The Redhead and the Irish

Chapter 23

The next day I was sitting in the courtyard, scribbling down some notes. "Hey." someone said. I didn't bother to look up. "I said: 'hey'." the voice repeated again. I slammed my notebook shut and looked up. "What?!" I snapped. Cedric Diggory stared at me bewildered. "Sorry. I was just curious." he apologized. "No, it's fine. I should apologize. I shouldn't have snapped at you. What can I help you with?" I asked the Hufflepuff. "I was just wondering what you were writing, I mean, that notebook looks really old." he replied, glancing at my notebook. "It's nothing, really. Just some silly things." I said with a small smile.

Cedric gestured to the empty spot besides me. I shuffled a bit to the right, allowing him to sit next to me. "It didn't look like nothing. You seemed very concentrated." he stated, smiling. I held the notebook tightly. "But, of course, it's not my business. I'm sorry." he added, looking at the ground. "Please, stop apologizing. I can't stand it when people apologize for nothing." I told him, stuffing my ink and quill in my bag. "Okay..?" Cedric wondered. "If you really want to know, it's my journal. Here, I keep my notes on all sorts of magical creatures." I explained. "Then what were you writing about just now?" he questioned.

"Well, madame Maxime trusted me with taking care of the Abraxans, so I was adding some notes on those particular winged horses." I said, placing my notebook in my lap. "May I?" he asked, pointing at my notebook. I handed it to him and he opened it. "Merlin's beard...this is amazing!" he breathed out as he flipped through the tattered pages. I blushed slightly, fiddling with the sleeves of my robes. "How did you gather all this information?" Cedric asked, completely flabbergasted. "Promise not to laugh." I told him. He nodded solemnly.

"The centaurs told me most of it, but I did some research of my own to. The Forbidden Forest is the perfect location to do so." I explained, looking the Hufflepuff in the eye. "Aren't the centaurs aggressive...isn't the Forest in general dangerous?" he asked in a concerned voice. "First of all, the centaurs are extremely intelligent creatures and they make great allies. Secondly, the Forest isn't dangerous if you have the right connections." I spoke. "You speak in riddles, I'm afraid." Cedric chuckled, handing me my notebook. "What I mean is that I befriended the centaurs and several other creatures, who protect me on my travels through the forest." I clarified.

"You mean like Thunderbirds?" he asked me. I bursted out laughing, making Cedric somewhat awkward. "Sorry about that. But no, not Thunderbirds. You must think smaller, like Bowtruckles and Murtlaps." I stated, still laughing. "I didn't know. I suppose my herbology side is stronger." he said, hanging his head. "One does not, by knowing all the physical laws as we know them today, immediately obtain an understanding of anything much. I love only nature and I hate mathematicians." I stated, remembering the quote. "Richard P. Feynman." Cedric stated with a small smile. "Touché." I smiled. "Yet I know that I do not know." he told me with a smirk. "Socrates." I said. "Touché." he repeated.

Then, Hannah Abbott approached us. "Cedric, are you coming?" she asked him. "Yeah, I'll be with you in a minute. "Hi, Hannah." I said, smiling at her. "Hey, Rowen." Hannah replied with a small smile. "Badge?" she offered me. The badge showed Cedric's face surrounded with red and golden stripes with the text 'Cedric rules'. It then whirled around and changed a green colour with Harry's face .His face then sunk down the bottom of the badge in a gooey form and the text 'Potter stinks' appeared.. "I'll pass, thanks." I declined. "Gryffindors will be Gryffindors." she mumbled, stuffing the badge in her pocket. "It was nice talking to you, Rowen. Bye." Cedric told me, standing up. "History never really says goodbye, history says 'see you later'." I said with a smirk. He gave me a puzzled look. "Eduardo Galeano." I explained. Hannah looked at us confused while Cedric nodded. "I'll remember that." he stated as he began to walk away. "I'm keeping you to that, Diggory." I yelled, stuffing my notebook in my bag.