Backfire

It had been the first afternoon back in Hogwarts after New Year's, Cedric and Holland meeting up again for the first time. The two were now back to where they usually meet, the window showcasing the afternoon sun being a great difference to the usual night sky. Cedric and Holland were still in their civilian clothes, having just come back from the express.

"Any progress with the egg?" Holland asked, scarfing down the small pie the elves had prepared for her. Holland loved her mother's cooking, but she had definitely missed the elves'. Holland smiled at the memories of being in her home, despite it being not even months ago. Their home really was the safest place Holland could submerge herself in. Days after Holland arrived, her father had finally come back home. He'd been vague about where he'd been, but Holland decided not to push it. The rest of her holidays consisted of dates with Tonks when her parents had a full day out, and simply enjoying the comfort of being in her home with her family. She had surely missed it during the times of vast stress and confusion, having been involved in not only the Triwizard tournament, but the champion competing as he'd been bewitched to behave as if he were in love with her. What was even more confusing than that, was that he didn't behave like it anymore.

The boy shakes his head, the two in the sunlight for once. "I'm just not too keen on listening to its wailing another time. I've tried countless times, to the point of my dad telling me to leave it alone. I tried, I really did, maybe there was a chance of me understanding some kind of different language hidden behind the wretched sound, but nothing." He was holding the egg that he'd brought out of his bag. "It sounds like a proper fish out of water wailing for help. If it had only sounded like you when you sang, Holland. I'd listen to it for days on end." Holland tries to hide her blush, somehow missing when Cedric complimented her. "You sound like an actual mermaid." He says, the two then looking at each other in realization.

"The prefect's bathroom," Cedric mutters to himself before grabbing his things and running to the fifth floor.

"What? The bathroom? Diggory?" Holland helplessly asks as she tried to run after him. Cedric didn't respond, he just motioned her to keep following him.

The two had arrived, Holland observing the lavatory in amazement. "Wow, this is beautiful." The prefect's bathroom was breathtaking, an enormous room, pristine walls and windows of stained glass, and a large mirror in front of the bath that was placed right in the center of the room. Holland found the placement a bit off-putting, not liking that people who bathed there could literally see themselves while they did.

"Perks of being a prefect." Cedric says proudly. "Other than being able to be a small inspiration to the first years and being able to share with them the many wonders of Hogwarts!" Holland bit back a snort at how much of a dork the boy was. Holland began to walk around, admiring the room. Holland cursed herself for turning down the opportunity of behaving better and being given a chance of being a prefect. She had always heard talks about how professors had always thought she'd make a good prefect, she was, after all, someone people could listen to. But the professors decided against it when they knew Holland would be too dangerous to have as a prefect. By the looks of this room, she would have willingly spent days here.

"Alright," Holland says, turning one faucet, jumping back as she'd been startled by hundreds of other faucets began to pour out water. It was a wonderful sight, four rows of numerous faucets, each row pouring out each house color. Cedric smiles at the sight, recalling how similar his reaction was his first time in the bathroom. Holland watched as Cedric wordlessly enchanted the bath to foam up bubbles. "That's a bit extra, don't you think?" Holland jokes, wanting nothing but to dive in the bath if not only the boy had been there, too.

"I think we're going to need a bit of a cover up if you and I are jumping in this bath." Cedric said as if he had not just said something so alarming. Holland's breath catches in her throat, she began to cough.

"What?" Holland blinks. "You and me?" She'd removed her shoes to dip her toes in, but she wasn't exactly counting on bathing with the boy. She could only imagine what on earth her friends would think.

"Of course! Look how enormous that is. Don't tell me you're just going to watch me bathe, Holland." Holland found it difficult to breathe at the current situation she was in. What in the bloody hell had she gotten herself into? In a way, Cedric had a fair point. In a small, twisted, way that Holland would never admit. She studies the stained glass windows, hoping Cedric was merely just messing with her.

"You're joking, right? Cedric, this can't be appropriate." Holland says, even though her body longed for the feeling of being in such a glamorous bath. Holland was now standing up right in front of the bath, the girl literally right on top of the edge. Just then, a groan echoes through the room, the two turning their heads at the sound of an eerily loud, high-pitched moan. "Myrtle?" Holland asks herself, turning around, surprised to see the ghost in another bathroom, memories of her second year in Hogwarts flooding her mind.

