was shaking violently, keeping distance between her and the two boys.
It was silent for a moment, the deafening sound taking over between the three teenagers just as when they first entered the maze.
“Together?” Cedric asked quietly, repeating what he said earlier, and looking at both of them.
“Together.” Harry and Y/N said at the same time.
Just as Y/N took a step towards them, a violent gust of wind hit her back and loud cracking echoed.
“Go!” Cedric yelled, grabbing Y/N’s good hand and running towards the cup. Harry ran after them, as quick as he could.
They made it to the center of the maze, and there stood the magnificent Triwizard Cup.
“Go on! Take it!” Cedric yelled.
“Together!” Harry yelled back, looking at Y/N who still had tears streaming down her face.
“One, two, three!” The three students jumped forward in the nick of time, grabbing ahold of the cup. A bright white light filled Y/N’s vision, and she was suddenly dizzy.
The three of them dropped onto the ground. She could sense their location had changed before she opened her eyes.
Harry and Cedric were on the ground near each other, gasping for breath. Y/N was thrown on the ground along with the cup, just a few feet away from them. The shock was beginning to wear off, and the pain was almost unbearable in her wrist.
“Come on, Y/N. Get up.” Cedric spoke quietly, the stillness of their new location scaring him. “You okay?” He asked both of them.
“Yeah.” Harry stood, looking around. Y/N allowed Cedric to help her stand, and she could finally see where they were. He held her broken wrist loosely in his hand, putting a protective arm around her shoulder.
A graveyard. The cup was a portkey. The sky was dark and cloudy, fog covering the rolling hills. Y’all tombstones towered over the three of them.
“Where are we?” She whispered.
“I’ve been here before.” Harry spoke suddenly.
“It’s a portkey. Harry, the cup is a portkey.” Cedric smiled mischievously down at the glowing cup.
“I’ve been here before.” Harry repeated. “In a dream.”
“Cedric! We have to get back to the cup. Now!” Harry’s voice was filled with fear and realization.
“Harry, what’s wrong?” Y/N asked, her eyes filling with tears again, thinking the worst that could possibly happen. Were they set up?
“What are you talking about?” Cedric pulled Y/N closer, trying to keep her safe from whatever Harry had realized.
A door creaked open loudly in front of them. It made Y/N jump, and the first tear rolled down her cheek.
Harry began shouting when a figure walked from the doorway. A scruffy man turned as he collapsed on the ground, and a fire was lit from under a large cauldron in front of the doorway. Cedric released Y/N from his hold, rushing over to Harry.
“Harry! What is it?” He spoke, his voice cracking from fear.
“Get back to the cup!” Harry yelled out of pain again, sounding rather irritated.
Cedric put distance between him and Harry as the figure stepped out from the doorway. Y/N immediately recognized him as Peter Pettigrew, a good friend of her parents before he betrayed them all for Voldemort. Her eyes were wide when she realized what he was holding in his arms.
“Who are you? What do you want?” Cedric spoke, holding his wand up as a threat.
“Cedric, back down now!” Y/N yelled pulling his shoulder back. He shrugged her off.
“Kill the spare. Keep the girl alive.” A raspy voice spoke.
“Avada Kedavra!”
“No! Cedric!” Harry yelled, attempting to stand but was too late.
A bright green light temporarily blinded her. She watched the unforgivable curse hit Cedric and throw him over her head and behind her. The second his corpse hit the ground, a loud sob escaped her mouth.
Peter rushed over to Harry, using his wand to force him to stand. He backed him up into a statue that locked him in place.
“Do it! Now!” The raspy voice spoke again.
Peter hesitated for a moment. He walked over to the cauldron, keeping a hold of the blanket in his hands but dropped whatever was holding it into the boiling substance.
“Bone of the father unwillingly given.” A disgusting bone was levitated from the ground, caught on fire and into the cauldron.
Y/N’s breathing was too short when the realization of a dead body behind her set in.
“Flesh of the servant…” he turned suddenly, rushing to Y/N and forcing her towards the cauldron.
“Stop! What are you doing to me!” She yelled, trying to release herself from his grip, but it was too strong.
“Willingly sacrificed.” A large knife was pulled from his sleeve. He forced her broken wrist above the steaming substance as she thrashed against him.
********THIS PART IS GROSS PLEASE PLEASE DONT READ IF YOU CANNOT HANDLE REALLY GORY STUFF!!!!!!!!!!! ‼️‼️‼️‼️
With no hesitation, he dug the sharp knife into her wrist, cutting through the bone and severing her hand into the liquid below. She screamed, louder than she ever thought she could. Blood spurt from her hand, staining the grass by her feet. Peter threw her on the ground, away from him and Harry.
She made quick work, ripping part of her shirt to wrap around her wrist, trying not to pass out from the loss of blood and the sight of her bone. Y/N had been taught what to do in this situation, just not to herself. She could barely even register what was happening as her fight or flight took over.
