Emerald Eyes - HP one-shots

Cedric or Harry?

This story takes place in The Goblet of fire.

"ARAGH!"

If anyone had been in the Ravenclaw common room at one o'clock in the morning, on a Tuesday night, they would have been forced to duck as several blue velvet cushions went flying through the air. When they failed to make any satisfactory noise as they collided with the wall, the thrower gave another strangled scream and hurled her schoolbag after them.

"I – hate – you!" the thrower gulped, whirling round so her long, inky black hair flared out and smacked the pale skin of her face, "I – you – ARAGH!"

A china dish was hurled violently to the floor. Gleaming white shards burst and scattered out of sight, but the thrower didn't care. Giving another loud, miserable sob, she stepped over the broken bowl and threw herself at the sofa, burying her face in the one cushion she hadn't yet thrown at the wall. Her chest heaved with unspoken misery.

A tentative noise behind her made her glance up for a moment, terrified her silencing spell hadn't worked. Unfortunately for her, someone was standing at the foot of the stairs, one hand on the rail and staring at her.

"Marietta?" she whispered, recognising the reddish-blonde hair and pale blue eyes of her best friend immediately. Giving an almighty sniff, she sat up and started wiping at her eyes. "What are you doing here?"

Marietta shrugged and pulled her dressing gown more firmly around her waist. "You were never very good with silencing spells, honey," she whispered, then came forwards gingerly, taking out her wand as she went. "Reparo," she muttered, pointing at the largest piece of broken china on the floor. "Accio cushions."

Cho sat in silence as cushions zoomed neatly back into their correct places, and the dish rattled together once more. Her cheeks were starting to grow rather hot. "Could everyone hear me?" she asked, cringing a little at the thought of what she had been screaming twenty seconds ago. "Tell me they couldn't."

Marietta shook her head. "Nah. Everyone else is dead to the world, but I was only just starting to nod off. You woke me."

"Sorry," Cho mumbled, her face growing warmer by the minute. Marietta shrugged her shoulders and padded towards the sofa, sitting down next to her friends feet. In the dying firelight, her tangled reddish-blond hair became as dark as Cho's own. Brushing it back from her face, Marietta slung an arm over the back of the sofa and turned to face her.

"I'm guessing this has something to do with Cedric?"

Shooting her a look out the corner of her eye, Cho pulled her knees up to her face, and rested her chin on them. "You might say that," she whispered eventually, after sitting there in silence for a while.

"C'mon, Cho, you can't keep it from me forever. You know I'll just end up dragging it out of you."

Silence.

Marietta sat staring at her friend's moody outline, a frown on her petite features. "Cho?" she prompted, when it became too quiet for her. "Speak to me, honey. Is it Cedric? Has he said something to you?"

Cho sighed tearfully, throwing back her head and gazing up at the shadowy ceiling. "No, he hasn't said a word, more's the pity," she replied huskily. She swallowed, then descended back into silence again. Marietta watched her for a moment longer with growing impatience, but kept quiet. Something told her Cho was about to reveal all, and all it would take was a little waiting.