a rose by any other name

chapter three ❃ the hufflepuff

"Could ask you the same Parisa." Diggory smiles. "Rosier to you." I scowl and his smile turns into a smirk. "Why do you do that?" he asks me, 

"Do what, blood traitor?" His smirk grew... "Put on this hard front, it's not necessary, especially not here. No one else is around. I know you're not really like this." 

"Oh yeah, and what would you know about what i'm 'really' like? You don't know me." Diggory looked at me confused and I turned away looking out at the forbidden forest and rolled my eyes. "Don't you remember?" He asked, taking a step closer to me. "When i ran into you, well you ran into me, in Diagon Alley before your first year?" My face fell and I looked awkwardly over at him before sitting down with my head in my hands. 

"That was a long time ago, I wasn't aware of who you were at the time." I sneered looking back up at him. I had pushed it to the back of my mind, an old memory of a boy who comforted me when I was scared. Then i found out who he was, and what his beliefs were and I forgot about it. Never telling anybody. But. Of course I remembered. 

-FLASHBACK-

I was 13 at the time. I ran faster my green velvet dress flowing behind me. I was panicked. I had no idea where i was, one minute I was stood right next to my father and mother looking to buy my first wand from Olivander's. 

I had just smashed 3 vases until I picked up another wand and it chose me. Nothing broke, no bright sparks came out the end it just glowed slightly. Olivander, a sweet old man smiled at me. "I believe this wand has chosen you my dear." I smiled back at him and turned to face my parents. "Mum, Dad look its my wand, look how pretty it is! Oh i love it." I exclaimed happily, but when I turned around I wasn't met with two parents smiling proudly at their witch daughter. They were gone. 

I turned back around confused but Olivander looked just as confused as me and I thanked him before quickly giving him the money for my wand slightly embarrassed. I stepped outside of the little shop that smelt like parchment and sawdust and looked around. They were no where to be seen. This was a common assurance for my parents but surely they wouldn't have just left me here? 

The next minute I was running, tears streaming down my face. Where in Merlins name were they? I kept running through the windy little streets shouting "Mum! Dad!" but they weren't anywhere. I was starting to get tired when I made sudden contact with something hard and warm. 

I fell to the floor in a mess and looked up to see what I had run into. My eyes met with a pair of golden brown eyes, they looked like honey in the sun, melting right into my own. The boy quickly got to my level and offered me a hand. I took it and straightened out my dress before looking back at his face. 

"Uh... sorry about that i uh- should have been looking where I was going, sorry again." I stuttered as i began to walk the other way. I felt a hand lightly grab my arm. "Wait, uh it's completely fine you looked pretty panicked. Is everything okay? Im Cedric by the way." I blushed slightly remembering how stupid i must have looked. 

"Yeah, i uh just couldn't find my parents thats all, i'm sure they're here somewhere. Im Parisa nice to uh meet you." He smiled at me, dimples playing at his cheeks. "Well Parisa, let me help you find them. It's the least I can do for nearly knocking you out." He chuckled slightly and my blush deepend. 

We looked around every street and shop, twice and  there was no sign of them. This was so typical of them i can't believe i hadn't expected this. Cedric must have seen the look of disappointment on my face because he frowned slightly before grabbing my arm and leading me across the street to a small shop called 'Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.' 

It was a dainty little place that smelled like bubblegum and lavender. Cedric pulled out a chair for me and then sat opposite. "Are you sure you're okay? I'm sure your parents just had to go somewhere and we've just missed them." He ordered us two vanilla milkshakes, refusing to let me pay. 

"They do this a lot actually, I should have expected it." Cedric's face softened and we spent the afternoon non-stop talking and i actually got to know him pretty well. He was a kind boy with a kind heart. A truly kind heart. It was so easy to talk to him and i just felt like i could tell him anything. I did, tell him a lot of things but avoided anything that would scare him (Or get me or my family  possibly sent to Azkaban.) 

The sun was starting to set and I was talking to Cedric about how I was to get home. (He had offered to take me home on his broom, which i had kindly refused. My fear of heights would not have enjoyed that.) When I heard the shrill shriek of my mother. 

"Parisa Rosier! You get away from that boy now." She grabbed me by the arm and sharply pulled me from my seat. "Stop you're going to hurt her." Cedric exclaimed leaning forward to help me but my mother slapped his hand with her free one. "Don't you dare touch my daughter. I know all about you and your family Cedric Diggory." I thought for a second, where had i heard that name before? Diggory? Oh thats it, Oh no. The Diggorys (A pure blood family yes. Blood traitors? also yes.) were notorious for their strong friendship with muggles. They almost worshipped the ground that muggles walked on, Amos Diggory, The father of the family worked at the Ministry with my father. He was fascinated by the muggle world and often visited there. I heard he even had muggle friends. I remember my dad telling me this disgustedly as he held my Hogwarts acceptance. I was disappointed to be totally honest, i had grown rather fond of Cedric today., he was so sweet but none of that mattered now. He was a Blood Traitor and that was simply just wrong. Cedric didn't say anything else he just sighed and walked away. 

---

I'd been so ashamed of how i acted that day i'd simply blocked it out. I tended to block a lot of things out. "Look i know what you... believe and you know, we do not see eye to eye on that topic but is it really a reason to not like somebody?" Cedric questioned me as i often had myself. 

No. I would not let my mask slip. Especially not in front of him. I didn't answer i just looked back out at the depth of green below us. Cedric moved to sit next to me and I flinched away from him. "I'm not a disease you know. You won't start suddenly loving non-magical people just by being next to me." I scoffed at him but still said nothing. I didn't know what to say my brain was just empty. 

"What's this Parisa? No snide comment? No witty remark?" I scowled at him "You know Diggory, you should just stay away from me. I don't want people to think that I associate with people like you." Cedric just led back and looked up at the sky. "It's beautiful isn't it? The stars. It always gives me hope that there's something up there." I was surprised he'd ignored me, but Cedric Diggory wasn't one to fight back... he also knew when to play and when to just leave. Why hadn't he just left for Merlins sake. 

It was beautiful though. The sky. The stars were like a million little tiny suns all shining at once, they sparkled lightly in the moonlight. The moon was so bright tonight. A full moon, though something felt different. Like it was changing. I snapped out of my dream like state and stood up quite uncomfortable with the situation all of a sudden. 

"Whatever Diggory, if you wont leave I will. See you around. Or not, I couldn't care less" I said unamused as I started my way towards the stone steps when Diggory said something. I couldn't quite make it out but I'm sure it was something along the lines of  

"Oh, I think you will Parisa." I ignored this still unsettled on why I actually wasn't angry and how it had felt nice to look at the stars even when Cedric was in such close proximity I could feel the heat coming of his body... and why I had even given him my attention enough to notice his body heat. I shook my head, heading down the steps and leaving the Hufflepuff by himself.