Harry Potter One Shots (Vol. I)

Undeniable (Cedric Diggory)

It's the long awaited golden boy - Cedric! Goodness I missed him ~

Did anyone else?

I wasn't even surprised that I was being dropped off to Cedric's house the day before we were to return to Hogwarts. After all, it wasn't unusual for my parents to be called out of the country to work as they tailed a particularly dark wizard. It was just a little disappointing that I wouldn't get to see them again before they left for work. But, it had happened so often that Cedric's home was practically my second one.

"Have you got everything you need?" Mum asked, and I knew that it was to draw out the time before her and dad had to leave.

"I think so," I cast a look at the bags by my feet with a small smile, "I can't imagine that I've left anything behind."

She sighed and took me into a hug, "Have fun at school."

"I will." I returned the hug and pulled away from her, "Catch the dark wizard and come home safe."

"Don't we always?" Dad asked, hugging me once mum had let go.

"Well you can never be too safe," I reminded them as Cedric's parents approached mine to say goodbye to them.

Cedric, following his parents lead, approached me and before I could protest, he'd taken my bags and began to carry them away. I moved to take one of the bags away from him, because there were way too many for him to carry on his own - no matter what he claimed. But he gave me a look and I stepped back, unable to stop the annoyed frown I threw his way. Following him through his home and up the stairs, I stepped into the guest room that I was far too familiar with.

"You've done all your packing for Hogwarts then?" Cedric asked, putting the bags down on the floor and making himself comfortable on the bed. He perched on the edge of the bed, looking over the sheer number of bags on the floor.

"Yep, this is all of it." Walking around the room I approached a picture frame that hadn't been there the last time I'd stayed over. The picture, one taken when I was much younger, featured me sitting side by side with Cedric on his birthday with cake smeared over his face. I couldn't help but smile, remembering that I had been the one to push the cake into his face and set the picture frame back down. Looking back to Cedric I asked, "What about you? Did you leave it til the last minute again?"

"Well you know me really well," he said without needing to say anything more.

I rolled my eyes and looked back at him with an unamused expression; how was he a prefect? Let alone the new head boy?

With a sigh, I turned back to Cedric with my arms crossed, "And this is where you expect me to sit with you and help you decide which clothes you're taking with you to Hogwarts?" He nodded and I pursed my lips. "Why do you wait until the last minute every year? And more importantly, why do you wait for me to help you pick out your clothes? You're old enough to make these decisions yourself or you can ask someone else."

"No one else is as brutally honest as you are," he replied, rising to his feet.

"Because I don't like you very much, I tolerate you."

With a chuckle, Cedric crossed the room to pat the top of my head - messing my hair in the process - as he left the room. He did that on purpose. Placing my bags into a corner of the room to keep them out of the way, I waited for him to return with his clothes in tow.

He returned minutes later and it seemed like his entire closet was floating behind him as he walked into the room and levitated the clothes onto the bed. Of course - he was legally allowed to perform magic now. So why did he insist on carrying my bags by hand when he could have just used magic instead? Who was he trying to impress with his show of strength?