Chapter 23
"Taylor, I'm telling you." Corinne groaned, running her fingers over the bridge of her nose. "No party."
"Come on!" Taylor whined, stamping one boot to the ground and sending an echo through the hallway. "You can't both be lame! We didn't throw a party for Ella's, this was my compromise!"
"I don't remember ever accepting that deal!" Corinne bit back a laugh as they started up the next staircase.
"Well, duh, because I didn't say it out loud so you couldn't say no." Taylor grinned, "And now it's too late! Because I've already started planting the idea in everyone's heads-"
"Who's everyone?" Corinne asked.
"Katie, Angelina, Lee! Lee's in of course, I'm sure it won't take much convincing to get Cedric and all his friends up-"
"I don't need a birthday party." Corinne re-iterated. "We have exams coming up, and Cedric is supposed to be working on the third task-"
"The boy needs breaks, Corinne!" Taylor argued.
"Do I get a say here?" Ella cut in at last.
"No!" Taylor shouted just as Corinne nodded yes, grabbing onto Ella's arm.
"Of course you do, Ella! And I'd be so happy to hear your thoughts!" She shot a smug grin to Taylor who groaned once again.
"In less than two weeks, we'll have a Hufflepuff Tri-Wizard champion, and I'm sure they would love your help planning that party, Taylor." Ella pointed out and Taylor seemed to toss the idea around in her head, Corinne holding in a sigh of relief.
Though she wasn't going to argue with Ella, and she did truly believe Cedric was capable of winning the final task, she wasn't going to be the one planning any extravagant parties just yet. Cedric hardly had any ideas for what obstacles or creatures they'd be faced with inside the maze, and she had to admit that Krum likely knew loads more about darker magic than any professor at Hogwarts would ever have uttered out loud, even Moody.
"Heads up." Ella muttered under her breath, pulling Corinne's attention back to the present, her eyes catching sight of Fred at once, his long legs tucked deep into the stone alcove at the side of the portrait hole, eyes thankfully latched to the ceiling. Perhaps he hadn't heard them coming, though how anyone could have missed Taylor's voice ringing throughout the castle was beyond her.
"Look who it is!" Corinne's stomach jolted, unpleasantly, the girls stalling in their tracks as Cormac stepped through the portrait hole and into the vacant hallway. "Gryffindor's least favorite traitor."
"Who's the favorite, then?" Ella muttered, Taylor laughing nervously at her side, eyes skimming between Corinne and Cormac.
"Well, certainly not the girl keeping Cedric Diggory's bed warm every night." Cormac chuckled, obviously finding himself quite funny.
"Dude, get over yourself." Taylor called out as Corinne rolled her eyes, glancing towards each end of the corridor for any chance they could avoid the rest of this encounter.
"What's wrong, Corinne? Your friends don't know you're a little slut-"
Ella's mouth opened with what was sure to have been an amazing comeback before Taylor's breath hitched into the start of a scream, watching as Fred yanked the back of Cormac's collar, the large Gryffindor choking slightly before slamming against the stone walls behind him.
"Want to try that again?" Fred's voice was low, though Corinne felt as though she could have picked out every word, even from across the stairwell.
"Oh, come on, Weasley. You're going to play white knight, now? Everyone knows she's not fucking you-" His voice trailed off into a groan as Fred's knee drove hard into his groin, his mouth set into a dark scowl before he tossed McLaggen roughly to the floor.
"Piss off. I know for a fact her boyfriend's got a mean right hook, and you've got a very punchable face." He spat, storming back into the common room and leaving the girls wide eyed, eyes drifting between one another for only a second before scurrying after him into Gryffindor tower.
Corinne glanced around the bustling common room, searching for the familiar red hair, though realizing fairly quickly he had already disappeared upstairs.
"That was... surprisingly... well," Taylor mumbled, waiting for Corinne to speak.
"Yeah." The blonde nodded, glancing back at the doorway behind them, "Let's go upstairs, I'm not looking forward to dealing with McClaggen when he finally gets back up."
"That was a good hit, though, I felt like we were watching one of those wrestling matches!" Taylor giggled.
"When have you been watching wrestling?" Ella asked as they started up the stairs.
"Well... I guess I haven't, but it was giving that vibe-"
"I'm pretty sure they aren't allowed to knee each other in the-"
"Okay!" Corinne bit back a laugh as they pushed through the doorway into their dorm. "God, summer can't come soon enough, I can't take any more insanity this year."
"What, you think it's going to be normal next year?" Ella chuckled.
"Yeah, when you're dating the Hogwarts champion. Eternal glory." Taylor grinned, flopping lazily against her mattress.
✵
"Weasley!" Fred could practically feel the blood run cold in his veins, his eyebrows furrowing together before he finally turned to face the Hufflepuff. Cedric was jogging towards him, bag slung lazily over his shoulder, the picture of school's perfect golden boy. Future Hogwarts champion. Fred swallowed the loathing before letting Diggory catch up in the corridor.
