That night, Dumbledore sent all of the students from every House to sleep in the Great Hall.
The teachers searched the whole castle for any signs of Sirius Black but there wasn't a single trace of him.
The next few days, the school talked about nothing else but Black.
We were honestly very worried for Harry.
We knew Sirius Black was out looking for him, but we always assumed that it was the least of our worries as long as we never left school grounds.
But now that the unthinkable happened and Black managed to break into the school, Harry was under heavy vigilance.
He would be escorted from class to class by Professors, and I could tell it was embarrassing for him.
We were in the Common Room, sitting at our usual spot in front of the fireplace with the exception of Hermione who was at one of the tables, getting started on her mountain of homework. She looked like she was on the verge of tears but none of us dared to interrupt her, because we'd get snapped at if we did.
The Gryffindor Quidditch team was surrounding us. They were having a team meeting because Oliver Wood, the Captain of the team, came bearing bad news.
"We're not playing Slytherin. We're playing Hufflepuff instead." Oliver announced agitatedly, pacing back and forth in front of us as his eyes darted rapidly to each of his teammate's faces.
"Why?" chorused the team, and Ron— who was deeply invested.
"The excuse is that Slytherin's Seeker's arm is still injured. But I know that they canceled because they don't want to play in this weather. It'll damage their chances." Oliver was grinding his teeth now.
My eyes scanned out the window and saw that it was pouring outside. The weather had been rainy for a few days now, with no indication of change anytime soon.
"There's nothing wrong with Malfoy's arm! He's faking it." Harry replied furiously.
Ron grunted in agreement, nodding viciously.
"I know, but we can't prove it. And we've been practicing moves thinking we'd play Slytherin, and instead, it's Hufflepuff. Their technique is quite different. They've got a new Captain and Seeker— Cedric Diggory."
I jumped slightly in my seat at the mention of his name.
The whole sports-talk bored me a bit but I was suddenly very alert.
Angelina, Alicia, and Katie giggled when they heard Cedric's name. They were the girls who played for the Gryffindor team, and by the looks of it, were crushing on Cedric just as many others were.
"What?" asked Oliver, frowning at the girls' abrupt, lighthearted behavior.
They suddenly glanced at me.
"He's that tall, good-looking one, isn't he?" Angelina asked Oliver. Her eyes still on me.
"Strong and silent," added Katie, also looking in my direction and started to giggle again.
I felt the heat rush to my cheeks as I sank further into the couch.
I wonder if I made it obvious that I liked Cedric whenever he talked to me.
I mean, there had to be a reason as to why the girls seemed to direct their teasing about him to me.
"He's only silent because he's too thick to string two words together," Fred said impatiently. "You shouldn't be worried, Oliver. Hufflepuffs are pushovers. The last time we played them, Harry caught the Snitch in five minutes, remember?"
"Wewereplayingincompletelydifferentconditions!" Oliver shouted, making us all jump. He didn't even take a breath before continuing. "DiggoryisanexcellentSeeker! Wemustfocus! We. Need. To. Win!"
Feeling like I've heard enough about Quidditch and growing slightly scared of Oliver Wood, I patted both Ron and Harry on their knees and stood up from my seat, leaving the space in between the both of them empty.
Oliver immediately lunged towards the couch, taking my spot, and started explaining to Harry about the methods that Cedric uses when playing.
༻✦༺
It was the evening before the Quidditch match, and so far the day was going really horribly.
I was already in a miserable mood because it just wouldn't stop raining.
I usually didn't mind rain— I even enjoyed it sometimes. But this wasn't a peaceful drizzle.
There was distant thundering and you could barely see anything a foot away because of how hard it was pouring down.
I was counting on our Defense Against the Dark Arts class to brighten my mood, excited to see what Lupin had prepared for our lesson, but instead, we found that Lupin was absent and Snape was substituting the class.
He insisted on starting a lesson about werewolves, even though we informed him that we didn't get that far yet.
When he asked what werewolves were, I answered, and he deducted ten points off Gryffindor because I didn't raise my hand.
Ron tried defending me, arguing that if Snape didn't want to hear an answer, he shouldn't have asked, but this only resulted in Ron getting detention and me feeling dreadfully guilty about it.
Draco kept cradling his fake injured arm, rubbing it in Harry's face that he got his team out of playing in the horrible conditions.