“And blood of the enemy…” he used the same knife to cut part of Harry’s sleeve. “Forcibly taken.” Peter dug the knife into his wrist, blood rushing down Harry’s arm and dripping from his elbow. He cried in pain, and it made Y/N wince.
Peter tapped the hilt of the knife over the cauldron, letting a few dropped of Harry’s blood sizzle into the liquid.
“The Dark Lord shall rise… again.” He spoke, breathing loudly.
Harry’s screams broke Y/N from her daze due to the blood loss. The entire cauldron caught on fire, melting away to reveal none other than the slimey, naked, disgusting body of Lord Voldemort.
Black smoke surrounded him before his pale feet touched the ground, forming into a cloak of some sort.
Y/N could hear him inhale deeply, running his hands along the pale, veiny skin on his head. She could tell this was the first time in a while he had taken his human form.
Peter stepped forward, his face full of awe and adoration.
Voldemort walked forward to Peter, looking down and laughing quietly but maniacally and the form he had taken.
“My wand, Wormtail.” Voldemort spoke harshly toward his follower, holding out his hand. Peter brandished the wand, bowing deeply and holding it out to Voldemort.
“Y/N, hey, look at me! You’re going to be okay. We are going to make it out of this. Stay close to the portkey.” Harry whispered, turning his head to see Y/N in her awful state. She looked petrified, seemingly wishing this was some sort of nightmare.
They watched as Voldemort took the wand from Peter, inhaling deeply.
“Hold out your arm.” He commanded Peter.
“Master…” Peter started to cry. “Thank you, master.” He began to hold out one of his arms.
“The other arm, Wormtail.” Voldemort spat. Peter’s eyes went wide as he held his other arm, allowing Voldemort to take a grip on it.
He shoved the tip of his wand onto the bare skin of Peter’s wrist, and the dull ink that once was there grew darker, revealing the Dark Mark in its true form.
Thunder rumbled throughout the graveyard. Y/N jumped, trying to stay as quiet as she could.
Voldemort looked up into the clouds. Y/N followed his gaze, and right before her eyes a dark skull formed. The skull opened its mouth, and a thick trail of smoke bellowed out of it, heading right towards where they were. The smoke broke off into different paths, becoming darker.
The second the smoke touched the ground, a person appeared. There were too many for her to count. Dressed in dark cloaks, skull masks and pointing hats, she couldn’t identify any of them.
“Welcome, my friends. Thirteen years, it’s been, and yet… here you stand before me as though it were only yesterday. I confess myself… disappointed.” Voldemort spat again, his voice echoing through the graveyard.
“Not one of you tried to find me. Crabbe!” Voldemort yelled, rushing up to one of the figures and ripping the skull mask off. Dark smoke followed.
With just a flick of his hand, Voldemort was now revealing the figures.
“Macnair! Goyle!” Y/N recognized the names. Crabbe and Goyle, two of Draco’s closest minions. She was silently praying there wasn’t a Malfoy among them.
“Not even you, Lucius.” Voldemort walked up to the last standing figure, ripping of the mask. A crow flew away violently from behind them.
Y/N was trying to stop the bleed of her wrist, but it soaked through the fabric she had wrapped on it. She was fighting off the black spots of her vision.
“My lord,” Lucius was brought to his knees. “Had I detected any sign, a whisper of your whereabouts-“
“There were signs, my slippery friend. And more than whispers.” Voldemort interrupted him.
“I assure you, my Lord, I have never renounced the old ways.” Lucius removed the hat from his head, revealing a familiar platinum blonde. Y/N let out an involuntary sob as she realized, but soon quieted down.
“The face I have been obliged to present each day since your… absence… that is my true mask.” Lucius continued as the other Deatheaters around them stood.
“I returned.” Peter spoke shakily, raising a hand for recognition. He gasped and doubled over when Voldemort rushed over to him, the cloak bellowing behind him.
“Out of fear, not loyalty. Still, you have proved yourself useful these past few months, Wormtail.” Voldemort’s voice softened just the slightest bit.
Y/N didn’t have time to realize when he was walking over to where she sat on the ground, over by Cedric’s body.
“Oh…” he spoke, pushing his face around with his foot. Y/N winced as he tutted loudly. “Such a handsome boy.”
“Don’t touch him!” Harry yelled, shrinking back when Y/N flinched and Voldemort glared at him.
“And who might this be, Wormtail? I see you used her for the spell.” Voldemort sneered, looking down at Y/N.
“Y/N Y/L/N, my Lord.” Wormtail spoke up. From behind Voldemort, Y/N saw Lucius whip around with an unrecognizable look on his face.
“Y/L/N?” Voldemort repeated, and Peter nodded. “Stand, girl, now.” He demanded.
Y/N stood slowly and shakily, keeping her composure in front of the Dark Lord himself.
Voldemort’s hand whipped out to grab her wrist, taking a look at the damage that was done. She inhaled sharply, letting out another sob from the grip he had.
