Just "friends"

This morning, we went to school and our classed as normal I felt happy he is coming back tomorrow but the same thoughts cross over my mind. I only want to look out for him. 20 minuted before the end of my class, cedric my old friend walked into my class. I was so surprised, what is he doing here? Immediately once the lesson is over and we get to the cafeteria he spots me and I run up to him gracing with a hug.

"Mate, what are you doing here?! I haven't seen you in 6 years!" He only smiles and chuckles at me hugging me back.

"I just transferred , mum managed to get a job here"

Of course I'm upset that harry isn't here, but cedric being back uplifts my mood slightly. We sit down and I introduce him to hermione and Ron since they've never even met him. We catch up whilst my other two friends talk about other things entirely. I couldn't really catch a word they were saying because I was caught up in my conversation with ced. He suddenly asks

"Hey where harry? He goes to this school, doesn't he?"

"Yeah, he's currently sick. It's weird without him." He's the only one who I've told about my sexuality and life, I mean I've told harry everything except the fact I'm gay part. I know it's cowardish considering he told me but it still worries me that anything will change. Plus, I'm still figuring things out.

"Oh well, he'll be back tomorrow. No need to fret" I smile at the reminder.

We talk all day and hang out after school, man it's good to see him back.

The next week on Monday...

Ugh, I have to go back to school and worst of all, it's a Monday. As soon as I wake up I get a text from hermione,

"You in school today?" To which I suddenly reply

"Yeah why?" She then types

"Oh, great but I think your in for a surprise." What? What did she mean? I left it on read and started getting ready to head off to school. I did miss draco, actually. Despite the fact I'm inlove with him, it'd be nice to see him again.

I walk through the school doors and head towards the lockers to meet my lockers when I pang goes through my chest, as I notice draco's arm around cedric's shoulder. When did he get back? He always favoured draco and I never liked him because it seemed I couldn't ever get close to draco without cedric making it about himself, so when he left we were able to create the bond we have now. What hurts more is I've been gone for a few days and over the weekend I got 2 texts and I haven't even been noticed yet. I'm overreacting , it's fine. Maybe he's changed.

Nevermind. No he hasn't.

As soon as draco noticed me he went to give me a hug which I reciprocated but only put my arms around his back and rocked us for a few seconds. Until I pulled away, unbeknownst to me my eyes began to water and unfortunately he noticed.

"Hey, you look like your going to cry, what's going on" shit.

Wiping my eyes I disregard it entirely and laugh it off,

"Nothing, um it's absolutely nothing" giving him a smile which wasn't at all convincing. When I turned my head to prevent any further conversation on the topic, cedric said immediately

"Hey Harry!! " in a too sickeningly sweet voice. "I haven't seen you in ages" his smile represent the same one he used to use, the one where he looks at me like he won draco over me just because they were friends 2 months before.

Matching his smile I say "Hello, cedric. It has been awhile" but I was cut off by draco saying

"How have you been har? Feeling better?" At least he still cares.

"Yeah, I'm getting there. Thank you" Smiling at him feeling happier than I have been in days. Fucking hell. The effect he had on me, the way he lifts my mood in an instant.

But of course this was cut short by cedric making himself the centre of attention once again, he says

"Yeah well, anyway can you take me a tour around the school? I know nothing so.." wrapping his arm around draco who looked at him fondly. My stomach drops and I feel sick.

"Yeah, yeah of course! Let's go" and with that they head off. Great.

Ron and hermione who watched this exchange turned to me in pity. Ron immediately says

"Piece of shit. Does he really think he cab enter his life again and replace you? If he does and draco allows him it just shows the type of person he is."

"He won't " feeling defensive, "he wouldn't do that. The best friend bond we share...no he wouldn't." But even I barely believed those words myself. I knew draco wouldn't do that to me.

I shouldn't second guess myself it turns out, because I've felt invisible for around 80% of the day. Sure, draco includes me in the odd few conversations before he turns back to cedric looking at him so soft in a way he does to me sometimes.

I don't think about it too much because it's probably just the initial reaction of his friend being back it doesn't mean anything.

Well, I thought that until the next day. "Hey har" draco immediately greets me without even going for a hug. But it's fine, I pushed him away it's my fault and he's maybe tired.
Just outside the chemistry classroom opposite the lockers I see cedric smile over to draco who walks up to him as I move to stand with Ron and hermione. I talk to them before I look back over to the other two who looked closer than before.

