PRONGSLET AND THE CERYNEIAN GUARDIAN

Chapter Twenty-Eight

"You did that on purpose," Cedric told him, rubbing the side of his neck.

"Did what?" Milo asked with a curious tilt of his head. "I was just coming back to see if you were ready to go."

While his facial expression turned innocent, Milo's tone was teasing, leaving Cedric to bite the inside of his cheek for a moment. It apparently was turning into a game of who could make the other boy more flustered and so far, it seemed they were an even match. But Milo neglected that Cedric had a very strong competitive nature and it wasn't solely dedicated to quidditch season. 

"I wonder what they'll have out for breakfast," Milo pondered out loud as he went to stand up and head towards the door. "I hope they have pumpkin pancakes, those are the best..."

He truly believed that he was going to get away with it as he casually went to stroll away from Cedric, but Cedric wasn't about to let him get away with it so easily. Just as Milo reached the door, his hand was grabbed and he was spun around and pulled back. Nearly crashing right into Cedric's chest, Milo was caught off guard as he didn't expect the sudden retaliation. The boy's hands held the sides of his face before Milo was met with a strong kiss that nearly took his breath away literally. 

He had kissed Cedric several times before but as soon as he felt the graze of the other boy's tongue against his lower lip, Milo let out a squeak and jumped back with wide eyes. His fingers touched his lips, but his reaction brought a triumphant grin to Cedric's face as he had won the round yet again. 

"Pumpkin pancakes sound good," Cedric told him before strolling out of the room. Milo stood there for a few extra moments before looking at the doorway.

"That wasn't fair! We didn't agree on useable war tactics. Cedric? Cedric!" Milo whined after him but he could only hear him laughing down the way, leaving Milo with no other choice but to follow. 

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Milo liked to think he had a fairly good memory, after all, it served him well when it came to remembering any useful information about magical creatures. But sometimes it failed him at the worst possible time. He had been walking in the corridor, just before his brother arrived with a happy grin on his face before recalling that once again, he had doubled up on invitations to do something. He had promised Harry to spend the day of Halloween together since Harry couldn't go to Hogsmeade not to mention it was the anniversary of their parents' death. The two brothers were back in good standings and Milo didn't want to ruin that. 

But his commitment to Cedric was just as important. Cedric had taken a huge leap when it came to confessing to his parents and right now, he wanted nothing more than their support. If his mother was going to offer it, all would be well in those respects, but if she was coming to give Cedric trouble, Milo wanted to be there to help him because that would be a tough pill to swallow. Cedric still held out hope that his mother would be accepting of all of it and Milo hoped for the same, but he truly didn't know what was going to happen. 

Harry and Cedric were among the most important people in his life and he wanted them both happy, he just had to think of a way to do it. As Harry approached him, he seemed all too excited, apparently, the idea of spending the day with his brother lifted his spirits enough that he forgot about how disappointed he was not being able to spend the day in Hogsmeade with Ron and Hermione. Milo hated himself in that moment because the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint his brother. So before Harry could get close to him, Milo ran off to talk to his mother. Harry was definitely confused as he watched his brother run away from him in a frantic manner. 

Giving himself a breath check, Harry proceeded to scratch the top of his head. "I don't stink!"

By the time Milo reached his mother's office, the boy was completely out of breath and definitely suffering from a stitch in his side as he tried to gather himself. His mother appeared as though she was just getting ready to leave her office when she caught sight of her son and his state. She couldn't really remember the last time the two of them had sat down and talked and she honestly missed it. But she understood with their schedules, that they were both quite busy. Milo's workload was getting heavier, but she didn't realise that he had taken on other extra-curricular activities as well that made him even busier. Even in his winded state, she was quite happy to see him.

"Mum," Milo breathed, " I need help. I..I made a mistake."

Well, so much for the quality time spent peacefully.

"What's going on, Milo? What did you do?" Minerva asked as she offered him to sit down. Using her wand, her office door closed over to give them some privacy before she returned to her own seat. 

Milo's fingers fidgeted nervously in his lap before he peered up at his mother. "I made promises to two people," he whispered to her. "I told Cedric that I would go to Hogsmeade with him and then I told Harry that I would spend the day with him here."

"You and Cedric have worked out your differences?" Minerva questioned, it was a loaded question as she was definitely looking for more information. Some days the two boys were talking to each other, some days they weren't on speaking terms and the same could be said for Harry and Milo as well. Sometimes it was hard to keep up, even for her.

"Yes, which is why I need to go to Hogsmeade with him-"

"Milo, surely, there will be other times to go to Hogsmeade throughout this term alone-"

"Mum, you don't understand," Milo shook his head, " Cedric told his parents."

It was quiet in the office for a few passing moments as Minerva registered what her son had just told her. She met his gaze for confirmation, only to see him give a slight nod of his head.

"It's true, Mum. He told him and...and...it was a disaster. His father was furious with the whole thing, he practically disowned Cedric. But now his mother is going to be in Hogsmeade on Halloween and she wanted to talk to him. I don't know if it's going to be good or bad, and neither does Cedric. He wants me to be there for him and I want to be there for him too. But I can't be in two places at once."

Minerva opened her mouth to speak against it, but she decided to keep her thoughts to herself before looking directly at Milo.

"And you still wish to spend time with Harry? Why not divide up the day? Go with Cedric and when you return, go spend the rest of the day with Harry?"

"But what if it ends up going bad?" Milo asked. "What if Cedric is upset when we leave Hogsmeade, I can't just leave him to spend the rest of the day with Harry. That...that would be terrible of me. Almost as terrible as me making double plans for the day."

There was a knock on the door, bringing Milo to shut his mouth. Minerva ordered the person to come inside and Milo was pleasantly surprised to see Elspeth. She smiled at the two of them after adjusting her frames that slid down her nose.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything important, Professor," she said.

Minerva welcomed her in and suddenly, an idea came to the woman's mind. "No, not at all. Come in, I actually have a question for you."

"Ask away, Professor," Elspeth told her before looking in Milo's direction briefly. The boy gave his godmother a small wave in which she returned the gesture with a wink.

"Do you have any plans on Halloween?"

Elspeth glanced up at the woman with a curious brow, she thought it over for a second before shaking her head. "Figured I'd probably be on duty around the castle but that's about it."

"Good," Minerva nodded her head. "I think I now have a solution to your problem, Milo."

Everyone was now smiling at Elspeth leaving the woman confused. She looked back and forth between the two, looking quite nervous, especially since the plan had yet to be told to her.

"I'm not going to be part of some sacrifice on Halloween now, am I?"