Nīpan

beetlejuice and train compartments

By the time it was New Years, Emerald was almost completely comfortable with the idea of being Cedric's girlfriend. It's no different than how they were before, with the addition of shagging and a title. Since his parents' house was in muggle London, she didn't have to worry about being seen by anyone from the Ministry.

She still hadn't voiced her concerns to said boyfriend, as she didn't want to spoil his holiday joy.

Now they were sitting comfortably on his bed, cuddled up under a blanket, watching a muggle movie. Cedric had convinced her to watch one after she was questioning the legitimacy of his "telly."

"This doesn't make sense Ced, why can't the weird little man say his name? Honestly, the girl should be more appalled than she is. Look at his appearance!" He only responded with a throaty laugh and a side glance at her scrunched face.

"it's a movie, sweetheart it's not supposed to be realistic."

"Well, I think I should pick the next one," she argued. The movie was preposterous, but Cedric just ignored her and put a finger to his lips to quiet her. With a light slap to the chest, she turned back towards the screen.

When the credits rolled, Cedric pressed pause and shifted his body to face her.

"Are you ready to go back to school tomorrow?" He asked her softly. His eyes bored into her own as if he knew things would be different as soon as they stepped off of the Hogwarts Express.

"Yes." She answered, unsure. Cedric quirked an eyebrow at her and looked at her expectantly.

"Okay, so I'm not ready. I want to be honest with you Ced, but I hate when you're upset with me."

"Whatever you have to say, I won't be upset. I'll try to understand." She nodded and paused a minute before answering.

"I think we should keep us a secret." His breath hitched and his shoulders tensed slightly.

"Why do you think that?" His voice strained as he tried to control his temper.

"Well, if my father finds out, he could do bad things to you or your family. I can't have you hurt Cedric."

"I can agree to that," he said unexpectedly. Her eyes widened a fraction.

"You can?"

"I mean, it's to keep my family safe, you included," he said with a lopsided smile. She breathed a sigh of relief, all the worry she had fading away.

"The only thing we have to hide is our snogging," she told him, "Everybody knows how close we are."

"That's a good point," he said, "It won't be so bad." They smiled at each other and fell asleep, content with their decision.

***

Emerald was not happy the following morning when Cedric's alarm clock didn't go off on time. She had to rush around with her last-minute packing philosophy and look presentable enough to get on the train.

It's safe to say her hair was sparking and Cedric knew to keep his distance.

That's why, when they got on the train, she opted for the Weasley's compartment, just to piss him off. She turned and made eye contact before wiggling her fingers in a smug wave. His eyes narrowed before mouthing 'you're dead,' but she just ignored it.

When the compartment door did slide shut, she was met with matching pairs of bright blue eyes. Fred and George were surprised by the intrusion but welcomed their classmate nonetheless.

"Well, would you look at that Gred."

"What's that Forge?"

"The Slytherin princess has decided to grace us with her company!"