The amount of work that was being piled onto them meant that Nic spent most of her time curled up by the fireplace in the common room, books strewn around her. Cedric and Tyriq often kept her company as they also had tons of work. "Why is Flitwick making us read three books in preparation for this stupid class?" Tyriq groaned, flipping to the next page in the book he was reading.
"Which charm is it?" Cedric asked, looking up.
"Summoning Charm," Nic explained as she wrote another line in her potions essay. Finishing her essay, Nic got out her History of Magic essay and began it. Then she asked, "Did you all hear the foreign students are coming in a week for the tournament?"
"Yeah, I heard," Cedric replied quietly. Something was clearly on his mind.
Setting aside her quill, Nic asked, "Cedric, what's wrong?"
"Nothing," he lied.
"Cedric," Nic warned, glaring at him so he'd know she wouldn't let this go.
With a sigh, he asked, "Would it be...crazy if I said I wanted to enter?"
"A little bit, yeah," Nic laughed, smirking teasingly. "I'm kidding. If you want to enter, you have my support."
"Me too," Tyriq added, giving him an encouraging smile. "Although I'm still making you tutor me in potions."
"It's a deal," Cedric laughed. "And thanks, guys. I appreciate the support."
"Well, I'm going to turn in," Tyriq sighed. "There's no way I'll be able to figure this out tonight. Goodnight, guys."
"Night," Nic replied as she finished her essay. The common room was empty by now, leaving only Nic and Cedric.
"So, do you really support me in this?" Cedric asked after a pause.
"Of course," Nic chuckled, putting away her things. When she straightened, she realized how close she and Cedric were sitting. Her heart rate was spiking as her gaze flicked down to his lips. Blushing, she looked away, bitting down on her lip.
"Nic, I-" Cedric began, suddenly very quiet and nervous.
"Ced," she breathed, looking back to him. He got closer, looking at her expression carefully.
"Nic, I-I think..." Ced began. "Can I-"
"Yes," Nic interrupted. Next moment, Cedric closed the gap between them. They stayed in the initial kiss for a moment before Cedric began moving his lips against hers. He pulled away, leaving his eyes closed as if scared of her reaction. "Ced," Nic whispered, cupping his cheek. His eyes fluttered open just before she pressed her lips to his again. Pulling away, Nic grabbed her things and stood, blushing furiously. "Um, I should get to sleep. Um, I'll uh-"
Nic backed into the wall clumsily as Cedric smiled, holding back a laugh. She stuttered her way across the common room and into her dorm. Her cheeks were flushed a brilliant red as she lay to bed that night. Grinning widely, she took her sleeping draught and fell asleep.
The next day, Nic caught sight of Cedric at the table sitting with Tyriq. Trying to hide her flushed cheeks, Nic sat down next to Tyriq, facing Cedric. "What's up with you?" Ty asked, laughing at her frenzied and nervous behavior.
"Nothing," she lied, clearing her throat. "I'm fine." All through breakfast, Cedric and Nic refused to make eye contact and both were unusually quiet.
After fifteen minutes trying to start conversation between them all, Tyriq snapped, "Okay, that's enough. What happened between you two that's making you so awkward?"
"What?" Nic replied, trying to sound as if she had no idea what he was on about. "Tyriq, what would make you think-"
"Nic, don't even," Tyriq interrupted. "Neither of you will talk, you're not looking at each other, and at the mere insinuation of something happening between you two, you both just turned into tomatoes, so spill."
"It was nothing," Cedric muttered quietly, trying to get Ty off their back. Nic's eyebrows raised, but she said nothing. When Ty eventually gave up and they all began to head for classes, Nic caught Cedric by the wrist and forced him to face her.
"It was nothing?" Nic repeated.
"Nic," he began.
"No," Nic interrupted. "I'm not going to do that stereotypical thing where we dance around this. Be honest with me. Do I mean something to you? More than friends?"
"Yes," Cedric admitted. "It meant something to me. I just...Tyriq's your best friend and I wasn't sure how he'd react."
"So what now?" Nic asked quietly.
"I-I don't know," Cedric replied. "What do you want to happen now?"
"Cedric...I like you, but...I-I don't know if I'm ready for something like this," Nic admitted. "I'm sorry. I really like you, but it's the beginning of the year and I'm still trying to figure out how to balance classes and..."
"Hey," he interrupted, grabbing hold of her chin gently. "Tell you what. When you're ready, let me know, okay? Days, months, years, whatever it is."
"Cedric-" Nic began.
"Don't you dare say you're sorry," Cedric interrupted. "When you're ready, you're ready. It's as simple as that."
"Thank you," Nic replied quietly. She began to pull away from him, but quickly kissed his cheek. "I'll see you later, Ced."
"Bye, Nic," he replied.