CEDRIC
XL
They considered keeping their own teams, but it wouldn't be completely possible anyway. Cho was the only Ravenclaw and most were Gryffindors. Cedric wasn't very keen on teaming Hufflepuff with Ravenclaw, and not just because he'd like Harry to be on his team. His main idea was to share with new people from other houses, and he also thought that it was a great opportunity to get out of the usual roles. He proposed himself for the chaser position, something Fred and George found interesting.
So much so that they decided to play in opposite teams.
"There is always a first time for everything," one of them said.
"Let's see who wins."
A dash of competitiveness could be fun.
It was the Gryffindor girls' idea to name the teams, and they called theirs GIRLS ROCK , which consisted of Katie and Angelina, Cho, Hunter and George, who bragged about his luck. Tam almost changed at the last minute. The other group wasn't that creative to come up with a name, except for Fred who opted for GOLDEN since they had Harry, the best seeker, along with Ron, Tam and Cedric.
Harry and Cho would maintain their original position as seekers. On the one hand because they preferred it that way, on the other because nobody else wanted to try it, and Fred considered that being both so small it was the most suitable. The fact that they were both nearly the same height, Harry being a few inches taller, Cedric found adorable for some strange reason.
Not that any of them appreciated the jokes about their size.
At least Harry was far enough away to hear Fred say that he and Cho would look good together, which made Cedric laugh because that was what his own friends did to him. As each team finished deciding their positions, Cedric caught Cho's eye and walked over to Harry. He acted as if Tam was calling him from afar to let them talk.
Maybe Cedric wasn't so different from his friends.
Different strategies, that was all.
HARRY
XLVI
Ha had been left alone with Cho.
What were they supposed to talk about? All Harry could offer as a topic of conversation was Cedric. Awkward, considering she fancied him too.
Harry wished the earth would swallow him up.
He was just another person who had feelings for him.
"Would you have liked to play in another position?" Cho asked with gentle interest. "I heard they said we're small, but I bet I'd be an amazing chaser if I wasn't an even more amazing seeker."
The confidence in her delicate, smiling face impressed him.
Harry still had a hard time accepting compliments, and this girl just knew how good she was.
"Half of them would get bored after ten minutes."
Harry's estimate made her laugh.
She looked cute like that.
XLVII
Ron had taken his place as keeper in the hoop, while Fred had taken the same position as Cedric. George also decided to be a chaser, to level the playing field in the challenge they had set for themselves. The twins had never played against each other before, and it was a novelty to see their competitive side facing off.
Harry wished he could be in the stands, just watching the match.
Cedric as a chaser was fascinating. The way he stayed on his broom, carrying the Quaffle as he flew so fast and dodged the other players. His smile as he passed it to Fred, and his arms as he reached out to shoot the ball through the hoop. He was wearing dark pants and a sports shirt, from an international Quidditch team, that rose slightly on his stomach when he bowled.
Harry had to look elsewhere, anywhere.
XLVIII
To say that he had been distracted was an understatement.
A guilty feeling emerged when Cho caught the snitch. Although he had seen it first, she was closer. Fred was shaking his head in disappointment at losing and George was instantly showing off, flying back and forth with the girls in celebration.
"It's not every day that you beat the other version of yourself."
"If you and I are the same, that means I've also won."
"Or that I've lost," George continued his brother's reasoning, and placed his arm around his shoulders with no sign of unsteadying in midair. "We were born as a team. Even if I have proven to be superior, I propose to never part again."
At least Fred no longer seemed frustrated, but rather motivated to have his brother retract his former claim. Harry hoped he wouldn't receive the same taunts as he had in the old match with Ravenclaw. That time in the hospital wing when Oliver told him he shouldn't lose the game over a girl, and the jokes about how he had almost let her win. There was Harry, embarrassed that he had been too busy paying attention to Cedric. He didn't know if they would have won if he had been more focused, but any comment on it would have him on the verge of panic thinking that they had realised the reason behind his distraction.
XLIX
He flew towards Ron, figuring it was safe.
"You were amazing," Harry told him, going through the hoop. "I think next year you will enter the team. It will be great to have you at training."
"Do you think I'll get in?"
"Of course I do. I don't think there is anyone better."
Ron didn't seem to believe his words, and although Harry could understand it, he wanted his best friend to know how much he would bring into the team with his skills and knowledge. No one knew as much about Quidditch as he did: history, strategies and scores of matches around the world. The World Cup was a couple of months away and Harry had been the first person Ron had invited, something for which he felt privileged. This was the next event he was looking forward to, and the one that would keep him sane during the holidays at his uncle's house.
"That's my little brother," Fred yelled proudly as he hurried over. "The next Gryffindor keeper."
"Welcome to the team," George told him when he caught up with them, ruffling his red hair and leaving it matted. "Oliver won't listen to this coming from us, but we'll be glad to have you. Even if it means losing him."
"It's the Quidditch cycle. Some players leave, others come in."
Ron's small, sheepish smile faded before he stated the obvious, "But we lost."
"A minor detail," Fred clarified. "You have stopped several tough goals."
"There were some that I was sure would pass, and you caught them." George ruffled his hair again and began to descend to the ground. Fred followed, but not before glancing at Harry. Just when he thought he was going to say something, he smiled and left.
