"Good morning," Cedric muttered, finally waking up from his deep slumber as I walked to the mirror to adjust my dress and get my slight makeup on.
"Ah, finally someone is awake," I said, doing a quick dry charm to dry my hair.
"Well," he smirked, resting on his elbows to look at me from the bed he was still lying on, "I am tired from yesterday's events,"
I glared at him, light pink dusting my cheeks, "Can you just shut up and get ready?"
"Nah, I am going back to sleep," he said, pulling the sheets above his head once again.
"Ah, really? Fine then, I will go on my own,"
"No, you won't!" he spoke, his voice muffled by the blanket above his head.
"Oh, I definitely will,"
He groaned, throwing the sheets off him and dragging his feet towards me. Cedric sighed, wrapping his arms around my waist and resting his chin on my shoulder, our eyes meeting through the reflection on the mirror.
He smiled, kissing my shoulder, "I love you so much," he whispered into my ears as if it's only for me to hear, he stayed silent for a minute, the only sound heard being our steady breathing, his eyes locked onto mine through the mirror, pride and love filled his eyes as he slipped in the realm of memories; tears slightly welled up in those grey orbs as his smile widened ever so slightly, "Your my love, my life, my world, my universe, my...everything,"
Tears slipped down from both of our eyes. I leaned my head back to rest against his shoulder, my eyes closed, my hands moving forward to tightly clutch his forearms before Cedric turned me around in his arms, his one hand cupping my cheek, the other holding my waist and pulling me closer to him. He leaned in pressing a kiss to my forehead and caressed my cheek, wiping the tears.
"I love you too," I muttered, hoarsely, "This is all new an-and just so different, you know?"
He nodded, the smile always present on his face; it just triggered something in me, bringing back the memories that happened on the dusk of 24th July, his lifeless body laying on the ground, eyes fixed to the sky holding no emotion. A subtle melancholy made its way into the atmosphere surrounding us two.
"I know, these were indeed not supposed to happen but it did and it did for a reason we never know. You are gonna change things, my love, it could save many lives...just like it did mine," he said.
I stared at him, my bottom lip quivered before I smashed my lips onto his in a searing kiss, the force making him stumble backward, arms still tightly bound around my waist. He tilted his head, deepening the kiss as my hands weaved themselves into his hair.
I pulled away, smiling, his kisses always seemed to calm in some way or another, "alright, no more emotions," I took a deep breath, wiping my tears, "go get ready, you stink."
He rolled his eyes but chuckled, "Do you really wanna go?"
"Yes,"
"Why though?"
I scrunched my eyebrows, "Guess,"
"No, come on! It's just so cold and," he moved his hands, searching for the right word as he moved back to sit at the edge of the bed, "awkward after, you know, you did that,"
"Oh please, Ced! It was like two days ago,"
"And you know how yesterday was, like the moment you both are in the same room the temperature drops, it literally does"
I shrugged, looking away, "I dunno, I am not going for her u know..."
He sighed, pulling me between his legs and wrapping his arms around my waist, placing his chin on my stomach, "I know, love, but you gotta think about it too,"
I pouted, "Please, Cedric,"
He groaned burying his head into my stomach, "I hate you."
I scoffed, "big words coming from someone who was confessing his unconditional love just moments ago,"
He chuckled, as I leaned down to press a kiss to the top of his head, "you are such an idiot,"
"Yeah," he said pulling away, a smirk on his face, "but I am your idiot"
I threw my head back laughing, "that was cheesy,"
"I know,"
"Ok, now stop it and get dressed," I said, pulling away.
His smirk just widened, "not what you were saying last night,"
"Diggory!"
"Bonjour Messr.Moony!" I had yelled, walking into the room for which Remus threw me a lazy look and rolled his eyes.
"Why so grumpy?" I asked
"Ah, you know him," Sirius answered, who had just entered the room and swung his arm around my shoulder. There was a prominent difference in his characteristics from the start of the holidays to now, he was jovial, his laughter echoing the walls of the Grimmauld place now and then, a new shine in his eyes.
I laughed, "you did something?"
He scoffed, "Why would it be me who did something? It could be you," he smirked, looking at tonks, who was also in the same room, "or tonks,"
I looked at Sirius, Tonks, Remus and then at Cedric, who had a grin on his face. Once I realized what was happening my mouth formed an 'o' shape.
"How are you, Tonks?" I asked, smirking.
She glared at me, "Not nice,"
"Why not?"
"'Cause, you came,"
I feigned a look of being offended, "Ah! Am I that seriously uninvited?"
"Oh, those are idiots, don't mind them," Sirius said.
"Sirius Black!" Tonks, yelled, mocking offended, "I thought you were that loyal cousin!"
"Or uncle - to be more precise," I added as they both glared at me, "Woah, you blacks do have a deadly glare,"
My head was resting against Cedric's shoulder, who was sitting behind me on Harry's bed, an arm wrapped around me and we were watching Ron and Harry back their trunks.
