Golden Girl (reader x Draco x Cedric)

♡ 12 | You've got yourself a Date

Cedric sits in the tent, his half-burnt face throbbing painfully as Madam Pomfrey tends to his injuries. The purple liquid she applies stings against his ruptured skin, making him wince with discomfort as she grumbles furiously  "First dementors, now dragons. What will they bring into the school next!?! You're very lucky . . . this is only a first-degree burn . . . I have to be on standby for Delacour, set her skirt on fire, I'll send in a volunteer to help you. . . ."

As she disappears behind the canvas, Cedric is left alone with his thoughts, the tent filled with the distant sounds of Bagman's commentary on Fleur's attempt to retrieve her golden egg.

Bagman's excited voice only serves to worsen Cedric's anxiety, as horrid images of Y/N screaming and crying flash through his mind. He can't shake the fear that something terrible might happen to Fleur or any of the other champions. Bagman's gleeful shouts of "Oh . . . nearly! Careful now . . . good lord, I thought she'd had it then!" only add to Cedric's unease.

After what feels like an eternity, the crowd erupts into applause once more, signaling Fleur's successful completion of the task. Cedric exhales a sigh of relief, his tense muscles finally relaxing. But as the adrenaline wears off, his thoughts inevitably drift back to Y/N and Draco. The memory of seeing them standing so close, with Y/N wrapped in Draco's cloak while he shivered in the autumn wind, weighs heavily on Cedric's mind. The sight of Draco hugging Y/N from behind fills him with a strange mix of jealousy and concern. He can't help but wonder about the nature of their relationship and what it means for his own feelings towards Y/N.

"Ced!" A gentle voice snaps him out of his reverie and for a fleeting moment, he hopes it's Y/N but knows better. That's not her voice and she'd want to cheer Fleur on. Cedric opens his eyes and looks over the the entrance of a tent only to spot a Ravenclaw girl with long, shiny black hair and a freckles nose as she cradles a jar of some thick orange paste in her arms. Cho Chang.

"What're you doing here?" Cedric asks with a smile as she comes over to him, sitting on a stool next to him "Don't tell me, you're volunteering with Madam Pomphrey?"

Cho smiles, a faint blush coloring her cheeks as she nods. "Yeah, just helping out a bit," she replies, her voice soft and melodic as she bites her lips, looking down to the jar in her hands she is opening "If I'm being totally honest...I volunteered when I saw you getting picked as champion."

"Oh,"  is all Cedric can think to say, suddenly feeling uncomfortable"That's really thoughtful of you," he says sincerely. "Madam Pomphrey could use all the help she can get, especially with all the injuries from the task."

"Right..." Cho bites her lip again, dipping two fingers into the jar and lean closer to Cedric to apply it to his burns "How are you feeling?" she asks softly as she spreads the paste as gently and evenly as she can over his wounds, Cedric trying hard not to wince and make his pain evident "Burn Paste. Madam Pomphrey said it might help with the pain. Hope it helps."

"Thanks, Cho," he says gratefully, grinding his teeth, feeling as though his face is on fire "That's really kind of you."

"Of course, Cedric," Cho's voice is now uneven as she steamers out quickly, casting Cedric a nervous look as her cheeks turn a bright shade of pink "T-There is actually something else I wanted to say, well, ask actually... You've heard of the Yule ball, right?"

"Uh-oh." Cedric's well aware where this is going. "Cho is about to ask me to be her date to the Yule ball isn't she?" It has always made Cedric uncomfortable when he is in a position like this. But now, especially, that he knows how difficult unrequited love is, rejecting peoples' feelings is too difficult a task.

"I know this is way too early but...I just didn't want to regret not plucking up the courage sooner," Cho is definitely stammering now, keeping her eyes down to the jar as she closes it "...If you don't have a date, would you like to be mine?"