He couldn't think past the way Amara's hand fit perfectly in his own. He felt ridiculous, huge grin on his face as he held onto her waist and picked her up as the music changed to rock and he was able to let loose more. Her hair fell over her face but he could still see the hidden signs of a smile as she let out a laugh. She felt so light, so gentle in his hold and he wished for the music to never end. If he could just have a few more minutes with her he'd be able to deem the night as perfect.
"You really do look amazing," he had spoken out as his hand skimmed down her back softly, almost too scared to touch her. Amara just smiled up at him, hand sliding along the expanse of his neck, "You look great yourself. I didn't know a Hufflepuff could clean up so nicely."
That made him laugh, a bright smile on his face, "Maybe there's a lot about me that you don't know."
"Would you show me then?" Amara asked tilting her head to the side. When the song came to an end and a short break was permitted Cedric walked alongside her back to where she once had been sitting. Thomas was there talking with some guys and seemed to not even notice she was gone.
"What do you say we sneak out of here?" She asked him once she was by her things again. He wanted to agree and go ahead and leave with her but he couldn't. Not unless he knew his own date would be okay with it. He wanted to spend as much time with Amara as possible but he had to respect his date as well. He looked around for Cho, finding her laughing with Harry and Ron. She seemed content enough being with them, would it really matter if he left?
"If not that's okay, maybe I shouldn't have asked?" Amara took his silence as rejection. He did ask Cho to the dance maybe she was being disrespectful? Cedric looked back to her shaking his head, "No, it's okay. Please? Let's get out of here."
So he left with her. She hadn't even bothered to tell Thomas or Theo goodbye when she did so. Thomas had gotten on her nerves a little. What was the point in making sure they went to the Ball together if he was going to spend it with his friends anyway? She could've gone with someone who was actually interested in hanging out with her. Maybe she could've gained courage to ask Cedric to the dance but then maybe he would have rejected her for Cho. She's not sure if she'd be able to handle rejection.
"Are you cold?" Cedric asked once they'd escaped the liveliness of the Great Hall. They walked the quiet corridors of Hogwarts side by side in comfortable silence. Amara shook her head yet the goosebumps raising on her arms betrayed her. He simply smiled, "Do you want to go to the Astronomy Tower? I'm sure the stars look great today."
"Cedric, is it alright that you're with me? I don't want Cho to get upset," Amara pointed out as she took his out stretched hand leading her up to the staircase. He didn't say anything, he had no clue what to say anyway.
"She's the one who asked me to see how you were doing," Cedric said simply, "If she minded it, I don't think she would've done so. There's no need to worry, alright?"
"I just, I don't want her to think I'm crossing any lines I shouldn't be," Amara held her arms to her chest almost cowering away from him. He looked back at her as they rounded into the tower, a light breeze coursing through them lifting flyaway hairs from her neatly styled hair.
"You're not," he led her further in until they were at the openings looking down over the grounds. He slipped his top coat off draping it over her shoulders as another shiver ran down her spine. Her eyes met his for a short moment as he close it over her arms before swinging a leg over the railing to sit.
"Are you sure you're not cold? There's a bit of a breeze here," Amara wanted to change the subject. She didn't want to talk about Cho anymore. Maybe if she ignored it she wouldn't feel guilty for essentially stealing Cedric away.
He smiled, he felt just fine. If anything, he felt warm inside. Being here with Amara brought a sense of warmth to him, like this is all he needed. Ridiculous, isn't it? They're classmates, maybe he'd be bold enough to consider them friends. Whatever they were he couldn't deny his feelings for her any longer. He tried to tell himself he was only interested in her because they were different or because he'd never gotten a chance to talk to her before. But in truth he'd been so interested in her because she was such an easy person to get along.
He'd always thought she—like all the other Slytherin—were too out of his reach. That he'd never get a chance to know her on a deeper level. So yes, he'd always been a little conscious of her but never had he imagined he'd have a chose to get closer to her. It was a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it meant he had a chance. But a curse because he knew it was unlikely he'd ever be anything more than a friend to her.
"Are you ready for the next task, then?" She asked him breaking the comfortable silence between them. She'd taken a seat facing him, their knees touching just slightly. He looked over to her, "As ready as I could be I guess. I gave Harry a hint since he'd helped me with the dragons."
"That's very nice of you," Amara pointed out but he only shrugged.
"Not really, I still have no clue what the task is other than it's location and the riddle," Cedric expressed his concerns. He tried not to focus on her leg pressed against his and the coldness in the breeze that only made him want to get closer to her.
As if reading his thoughts she scooted closer to him, "You'll do great, I'm sure of it."
"Will you come watch me?" He asked suddenly, cheeks flushing red, "I mean, will you come watch us all? I'm sure we could use all the motivation we can get."
"Am I motivation to you?" She asked with a smile that had him mirroring her expression. He nodded, not shy at the moment to speak his mind.
"You're more than just motivation to me," he said shyly, "I think I hope to impress you more."
"Being in the tournament is impressing enough," she pointed out, "But you can count on me being there. I want to cheer you on as much as I can."
He sighed out in content watching the phase of the moon. His eyes shut for a moment, taking in tonight's events. He's decided that it doesn't matter if he didn't attend the Ball with Amara. It didn't matter if he left Cho with Harry, or if Amara ditched the Nott brothers. All that mattered was this moment here. Where for a split second he was able to act like they were more than just friends and it's already been more than he could ask for.
::.
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