The Boy I Love -HEDRIC (2)

67.(CH) I did you a favor

CEDRIC

I

He couldn't breathe.

Illogical, because his airways were free.

The paper seemed stuck to his hands.

What if a person believed it...? The worst thoughts he could have had about himself? It wasn't true, was it? Because he would never, ever...

“This is pure bullshit,” he heard Malcolm, “that no one will buy."

Cedric only noticed him when he snatched the newspaper from him, squeezing it into a ball that he tossed onto scraps of food. 

"Those of us who know you would never fall for that…" Tam's voice was soft and her touch over the table soothed him.

Another ball of paper fell onto the plate. From Will. 

“Pure bullshit, just like Mal said." 

That wasn't him.

It was not true.

Some at the Hufflepuff table did the same with their copies. 

II

It turned out that he did care what people thought.

Which sucked, because it didn't paint a good picture.

Considering what Tam said, he wondered who really knew him.

Although his friends wanted to accompany him everywhere, Cedric could be alone. It wasn't like they could get in the bathroom with him. (Malcolm, in fact, tried when he mentioned in the slightest detail that someone had made a nasty comment while he was washing his hands.)

(He did not reveal his identity because he did not know what Malcolm would be capable of.)

(Or worse, Tam.)

(And Will would cover for either one of them.) 

III

Cho reached out to show her support, and that eased the ache in his chest. 

The looks he received in the halls made Cedric nervous, especially walking on his own. One morning he bumped into Hermione and they shared part of the ride, discussing what it was like to be at the center of the inconsiderate gossip. 

"Have you had any progress with the Skeeter project?" Cedric asked. 

She denied, sighing. "I know I'll catch her sooner or later."

The assurance in her tone caught his attention.

"How do you know?"

For a second he thought he might offend her.

Cedric would put his faith in her.

"Harry didn't want to tell me but I sense that it will be like that..." she spoke in a pleasant confidence. "Not that one. The other, I mean."

"He has to be careful with what he reveals, doesn't he?"

"He refused to tell me Skeeter's secret," Hermione replied, letting out an almost indignant laugh. "That's okay, because it could alter events on a large scale. But I know him well and I'm sure I'll get it. He has inadvertently confirmed it."

IV

In short, Hermione seemed to handle the circumstances with a better face than him. Cedric made an effort to focus on the fact that, in the end, those people who let themselves be guided so easily by written words did not matter.