Emerald [Cedric Diggory]

Chapter Seven

To say that Cedric Diggory was lost would be an understatement.

After the Slytherin girl had left, he turned back to his friends. They were staring back at him wide-eyed.

"Huh." was all he said.

"A good Slytherin. Who would have thought?" his best friend Ashton said, and the rest of them voiced their agreements. They made their way towards the Great Hall, chatting as per usual.

But all the while, the girl's words played in the back of Cedric's mind.

It's always easier to blame the Slytherin, isn't it?

The more he thought about it, the worse he felt. This girl had been helping his housemates, and he had almost attacked her, all because she was in Slytherin, and he just assumed that she was hurting them. He could still picture the girl's deep blue eyes staring at him dispassionately, as if she were used to this kind of treatment. Used to the attacks and perpetual distrust.

Helga Hufflepuff would be ashamed of me. He thought miserably. If there was one thing the founder of his house had believed, it was that you shouldn't judge people too harshly without knowing them.

Where the rest of the founders judged their students' worthiness based on bravery, cunning or intelligence, Helga Hufflepuff had welcomed them all without question.

Cedric knew that he wouldn't be at peace till he made amends. Even though the girl had said it was fine, her demeanor had suggested something entirely different.

But the question was how would he make amends?

The first step would be finding out who the girl is, he decided. He remembered the girl saying that she was late for dinner- which meant she must be in the Great Hall. He craned his neck to search the next table- which conveniently belonged to Slytherin. He spotted her towards the end of it, sitting next to one of the Slytherin team's chasers, Damien Whitehall. The boy was in third year, if Cedric wasn't mistaken. And the girl looked the same age as him.

Cedric looked around his own table to find a third year.

"Ernie." he called out. He figured if someone knew the girl, it would be Ernie. The blond was a notorious gossip. Ernie turned to look at him and smiled. Cedric leant towards him.

"Who's the girl sitting next to that Slytherin chaser?" he asked him. Ernie squinted at the Slytherin table, and slightly stiffened. "That's Maya Caufield." he said. "Why?"

Cedric explained what had happened in the corridor.

"What can you tell me about her?" Cedric asked. Ernie raised an eyebrow at him. "You sweet on her, Diggory?" he asked, and Cedric shook his head. "Just trying to make amends." he said.

"The most important thing I can tell you about Maya Caufield is that the rest of the third years try to avoid her at all costs. You should too." he said seriously. Cedric gave him a confused look, so Ernie decided to elaborate. "Maya is quiet and usually sticks to the shadows- until someone tries to bother her, that is. Merlin help the poor bastard who thinks she's an easy target just because she's quiet. The other Slytherins in our year are all talk and no action- but not this one. No, she's the exact opposite. And you usually don't realize that till you're lying on the floor with pus filled boils covering every inch of your body." he said.

Cedric looked at him wide-eyed. "It happened once last year with Parkinson. She had to come to class lathered in ointments for a week." Ernie explained.

Cedric's eyebrows shot up. A week? That's quite strong for a second year, he thought to himself. He tried to voice this opinion, but Ernie was on a roll.

"Her and Damien are the only muggleborns in Slytherin right now, and Snape really hates their guts. Academically, she's pretty good at almost everything except Potions, but that could just be Snape, I suppose. And last year when we started the duelling club, she was easily one of the best in our year. Should have seen the look on Malfoy's face when she disarmed him within the first twenty seconds of their fight." he said with a snort.

"How have I never heard of her before?" Cedric asked. Someone this sinister was usually the talk of the school.

So how could he have missed her?

"Let's just say that she's not very kind towards anyone who talks behind her back." Ernie said, giving him a meaningful look. "She's rumored to use some pretty dark hexes on people she doesn't like."

"What else can you tell me?" Cedric asked, determined to know more about this girl.

"She's a loner, just hangs around Damien. Only ever comes to Quidditch matches if he's playing. I've seen her talking to a couple of Gryffindors occasionally but not much. She is always distant and aloof, never even trying to blend in with the others. Oh, and Flitwick seems to really like her."

Cedric gave him a baffled look at that random piece of information towards the end.

"I don't know what it is either. Could be because she's good with Charms." Ernie said with a shrug. "Bottom line is, stay away from her if you can. You don't want to be associated with the Ice Queen." Cedric nodded. She sounded a bit sinister. He recalled the coldness her deep blue eyes held, and suddenly he could understand why the Muggleborns called her the Ice Queen.

But then he thought back to what he had seen in that corridor. How she had tried to stop herself from laughing when Celia called robes nightgowns. How incredibly awkward she had looked when Celia hugged her. She hadn't really looked like an Ice Queen then.

Cedric decided to avoid her all the same. He could do without the unnecessary drama it would bring. He thanked Ernie, then tuned back into his mates' conversation, and happily spent the rest of dinner joking around with everyone.

Once dinner was over, Cedric filled Ashton in on everything Ernie had said- more out of sheer habit than anything else- as they walked towards the basement. He noticed Ashton's frown when he was done.

"It must be tough on her." Ashton finally said, as they entered their dorm room. Cedric turned to his best friend with a confused look.
"How do you mean?"

"Think about it. The Slytherins must hate her for being muggleborn, and the rest of the school hates her for being Slytherin. The girl can't catch a break."

"You forget the fact that she hexes people." Cedric pointed out.

"From what you've told me, she only ever does that to people who bother her." Ashton said, fixing his friend with a look. "That sounds like self defense to me. The only other thing you've told me so far is that she just has one friend. Can you blame her? Damien is probably the only one who gets what she goes through." Ashton said, plopping down on his bed. "You know what? From now on I'm going to go out of my way to be nice to her. After all, she did help Hufflepuffs. Maybe I'll go say hi tomorrow."

"Great, now I feel worse." Cedric said, glowering at his best friend.
"You asked." Ashton said with a shrug. "Night." he said, blowing out the candle next to his bed.

"Night." Cedric mumbled, as he blew out his candle too. He stayed unmoving in his bed for a long while, his head full of thoughts.

Merlin's beard, I won't be at peace until I talk to her again, will I?

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