Cedric whispers something into draco's ear and he laughs with that beautiful smile that I've come to fall in love with. Then cedric leans in to kiss him and I refuse to let myself watch. I can't do this. I look away just as draco kisses him back . My heart breaks with every second.

Draco pov:

Holy shit. One minute me and ced are talking and then we're kissing, fair enough I didn't expect it but I can't deny it was hot. Before we walked back to our friends he put his arm around me and kissed my head with a smile. However, the happiness drains when I notice Harry has his back to us both, to me. I can only make out hermione mouthing the words 'he's behind you har' before he says

" yeah, I need to talk to the English teacher about something anyway. Bye guys" hugging hermione and as I try talk to him and make him turn to me he just walks away with tears in his eyes that didn't go unnoticed by me.

"Is he okay? Why did he look like he was about to cry again.." before locking back to Ron and hermione. Ron rolls his eyes but I don't know why, he caught on to something because hermione just gave him a knowing look. But I can only look back at where he left with concern for him. It was time to head to our first class which was funnily enough English because it was week 2 on our time table. We both walked up there hands interlinked, although it doesn't feel as right as it does with harry, it feels nice aswell. When we got there and lined up outside the classroom to go in, harry finished talking to the teacher the second I sit down and look over to him. However instead of him turning around to sit down next to me, he just walks straight out the door before giving the teacher a "thank you" . I wonder what they spoke about. Cedric got asked to sit next to pansy parkinson at the front and I opened my book and started to write down the date whilst annotating a poem we were told to do. I couldn't concentrate because I couldn't help but feel like harry is avoiding me. What did I do? I thought we were okay.. suddenly our teacher comes up to me 25 minutes in and quietly asks me if I'm okay because I've been distracted "yeah I'm good. Sorry" . I don't know myself If it was the truth. After, I didn't see him until after dinner, where did he go for 2 hours? Cedric sits next to me and kisses my temple again, I don't even know what we are, I'll talk to him later. No what bothers me, is that harry isn't acting himself. He's more isolated and quiet, not like my har at all. Wait my harry? No. For the rest of the week, he turns up late to everything, break, dinner, classes etc. And then he doesn't listen, it's as if something is constantly on his mind but when I go talk to him he just shrugs it off like its nothing. I've even attempted to talk to Ron and hermione about it but Ron acts as clueless as I am and hermione just replies "it's something you and harry should talk about I'm sorry draco." Every damn time. If only he'd stick around enough to talk to me. That night I cry a bit to my mum "I don't even know what happened. He just started distancing himself and not wanting to hold my hand he rejects my hug on a morning sometimes and i feel like he's avoiding me." She looks at me with pity on her face and understanding. "Oh sweetheart. I'm so sorry, maybe he's going through something?" "No, because he always tells me everything and he's only acting like this towards me. I just miss my best friend. I don't get to talk to him for longer than a minute" "Oh, draco. Can you not think of anything that's changed in the past 3 weeks that might have caused him to act this way?" My tears stop when I realise the only change. Cedric. "Well I mean, cedric came back and he kissed me but he's been supporting me as well" I say. My mum stops hugging me and pulls away with a sigh. "Draco, don't you think it's because of him?" What. "No , why would it be? We were all friends before.. " She only sighs again "draco, your my son and I love you but sometimes your the most oblivious guy I know.they were never the best of friends. Don't you remember harry acting similar when you all was younger and cedric was all over you? He could barely get a word in. When you weren't looking or distracted ced would look at harry like he won something, like he had something harry didn't. He began feeling insecure and worried something like this would happen. Harry only told me, no one knows not even his mother." My heart is hurting at her words " but why won't he talk to me now? He has chance to." "Because, sweetheart, he feels like if he says the wrong thing you'd cut him out forever and the thing that you don't know about him is if he feels something that's familiar but negatively, he will become defensive and quiet until he deems everything okay. So when that happened when you were kids it reminds him of that and the way he sees it, cedric has come back and you've let him kiss you whilst talking to him more than acknowledging harry so he might not feel wanted or in the shadows." Fuck. Maybe she's right, but I never knew they weren't the most civil as kids. I just really wish he'd talk to me. I miss him more than anything and I just want my best friend back. The one that held my hand everyday. Leant on me every chance he got. Was clingy when he didn't sleep. Who told me everything. That night, I went up to my room and made it my mission to force him to talk to me tomorrow so I can truly understand what exactly is going on. I want to know so I can help him in any way.