prospicere futurum | fred weasley | cedric diggory

15

Corinne rubbed the sleep from her eyes, snuggling deeper into the soft pillow beside her, the scent of cedar and petrichor, before realizing where she was. And the lack of the familiar presence beside her.

She jolted up, scanning the room for only a second before spotting him at the end of the bed, hunched over a large textbook in the early morning light seeping through the window.

"What are you doing?" She mumbled, biting back a laugh as his eyes finally met hers.

"Sorry... Woke up early, didn't want to bother you."

"So you thought some seven a.m studying would solve everything?" She teased, climbing from the blankets and crawling closer towards him.

"Not studying." He shook his head, pushing the book towards her. "I thought of those spells that Moody mentioned at the start of term. Protective enchantments." He slid his finger down the tattered page until it landed on a bolded line. "Cave Inimicum."

Corinne squinted to read the small text in the low light.

"Protective charm that produces a boundary to keep the caster hidden from view... Those on the other side of the shield are not be able to see, hear, or smell the caster." She cocked her head to the side, pulling the blanket up over her shoulders. "Okay?"

"I just wanted to find something you could use... you know... if Weasley tries to come near you again and I'm not around."

"Oh, if you're not around, I'm doomed, huh?" Corinne smirked, pushing the book from between them and crawling closer to loop the blanket around Cedric's body as well, her head falling onto his shoulder.

"I'd like to think not." He mumbled, turning to press a soft kiss to the top of her head. "Breakfast?"

She nodded, scanning around the room quickly before sighing. "I'm going to have to start keeping clothes here, aren't I?"

"Are you accepting that you'll be spending many more nights in my bed?" Cedric smirked, ducking out of the way of her smack.

✵

Ella stomped down the stairs, her stomach grumbling almost painfully after she had spent the past ten minutes trying to pry Taylor from her bed. Needless to say, she wasn't bringing her any breakfast if she was going to sleep the morning away.

She stepped into the common room, the sunlight filtering in through the stained glass and revealing a messy head of red hair slouched across a large arm chair. His eyes flashed to Ella as soon as she arrived, the skin beneath them a dark red, as if he hadn't slept well at all last night.

"Stevens-" Fred croaked out, his voice hoarse from lack of use.

"Weasley, piss off." She muttered, hurrying on towards the door before Fred jumped over the couch, stopping an inch before her, hands out in a silent surrender.

"I know. I get it." He blurted, "Ella, I didn't know."

"It doesn't matter."

"No, really... I didn't know she was scared... I mean, it was just a prank. It was just a coincidence, I wouldn't have ever... If I had known,"

"Yes, you would have. Only probably sooner." She held back a sigh, pinching two fingers to the bridge of her nose. "Weasley, honestly... I don't want to talk to you. I don't want to see you. I feel like I don't even know you anymore, if I ever did-"

"Where is she, Ella?" He cut her off, his voice pleading.

"I don't know."

"Oh, come on. That's a bold faced lie."