ALOHOMORA | CEDRIC DIGGORY

44〝forty-four〞

With every inhalation, she thought: clear your mind...and as she exhaled: let go of all emotion...Professor Snape's voice on a constant loop...

Meanwhile, Madam Pomfrey said something that surprised only Cedric.

"Oh—if you must." It was very begrudging, like the statement was being wrestled out of her. Madam Pomfrey pivoted off but shortly reappeared. "But no hanky-panky!" she warned fiercely, and stalked away again. They heard the door to her office click shut.

Cedric finally relaxed. By the way Ellis felt his gaze on her—and not by any other means—she knew he was suspecting what she had done, but he did not question it. He simply held her, steadily rubbing her arm and drawing circles on the back of her hand with his thumb. They had a nice, soothing effect.

By and by, her mind was white noise again; her eyes stung less being shut. And as her head leaned halfway between Cedric's shoulder and diaphragm, feeling every rise and fall of his chest, Ellis thought she might drift off to sleep. This kept her alert, for sleep wasn't necessarily a good thing—but this was, and she wished, childishly, nothing would ever change.

"I like this," piped up Cedric, but seemed to regret his choice of words at once. "Not you being here in the Hospital Wing, no—not you breaking your nose and being here. Not the wand-throwing and the shouting and the— This—I mean—us, here—no, not here—I mean—"

"I like it too," admitted Ellis, a giggle bubbling up her gut.

Cedric went very stiff, and very quiet; the arm-rubbing and circle-drawing ceased abruptly.

Evidently, he was stunned.

"Y-you do?"

"Of all the times you could have doubted me, Diggory," said Ellis, forcing the giggle down, "you choose now?"

"Th-that's not...not what I-I..."

"Or do I have to engage an elf to sing you a valentine copied from one Ingolfr the Iambic to get my point across?"

"I...I don't care about Cho's valentine—"

"Cho?!"

"Yes—NO, I mean Chang—"

At this, Ellis's giggle—or rather, giggles—brimmed over. About two seconds later, at long last, Cedric cottoned on to her mock irritation. His body slackened; he was laughing too.

"You scared me," he said, resuming the arm-rubbing and circle-drawing.

"That's kind of what I do, isn't it?" said Ellis as a joke. She was really having fun.

"That's a trap." Cedric laughed.

After a while, however, he peeled himself away, though still holding her hand, looking serious and concerned—seriously concerned.

"But is that what you're upset about?" he asked. "The musical valentine?"

Ellis took some time to ponder over her reply. The truthful answer was—

"Yes," she said, "and no."

One of Cedric's brow was higher than the other. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lip.

"I think you're going to need to be much more specific than that," he said, teasing slightly, and Ellis colored.

"Well, you are the golden boy. I expect people would be lining up to send you valentines. I shouldn't have been that shocked, I suppose..."

"Are you...jealous?"

He sounded tentative but his smirk had grown so smug—and so handsome—Ellis thought it ought to be illegal.

"What? Nobody could be jealous of that plagiarized piece of—" She caught herself before swearing, but gave a would-be offhanded snort.

"You're not upset with my acting, then?"

"If that's what you want to call it."

But Cedric grinned as though he had totally sailed past the snide remark and was only intent on what it implied.

"People weren't lining up to send me valentines, you know," he said, in a voice that was marginally triumphant. "Lockhart and Margaery, yes—but not me, I just got the one." His tone had become despondent and Ellis saw to her astonishment that Cedric was almost pouting as he gazed sad puppy eyes at her, which alarmed her still more.

"D-don't make that o-out to be m-my fault!" she stammered.

"I didn't say it was," he countered, beaming, and as Ellis struggled to riposte, he re-slung his arm around her. "So, what else's bothering you?"

All jesting flushed out of her, Ellis bit her lip.

"There's something I haven't told you."