Beautiful Rose 🥀 Cedric Diggory

Chapter Two - Diggory and the Dementor

The first of September is Anaya's favourite day of the year. It beats every holiday and every celebration. It's the day she escapes her mother and returns to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She is the first person on Platform Nine and Three Quarters on the first of September 1993, even earlier than some of the first years who anxiously arrive at the station an hour before they need to board the train.

The first group of people to arrive that she recognises is Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin Seeker, and his parents, Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy. Anaya does not approach them. Her relationship with Draco is not particularly close, given that most of the Quidditch team does not like her, and she remembers how intimidating Lucius Malfoy can be from her internships at the ministry. She does not particularly fancy another conversation with him. She passes by them quickly, rolling her eyes as Draco sneers in her direction and waits for her friends closer to the platform entrance.

Jade and Romeo are still nowhere to be seen when the Diggory and Goodman family appear through the barrier. Cedric Diggory smiles politely at her and waves, a gesture which she returns with some uncertainty as they typically do not address one another in the hallways. Perhaps he feels he should after the short conversation they had in Brews and Stews. Anaya notices the younger sister, Lia Goodman, has no trunk and looks extremely sullen beside Tom.

"Only a year to go, Lia!" Anaya overhears Tom reassure the short brunette, ruffling her dark hair with a smile. She watches with a hollow feeling in her chest. When she was little, Anaya always wished she had a sibling or someone to share her childhood with. Now that she is older, she is, of course, glad that she is the only one who had to suffer through her upbringing, but she does wonder what it would feel like to have such a close bond with someone else. She reminds herself that she has a strong bond with her friends, and that is all she needs and looks away from the siblings as Lucian Bole, one of the Slytherin beaters, brushes his hand across Tom's back as he walks back. Anaya doesn't notice Tom glancing longingly after the Slytherin beater as she spots a pair of bright red Converse and a head full of coils speeding towards her. Jade Rivera is much shorter than Anaya, and her hair tickles Anaya's face as they embrace each other.

"Jade, you're going to break my ribs," Anaya struggles to speak against the crushing force of Jade's arms, and she steps back, laughing out an apology. Jade is alone, just like Anaya, but only because her muggle parents prefer to drop her off outside the station and say their goodbyes there.

"I missed you this summer," Jade says sincerely, and Anaya smiles. After five years of friendship, Anaya knows that Jade and Romeo will never lie to her. Her relationship with them is the only kind of love she has ever experienced, and she adores both of them. "I'm assuming your mum was as crazy as always?"

"Worse," Anaya admits, her face falling into a pout. "She gets worse every year. Maybe it's old age..."

"Anaya, your mother is not old. She's just a bitch," Jade says pointedly, and Anaya sighs, resting her head atop Jade's.

"You're right."

"Always. Next summer, you'll just have to stay with me at my holiday house," Jade replies, her eyes scrunching as she smirks up at her friend. "Have you heard from Romeo? He's normally here before me?"

"Uh... no, I haven't heard-" Anaya replies, glancing around the platform in the hopes of finding him, and she cuts off mid-sentence when she sees the blond boy leaning casually against a wall, smirking down at Cho Chang. Cho is a very pretty seeker on the Ravenclaw Quidditch team with sleek black hair and sparkling brown eyes which stare up at Romeo, somewhat giddy and flushed bright red from his attention. "Oh, there he is... is he flirting with Cho?"

Jade's head snaps in the direction Anaya is pointing, her eyes wide, and then her lips twitch up into a small grin. "Looks like Romeo has a crush on her."