Trees ||𝐶.𝐴.𝐷.

Chapter 8

Just a reminder that Prefects have their own dorms in this fic and that Hannah and Juniper are in their 6th year while Cedric's in his 7th.

Third Person POV:

Cedric felt embarrassed every time he saw Juniper for the rest of the day. He had never explained what his friend meant when he wrote "I'm pretty sure Cedric-" on the note Diggory was passing to Granger.

The girl on the other hand was simply curious on what he could mean in the note. It was supposed to say "I'm pretty sure Cedric likes you", but not even Cedric knew his exact feelings for Juniper. He thought she was fun to be around, and yes, he also thought she was quite lovely, but he had never seen her as more than a friend.

"Am I just blind?" He whispered to himself in the prefects bathroom, stepping out of the bath. "No," he said, drying his hair. "No no, she's just a friend. I've barely known her for what, two weeks? You can't grow feelings that fast, not to mention Cho Chang."

Cedric had always thought Cho was pretty, but he never actually spoke to her before. When Juniper mentioned her in the note, he had tried to distract himself from Juniper by declaring he had a crush on the Ravenclaw girl a year below him. But did he? He knew Juniper way more than he knew Chang, not to mention he had seen her with Harry Potter multiple times. He wouldn't want to be the reason their 'relationship' ended.

Cedric immediately stopped thinking about the situation as he reminded himself that he was wearing nothing but a towel, and that he really needed to get back to him dorm. Remember, do not violate women.

As he got back to him single room, he changed into his pajamas and laid on his bed, his damp hair leaving droplets of water on the pillows.

I should light a candle. He thought. Do I even have any candles?

He searched his room for a candle, only to find some old books that he had forgotten about, the polish he used on his wand that he lost last night, dust, and a thin resin bookmark that he found on his nightstand filled with two yellow flowers, gold specks, and a paper "C" that looked like it had been cut out of a book.

What's this? I never bought this...

Then he remembered the bookmark his lovely friend Juniper had talked to him about.

"Sorry I didn't get you a book mark, I made you one but now I can't seem to find it...oh well. Once it turns up I'll be sure to give it to you."

Her voice ran through his head while he furrowed his brows, staring at the hand made craft in his hand.

She couldn't have come up here and drop it off, could she? No, that would be creepy. Juniper isn't creepy.

I think.

He immediately shook the thought out of his head. "I probably bought it a while ago at Hogsmeade and forgot," he told himself, curiosity poking him in the head as he stared at it. He decided that he would just ask Juniper the next morning at breakfast.

The students from Durmstrang and Beaxbaton we're supposed to come the next day at dinner, and he couldn't tell if he was excited about it or not. In the end, he might have to go against two of them if he were to put his name in the Goblet of Fire, and he were to be chosen to represent Hogwarts. He wanted to put his name in, but a tiny voice in his head kept reminding him that the tournament was dangerous. People had died in the tournament for Merlin's sake! But the again, with Dumbledore, it had to be safe...right? Safe enough at least.

Juniper was always quite frightened yet intrigued by the thought of being in the tournament. Being a total ambivert, she had told herself and everyone she knows that she could definitely stand in front of a crowd and be famous, as long as she didn't have to do anything she found difficult. Competing  in the tournament was one of those difficult things that she refused to participate in if it was a life or death situation.