Dear Diggory

chapter 69

It was late afternoon on Saturday and I was alone in the dorm. Dakota and Maisie were spending the day in the library and Evelyn had disappeared early this morning before any of us could ask where she was going. She'd seemed stressed, and I made a mental note to ask her what was up when she returned.

I was sprawled across my bed trying to paint a Japanese street from memory, brushes and pencils scattered around me.

It was a complicated sketch, with many intricate signs and wires, so it had taken up most of my day. I'd felt insistent on painting it, keen to remember the pleasant memory of walking the streets over summer.

My hand ached from the effort and I exhaled a breath as I examined the page so far. Some of the lines appeared wobbly and I attempted to straighten them with more black ink.

I hadn't had the chance to paint lately, too caught up in my boyfriend, NEWT prep or spending time with my chaotic group of friends.

I'd even taken Amara under my wing, tutoring her on subjects she struggled with and making sure she wasn't being hassled any further about religion. It was nice addition to my school life, distracting, and it helped me feel like I was doing something worthwhile with my time.

There was a swoosh sound and I looked up, glancing in the direction of the door. A small piece of paper had been slipped underneath.

I quickly untangled my limbs, padding over to the door. I plucked the paper from the ground and unfolded the parchment, reading the carefully typed letters.

Lila,

Meet me in the courtyard in 5 minutes.

Cedric

I smiled down at the note. We hadn't planned anything for the day, I'd just assumed I would go back to his room after dinner and spend the night. We'd built up a blissful routine as of late, losing countless hours to one another between the sheets.

I placed the note onto my bedside table and checked the clock.

I began rushing around the room, pulling on my shoes and brushing my fingers through my hair. Cedric seemed to prefer it down and natural, so I left it that way, happy it required less effort.

With a last glance and adjustment in the mirror, I exited the dorm and made my way downstairs.

There was no one in the hallways which appeared strange to me; the younger classes hadn't been allowed to visit Hogsmeade this weekend and I was surprised that there wasn't a babble running around the castle.

I knew that likely meant one thing: Snape must have been assigned warden duties for the day. The halls usually emptied once the rota reached his turn, most students fleeing in fear of being punished just for breathing too loudly.

Finally, I reached the doorway to the courtyard, but the sight there made me stop abruptly under the arch.

The whole space was deserted apart from Cedric's familiar lean figure. He had his back angled slightly towards me, and he wasn't alone.

Penelope was against the tree in the centre, her features twisted into a sickly sweet smile. The exact same expression she seemed to save just for him when she came to say hello at dinner times.

I hated it really, the girls and I had agreed that it held all the authenticity of Rita Skeeter's weekly gossip column.

My lips set into a thin line at the sight of the pretty Hufflepuff, she seemed to be around us even more over the last week, and I had tried desperately hard to be pleasant.