greed ( cedric diggory ) ✓

9; exes and ohs

CHAPTER NINE.

Avena sat alone at table, having come late to breakfast. Most of the students had already finished and had began making their way to class. Due to a glitch in her timetable she had a free period after breakfast. It meant every Thursday she could oversleep, and if she woke up in time to get to her second class all was good. She was currently rocking an exceptional example of bed hair and gingerly pouring a cup of coffee still half asleep.

The fact that Avena was going to the ball with Harry Potter had gone around the school like wildfire. Many of them claiming both were wildly in love with one another, none of them mentioning the fact that Avena had decided they were going and that Potter hadn't had a say in the matter. Both had just accepted the fact that the people they wanted to go with had dates and that they didn't necessarily have to communicate. In fact, the only thing they had said about the matter was for Avena to tell him that she had a midnight blue robe and that he should match her.

Someone sat down next to her pulling out a crinkled piece of paper and nudging her. She looked up to see Cedric reaching over to take a baguette. The two had hung out quite a bit since the Yule Ball asking out fiasco, neither commenting on what had transpired. Cedric Diggory was smart enough to know why she had done it, and if that annoyed him in anyway he didn't let anyone see it. Draco however was another story, perhaps for a different time. Avena glanced at him out of the side of her eye not entirely sure what she was supposed to say. They were undoubtedly getting severely judged, him sitting with her was very much against the status quo.

"Uh... Ced?" she murmured looking at him expectantly.

Cedric didn't hear her as he was bent down reading the small scrappy piece of paper, his mouth moving wordlessly. She let out a sigh reaching to grab another croissant and munching on it as she watched him thoughtfully. He'd either done something remarkable or lost his mind. She peered over his shoulders trying to read the sloping script but giving up quickly as she was barely motivated.

"Cedric!" She said shorter this time punching him in the arm as she did so. He jumped looking at her widely. From the bags under his eyes it seemed obvious to her the boy hadn't had that much sleep. "Well?" she pressed on, "Mind telling me what's got your knickers in a twist,"

"Haha, very funny Detroit," he said sarcastically before straightening and flashing her that mega watt smile, "I've solved the second task, and by that I mean I partially,"

"Show me," she leaned over taking the piece of paper and hovering above it, trying to read the sloppy tiny scrawl. She sent him an annoyed glance huffing as she began to read out loud.

"Come seek us where our voices sound. We cannot sing above the ground and while you're searching ponder this; we've taken what you'll sorely miss. An hour long you'll have to look, and to recover what we took. But past an hour, the prospects black, too late, its gone, it won't come back."

Avena placed it back on the table giving him a look of bewilderment. Something that he very much mirrored and they both sat in quiet mulling over what it had read. "So what did you work out?" Avena asked looking at him expectantly. Cedric gave a short laugh scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "That I have an hour to find what they took...."

"For Merlin's sake Ced!" Avena shook her head, giving a small sigh of disappointment. "We cannot sing above the ground... Whatever it is is under water and given we're at Hogwarts it'll probably be in the lake,"

Cedric sat silently, processing what she had said and then comparing it to the riddle that lay in front of him. "You might be right..." he said slowly tapping the table.

"Might?" she snorted shaking her head, "I'm always right, and I'm willingly to bet that whatever they take from you is going to be protected so better dust up some magic!" She stood up flashing him a smile as he looked down at the paper still quizzical. He shrugged looking up at her and smiling graciously, "Thanks Ave, I owe you,"

✛

Avena stood in the library, her hands trailed over the old spines. She enjoyed the quietness, the smell of the old books and how the sun shined in through through the open window. The atmosphere of the room was always pleasant and buzzing. Madam Pince stalked around the students reading to cast a spell on all those not conforming to her rules. Her dark brown hair was pulled into a taut bun, wire-rimmed glasses perched on her thin nose sliding down occasionally. Her face as serious as always, no smiles here.

Avena often came here seeking solitude, when she needed a shelter of refugee for it was warm, accepting and never turned her away.

Yet naturally the world hated her and Draco Malfoy still knew lots about her. She could feel his presence almost instantly, turning so she was facing the wall completely. A confrontation with the twat wasn't what she wanted at this moment in time. "So I heard you're going to the Yule Ball with Potter," his voice was low and full of venom. She bit her lip to refrain from any remarks that may land her in Dumbledore's office with the lovely Lucius Malfoy.

"Correct," she decided that one word answers were the way to go. Still not facing him she could guess the expression he was pulling. It was one she'd seen many, many times before and one that always seemed to appear whenever Harry Potter was mentioned. Avena really couldn't be stuffed with having to deal with Draco, the second task was only in a couple of weeks and she and Cedric had gotten barely anywhere in researching water spells. Luckily they'd gotten as far as to work out that Merpeople were involved and earlier that morning Cedric had been ranting to her about charm spells involving bubbles. She hadn't listened as much as she should have, instead choosing to focus on how darn attractive the Hufflepuff was; for even the greats had weaknesses.

"Your parents won't be too please about that,"

"Please," Avena laughed harshly picking a book of the shelf and then putting it back, "My parents know I'm doing it to get back at someone so they couldn't be more proud,"

Draco shook his head, his bright blonde hair falling into his eyes, "And you call yourselves true Slytherins,"

"Believe me Malfoy, I'm ten times the Slytherin you'll ever be," she tilted her head boldly and crossed her arms, "You probably just brought your way into the house after all that's how you got into Quidditch. So don't ever think you have the upper hand because rest assured I don't give a fuck what you think,"

NOTE:

I bless you all with this gif