metanoia - cedric diggory

chapter eight

November 26th, 1994

"You look rather dashing, don't you?" Olive stepped behind Clementine outside the Hufflepuff common room door. Her luminous smile matched the warm jacket she wore, ready for their weekend trip to Hogsmeade.

Clementine formed a charming smile, wrapping her arm within her friends, and leading her through the tall building doors. The November air felt dreamy now that they were used to the colder temperature, giving Clementine a fun excuse to pair her stockings with her black skirts again.

Different wizards swamped Hogsmeade, carrying around and showing off their new sweets or goodies, unlocking new memories they never knew they needed. Olive led their skipping feet to George, Fred, and Blaise standing outside the Three Broomsticks Inn.

"What a lovely Saturday to be alive, ladies." George commented with a chuckle. "Here in the heart of the action." Many different familiar faces stood around them as they tripped along with their groups, not paying attention to the souls around them.

"Honeydukes first?" Fred began to instantly begin walking away, not leaving much room for an answer or argument. The group all let out a soft giggle as they followed the tall boy, suddenly forgetting that time existed in the closeness of one another.

Clementine could forget the existence of Cedric Diggory in moments like this. She could forget how warm his sweaters always felt, or how his chest rose when he laughed. She was forced to get out of her head for more than a few moments at a time, able to forget exactly the way Cedric leaned down to Cho in order to speak at that party.

Loud laughter greeted them as they went through the entrance, as well as teenagers with gracious smiles across their faces and shoving different candies into their mouths. Different colors filled the room with happiness and innocence.

"Peppermint toads!" Screamed Olive as she raced to the stand. Her hand engulfed multiple plastic packages, a proud smile on her face. Blaise let out a soft chuckle and raised his eyebrows to Clementine, noting the adorableness of it.

George and Fred wandered in front of them, quietly giggling and whispering about the candy to themselves. "Liv, have you tried these? They've always secretly been my favorite!" Blaise's eyes brightened when he reached the Honeyduke's Mice Pops. They sat in a small case, wrapped perfectly, all different colors with fake gummy eyes.

Olive glided towards him, took a glance at the candies, and formed a harsh scowl. "Might want to keep it a secret." Fred reacted before she had a chance, mirroring the same scowl she held. Blaise allowed his shoulders to fall before he grabbed a few in his hands.

"They're quite bloody delicious," He added with a new attitude, gathering maybe one or two more. His words fell together hastily as he ranted about their poor behavior and attitudes, telling them to try it out before they start an opinion.

Clementine had once again fallen into the trap of Cedric Diggory during their argument, spotting him standing with Winston McFern on the other side of the busy store. As soon as she locked her eyes on him, she thought she couldn't look away.

It was almost as if she were under some spell when they were in the same room. She had to fight her own mind to look away from him but somehow always found herself stealing glances. You can hide feelings when you're alone in your room but never when you see them in person.