We will meet again ~ Fred Weasley

- Please -

"He watches me like something terrible is about to happen—like he's bracing for it—but he won't say why, won't say what I mean to him... even though it's written in everything he doesn't let himself say."

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The tension didn't disappear.

Katherine didn't go back to the girls' side of the tent.

Instead, she fell into step with Harry and Ron as they made their way toward the arena, the decision made without much thought. It was easier that way. Simpler than trying to navigate whatever Ginny had been trying to prove back there.

Ron was talking, something about the scale of the match, the crowds, but Katherine only half-listened, her attention drifting.

Because she'd seen him.

Just briefly, as they were leaving.

Fred.

He'd redone his face paint badly. The lines uneven, the colours slightly off. Nothing like what she would have done. For a second, she'd almost said something.

But he hadn't looked at her.

Not once.

And she hadn't known how to bridge that.

So she hadn't.

She exhaled quietly, dragging her focus back to the path ahead.

Behind her, she could already picture it. Ginny talking to Hermione, retelling the whole thing with just enough emphasis in the right places to make it sound worse than it had been. Not entirely wrong, just...sharper. More intentional.

Katherine didn't turn back.

By the time they reached the gates, the noise had doubled. Crowds were pressing in from every direction, colours everywhere, voices rising and overlapping.

And just off to the side—

Cedric.

And Amos.

Waiting.

Katherine slowed slightly, spotting them almost immediately.

Cedric looked up.

Their eyes met.

And just like that, the rest of it came rushing back, the forgotten meeting.

She didn't try to speak.

Just mouthed, sorry.

Cedric held her gaze for a second.

Then gave a small nod.

Polite.

Acknowledging.

But not warm.

Not the same as before.

He didn't stop when the group moved forward. Didn't fall into step beside her like he had earlier. Instead, he turned slightly, continuing on with his father.

The distance wasn't dramatic.

But it was there.

And Katherine felt it.

A flicker of guilt settled in her chest, sharper than she expected. Not overwhelming but enough.

She looked away first this time.

"...You alright?" Harry asked quietly beside her.

Katherine nodded once, a little too quickly. "Yeah."