my best friends brother - fred weasley

viii. second date

Harry, Ron and Hermione had made a plan to visit Hagrid the day of Buckbeak's execution, I had decided to come as well, keeping in mind that I had plans with Cedric later on. We were making our way down to the hut, Harry was discussing what had happened after divination class, he mentioned his interaction with Trelawney and asked us if we had any idea what it meant.

"I wouldn't have a clue, nothing that woman does makes any logical sense to me." Hermione laughs. "I wouldn't pay any mind to it." She tries to cheer him up. 

"Why does all the weird stuff happen to you, Harry?" Ron laughs along with them. We walked past a man sharpening a blade, he kept eye contact with the three of us as we hurried past.

"I can't believe they're going to kill Buckbeak." Hermione scoffs. "Too horrible."

"It just got worse." Ron says as we see Draco laughing with other Slytherins. Hermione, already not behaving like herself, storms over to them.

"Ah, come to see the show?" Draco directs his attention to us. 

"You! You foul, loathsome, evil little cockroach!" She spits, holding her wand up to his throat. 

"Hermione, no!" Ron yells at her, as Draco starts to cry. 

"He's not worth it." I add on, sneering at the boy, his sobs turn into a laugh as Hermione lowers her wand and starts to walk away. As he goes to make a snark comment she turns around to punch him straight in the nose. He falls against a rock and runs off with his friends, crying.

"That felt good." She grins.

"Not good, that was bloody brilliant." Ron's face lights up. We continue on our way to Hagrid's hut. Once we get inside, Hagrid offers us tea as we sit down.

"Why don't we just set him free?" Harry tries to offer some hope.

"No good, they'll know it was me." He sighs. 

"We'll stay with you, Hagrid." Hermione offers our support.

"Like hell you won't. I don't want you seeing something like that." He tears up. "Before you go, I have something of yours, Ron." He brings out Scabbers, who Ron had lost and was blaming Hermione's Crookshanks. 

"I think you owe someone an apology." Hermione growls at Ron.

"Oh, right. Well next time I see Crookshanks, I'll let him know." Ron remarks sarcastically. Hermione goes to yell at him when suddenly a pot shatters. We all turn and stare at it, when Harry gets hit in the head.

"Ow." He rubs his head, he looks out the window to see who was throwing stuff at us. "Hagrid." He calls over the mans attention. Cornelius Fudge was making his way over with Dumbledore and The executioner we saw on our way over. 

"Crikey. it's late and almost dark. You four shouldn't be here." He ushers us out the back entrance, making sure the men coming don't see us. We hide behind the pumpkin patch as Hagrid welcomes the men in. There's a snap behind us as we all turn to look.

"What?" I look at Hermione, who looks like she's seen a ghost. 

"Nothing, I just... never mind."

"I have to go, I need to meet Cedric now." I rush off in front of them, wanting to get as far away from Hagrid's hut as I can. The three of them follow behind me, but stop to witness Buckbeak's final moments. I call out to say bye and they wave sadly. I keep running into the corridors of the castle. 

⊱✿⊰

"Before we start I just want to say how sorry I am for being late. I was out with Ron and stuff and something came up I-" I start to ramble as I sit down next to Cedric.

"Clover."

"I know but it was really important and-"

"Clover."

"I'm so sorry I-"

"Clover!" He says sternly and grabs my hands, holding them together to make me stop.

"I'm sorry." I blush.

"Clover. It. Is. Okay." He smiles. I blush even harder. "I'm just happy you're here now." I somehow blush even harder. 

"I'm sorry." I sink back in my chair as he starts to laugh.

"You don't have to be sorry. What were you up to?" He leans in, interested in what I was saying.

"Well, I was at Hagrid's because Buckbeak was being executed, we just wanted to be there for him as an emotional support."

"That's so kind of you." He squeezes my hands tighter and I smile wide. It takes a second of vacant blinking and smiling for me to remember where I am. Now I realise why so many girls are after him, he knows how to play with us. 

"Wh- what were you up to anyway?" I smile.

"Just waiting for you. Reading up on some DADA to help you out." The butterflies in my stomach travel to my heart.

"You did that for me?" I gush. I never thought that Cedric Diggory would have this effect on me, but here I am drooling over him. 

"Of course." He winks, making my smile wider than ever. I scream internally and try to think of what I'm meant to be doing. 

"Um... I should get a book." I let out a ditzy laugh and go to stand up. Cedric pulls me back down, still holding my hands together. 

"It's getting pretty late and from the sounds of your evening you haven't eaten. I can get us into the kitchen." He winks again, inches from my face. I slowly nod, still in a daze. He pulled me up and led me through the halls and down stairs. We were almost running while we were giggling. We slowly came to a stop in front of the door to the kitchen. He finally let go of my hand to tap a rhythm on the door. He stood next to me and grabbed my hand again, smiling while looking down to meet my gaze. 

"Mr. Diggory!" A small house elf opened the door for us. "And guest." They looked over at me.

"Hello! I was hoping that we could, you know..." Cedric said, full of charisma, to the elf. 

"Of course, you know I will Cedric." The elf opened the door all the way and led us through. We sat down at a small table in the corner and picked at the left overs of dinner.

"Well, this is romantic." I laugh.

"Not quite the plan I had for our first meal together but, it'll do." He smiles back.

"And was was your plan?" I egg him on. 

"Well, before I got to know you I would've said, a picnic by the Black Lake. Very simple. But now that we've spent more time together and I know you better," He takes a sip out of his glass. "I'd sneak you into the Hufflepuff common room, because you like to live a little on the risky side. And I think you'd love it in there." He winks, I duck my head and grin to myself. 

"And?"

"And, we'd still have a picnic, but it'd be all dessert food, and it'd be in front of a window, in the middle of the night so that we'd have the moonlight and stars to look at." He finishes. 

"Oh wow, now I know why all those girls hang around you."

"What can I say." He shrugs and laughs. I throw my head back to laugh at his cockiness. When I look back at him I see him staring at me. I start to blush.

"What?" I bite my lip.

"Nothing, you're just very, very, very pretty." He copies me, biting his lip.

"Well, we have that in common." I maintain eye contact, leaning in slightly.

"I guess we do." He leans in as well, flicking his eyes from mine to my lips. We both go in for a kiss when Hermione bursts through the door.

"Clover! You have to come!" She yells, a twinge of fear in her voice.