𝐈𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 (𝐂𝐄𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐂 𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐱 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑)

15: Eleventh Hour

★゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★

CEDRIC'S PERSPECTIVE

I could feel the blood pounding in my ears as I flew through the castle doors and down the corridor. I didn't even try to be quiet. My footsteps pounded on the stone floors and my panting, panicked breath seemed to echo louder each passing moment.

Something is wrong. Something is so wrong.

I couldn't explain my panic. I just needed to know she was okay. I just need–

THWACK

"Ow! Watch it, you git!"

The wall caught me as I tumbled back upon impact with the girl who was just turning the corner as I did.

I rubbed my aching forehead as her face swam into focus.

"Merlin's beard... Barrows! What are you doing out this late?" I reached out a hand and helped Elaine Barrows to her feet.

"I could ask you the same, Diggory," she huffed, brushing off her robes and smoothing her rumpled hair. "But if you must know, I had a little... midnight rendezvous, let's say." 

Elaine threw me a cheeky grin. Of course.

She continued; "You know, Diggory, it's rude to pry into a lady's–"

I grabbed Elaine by her shoulders. 

"Please. I have no time. Y/N was supposed to meet me in the courtyard to discuss, well, the rumors. She didn't turn up, and I just have the worst feeling about this. Have you seen her tonight?"

Elaine swiped my hand away. "Maybe she just didn't feel the need to expend energy on those silly stories. You could learn a thing or two from her."

I held my ground. "Elaine. It was her idea."

Elaine looked thoughtfully at the ceiling for a moment, then gasped. 

"In potions this morning, Bishop told her to meet him in the Slytherin common room tonight for 'the truth'."

I started to thank her and turn away, but Elaine cut me off.

"Cedric, she wouldn't have gone, would she? Y/N is my friend. Meeting my ex late at night to gossip about some silly rumors just doesn't seem like her."

The bubbly socialite looked more forlorn than I had ever seen her. Maybe having everyone's memory wiped was causing more trouble than it was worth. 

I looked at her grimly, not able to voice what was really on my mind. Y/N needed to know. So much, in fact, that I didn't doubt she'd look past obvious suspicions to get to the bottom of this.

But instead all I could muster was, "I hope not."

★゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★

Y/N'S PERSPECTIVE

Crooks' hands were growing more insistent. One remained clutching my throat while the other traveled down the front of my robes, groping at me despite my struggles.

"Crooks, I said NO!" I yelled again, desperate for someone to hear me. 

Just then, I heard a clatter outside the door to the common room, and opened my mouth again to shriek for help. He clapped a hand over my mouth and pulled slightly back, while still holding me against the wall.

"I know this is all part of the game to you. But if you don't shut it, you'll spoil the fun," he hissed under his breath.

As he returned to single-handedly undoing my robes, I opened my jaw as wide as I could against his palm and bit down on the soft flesh. Hard.

Crooks let out a wail and slapped me in the face. I fell to the cold stone floor with the force of it, tears pricking the edges of my vision.

"I guess we'll have to do this the hard way, you little maggot," he said, pulling out his wand.

Just then, the oak door banged open so hard it rattled against the wall.

"EXPELLIARMUS!"

Standing in the doorway like my knight in shining armor stood Cedric. Cedric, my hero. Cedric, backlit from the murky common room glow like a green-haloed angel.

Before I could even speak he was on Bishop, tackling him to the ground and going at him the muggle way: with fists, not wands.

Between the shrieks, bangs, spell-casting, and scuffling, the commotion quickly drew the attention of the late-night stragglers in the common room, who lumbered in to break up the fight.

"What the bloody hell is going on in here?" roared the large boy I first encountered upon entering the Slytherin common room, who was now dragging Cedric off of his friend.

"Why don't you ask Crooks here? I'm sure he'll have a respectable answer for you!" spat Cedric. I grabbed his hand and tugged him away from the group. 

"Cedric, let's go," I muttered, pushing towards the door. 

His eyes flicked to me, white-hot with seething rage.

"Not until I finish what this bugger started."

"CEDRIC. I need to leave, and I need you to come with me." I yanked him toward the door insistently.

"Listen to your little girlfriend, mate," Crooks jeered.

Before I could react, Cedric turned around and punched Bishop straight in his pointed little nose. Then, matter-of-factly as he could, turned on his heel and whisked me out the door.

★゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★