i should have held your hand || cedric diggory

unknown

dear father,

please forgive me for what this letter is going to bring. i promise i did not go meddling in things that i shouldn't.

i met your old friend, remus lupin. he teaches my defense against the dark arts class this year. he had us face our boggarts in order to see what we could do. father i saw her. i saw aunt walburga. she was going to kill me like she did mother. i couldn't stop the boggart. professor lupin stepped in front of me before i could. please tell me what is going on.

school is going well and i've made loads of friends. please keep yourself safe father. visit mr. diggory often as well. i love you very much.

warmest regards,
ophelia
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my darling daughter,

i am relieved that school is going well. do not worry about me. i've been at amos's almost everyday since you've been gone. i am fine.

i am glad you have met remus. he is a very good friend to me and was to your mother as well. he loved your mother and cousin sirius so very much. i have no doubt he will love you too. about the boggart, remus stepped in front of you before you could charm it because it is impossible. if you fear an unforgivable, there is no way to make it amusing.

i promise i will answer all questions soon. our owls are being watched. i will speak with you during holiday. until then, be safe and enjoy your school year. tell cedric i said hello!

lots of love,
tobias ambrose
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the act of waiting for holiday ate ophelia alive. how could she wait two more months for answers? it would drive her mad. luckily, she had cedric. after that lesson in defense against the dark arts, ophelia fled the room to talk to cedric. she found him, once again at the astronomy tower, finishing off a cigarette. though she didn't want to smoke, ophelia couldn't resist. they talked about the lesson and smoked a few.

"is that really what you fear? your father and i dead?"

"of course. after the way my mother left, you two are the most important people in my life. losing you...either of you two, let alone both at the same time, would tear me apart. i care about both of you deeply. i l..." cedric thought twice about his next words, "i...um...i just mean..." as he stumbled with his words, ophelia reached out and grabbed his hand.

"you don't have to talk about it anymore. remember it wasn't real." cedric looked at her and his eyes sparkled. a small tear was starting to well up in his eye. he shook it off and went to stub out his cigarette.

"what about you?"

"hmm?"

"what was your boggart?"

ophelia's heart sank. she didn't know if she should tell him what it was. cedric didn't know she was related to the "noble house of black." would he think of her differently if he knew?

"oh um...spiders. typical." she lied. she didn't want him to worry about her. she knew no one in the class would talk about what had happened. she thought they all knew it wasn't something to be talked about. though she felt bad for lying to cedric, she would have felt worse knowing that he knew she was related to a criminal and many from the dark side.

"i am really sorry that happened, by the way. it probably wasn't easy."

"s'okay, i mean like you said. it wasn't real." cedric offered her a smirk and she gave one back. cedric started to lean in, inching his face closer and closer to ophelia. her heart started pounding, hoping to merlin cedric couldn't hear it. just as there lips brushed against each other, ophelia interrupted him.

"ced, i think we need to talk."

"alright. what about?" he asked, backing away from her.

"this. we did this same thing the other day. we snogged and you said you had been waiting a long time to do it. i just want to know," it took her a bit more courage to ask him directly, "what are we doing?" he blinked blankly. he didn't know what to say. dumbstruck.

how could he know what to say? how could he tell her he loved her? the madness of falling in love with her was like an earthquake. the sudden eruption shook his whole world until it subsided. he knew he had to make a decision. he had to figure out what connected them that made him so intertwined with her so that they could never part. he just wanted to tell her how much he loved and admired her. her brown eyes that saw all the beauty in the world. her curly locks that bounced with the same excitement for life that she had. the heart that loved so gently and kindly. he never had a moments doubt about her. he loved her with a love that was more than itself. she was more of him than he was. their souls were one. guaranteed to have the same patronus if they casted at the same time. before she came along, love was just a word to cedric. now, it had a whole different meaning.

but alas, how could he ever tell her that?

"i don't know lia." her heart sank at his response. though he spoke softly, those words hit her heavily and all the weight was on her chest. cedric saw the tears beginning to form in her eyes. she looked down towards the ground and nodded her head slightly. without a thought, she got up and began leaving. her vision was blurry from the hot tears that began streaming down her face. just as she was about to go down the first step, she felt him grab her hand. his soft, gentle hand intertwined their fingers as he brought her to face him. her breath hitched at the close contact. he took his other hand and cupped her face, using his thumb to wipe away some of the tears. she was looking up at him. they were the way they had been during the summer. how they both preyed to merlin the summer would never end and they could stay together. every memory was coming back as they looked into each other's eyes.

"listen, i didn't mean that," cedric said quietly, "i haven't the foggiest idea what we are doing but i do know that it is right. i want us together. now, i haven't got a clue how to be a partner but i would try anything to make it right for you. please ophelia. after all this time. please." he was holding her by her elbows, which drew them in even closer together. ophelia felt her heart glowing. never in her life had she ever seen cedric like this. she had waited ages for this moment and it felt even better than she had ever imagined. she stared at him with a straight face while his chest heaved with every breath he took. anxiousness filled him and he was drained from the courage it took to tell ophelia how he felt. she didn't know what to say. no words came to mind. so, she flung her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her. when she did, she did it too quickly, causing them to knock their heads together.

"sorry...i suppose i am a bit clumsy." cedric laughed at her while they both rubbed their heads.

"s'alright, love. one of the things i like most about you." ophelia blushed as he placed his hands on her waist and she snaked hers up back around his neck.

"can we take things slow ced? i want this to be done right."

"of course. anything for my little lia." they were both smiling as they leaned in for the kiss. it was full of longing and need. they had both been waiting for so long and finally the moment was here. the rhythm of their lips couldn't be tamed. ophelia grabbed handfuls of cedric hair gently and he pulled her in by her waist. their chests were so close they could feel each other's heartbeats. they were beating in time together. as the kissed slowed down from the passionate rhythm of before to the sloppy one, they pulled away and smile at each other again. everything from before was forgotten. cedric forgot about the boggart and ophelia forgot about her family of headcases. everything in this moment was perfect.
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(a/n) hope you enjoyed this one!!
-padfoot <3