Afraid To Lose You [ Cedric Diggory]

Knowing Things

"Do we have to?" Cedric whined as Emma dragged him to the Gryffindor common room.

"Yes we do" she stated firmly.

"I don't like this" Cedric grumbled.

"Who said you've to like it?" Emma said. "That's hardly a necessity."

"See, Emma. I'm a peace-loving person-"

"You mean a martyr?"

"Please stop calling me that," he said. "And no. I'm a peace-loving person and I don't believe in revenge."

"Then don't" Emma shrugged. "I'm simply asking you to assist me," she said turning to look at him. "Is it so hard to do?"

"Well," Cedric said. "It's hard because it's you I have to assist." She smacked him on his arm and he chuckled

"Look," Emma said. "I won't let anyone find out that you were involved. You just have to be with me."

"You'll take the full blame if anyone finds out?"

"You call it blame, I call it credit" Emma smirked. "C'mon, it's not even revenge. It's just a harmless little prank."

"It's not me I'm worried about, Ems," Cedric said, now looking concerned. "It's you. Hughes is very arrogant and despicable. If he finds out that you pranked him, he'll retaliate and in a way you wouldn't have imagined."

"You don't need to worry about me, Ced. I can take care of myself" Emma reassured him

"I'm not saying you're not capable of taking care of yourself, but sometimes we need other people to look out for us, too. Like that day in the Library. Susan and her gang were bullying you. You're younger than them and you were outnumbered by them. So you couldn't do anything" Cedric explained. "If Hughes corners you with his group of boys, how will you defend yourself? I wouldn't be able to do anything, just be careful, Emma, okay?"

Emma couldn't say anything for a moment. He was right after all. She was just a first year and he was a fourth year. But she wasn't the one to back down.

"I understand, Ced" Emma smiled at him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "But no friend of mine, especially one like you, will be mistreated for no reason at all and I won't do anything about it. I'll be careful, I promise but not before having some harmless fun."

Cedric shook his head with a smile.

"You coming?" She asked turning around to resume her mission.

"Well, I wouldn't like missing out on some harmless fun as you pull it"

In the next practice, Aaron Hughes arrived at the Quidditch pitch a few minutes late. His nose was scrunched up and he couldn't stop scratching himself. He even scratched his back with his beater's bat. It was a truly hilarious sight. The captain was left with no other choice than to cut short the practice that day.

Emma had promised Cedric to not come so Hughes or anyone wouldn't get suspicious and so she kept it, but couldn't help laughing at Cedric's description.

"So our plan worked then?" Emma asked as they sat in the Library after having finished their respective homework which they made a point to do together on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sunday evenings in the Library. The rest of the days Emma spent with her brothers, Katie and Lee.

"Definitely" Cedric snickered.

"Did he get suspicious?" Emma asked.

"Surprisingly not. He thought that his robe was washed in an improper way that resulted in all the scratching."

"Brilliant" Emma laughed. "But I didn't get my pranking credit."

"No, you didn't get it by him. I've already told you, it was hilarious, brilliant, clever and worth it" Cedric grinned.