1 | Sunlight ➙ Cedric Diggory

Chapter Twenty

"I really don't think we should be doing this." Matthew mumbled as he and his fellow classmates made their way across the grounds of Hogwarts. The sun had said goodbye for the night, the moon taking it's place in the sky as it casted a silver shadow across the grass.

"Oh come on, Matt. We'll be fine." Cedric reassured the boy. The eldest of the group had been easily convinced by Toby to join them and the three Gryffindors on a trip to Hagrid's hut to ask him about the Philosopher's Stone. Hermione had been the one to figure out who Nicholas Flamel was, and what Fluffy the dog was guarding on the third floor.

"You need to stop worrying so much." Toby added on as he draped one of his arms across Matthew's shoulders. The other one reached out to the person closest to him who happened to be Hermione, putting his arm across her shoulders as well. "Hello, Grangers." The boy snickered as he walked awkwardly between Matthew and Hermione.

"Hello." Hermione said with a confused expression written across her face, pulling her bushy hair out from under Toby's arm.

"Look at those three. What do you think they're thinking about?" Toby asked as he watched Cedric, Ron, and Harry walking in front of him, all three of them staring at their shoes.

"Ron's probably thinking about food." Hermione stated, casually shrugging Toby off of her before catching up with Ron.

"Cedric's probably thinking about you." Toby mumbled at Matthew, earning him a sharp jab of Matthew's elbow to his ribs.

"Shut up, he is not." The blonde boy hissed back as Toby yelped in surprise, pulling his arm away.

The group of six approached Hagrid's hut, all of them squishing to fit on the front steps as Harry knocked on the wooden door. Hagrid opened the door with a dirty apron on and oversized oven mitts on his oversized hands.

"Oh, hello. Sorry, I don't wish to be rude but I'm in no fit state to entertain today." Hagrid hastily said before attempting to shut the door of his home.

"We know about the Philosopher's Stone!" Harry, Hermione, and Ron all blurted out together. Hagrid slowly reopened the door and let the six students inside. The three Hufflepuffs had never beeen inside Hagrid's hut and curiously allowed their eyes to wander. Toby's fell on the sleeping Boarhound that was curled up on a tattered couch, making a beeline over to the dog.

"We think Snape is trying to steal it." Harry began to explain as he sat down at a circular table, followed by Ron and Hermione. Matthew took the last available seat at the table and Cedric joined Toby on the couch.

Matthew watched as the two boys played with the Boarhound, both of them petting him. His droopy face would occasionally look up to see what was going on around him before going back to sleep.

"Snape? Blimey, Harry, you're not still on about him, are you?" Hagrid asked as he fidgetted with his oven mitts. Matthew only just noticed how warm it was in the hut, a blazing fire with a cauldron above it causing a thin layer of sweat on his hairline. Matthew's stomach lurched with nausea as he wondered what on Earth Hagrid was cooking.

"Hey, Hagrid, what's this guy's name?" Toby asked from across the room, scratching the boarhound behind his ears.

"That's Fang. Bit of a lazy brute, he is." Hagrid replied. Matthew got up from the table to go meet Fang, kneeling down in front of him to pet his head. Fang stretched his neck out to sniff Matthew's face, licking him across the cheek.

"Oh, gross." Matthew mumbled as he scrunched his face up before wiping his cheek on his shirt sleeve. The boy took a seat beside Cedric, squishing between him and the arm of the brown couch. The three Hufflepuffs were more focused on Fang than listening to Harry and Hagrid bicker about Professor Snape's intentions with the Philosopher's Stone.