𝐂𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐋𝐄𝐒 𝐂𝐑𝐔𝐌𝐁𝐋𝐈𝐍𝐆 (OC x OC)

[002] Chapter 17

Cedric

It's officially Christmas morning–which is usually magical and wonderful, but not at Hogwarts for Makayla. Jordyn and I are the only ones who actually know that.

Her father has been enjoying his spoiled eggnog and has been keeping her at Hogwarts for Christmas without any presents. The only present that I recall Makayla receiving since last year was from her mother, and that present was Nora getting to visit this Christmas break.

Since Makayla already knows she's getting nothing this Christmas, she and Nora came to the Hufflepuff common room to hang out with me while my friends and I open presents. I feel bad. She's having to watch us open presents while she's left with none. Yes, Nora could count as a present, but we all know that a person isn't enough, especially when it's a child that only wants to hang out with everyone but you.

Makayla's offer to hang out with us as we open presents confused me. She's never offered this before for anyone. If she had, the whole school'd know.

Once I open my final present from my father, Makayla's face lights up, as if she has just remembered something, "Oh, right! I almost forgot!"

I turn to face her. She's rummaging through her bag, looking for something. Her silky blonde hair that is held back by a thick green flannel headband flourishes as it dangles from her head, covering her face as she looks down. After a great amount of searching, she finally shouts, "Ah hah!" Then she pulls out a small box wrapped in Christmas-themed wrapping paper and hands it to me, a giant smile lay on her face. The smile is so magnetic, I can't help but smile in return. I grab the box and gently rip the wrapping paper off the box, feeling my friends exchange glances with their mouths curled into smirks. They can never help but think that Makayla and I like each other–news flash: we don't.

When I finally get the wrapping paper off the box, I get to see what the box actually looks like. It's small, obviously, and is designed the way that a jewelry box would be designed, and it's colored a pinkish color. I feel the smile that my mouth wears grow as I open the box, finding a pair of rings that lay on a black foam. They're just my style and size. She knows me so well–probably more than I know myself, which isn't surprising.

"I love it," I look to her, wrapping my vacant arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a gentle embrace, "Thank you."

"Anytime, Diggory," she says as I pull away from the hug. She tries her best to not seem any less than the tough and independent woman that she is, and I always try my best to not deflect on that.

I take the rings and roll them onto each of my fingers. They're perfect. I love them. I love her–IN A FRIEND WAY, OF COURSE.

Nora exchanges her glance between the two of us, a confused expression occupying her face, "Wait, so are you two dating?"

Makayla smacks the brim of her forehead, pulling her eyes into–what seems to be–a tight ball inside of her skull, "No, Nora. No. We are not dating."

In her reply, I do hear a slight chuckle at the question, which is always our response to any such question. Best friends can't be best friends without being imagined together. For quite some time, the whole school believed that we were dating in first year, though we weren't.

"Oh," Nora says, disappointed at her very own misinterpretation. "That's a shame."

Makayla rolls her eyes, saying, "Well," enthusiastically as she rises from the floor with the help of the yellow couch behind her, "we might as well head back to Slytherin common room, seeing as it's likely mother will pick you up early." She looks at me and my friends and flashes a warm smile, "It was great hanging out with you guys, thanks! Bye."

"But I don't want to leave!" Nora exclaims as Makayla gently grabs her arms, pulling her off the ground and over her shoulder. She begins shouting and kicking her legs in the air like a toddler as Makayla walks out of the common room.

I watch them leave, wishing I could help Makayla, but I know what she'd say. She'd insist that she has this in the bag, and that she doesn't need help, which is always a lie.

"So," April Weasley says, walking downstairs, "it was kind of obvious that you guys like–"

"We don't, Weasley," I roll my eyes.

"And my father is the head of the Ministry of Magic."

I scoff, grabbing the boxes I got for Christmas and storming upstairs. Yes, I know that I made a scene. Could I care? No.

I don't like her. I don't think I ever will like her that way, and I'm fine with that. We both are fine with that.

Plus, I'm pretty sure that Lupin guy that she hates likes her. At times, I see him glance at her at breakfast, lunch, dinner, you get the memo. Makayla doesn't ever pay him any sense of kindness, which is why everyone is confused on the idea of why he would even think to like someone like her, but it's always obvious that he likes her. You could ask him a thousand times and get the same shade of red each time. If you walked up to me and told me he didn't like her, I'd send you to the hospital wing because you have your head up your own ass.

I know Makayla. She can't hate someone forever, no matter who that person is. Behind all of the sarcastic comments and rude remarks, there's someone who actually cares about what you think about her, and she and I both know nothing will change that. In fact, neither of us want that to change.

Near the end of first year, she and I promised each other that we would never change who we truly are ever. No matter how reputation-ending the component of that person is, a promise is a promise. Plus, we came up with a spell that would play the Spongebob theme song everytime we even thought to break the promise. It's been pretty effective so far.

I walk into my dormitory that I share with two other Hufflepuff third years and brush my Quidditch broom off my bed, laying down on my bed. The sun is too bright for it to be this early, but I already want to go to sleep. That's not annoying at all.

I can't sleep, though. I'm nervous about this Saturday.

The Gryffindor Quidditch team has a match against the Slytherin team. Harry and Draco are the seekers now that Makayla's father paid Slytherin house to make Draco the best at anything. This isn't going to be a pretty game, obviously. Draco is a competitive player, but I guess we'll just have to hope this all plays out smoothly.