Little Talks | Fred Weasley x Cedric Diggory

Three.

Fred returned to the patch of grass as soon as he thought he could handle it.

He was bitter with himself, for taking himself there while he was at his lowest. That spot had always been their place. Cedric was the one who recommended it first; he liked going there to study and to get away from all his worries. Fred wasted no time in planning out something special for the one he adored. He went to George for suggestions. While Fred was usually the twin to jump into action without much thought, George was more methodical, better with planning. Together, they came up with an idea: Wizard's Chess.

Cedric was enthusiastic about the idea. They borrowed the set from Ron and made their way down by the lake. The ground was covered in a light layer of snow and the early January weather was less than forgiving. Both boys had done their best to dress for the occasion. Fred wore one of the sweaters Mrs. Weasley had knitted him in the previous year. He was sure that it would be enough to keep him warm but Cedric had lovingly pleaded with him to bring a coat. The boy's charm won him over. On the other hand, Cedric couldn't have been more prepared. He had neatly tied a Hufflepuff scarf around his neck. The only part of his skin showing was that of his face.

Fred spent the entire walk bragging about how great he was at Wizard's Chess. He went on and on about how he'd beaten his siblings whenever they dared to challenge him. Cedric was much more modest regarding his abilities. He told Fred that he'd only ever played a few times and that it could be a rather short game. The redhead shook his head smiling. That would be no fun, he thought. He wanted the game to last as long as possible.

It started heavily in Fred's favor. There was a gleeful smirk whenever one of his pieces obliterated one of Cedric's pawns. The response tended to be a disappointed sigh followed by a reassuring smile upward. But then move by move, Cedric gained the advantage. He captured most of the pieces without losing a single of his own. He was good. This only made Fred even more competitive; he started making bold moves to try and intimidate his opponent. He was so proud of one play that afterward he leaned back and stretched up high, confident that there was no way such a clever move could be unraveled. Cedric put a finger up to his lip as he studied the board. It appeared as though Fred had gotten the better of him. This, however, was not the case. He shyly grinned before proceeding and initiated an attack that was just the opening to a series of intricate moves that ultimately led to Fred's king being put in checkmate.

"I thought you said you'd only played a few times?" The shock hadn't yet worn off. Cedric looked down at the ground for a moment before responding.

"And I won every time."

They smiled at each other, Cedric because he wasn't used to being so proud of his skills, Fred because he hadn't expected to lose in such an embarrassing way.

The smile transitioned into a pout for Fred. It was playful, with no intention of hurting the other's feelings. Cedric saw that face and bit his lip; he had an idea. Wordlessly, he removed the scarf off his neck and wrapped it around the neck of the sore loser. He gripped onto the ends and pulled just hard enough to bring Fred close enough to kiss.

The Fred that stood in that spot now was ready to give up almost anything to go back. With Cedric, that spot near the lake meant comfort. It was the safest place in the world, it was where time would stop and it was where everything elsewhere became irrelevant. He was the only thing that mattered.

He couldn't stay long. It proved overwhelming. What once brought consolation in times of need now brought unrest without mercy.

Dolores Umbridge was quickly becoming the enemy of the Hogwarts population. Those who were not unsettled by her opening speech at the Welcoming Feast were beginning to learn. An inability to practice the very thing they came to learn was maddening. And it was just another blow to Fred. Defense Against the Dark Arts was a popular class throughout the school, but not many liked it more than he did. Of course, he appreciated learning all the different spells that could be used against anyone that bothered him, but it went further than that. His competitive nature existed in all aspects of life. Nearly everyone believed that Fred and George had no interest in their academic careers whatsoever, but that simply wasn't true. Fred paid attention to the creatures Professor Lupin had shown them so that maybe one day he could impress Charlie with a quick-witted reply to an assumption of his lackluster knowledge. He memorized answers to certain homework questions so he could use them to coerce Ron into doing tasks for him that could easily be done on his own. He made sure to master a few of the best offensive spells so that if Ginny ever came to him with someone picking on her, he could be the best possible teacher for getting revenge.