into the unknown : cedric, draco, fred

chapter nine

Cedric and I stumbled into the castle, cheeks flushed pink from the cold and smiles wide as we made our way back to the Hufflepuff common room. However, before we could turn the corner to the kitchens, I caught a glance of a light in a neighboring chamber and grabbed Cedric's arm, stopping the two of us. 

"Yes, Taylor?" Cedric looked at me, his eyebrows raised.

I frowned at him. "Cedric, do you remember our discussion a few short hours ago in the Three Broomsticks?"

Cedric smiled. "How could I not? You couldn't stop calling me the ideal Hogwarts champion-"

I shoved him with my shoulder, causing his sentence to elapse in a fit of laughter. "Shut up, pretty boy. Just put your name into the Goblet."

He cocked an eyebrow at me. "You think I'm pretty?"

I groaned and rolled my eyes, grabbing him by the elbow and pulling him into the room where the goblet of fire stood. I shrugged my bag off of my shoulder to pull out a piece of parchment, and ripped the corner off, handing it to Cedric. I watched as he pulled a quill out of his bag and wrote, Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts.

"Are you ready, Mr. Diggory?" I asked dramatically.

"As ready as I'll ever be, Miss Styles," he said with a smile, and I applauded as he dropped his piece of parchment into the Goblet. A few spectators nudged their friends, looking impressed, as Cedric and I departed to go to the Hufflepuff common room. 

As we were walking back, he turned to look at me. "You know, Taylor, now that I've proved my bravery, it's only fair that you do the same."

I rolled my eyes. "What do you suggest?"

"Well, I seem to remember you bragging about your Quidditch skills at Beauxbatons. Are you ready to put them to the test? Since we can't have a normal season because of the Tournament, I suggest a small Quidditch game."

I quite literally halted in the middle of the hallway. Cedric turned to look at me, an amused half-smile on his face. "Something wrong, Styles?"

Here I was, faced with two choices: to convey my true emotions or to scream with nervousness in the middle of the hallway. Of course, I chose the former.

I grinned. "Not at all, Diggory. I'm just thinking about how embarrassing it'll be for you when everyone realizes that I can fly better."

"No chance in hell."

"We'll see about that, Ceddy."

Cedric audibly groaned. "I was wondering when that one was going to come back."

I shot him a playful grin. "I'll whip it out when you least expect it." At that point, we had entered the common room again. I waved goodbye and climbed the stairs to my dormitory. 

The next morning, I raced down to the dining hall early with a mission: to recruit players for my mock Quidditch game with Cedric. A smile spread across my face when I saw my favorite Gryffindors, all of them good Quidditch players. 

"Good morning, Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny," I said to each of them in turn. Ron mumbled a hello through a mouthful of toast and the others sent me a smile and a wave. 

"Listen up guys," I started, before Ginny cut in with, "Oo, Taylor's on a mission!"

I giggled. "Cedric has challenged my incredible Quidditch skills with a small game. Of course, for that game, we'll need players. Anyone in?"

"I'm in!" Harry exclaimed. Ginny nodded fervently in agreement. I could tell that the two of them were dying to get onto a broom. Harry was sure to be devastated by the lack of the season and Ginny had told me earlier in the year that she loved to fly too. 

"I'll sit this one out," Hermione said apprehensively.

"Unfortunately, with you out, we can't take you, Ron, or the teams will be uneven," I said. Ron shrugged dismissively. "But Harry, Ginny, meet at the Quidditch pitch in an hour? Have your game faces on."

The two grinned and fist-bumped, nodding at me in acknowledgment. I waved goodbye and sauntered over to the Hufflepuff table where I slid in between Cedric and Susan.

"Guess what, Ceddy? I secured Harry and Ginny. Two-on-two in an hour!"

He grinned. "Excellent work, Taylor, but I'm quite surprised as to how enthusiastic you are in preparing your own humiliation."

I scoffed. "In your dreams, Diggory. Pass me the butter."

45 minutes later, I had run up to my dormitory to get my broom and Quidditch robes on. I said goodbye to Hannah, who was lounging in the dormitory, and rushed to the common room, buzzing with adrenaline. I couldn't lie- I was extremely nervous. I knew I was a good flier, and Cedric knew I could fly, but what if a made a fool of myself in front of Cedric? Actually, a better question was, why did I care what Cedric thought about me?

My spiral was interrupted by my collision with someone large and sturdy. I almost burst out laughing. Again?

"Taylor, it's comical at this point. You really just can't keep yourself off of me."

Cedric was standing there, having waited for me to walk down to the Quidditch pitch. He looked...well...amazing in his Quidditch robes. The yellow robes brought out the bronze in his hair and the grey in his eyes. I broke eye contact with him quickly- his intense gaze made me nervous. 

"In your dreams," I mustered, shoving him with my shoulder. We walked down to the Quidditch pitch together, making small talk. Harry and Ginny were already there, zooming around the pitch in blurs of scarlet. They spotted us and came down to land.

"Alright guys, as this is a competition between Cedric and I, we'll be team captains. I'll take Harry," I said, giving him a high-five. I knew that Ginny and I would be a powerful duo, but I had Harry's talent on the Quidditch pitch was notorious. "Harry and Cedric can seek, and Ginny and I will play chaser. If you guys don't see the Snitch, play keeper. We'll figure it out."

Cedric had his brow furrowed as he looked at Harry and I. He seemed to snap out of it quickly, however, and a smile crept over his face. He extended his hand and I shook it, gripping it tightly. 

"May the best player win."