"Hey..." Cedric muttered, glancing around at the few younger students who'd been trying to watch the interaction before realizing they'd been caught and racing along out of sight. "I uh..."
"Spit it out, Diggory, I'll have another detention if you make me late." Fred grumbled, though he truly couldn't imagine sitting through a second detention would be any more painful than a prolonged conversation with the boy in front of him.
"Yeah, I heard about that. Your detention. I mean... Well, I just wanted to thank you. For dealing with that. For... Corinne."
Fred felt his eyebrows lift on their own in surprise, reaching up to scratch nervously at the back of his neck.
"Oh..." He started, awkwardly. "Well, McClaggen's an asshole, so it was really no bother. Trust me."
Cedric sputtered out a laugh, glancing behind Fred at McGonagall's doorway.
"Right, well... I just... I tried to tell McGonagall... What happened, I tried to get you out of the detention."
"Did you?" Fred bit back a chuckle at the information.
"Tried." Cedric threw his hands up in defeat. "But she gave McClaggen one too. If that's any consolation."
"Actually, a bit." Fred finally let out an easy laugh, "Nice work, Diggory."
"Any time." Cedric nodded, "Alright, well... I'd better get back."
"Yeah," Fred agreed, not letting his mind wander onto what Cedric could be getting back to at this hour. He had no end of year exams, and he forced himself not to picture Corinne a few stories up, or down, haunched over a pile of textbooks, waiting for the sandy haired boy to join her. To take her mind off her work.
✵
It was finally lunch time, and Taylor's face lit into a grin as Corinne finally agreed they could head down, halting their studying at last.
Corinne wouldn't admit to her friend that they should have stopped at least half an hour ago, as her stomach was now growling almost painfully as Taylor yapped away at her side.
"Well, it's about time." Corinne could practically hear the smile through his words, spinning to find her boyfriend leaning easily against the doorway of the Great Hall, seeming far more relaxed than the rest of the school who had likely been cramming all morning for exams. "Thought I was going to have to send out a search party for my own girlfriend."
"Some of us have to study, you know?" She explained, forcing her eyes to his and pretending not to notice the thin package wrapped perfectly at his side.
"I think some sort of exception can be made, at least for today."
"Oh? What's today?" She teased, finally letting herself look to the gift in his hands as he held it towards her, dropping into the spot beside her at the end of the Gryffindor table.
"Happy birthday, pretty girl." He watched, excitedly as Corinne slid her nail carefully through the paper, lifting the lid from the box, a smile pulling to her lips. She lifted the pretty blue fabric from where it was folded neatly in the gift box, revealing a gorgeous, silky dress.
"You're getting quite good at gifting me dresses, aren't you?" She giggled and Cedric shrugged.
"I thought you could wear it when school gets out... and I finally get to take you out on a real date."
"What about our dates have been fake, Diggory?"
"You know what I mean." He pressed, leaning over the box between them and latching her lips with his. "There's one more thing in there."
Her eyes flashed back to the box, peeling aside the tissue paper, her smile stilling as she spotted the small green book.
"I know you haven't gotten your copy back." He spoke softly, "I know it's not the same, but it's your favorite and I'm sure-" He trailed off as Corinne pushed the box onto the table, leaning over and throwing her arms over his shoulders, burying her face into his chest.
"I love it. Both of them. Thank you." She smiled, pulling back at last as he nodded, pulling plates over for their lunches.
"Of course." He shrugged, "I have something planned for us after lunch, too, if you can possibly take a break from all of your studying?"
"She can." Taylor promised, "For the good of us all."
Cedric bit back a laugh as he chewed his lunch carefully, Corinne shooting Taylor her best attempt at a glare.
"I'll be sending my parents to your doorstep when I fail all my exams." She promised and Taylor faked a dramatic shiver before grabbing another roll from the basket between the students.
✵
Corinne stumbled up the final staircase to Gryffindor tower, tucking her sopping wet hair behind her ear and enjoying the warmth of Cedric's fingers intwined with her own.
"Where are we going to swim over the summer without our own personal prefects bathroom?" She whispered, slowing to a stop outside of the portrait hole.
"We can go to the beach." He suggested.
"What beach?"
"Any of them." He smiled, easily, his eyes raking over the small blonde before him. "I think you're going to be sick of me a month in, love."
"Try me." She grinned, pulling his sweater closer around her shoulders.
Cedric didn't speak for a moment, his smile never wavering as he leaned closer once again, sliding his fingertips over her jaw to pull her lips to his, a trail of goosebumps rising along her arms that had nothing to do with the chill from her dripping hair.
"Go get warmed up. I'll meet you for dinner."
Corinne nodded, watching as he started down the staircase before finally slipping inside the familiar warmth of the common room. She gathered her hair to one side, squeezing a bit of excess water out onto the carpet as she walked before her eyes landed on the red head near the boys staircase, the honey brown eyes linking with hers.
She paused, neither of them breaking their gaze as she considered what she should say. She hadn't spoken to Fred since he had kicked McClaggen for her a nearly a week ago. Actually, she wasn't sure she'd spoken to him since their detention.