With my lack of patience, I was trying with everything that I had to stop myself from marching over to Draco and snapping his arm in half for real.
Hermione and I have been visiting the library the past week, as we usually did, but Cedric was nowhere to be seen.
I assumed that he was busy getting his team ready for the game, but his absence still bummed me out.
He told me to go looking for him next time I wanted to kill time at the library, and I was looking forward to that.
But instead, I was stuck with a very grouchy Hermione.
I thanked the heavens that I was doing alright in every one of my classes because I felt that if I asked Hermione for help like she insisted I did, she'd suffer some sort of mental breakdown.
That lousy afternoon, I stomped into the library after Hermione— ignoring the shushing from Madam Pince, and went straight towards the tables where we usually worked at.
I dropped my bookbag down with a thump, sat down, and put my head down on the table— burying my face in my arms as I tried to diminish my annoyance by listening to music.
I stayed like this for a while.
Snape got on my last nerve— I wasn't used to being treated like I was a bad student when I've really done nothing wrong.
I wasn't striving to be perfect like Hermione, but it seemed like nothing could ever go right with Snape in the classroom.
One wrong move made by a Gryffindor and we would lose all our House points.
I was so grateful for Ron, but I also felt horrible that he got detention because of me.
I already apologized countless of times but he kept insisting that it was fine.
His cheeks were bright red, though, and he seemed to want to put the matter to rest, so maybe he was secretly angry with me.
I was so lost in thought that I didn't hear that someone was calling my name a few times.
It wasn't until my headphones were lifted from my ears that they grasped my attention.
"Hey!" I complained as I raised my head, ready to argue with whoever thought it was okay to do that, only to be frozen in place as I stared up at a grinning Cedric Diggory.
"I'm sorry, you left me no other option. You couldn't hear me." He said lightheartedly, finding the way I reacted amusing.
He adjusted my headphones so they wrapped around my neck and I sighed, all the anger leaving my body.
"It's fine— sorry. It's been a long week." I apologized, hiding my burning hot face by taking off my headphones and putting them away in my bag.
"Are you free right now? I was thinking we could walk around the school."
I didn't even hesitate before responding.
"Yeah! Let's do it." I replied cheerful and picked up my bag, glancing over at Hermione in front of me.
She wasn't looking up at us, but I knew she was paying attention.
She wasn't writing as quickly as she usually did and there was a little smile forming on her lips.
Cedric and I left the library together and walked the hallway silently.
There was nothing but the sound of our footsteps, the rain pattering against the windows, and my heart that was pounding so loudly in my chest that I was sure he could hear it.
"So, how's Quidditch practice?" I asked to kill the silence.
I peered up at him timidly and it seemed like I asked the correct question.
I figured out that in the Wizarding World, all you had to do was mention Quidditch to get a boy to start yapping.
"Good. Really good, actually. We've been studying the Gryffindor techniques, your House has really good players. But I think that we're ready for tomorrow."
"Be easy on them. Oliver was having some sort of spasm when he found out that Gryffindor would be playing Hufflepuff instead of Slytherin. You're quite the intimidation to them, at the moment."
Cedric chuckled and I felt proud of myself for making him laugh.
I found myself wanting to do it more often.
"I could imagine Oliver Wood having a... spasm, did you call it? But we're just as wary about the Gryffindor team. Harry Potter won a game against us before by catching the Snitch within the first five minutes! I find that rather intimidating... He's your friend, isn't he?"
"Yes, he is," I said proudly, grinning broadly as I looked at Cedric's grey eyes. "And even though I haven't seen him play yet, I'm sure he's great and you absolutely should be intimidated."
Cedric eyes roamed my face with interest before speaking again. "Right, this is technically your First Year. You haven't seen a game yet?"
I shook my head, confirming that I haven't, and walked quietly by his side.
I didn't know how he could forget that very big detail considering my very obvious American accent.
Right then, a thought come over me that panicked me.
What if this strange Veela effect was the only reason he was talking to me?
Maybe it made him blind to obvious details... I really needed to do more research about it.
"I think you'll like it. It's easy to understand once you see it." He said and I snapped out of my thoughts. We were by the Courtyard, and Cedric sat down on the window sill.
We were out by the open air but still shielded of the rain by the castle's tall ceilings. I took a seat by his side.
