The Best Year (A Cedric Diggory Fanfic) {HIATUS}

Chapter Nine: Pumpkin Pasties

The Best Year

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anything you recognise.

Happy Reading!

Chapter Nine: Pumpkin Pasties

Saturday, October 31st

Halloween was a very important time at Hogwarts. It could possibly be classified as the most important feast in the year. The moment I stepped out of the Quarters, I could already feel the whole school buzzing with life, and it was only seven thirty am. Everyone was getting ready for the grand preparations in the evening. I, myself, had decided on a lovely blood red and black number for tonight's special event; With Fleur's help of course. There was so much to prepare before the feast. My first stop for the day was the kitchen, to make sure the feast in itself was being made in accordance to schedule. Professor McGonagall had owled me a five foot long piece of parchment the previous night, with all the foods that had to be completed for the feast.

"Morning Alexandra." said Cedric, appearing from around the corner.

"Good morning." I said, running my hand through my fly-away curls. "How did you sleep?"

"Well." he replied. "Yourself?"

"Pretty well actually." I said. "Where are you returning from this morning?"

"Just went to check up on the decorations for the feast, and now I was going to find you, we need to oraganise the food." said Cedric. "Do you have the list with you perchance?"

"Of course." I said, pulling the parchment from out of my pocket, and handing it to him.

"Well this is the Halloween feast, that's for sure." said Cedric. With a quick flip of his wrist, the parchment unrolled itself, bunching on the floor.

"Some of the things on the list, I don't even know what they are." I replied.

"Well if you're one to experiment with food, Halloween definitely an opportunity to broaden your pallet." said Cedric. "Now we better be off."

"Where are the kitchens?" I asked.

"I'll show you." he replied, neatly winding the parchment back up, before placing it in his pocket. ""It's straight under the Great Hall."

"Ah okay." I replied.

"Trust it to be right next to the Hufflepuff common room." he added, a chuckle gracing his handsome features. I wasn't quite sure what he meant by that comment, but I decided against asking him about it.

After a solid twenty minute walk, and an odd chat to a few people we knew, we finally reached a spiral staircase which Cedric claimed lead right down to the kitchens. In fear of falling, I held onto his shoulder. At that moment, I was slightly puzzled, since there were no kitchens in sight, only another dusty corridor. That's when I notice it; A giant painting of a bowl of fruit, only illuminated by a pair of dying candles, wrenched to the walls on either side. When we approached it, Cedric leaned forward and tickled the ginormous green pear. The fruit let out a giggle and it took a few moments for it to twist and change into a brass knob, which I instinctively twisted. The door swung forward, and similarity to the Gryffindor common room, it revealed a portrait hole. The swarm of aromas of different foods, hit us, like a blast of cool air; Cedric silently gestured for me to enter first.

I knew that the kitchens had to be large, to accommodate for all of the students and staff in Hogwarts, as well as their visitors, but it was almost twice the size of the Great hall. It was absolutely enormous, with a very high-ceilinged roomwith mounds of glittering brass pots and pans heaped around the stone walls, and a great brick fireplace at the other end. At centre, stood six tables, mirrored to the ones in the hall above, and it was evident that they were magically linked.