CEDRIC
XLI
Once on the field, he watched Fred talking to Tam, George to Angelina and Cho, and Hunter to Katie. Some were laughing with each other, and that was all Cedric wanted: everyone to have a good time.
Harry went through the hoop before landing right next to him.
With Ron, whose contained expression suddenly relaxed.
"You've been great!" He heard Hermione's voice before seeing her go by like a speeding blur until stopping in front of Ron and only then did she look at them. "And you too, Harry, of course. And you, Cedric. I don't understand that much about Quidditch, but you seemed like an experienced chaser."
"The boy here sure looks like one."
He felt an arm on his shoulders.
George.
Or Fred, not that he could tell the difference without noticing their shirts.
Cedric was slow to understand what he meant, a little overwhelmed by the physical contact. It wasn't that he was against it, it was that he barely knew him.
"Tall and strong," the other Weasley explained, "instead of light."
Granted, Cedric got nervous.
And red.
"It's been interesting to try another position," he commented, suddenly feeling intimidated by the looks he received. "Everyone played amazing, especially you, Ron."
With that he drew attention away from himself and was released.
The only person who kept looking at him was Harry.
HARRY
L
Without conscious intention, they had taken a few short steps away from the conversation that the others were having. They were still there, and if he focused, he would be able hear what the rest was saying and be a part of it. But he couldn't do it. With Cedric standing beside him, he felt like it was just the two of them.
"You really do look like a chaser."
Cedric's cheeks were still flushed.
"And I look like a seeker," Harry continued, laughing.
"You'll grow up."
One of Cedric's hands rose until he patted his hair gently twice, as if comforting him. Harry felt ridiculous, because Cedric was a head taller than him and was smiling with amusement after having petted him almost like a dog. Ridiculous because he had so many emotions running high that he was surprised he didn't melt right there.
LI
A few minutes after Cho approached, they were left alone. Again. Cedric had insisted that the Weasleys meet Malcolm, and Ron and Hermione were talking to each other. Harry didn't know what to say, but he was going to try.
Cho looked at him for a second and then walked away, leaving the words in his mouth unspoken.
Puzzled, he thought that perhaps he had misinterpreted the situation.
It couldn't be personal.
CEDRIC
XLII
It had occurred to him that Malcolm would get along great with the twins.
He hadn't been wrong. From the first moment, they seemed to hit it off, especially with Fred. Cedric found some similarities between them. Energetic, curious. Malcolm remembered some public pranks they had pulled off and that was the start of a conversation that he let go on their account. Cedric went over to talk to other people, like Angelina and Katie, who were really friendly, and with Hermione, considering that she had been in the stands the entire time. As he had expected, she was an impressive young lady.
When the sun started to go down, everyone gathered to say goodbye.
Cedric took the opportunity to thank them for their presence and was pleased to know that they had fun. Malcolm left chatting with one of the Weasleys, while the other walked off with the rest in a large group.
"Do you need help with something?"
Cho had a kind smile.
He considered telling her that it wasn't necessary.
"If you want, then yes," he said instead. "I have to put some things away. I would appreciate the company."
Yes, he was happy with how it had all turned out.
The little emptiness that came over him had nothing to do with it.
The thing was, sometimes he felt like he was always reaching out to everyone, and suddenly there he was in a dark, deserted field. It was silly, because he knew that his friends cared about him. Malcolm had kept him company before. Tam had also apologized for making him uncomfortable and attended because of him (he knew it wasn't an activity she would really be interested in). And while there were plenty of other little things that made him feel loved by the people around him, at that moment all of that seemed to disappear.
He wasn't really alone, even though he might come to believe so.
"I'll be happy to help you," Cho said without hesitation. "What can I do?"
Willow was right, Cedric realised. He had been spending more time with Cho lately, and he could confirm that this girl had become a good friend. A comforting knowledge as they both collected the brooms he had borrowed and stacked them up. When he was finishing securing the safety straps in the suitcase, he heard his name being called.
Looking up from the ground, he found Harry standing there.
"I didn't get to say goodbye."
Cedric got up and smiled softly at him.
"Did you come back all the way here just to say good-bye?" he said with affection, somewhere between shocked and surprised, but it must have sounded wrong somehow. Because Harry didn't return the gesture. He looked around and clasped his hands together.
What had failed?
Was it the tone or the words?
It wasn't the first time he'd had that feeling and he hated the idea that he'd made Harry feel less than good for some reason he couldn't fathom.
"I didn't mean to sound insensitive or anything," Cedric tried to explain, placing his hand on Harry's arm, drawing his attention. "Quite the opposite. You were away and you came back."
"I thought that..."
Harry was no longer looking at him.
"What?" Cedric asked, already sensing he wouldn't answer.
"I have to go, my friends are waiting for me," he murmured, shifting until Cedric released him. "I wanted to say goodbye. I had a good time today. Thank you. See you."
Cedric hated even more the way Harry ran off. He wanted to follow him. Merlin, he wouldn't even apologize this time if he knocked him to the ground. He didn't understand what happened. Perhaps he should have followed his instincts and gone after him instead of just standing there like a fool.
He would have preferred anything to that sad feeling he was left with.