"Hi," She mewled like a cat, bringing up her fingers as she waved at Holland. "How's your friend Harry?" She asks, Holland's face contorting in discomfort. The 54-year-old ghoul always had a soft spot for her green-eyed friend. Before Holland could respond, Myrtle's eyes land on Cedric, her eyes looking like they were about to pop out of their sockets as they gaped. "Holland, who's this beautiful boy?" Myrtle coos, examining the boy, who'd grown uncomfortable at the ghoul's sudden interest in him. Cedric tries to shield himself somehow, only managing to pathetically take a half-step backwards.

"What are you doing here, Myrtle?" Holland asks, still confused. Myrtle never left the fourth floor bathrooms at all, so seeing her in another place had left Holland wondering.

"Great to see you, too, Holly Polly." The ghost teases. "Couldn't help but hear you worried about doing something that wasn't appropriate? For a moment there I thought you'd left your devious days behind. That was before I remembered seeing bits of polyjuice running down the drain. You and your friends are being bad again, aren't you?" Cedric gives Holland a look of confusion, but Holland keeps her eyes on Myrtle, confused, as well. Holland and her friends had no business making polyjuice, this meant someone else had been. But for what reason?

"Polyjuice? No, we've got no use for that right now. Where'd you e-Myrtle!" the ghost flew right threw Holland to get to Cedric, the sudden advancement startling the girl so much, she'd tripped backwards. A loud splash! echoes through the room as Holland fell in the bath, Cedric panicking, but staying still as he watched Holland rise from the bottom of the soapy water. Her hands grip the edge of the bath as she rose, growling at the ghost who'd been floating atop Cedric, stroking the boy's arm. Cedric was too busy trying to inch away from the ghost to notice Holland who was desperately asking for the egg.

"This is wasting our time! Cedric, give me the egg." Holland demands angrily, her palm out expectantly, having lost all her patience. Cedric grabbed the egg from his bag, keeping it in his hands.

"No way I'm letting you listen to the clue without me." Cedric says, not removing his clothes before jumping in the bath himself. The bath had been enchanted, having no water spill out of it much to Holland's relief.

"This cannot be happening, if my boyfriend finds out—"

"That you're helping me with the clue fully clothed? What's he got to be angry about, Holland?" Cedric says impatiently, sinking down in the water with his egg, Holland following suit.

"Come and seek us where our voices sound,
We cannot sing above the ground.
An hour long you'll have to look
To recover what we took," Holland immediately rises after hearing this, needing air in her lungs.

"The black lake?" She asks, catching her breath as Cedric rose as well.

"Most likely." The boy answers, breathing deeply. Holland's eyes fall on his chest as it falls and rises. Her eyes trailed down to his arms. His really toned and sculpted arms, Holland almost wanted to bring her hand up to his biceps. Cedric notices the girls trance, face expressionless as he studied the girl who was studying him. There was a moment of unusual silence before Holland realizes what she was doing, when she did, she quickly stood up and hopped out of the bath, startling the boy. Cedric couldn't help but notice how much the girl's clothes had clung to her body as she walked out of the bath, taking in the image of her body as her hips naturally swayed when she strode towards her belongings. Cedric curses at himself, forcing his eyes shut.

"Well, it was nice bathing fully clothed with you." Holland says, quickly gathering her things and casting a spell over herself for immediate drying. "I've still got to bring my things down to the dungeons. You should fix your things, too." She says, quickly leaving the room, not wanting to risk being seen.

The moment Cedric was alone in the bathroom, he couldn't help but replay the image of Holland and her wet, skin-tight clothes over and over in his head, knowing it was wrong, but not being able to stop himself from doing so. Cedric forces his eyes shut once more as he sunk back under the water.

-

"Hello there, my love!" His cheerful voice bellows as Holland walks up to him and his friends in the courtyard, the lot probably having just left their belongings in their dormitories. It was still cold in Scotland, the trees' fallen leaves flying through the air as another deadly wind gusts. Holland hugs herself to try and keep warm before finally coming face-to-face with George.

"Hi," Holland smiles sweetly at the sight of her boyfriend, closing her eyes as he throws his arm over her shoulder and giving her a kiss on the temple. The two sit down on a stone bench, facing away from his friends and twin that were all talking by a tree. The boy then lets out the weirdest sounds, sniffing Holland as if he were a dog, pressing his nose to her cheek as he began smothering her.

