Chapter 3
Corrine hurried into the halls, her friends trailing behind, still shoving their papers into their bags as they walked.
"You can't avoid him forever, Cor." Ella smiled, knowingly, as Taylor scanned behind them, Fred and George still lazing around the doorway with a few members of their quidditch team.
"I won't. Forever. It's just so awkward, I think I would vomit if I had to look into his sad little eyes again..." She cringed, spinning around the corner and knocking into something solid, crashing to the ground, her bag spilling it's contents down the hallway.
"God," Corrine recognized the voice at once, her brain going blank as Cedric bent before her, hurrying to grab the few quills littering the floor and her inkwell which had begun rolling down the hall. The blonde hardly looked up at him, sliding together rolls of parchment and textbooks and stuffing them carefully back into her bag.
"I'm so sorry." She finally managed, looking up to see the easy smile spread across the boys face as he held his hand out for hers, her items collected in his free hand.
"Don't be. I'm the idiot standing in the center of the hallway." She let him pull her from the ground and dusted the imaginary dirt from the stone floors from her pants before taking her things back from him.
"No, I was going too fast. Not watching where I was going." She could feel her face starting to redden at the way her words were coming out.
Cedric's friends were thankful too involved in their previous conversation to pay much attention to the pair, and Corrine could see Ella and Taylor a few feet away, perched against the stoney walls, pretending not to be watching everything.
"Where are you going? I could walk you. You know, so you don't fall again?" He teased, a sparkling grin rising to his face.
"Defense Against the Dark Arts." She replied, failing to hold back her own smile. "It's not all that long of a walk, I think I've hit my fall quota of the day."
"We'll just make sure, how about?" He adjusted his own bag on his shoulder before shoving his hands into his pockets. The pair walked in silence for a few minutes, Corrine positive that Ella and Taylor were trailing behind them holding in snickers. "Listen... I do know your name, but just remind me, okay?"
She felt a small smile pull at her lips as she looked to him. "We have potions together."
"Yes, I know that." He shot her a glare. "It's not my fault Snape never picks on you."
"Well, I know your name and Snape doesn't pick on you." She chuckled, watching him wrack his brain so clearly.
"Well, I'm the greatest Seeker this school's ever seen. Everyone knows my name-" He joked, shrugging dramatically. "It really is a blessing and a curse to be this talented."
"Well, Mr. Greatest Seeker of all time, maybe you can put some of your talent towards investigation." She slowed, Cedric matching her pace as they neared Moody's doorway.
"Oh, just tell me!" He reached out for her wrist before she could enter the classroom.
"Where's the fun in that?" She laughed, noting her friends nearing the pair of them. "Thanks for walking me."
"I'm regretting it now." He grumbled through a smirk, offering her half a wave and setting off back to his friends the next hallway over.
"What happened! What happened! What happened!" Taylor exclaimed, dropping into the seat next to Corrine's, Ella falling in on her other side.
"Nothing happened!" She replied, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from smiling. "He was sweet, he said he wanted to walk me to class so I didn't fall again." She let her head fall into her hands, trying not to think of how stupid she must have looked in front of everyone.
"So you didn't tell him?" Taylor whined, apparently not caring how loud her voice was as the class began to fill up.
"He doesn't even know my name, Taylor." Corrine hoped her voice didn't sound as disappointed as she thought it did.
"Oh..." The girl muttered, looking to Ella who had set her hand reassuringly on Corrine's shoulder.
"Yeah, and Eddie Carmichael's never gonna know mine if I have anything to say about it. Yours is a gentleman, I count that whole exchange as a win."
Before Corrine had to come up with a response, the low hum of multiple conversations and laughter wafted towards the girls as the Weasley's and what appeared to be half of the sixth year Gryffindors entered the room, filling the seats along the back row.
"Hello, gorgeous." Fred's fingers slipped across the messy waves in Corrine's blonde hair before he pulled the seat behind hers closer and sat down.
She turned back, ignoring the shudder which flew down her spine at his touch, looking him up and down.
"Are you talking to me?" She asked, hoping her face wasn't pink again.
"Course I am." He held his lazy smile as he pulled out a copy of their textbook which most definitely had not been opened yet.
"Hello, Fred." She smiled, warmly and turned back to the front, purposely ignoring Taylor's wide eyed stare which was boring into her.
"You alright?" He asked, obviously not caring that she was no longer facing him, intent to continue the conversation either way.
"I'm good." She answered, looking back confused. "How're you?"
"Well, I didn't wipe out in the hallway ten minutes ago." He shrugged, smirking. "You've got a bit of a thing for floors, huh?"
"Got a bit of a thing for stalking, Weasley?" Ella cut in, saving Corrine from having to think of something witty to say back.
"I can't help it, my eyes are drawn to beautiful things." He replied, easily, Corrine's stomach jerking against itself.
"Oh, merlin, you're going to make me sick." Ella held her hand to her mouth as if she was willing herself not to puke, earning a laugh from Fred and George who had evidently been listening the entire time.
The door slammed behind them, Corrine jumping slightly in her seat. She had nearly forgotten they were in a classroom full of students.
