Snake in the Sunflowers {Draco Malfoy}{Cedric Diggory}

☄ Three; a Beginning.

The last few months of term pass by in a blur. What once felt like a gaping hole in your chest formed in Draco's absence is slowly patched over by Cedric's efforts to cheer you up.

One morning when you're running late for breakfast, you find that Cedric's already fixed your plate for you. He knew what you like and had it all ready for you. You beam at him when he pushes the plate towards you with a grin, feeling warmth rise in your chest. Suddenly overcome with joy at his thoughtful gesture, you instinctively lean close and give him a gentle kiss on the cheek. His cheeks flush a light rosy color, and Justin whistles at the sight. Noticing your friends have been watching the entire interaction, you turn your attention to your food, trying to conceal your own embarrassment.

Unnoticed by you or anyone in your group, Draco observes from across the Great Hall. This time he doesn't make a scene. When he sees you kiss Cedric's cheek, he simply clutches his fork so tightly that his knuckles turn white. No one at the Slytherin table pays him any mind.

☼☼☼

It turns out Cedric is actually quite smart. Perhaps you'd been too busy admiring his nearly Olympian form to realize it. He is a Prefect after all, and always gets high marks. He's noticed you struggling with some of your classes, and has taken to tutoring you most afternoons when he's not at quidditch practice. Luckily for you, his best subject is Transfiguration, which happens to be your worst.

One cloudy afternoon the two of you are studying in the library. You step up to one of the bookshelves, looking for something on the "switching" sub-category of Transfiguration. It is relatively simple compared to other things, like Conjuration. It's only switching one object out for another, rather than completely transforming it or conjuring it. Despite this, both you and Neville Longbottom seem to be the only ones unable to figure it out.

As your eyes rest on a dusty tome entitled "Switches: Theory and Practice", you emit a quiet squeak of excitement before reaching out to grab it. But, to your dismay, even on your tip toes you can't seem to reach it. Suddenly, you feel Cedric's broad chest pressed against your back. The smell of cedar and summer rain washes over you. Blood is pounding in your ears, and your whole body tenses up at the sudden closeness. You can feel his breath on your neck, and it makes goosebumps rise all over your skin. Oblivious to the effect he's having on you, he effortlessly snatches the book off the high shelf, smiling down at you as he gently places it in your hands. Staring up at his handsome face, you feel as though you can see the entire universe reflected in those dazzling sapphire eyes.

☼☼☼

By the end of term you and Cedric are very close, but not yet close enough. He has maintained a respectful boundary, holding back from anything more than fleeting pecks on the cheek and forehead. He hadn't said so, but you think he's waiting for you to kiss him first. So that he knows you're truly ready.

Draco, on the other hand has been generally ignoring you. He still stares at you when he thinks you don't notice, but tries to avoid you in the halls. Despite knowing you're probably better off without him, it still hurts that he seems to be getting on just fine without you. While you've had to struggle to pick up the pieces of yourself in the aftermath of your brief romance. At least you've had Cedric's help with that.

Now, with the year finally coming to a close, you are waiting on the platform to leave Hogwarts. Justin, Ernie, and Hannah had already boarded the train, but Cedric hadn't arrived yet. You won't get on without him.

"Oi! (Y/l/n)!" Someone chirps from behind you. You turn to see a familiar freckled red-head and his spectacled companion.

"Oh, hey Ron, what's up?" You greet the Weasley boy with a smile. You didn't know him super well, but there was something about him and his whole family that just clicks with you. Maybe it's because the Weasley's are one of the few pure wizarding families besides your own that reject blood supremacy. Harry is nice as well, but there is something off about him that you can't quite place. Just a strange feeling you get when he's around.