Dear Diggory

chapter 61

I knocked on Cedric's door and heard his footsteps approach. He swung the door open and smiled at me.

"Are you ready?" I asked.

"Yeah sure, let me just get the blanket and flask."

I nodded and watched him return to the room as he gathered his stuff. He picked up his scarf and handed it to me. I smiled at his unspoken gesture and put it around my neck. It smelled of him strongly and I inhaled his addictive scent.

After my initial resistance, he frequently gave it to me to wear. He claimed it looked better around my neck, but I knew that was a lie. He seemed to wear everything like a model for Merlin's sake.

"Okay let's go." He returned to my side and shut his door before taking my hand.

We made our way out of the Hufflepuff house, Cedric said quick goodbyes to friends of his scattered around the common room as we left.

Once we were outside of the castle, we headed in the direction of the forbidden forest.

A few days ago I had noticed the date and realised it was a special time to visit the forest. I checked the moon alignments and figured out tonight would be perfect for seeing the phenomenon I adored each year.

I hadn't told Cedric much about my secret plan, just that I knew how to enter the forest safely and for him to bring a blanket.

I secretly thanked Hagrid for teaching me the safety spells as we approached the edge of the woods. I'd been meaning to explore for a while but hadn't had time last term.

The air was crisp but the night sky was fairly clear of clouds. There would be no rain tonight and that made things a lot easier.

We stopped at the edge and I pulled out my wand with my free hand. I did an arch motion over our heads and spoke the charms swiftly. They would ensure that we remained invisible whilst in the area and any noise we made would be undetectable.

I nodded to Cedric, indicating we were safe to continue and he stared ahead through the dense trees. They appeared very ominous from the outside and I wondered if he was afraid of what may lay hidden in there.

I squeezed his hand reassuringly and began to lead us through the maze of vegetation. Low branches scrapped our legs and I was glad we were both wearing thick jeans to avoid cuts.

The silence of the forest was deafening, hollow like the oak trees it contained, and it didn't help ease the tension. Occasionally we would see a shadow skitter in the distance, each time I wondered at what magical creature it could be.

We walked for about 30 minutes in silence until we reached the location. The trees were larger in this area of the forest, they had grown up so high that we were unable to see the tops. There were a lot of bare branches lower down and I recognised the small leafy sacks hanging from them.

The ground was covered in thick rose bushes so we were unable to enter the middle of the clearing, but it didn't matter. Cedric handed me the blanket when he noticed I'd stopped walking and I unrolled it, laying it over the wet soil on the ground.

I sat down, crossing my legs underneath myself. Cedric looked around anxiously before joining me.

"So are you gonna tell me what we are doing here?" He smiled.

"Just wait, patience is a virtue you know." I teased.

He rolled his eyes playfully and scooted closer to me so that I could lean against his shoulder. I sighed contentedly into the darkness. It felt so good to be with him like this, like we'd been doing it forever.

A part of me had doubt in the back of my mind about the relationship, like something bad was coming. I'd never been a very lucky person and after what had happened to my mother I had a problem trusting fate's plan for me. I remembered an old muggle saying that when things were too good to be true, they usually were, and it made panic rise in my throat.

Cedric seemed to notice my silence and his fingers cupped my chin, turning my gaze to face him.

"What's wrong?" He murmured. I scanned his perfect face, not wanting to ruin the peacefulness of it.

"I just-" I sighed, frustrated with my own inability to explain it.

He stroked my cheek gently and I leaned into his soft touch.

"Tell me."

"I'm scared. I feel like something's going to go wrong. No one gets this lucky." My tone was glum as I admitted the truth.

He frowned slightly but dropped his hand to take mine.

"I know it's hard after what you've been through. It's scary having something... someone to lose. But I'm not going anywhere." He spoke so confidently it helped ease my qualms.

I nodded slightly, letting his words roll around in my brain. I knew I had to trust him and not worry too much about what might be around the corner. I'd always worried too much about the future and I resented myself for it.

He leaned his forehead against mine, his lips brushed my own gently and I sucked a breath in as the electricity ran through my skin.

He kissed me gently, I could feel the care he had for me through the gesture. I returned his affection and there was something so sweet about the moment.

It felt like something had shifted, as if it suddenly meant more for us to be together in this way.

There was a twinkling sound around us and I broke the kiss to turn my attention to our surroundings.

"Cedric... look!" I pointed towards the branches on the trees and he followed my finger.

The magic was beginning. The leafy cocoons cracked open slowly as a soft golden dust emerged from them, floating into the sky. Cedric squeezed my hand at the sight of the transformation.

We watched in silence as the leaves dropped onto the ground, exposing the precious content concealed inside.

A gentle fluttering of wings ricocheted around the empty forest and I watched in awe as the fairies began to rise out of the cocoons. There were at least 80 floating around and we observed them as they tested the strength of their newly born wings.

I admired their beauty, they varied in colour but each of them were surrounded by a glittering dust.

To a muggle I imagined that they would look like small aliens, but I was familiar with their unusual appearance. I'd attended the fairy spawning every year since Hagrid had first showed it to me. It was my favourite magical spectacle, and now I got to share it with Cedric.

I glanced at him and smiled at his shocked expression. His eyes scanned across the forest, taking in the fantastical site. I mentally captured the moment, I already knew it would count as one of my top favourite memories we had together.

He turned and saw me staring at him. I blushed slightly at having been caught and he smiled at me.

"Beautiful," he whispered as he gazed at my face, but I couldn't tell if he was talking about the fairies or me.

He ran his thumb across my hand in soothing circles and I grinned as I turned back to the magic in the trees.