Since going blind at 6 years old, Fiona Diggory has lived in the shadow of her twin brother, Cedric.
Now entering her 6th year at Hogwarts Fiona finds herself thrown into a new friendship with Fred and George Weasley while trying to determine the m...
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Fiona laid sprawled out on the common room floor beside the crackling fire. The sunflower clock by the common room entrance ticked away the seconds, entrancing Fiona into a meditative lull. Everything became lost to her as she listened to the seconds tick by.
Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.
Or was it Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick.
She couldn't tell anymore.
She had been laying in that spot, with her cat, Nox, asleep on her chest for nearly two hours. Waiting.
Cedric should have been back from his detention by now. It was nearly 10 o'clock. And yet Cedric still had not returned.
She had pestered Patricia, the 6th year Hufflepuff girls' prefect, at least three times that night. Patricia had assured her (growing more and more hostile each time she was asked) that Cedric did not have patrol duty that night.
But if Cedric was not on duty then where was he?
Fiona could think of only one explanation. Fred Weasley.
The constant ticking was the only thing she could focus her mind on, to aid her in ignoring her fears that Cedric had decided to finish what he had started with Fred after their detention had ended.
If they fought, Cedric would certainly send Fred to the hospital wing — if magic were involved. However, if they had engaged in muggle dueling...Cedric wouldn't stand a chance against Fred.
Fiona couldn't decide which outcome she was more fearful for.
And then the door leading to the corridor creaked open. Fiona sat up quickly, much to Nox's displeasure. The cat chirped his annoyances, before curling up on her thigh, and resumed his slumber.
"Ced?" Fiona asked. She could hear footsteps approaching her spot on the floor. As the person came closer she could smell faint whiffs of ink and ginger. Cedric.
Cedric collapsed onto the sofa adjacent to where Fiona lay. "What are you still doing up?" He asked. Fiona studied the sound of his voice. It seemed, casual, not the voice of a student who was faced with the consequences of a second detention.
"Why do you think? Where have you been? Your detention ended hours ago!" Fiona barked. Nox hissed from her lap and began kneading her leg, claws piercing through her clothes and threatening to break the skin. Fiona picked the cat up and put him to the side.
"I stayed back, to talk to Fred. He's really not that bad," Cedric answered. He leaned back into the couch and stared into the hearth. He watched the golden embers die out.
Fiona felt her heart drop into her chest. She had worked tirelessly to keep those two sides of her world separate over the past few months. "Why the bleeding hell did you do that?" She demanded angrily. Nox, seeming to sense her displeasure, nuzzled his head against her side. Fiona fluttered the cat away with her hand.
