The Half-Blood Black

Chapter Twenty-Two✨

My foot taps wildly against the floor of the dining hall as I wait for dinner to be over. I'm biting my lip and I don't even notice Cedric until he bumps his leg into mine.

"Ced--Cedric!" I say surprised. I will my foot to stop tapping and force a smile. "How are you?"

"More like how are you? Word got to me that you collapsed outside of Potions, are you okay?" He asks me, pushing the one curl out of my face and running his fingers over my temple.

"I'm fine. I would have been better sooner if whatever potion Madame Pomfrey gave me wasn't so strong." 

I brush his hand away and sneak a look over at the Slytherin table, hoping Draco isn't looking. When I can't find him I turn to Cedric and grab his hand, squeezing it.

"What happened?" He asks.

"I ..." One of my most trusted confidants and a member of the highly secretive Order of the Phoenix is actually a Death Eater! Crazy right? Dumbledore hasn't gotten back to any of my requests for a meeting, and every person I can bring this to won't allow me to right any letters because my escaped convict father is in hiding!

"I don't know what came over me. Probably just the stress of advancing in Potions." I settle on this. 

"How are you now? Was anyone there to grab you in time?"

"Oddly enough, Draco Malfoy. But I think that Potter may have pulled a muscle in my shoulder when he tried to grab me." 

Cedric puffs out a breath of air and I cast another look over my shoulder. I finally spot white blonde hair at the end closest to the dais, his back to me, engaged in an avid conversation with Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson. I turn back to Cedric to see him following my line of sight, his face shifting from concern to anger. 

"Is he hurting you?" he asks in a low voice. 

"What? No, are you the one who fainted?'" I laugh. 

"You're just ... you're new here, Lyra. I don't think you understand the terrible things that Draco Malfoy has done. Or the rumors surrounding the terrible things his father has allegedly done. Crabbe, Goyle, Parkinson, all of those people he surrounds himself with are like that. You don't want to get involved in the wrong crowd so soon into your career here."

"Okay, dad, when did you become so overprotective? You don't think I can handle myself?"

"Can you handle yourself?"

I lean back and drop his hand, my voice rising in pitch. "Excuse me?"

"You know I didn't mean it like that." For the first time, I think he's getting annoyed with me. "I've just been very busy with the Tri Wizard Tournament, with the Yule Ball, with Cho..." he runs his hands through his hair. "I haven't been the best of friend to you and I hear rumors and I see you in the halls and I don't understand how someone like you could be friends with someone like him." 

"You are your own person, and by bloody hell do you make that known. The way you carry yourself, the way you handle yourself against all these whispers in the halls and the talking behind your back. You are extraordinary and I am glad to know you because of this." Ced starts again. "Draco Malfoy will turn into his father, I don't want him to bring you down with him." 

"I wish..." I stop myself before I ruin everything. Choosing my next words carefully, I lean into him and whisper. "I wish I could tell you everything, Cedric. I do. But you have to trust me on this. I know what I'm doing." 

Cedric squirms in his seat before grabbing my hand and pulling me off the bench. My surprised 'oh!' drags eyes away from friends and to us. We disappear out of the Great Hall and he has me winding down others until he pulls me through a doorway and into the dark library. 

"What can't you tell me?" he whispers fiercely. "Why? Can't you trust me? Don't you see that I care for you, that I'm trying to protect you?"

"I know!" I whisper back just as aggressive. "You don't think that I owe you everything? That if I could I would tell you everything about my life? Why I'm here, where I'm from, who Lyra Black really is? Every time I look at you I wish I could, I wish I had always known you, that you had always been there for me."

With our chests rising heavily between us, we stand in silence, our hands frozen in the air in anger. How he couldn't see this is beyond me. In my heart I know that he walked out of the Great Hall that first night because he was meant to be my guardian angel. Without him I--

Cedric's mouth finds mine and I gasp as his hands come to my arms, holding me in place. 

My God, Cedric Diggory is kissing me. 

Cedric Diggory, my best friend, is my first kiss. 

I melt into him, letting it happen, confusion and excitement coursing through me. Kissing is ... it's nice. Kissing Ced is ... confusing. But damn is it good. 

Someone clears their throat and we both turn abruptly. McGonagall stands in the doorway to the library staring at us both. We immediately straighten, our backs ramrod straight. My eyes are bugging out of my head, the familiar burn of embarrassment choking me as it spreads up my next. 

"I do believe this is the time that you two leave." She says. "Mr Diggory, you go so I can assure there will be no more hanky panky in the hallways." Cedric doesn't look at me before he goes, and I'm left even more confused. I look at my feet sheepishly, shuffling them in the silence that follows.  "Now that," McGonagall says as she clears her throat. "Is something that I can assure you I have caught your father doing."

She winks at me as she passes, and I can't help but feel relieved. Something to write home about? Absolutely not. Remus would be furious that I'm not concentrating on my studies, Tonks would be over the moon over this, and Sirius...

I could just die at the thought. 

I get swept into the crowd leaving dinner, keeping my head down as I go and sneaking past people. Can they tell I've just had my first kiss. Can they tell Cedric Diggory just kissed me? What was that ...

I walk into the common room with the other Gryffindors and I immediately go up to my room. Chiara and Lavender are already there along with Parvati. And Cho. Her blue Ravenclaw robes stick out against the red walls of our dorm room. 

Perfect. 

They give me dirty looks as I pass by, their Yule Ball dresses spread out on the beds, giggling as they hold them up to their robes. Once in bed, I close my curtains and let loose a breath I didn't even know that I was holding. 

Then I write. 

Dearest Tonks,

I miss you too, so very terribly. I have made all of one friend and Harry speaks to me occasionally. My classmates are nice enough. In other news, surprise! I have been asked to the Yule Ball by none other than Draco Malfoy, Yes, that Malfoy. Don't be alarmed, I will explain everything when I can. 

Please tell Padfoot that my heart aches without him and I yearn for the next moment that I can see him. Tell Remus that I miss him too and send my love to Kreacher!

Anyway I do need to address something serious-- Harry told me that Severus was a Death Eater! Please warn everyone and send me additional instructions on what our next moves are. 

With all my love,
Lyra