𝚜𝚝𝚘𝚕𝚎𝚗 𝚍𝚊𝚗𝚌𝚎. fred weasley

𝚒𝚒. 𝚛𝚘𝚊𝚛𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚕𝚒𝚘𝚗 𝚜𝚌𝚊𝚛𝚏

     She means to come back with something witty, say something that'll make her look cooler than what she really is, but when her mouth's open, she says, "B-Bless you!"

     Fred Weasley cocks his head as though he's confused. "Pardon me?" 

     "U-um—" Cress scratches at her face, and can practically feel Cedric making fun of her from where she is. Fred Weasley is still giving her a confused smile, so Cress continues, "Thanks. For blessing me. When I sneezed. Earlier." She awkwardly looks away and wonders how many snakes it'll take to drag her into the forest. "And, uh, s-sorry, for y'know, running into you?" The statement is more like a question, and Cress really wishes a bear would maul her — Cedric's suggestions are sounding a whole lot more appealing to her now.

     But it isn't her fault, okay. She has been crushing on this dude, for like her whole school career and never has she spoken one word to him in the four years she's been at Hogwarts. Not once. Excuse her for not knowing how to react to to him when he's literally like a foot away and she can basically smell him. (Cinnamon and some kind of leftover burnt smell that must be from all the inventions him and his brother work on, just like she thought. Not that she thought about his smell. Or watched him from afar to see him inventing things. No. That'd be weird and she is anything but.)

     Fred gives her another grin, this one mischievous. "Don't worry 'bout it, Little Diggory." Cress frowns at the nickname, bottom lip jutting out, because she hates when people refer to her as 'Baby Diggory', or some other obscene nickname that's just stupid as hell. "Happens to the best of us," he continues, and Cress stares back up at him, pout still present on her lips.

     "Y-Yeah, I g-guess s-so," she stutters out, because apparently she is playing a game called, Let's See How Many Times Cress Can Embarrass Herself Today. She is probably at ten, now, she thinks. She really wants the world to swallow her up, like, right now. The way Fred is smirking down at her, like he just knows something she doesn't make her stomach twist. (Except for it does.)

     "Cress!" calls out Cedric before Fred can get any more words out, and Cress heaves a silent sigh of relief — she's embarrassed herself enough for one day. She turns to her brother. "Come on!" He gestures for her and Cress nods once, an affirmative.

     She turns back to Fred Weasley, trying to figure out what to say or if she's even supposed to say anything to him. Is that how it worked, talking to your crush? Do you leave them with parting words that scream I'm definitely going to see you after this and we'll talk and hit it off then in the future I'm going to marry you? Or just wave and go on your way, never to speak to them again? Holy Hufflepuff, Cress is stressing; one of her veins is probably going to pop from how much she's thinking, honestly.

     "Enjoy the Cup, Little Diggory," says Fred Weasley before Cress can even comprehend what's happening. She gapes up at him, a little dazed and out of it, and he just gives her one last smirk before turning and running off with his family, throwing an arm around his twin's neck and laughing merrily with him.

     When Cress reaches Amos and Cedric, she's lagging, a permanent frown on her face, because she's one hundred percent sure the words that Fred Weasley just spoke to her were parting words that meant I'm never talking to you again, so don't bother, and now she just wants to crawl into some kind of hole and maybe die.

     Cedric gives her a pat on the shoulder, but doesn't say anything to make fun of how much of a fuck up she is, even though she knows he wants to. Cress pouts at him anyway, offended even if he didn't utter one word towards her. She does it just because she can, because she's allowed to have a pity party if she wants to. Cress follows Amos silently to wherever they're supposed to go, stays quiet as he converses with a man named Mr. Payne or something, then follows him to the tent they'll be staying in for the duration of the trip.