"You smell wonderful," He whispers in a joke, biting her cheek, Holland not being able to stop herself from giggling.

"What are you up to?" She asks in a fit of giggles, examining the scattered rolled parchment that were poking out of his bag.

"Homework given to us over the holidays. Reckon I'd finish it now so that I could do nothing but have you in my arms tonight." He winks, earning wolf whistles from the group, who were at a distance that was suspicious to have them hear, and a blush from Holland. He faces his friends and gestures them to piss off.

"What's tonight?" Holland asks curiously, not remembering having anything arranged with the boy.

"Well, I figured you and I could have a little moment together in the evening. We haven't really gotten one after the ball, and I just really like looking at you under the moonlight." He says. Holland knew things would get messy if she told him she needed to meet with Cedric like she always did that time, but she figured she could find a way to squeeze a bit of time with George in the evening before meeting with Cedric.

"Oh, sure! Spectacular." Holland says, relishing how sweet her boyfriend was.

Holland was now with George, enjoying a nice day out. The two had now been boyfriend and girlfriend for two months, never having been happier.

"Ron had been mental over the holidays, moaning in his sleep about Hermione." He tells Holland over a plate of chips. The two were in the seventh floor, taking advantage of an empty part in the castle, snuggling in a makeshift picnic the two had arranged with pillows and small snacks.

It was a dreamy setup, being with your boyfriend and having a picnic in the castle. But for some reason, Holland began to feel uncomfortable. Not that George had ever stopped being the perfect boyfriend, he had never let a day pass without letting his girl know how beautiful she was, and never forgetting to let her know how much he adored her. But something didn't quite feel right for Holland.

"Oh yeah, you've told me." Holland says, laughing politely. The two seemed to have lost their flame in a span of two months. Holland thought maybe it was because they'd finally evolved from the honeymoon phase of the relationship, and were about to go through more serious moments together. Weeks passed during the holidays and even after the two have returned to Hogwarts. They never fought, surprisingly, the two only seemed to be bickering when they weren't dating. But Holland felt bland. Happy to be with George, but bland being with George.

"Well, your turn now, silly. How was your day?" He asks, trying to keep a conversation going.

"Well, have I told you about what happened with the egg today?" Holland laughs at the thought, she didn't want to spend the rest of their relationship hiding things from George, so she knew she'd have to tell him before anybody else could.

"Yes, unfortunately. We talked about it when we were out in the courtyard." George answers, the two now falling in an deafening silence. A sudden realization hit Holland that the two may have been the best of friends for years, but the two had never been sharing conversations involving small talk and deep thoughts. Not at every minute of everyday, at least.

"You don't think we spend too much time together, do you?" Holland asks, worried that the two would eventually fall out of love due to how boring they'd become to each other.

"No, not at all. Do you?" He responds, making Holland feel guilty. She pouts as she began to think, shoving another crisp in her mouth.

"I don't know.. I guess I'm just not used to you and me running out of things to talk about." She says, hopefully sounding as convincing to him as it was to her. The truth was, she didn't know what the problem was, or if there was even any.

"We're simply completely aware of what's going on about each other's life, is all!" George comforts his girlfriend cheerfully, seeming to not be bothered the way Holland was.

"You're right, I'm just being a small prat, probably." Holland gushes.

"You could never be anything less pleasant than a rainy day." George says, kissing her nose.

-

Later that night, Holland knew it would be rude to not meet up with Cedric as discussed, despite the awkward bath situation. So there she was, on her way to their usual spot near the kitchens. As she'd stood next to Cedric, he was staring out in the sky.

"You never told me what happened that night at the Yule Ball. Why you had to leave so sudden," Cedric said softly, still staring out the window.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I spotted Ron and Hermione fighting, I had to step in." Holland reasoned truthfully, still trying to catch her breath as walking from the dungeons to the kitchens was no simple task.

"Would it be alright if we picked up where we left off?" Cedric asked, finally turning to look at her. Holland smiled in confusion.

"What's this about?" She asked gently, trying to see if the potion had taken over him again.

