Summer in Paris // Cedric Diggory

1. Paris

hey guys! welcome to Summer in Paris, the short story that follows A Dozen Fallen Roses. i'm so glad you chose to come back and continue following ava and cedric's journey.

if you have not yet read A Dozen Fallen Roses, you can find it on my profile and read ava's story from the beginning!

this will only be about 15 chapters long and will just follow their summer holidays and as soon as it's finished, i will be starting the sequel! i'm already overflowing with ideas and i hope you'll bear with me as i figure it all out. there were a bunch of plot holes and underdeveloped backstories and relationships in the first book that i'll eventually go back and fix, but they'll start to clear up from here on out.

anyways, please enjoy Summer in Paris!!

I've never apparated before, so I found myself terribly nervous when Cedric stretched out his hand for mine in the dank alleyway beside King's Cross Station. Biting my lip, I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I tell myself it can't be half bad, nearly every wizard does it almost daily. Eliminating as much doubt in my mind as possible, I grab his hand and immediately feel myself being thrusted forward. The feeling isn't unlike a portkey, but my body feels like it's being pulled in a million directions, my skin stretching to the ends of the Earth as I cling to Cedric's hand and try to focus myself on the image of the Paris flat. The chaos calms for a second, then I feel the solid ground appear beneath me and slowly open my eyes to the cozy apartment in front of me.

"You okay?" Cedric asks, dropping my hand and quickly searching over my body for splinching. I'm still in a bit of a daze, but his fingers brushing the back of my neck pulls me back to reality.

"Uh.. yeah. Yes, I'm fine," I smile, trying to ignore the chills running down my spine and goosebumps spreading across my skin like wildfire.

"Here, I'll take your bag," he offers, taking my backpack from my back and bringing it to the closet. "If you're gonna be sick, you better not miss the trash."

"No, no I'm fine," I laugh, sitting down on the foot of the bed. "I can't believe we're here."

I look around at the quaint flat, my gaze brushing over the small dining table and cozy couch, remembering our stay here just a few months ago. The sun's already begun to set, golden rays casting across the furniture through the wall of windows. I stand and cross to the french doors leading out onto the patio and open them to let in the warm summer breeze, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath of pure contentment.

There's a difference between the pure, clean air of the Scottish countryside and the busy aura of the city. The energy that the city gives off is unmatched, carrying me on its warm buzz for days.

Cedric comes up behind me, placing his hands on my waist and kissing the top of my head, then wrapping his arms around my neck and weighing me down.

"Cedric!" I complain and he laughs loudly in my ear, falling backwards onto the bed and pulling me down with him. Trying to fight back, I escape his arms and attempt to make it across the room, but he grabs my wrist and pulls me back on top of him.

"Not so fast," he laughs and I give in, going completely limp in his arms which only makes him laugh harder. Letting his guard down, he loosens his grip on me and I book it across the room. He's close behind, but I hop up on the couch for a height advantage and he hesitates.

"What's next, Diggory?" I antagonize him, seeing a competitive spark in his eye.

"You're well aware I can use magic outside of school but you can't, right?" he smirks.

"It just evens the playing field," I shrug.

"Does it now?" he replies, sarcastically astonished.