Cedric was sitting on one of the common room sofas , minding his own Business. He had to read the next chapter of his astronomy textbook by next Thursday so he decided that he would get it done. He watched as Justin rushed toward the exit of Hufflepuff. Cedric raised his right hand in greeting, and when Justin glanced over as he exited, he nodded.
Cedric looked over to see Emma storming down the stairs. She frantically looked around the Hufflepuff common room and her eyes landed straight on Cedric. Cedric glanced up at her before looking back down at his book, then he looked back at her, shutting his book and putting it on the table ahead of him just as Emma got to the couch and flopped herself down beside him. She slid down the side of the couch, so her head was on his lap and her feet were dangling off the edge of the arm of the black leather sofa.
Emma grabbed a pillow from behind Cedric and screamed into it. “Hey Emma, are you ok, you seem…” Cedric asked her as he looked down at the pillow concealing her face.
She took the pillow off her face and threw it to the side, the sound of Ernie Macmillan complaining about flying pillows was audible across the common room as Emma responded. “You won’t believe what he did. I want to stab his stupid face with a rusty fork.”
“HE? Is Fenrir back, how can I help, I can go get…”
Emma interrupted,” No not Fenrir, Justin.”
“Justin? Like our Justin?”
“Do you know anyone else named Justin.”
Cedric replied “No, well I don’t think so. What did he do?”
“He ait,” she paused for dramatic effect, “my chocolate.”
“Your chocolate?” Cedric asked, perplexed. “Since when have you had chocolate?”
“You know the stuff that dad gives me every time that he sees me,” Emma exclaimed. “I had one bar from him left, just one,” As she spoke, she rose into a sitting position. She lifted her legs on to the couch and sat with Them Criss-cross, her body facing him
“I was saving that last bar from dad for a bad day, I have even been keeping it in my bookbag. I thought that it might make me feel a little bit closer to him when I needed it, but when I was going through My bag to pull out my homework there was no candy.”
“Ok ok ok lets just think this through, why do you think Justin did something?”
“Because I saw him rushing off as I came down the stairs, I mean,” Emma said, “I don’t know what I’m saying.”
“What's wrong really,” Cedric asked as he shifted his body more toward Emma.
Emma glanced around before replying, “It’s just getting closer to the, you know, moon or whatever, and there is all this stuff with Persephone and Fenrir, And I just miss my dad.” As she spoke her eyes started to glisin.
Cedric opened his arms and said, “Come over here.” Emma launched herself toward him as tears started to stream down her face.
Just then someone happily walked into the Hufflepuff common room. A smile on his face and a skip in his step. It was Justin.He looked around before catching sight of Emma and Cedric. The grin faded from his face before he rushed over. “Oh my god, are you guys, ok?” He asked.
“I’m ok, I’m just not having a good day.” Emma responded, her voice muffled because her face was pressed up against Cedrick’s chest.
“Not the best time, I know, but I found this where you were sitting in the dining hall earlier. It must have dropped out of your bag or something.” As Justin spoke, he rifled around in his bag before pulling out a candy bar.
Emma lifted her head, and when she saw the chocolate, she launched herself at Justin. He fell back onto the couch next to Cedric as Emma’s wait landed on top of him. “Thank you,” she said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
“Well, I’m glad that everyone is at least sort of fine, “Justen said as he fidgeted around to make himself more comfy . Emma sat with her legs on Cedric and her torso on Justin, one of her arms around the back of the couch. Cedrick slung his arm over Justin's shoulders, and they all just sat.
“I’m glad that we can have these moments,” Cedric told his friends. “Being a champion is hard, it is scary and intimidating and I would honestly consider giving it up if I could, but I am glad I have you guise. You are here, as you guys have always been, and I love you, both of you.”
“Please don’t get hurt at the third task in a few weeks,” Justin said.” I know that you can’t really control it, but I do not know what me and Emma and everyone else would do without you.”
“Yes Justin, he can’t get hurt, if he does I will, I don’t know, bring him back to life and then set ducky on him,” Emma replied.
Cedrick looked over at them both and said, “I will try my hardest to stay safe, I promise, but you two need to stay safe two. I mean what is even the point of me being ok if I have no friends to be ok with.”
“Besides the inevitable rusty fork stabbing we will be fine,” Emma replied with a chuckle.
“The one exception is that fork, or I guess a rusty spoon would also work ,” said Cedric.
Justin looked from one person to another before saying, “what is this about a rusty fork?”
Emma jumped to her feet and reached out a hand toward Cedric, “Shall we go plot other ways to kill Justin somewhere else?”
Cedric stood up grabbing his book in one hand and Emma’s hand in the other before replying, “we shall.”
As Cedric and Emma walked off toward the common room exit Justin jumped to his feet. He grabbed his bag quickly, slinging it over his shoulder before jogging after them and yelling, “What is this about plotting my death? I thought we just had some sort of touching moment. I thought that it was best friend squad together forever.” As Justin caught up to them Emma grabbed his hand.
“You know that we love you right, we were not really planning your murder,” Emma said to Justin.
“Well, you sounded like you really wanted to kill him a bit ago,” Cedric replied.
Emma shushed him before talking to only Justin again, “ignore him, he smoked some bad weed that he got from a third year this morning and he is CLEARLY still messed up or something.”
“I know that you guys were just kidding,” Justin replied with a smile.
These are the happy moments that Emma would look back on in just a few short weeks when her life seemingly fell apart again. The happy times when the only thing that could seemingly tear the friends apart was a rusty fork and not a green light. After that night when Harry appeared with one of her best friends, dead, in his arms This day, among many others flashed through her head. He was just alive hours ago but now he was gone, and she could not change that. She fell into Justin's arms when she saw him in the common room when the before became after, and as others went about their lives, they fell back on to that same couch. Together, they sobbed, for the friend they lost, for the person who would never get to grow old, for Cedric.