Beneath Her Skin

Chapter Twenty-Four

Alastriona was sitting with Cedric Diggory in the boys dormitory, well she was actually sitting on the bathroom floor, next to Cedric who was sitting fully clothed in the bathtub. 

"This'll work great!" He said, dunking his head under the water again.

He re-surfaced and laughed before taking the Bubble-Head charm off himself.

Alastriona smiled tiredly at him, "It makes you look all funny." She said, "Make sure to brush your teeth really well, Ced, you don't want to be distracted by horrible breath."

Cedric gasped jokingly and hopped out of the bathtub, splashing water everywhere, "When have I ever had bad breath, Red?" He asked, pretending to be greatly offended. 

"Only on every other day ending with a 'Y'." Alastriona said and squealed, panicking as Cedric ran after her, she darted out of the boys dormitory and into the Common Room.

Cedric jumped over the couch, scaring a couple of first years as they were studying and collected Alastriona in his arms. 

"Ah! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Alastriona yelled, laughing hysterically when Cedric dropped her carefully to the ground, she looked down at her now wet clothes. "I suppose I deserve this, don't I?"

Cedric grinned at her and ruffled her fiery red locks, "That you do, Red, that you do." He glanced down at his own state and laughed, "I'll get changed then we can go for some hot chocolate, okay?"

Alastriona loved this idea, "All right, I'll just change my sweater."

Alastriona changed into one of her favourite sweaters, Hufflepuff yellow with green vines embroidered along the hem and neckline. 

She met with Cedric back in the Common Room and together they entered the kitchen where they were greeted happily by many House-Elves asking if they could help them. 

Once they had two steaming mugs of hot-chocolate in their hands they sat, side by side, at a little table in the large Hogwarts kitchen.

"Considering that the Second Task is tomorrow and I may in fact drown would you like to tell me what's been on your mind?" Cedric asked, catching Alastriona completely off guard.

She flinched at the thought of Cedric drowning, "Don't even joke about that, Cedric, you know I believe in you but I'm still terrified every time I think of what could happen during the tasks." She said softly, hands gripping her mug. 

Cedric smiled sympathetically, "I know, I'm sorry..." He apologised, "But don't think you can avoid telling me what's been going on with you and Draco."

Alastriona cringed and let out a heavy sigh, she turned in her seat and faced Cedric. "How did you know?"

"Please," Cedric scoffed, "give me some credit. You two went from spending nearly all of your time together to you avoiding him at all costs and spending all of your time with me, not that I mind." Cedric shrugged and gazed into his hot-chocolate, "And I can see it on your face, you're tired and you're worried. You wear all your emotions all the time, Alastriona, it isn't hard to tell when you're thinking about something."

Alastriona sighed again and shook her head, "I think you know me too well, Cedric." She said. 

Cedric shrugged, "Maybe, or maybe not well enough because I'd like to know what it is you're battling with inside, under that care-free facade of yours." His comment made Alastriona look over to him and she found his grey eyes staring past her eyes, seeing something she wasn't aware of. 

"He—" Alastriona struggled with her words, "He wants to know something and I'm not sure if I'm ready to tell him what he wants to know..." She said slowly, cryptically.