She took another step towards him, her mouth parting for only a second before his eyes flashed to the coffee table near the empty fireplace, her heart jolting at the sight, the familiar, slightly worn looking book waiting for her.
She took a step towards the book before her eyes returned to Fred's, watching as his lips curved into a strange looking smile.
"Happy birthday." He mumbled, starting back up the stairs before she could say another word.
Her feet felt trapped in their place as she was plunged into the silence of the common room, her eyes still stuck to the now empty stairwell before the slam of the portrait hole door pulled her focus back. She hurried around the couch, dropping onto the worn fabric and pulling the book into her lap. For a moment, she just held it, staring down at the cover, the fraying vines and flowers surrounding the title.
She hadn't noticed the small smile that had risen to her face until she felt it fall, opening the cover of the book to find a small scrap of paper tucked in between the cover and the first page, messy handwriting scribbled at an angle.
𝒞𝑜𝓇𝓇𝒾𝓃𝓃𝑒 𝐸𝓋𝑒𝓁𝓎𝓃 𝐵𝒶𝓀𝑒𝓇
𝒮𝑜𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝒾𝓉 𝓉𝑜𝑜𝓀 𝓂𝑒 𝓈𝑜 𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑔
𝐻𝒶𝓅𝓅𝓎 𝐵𝒾𝓇𝓉𝒽𝒹𝒶𝓎
Corinne blinked twice, dropping the scrap of paper back into the book and jumping from the couch, racing towards the staircase to her dorm.
"Hey, there you are! I'm starving- what?" Taylor's eyes went wide as she watched Corinne spin towards Ella.
"Did you... tell Fred my middle name?"
Ella's smile stalled on her face, her eyebrows furrowed for only a second before the realization clicked in her mind.
"Corinne..."
"Yes?"
"I'm sorry... I didn't think anything of it when he asked, it was so long ago... Why? What did he do?" She rambled, stepping closer to the blonde who shook her head, carelessly.
"No, no, it's fine. I just... wondered where he learned it." She shrugged, dropping the book to her nightstand before either of the girls could ask her about it.
"Alright..." Ella mumbled, still looking nervously between her roommates.
"Why are you all wet?" Taylor asked, a knowing smile already creeping to her lips.
"We just went for a swim." Corinne shot Taylor a warning glance, though even she could feel the corners of her mouth turn up slightly.
"Man, you are corrupting him. I'm going to have to report this un-approved usage of the prefects bathroom!" Taylor giggled as Ella rolled her eyes.
"I'm sorry I'm so late." Corinne changed the subject, starting towards the bathroom. "I just need to change and fix my hair a bit..."
"Want us to wait?" Ella offered, though Corinne watched Taylor's eyes widen and laughed.
"No, you two go, I'll be right down." She promised, grabbing her wand and hurrying to dry her hair in front of the mirror.
"Alright, hurry up!" Taylor nodded, jumping from the bed and racing towards the hallway, Ella on her heels.
Corinne had her hair dried, brushed and tucked neatly into place in the span of ten minutes, starting over to her dresser and grabbing for the softest sweater she could get her hands on, pulling the outfit on quickly, her eyes finally latching again to the book on her nightstand. Part of her was just thankful it was even still in one piece. She had started to consider that Fred might have chucked it into the fire after one too many of their arguments.
She sat down at the edge of her mattress, picking the book up once more and flipping back to the note inside the cover, her head cocking slightly as she sighed. She let herself flip over the title page and let the first few pages flutter through her fingers before a patch of dark ink caught her eye, her heart sinking in her chest.
She hurried to re-open the pages she had just skimmed through, tossing one page over the other until she found it. The same ink, this time in the shape of a messily scribbled oval surrounding a sentence about halfway down the page.
Be worthy love, and love will come.
He cannot be serious.
She flipped the page, and then the next, not having to wait very long for the next ink to appear.
You don't need scores of suitors. You need only one, if he's the right one.
"Ugh!" She groaned, flipping to the next page. Sure, it wouldn't take very long to vanish the ink from the book, but that wasn't the point. This was her favorite book. Her grandmothers book. Who did Fred Weasley think he was?
Watch and pray dear. Never get tired of trying, and never think it is impossible to conquer your fault.
If only that were true, she thought bitterly, reaching for her wand. It may be her birthday, but she was not going to sleep tonight without giving the redhead a piece of her mind.
Because they are mean is no reason why I should be. I hate such things, and though I think I've a right to be hurt, I don't intend to show it.
Corinne paused, her eyes scanning over the thin ink underlining the words before spotting the scribbled note beside it in the margin.
Corinne. It read. Just her name. Her heart sank slightly, remembering the honey brown eyes in the common room. He knew she was going to find this, find the note and the annotations... Why hadn't he looked excited? Mischievous? His latest prank finally coming to fruition.
She blinked, dropping the book back to her nightstand and climbing to her feet. She'd already kept her friends waiting long enough. She could fix the book later.