“Well done. You have served me well, Y/N.” Voldemort said, dropping his grip and letting her arm fall limp. She kept a hard face despite the tears running down her cheeks.
Her eyes flickered to Harry. He had an expression that said “back down.” Voldemort followed her line of sight to look at the boy he hated so very much.
“Harry. Oh, I’d almost forgotten you were here. Standing on the bones of my father. I’d introduce you, but word has it you’re almost as famous as me these days.” Voldemort paused, maintaining eye contact for a second more.
He turned suddenly to his followers. “The boy who lived. How lies have fed your legend, Harry. Shall I reveal what really happened that night 13 years ago?”
“Shall I divulge how I truly lost my powers? Yes, shall I?” Hs muttered to himself, walking away from Harry.
“It was love. You see, when dear, sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her only son, she provided the ultimate protection. I could not touch him. It was old magic. Something I should have foreseen. But no matter, no matter. Things have changed.” Voldemort ended his monologue, rushing up to Harry and raising a hand as if to strike him.
“I can touch you… now.” He brought his pointer finger to touch Harry’s scar.
The screams that filled Y/N’s ears were agonizing. She shrunk into herself, wincing away from the noises. When Voldemort screamed along with Harry, ripping his hand away from his face, the screams stopped.
“Astonishing what a few drops of your blood with do, eh, Harry? Pick up your wand, Potter!” Voldemort released the statues grip on Harry, letting him drop to the ground.
“I said, pick it up! Get up! Get up! You’ve been taught how to duel, I presume, yes? First, we bow to each other. Come on, now, Harry. The niceties must be observed. Dumbledore wouldn’t want you to forget your manners, would he? I said, bow.” He was speaking so quickly, almost going crazy at the thought of fighting Harry once and for all. With a wave of his wand, Harry was forced into a bow.
“That’s better. And now!” Voldemort growled, running towards Harry and throwing him onto the ground. Y/N watched, using her feet to shove her back farther from the scene. When she hit something, she turned around quickly to see Cedric.
“No, no, no, no.” She kept repeating, grabbing his face in her hands. It was as though she finally realized what had happened. She had lost her best friend. Sobs were heard from where she sat on the ground. Her tears dripped down her chin and onto Cedric’s cold face as the dual behind her continued. She winced at every hex that was sent to either of them.
“I’m so sorry, Ced. Please. Please.” She begged him, grasping at his shirt, still sobbing violently.
Y/N never took her eyes off of Cedric, even when Voldemort and Harry cast such strong spells that they collided, created a blinding light from behind her. It was went Harry’s Expelliarmus spell finally hit the tip of Voldemort’s wand when she turned around to see an abonormallt large spark erupt.
It took the form of Cedric, alive and smiling at the two of them. Another old man, presumably a muggle, took place on the other side of them. Two more sparks formed to be a woman and a man. The man was speaking quickly to Harry.
“Harry! When the connection is broken you must get to the portkey! We can linger for a moment to give you some time, but only a moment. Do you understand?” Harry nodded.
“Harry, Y/N,” Cedric spoke from above. Y/N’s tears began to start again at the sound of his voice. “Take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my father.”
“Let go.” The woman’s voice was heard. “Sweetheart, you’re ready. Let go. Let go!” All four spirits rushed forward when the connection was broken.
Harry ran quickly over to Y/N and Cedric.
“Hold onto him! Accio!” Harry pointed his wand at the portkey, grabbing Y/N’s hand as she wrapped her arm around Cedric’s. The portkey took them right back to the arena.
The three of them landed hard on the ground. Cedric’s body was sprawled, and cheering erupted. The lively music started once more, nobody noticing what had happened. Harry was crying now.
“Harry, let go of him. Let go of him!” Y/N sat up, pulling Harry off of Cedric’s body.
He knocked her off, the exhaustion finally hitting her as she collapsed on the ground. Fleur rushed forward, and Y/N had never been so glad to see her.
She screamed loudly, looking around and covering her mouth with her hands in terror.
“Harry!” Dumbledore yelled, rushing from his spot in the stands. Hagrid hesitated to continue clapping when he realized what was happening. The music finally died down with the sounds of a trumpet flailing.
“For God’s same, Dumbledore, what’s happened?” The minister rushed to the ground by Harry and Cedric. Two Beauxbatons girls were helping Y/N up, her head lolling as she finally began to lose consciousness.
“Help! We need help here!” One of the girls called, her accent thick. Draco rushed up so quick, breathing heavy. “I’ll take her.” He spoke to the girls.
Y/N looked up quick at his voice. “Don’t touch me! Don’t let him take me! Get away from me!” She screamed, thrashing away from his hands.
He seemed so hurt and confused, putting his hands up in surrender. Y/N could tell he looked scared, more than she was at the mere sight of him.
Madame Promfrey was quick to rush up to Y/N, Taking her from the girls and putting her on a stretcher. “She’s coming with me alone.” She spoke harshly to every student surrounded it Y/N. Gasps were heard as the stretcher was levitated and everyone could see the damage.
