Cordelia Lyra Malfoy had always been different from the rest of her family. Her family were blood-supremacists who tried to teach their views to their children. Cordelia never believed with their views and would be punished for it.
She never felt a...
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Codelia was ecstatic when the school year started again. She shared a compartment with Cedric, Kiana, Fred, George and Lee once again. Sharing a compartment with them was starting to become a new tradition in which she was excited for.
Cordelia spent a peaceful fall term with her five friends, studying, and playing her ukulele whenever she was given the chance. She was enjoying her classes and realized her favorite was Herbology. She thought the subject was fascinating (though most of her classmates thought otherwise) and she found caring for plants to be soothing.
December came by quickly and the students were excited for the winter holidays that were fast approaching. Cordelia had planned to spend her break at Kiana's home again and the two girls were looking forward to it. Her plans, however, were shattered a few days before they were to leave when she received a letter from her family.
Cordelia sat at the Hufflepuff table with her five friends during breakfast when the owls brought the daily mail. The students were surprised when a black owl dropped a letter in front of the blonde girl; she never received letters from her family. Her brother and mother wanted to, but her father forbade them from doing so.
"Oh no," Cordelia cringed when she saw the letter drop in front of her. "Do you think I should open it?" Cedric and Kiana exchanged glances before staring at the letter in their friend's hands.
"You probably should. If you don't, you might miss something that you could be punished for later. No matter what that letter says, we're here for you," said Kiana, smiling reassuringly at her best friend.
Cordelia took a deep breath and opened the letter to reveal her father's neat, cursive handwriting:
"Cordelia, You are expected to come home during the winter holidays this year. We have much to discuss about your future. Please be prepared to leave the platform as soon as you are off the train. Your mother will be there to pick you up, as I will be working. Lucius Malfoy"
Cordelia stated unblinking at her Father's formal words, panic evident on her face. Kiana took the letter out of her friend's hand and read it out loud.
Cedric placed his hands on each of Cordelia's shoulders and turned her to face him.
"Look at me, Cordi," he said. His eyes showed emotions of concern and hope for the young girl. "Whatever happens, we are here for you. If you need to leave that house at any time, use your fireplace to Floo over to my house." Cordelia nodded to indicate she understood, though she was still feeling anxious.
Fred, George, and Lee gave sympathetic smiles from their seats across the table, not knowing what to say.
On the way to class, Fred stopped Cordelia in the corridor and ushered their friends to continue without them before he pulled her into a hug.
"It's going to be alright," he mumbled into her hair.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The day to leave for the winter holidays came quicker than Cordelia would have liked. She was dreading going home to see her family.
The girl stood in the frame that led to the girls' dorms as she stared into the empty Hufflepuff Common Room. She knew she should leave, but it was as if her body was frozen and wouldn't allow her to move from her spot. She desperately wanted to crawl into her bed and stay there until the holidays were over. However, she knew she couldn't do that without facing punishment from her father. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize that Cedric had come back into the common room to check on her.
"What are you still doing here? It's time to go," he asked, looking at his friend with concern. When she didn't respond, he approached her and stood in the frame with her. He placed a hand on her shoulder, breaking the girl from her thoughts. "Cordi... Remember, if you ever need to get out of there, Floo to my house."
She looked up at her friend and tried to give a smile. "Thanks, Ced... But I think I will be okay." Her voice quivered as she spoke, indicating she didn't believe her own words. As she looked up at her friend, she noticed something hanging above his head. Cedric looked up to see what had the girl's attention and saw the small bush of mistletoe hanging in the frame. He gave a small, awkward, laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck.
"You know... W-We can try a k-kiss," Cedric stumbled over his words. "Y-You kn-know, just to get our first kiss out of the way. You don't have to, obviously, but it would be less embarrassing with your friend than with someone you actually like."
The shorter girl felt a surge of confidence go through her in the moment. She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his. The tight-lipped kiss only lasted for a few seconds before she pulled away to see Cedric standing there with a shocked expression on his face.
They looked at each other in shock. Cordelia suddenly felt very anxious. So. Many different thoughts were going through her mind as she stared at him with wide eyes. What if what she did was wrong? What if he hated it? Or worse, what if he liked it? What if it changed their friendship? What if it ruined their friendship?
"I'm sorry Cedric, but that kiss felt wrong. I see you as a brother," She said nervously as she smiled softly at the boy. Her fears were erased when Cedric's lips broke out into a smile at her words.
"Good, because I feel the same way... I mean, it was a good first kiss, don't get me wrong... But I see you as a sister and it didn't feel right."
Cedric put his arm around the girl as the two friends walked out of the common.
