just for you (years 3-5)

chapter 61

draco and i talk that night, going over everything. he swears a billion times that the privacy is just because he's not used to having a relationship, that it's nothing against me. it's the same spiel he's given before, but this time it's different, more genuine. he states again his contempt for my spending time with cedric. and i, again, make empty promises that i'll try to amend it. when i say it, i mean well; i'm just trying to keep him at ease. but truly, i can't be forced to choose between him and my friend.

i don't tell him what cedric said, i know everything between us is too fragile right now to through that into the mix.

we sit by the fire, mutually agreeing that we're fine. everyone has rough patches, we've sure had our fair share. i lay back on the couch, resting my head on his lap and staring out at the flames. his arm rests on my stomach, holding up our history of magic textbook. he reads it softly, his other hand twisting the ends of my hair.

this, is the calm before the storm.

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over the next two weeks, i meet up with cedric (and sometimes harry) in the library to study magical creatures and defenses against them to prepare for the maze.

"i just can't help but feel like i'm leading him on" i whisper to daphne one night, sitting down on her bed. to our right, pansy's sleeping in her bed, letting out a snore every now and then.

"you made it clear that you're with draco" daphne shrugs, "cedric knows that. it's not your fault he still asks to meet up everyday"

"true" i nod

"it'll be fine" daphne smiles, "besides, summer starts in a week. by the time we're back here next year everything will have blown over"

"we can hope" i laugh, standing up and walking over to my bed.

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"you don't think hagrid will use the skrewts, right?"

"i wouldn't put anything past him" harry chuckles, grabbing another book off the shelf

"skrewts? what harm are they" cedric looks between us

"i forgot you weren't in our year" i laugh, sitting down on his table, "these aren't normal skrewts. hagrid bred them himself, calls them 'blast-ended skrewts'" i shudder, remembering all of the harm they cause in just one class, "they're awful"

harry nods along, agreeing with me, "he could also use the spiders" now, both cedric and i are confused, "the giant ones, in the forest" harry continues, like the statement is self-explanatory, "just trust me, you don't wanna encounter them"

cedric and i both sigh nervously, looking down at the pile of books we've gathered. having only four days left, the task seems impossible. and with so little to go on, we have no clue which creatures to really study. we're practically going in blind.

"time check!" i say, grabbing cedric's wrist and holding up his watch, "that's my que" i smile, jumping off the desk and getting my bag

"where are you going?" cedric looks back at me, leaning over the edge of his chair

"i have friends besides the two of you" i roll my eyes as harry laughs, but cedric looks less than pleased

"don't tell me you're going to see him?" cedric says quietly, while harry's back is turned into the shelf

"and if i am?" i raise my eyebrows, "i told you-"

"he hasn't spent any time with you the past-"