“That’s my boy!” The faint cry of Amos filled Y/N’s ears. She used all her strength to lull her head to the side, watching her best friend’s dad collapse next to his son’s corpse. Her face scrunched up as hot tears escaped her eyes, dripping from the bridge of her nose onto the fabric of the stretcher.
Y/N eventually succumbed to the darkness, not caring who could see how hurt she was. Every student saw the blood soaking her shirt, how dirty she was, and her missing hand. It was an awful sight, and some people had to turn away so they wouldn’t lose their dinner.
Pomfrey was quick to take her to the Hospital Wing, fixing her up and cleaning her off so she could rest comfortably.
~.•*✰
Students would linger in over the next few days, checking up on Y/N to see how she was doing. She was always the same every time; asleep, but alive.
There wasn’t much Pomfrey could do about her hand. Tragic, it really was. Y/N would have never been considered as a follower to Voldemort, much less a loyal servant to him.
Dumbledore helped shield her from the press and the students that were begging to know what had happened in the maze. He made sure Y/N wouldn’t wake up to threats or feel incredibly unsafe somewhere she called home.
Professors were now worried about how to tell the students about the death of the golden boy, and how to not let it slip that Voldemort is back, alive, and rapidly gaining power.
But that was an issue for when Y/N woke up, and the truth about her family would finally be revealed.
~•.*✰
a/n: wow! Sorry about this one! I decided to leave on a cliff hanger, lol my bad. I’m done using the movie as a reference so the last chapter is coming straight from the noggin onto my cellular device. Merry Christmas tho, hope y’all got everything you wanted! Happy holidays and happy Hanukkah, Kwanza, or whatever you celebrate during this time! Love you all so much
a/n: last chapter, let’s do this! wow what a ride this hs been. I’m sad that it’s over, but now I can focus on requests and one shots, maybe even get another series up and running! I hope you all enjoy.
word count: 2529
warnings: sad lol, some innuendos to PTSD + trauma, mentions of death, mentions of major injuries, mentions of blood + bleeding out, read at your own discretion
summary: while Hogwarts holds a memorial for the loss of one of their beloved students, Y/N mourns two losses in her life.
song recs:beach baby - bon iver, where’s my love - SYML, f song - strawberry guy
It was quiet, the whispers throughout the infirmary were incoherent as her eyes adjusted to the light.
Every muscle, bone and joint was sore and aching the second she tilted her head.
For some reason, she expected someone to be beside the bed in a chair, waiting for her to wake up. But this wasn’t like the movies.
The chair next to her sat empty, a fresh pair of clothes lay folded nicely, probably from Jamie. The table next to her was filled with propped up cards and sweets. She could only cringe at the thought of crowds of students seeing her in her unconscious state while she began her healing process.
The worst was over, the tournament was done. Y/N’s memories from just a few weeks before came flooding back.
She got lost, staring at her hand and her, well, missinghand.
“Oh! Miss Y/L/N, you’re awake. How’re you feeling?” Professor McGonagall flung open the closed curtains, revealing Y/N to the prying eyes of students who followed her.
Y/N must’ve jumped ten feet at the gasps of every student and the loud scraping of the metal rings from the curtains. Her heart rate slowed when Jamie pushed herself to the front, McGonagall ushering her past the curtains and closing them again.
Jamie pounced on Y/N, knocking the breath out of her in a bone-crushing hug. “Y/N/N, I’m so glad you’re okay. You gave us all a scare.” Her voice was muffled in Y/N’s hair.
“Now, Miss Wilson, I think Miss Y/L/N doesn’t need any more injuries.” McGonagall scolded the girl, yet smiled as she did so.
Jamie slowly sat up from Y/N, her chinks pink and she gave out a nervous laugh. “Are you feeling okay?”
“Just a bit tired- exhausted, actually.” Y/N shrugged, barely having the energy to do so as each muscle burned with the movement.
“Madame Pomfrey can give you Wideye, you’ll be discharged soon.” McGonagall spoke from beside the curtain. “I’ll give you two some privacy so Miss Y/L/N can change.”
Soon after McGonagall left and closed the curtain, Jamie was pouncing on Y/N again.
“So, what happened? You need to tell me everything. I mean, you appeared in the arena through the portkey bleeding and Harry was screaming and crying and Cedric was.. um- never mind. It was so scary. Fleur started screaming when she saw you. I don’t know if you remembered but Draco came to help you, you started screaming ‘get away from me!’ It was so scary! You should’ve heard the crowd-“
“Okay, yeah I get it- everyone was scared.” Y/N cut Jamie off, throwing the blanket off her legs and swinging them over the side of the bed, touching her feet to the cold floor of the infirmary. She groaned at the stiffness of her limbs, almost losing her balance as she pushed off the bed and put her weight on her legs.
