The Boy I Love -HEDRIC (2)

28.(CH) it's not a she

CEDRIC

LV

This was the first time the students blended into the Hufflepuff common room —without being in their pajamas. Elegant robes of many colors covered the space, and he found the sun-haired girl in the center, sitting on the couch wearing a green dress.

Tam eyed them up and down as they approached. "Wow, you guys look good."

Her compliment sounded both sincere and surprised.

“Coming from you, I take it very seriously,” Malcolm replied, flattered.

"A great honor that you think so," Cedric said, returning the compliment and couldn't keep himself from adding, "I want to hear what you’ll say to your date."

Malcolm also agreed and paid close attention when Will appeared.

"You look like a princess."

Disappointing that those weren't Tam's words. 

"I would rather look like a queen," she replied, laughing without hiding her red cheeks. "Or a minister."

"Or the President, that's how it works in the muggle world," Willow suggested, taking her arm and flashing a smile at their friends. 

Letting the girls go ahead, they didn’t lose sight of them.

Cedric didn't read minds, but he was sure he and Macolm must both be thinking: finally. They weren’t too far away, however, and they could hear Tam's reply, "They don't need to be married to a man, right?" Although she lowered her voice, Malcolm had a good ear. "Because I would marry you."

LVI

Cho was waiting for them in the hall. 

Her meeting with Tam and Will led to a flurry of compliments to each other that left out anything that Cedric and Malcolm could say. "I love your dress!" "I liked that one more than the other one" and "I brought lipstick, if you need…" were what they expressed to each other as they made their way through the crowd in front of the Great Hall. Cho was holding his arm and Malcolm’s on the other side, which wasn’t the best way to walk comfortably. 

But Cedric had something more important on his mind to pay attention to.

He still didn't understand how it could be possible to want to kiss someone just by seeing them from a distance. Harry was looking at him too, and it would have been so nice if he was his date waiting for him. 

So nice if he could just come over and…

Walking into the Great Hall with Cho felt wrong. 

Somehow he managed to push that feeling away and focus on the fact that they were two friends attending an event. How Cho could’ve gone with somebody else, and there she was willing to dance with him in front of all the schools and how much he appreciated it. And how she also tried to motivate him to speak with her comments, because he was being a bit silent. Cedric spent the entire banquet wanting to tell Harry how handsome he looked, and he couldn't help but think as he danced with Cho how much he would have liked it to be Harry.

When many students entered the dance floor, he lost sight of Harry.

Malcolm made Luna laugh with his dance steps until Ginny came over, accompanied by her older brothers. And Angelina, who had her hand on George's shoulder. There was no trace of Fred's date. It was hard to tell which one of the two looked more uncomfortable, because all the amusement suddenly drained from Malcolm's face. 

Ginny walked a few feet away with Luna. 

Angelina and George were talking to each other…

"Considering that my sister just left you without a date," he heard Fred say because he was next to Malcolm, just in case his best friend needed him, "would you dance to this song with me?"