𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗻, cedric diggory

˗ˋ 50

CHAPTER FIFTY
✧
-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH PRACTISE BEGINS AGAIN

. . .

"Well this is something I never though I would see." Rosie said, as she walked into the Room of Requirement, the usual Hufflepuff themed set up. Her bag slipped off of her shoulder and down onto the ground beside a couch, sitting down next to the man already relaxed on it.

Cedric smiled up at her - or rather a smirk. He was laid back in the seat, arms stretched behind his head and balancing it there. Rosie's eyes flickered over his position, eyebrow raising as she did so. Where her mind went, Cedric didn't know but he felt rather accomplished upon seeing the blush on Rosie's face. 

"You're actually early!" Rosie exclaimed, sitting forward and pulling out a few rather large books and balancing them on her lap. "It's practically a miracle."

"Well, you know, considering I've rid myself of something that should've gone quite a while ago, and there are now no reason for me to make out in any closets." Cedric shrugged, and Rosie nodded.

"Exactly." Rosie said, pointing at him, a certain look in her eyes that Cedric couldn't really identify. "Now, there is a Hogsmeade trip tomorrow which will be fun, but afterwards would it be alright if we could practise? There's a lot to catch up on." 

"Kersey, how on Earth is there a lot to catch up on? Don't tell me you have a whole plan for the sessions." Cedric said, expecting a laugh from Rosie. But instead, she blushed. "Rosie you didn't."

"Yes, I did." She admitted, reaching into her bag and pulling out a long scroll of parchment from her bag. "It's not necessarily a plan exactly, but a list of things that I wanted to cover with you and the dates I needed you to have them done by. And because there's the ones that you have to learn after something else because they're connected and-"

"I get the picture." Cedric said, and Rosie blushed even futher. "You amaze me everyday, Kersey." He said, ignoring how Rosie turned even more pink at the compliment. "Also, how on Earth weren't you sorted into Ravenclaw, between this and the amount you know about potions it's really strange."

"It was considering it, but hey, it put me in Gryffindor for something I suppose. Yet to find out what it is though." Rosie said, settling into the couch, fiddling with the corner of the parchment.

"For your information, you're very brave. You wouldn't be doing anything that you are if you weren't." He said, and Rosie looked over.

"What do you mean?" She asked, looking confused. "Also if you don't mind hurrying up, we've got things to cover." Rosie said, and Cedric shook his head gently.

"Little things like that, you're a natural leader, you can actually put up with Snape. And then the big things, despite what you might think, you were extremely brave at the World Cup, when we had the first lesson with Moody-" Cedric began.

"I almost fainted and threw up." Rosie said. "That lesson was far from me being brave." 

"Rosie, you sat through it, you got through it - and you learnt it and everything. And now all this, you're helping me with the Triwizard Tournament - and don't get me started on how brave you were in the second task." He continued. 

"That was all down to my anxiety as well. Ced you have no idea how nerve-wracking it was stood there on the surface." Rosie began, and Cedric's gaze flickered over to her, noticing her change in tone. "Nobody had any idea what was going on and I felt so anxious.. something just came over me and I knew I had the opportunity to not feel so nervous and next thing I knew I was in the water." 

"And I'm very grateful you did, I would never have gotten the score I did if it wasn't for you." Cedric said gently. Rosie seemed the slightest bit more emotional - but Cedric suspected it was to do with something else as well. "Rosie, do you want to talk about something?"

"Maybe.. I don't know. It's stupid because it was over days ago but I just can't stop thinking about what Theo said." She suddenly burst out with, and Cedric wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "Do you think others think of me that way?" She worried, and Cedric quickly shook his head.

"Rosie, I promise you, there is nobody in this school that thinks of you in the way Theo described. I promise." Cedric took her hands. "You were not 'whoring' around in any means - he just has some twisted, jealous view." 

Rosie stayed quiet, her eyes trained down to her lap, avoiding Cedric's eyes. "Hug?" He offered, and without saying anything, Rosie leaned into arms, letting out a sigh of relief as they hugged. 

He heard her sniff, and a minute later she was sat up, wiping her eyes. "Come on." She said, her voice rather thick. "We have a lot to get through tonight." 

Even if she didn't see it herself, Rosie was, by far, the strongest person Cedric knew.

✧

a/n
god this is slowburn
friends to enemies to friends
to enemies to friends to lovers
of the century, chapter fifty and all
they've done is admired each other's
appearance and flirted