Marauders - Always - Part One

CXLII: Endearing

Cedric Diggory sat at the table in the Hufflepuff common room, his Divination homework spread out before him, struggling through a chart for the upcoming month that was due the next day. He was struggling with an aspect of Mercury in the eighth house - or was it Mars? He bloody couldn't tell and he was getting frustrated and was so close to just writing in any random thing to get the assignment over with... Honestly, he'd only kept on with Divination as a lark, fill up a block of his required schedule and, ironically, to have one class that would hopefully not have any huge bearing on his future. He was running his fingers through the glossary for the meaning of the placement of Mercury in the radix axis when Ernie MacMillan appeared at his elbow.

"Hi Ernie," Cedric murmured.

"Mornin' Cedric," Ernie said, his voice very official and only just keeping a containment on his excitement.

When Ernie wasn't satisfied with a greeting, Cedric paused his finger on the page where he'd stopped reading and looked up, half turning in his seat toward Ernie. "What's on, Ern?" he asked.

"Are you putting your name in the Goblet of Fire, Ced?"

Cedric nodded, "Yeah."

"When are you putting your name in the Goblet of Fire?" Ernie asked.

"When I wrap up this bit of homework," Cedric answered.

Ernie nodded, but he didn't go away. He just stood there, rocking on the balls of his feet up to his toes and back, the energy in him palpable. Cedric stared up at him expectantly. "You... need something else, Ernie?"

"No, I just want to be sure to be 'round when you go up to put in your name!" Ernie said, excitedly. "I want to be able to say I was there! You're going to be real famous and the true. hero of Hufflepuff House when you win."

"I don't know about all that."

"Sure yer will!" Ernie said, nodding, "Sure yer will!" He grinned.

"Alright. Well, it'll be a minute before I go," he said, gesturing at the homework.

"No, you take your time!" Ernie said.

But still he hovered.

Cedric stared at him, then looked at the homework, and slowly turned about to face the table again. Ernie was still standing there. Cedric bent over the parchment and books, eyes down, but he could feel Ernie's presence as prominently as if the fourth year was standing on top of him. After a couple minutes of this, he couldn't take anymore and he gathered up his things quickly.

"You finished already?" Ernie asked.

"No, I'm going to go finish in my room, I reckon," Cedric said, then, making an excuse, "It's, er, noisy out here."

"Right, right," Ernie nodded.

To Cedric's dismay, Ernie actually started to follow him down the hall to the sixth years' dormitory. He stopped at the door and looked at Ernie, "I'll tell ya what MacMillan, I'll let you know when I go up to put my name in, alright?"

"Brilliant," Ernie said.

Cedric stepped into his dorm and shut the door quickly before Ernie could follow him in or something and he jabbed his wand at the lock so it clicked loudly and stepped back from the door shaking his head. "Bloody hell," Cedric muttered, and he chucked his books down on his desk. He sat down, realized he'd lost his place, and sighed, trying to find which line he'd been on.

There came a frantic banging on the door.

"Ernie, I swear to Merlin's buttock that I'll let you know when I --" but when he opened the door it wasn't Ernie MacMillan, it was Herbert Fleet. "Oh good it's you. Get in here." Cedric yanked Fleet through the door and closed it again.