"Good afternoon, class. Everyone got your books out?" Moody grumbled as he limped to the front of the room.
✵
Corinne scrawled the next answer onto her paper, leaning farther down on the chilly stone wall. She felt as though it had been hours since she had started this assignment, yet every time she glanced to her watch, it seemed as if no time had passed at all.
"Baker," The familiar voice drew her eyes up to the red head who had appeared around the corner of the corridor. His hands were shoved into his pockets as he drew closer, looking down at her with tired eyes. "What are you doing here?"
"Homework." She answered, dropping her quill into the small pot of ink by her side. "What are you doing here?"
He sank down the wall beside her with a small groan, his hip jostling hers. "Avoiding homework."
"Well, you've come to the wrong place." She shook her head, setting back to her paper and feeling Fred's eyes on her page. She could feel the nerves puddling in the bottom of her stomach, and she hoped that Fred couldn't feel the way that her muscles had tensed up at his touch. Despite the way he had been acting as though everything was normal, that they were great friends, even, she still felt guilty remembering the way his face had dropped in the hallway when she had turned him down.
"What is that for? Are you still taking divination?" He asked, his voice low in the silent hallway.
"Yeah." She nodded, not looking to him, though she could feel the warmth radiating from his skin, a sharp contrast to the chill of the stone behind her.
"Why?" He chuckled.
"I don't know," She laughed along with him for a second, remembering yesterday's lesson and how Trelawney didn't even have the sight to realize half of the class was asleep and the other half was going through the motions. "Why do you seem so tired?"
"Filch had us scrubbing cauldrons until two this morning." He answered through a yawn, more of his weight moving to rest against Corinne's shoulder.
"Well, what did you do?" She grinned up to him, rolling her eyes as he shrugged, cluelessly.
"Can't keep track of 'em all. He's so far behind on our pranking schedule anyway."
"Ah, maybe you should slow down, give him a chance?" She joked, scribbling down the next question on the parchment in her lap.
"Mmm." Fred answered with a small shrug, the two falling silent for a few more minutes before she felt his head fall to her shoulder, his breathing leveling out. Her mouth fell open to comment, though she thought better of it, noting the purple beneath his eyes and setting back to her work.
It had been over half an hour, and she had finally finished the paper, glancing over to Fred, still breathing lowly against her shoulder as she tucked her schoolwork away.
"Fred," She whispered, nudging him softly to no avail. "Weasley." She shook him a few more times before his eyes finally blinked open, jerking away and scanning up in down the hall, attempting to place himself.
"What happened?" He mumbled, reaching up to mess with his hair.
"You fell asleep." She bit back a grin, "Too many late night detentions."
He scoffed out a small laugh, sleep still obviously stuck in his mind as he blinked slowly, eyes locked on her.
"You smell nice." He muttered, his voice so soft, she nearly thought he'd been speaking to himself.
"What?"
"What?" He shook his head once, using one hand to brace himself along the wall, climbing to his feet. "Nothing. See you at dinner."
"Don't threaten me, Weasley." She smirked, watching as his jaw fell slightly at her attempted insult.
"That was actually good," A grin pulled to his lips, "I'm using that one."
✵
"Corinne." The voice whispered behind her ear. She whipped around, Cedric grabbing a hold of her arms to keep her from falling back.
"How did you-"
"I have my ways." The Hufflepuff shrugged, taking a seat along the stone benches in the courtyard and nodding for her to sit.
"Oh, so mysterious." She joked, sitting beside him and sliding her bag to the side, willing her heart to slow down after they had been so close.
"It wasn't all that hard." He went on, "I just asked if anyone saw that Gryffindor face plant in the halls Monday-" His laugh cut off the rest of his words as she glared at him. "Sorry! I'm sorry. How are you, by the way? Any bruises? Broken bones?"
"Only my pride." Corinne grinned, pulling her feet up to the bench and tucking her knees to her chest.
"No one even saw." He assured her, stretching his arms over his head.
"Tired?" She asked, not wanting the conversation to lag.
"Just sore. Dumbledore can cancel Quidditch matches, but we're still having practices. I'm not letting us slack off to be unprepared for next year."
"Oh... Is Hufflepuff normally... prepared?" Cornine teased, holding her breath before the boy broke out into a grin, his jaw dropping slightly as he looked to her.
"More prepared than Gryffindor, every match for you guys ends with a trip to the infirmary!"
"You say 'you guys' as if I'm one of them." She chuckled.
"Why aren't you?"
"Because the heights we got to in flying class first year is the highest up I'd ever like to be, thank you." She answered at once.
"Scared of heights?" He prodded.
"I don't know..." She shook her head slightly, "Maybe I just don't trust myself on some flimsy piece of wood that high in the air."
"I could teach you." He offered, turning towards her on the bench. "It's not that scary once you get used to it. It's freeing, exhilarating."
"I'll bet."
"So listen," He started, his tone less joking now. "I know I didn't know your name two days ago, but I was hoping maybe we could hang out sometime. Maybe Saturday afternoon? I'll have a morning practice instead of a night one."
Corinne felt her mouth moving, yet no words were coming out. "Yeah, yeah... Saturday? This Saturday?"
