The Boy I Love -HEDRIC (2)

19.(HC) we are a disaster

Just not the current one.

“Then…?”

And he made up his mind.

Hagrid was one of the people he trusted the most.

“Do you remember Cedric?” he began to say and a strange sensation of nervousness took over him. “The boy who came here last year.”

Because he had never told an adult anything about his personal stuff.

He didn't have many of those to begin with.

And this big man who nodded was the closest thing to a father he would ever have. Even with nothing legal binding them together, Harry thought of him as family and knew the feeling was mutual. 

"Sure, he's in my class. A very educated and considerate young man. Really kind with the creatures too.”

"Yeah, that's him." 

Harry had a strange grimace on his face, half smile and half terror. 

Although he adored Sirius, if Hagrid didn't accept him it would break his heart.

"Has something happened to him?" he asked when he didn't say anything else.

“No.”

"You had a fight?"

“It’s not that.”

"Is there a girl involved?" he considered and laughed softly. “I remember back in my day, that would be a problem friends would fight over. That or having magical pets outside the rules... Am I right?”

How to word it…?

"It's not exactly that," he replied, realizing that, "I suppose there's a girl, yes, but that's not the problem."

Hagrid kept silent, waiting for Harry to continue but…

“And what is it?”

“I like him. Very much.”

Hagrid’s immediate reaction was to open his mouth and shut it instantly. "You mean romantically?" 

"Yes, in that way."

And then he nodded again.

Harry was dying to hear what he had to say.

“Oh, ok. I wanted to make sure I understood. Cedric is a good boy. What's the problem with liking him?”

The sigh of relief Harry breathed lessened the weight on his chest so much that it almost made it bearable.

XXVII

Only one part of his affliction was acceptable, and it had to do with Cedric being his friend and not telling him about his relationship. Except they didn't usually talk about such things and if Cedric was keeping it a secret, why would he tell him?

Harry wanted to ask about it the next time he saw Cedric in the halls.

Do you have a girlfriend? didn't sound like the right way to start a casual conversation. Nor was it in their recurring meetings in the classroom on the first floor, because now they were really searching for a plan.

Hermione was on it too.

She spent most of her time in the library, as usual, and some nights she would come up with ideas that Harry would discard because he couldn't imagine them working.

“I've been thinking that we should use our strengths.” 

Cedric's suggestion didn’t sound bad.

The problem was that Harry didn’t think he had any of those.