"We finally figured out the clue, and I simply cannot live another day knowing I haven't finished a dance with someone," He shrugged as if it were common knowledge. Holland narrowed her eyes at him for a moment, making sure he was sober enough to dance with.

"Alright, but no funny business." She said before moving closer to him and placing one hand on his shoulder, the other in the air as she waited for his hand to join hers. Cedric beamed at her before joining her. Some would say it was impossible to dance without music, but Cedric and Holland seemed to have found their own pace, striding together gracefully and peacefully. The movement and pleasantness of the dance calmed Holland down so much she found herself sleepy, without thinking she rest her head on his chest as they continued to slowly waltz around the corridor. Platonic, this is platonic. This boy better be thinking the same thing, Holland tried to fool herself when she'd felt the steady pace of the beating in Cedric's chest quicken, but she knew he was still bewitched all along.

"I have something to tell you," Cedric immediately says. At this, Holland knew that her pulse probably matches his now.

"Alright, should I sit down for this?" Holland teases, growing uncomfortable at the urgent tone Cedric had. "What's going on?"

"I think it's time I tell you the truth," Cedric begins immediately stopping their dance and looking her in the eyes., Holland shaking her head in confusion. What could this boy have been hiding from her? "Holland,"

"Just tell me already." Holland says, she hid her arms behind her as her hands were shaking. Why was she so nervous?

"I can't stop thinking about you. I try my hardest not to, but the desire, it just grows in me more and more each day. I think I'm in love with you." He says, Holland immediately bursting in laughter. Cedric's head turns to face her, a look of hurt visible in his features.

"Oh, Cedric." Holland says. "Look, I'm sure you're in a good state to be informed of what's really going on, yeah? You've tried to give me a draught of peace, your good friend Oliver brewed a really strong love potion, instead. And you, instead of having me drink it, drank it yourself. You're in love with me because I was the one to hand you the bottle. My bottle, by the way. You poured the hell out of that potion in my bottle. And now we're here. You're not in love with me, you're simply under a spell." Holland says, sighing in relief as she had finally explained to the boy.

"No, Holland. This is real, I know I'm not under any spell. I love you. I love everything about you," He begins, Holland still not convinced. "I love how you always keep that unusual little tube of balm in your robes, always putting it on when you're bored, I love how you idolize Oliver Wood despite not knowing how to play Quidditch.." He continues, Holland trying to remember when she'd even tell him about that. Holland's expression must have not been subtle as Cedric chuckled. "I hear you talk to Malfoy about it all the time. Merlin, don't even get me started on how much like an angel you sound when you sing. I wonder what it'd be like to be lucky enough to have you sing me to sleep...I mean it. I mean every word," Cedric explains desperately. "While you've spent your years looking at George Weasley, I've been looking at you." Holland had felt beyond lost at this point. Her mind became whoozy, she felt like she needed to take a seat. "And when you tell me about whatever you want to share, like the spells you tried to look for before the first task, I love that you forgot you've already told me. I just listen and pretend to be surprised because you're still so excited about it." Holland winces at this. She felt nauseous hearing the words she'd wanted to come from George's mouth come out of Cedric's.

"You're serious?" She asked quietly, not trusting her voice. Cedric nods.

"You think I'd prank you because I despise you?" Cedric asks incredulously.

"Why else?" Holland exclaims in disbelief.

"I don't live life to retaliate against people who I don't like. They're not worth my time. I only ever hexed back because I liked that we had some sort of communication,"

"This is insane." Holland sighs, not knowing what to do, still in disbelief. But for some reason, she found herself involuntarily smiling. Why did she enjoy what Cedric had told her? What was she supposed to do with this information? Should she tell George? "I hope you know that though I'm surprised and all, I still have a boyfriend." Holland reminds him. Despite her confusing approval of the situation, she was in no mind to ever cheat on George.

"Don't worry, I know." He said, not looking at her.

"Good. I appreciate your honesty, but I think we should cut this meeting of ours a little short. See you tomorrow okay?" Holland says, still not knowing what to do with the boy. "I have nothing against you, but this doesn't change anything between us, okay? I'm with George." She reminds him one more time, just for a good measure.

"Oh, I know. But in time, I'll be winning you over. Tell your giant of a boyfriend to come after me, I don't care what it takes!" He says to Holland's back, the girl trying to bite her lips in an attempt to stop herself from chuckling.

-