Draco's Deal

Chapter Six: Complications

"Cedric, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm allergic. Stop bringing me flowers everyday. Hannah and I are running out of space in our room and I'm running out of allergy medicine," I groan as Cedric, Hannah, and I walk back to our dorm to get ready for lunch.

"Seriously! It smell like four gallons of perfume in there!" Hannah adds as she pushes open the common room door.

"Okay, my bad. Just take some and spread them around the common room. Give some to the other girls if you want, maybe even Hermione. I'll stop bringing them, I promise," Cedric chuckles, heading to his dorm with me in tow.

"That's a good idea," Hannah nods, hurrying off to our dorm. "If I hurry, I'll be done by dinner," she mutters before disappearing behind the door.

Cedric and I laugh a little at her newly sporadic behavior before continuing to his room. As soon as we enter, I plop down on his bed and let out a strangled yawn. My entire body feels exhausted from the late nights I've been pulling with Draco.

"You're going with him after dinner again, aren't you?" Cedric asks, sitting down in his desk chair across the room. He tries his best to keep his face neutral, but I can see the betrayal hiding behind his eyes.

"Well yes, Ced. I have to. It's a part of the-"

"The deal. I know," he groans, running his hands down his face. "That bloody deal is going to drive me insane. Malfoy is such a snake for making you agree to that. And acting so smug about it too! I don't see how you can even stand being around him. Plus, I just can't shake the feeling that something bad will come from it."

I keep my mouth shut, blindly staring at the wall. Since Cedric found out about the deal two weeks ago, I've come to the conclusion that it's better not to argue with him about the type of person Draco is. It makes it easier on the both of us if I just sit back and listen. No matter how much I want to deck him in the face sometimes.

"At least winter break is only a month away. Then you and I will be a thousand miles away from anyone we know," Cedric sighs happily, clearly imagining getting away from these confining stone walls.

"I suppose it will be nice to catch a break," I shrug, sitting up on his bed to face him.

A blanket of silence falls over the room, the ticking of the clock on the wall growing louder and louder. I shift uncomfortably in my seat, my body growing anxious at the sudden awkwardness lacing the air. The awkwardness that is always present anytime Cedric is around.

"Do you want to head to lunch?" I ask sheepishly, gesturing to his door.

"Sounds good," he nods, standing up from his seat.

As we enter the common room, I'm hit with the strong scent of fresh flowers. I feel my eyes start to sting a little as we make our way to the door. Hannah definitely didn't slack off on moving the flowers out of our room. I notice Cedric smile slightly as we pass a vase of daisies, his favorite.

"It'll be odd, though. Not going with our families like we normally do," Cedric says as he holds the door open for me.

"At least now we don't have to follow an itinerary," I chuckle, stepping into the crowded corridor. Cedric lets out a light laugh, throwing an arm over my shoulder.

"I hope she sends us to the beach. I want to go swimming, you and I haven't swam in the ocean since last year. Also, you could use a little sun," he teases, jabbing his finger into my cheek. "What about you? Where do you want her to send us?"

I think about it for a moment, about all the places we've went in the past. They've all been relatively the same: warm, populated, tropical. In all honestly, it's getting slightly boring going to similar places every year. Not to mention that I don't feel entirely comfortable being on a beach half naked around Cedric.