“I’m sorry. I should’ve known you wouldn’t have wanted to talk about it.” Jamie rushed over, helping her stand and wobble to the folded clothes. “I’ll give you a few minutes to get dressed. Shout when you’re ready.” She pressed her lips to a thin line, backing away and leaving through the curtain, shutting it after her.
Y/N’s eyes immediately started to water. She covered her face with her hand, a dry sob racking her body. Why would this have to happen to her?
~•.*✰
She struggled to get dressed. It was hard enough not falling over every time she shifted her weight, but the newfound challenge of putting on a shirt and pants that didn’t even have to be fastened was frustrating, to say the least.
Jamie had given her a small bag to put all the treats and cards in. She tried to help Y/N tidy up the hospital bed before leaving the infirmary, staying by her side the whole time to the Great Hall.
Y/N wanted to stop and get food, try to make her grand appearance not-so-grand by simply showing up. Much to her dismay, word had gotten out that she was awake, and all eyes were on her the second she stepped into the Great Hall.
“I’ll go get a plate of food.” Jamie told her quietly, leaving her at the entrance to go to the Hufflepuff table.
“I think we need to talk.” A familiar voice spoke behind Y/N. She tensed, turning around slowly to meet the prying eyes of Draco Malfoy.
“Yeah, I think we do.”
~•.*✰
The two teens sat quietly in one of the lesser known courtyards of Hogwarts. Y/N sat on a small bench, only enough room for her, while Draco leaned against a large tree next to her.
“So, how’ve you been? Haven’t seen you since the arena.” Draco said, short and rather snarky, crossing his arms.
“I’ve been good. You know, asleep for most of it. Coping too, lost a lot that night.” Y/N responded, gazing at the ruffling leaves of the large oak tree Draco was leaning on.
He quietly followed her gaze, looking right above him to see what was so entrancing about the newly grown leaves.
“I just want to know what happened and why you reacted the way you did. So much had happened, I thought I had lost you. Then you suddenly appeared and were bleeding out so I tried to help you, and you just screamed and screamed.” His voice cut through the thick silence, and Y/N jumped at how it echoed throughout the yard.
“I saw your dad.” She said quietly, finally meeting his gaze. Oh, how she longed for those cloudy eyes of his.
“What?” He hissed, simply at the mention of his father.
“In the graveyard. He was there. He who- Voldemort, is back. And your father was there.” Y/N shivered just slightly.
“I know Lord Voldemort is back. And I knew my dad would be there when he made his grand appearance.” Draco said after a few moments of collecting his thoughts.
“You knew?” Y/N questioned, though she wasn’t scared at all.
“Yes. I knew he was coming back and I should’ve told you sooner about who I am and who my family is in relation to him-“
“It’s okay, Draco. Just please stop talking.” Y/N stood, using her hand to cup his face. She almost felt him lean into it, but decided it was just her mind playing tricks on her.
“I don’t want you to hate me. I have to do this for my family. My mother- they’ll kill her. I have to support him.” Draco’s eyes glossed over, and Y/N’s throat began to close just at the sight of him about to cry.
She immediately pulled him into a hug. A warm, familiar, long-awaited hug that she had missed so dearly in the time they had been apart. He shook, silent sobs from what she could tell. And he cried, right into the shoulder of the person he had betrayed the most.
“I don’t want to lose you.” He said quietly, his voice watery and muffled from the tears.
“I just need time. And I know you don’t want to hear that. But I don’t hate you and I never will.” Y/N pulled back from his tight embrace, suddenly realizing his iron grip on her waist.
“Ilove you, Y/N.” Draco spoke the three words Y/N yearned to hear since they first began to date.
“I love you, too, Draco.” She said, giving him a small kiss on the cheek and walking out of the courtyard. From behind her, she heard him snuffle and grunt as he sat down on the bench where she was sitting, picking up and pulling his cloak over his body.
Y/N’s eyes began to water. She didn’t want to lose him just as much as he didn’t want to lose her.
~•.*✰
“Hey, I brought you some food. I saw you leave with Malfoy so I just kept it up here for you.” Jamie didn’t look up from her book as she pointed to the plate of food on Y/N’s nightstand next to her bed.
“Thank you.” Y/N said, her voice quivering from the events of before. It was then when Jamie looked up.
“What happened? Did he say something to hurt you? Oh, I’ll hex him all the way to Pluto!-“
“No, nothing happened.” Y/N cut her off before you could ramble on any further. “He told me he loved me.”
“What?” Jamie gasped. “Well, what did you say? I’m hooked now, you better keep talking.” She shifted herself, putting her book down and laying on her stomach facing the end of the bed.
Y/N plopped down on her bed, feeling the relief of a soft mattress and her silk sheets.
“I told him I loved him. But I also said I needed time.”
“That’s understandable. Was he okay?” Jamie’s eyes were fixated on Y/N.
“Yeah, I think so. He cried. I haven’t seen him like that ever, really.”
