Golden Girl II: By Your Side (Reader x Cedric x Draco)

♡ 20 | Expecto Patronum

Ron lands a short way away and immediately topples off his thestral onto the pavement.

"Never again," he says, struggling to his feet. He makes as though to stride away from his thestral, but, unable to see it, collides with its hindquarters and falls over again. "Never, ever again . . . that was the worst—"

Laughing, Cedric and Draco help him to his feet, both sliding off their mounts as gracefully as Luna and Harry.

"You okay?" Harry smiles as he helps you off your thestral.

"Yup," you lie, lurching over so you won't throw up.

You feel sure that there ought to be a security person at the entrance of the Ministry, certain that their absence is an ominous sign, and your feeling of foreboding increases as you pass through the golden gates to the lifts. You stab the number nine button, the grilles close with a bang, and the lift begins to descend, jangling and rattling. You had not realized how noisy the lifts were when you used to come here with your mother seven years ago—you are sure that the din will raise every security person within the building. You all step out into the corridor of pitch darkness, flickering in the rush of air from the lift.

"Lumos Maxima," Cedric says in his voice of honey and velvet. A blinding flash of bright white light emanates from the tip of his wand, illuminating the room. You stand in a large, circular room. Everything here is black, including the floor and ceiling. Identical, unmarked, handle-less black doors are set at intervals all around the black walls."Where do we go, then, Potter?" Draco asks acidly, earning angry glances from the rest of you.

"I don't—" Harry begins, clearly sweating and scared. You hold his hand comfortingly as he swallows hard, smiling slightly at you. "In the dreams, I went through the door at the end of the corridor from the lifts into a dark room—that's this one—and then I went through another door into a room that kind of... glitters. We should try a few doors," he says hastily. "I'll know the right way when I see it."

"Then there's only one thing to do," Cedric, as usual, comes to the rescue. "We have to split up."

"What?!?" you and Draco exclaim simultaneously, the fear evident in your voices.

"It's the fastest way," Cedric explains calmly. "We'll cover more ground, and Harry can quickly check each room. We'll stay in pairs to be safer. If we find the right room, we'll signal the others."

"But what if something happens?" Draco argues, his eyes darting nervously around the room.

"We'll have to be careful," Cedric responds firmly. "We don't have a lot of time. Harry, you take point. We'll follow your lead."

You nod in agreement, gripping your wand tighter. Harry looks around at all of you, taking a deep breath. "Okay," he says. "Cedric's right. Let's do this. Ron and Hermione, take that door. Luna and Neville, go through that door there. Draco and you, take that door there. Cedric, take that one, and I'll take this."

"Hold up," you say, "You want you and Cedric to go alone?"

"He's the most skilled out of all of us," Harry replies. "So am I." He looks at Cedric, who is also clearly not happy with the arrangement. "And—no matter how you take this, I still don't completely trust Malfoy. But..." he gives Draco an acid look and you clench your fists, "...I know he wouldn't hurt you, so I want you two together."

"I can hear you, you know," Draco mutters angrily.

"We don't have time to argue." You arch your eyebrows in surprise at Cedric's maturity as he continues, "We need to find the right room as quickly as possible. Let's move."

You all nod and move to the doors assigned. As you follow Draco, you glance over your shoulder to see Cedric with his back to you. You can see the tension in his body, his clenched fists, and his heavy footsteps.