Work of Karma || Cedric Diggory [2]

Chapter 1: Quiescence

"Ah, ze boyfriend," Geoffrey nudged Altair in good nature, having heard about Analeigh's life at Hogwarts over their little vacation. However, Altair merely responded by straightening up and folding his arms over his chest to look more intimidating, which he seemed to do a lot whenever Cedric was around.

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Cedric said as Analeigh closed the door behind him. As polite as he always was, he went around the room to briefly shake the hands of Analeigh's aunt and uncle. Meanwhile, Hugo had stood up and ran to hide behind Natalie at the dining area, who Cedric immediately recognized. "It's nice to see you again, Natalie."

Although Natalie was more than aware of her cousin's relationship status, she still blushed a little at Cedric's greeting.

"Likewise." Her French accent was thick as she responded in English. Then, she looked down at her brother. "Hugo, say hi."

Hugo peeked out from behind Natalie's legs, eyeing Cedric curiously. Cedric crouched down to get on the same level as the boy, sending him a friendly smile and small wave. Hugo still looked hesitant, but he managed to wave back with his tiny hands to acknowledge him, making both Analeigh and Natalie chuckle.

"He's shy when he meets new people, but he's actually pretty hyper," Analeigh explained when Cedric stood back up to full height.

"That's alright. He still seems like a fun kid," said Cedric. Natalie was about to clarify that Hugo was actually a naughty kid, but she didn't get the chance to because the parents had started speaking again.

"Cedric, why don't you join us for lunch?" Grace asked.

"Oh, I wouldn't want to intrude —" Cedric began.

"Nonsense! The table's pretty much set and we've just finished cooking."

And so, Cedric did end up joining the Hearts and Moreaus. It was a delicious meal full of lighthearted conversations in a mixture of French and English, which obviously confused him. Analeigh had to whisper the translations to him in real time just so he could catch up with what was going on.

About half an hour later, Analeigh and Cedric found themselves just sitting on the couch while the others busied themselves with packing at the last minute. The adults were going back and forth from different rooms, and Hugo was back on the floor, now making two plush toys of dragons — an Antipodean Opaleye and Hebridean Black — fight one another. Meanwhile, Natalie was manually stuffing her clothes into her luggage because her parents were too preoccupied to help her with magic. She was muttering to herself, checking if she had everything set.

"I still feel like I'm forgetting something... wait, Leigh, why can't you help me pack with magic? You're older than me!" Natalie suddenly asked, flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder as she shifted positions to stuff even more items into her bag.

"Because I won't be of age until September, remember?" Analeigh said. "I still need to wait a few months before I can use magic outside of school."

"Oh, right," sighed Natalie in disappointment. "Well, can you at least get my pink jumper? It might still be in the laundry... I don't think I saw it in your room yesterday."

Analeigh rolled her eyes playfully but complied, pushing herself off of the couch to search for Natalie's jumper.

"I can actually help you out with packing, Natalie. You know, using magic," Cedric was saying as Analeigh walked away. He may not have understood exactly what the two girls were talking about, but he was smart enough to pick up on the gestures and get an idea of it.

"Zat's right, you're eighteen now!" Natalie said excitedly. Analeigh chuckled to herself as she turned the corner, faintly hearing Cedric utter some simple incantations in the background.