"Yeah, I've been told." I replied and tried to focus on being present.
I was getting too ahead of myself.
He didn't seem remotely interested in me in a romantic aspect and he wasn't acting stupid like some of the other boys did around me.
"How are you liking it here?" He asked after a few moments of serene silence, accompanied by the sound of the rain hitting the concrete outside.
I took the opportunity to recompose myself and told him just how much I was loving it at Hogwarts.
I mentioned that I did miss home, especially my mom, but Hogwarts was ultimately my dream come true.
I was grateful for how fortunate I was to make the friends that I did and how mostly everyone was so welcoming.
"What do you mean mostly everyone?" Cedric asked. His eyebrows pulled together in concern.
"Well, I'm sure you know just how amicable some Slytherins can be," I teased sarcastically, managing to get Cedric to laugh again.
"Yeah, they're very friendly," He snickered.
"...But I don't know, some of the girls here are a bit standoffish. I haven't talked to some of them before and they still look at me like they'd love to see my head on a stick"
My tone was light because I didn't really care for this treatment much. I was just making conversation.
"Isn't that common for teenage girls, though? To act that way when they feel threatened?"
I raised an eyebrow at him. I never considered myself to be intimidating, and I didn't think I had a resting bitch face, so I didn't see how I could be threatening. But still, I shrugged.
"It's possible..." I trailed off as I decided how to word what I wanted to say next.
"Your pretty...friend. The Ravenclaw girl from the library. She stares daggers into my head sometimes. Especially after she spotted me and you talking... I don't know if she got the wrong idea but... I don't want to interfe—"
"You're not," Cedric interrupted, reassuring me.
He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, seeming to struggle to choose the right words.
"Cho and I... we're talking but it's nothing serious, at the moment."
At the moment.
It's what I expected, really.
I might have developed a schoolgirl crush on Cedric but I'd be dim to think that he wasn't talking to anyone.
Also, Cho is as gorgeous as he is, so they made a perfect pair.
In the end, Cedric Diggory was nothing but a kind-hearted Hufflepuff who went out of his way to be my friend and make me comfortable in my new school.
And I appreciated that.
Hufflepuffs were known for being incredulously nice and Cedric was definitely that.
I was happy to call him my friend.
Cedric and I talked for a while longer.
He asked me what was the device that he so rudely snatched away from my head, and I took out my Discman from my bookbag.
We listened to a few songs— I had to get closer to him to share the headphones which I didn't mind at all.
I needed to learn to stop my heart from racing every time I got near him, though.
He really liked Where Is My Mind? by Pixies, and There Is A Light That Never Goes Out by The Smiths.
Soon, the hallways were filling with students as they headed to the Great Hall for dinner.
Cedric and I walked in together, stirring up some curious glances and whispering within our peers.
But we didn't pay any attention to them as we said goodbye and went our separate ways to our own House tables.
༻✦༺
"When did Harry leave?" I called out to Ron loudly.
We were walking down the grassy lawn, making our way towards the Quidditch field.
I didn't know how the game wasn't canceled— the wind was so violent that it was ripping umbrellas away from the grasp of some of the students who brought them.
I was holding on to Ron tightly, grabbing onto his upper arm and also holding hands with Hermione as we tried not to get swept away by the wind.
"He woke up at four, he didn't sleep much" Ron answered, his voice being carried away by the air.
Despite the horrible weather, the Quidditch stands were filled with students.
Everyone showed up to watch the first match of the season.
Within the Slytherins, I noticed Malfoy and his friends under a large umbrella, laughing as they pointed out the Gryffindor Quidditch team who were making their way onto the field.
The wind was so strong that all the players were staggering sideways as they walked.
The crowd was cheering loudly, but it was barely audible because of the booming of the thunder.
The Hufflepuffs walked out onto the field as well. Cedric, being Captain of his team, shook hands with Oliver Wood with that handsome, friendly smile of his but Oliver merely nodded curtly with a clenched jaw.
Soon, all the players shot up in the sky on their brooms.
I gasped in bewilderment, earning a chuckle from Ron, but that was as great as the game got.
There were flashes of lightning in the sky, and you could just barely see the players' outlines through the thick rain.
It didn't take long before Oliver Wood called for a timeout.
The Gryffindor players were landing on the field one by one and the students started booing from the stands.
"Come on!" Hermione grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the exit of the bleachers.
