Messy Ties and Loose Ends {HP}

Chapter 29; Confessions

I head back into Hufflepuff to see nothing has changed. Cedric snogging Cho to no end. I look away quickly to see if I can find Harry, my favorite drink buddy. I spot him on an armchair as always. I run past the drink table and pick up another beer since it's the drink I downed during pong.

"Harry?" I say as I walk towards him through the crowd.

"Oh Allison I thought you left," Harry sits up to make eye contact with me.

"Why? I just went out for some fresh air," I smile.

"Never mind, sit!" He pats his lap and I laugh at him and take a seat on the arm of the chair.

"Please take the seat and let me sit on the arm," I nod at this odd request but comply.

"There. Now I can look at you without it being obvious," Harry takes a swift drink of his beer and scans the party.

His eyes focus back on me.

"Are you and Cedric a thing? Or am I allowed to flirt with you?" Harry asks me, a pink tint rises to my cheeks.

"Um no I'm single currently. So technically yes you can flirt with me," I say with a smile.

I take a sip of my beer and Harry does the same, without his eyes leaving mine.

"I think you're interesting Allison Northcott," Harry says.

"How so? And how can I possibly be interesting to the boy who lived?" I say with a sarcastic smile.

"You just are. You don't like your house, you don't like the boy who's in love with you, you don't like the people who have been trying to be friends with you for years," Harry goes on.

What is he talking about? My smile immediately fades.

"Excuse me? I enjoy Gryffindor but first year no one even spoke to me. Cedric has a girlfriend. And no one has tried to be my friend for years," I sip my beer.

"I have always tried and failed to socialize with you. First year I thought you were the fucking coolest for already knowing spells and people that went here. You ignored me," Harry adds with a solemn look.

"I didn't even realize. I thought your fame prevented you from wanting to be friends with people like me," I look up at Harry and smile for a second.

"If I had even realized that you even knew I existed I would've wanted to be your friend. Trust me," I shake my head and laugh.

"Yeah, we should've been friends a while ago so that we could develop feelings mutually instead of me just being into you when you haven't glanced my way for three years," Harry laughs and looks at the ceiling.

I grab his hand.

"I most definitely have looked your way Harry," I smile at him and he blushes under those round glasses.

"God this is so stupid! Confessing attraction at the height of alcohol consumption is something Hermione always warns me about!" Harry laughs at himself and pulls my hand closer to him.

I'm now just a few inches from his face.

"I can't let you be with Draco. Honestly, it's wrong and you should be with someone more your stature," Harry's breath smells of booze and his eyes are dazed.

"I'm not with Draco," Yet.

"Yes but I know about the snogging and I'm being so serious when I tell you he's a death eater in the making!" I put a finger to Harry's lips as he has zero voice control.

He puckers out and leaves a little kiss on my pointer finger. This has got to be in the top 5 craziest nights of my life.

"Harry? What are you doing bloke?" Ron comes over to see Harry with my finger to his lips and my hand in his.

"I'm hanging out with my new best friend, Allison," Harry smiles stupidly.

"That's bloody hilarious. Isn't this the girl you've had a thing for? I bet you already told her cause you're off your ass!" Ron laughs as Harry's face becomes somber.

"Ronald I don't want to start about you. Didn't you say you also found her attractive?" Harry shoots back.

"Yeah just like half of our friends. Everybody knows she got hot in the last year, no offense," Ron pauses and points this to me.

"None taken," I reply.

"It's not like I've been saying we should be friends with her since first year? You're bloody obsessed," Ron points his finger at Harry.

"Oh fuck off you hag," Harry laughs, and the two embrace.

Weird dynamic they've got going there. I look over to see the party has visibly thinned out. Thank god, I'm ready to collapse. I point the two knuckleheads to the door and wave them off. I turn around to see Cedric looking at me. Music is still blasting as I make my way towards him.

"How was your birthday?" I stand on my tiptoes and ask him next to his ear.

Cedric brings his face to my ear, "Pretty fucking epic, only one thing could make it better." He kisses my neck gently, I almost couldn't feel it.

"I'm not kissing you asshole," I grin in his face.

"Hm too bad. Guess I'll have to wait till next year," Cedric chuckles and looks down.

"You know I missed you after you left me," He goes on.

"Not enough apparently, looks like Cho left pretty satisfied," I reply.

"Every guy wants birthday sex ok? Not the ideal person but you were out of sight," Cedric shoots back, his hand now moving my hair out of my face.

Me? Birthday sex with Ced? That's a wild fantasy.

"I don't want to leave but I don't want to stay if you get me," I tell Cedric as my eyes start to droop a little.

His thumb brushes my cheek. "Just go on up to my bed. You know me, I'll clean, and then I'll be up," Cedric smilies.

"That's not where you just had sex, right?" I ask nervously.

"No, it happened in one of the bathrooms," Cedric smirks.

"Gross!" I hit him on the arm and weigh my options.

I could walk a million miles back to Gryffindor or I could relax in a bed twenty-five steps away max. Sorry to everyone who rooted for a scandal-free night but I need to pass out somewhere and Ced's bed is the closest.

"I'm gonna head over. See you in a bit?" I ask Ced and he nods with that familiar golden retriever smile.

I walk down the hallway to find a room with Cedric's name on it, along with Ralph and some other boys I didn't bother reading. I step in and issue an apology. The boys in the room were either asleep or said they didn't care at this point.

Of course this has happened before, I've taken naps on Ced's bed often but never the full night. I look at his covers and quietly laugh at how well kept are. It's a twin bed but I'm sure Cedric will make it work.

I grab a pullover from his little closet and quickly unbutton my shirt and pull it over. No guy is gonna look and I did it facing away from them. I then grab his deodorant from his bedside and apply it. It smells like him just a bit and that makes me smile. I climb into his bed and as soon as my head hits the pillow I'm knocked out.