warmth - cedric diggory

chapter twenty-two

athena rosewood woke up easily the next morning. the sun melted into her already yellow-tinted room, inviting her to begin the beautiful day. her lips couldn't help but form an honest smile as she stretched her arms around her soft bed.

today was the day of the yule ball, the day most students had been anticipating since it was announced. most students traveled back to hogwarts the night before the yule ball so that they could wake up and not worry about traveling the day of.

the recently empty hallways were once again buzzing with classmates who all shared a common excitement. it was almost only older students since there was an age rule, but that might have made it even more chaotic.

athena saw mae lavigne standing outside the kitchens on her way to the great hall for breakfast. her beauxbatons friend wore cute pale pajamas and talked about how nervous she was for the yule ball, athena reassured her and offered to dance with her later, mae chuckled at this before walking into the kitchen.

a few more students wished athena a tiny good morning on her short walk to the hall. she trotted happily in her white bunny slippers, smiling to everyone that met her eyes. the ponytail on her head waved calmy against her shoulders, she had already decided it was a good day.

cedric, belle, draco, luna, and blaise all sat in the corner of the gryffindor table. not a sight athena would have ever expected to see, but she wasn't surprised. the group all greeted her as she sat down next to cedric, pressing her shoulder against his, cedric pressed a small kiss her to head as belle complimented her slippers.

"i was actually going to wear them with my dress tonight." athena said confidently, instantly shoving cooked bacon onto her plate. cedric was already reaching for the eggs and putting some on her plate, knowing she was going to ask anyway.

"i wasn't planning on wearing shoes tonight." luna had her hair in a huge bun on her little head, her skin was still freshly woken up. her face was so delicate in the morning, like looking at a classic painting, athena thought with a smile. they all chuckled to her.

"i am quite excited to dance tonight." a known voice came from behind them before edmund and ivy walked up to the table. edmund yawned as he spoke, taking a seat beside cedric. ivy sat inbetween draco and belle, giving luna a small smile as she sat.

"i saw eddie practicing in the hallway the other day," ivy reached for a mug full of hot tea and quickly sipped it. "i'd rather watch a basilisk try to slow dance." she shook her head, leaning into the smoke fuming off the mug.

everyone giggled at ivy's comment except edmund, who just stared at her and waved his head. "so jealous of my talents ms. roots, always so jealous." he replied, shoving a forkful of eggs into his mouth.

they all spoke of different topics of the day, enjoying the stress-free moment with every second. breakfast lasted a little longer than expected because edmund and draco couldn't decide which song to create a routine for, they wanted to perform it at the ball.

athena and cedric walked back to the hufflepuff common room together, giggling about the dance tonight. they thought about what everyone would dance-like, and how fun it was going to be.

everyone else went back to their common rooms, the girls were going to gather their things and then meet in athena's room to get ready. cedric and draco were ordered to get ready in their rooms because the girls wanted a dramatic reveal, edmund was invited to join the girls but politely declined, saying he had to go help his date.