Ron called after us and asked us where we were going, and I just turned to him and shrugged.
With a sigh of frustration, Ron followed after us.
"Didn't you see Harry?" Hermione called as she lead the way to the field. "He can't see a thing because of the rain on his glasses! I have a spell that could help him."
Sure enough, when we reached the field, Harry was hurriedly wiping his glasses on his robes.
"I've got no chance with these on" He muttered and Hermione appeared by his side to cast the spell.
Ron and I waited for her, holding our cloaks over our heads to shield ourselves from the rain.
I noticed that Cedric and the rest of his team were standing a few feet away. He grinned once he saw me.
It seemed like Hermione's spell worked because the Gryffindor team cheered and were patting her on the back.
I smirked at Cedric, and mouthed 'good luck'.
Now that Harry could see clearly, I was sure that Gryffindor would easily win the game easily.
Cedric raised an eyebrow as if I just challenged him and shot up to the sky on his broom.
The game resumed, and we were seated with the Ravenclaws because we didn't want to bother anyone by pushing our way back to the Gryffindor bleachers.
We were cheering loudly for Harry when I swear I felt someone's eyes burning on the back of my head.
I turned around and saw Cho Chang staring at me angrily.
She had a Hufflepuff scarf wrapped around her neck.
I recognized it to be Cedric's because he was wearing it when he was leaving for Hogsmeade.
She noticed me looking at it because her demeanor changed drastically, as she turned to her friend with a big smile on her face.
"Isn't Cedric sweet for lending me his scarf?" She cooed as she ran her hand down the fabric. "I swear he's the sweetest guy ever."
I sighed, stopping myself from rolling my eyes as I leaned over so she could hear me.
"Cho, Cedric told me about you two. I think you're great together."
Her look of distaste towards me softened when I said that.
I smiled at her sweetly, hoping that this would stop her from killing me with her eyes from now on, and turned towards the field and focused on the game.
Harry was distinctively doing better.
His moves were more confident now that he could see better.
He was making his rounds as he was searching the skies for the Snitch and then suddenly everyone in the crowd was on the edge of their seats.
Cedric seemed to have spotted it, because he was flying determinedly to the other end of the field, and when Harry noticed, he threw his weight on his broom so he could get to the Snitch first.
We were all cheering, feeling that the end of the first match was near and hoping that Gryffindor might win but all of a sudden Harry stopped.
He was swaying in his broom and to our horror, he fell off.
Hermione and I screamed as we all flung ourselves off the bleachers and towards the field.
By the time we got there, he was falling towards the ground but in slow-motion now.
We extended our arms out beneath him and once he was at our reach, we pulled him down to our lap to check if he was alright.
We didn't get a chance before Professor Dumbledore, Madam Hooch, and many other Professors were surrounding Harry.
I've never seen Dumbledore so angry.
A blue-silvery light shot out of his wand and he aimed it towards the skies where I saw Dementors swarming around— and they immediately got blasted away.
He then put Harry on a stretcher which floated in the air and headed towards the castle and Dumbledore walked back to the school by Harry's side.
On the other end of the field, Cedric was clutching the Snitch in his hand and was staring at Harry being carried away with a mortified expression.
"Oliver!" He called out and approached the scene.
Oliver Wood was by my side, looking sorrowful either because of Harry or because he lost the match.
"What happened?" Cedric asked me desperately.
"I- I don't know. He seemed to have fainted off his broom. Something happened to him up there." My voice came out hoarse. Hermione was bawling hysterically by my side.
Cedric's grey eyes searched mine, then looked at Hermione who was weeping, and then he turned to Oliver.
"We'll rematch. I'm calling this off, it isn't fair if Potter was unconscious." Cedric held out his hand that was clasped around the Snitch and tried handing it over to Oliver.
Madam Hooch, the Quidditch referee, overheard and took the Snitch from Cedric.
"Cedric, you won fair and square. Harry Potter fell off his broom after you caught the Snitch. This match is still a win for Hufflepuff."
Cedric didn't seem happy with this, and Oliver looked like he was about to have a fit.
The bleachers were mostly empty as the students headed back to the school.
"C'mon," I mumbled to Hermione and Ron.
She lunged to hug me as she kept crying, burying her face on my shoulder.
I hugged her back tightly, and we began the walk back to the castle.