"And I've heard of a love that comes once in a lifetime
And I'm pretty sure that you are that love of mine
'Cause I'm in a field of dandelions
Wishing on every one that you'll be mine
And I see forever in your eyes
I feel okay when I see you smile"
-Dandelions (Ruth B.)
One of A Kind
The rising sensation of betrayal and hurt was back.
She felt her body rising through the air from the earthy ground again.
And then pause.
The small song birds didn't let a single sound escape from their tiny beaks in fear of the girl floating above with yellow and black clothing hanging on her stiff posture.
Sigh.
The silence was somewhat.. peaceful.
For a moment, she had awaited her fall. She wanted to greet death without fear.
But she thought of Cedric.
Pretty boy Diggory.
The Golden Boy of Hufflepuff.
The Prince Charming of Hogwarts.
And she accepted her death.
As long as it would keep him safe.
Even if it's not me who would love him for this lifetime. Even if it's her.
Whoever she might be.
Even if it hurted her whole soul and crushed her heart, as long as it would keep Cedric alive.
She closed her eyes and smiled.
And her body plummeted back to the world.
Y/N sat up from her bed. She felt hollow inside.
The nightmares kept coming. Every night from that day.
It's been several months.
She tried to be strong in front of everyone, but it was getting too much to handle.
She felt sick to her core. She didn't want anyone to know or worry on her behalf.
It was already enough to know that she was occupying Cedric's mind with worry and concern 24/7.
She knew.
He had sleepless nights as well.
Most of the Hufflepuff house knew.
The pair's hollow eyes and dark eyebags seemed to say a lot.
But Y/N was concerned for Cedric. The last task of the Triwizard Tournament was coming up.. she couldn't bear to let him participate in that state.
He smiled encouragingly to his friends and laughed at their jokes.
But Y/N saw right through those stormy gray eyes.
One night when Y/N couldn't fall asleep from fear of having the same nightmare again, she crept down to the common room.
Cedric was sitting against a wall.
The bright embers of the flames in the fireplace lit up the side of his face.
He had tears quietly flowing down his pretty face as he held on to the matching pendant for Y/N.
She covered her mouth as he sobbed quietly. Tears streaming down her own face.
Her heart fell to the pit of her stomach. She wanted to reach out to him, tell him everything was fine and she was okay.
But she couldn't bring herself to lie to him.
She started to head back up the stairs when she accidentally stepped on a cookie someone must've left.
Y/N quickly slipped into the dark shadows just as Cedric flicked his head towards her general direction.
Cedric quickly wiped his tears and stood up straight fixing his posture. He cleared his throat.
"Y/N come out.. I know it's you.."
Y/N hesitated.
"Please.. Goldie, come out.."
Y/N stepped out and looked up at him. Her eyebrows creased in concern as she held up her hand to his cheek, wiping his tears dry.
"I'm so sorry, Ced.. I'm sorry." She started choking on her words.
"Please don't cry, darling."
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in as he started to stabilize his breathing.
The couple relaxed in each other's embrace.
"I love you.."
"I love me too."
"Hey!" Cedric pouted.
The two joked around while knowing the other was hiding their growing concern of the other.
But they turned up their smiling facade.
In hopes that the other would be okay.
Y/N hated almost every aspect of that moment at night.
He shouldn't have to be suffering because of her.
But he was.
And she couldn't help it even if she tried.
More and more she considered the option of death by her aunt's hand.
But after that day in the clearing, her aunt had never showed up.
Y/N felt the pit in her stomach grow.
She was desperate.
"I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE. YOU SAID YOU'D KILL ME. THEN WHERE ARE YOU!"
That's what Y/N would've loved to say.
Every day, her heart ached at the sight of Cedric hiding his emotions.
Resentment grew. She was tired. She wanted to be done. She wanted these chains to come off.
She wanted Cedric's happy ending.
Even if it wasn't with her.
"Hey, come on. We're going to Hogsmeade with Alice," Aurelia stated.
"I don't feel like going anywhere," Y/N said, trying to make up an excuse.
It wasn't really an excuse. She really didn't feel like going anywhere.
"Well it doesn't matter. Alice said she's already there, waiting for us."
"Well Alice would understand," Y/N replied.
"Oh come on Y/N. Alice is always out with that Adrian Pucey these days.. Come on! It's a 'once in a lifetime' chance," Aurelia half-joked.
Sigh. There was no way getting out of this.
Y/N got dressed and the two made their way to Hogsmeade.
Y/N hung her head down as she trudged alongside Aurelia.
They kept walking for a while until Y/N bumped her head onto someone.
"Oh.. Sorry."
She felt their fingers gently lift up her chin to face them and she recognized the boy with brunette curls and cloudy gray eyes that gazed back at her.
"Not even going to look up at me?"
He shook his head disapprovingly as a sly smile appeared on his face.
She smiled up at him.
Y/N looked around and noticed they were already at Honeydukes.
The glass window revealed the colorful sweets displayed simply while other children wandered around the shop inside.
"Oh, sorry Ced, we're meeting Alice," Y/N stated.
"Actually.. Cedric suggested this meeting and planned it by all costs." Aurelia said looking to the side sheepishly.
Y/N looked questioningly at the two.
"It's because you wouldn't bother coming out of our dorm. You need fresh air!" Aurelia scolded.
Cedric suddenly frowned.
"Hey, why haven't you been responding to any of my letters?"
"Oh.. I thought those were Alice's letters.. I didn't want to deal with any concerns.."
"Hey!! I'm offended," Alice said, stepping out from the candy shop.
"Besides, they're valid concerns. We know you haven't stepped out of the whole castle since months," Cedric said, creasing his eyebrows together.
Aurelia grabbed Y/N's wrist and hurried into the sweets shop.
"A certain professor taught me that these'll make you feel better," Alice stated, handing Y/N a bar of chocolate.
Y/N smiled gratefully at her friend and took a piece off.
"So.. how's Adrian like?" Aurelia interrogated Alice, giving her a suggestive smirk.
"You're one to talk! I heard about what's going on with Malfoy! You have some explaining to do, Evans." Alice said, looking at Aurelia expectantly.
"No."
With that, Aurelia childishly giggled and ran out of the bright candy shop.
Alice chased after her shouting, "Hey! Come back! What's going on with you two?!"
Y/N laughed as she turned back to Cedric.
She wrapped her arm around his waist and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders as he pulled her in closer.
They walked outside and saw Aurelia and Alice chasing each other around a tree in the distance.
Y/N hugged Cedric and indulged in his warmth.
He smiled but she didn't like the pain that traced it.
She tiptoed to pull him into a soft, delicate kiss and she pecked both sides of his cheeks.
And he smiled. Genuinely.
He pulled her in again and connected their soft lips together again as the world around them disappeared as those bright sparks of their love flew around them.
And it was just them.
Cedric and Y/N. Forever.
Just for that moment.
And being with him reminded her.
She couldn't give up on him.
She couldn't give up on his love.
It was one of a kind.
And she couldn't afford to lose it.
a/n: guess who accidentally clicked publish without putting an author's note?
thanks for the votes, comments, follows, and reads!
hope you all have a great day/night!
AND THANK YOU FOR 12 K READS
edit: ive decided that im not going to be doing two endings, and im going with my original idea :)