“Huh. He doesn’t really seem like much of a crier to me. I think Malfoy really does love you, Y/N/N. I think he might need some time too, I don’t want you to feel like you are burdening him with needing to heal.”
Y/N nodded, bringing her knees to her chest and hugging them. She tried to nod, but ended up rolling backwards onto her pillows.
Jamie laughed, glad to see her best friend gaining back her usual happiness.
“I’m sorry for being rude earlier. I can explain more about what happened in the graveyard, maybe it’ll help to talk about it.” Y/N turned her head to look at her friend.
“Only if your comfortable.” Jamie told her, though Y/N could tell she was eager to hear about the gruesome details.
“I think it’ll help. I miss him. Cedric, I mean. Not talking about what happened will only make the explosion of emotions worse.” Y/N said, looking up at the tapestry hung on her bed frame. “I really do miss him. I hope the memorial is worth it, he deserved everything and more.”
“I know he did, and I think he knows that he did the right thing. He protected you and Harry, right?” Jamie said, standing up to lay on Y/N’s bed with her.
“Yeah. He’s a good protector. Was, a good protector. It’ll be weird without him.”
“Tell me about the graveyard? I’m here to protect you just like he did, I promise.” Jamie sat up, offering her a sympathetic smile. Y/N nodded, sitting up and sighing quietly.
And she told Jamie about everything that happened that night.
~•.*✰
The Great Hall was eerily quiet. Y/N had never heard such a quiet sound, her ears were practically ringing.
She sat on the left side by the Gryffindors. She wanted to stay close by Harry. Jamie was sat at her side.
She turned around in her seat to look at the entire Hogwarts student body and every Beauxbatons and Durmstrang student sitting within the crowd. Y/N noticed a few eyes on her, so she quietly turned back around and shrunk into her seat.
Dumbledore sat for a moment at the head of the hall, looking distressed. He spoke after a few more moments of the deafening silence.
“Today, we acknowledge… a really terrible loss.” He stood.
“Cedric Diggory was, as you all know… exceptionally hard-working, infinitely fair-minded, and most importantly… a fierce, fierce friend.”
The emotion in Dumbledore’s voice sparked up sniffles within the crowd. Next to Y/N, Harry grabbed her free hand and squeezed it without looking away from Dumbledore. She could tell he was crying, and she could feel the hot tears running down her own face.
Draco was choked up from across the isle. He scowled at Harry grabbing Y/N’s hand, but soon realized she was crying and he wasn’t there to comfort her.
“Now, I think, therefore, you have the right to know exactly how he died. You see… Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort!”
There it is, Y/N inhaled sharply.
Gasps filled the halls, murmurs echoing off the four walls.
“The Ministry of Magic does not wish for me to tell you this. But not to do so, I think, would be an insult to his memory. Now, the pain… we all feel at this dreadful loss reminds me- reminds us.
-while we may come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one. In light of recent events, the bonds of friendship we’ve made this year will be more important than ever. Remember that, and Cedric Diggory will not have died in vain. You remember that. And we’ll celebrate a boy who was… kind and honest and… brave and true, right to the very end.”
~•.*✰
Students huddled together on the Black Lake that same night. Many were sending lit candles on small paper boats from the shore.
Y/N teared up at the sight of so many different students coming together to honor just one, especially right before summer where everyone would go their respective ways.
Many professors had checked up on the four remaining champions, especially Y/N and Harry.
They split their winnings, Harry receiving the most. He gave his earnings to the Weasley twins so they could start the fund for their promising joke shop.
Y/N gave her earnings to Amos to help bury Cedric just the way he wanted. The Diggory’s were so kind to her, even though they were suffering just as much as her.
It hurt, losing him. Y/N often found herself turning to him in the common room just before she would leave, but only found a portrait of him.
“I miss you.” She would say to the portrait.
“I know you do. But you need to move on for me, okay?” Portrait Cedric said back.
She cried every time she heard his voice. The most she would get from him was the painting, but it was more than anything she could’ve asked for.
Draco kept tabs on Y/N throughout the summer. He continued to give her time, wishing and praying that one day she would come back to him.
The beginning of fifth year rapidly approached. Y/N’s summer was a blur, she couldn’t remember what had happened. She healed mentally and physically, and was prepared for the upcoming year.
Within the first week, Draco and Y/N decided to go their separate ways but stay close to each other. Maybe one day they’d find their ways back to one another. Right person, wrong time.
Y/N would always walk into the common room to see a newly sorted first year speaking to the portrait. Cedric was always good at giving advice, and continues to be even in the afterlife.
She had finally grieved. Yes, she missed him dearly. But she knew he would hate for her to mull herself around feeling sorry for herself.
Cedric protected Y/N and Harry, and that was enough sacrifice for everyone to understand.
Although Y/N didn’t get the perfect love story or the perfect ending to her fourth year at Hogwarts, she was glad to have been able to call Cedric her friend.
And that was enough for her.
