Starlight// FW

Hogesmeade

**** 

The air was cold on my face, the almost November wind whipping around Cedric and I. I wrapped my large sweater around myself, my boots crunching in the leaves at our feet. "So, I figured we'd go to the Three Broomsticks first, then we can hit Honeydukes for dessert?". I smiled and nodded, "That sounds perfect". I had braided my hair back for the special occasion, and done slightly more makeup than usual.

Cedric looked nice, donning a yellow Hufflepuff sweater and jeans. We reached the Three Broomsticks and Cedric held open the door for me. It made me feel giddy. To be honest, I had been extremely nervous for this date. I had spoken of pretty much nothing else for the past day, and I was sure that Hazel and the rest of the Ravenclaw girls were growing tired of it.

However, they were very supportive. Not having grown up with a mother made me feel ill equipped for dealing with boys, but Lacey gave me many pointers and Rachel helped me pick out my outfit. Hazel showered me with words of encouragement. So, I felt very prepared. I only wished that there was a study guide or something so I knew exactly what to say.

We sat down and ordered two butterbeers and our food. I loved the aroma of the Three Broomsticks, it was crammed with magic. Cups filled themselves with various drinks and floated through the air. Students and villagers intermingled, talking about their lives. The fire always roared and the conversation never ceased.

"So, I want to get to know everything about you", Cedric grinned, sipping his butterbeer. I followed suit, the sweet liquid warming me right up. "Well, my name is Sawyer. I'm a 6th year Ravenclaw", I joked. He laughed, "Alright maybe less vague than that". I nodded, "Okay, well ask me something then". Cedric thought for a moment, "Favorite color". I snorted, "That's what you came up with?". He nodded confidently. "Alright, blue", I answered, "And not just because of my house, it's always been my favorite".

The conversation began to flow, and I found myself having quite a nice time. That was until the door swung open and I heard a very familiar laugh. Fred, George, Angelia Johnson, and Lee Jordan moved in a mass towards a corner booth a few tables away from us. I bit the inside of my cheek, trying not to look their way. I hadn't spoken to Fred since our falling out, and of course he had to show up here.

"Everything alright?", Cedric smiled. I nodded, "Yes sorry, as I was saying. I would be the worst Quidditch player in the world". He shook his head, "I'm sure that's not true". I raised my eyebrows, "I can promise you that it is". "Is that why I never see you at the games?", Cedric winked. I blushed, "You know I prefer to study over... pretty much anything else?". I heard Fred laugh loudly and couldn't help but look at him.

We made eye contact across the room and I quickly looked away. "I think that is very admirable", Cedric noted. "Well thank you", I grinned back. My eyes moved to Fred again, his arm was draped over the back of the booth where Angelina sat. I felt a burn in my chest, but I didn't know why. "What do you like to do more than anything else?", I smiled.

Cedric began to speak, and I tried to listen, but Fred was going into an anecdote. Angelina was laughing, and George was smiling, Lee jumping in. I couldn't believe the audacity of Fred to have such a horrible opinion of me. It was unfair for him to insult me, and then to not even seek me out and apologize. "Would you like to go say hello to them", Cedric said suddenly, an edge to his voice.

My face burned red. "No", I let out, "I'm sorry, continue. You were talking about playing Quidditch right?". He went back to his story, and I focused my eyes on him. What was I doing? There was no need for me to get so distracted by Fred Weasley of all people when Cedric Diggory sat right in front of me. We continued to talk about various things, including what Cedric would do if he was chosen as Hogwarts champion, and why I did not approve of the tournament.

However, I couldn't shake the feeling that we were being watched. Sure enough, when I looked up, Fred's eyes were trained on our table. I shot him an annoyed look, but he didn't look away, almost challenging me. I narrowed my eyes and turned back to Cedric. He took a last gulp of his butterbeer and smiled, "Shall we get going then?". I nodded, "Thank you for lunch". We stood, and he pushed my chair in.

His hand placed itself on the small of my back and he guided me past the booth and toward the door. I heard a break in conversation at their table, then saw Fred get up and storm to the bathroom out of the corner of my eye. "What is his problem?", Cedric said. "No idea", I responded.

The rest of the day, I allowed myself to become distracted by Cedric and sweets. We bought a variety of candies and tried them all while sitting on a secluded bench. I thought he might kiss me, and I finally wouldn't be the only person at Hogwarts who hadn't had their first kiss, but he didn't. He was a gentleman, I suppose.

When the sun began to set, he walked me to the Ravenclaw dormitory, his hand holding mine. I gave him a slight kiss on the cheek, not sure what had given me the boldness. That night I drifted to sleep thinking of him, but dreamt of someone else.