Chamber of Love

Chapter 12

  Cedric rubbed his hands together, breathing his warm breath upon his skin to keep the cold air away. Juliette was sitting on the weak grass, watching him polish his worn out broom. She randomly teared off a dying flower and mindlessly plucked it's leaves.

"Aren't you exhausted from yesterday?" She asked as he turned his old Shooting Star over. She always offered to buy a new and better broomstick for him but Cedric always declined, saying he's only playing Quidditch as a hobby and he won't need an expensive broom. He seemed to forget that he was a Seeker and he needed to fly fast.

"Kind of. But I'm bored and I have nothing else to do." He replied without looking at her.

Yesterday's task was a little intense since all of the champions had to rescue someone they valued from the depths of the lake. When Fleur Delacour came out with nothing, people started to think that her little sister was going to die. Juliette didn't believe it for one second. Teachers wouldn't allow it.

"When is the last task?" Juliette asked, throwing the ruined plant away with a bored manner. When she saw Cedric getting out of the lake with Cho, she felt annoyed and relieved at the same time. Of course she wouldn't want to be chained underwater but she also couldn't understand why they'd choose Cho when she was Cedric's friend for over a year now.

Cedric shrugged. "I'm not sure. Dumbledore said they'll take us to the location where the third task will take place when the time comes."

Juliette nodded even though he wasn't paying attention to her. She sighed as a cold breeze touched her cheeks and harmlessly blended in her wavy hair. The white snow that once covered the ground like a blanket was slowly melting. Everything around them looked weary and dead.

"Hermione Granger talked to me yesterday." She decided to bring the foreign event up.

"Really? What did she say?" Cedric asked, absentmindedly.

"Nothing important. She just wanted to talk, I guess." She shrugged before adding, "Oh, and Neville Longbottom said hi to me."

Cedric finally looked up at her and put the white cloth down. "Wait a minute." He said with an amused smile. "Jules, are you actually making new friends?"

Juliette rolled her eyes at the not-so-serious question. "No. I don't think they'll want to be friends with me. Neville couldn't even look at me for two seconds."

Cedric sighed before shaking his head. "You know, you should stop acting like you're a plague. It's normal for people to want to be friends with you."

Juliette looked at him with empty eyes, not believing his words for one moment. She'd spent years to find some friends and ended up alone anyway; and now that she stopped trying, people decided to act friendly towards her?

"I think my family name is a big obstacle." She replied with a sombre tone.

"I'm sure there are people who won't mind your last name. Like me." He said before turning his attention back to his broom.

Juliette opened her mouth to respond, and then hesitantly closed it. She was debating whether she should tell him about Draco or not. She didn't know if they were even friends or merely acquaintances but then again, she always enjoyed his company whenever he was around. She only hoped that he did too.

"Draco is nice to me." She muttered shyly, looking down at the ruined flower to avoid Cedric's gaze.

He turned his attention to his friend once again. With his brows slightly furrowed, his expression was unreadable. "I thought he rejected you." He said coldly, causing Juliette to flinch. It went unnoticed by him.