Ever since he had been selected for this stupid tournament and had that dreadful interview with Skeeter I have been inundated with dirty looks, threatening words and the odd nasty message here and there. Rita Skeeter, the joy that she is completely twisted Cedric’s words of fondness for a childhood best friend into feelings that developed into a secret relationship that had been going on for years. Not true, the only one with feelings was me, not that he knew. Cedric had tried his best to dispel the rumours, as did I, but that didn’t stop everyone believing it and the horror of Golden Boy’s fangirls terrorising me.
To deal with this like the adult that I am, I have taken to hiding in the library away from the looks, the words and more importantly… Rita Skeeter. Just as I’d settled into the armchair getting ready to read my new book, a cheery voice knocked me out of my book daydream. ‘’I knew I’d find you in here’ came the amused voice of Hannah Abbott. ‘You can’t hide in here forever you know, you just need to ignore them, let the words wash over you’ she exclaimed raising an eyebrow expectantly. I sigh and put my book down ‘that’s easier said than done Hannah, they all look at me like I’ve stolen their life’s dream or ran over their cat’. ‘You can’t hide away because of lies that Skeeter’s spreading’ knowing I won’t win this argument I reluctantly stand and pack everything away. Begrudgingly walking out towards the hall, I could feel my anxiety growing the closer we got. ‘Han, I really don’t think – ‘my words were cut short when I felt arms wrap around me and lift me up. ‘There you are, I thought you’d disappeared into the night it’s been that long since I have seen you’ I felt the butterflies immediately arrive at the sound of his voice.
‘Hi Ced, no just been catching up on my reading, you know what I’m like’ trying to play off the feeling of warmth I suddenly felt. He laughed and put me down resting his arm on top of my shoulders guiding me further towards the hall doors. ‘I definitely do know what you’re like and that’s one of the things I love about you, how you can escape into fantasy worlds’ my heart soared at his words but quickly dropped me back down into reality at him just using the expression not meaning it in the way I so deeply hoped for. He didn’t notice my smile fall and continued ‘are you coming to the trial? I need my number one person there’ ‘I wouldn’t miss it for the world ced, someone needs to cheer you up when you lose’ I joke and bump my hip into his. I can feel various sets of eyes burning into the back of my head, trying my best to ignore them I follow my friends into the great hall taking my seat.
Trying my best to ignore the glares, I can’t ignore one set of eyes watching me intensely. ‘What do you want to ask me Ced? I can feel the cogs turning in your mind’ looking up I see him open his mouth and begin ‘Well I was just wondering if you would…’ he never did get to finish his sentence because Cho Chang, Ravenclaw seeker and girl everyone tipped to be Cedric’s new girl, appeared before us. ‘Hi Cedric, I was wondering if you could come and help me with something… urgently’. ‘Well, erm... I..’ he sighs, being the wonderfully kind person, he is he wouldn’t ever say no, and nods ‘sure Cho, let’s go. I’ll catch you later’ he watches me and then leaves with Cho. I can feel Ryan, Tom and Hannah staring at me. ‘What?’ I ask, ‘is there something on my face?’. ‘No, just the knowing look of longing when you watched her leave with him. We all know how you feel’ Ryan shrugs and continues stuffing his face. ‘Well, with that I’ll be on my way, see you in herbology Hannah’ I stand and rush out of the hall knowing that Hannah will be close behind.
Nearing the corridor, I’ll take to get out of the castle I’m sure I hear voices and rounding the corner my suspicions are confirmed as I see Cho and Cedric talking in hushed voices, very close together. I try my best to just keep going but, the moment I round the corner she puts her hand on the back of his neck and pulls him down to meet her lips. I feel my heart break, knowing it was coming deep down. Turning quickly, praying I wasn’t seen I decide to take the long way. Little did I know, I had been seen by both but what I didn’t see was Cedric push her away and try to follow me.
‘Hey! There you are, you ran off so- have you been crying?’ Han’s concerned tones ring through my ears. ‘What? No of course not’ I quickly rub at my cheeks and link my arm with hers ‘so herbology? Should we go? Yes, let’s go’ I walk off quickly practically dragging her with me. ‘Hey! Wait’ I hear Cedric call from behind running to catch up stopping in front of us ‘that wasn’t what it looked like’ he tried to explain. I force a smile onto my face praying my eyes don’t betray me ‘sorry... I’m already late for herbology, can we talk later?’ I don’t give him chance to answer dragging Hannah away.
Later never did come, I have avoided Cedric with everything in me, I wasn’t avoiding him because of Cho, it was more my mortification over the fact he more than likely knew I had been crying. I took to hiding again until Hannah corned me and made me tell her what was going on. She tried to get me to just talk to him, I said I would after the first trial, but now that day was here, I wanted nothing more than to hide again.
Having been dragged to the quidditch pitch bright and early I was confused as Hannah dragged me towards the champions tent. ‘What are you doing han? I can’t go in there’ my protests fell on deaf ears as I was pushed into the tent. I stumbled rather ungracefully and almost fell flat onto my face, until I felt the familiar arms wrap around me saving my face from meeting the floor. I stand up straight further mortified and finally meet his eyes. ‘Hi’ I say weakly. ‘So, it took Hannah forcing you, to get you to talk to me huh?’ ‘Ced listen... I’ I go to explain. ‘No for now, I need you to just listen to me’ his eyes holding me in place ‘what you saw in that corridor, it meant nothing. Nothing at all, if you’d stayed just one more second you would have seen me push her away and tell her we were never going to be like that’. ‘ced’ I started ‘you don’t need to explain, everyone knows that you two- ‘I was silenced suddenly as I felt his lips press against mine, his soft gentle lips were pressed against mine. He leaned back and rest his forehead against mine ‘I don’t care what everyone else wants or thinks. I care about what I want, and the truth is I want you’ he whispers gently ‘Always you and everyone else can stuff what they think, just tell me you want me too’. Before I had chance to answer the cannon sounded outside indicating the trial was to begin and Cedric was first. He took a deep breath and stood back watching me ‘find me after and give me your answer’ with that he left the tent.
I walked back to Hannah still in shock and slowly shivered watching the trial commence, I had every faith in him but watching as a menacing beast prowled towards him was not doing my heart any good, especially knowing what I know now. I watched as he edged closer to the egg but felt my heart leap into my throat as the dragon breathed fire directly towards him. Expertly dodging it, I thought he’d escaped the fireball, but it caught his cheek at the last second. I grabbed Hannah’s hand and held on tight, my worry for him growing every single second. Cedric fell behind a rock and held his cheek; he transfigured a rock into a sheep to distract the dragon. I held my breath praying that it would work, it was only a few seconds but felt like hours for the dragon to lose interest in the egg and turn towards the sheep. My smart amazing Cedric saw his chance and dashed for the egg lifting it into the air signalling his victory. His eyes caught mine and the biggest smile graced his face as the dragon was stunned and taken away. I took my chance and slipped away from Hannah down the stands and onto the stands looking at him. He stood a few feet away from me watching, a nervous expression on his face. I took a deep breath and gained some courage closing the gap, gently placing my hands on his cheeks this time it was me pulling him down into the kiss. ‘The truth is I’ve wanted you since I met you’ I whispered gently and kissed him again feeling him smile against my lips and pull me close. I could hear the cheers of our friends, the shouts of ‘finally’. I could also hear and see the cameras going off and this time? This time I didn’t care what Skeeter wrote because I knew the truth, Cedric knew the truth and that was all that mattered.