The Roses of Hogwarts | Cedric Diggory [1]

Chapter Nineteen: Spare

A/N: I lied, enjoy these crumbs. 

Things were lazy and quiet the morning after the quidditch game. Oriane woke to the sound of Charlotte stirring, who never seemed to sleep in even on weekends. The girl rose from her bed and silently tip-toed into the bathroom, carefully shutting the door behind her. Not quite ready to start her day, yet too restless to lay in bed, Oriane got herself out of bed, her feet hitting the cold stone floor beneath her.

Calista and Emerald laid fast asleep in their beds. They had put up thicker curtains to go over part of the canopy on their beds, completely blocking one another from view. Though they were great friends before, both of them were too hard headed to even attempt to apologize to one another. She didn't even bother to wake either of them up as she slipped into the common room.

Few students were awake with her. Some tended to the dying fire, attempting to give it new life. Others took the copper cans near the entrance to give the plants their daily watering. It was almost enough to get her to fall back asleep again.

Instead she took a seat in the back of the room, watching as everyone around her slowly woke themselves up. A sixth year taught a first year how to properly start the fire with magic. A fourth year was already beginning to knock out their homework for the day. A girl quietly hummed a tune to herself as she braided her hair on the floor.

Just a few humans with their existences being quietly woven together.

A while later Emerald exited their room, carefully walking down the stairs to the bottom floor. She gave Oriane a groggy smile as she turned her attention to the nearby notice board. That smile quickly turned into a grin.

"Hogsmeade trip this upcoming weekend," she announced.

"Really?" Oriane asked. "We should all go together again. Hopefully the shops won't be so crowded since it's not Christmas anymore."

Emerald's attention turned away from the board as she focused on the elsewhere. "I'm not going if she's going," she said bitterly.

A terrible headache was beginning to form in Oriane's skull. She already knew where the conversation was going to go, but she couldn't stand by idly without at least attempting to get them to reconcile.

"You know, I've been thinking about that. What if Calista was telling the truth?" Oriane suggested.

Whatever good mood Emerald had been in before completely vanished at the mere thought of it. Her red hair laid in a curly mess around her shoulders, framing her like a mane on a lion.

"Don't tell me you're even bothering to entertain that thought," Emerald sighed. "Look, the entire time I've known Calista she's done nothing but whine about her grades. Don't you think she'd go boasting around if she managed to get all O's on her own?"

"Would you not be suspicious if she had flaunted her grades?" questioned Oriane.

Emerald huffed. "Well, yes I'd still be suspicious. You don't go from being as hopeless as her to a full on Einstein in just a semester. Besides, even if she was telling the truth, then why would she be complaining about her grades that much in the first place? Either way something's fishy. In some capacity she's-"

"I'd greatly appreciate it if you'd stop talking about me," the voice of Calista interrupted them from above. She stood at the banister that lined the second floor, where she leaned her arms on the dark wood. She had sounded almost playful, but her dark eyes focused on Emerald in a glare.

"I didn't realize you were awake," Emerald sighed. "Had I known I would've ran to get breakfast by now."

"Aren't we a little too old for this?" Calista continued. She began down the stairs, using the railing as a slide. "I mean, come on, how would me cheating affect you anyways?"