~•.*✰
final a/n: okay ouch LMAOOO so the ending kind of was a bit confusing so I’ll explain it. during some movies based off of real stories it’ll show what the people are up to nowadays during the credits, so that’s what I was going for! I took the hc about the portrait of Ced in the Hufflepuff common room and put it into this part, I cannot for the life of me remember who made the hc but it was absolutely adorable and I needed to put it in.
if anyone wants blurbs, please request them! I’d be more than happy to show what happened to Y/N and Draco because of the right person wrong time, or what the rest of her Hogwarts years looked like! I’m so so so overwhelmed with the support from this silly story idea I had a year ago. I’m glad you guys enjoyed it just as much as I did, and I’m glad you were able to see things from my perspective. wow. I just cannot believe it’s really over! it’s so crazy. but thank you so much. I don’t think I could’ve asked for better followers + supporters in my life. you all mean the and more. I love you I love you I love you
Tw: Angst, No happy ending, and Mentions of cheating.
Pairs of feet clomped around you on the narrow cobblestone streets as yours did the same. Yours were clacking just the same making your way to see Cedric.
They were slowing down when you see the cafe shop where cedric was sitting by a window drinking some sort of substance. You stopping completely in your tracks. Breathing heavily as you reached shakily into your tote bag when your fingertips brushed against a stack of perfume scented letters tied with a black ribbon that were addressed to him.
Merlin, The stench of the letters was so strong that it made your stomach lurch. Bringing them out of your tote to look over the dates once again. Hating that they were fairly recent. One was from a couple of days ago too.
You already knew the contents of the letters. Your heart broke again and again over the words.
When you found them at his flat, you couldnt help be curious of them because of the return address.
Once you read the first one, you had to read the rest of them. You couldnt stop with just reading one. You didn’t even register that your hands were frantically opening them. Eyes flying over words.
By the end, hot tears burned down your face. You tried wiping them away with the backs of your hands but that helped little.
Tears were smearing the ink as they landed softly. Watching the ink dance inside the droplets.
Now you had to face him. Cedric, that is.
Too many things to ask. Does he love you? The letters say otherwise but you needed to hear from his mouth. You needed to his crisp clear voice to say it. He needed the silence the thoughts that swirled inside your head. He needed to tell you something.
Gripping your tote tighter to your body and off you went with what little confidence you had. You open the door and slammed the stack of letters right in front of him.
He jumped a little bit took a sip off his cup eyeing the pile. “So, you found them? What do you want to know?”
“What do I want to know? I want to know why and who?” Pulling your clothes tight to your body.
The sky started to plop down raindrops. It seemed like it was crying for you. Letting out tears for you that you were holding in.
“Well … I’ve been messing around with an old flame of mine. You can probably take a guess of who because of the return address on them.” Setting his cup down and standing up from his spot to lean over your ear. “Cho.” Taking back the stack of letters from the table.
Gasping slightly, your best friend…Before you could say anything.
“No need to get your stuff from my place, I’ll send it over and you can throw away mine. I hardly brought anything over as it is. I can’t stand being here another moment and I don’t want to have a conversation with you right now because you’re going be hysterical. Come talk to me when you’re calm.” With that, he just left.
Left you with no closure and more questions then answers. How was he able to do that? It wasn’t fair. It was never was. It unsettled you on how a person could be so cold.
Prompt by me: Coffee Shops w/ Tom, Draco, and Cedric.
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Tom Riddle
He would take you to a retail coffee shop because he knows what’s there and the prices. He doesn’t want surprises not having the galleons to be spending like that.
Seems like a regular plain black coffee guy with very few creams.
Would sip it as you indulge in your sugary sweet drink.
Probably would get some work done with you there while you enjoy watching him. It was peaceful.
On the way out, he would surprise you with a cookie because he noticed that you have been eyeing them the whole time there.
Draco Malfoy
He would take you a somewhere that has some high class coffee like a place the roasts their own beans.
He would explain the differences between a macchiato or a red eye to show off a bit. He would hope that it will impress you.
Flat white (Espresso with steamed milk) seems like up his alley.
Hoping to avoid the topic on his family while you guys chat on stool bars looking out on pedestrians walking by.
His stool slowly works it’s way towards you. When you guys are ready to go your shoulders are touching.
Cedric Diggory
Takes you to a hipster or a place thats trendy. Somewhere that has mismatched furniture and that sells art on the walls.
He would get an affogato (Vanilla ice-cream with espresso) or a hot cocoa. Depends on how’s he feeling. Asking for a sip of whatever you’re getting.
He would definitely get you guys something to eat while there because he wants to hang out and spend time with you while playing a board game.
Since he’s such a people person, there would be people joining your game. Lots of interaction and being social with him.
By the end of it, you made a few friends and plan on becoming a regular there.
A /N: I got too excited for the prompt so I am posting it early not that I have a schedule or anything! Also it’s barely edited. Sorry for mistakes!
