The Exchange Student - Cedric Diggory⁴

➣ 𝘾𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝟑 "𝙈𝙖𝙙-𝙀𝙮𝙚 𝙈𝙤𝙤𝙙𝙮"

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"So, are you going to talk about what happened between you and Dorian, or are we just going to keep pretending it never happened?" asked Nicolás as they stepped outside the greenhouse.

Herbology had just ended; they had studied the Bouncing bulb, and honestly, even if he won house points, the absolute highlight of the class was seeing one of those plants bouncing from Fred's to George's head, back and forth — even Professor Sprout had laughed at how ridiculous they looked; of course, she still took house points from the because of the class distraction.

At his side, Caelum groaned. "Why do you keep asking? Nothing happened, really."

It was ridiculous. Ever since their disastrous squabble, back in the Hogwarts Express, Caelum and Dorian had been acting... strangely. Everyone could notice as much. They tried to pretend everything was just as normal, and that there was nothing to talk over, that their relationship was just as good. They tried to act the same way as before, but everyone could feel the eggshells they seemed to walk on around each other.

The sixth-year Hufflepuffs shared Herbology with the Gryffindors, so Nicolás had spent the entire class trying to get out of Caelum what had happened the class before — as the Gryffindors shared Charms with the Slytherins — but apparently 'nothing happened', 'everything is just fine', and 'Nico, you're being excruciating with the matter, I beg of you to just drop it.'

And well, maybe he was being a tad unbearable over it, but even so, he had the right to be it, right? These were his cousin slash bother from another mother slash soulmate and one of his best friends, if there was something rupturing their friendship just because they were both too hardheaded — which they both were —, then he needed to know if he could help.

Like him and Cedric the other night. Nicolás trusted that he had gotten his point across: Cedric really shouldn't submit his name for the Triwizard Tournament. They had argued, Nicolás discovered new things about Cedric, and they snogged after; it had been a very productive night in his mind.

But of course not, Caelum was just as impetuous as Uncle Sirius, and equally stubborn as a mule; Dorian was a pureblood far too proud who would rather bite his own hand off than show any kind of vulnerability in their conversation.

Clearly, Nicolás was left in the middle, stranded and lost; not sure which was to take, who to talk to, who to prod. Looking around in their free time, seeing the awkwardness clinging to their friend group, he felt like a sailor who had no option but to see how the holes in his ship finally filled it with seawater, before pulling it to the bottom of the sea. Helpless and useless.

Hell, even Amelia, who disliked emotional conversations as much as Dorian, had tried to talk it out of him and failed; her sister, Lilith, had been far more direct, but Dorian still found ways to escape his fellow Slytherins with ease.

Nicolás considered getting the Weasley twins to talk, but he didn't really see much effectiveness in that; Ruby had tried, but Caelum was quick to run off.

Caelum squeezed Nicolás' shoulder and smiled; very forcibly, if he may add. "We're just fine, okay? You'll see," and without waiting, he strode up the stairs to the Gryffindor Common Room.

With a sigh, Nicolás followed Cedric down the basement and into the Hufflepuff Common Room so they could shower before their first Defense Against the Dark Arts class of the term. That should prove interesting, it was their first official meeting of Professor Moody, and they shared it with the Slytherins, maybe Nicolás could get something — anything — out of Dorian.