“I have to say, Lillian Anna. Picnicking is a lot more enjoyable than cliff jumping.” Cedric remarked as the two of them sat in the grass on the Hogwarts lawn, having some ‘them’ time.
“Oh, do not insult my fellow Gryffindors.” She joked, shoving Cedric’s shoulder with her own. “Besides, a day of normal was just what we needed. Sitting out in the sun, chowing down hundreds of these little mini muffins.”
“But you still aren’t going to help me in the tournament.” He said quietly.
She sighed. “It’s...more than that Ced.” Anna waited until his eyes were directly on hers. “Look, you’re one of my best friends, which means that I’m always going to be there for support. But Harry...he’s my brother. The only family I have left.”
Anna chuckled darkly. “I don’t care about who wins or who doesn’t - about the bloody prize money.” She inhaled sharply. “This isn’t about whose side I’m choosing, or who I’m helping. This is about the people I love staying alive.”
Cedric was solemn. “Lillian Anna, nothing’s going to happen. Dumbledore and the others have taken precautions-”
“And how well did that work for Harry?” She snapped. “He's underage, and he didn't even enter.”
“He didn’t?”
“Of course he bloody didn’t, because there’s one male in my life who actually listens to me!”
Cedric winced, and her gaze softened. She reached over and squeezed his hand tightly. “I just...I don’t like you taking risks.” Anna admitted quietly.
“So you’re the only one who can take risks? Who can run off and do anything she wants, careless of the consequences?” He asked dryly, though there was obvious truth to his words. “I don’t like you taking risks either, Anna. And I know you’ve been keeping stuff from me. Like how you sneak away into the Forbidden Forest at night, probably sparring with some sort of other creature that can easily rip out your throat.”
“For the record, there’s no...sparring.” She defended herself. “And I’m sorry if you feel like I’m keeping stuff from you. But it’s just what it is: stuff. Baggage that I’m just...trying to put behind me.”
Cedric was quiet, but his hazel eyes looked tortured when he finally met Anna's gaze. “Do...do you not trust me?”
There was a long silence.
“Completely.” She finally decided to lie. “It’s just...I’m just...not used to talking to others. Especially about my foster family, or...just about myself in general.”
It wasn’t that she didn’t trust him. She did - in fact, he was probably one of the people she trusted most in her life. But telling him everything would be dangerous. Her secrets were a part of her now, and losing them would be like cutting away that chunk of her soul. And whether or not getting rid of that part of herself was for better or worse, she knew it would hurt. A lot.
And she wasn’t ready to face that pain right now.
The question was, would she ever?
“So,” Anna began as she stood up, wiping the grass embedded in her palms. “Truce?” She reached out to pull him up.
And he gave her that easy-going ‘Cedric’ smile as he took her hand. “Truce.” He said and he pulled her into a warm embrace.
They were okay now, right? Everything had been talked through and solved for the most part, hadn't it?
So why did her heart still ache?
YOU ARE READING
Lillian 'Anna' Potter || Goblet of Fire
Fanfiction"YOU'VE PLAYED ME FOR A FOOL AND STRUNG ME ALONG LIKE A FIDDLE. THE LEAST I DESERVE FROM YOU IS AN EXPLANATION!" It was revealed by J.K Rowling that when Lily Potter originally died, she was with child. What if Lily had her second child before Volde...
