𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐮𝐬𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐦 | 𝐜.𝐝 𝐟𝐟

𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙨𝙚.

The next day was better... And worse.

It was better because it wasn't raining yet, though the clouds were dense and opaque.

It was better because I knew what to expect of my day. Mike came to sit by me in English, and walked me to my next class, with the Chess Club enthusiast Eric glaring at him all the while; that was nattering. I bet that Weaselbee was already friends with him.

People didn't look at me quite as much as they had yesterday. They now stared at Parkinson in her ridiculously short skirt and at Malfoy with his excessive pieces of jewellery. I sat with the big group at lunch that included Mike, Eric, Jessica, and several other people whose names and faces I couldn't be bothered to remember.

It was worse because I was still drained; I still couldn't sleep with the wind echoing around the house. And the thought of Cedric hating me kept me awake.

It was worse because the wretched teacher called on me in Trig class when my hand wasn't raised and I had the wrong answer. Obviously I wasn't paying attention. I could have read the answer from him, now that I thought of it. But I blanked.

It was worse because I was forced to sweat and play with the other sweaty kids. I was enraged. I hit the ball a little too hard and hit my classmate in the head with it.

And it was horrendous because Cedric wasn't in school. Perhaps he got sick in the rain. But I bet the kids here were already immune to it. And from my brief introduction of them, they were already here two years ago.

All morning I was dreading lunch, scared to face his bizarre glares. Part of me wanted to confront him and demand to know what his problem was. No one glares at me and gets away with it. While I was lying sleepless in my bed, I even imagined what I would say. But I knew I couldn't confront him just yet. We just got here.

But when I walked into the cafeteria with Zabini today – trying to keep my eyes from sweeping the place for Cedric, and failing entirely – I saw that his posse were sitting together at the same table, and he was not with them.

Mike intercepted us and steered us to his table. Everyone else happily trailed after him. But as I tried to listen to their easy chatter, I was terribly uncomfortable, waiting anxiously for the moment Cedric would arrive. I hoped that he would simply ignore me when he came, and prove me wrong, like he always had.

He didn't.

And I should stop hoping.

My time was up with hope. I've used up all my hope when I watched the defeat of the Dark Lord. But I was confident that he wouldn't show up for the rest of the day. And I was correct. I walked to Biology with a spring in my step. Mike obviously elated by my improved mood. He walked loyally to my side until I was at my desk. Mike followed, talking about an upcoming trip to the beach.

He lingered until the bell rang. Then he smiled at me and went to sit by a girl with braces and an absurd hairdo. It looked like I was going to have to do something about Mike, and it wouldn't be easy.

Sure I had my fair share of over-friendly and touchy boys, but I had the aid of magic. A simple jinx and they'd be on their way. I no longer brought my wand out. I saw no use.

I was glad he wasn't here. It wasn't always pleasant to know that someone was planning your murder. Plus, the biology lesson looked interesting.

When the day was finally over, I skipped changing out from the uniform and headed to the Audi. At first, I could not find it anywhere in sight. But then I realised it was probably the car that was flanked and surrounded by students.

I pressed the button on my keys so that the car would beep. The sound shocked the students and they turned to see who that car belonged to.

"Get lost." I mumbled while pushing them out of the way. They scurried away once I reached the door and waited for the rest to join me.

After a while, only Parkinson joined me.

"The boys wanna walk around for a while. They'll find their way."

Parkinson turned on the radio and I drove tranquilly home. I always enjoyed Parkinson's presence more than anyone else in the house. She understood me better. And I understood that she could not cook without hurting herself.

I took it upon myself to cook for the house today. The ingredients we had left over from Parkinson's cooking was sparse. I called Malfoy using the home telephone and asked that they buy some groceries. He had the most money on him.

With whatever we had left, I think I could pull of a steak. I wrapped the potatoes and marinated the meat, letting the machines do their job. With the remaining time left, I did whatever homework I had left.

I had decided to read Wuthering Heights - the novel we were currently studying in English - for the fun of it, and that's what I was doing when the boys came home. I'd lost track of the time, and I hurried downstairs to take the potatoes out and put the steak in to broil.

"Did ya burn yourself today?" Nott teased Parkinson when she came down to help with the groceries.

"Ugh. Grow up Theodore. Zayra's cooking today."

Three pairs of shocked eyes looked at me. What? Did they honestly think that I couldn't cook?

Hmmm. I don't know if I can trust her. Who knows what poison she slips inside. Malfoy thought. The other boys had similar thoughts. I huffed and rolled my eyes, snatching the groceries off their hands and arranged them in order.

"What's for dinner?" Zabini asked warily. My mother used to be an imaginative cook, and her experiments weren't always edible. I would not want to inherit that.

I was surprised, and sad, that they seemed to remember that far back. It seemed like just yesterday when I helped the Weasley twins prank my friends. I doused the goblets in the kitchen with Polyjuice and they turned into our beloved caretaker, Filch.

"Steak and potatoes," I answered, and he looked relieved. Nott and Malfoy, not quite. Fine then, I thought, if they want to starve then be my guest.

They shuffled to the living room where the television was. While they slacked in the corner, Parkinson and I set up the dinner table. I called them in when dinner was ready, and Zabini sniffed appreciatively as he walked into the room.

"Smells good, Zee."

"Thanks."

We ate in silence for a few minutes. It wasn't uncomfortable. But it was tense. Malfoy and Nott were waiting for something bizarre to happen to them. In some ways, we were well suited for living together. The perfect balance. I smiled to myself once they got comfortable. And soon, we were laughing and chatting again. Just like before. It was a painful memory. But I endured it.

The day was better. And worse.