Hufflepuff boy - Cedric Diggory x male oc x Viktor Krum

53

Cayden sits himself next to Hermione on the Quidditch stands, looking out onto the pitch where he can see the Gryffindor Quidditch team trying out for their position.

"I heard Cormac tried to flirt with you." Hermione said, turning her head to look at Cayden who leaned back on his seat.

"He did, but I already told him I'm taken by two wonderful men." Cayden answered, turning his head away from the pitch to Hermione. "What about you?" He asked, cocking his head.

"What about me?" Hermione asked, confused.

"Did he try to flirt with you too?" Cayden asked.

Hermione nods, sighing. "Unfortunately."

Cayden pats Hermione's back sympathetically, looking back onto the pitch where he can see Ron glancing up at Hermione.

Hermione sees this and smiles at him, waving while she's at it.

"When are you two going to get together?" Cayden asked, amusement filling him when Hermione turned to look at him with a flustered expression.

"I don't know what you're talking about!" Hermione quickly said, looking back onto the pitch, ignoring Cayden eyes.

Cayden snort and looks back onto the pitch, watching the Gryffindors get onto their brooms and starts playing. He saw Ginny flying swiftly, handling the Quaffle with ease. And two second years collide in mid-air making him wince. Ron and Cormac both make a save, though Ron's looks shakier than Cormac.

Hermione seems to be a nervous wreck beside him, so he wraps his arm around her shoulders and starts stroking his thumb on her shoulder, trying to calm her down and she sends him a grateful smile.

Katie snatches a Quaffle with one hand, and splits two defenders beautifully and makes a slick blind pass to Dean who jets high in the air, then lets the Quaffle roll off his fingers right into Ginny's hands as she races below.

Seamus sends a Bludger rocketing into the stands, scattering a group of onlookers, leaving only Neville, who sidles delicately to the right as the others leg it.

Two third years collide in mid-air, making Cayden winces again.

Cormac makes another save. Ron turns the wrong way but somehow makes the save anyway as the Quaffle hits off the tail of his broom.

Demelza Robins, bent low over her stick, pins the Quaffle under her chin, and splits two Bludgers and a pair of Beaters.

Two fourth years collide in mid-air but this time Cayden didn't wince, already knowing it will happen.

Two aspiring Beaters "whiff" on a pair of Bludgers, and whack each other instead and plummet to the pitch as the Bludgers ricochet off one another and go flying into the stands, scattering onlookers yet again and leaving, as before, only Neville. This time, he sidles delicately to the left.

Cormac makes a save, and the Quaffle bounces off Ron's head.

Two fifth years collide in mid-air.

Cayden leans forward to look down at the pitch where he can see the survivors pressing ice packs to their heads, running tape around their twisted fingers. He then looks at Harry, who is talking with both Ron and Cormac.

Then Demelza and Ginny rocket forth. Ron weaves nervously while Cormac hovers in place, a confident sneer on his face.

"C'mon, Ron..." Hermione mutters under her breath.

Demelza hunkers over her broom once again, flying like an arrow, then she goes into a wide, sweeping slide. Ginny blasts over the pitch, her hair streaming like flames, then rolls recklessly to the side. As one, they both let fly.

Hermione, face buried in her fingers mutters something.

Cormac, at the last moment, inexplicably rolls his broom to the right and the Quaffle sails over his shoulder. Ron, zig-zagging crazily, nearly falls off, right himself in a panic, and deflects Ginny's Quaffle with his forehead. As a few partisan cheers erupt from the stands, Harry grins, then has to restrain himself.

From beside Cayden, Hermione slowly opens her eyes.

"Isn't he brilliant?" Lavender said dreamily.

Hermione stares balefully at Lavender, then notices Cormac eyeing his broom incredulously. She gets up, taking Cayden's hand and slips away with Cayden behind her.

≪ °❈° ≫

"For weeks you carry around this book, practically sleep with it..." Hermione began. "And you have no desire to find out who The Half-Blood Prince is?"

"I didn't say I wasn't curious. And, by the way, I don't sleep with it." Harry said, defending himself.

Ron lets out a sarcastic chortle. "Yeah. Right." He said as Harry glares at him. "Well, it's true. I like a nice chat before I go to bed. Now you're always reading that bloody book. It's like being with Hermione."

This time it's Hermione's turn to glare, lips quirking up when Cayden smacks the back of Ron's head.

"You know, the last time we had a book Ginny almost died." Cayden said, Hermione agreed with him.

"It's not taking control of my mind yet." Harry said, looking at Cayden.

"Isn't that what happened with the diary?" Cayden questioned, looking at Ron and Hermione who nodded.

"Well, I was curious. So I went to--" Hermione's words were cut off by Harry and Ron.

"The library." Harry and Ron said.

"And?" Cayden asked, ignoring Harry and Ron, as he looked at Hermione.

"And... nothing. There's no reference to the Half-Blood Prince anywhere." Hermione said.

"Good. That settles it then." Harry said, not noticing Cayden rolling his eyes at that.

Hermione starts to object, when Hagrid's voice breaks through them.

"Hey, you four!" Hagrid exclaimed, emerging out of the trees, beard crusted in white, looking like a crazed Father Christmas. Behind him, deep in the woods, Aurors can be seen.

Cayden and Hermione eyes them briefly, then she nods to the pulsating burlap bag Hagrid clutches in his fist.

"What've you got there, Hagrid?" Hermione asked.

Hagrid tips open the bag, making Harry, Ron and Hermione grimace while Cayden didn't have any reaction. "Stinksap. Burn the whiskers right off yer chin. Trees 'ere are drippin' with it."

"Stinksap? You're not sick, are you?" Cayden asked, looking up at Hagrid with concern.

"It's not fer me. It's fer Aragog. Yeh remember Aragog, don't yeh?" Hagrid asked.

"I've heard about it." Cayden said, shrugging.

"Spider? About six feet tall? Ten feet wide?" Ron listed.

"That's the one. He's taken ill. I'm hopin' ter nurse 'im back. Keep yer fingers crossed." Hagrid said, crossing his fingers.

"Hope he gets better soon." Cayden said, Hagrid sent him a grateful smile and disappeared back into the trees.

"Barking. Does he not remember that raving arachnid tried to eat us? What?" Ron questioned, looking at Hermione who is staring at the Aurors.

"The Aurors. I know they're here to protect us, but... somehow I don't feel any safer." Hermione said.

Cayden wraps his arm around Hermione's shoulders. "Me too." He said, turning his head to look at Harry, turning his head where Harry is looking at and furrowing his eyebrows when he sees Professor Slughorn entering the Three Broomstick. Why is Harry staring at Professor Slughorn?