glow. // cedric diggory

23

CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

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Hangovers are no joke. At least, that's what Ellie decided when she woke up with a raging headache that was ten times worst than the last, which was all the way back when the Triwizard Tournament was announced. When was that? October? November? Ellie couldn't remember if she tried. It wasn't often that a hangover made her feel sick, but whatever was in that punch last night was far too strong, because she was clearly ill.

Just turning over onto her side made her head pound and she groaned, mostly in frustration and annoyance rather than pain. She looked at the ground to see that Fleur and Gabrielle's things were gone. Their makeshift beds and their bags were all missing. For a second she grew worried, but she also knew that Fleur and Gabrielle had probably found a more spacious room. 

A very quiet knock came from Ellie's door and she called out groggily, "Come in." A small smile appeared on her lips when a worried Cedric walked through the door with breakfast on a tray and a goblet of pumpkin juice. "Hi."

Cedric smiled at her a little and handed the tray to her. "Good morning," he said, sitting down next to her. "I brought you breakfast. I didn't think you'd want to come down to the Great Hall this morning."

It had taken Ellie a second to notice that he was dressed in his Quidditch uniform, in his jersey that read in big, bold letters DIGGORY and under it 07. 

"You have a game?" Ellie asked, furrowing her eyebrows. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You weren't really in a state to comprehend much of anything," he laughed, taking the goblet into his hand and bringing it to her lips. "Let alone the fact that I have a game in an hour."

Ellie's eyes widened and she pushed the cup away from her mouth and tried to swing her legs over the bed. Cedric just reached across to stop her and pull her legs back up. "Let me go, please," she said calmly, trying again. He shook his head and didn't budge. "Cedric."

"You're clearly very under the weather," he told her. "I don't want you to try and go to the game and sit through falling snow and freezing temperatures just so you can scream until your throat is raw. You'll get even sicker." He fixed her with a look that made her frown. "Oh, come on, love. Stop pouting. I'll tell you all about it when I get back."

"I wish you'd have warned me ahead of time," she grumbled, crossing her arms and sinking back into her pillows. "That way I might have been more cautious about whatever was in that fruit punch and not have gotten absolutely hammered last night. Now I feel like a horrible girlfriend."

Cedric smiled internally at her use of the word and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You didn't know," he reminded her softly. "You don't need to feel bad, so don't beat yourself up over it please. I'll be sure to tell you next time. That's my fault."

Ellie shook her head. "If I'm not allowed to feel bad, neither are you," she declared. "Now, last I checked, you said you have an hour. I'm assuming since there's enough food for your entire team on this plate that you haven't eaten yet and want to eat with me."

He grinned and nodded. "If that's okay with you."

"Of course it is," she replied, picking up a strawberry. "You've got to tell me about all the embarrassing things I did last night. I need to know what kind of teasing I'm walking into tomorrow when classes resume."