"Unless you have plans already-"
"No!" She shook her head, excitedly, Cedric chuckling at her response.
"Alright, then. It's a date. I'll meet you by the Great Hall at 2."
"2... Okay... Yeah..." She nodded, mostly to herself.
"Alright, I'll see you for potions then." He smiled, jumping up from the bench and pulling his bag over his shoulder again. "Bye Corinne."
"Bye Cedric." She smiled as his name rolled off her tongue.
✵
Potions came too soon every time. That was a fact, not an opinion. Even Ella hated the class, everyone shivering for two hours straight twice a week, praying not to get yelled at and lose house points or worse, earn themselves an extra few hours of detention with the greasy haired professor.
It was worse though when it was her turn to sit alone, the other girls getting to laugh and joke together for the full hour, despite Ella's claims that Taylor was useless for any potion making. It was still fun working with your friends.
Snape was no where to be seen yet, thankfully, as Ella and Taylor sprung into the last remaining desk for two, shooting Corinne an odd cross between a grin and a smirk. She frowned, scanning the room and finally understanding their reactions. There were two open spots. One next to Fred, and one next to Cedric.
"Shit..." She mumbled, scanning between her two options. Cedric's face was buried in his potions book, scanning over what Corinne assumed had to be today's lesson. Fred was leaning so far back in his spot she was shocked his chair hadn't given way, sending him to the floor. Just as she was about to head towards Fred, accepting the fact that she would be doing most of today's work, Cedric looked towards the doorway, his gray eyes linking with hers.
"Corinne!" He waved her over, obviously not feeling self conscious at all as the entire class looked back to him and then towards Corinne, stuck in the back of the room. Fred spun around, his smile dropping from his face as she started towards the Hufflepuff at the left side of the room. "Saved you a spot."
"Thank you." She whispered back, gratefully, forcing herself not to look towards Fred, even though she could still feel his eyes on her. The brown haired Hufflepuff that Cedric had sat with last week was one row ahead of them, working with a tiny auburn haired Hufflepuff.
"Do you usually sit with Weasley?" He asked, glancing towards the Gryffindor for her.
"No, why?" She snuck a peek towards the side of the room where her friends were, both already pulling materials from their bags as Snape entered, the door closing on it's own behind him.
"He watched you your whole walk over here." He raised his eyebrows towards her, turning back towards the front as Snape began the lesson.
The two of them sat in silence as Snape explained their task for the day, which somehow seemed even more difficult than last weeks had been.
"I'm sorry you couldn't sit with your friend." Corinne whispered, pulling the small bowl over before her and starting to skin the shrivelfig, purple juice dribbling down the sides.
"Who?" He looked towards her, glancing up at her, his finger hovering over the next step in the book lying open between them. "Oh, Lucas? You saved me from making another potion all on my own."
"I can hear you." The boy, Lucas apparently, retorted without turning around, his partner still reading through the instructions for what must have been the third time now.
"It's not a secret." Cedric kicked his chair, softly, shaking his friends table and earning him a glare.
"Don't get us all a detention, Diggory. I doubt that's a great way to impress your girl-"
"Alright." Cedric rolled his eyes, a light pink painting beneath his eyes. He dropped four porcupine quills in from his side of the desk after Corinne had tipped the purple juice into their cauldron, watching the potion change colors at once.
He grabbed the wooden spoon from behind the cauldron, hurrying to stir the potion before the ingredients settled at the bottom, moving around the cauldron four times counter-clockwise.
"Peppermint?" He asked, scanning over the remaining items on their table before Corinne plucked the small green leaf, holding it over the bubbling potion. "Drop it in." He nodded, his eyes returning to the liquid before them.
"Alright, that looks... good," He mumbled, eyes scanning over the next steps in the book. "I'm hoping that's enough juice from the sopophorous bean. I swear, the ones Snape gives us must be old or something, I can never get enough out."
Corinne picked up the admittedly shriveled looking halves of the bean, squeezing with both hands over the bowl as a bit more juice trickled out.
"Oho, look at you go, muscles." He teased, the blonde rolling her eyes as she passed him the bowl, both of them watching as the potion brightened to a murky looking orange color.
"I think you're even better than Ella." I lied, smiling as his face lit up slightly.
"Well, I know you're better than Lucas." He joked, pulling the stopper from the green bottle before them and squeezing in two drops.
"I'm going to suffocate you with your own pillow tonight." Lucas hissed back towards his friend, his own potion still a deep brown while Corinne and Cedric's was fading towards a pastel yellow.
"I thought Hufflepuffs were friendly." She whispered quietly towards Cedric who shrugged with a smile.
"I have a bit of experience with them, and I have to disagree." He let one more drop fall into the potion before pressing the stopper back to the bottle and sliding it to the edge of the table. "That's how it's supposed to look." He shrugged, still peering over the final steps in the textbook as if they had missed something.
"Maybe you ought to try it. See if it's poisonous or if you're filled with euphoria." Corinne suggested, shutting her own book and pulling over an empty vial to submit to Snape.
"You know..." Cedric took the small glass from her, "I think I'm all set for now. Feeling plenty euphoric."