"Don't you two have trunks to back?" Ron asked, chuckling.
"We - unlike you two - aren't lazy and finished packing way before,"
Harry rolled his eyes, "Well having a trial for-"
"Don't!"
"Cedric?" Ron called as Cedric hummed in response, "How do you handle this kid?"
"What the hell, Weasley, what do you mean by handling me? I am not a baby!" I exclaimed.
"Well, not you're not, but a baby is better than you!"
"What the-!?"
"I mean you were yelling like a banshee when Fred and George had mixed that pink colour in your shampoo," Ron laughed as Cedric looked at me in amusement before chuckling.
I scrunched my eyebrows, "First of all - I looked insane with that bright pink hair, second of all," I smirked at him, "how did you know that?"
He blushed looking away, "That doesn't matter,"
I hummed, still smirking, and I slowly turned to Cedric who had a grin on his face. He leaned closer and whispered, "Bet you would have looked insanely hot-"
"OK, shut it!" I said, pulling away from him but his arm that was wrapped around me pulled me closer.
There was a loud crack as Fred and George apparated into the room, "but you must agree, it was quite a great prank we pulled,"
I scoffed and pushed Geroge away who had sat beside me, "Well, you didn't even see me 'cause I knew the counter-charm for it,"
They both shrugged. "What's up with you, Ron?" asked Fred.
That when we looked at Ron who was standing there frozen, looking at his Hogwarts letter. And soon the news that he was a prefect was broken and as Mrs Weasley entered again, hearing the news, she was happy would be an understatement - she was ecstatic!
"I don't believe it! I don't believe it! Oh, Ron, how wonderful! A prefect! That's everyone in the family!" She had shrieked, taking her son into her arms.
"What are Fred and I, next-door neighbours?" said George, making Cedric purse his lips and look down to stop himself from laughing but after he heard a giggle escape my mouth he couldn't help but let out a chuckle and grin.
"Wait until your father hears!" Mrs Weasley said again, both Cedric and I had a really tough time keeping our laughter in, quickly excusing ourselves from the room, we rushed to the kitchen and away from the earshot of anyone in the room and hollered with laughter, clutching our stomach.
Sirius, who had jumped from the abrupt laughter erupting from us, looked bewildered, his grey widened, "um, are two alright?"
Cedric wiped the tears that stood at the edge of his eyes, chest heaving from the amount of laughter, he said, "yeah, we are prefectly normal,"
My laughter which started to die down once again started from the pun Cedric made. Sirius raised his eyebrows, "Are you siriusly fine?"
At this point, I was on my knees, clutching my stomach and howling with laughter. Remus, who had absentmindedly walked into the kitchen, had a similar look to that of Sirius by looking at me - on the ground, Sirius - leaning back on the chair and Cedric bent over, the three of us sent into hysterics.
Looking at the scenario he couldn't block that subtle smile from forming on his face. "What is happening here?"
Once we all calmed down and was able to speak something, I answered, "Nothing, Moony,"
He sighed, shaking his head. I got up from my place on the ground and shifted to sit on the chair instead.
The party Mrs Weasley had set up for celebrating the new Gryffindor prefects, was full-on, but I needed an escape for quite a few minutes. Yes, this was amazing but I felt uncomfortable being in the same room as these many people I knew yet I didn't.
I took a deep breath, moving closer to Cedric, intertwining our fingers. His gaze shifted from the twilight sky to me as he pressed a kiss to my forehead. "Do you remember that day? After your quidditch practice? Your third year."
Cedric lifted our intertwined fingers holding it above, allowing me to slip under his arm and rest my head on his shoulder. I giggled, "yeah, when you unofficially asked me out,"
He chuckled, "Mhm, that very day, it looks like it's been decades since that, you know?"
I hummed, staring ahead, feeling calm and composed unlike how I will be when school starts. The cold breeze ruffled our hair and flowed out our dresses. I looked back at Cedric, he looked divine, perhaps ethereal..." I love you,'' I whispered, afraid I would shatter the calmness that hung around us in the air.
He smiled, pressing his forehead against mine, "I love you too,"
I wished at that moment I could stop the time and just stay in his embrace forever but a shriek followed by a couple of sobs shattered the aura. We glanced at the doorway before rushing down the hallway and to the drawing-room.
Cedric stood before Mrs Weasley, yelling "Riddikulus!" and I took Mrs Weasley into my arms who sobbed uncontrollably. Having had an experience with situations like this often, I rubbed her back soothingly, muttering, "it's alright" over and over again.
Soon, Remus, Moody, Sirius, and Harry had come in and taken over the job of consoling Mrs Weasley.
"Don't worry about Percy," said Sirius, once they had managed to control Mrs Weasely. "He'll come round. It's a matter of time before Voldemort moves into the open; once he does, the whole Ministry's going to be begging us to forgive them. And I'm not sure I'll be accepting their apology," he added bitterly.
My breath hitched.