I Lived - Fred Weasley

A New Friend

Celeste Malfoy does not hear from her family while at Hogwarts.  It's been months, Halloween is just around the corner. And yet no letters, not even howlers, are received by the green-eyed girl. And that makes her nervous. So, to shake off those nerves, Celeste Malfoy is sneaking out of the Gryffindor tower well-past curfew.

She's not quite sure what she's going to do, but she knows it'll be mischievous and incredibly anti-Malfoy.

While sneaking around the dark castle, she hears the soft snores of a student. Celeste presses herself against one of the cold, stone walls, listening to where the snores might be coming from. She inches closer and closer to the source of the snores until she reaches a corner, still pressed against the wall.

Looking over the corner, she sees a sleeping boy, maybe a little older than her, in Hufflepuff robes. The boy has golden hair that falls softly against his beautiful face. He is surrounded by books and quills, leading Celeste to believe that he fell asleep studying.

If he were anyone else, the blonde girl might've pranked him. He is the perfect target, after all. But something about the boy intrigues her. Maybe it's because of how much she likes looking at him, he is beautiful. Or, maybe, it's because she feels bad for him. The poor boy fell asleep studying, of all things. He couldn't have been older than twelve. Such a young age to be so consumed by schoolwork.

And so, instead of the mischief Celeste planned, the girl scurries over to the sleeping boy and gently wakes him up, lightly shaking his shoulder.

The boy's eyes flutter open in confusion. "Wha— Where—?" He turns around, shocked but still too sleepy to be really aware of anything.

"Shhhh," Celeste places a finger to his lips. "You fell asleep, it's past curfew. If you make too much noise, Filch will find us."

The golden boy calms down and slowly takes in his surroundings.

"There, now pack up. I'm surprised you've not been found yet," the girl whispers.

The Hufflepuff boy looks up at the Gryffindor girl, who is crouched at his side. "You're Celeste Malfoy," he quietly states.

"Well spotted," the girl huffs, wondering if she should've just pranked the boy and been done with it. "Now, let's go."

"Right," the boy says, snapping into action and gathering his supplies.

When his books and quills are neatly placed in his bag, Celeste helps him stand up and they begin to walk back to his common room.

"I'm Cedric Diggory, by the way," the boy introduces, realizing he'd not given the girl his name.

"First year? I remember your name being called."

"Yeah. You're in first year, right?"

"You really have wonderful observational skills, Diggory."

"Just being polite," Cedric defends.

"Right. Sorry."

The two walk in silence for a few minutes, keeping alert for Filch or his cat.

"I don't have a problem with it, just so you know," the boy blurts out.

"With what?"

"You being a Malfoy. You don't seem so horrible... You did help me, after all."

The girl smiles, only slightly. The boy can't see it in the dark. "Thank you. I'm glad I don't seem so horrible. Only just a little terrible," the girl jokes, poking fun at the boy's wording.

"That's not what I meant," the boy chuckles.

"I know. I did almost prank you, though. Better be careful, I might not be so kind next time I find you sleeping in the corridors," Celeste smirks.

The boy laughs, then immediately covers his mouth and looks around. Seeing no one, he continues their conversation. "Why didn't you prank me?"

"Honestly, you made me too sad to prank you."

"What?"

"Yeah. Sleeping, surrounded by schoolwork. One of the saddest sights I've ever been witness to!"

"Wow," Cedric laughs in disbelief.

"Why were you studying so late anyway?"

The boy hesitates before explaining. "My dad. He was so proud of me for my marks last year. I want to make him proud again."

Celeste smiles warmly. He has a father that's proud of him. It must be nice to have a family one wants to make proud. "Well that's a good reason, then. Just make sure you don't take on too much, okay Diggory?"

"Okay, Malfoy," Cedric smiles back.

"Okay... What?"

"Okay, I won't take on too much."

"Good," the girl smirks.

The two continue walking in comfortable silence until they reach the Hufflepuff common room.

"Thanks for waking me back," Cedric turns to Celeste.

"'Course, thanks for the conversation."

Before heading into his dorm, the boy looks at Celeste once more. "Do you think..."

"Do I think... What?"

"Do you think we could be friends? I like talking to you, Malfoy."

The eleven-year-old girl beamed up at the twelve-year-old boy. "Yeah, I think that could be arranged. I like talking to you too, Diggory."

The two smile, happy they made a new friend.

Cedric already has many friends, but Celeste's presence is different than most. She is understanding and surprisingly easy to talk to. She treats him like a person, not some golden boy that is loved by all and good at everything.

Celeste has three friends, the girls in her dormitory haven't yet warmed up to her. Her family's reputation precedes her wherever she goes. But Cedric didn't flinch when he said her last name. Yes, he knows who she is and about her family. But he doesn't hold that against her. It's nice.

They tell each other "goodnight" and go off to their respective common rooms. Celeste sneaks through the corridors until she makes it back to the Fat Lady, who is rather annoyed to be woken up so late.

"Porkhide," Celeste says the password.

The Fat Lady lets her in, muttering something about how the girl's late-night adventure "better not be a habit..."

The blonde girl tiptoes her way into her dormitory, where most of her roommates are asleep.

"What are you doing, sneaking in so late?" Angelina Johnson, a beautiful young girl with dark skin and black hair, asks the Malfoy girl.

"Just helping out a friend," Celeste defends, quietly.

"Who? Some pure-blooded Slytherin? Planning to prank a bunch of half-bloods and muggleborns?" The black-haired girl accuses.

"No. A Hufflepuff boy who fell asleep while studying," the blonde explains calmly.

"Oh."

"I wish you wouldn't be so quick to judge me, Johnson. I really think we could be friends if you gave me a chance," Celeste says softly.

Angelina doesn't respond, suddenly lost in thought.

Celeste sighs and climbs into her bed. She falls asleep, smiling, thinking of her new friend. How wonderful it is to have people who care to know her, despite her last name. Maybe she'll be able to befriend her roommates, maybe she won't. But at least Celeste Malfoy has four boys who accept her.