I Know And I Don't Care (Cedric Diggory x Reader)

Chapter 19

Here it is! Finally!

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By the time I stepped out into the cold, I had forgotten all about wearing Cedric's sweater other for the fact that it was keeping me warm. I was also attempting to forget the Lavender-like thought that had entered my mind.

Had I really just obsessed over it being Cedric's sweater?

I sounded just like, if not a worse version, of a teenage girl. My dorm mates would be so upset: Parvati and Lavender for knowing that I achieved an even lower grade of maturity than them and Hermione for knowing the very same. Of course, Hermione wouldn't be crying out of jealousy, but out of sadness for losing her one equally intelligent dorm mate.

The thought of me being like the gossipy girls who were too busy doing their makeup to make sure their friend didn't die, dragon-fire style, had me wanting to cry myself.

Crying would be pointless, though, as it was so cold I swear my tears would freeze halfway down my face.

Baring against the chill, I wrapped my coat tight around me and picked up my pace to keep warm.

Walking as fast as I could for it to still be considered walking, I quickly turned a sharp corner beside a large tree just outside the stadium, only to knock into something as hard as the tree trunk itself.

"Ow." Sounded from my mouth and the human-like tree I'd just tackled. Then came an apology. From their mouth, not mine.

"Sorry about that." A familiar voice said as an unfamiliar set of hands helped me up. I had promptly fell onto my arse, ever the graceful as I was.

"Blame the tree, not me." I explained with a soft chuckle while wiping off the bottom of my pants. I had been tripping on dust the entire walk up, I knew some reminisnets would be on my jeans.

"If you say so," The boy agreed, turning to face the tree. "Stupid tree."

When he turned back, the smile that he had while arguing with the large oak was still on his lips, and had just put one on mine. He had dark brown hair, shining teeth for miles and dimples as darling as daylight. Even if I didn't know his kind face, I'd be immediately drawn to him. It helped to know that he was nice enough to share his ink with me, as he had done just so in a class the previous year. If only I had been kind enough to remember his name. And to give his ink back.

"I'm sorry I ran into you." I breathed, a hand pushing through my hair. His eyes followed my hand, his head tilting with his gaze. "And I'm sorry I'm forgetting your name."

It was as if every other memory of the boy had found its way into the front of my brain. The countless times he let me into the class first, his standing offer of parchment and his lack of judgement on me forgetting my parchment almost daily.

I can recall the entire class course with him and yet his name is as forgotten as schoolwork is to the Weasley twins! Merlin, what is his name? Is it Alan? Al?

"Alex."

So close, yet so far.

"And I'm not going to apologize for telling you." He added, leaning forward on his toes. "But I will apologize for not saying your name. I just feel it fair not to embarrass you more by saying your name. Because you didn't say mine and I don't-"

"Saving me from going a deeper shade of pink." I cut him off as his rate of speeding went from hard-not-to-smile, to hard-to-hear.

"But know, I do know your name." He said after a moment, as if he needed me to know. And it appeared that way. That he wanted me to know. I didn't need a fortune to see, as he lifted up off his heels once again in excitement.

I opened my mouth to thank him for sparing me, when the sounds of cheers interrupted me. It took me a moment to realize where it was coming from, but less time for me to figure out what the cheers were cheering.

There was no mistaking it. The word was already unique itself. One-in-a-million when you connected the word to who it was talking about.

Diggory! Diggory! Diggory!

His name rose out of the stadiu, down the path and I bet all the way back to the castle. I shouldn't have expected anything else of his name. Just like him, Cedric's name was too special to stay hidden.

Which I was doing.

I wasn't special, but I was hidden. From Cedric. From his view. From the biggest moment of his life so far.

Shaking my head as I was even confusing myself, I realized what my coded-train of thought meant.

I had promised Cedric I'd be at the task. And I wasn't. I was here. I was here with-

"That your friend, they're cheering for?" Alex turned back toward the way he had come from. The way I was supposed to be going. "Cedric, right?"

"Right." I nodded, refocusing. Willing myself to stop looking over Alex' shoulder, I looked into his eyes. Of course, we had held a gaze for less than a moment when a cry cut through the air, once again hailing from the stadium.

I wish a familiar feeling would come once again, but nothing familiar was insight. A new feeling, one I could only describe as my stomach running after itself, crept over me in a record speed of slow and fast. It was like somersaults, but less of a trick and more of a running-after- itself. My gut wasn't jumping up and down, it was jumping to catch itself. I felt like I had no control with nothing to grab onto.

Powerless.

That was what I felt. Powerless.

I had magical powers, unlimited spells at the tip of wand ready to be cast and the future coming through (in small, unexpected bursts), and all the future held. And yet I still felt powerless.

All because my friend was facing a dragon and I wasn't there to see it.

Somehow though, being there to watch him battle a fire-breathing dragon, while still being unable to do anything, made me feel more powerful.

Yet, I didn't have the courage to leave Alex and our conversation. What? He had given me bottles and bottles of ink and I was just going to ditch him? After not even knowing his name?

If Dad believed in them, I'd get a Howler for being so rude with our family name.

"You should probably go see your friend, shouldn't you?" Alex whispered. I didn't need to ask to know he had already tried a discreet joke to get me moving. I also didn't need to ask to know I had silently, zoned out for a moment.

Just add it to my embarrassing moments in front of this boy.

Alex didn't seem to be writing a list, though, with his hands tucked politely behind his back as he made room for me to pass.

"Saving me from Cedric hating me enough to forget my name like I did yours." I said with a grin as I passed. I hadn't gotten far enough though to see Alex's confused smirk.

Running back to face him, I made another embarrassing moment with even more embarrassing and confusing hand gestures.

"I meant that you, um, that like how you saved me from going pink that you're saving, you know, like, um, my-"

It was then his turn to cut me off. With a clean wave of his hand and a tight=lipped smile he silenced me.

"Go support your friend so he doesn't forget your name."

"Thank you." My feet had already begun moving. But I had a feeling my head was going to be stuck on that conversation for much longer. Much longer than being stuck on Cedric' sweater, even. His clothing was just on my body. Alex's words were on my mind.

The debate of which of my powers were stronger, the ones shooting out of my hand or the ones out of my mind, was still going on. Which was stronger: a sweater or a conversation...well, debates can take a while to figure out.

Seems the Triwizard Tournament isn't Ced's only competition, is it now?

Guess you'll have to keep reading to find out!