LOVE ISN'T EASY (but it sure is hard enough)

JUNE 23RD, 1995

Cedric Diggory and Olivia Danes had, once again, found themselves sitting alone in the Hufflepuff common room. Fire crackling, soft 70s music playing, and two extremely nervous teenagers side by side on the floor.

"How you feeling?"

"Like I could vomit."

"Yeah, me too."

The soft sounds of a song Olivia knew well cut through the silence, his hand in hers clinging on for reassurance.

"It's all over tomorrow."

Liv turned to face him, his eyes not moving away from the ceiling.

"What a way to end my last year here, huh? In mortal peril."

"You're going to be brilliant."

"You tell me that before every task."

"And I'm right every single time. You're always brilliant, Ced."

He laughed, low and gravelly from whispering. Everyone had been wishing him luck for the task happening that same day- friends, teachers, fellow students. But hearing it from his best mate, in the quiet hours before everyone woke up, felt all the more special.

"You and Cho are the best things to happen to me this year, you know that?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. I mean I don't think anyone else would've supported me so much after I tried to snog them."

Liv chuckled, her hold on his hand tightening. Sunlight was beginning to creep through the round panes of glass, even though the clock read 4:43am.

"I'm so proud of you."

"Shouldn't I be the one telling you that? I mean you're the one that battled a dragon and found me at the bottom of a lake." She shuddered slightly at the mention of the second task, desperately wishing the memory would erase itself.

"You just tell me it all the time, and I don't think I tell you enough."

Her head found its way to his shoulder, pressing against it slightly.

"What am I gonna do without you?" She whispered, tears filling her eyes at the thought of him graduating.

"Hey, you're not getting rid of me!"

"But I'm gonna have to survive a full year without you being here! I'm really gonna miss this."

"I will too."

He focused on the sound of her breathing, the slight rustle of the plant leaves caused by the summer breeze (let in by a window cracked open ever so slightly), and the gentle music from her yellow radio.

"Let's not think about it." He suggested. "I'm gonna try win this task, and when I finish it we'll celebrate with some of that peach stuff you love-."

"You're gonna love it, and even if you don't it'll give you a bit of a buzz."

"And then we'll help each other pack up our dorms. I'll take Cho on one last picnic date the day after the tournament finishes, and George will pull his head out his arse and do something like that for you-."

"Doubt it, but go on."

"We can see each other in the summer, you can drive to meet me somewhere to catch up. I'll get a job somewhere, you'll have the best seventh year ever, George will finally ask you out and the day you graduate I'll be there to see you get off the train."

"I'll move in with Juno-."

"-Or George."

"Probably work for one of my parents. I'll introduce you to Mabel and Rory and Dom, and we can all hang out together properly. When Cho graduates she'll move in with you, and... What do you wanna do?"