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Ron Weasley:
He doesnt have much nor does he has the galleons for something grand. He asked you on a date. A picnic date. Simple and it comes from the heart. Thats what matters to him. Nothing could go wrong with it.
A picnic on the quidditch field should be fine if no-one has pratice that day. Its kinda a sentimental feeling laying on the field where some of his family played with the one he loves. He could head to kitchens in the dungeons and slap together some food. He had enough sickles to buy some warm butterbeer from three broomsticks. He would then grab a red blanket from the Gryffindor common room to lay out for you to picnic on. If it was chilly out, he would let you wear a knitted sweater that his mother made him. He would smile cheekily to himself and watch you put it on as he sipped on his drink. He would amazed himself on how it worked out in the end.
Draco Malfoy:
He could easily afford any type of date but he wanted something with meaning. The shore of the black lake would be perfect for his little moment with you. He would definitely use a slytherin blanket for you to relax on. He would get his hands on some daisyroot draught. Wanting to get it because he thought it sound cute like you and it was alcohol so it was a win win. He could get some firewhisky but that didnt suit this atmosphere that he was trying to create with you.
He would get some houseelves to make something to eat like small finger sandwiches. You guys talked over the sounds of the small black waves crashing on the shore. Giggling at something he said, he works move a piece of hair that swayed against your face from breeze coming off the water. You could smell the alcohol on his breathe as he could yours. He would still lean in to steal a taste of your red stained lips.
Cedric Diggory:
He would put his prefect badge to use along with being a teachers pet. He loved having the privilege to wonder around the castle with little to stop him. While wondering he found an unused classroom with a view of the castle grounds to watch people go to and fro of different parts of the castle. Perfect place for your guys little extravaganza.
Cleaning up the classroom a bit because it had tons of clutter and cobwebs before he goes out to hogsmeade to pick your guys food to bring it back. He would set up blankets and pillows. You drank tea he brewed so you could warm up a bit, waiting for him to get done. Once everything was set up, you settle into his lap among the heeps of pillows. He would listen to you talk without interupting. Only humming in response to tell you that he was listening. You would lay back into him, he would wrap his arms around your waist squeezing you to him even more. Nestling his cold face against your warm flushed neck.
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Please do not take my work and post it somewhere else!
☂︎Toxic traits while in a relationship with Reader.
Draco, Cedric, Ron, Harry, and Tom.
A/N: For the life of me, it was so hard to find toxic traits for Cedric because he is an angel. That’s why there is only four instead of five. Sorry about that.
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Draco Malfoy:
Scoffs and gives you crude remarks at any given time but you never know what you did wrong because he doesn’t say when you ask about it.
Nitpicks at everything to the point where you don’t know what self-esteem is. ( Gets even worse if you aren’t in Slytherin.)
Gets Crabbe or Goyle to tell you the wrong time and place of where he is because he’s not wanting to deal with you.
Impatient at everything. Does not have a patient bone in his body and is always tapping his foot for you to hurry up.
Get better owls then him, you better not.
Cedric Diggory:
Lets girls flirt with him and never tells them to stop because he secretly likes the attention they provide him.
Tends to believe rumors about you before asking you about them so he gets upset at you for said rumor which he thinks it real.
Everything you say goes through one ear and out the other.
He’d rather comfort Cho then you at the moment. “I saw Cho upset, we’ll talk about this later.” then just leaves you there.
Ron Weasley:
Talks over you, just in general.
Throws your opinions right out the window.
Starts rumors about you like playing a game of telephone to see how bad the rumors gets twisted when it reaches your ears.
When he reaches to grab you, sometimes using more force then needed so you bruise.
“Did you say Hermione? What about her?” That’s all I need to say.
Harry Potter:
Forgets about dates and plans even though you planned them weeks in advance. “I dont know, It just slipped my mind”, type of guy.
Never finds the time for you and leaves you hanging.
Forgets that he is in a relationship and asks why are you clinging to him.
Leaves you in the dark about his life so you never connect how you want.
Friends needs definitely come before your relationship. “Bros before hoes.”
Tom Riddle:
Does not want to be seen with you at times.
Likes to turn the tables and blame you when things go down-hill.
Lets people talk badly about you right in-front of him.
Hello, Welcome to my cozy little corner of Harry Potter!
Grab blankets for a relaxing time reading with you and your fictional men.
It’s always rainy here, so make sure you grab some warm butterbeer!
Stuff worth mentioning
My main focus is on Harry Potter and the Wizarding World.
Fanfics and head-canons live in my rough drafts.
I’m going to be writing lots of fluff but I do love toxic relationships so those might get sprinkled in.
I know about whats happening with JK right now. I cant stand it but I love this community that the fans made together. I cant leave it.
Requesting Rules
I usually write “you” and try not to describe the readers so you may live as the the “Reader x Whatever”. I don’t do descriptions for a character request. Sorry about it.
Nsfw is something I dont write for Harry Potter characters but I might consider.
I try to age up the characters in the stories too.
