"WAIT," ARDEN GASPED, looking at Cedric wide-eyed. "What about Cho?" Still wrapped in a thick towel, Cedric began to laugh so hard that his figure, which was just a head sticking out a bundle of warm fabric, resembled a butterfly struggling to complete the phases of metamorphosis.
"What's so funny?" Arden frowned, pulling her towel tighter around herself. She was so sure that the two were an item, given everything she had seen and everything she had heard.
"Me and Cho?" He laughed again, his already-dazzling smile somehow becoming more perfect. A perfect smile for a perfect boy. "What about you and Fred?" Arden stared blankly at him, unable to completely process the thought. Her and Fred? Fred Weasley? On what planet?
"I think you mean George," she replied nonchalantly, having perfected her solemn expression to precision. Cedric stopped laughing immediately, his eyes widening. She noticed how his hands slightly clenched and unclenched, as if he wasn't aware of the action. Was that flush there before, too? "I'm joking."
"That's a relief," he immediately grinned, slouching back onto one of the wooden legs of the stands. "But anyways, no, Cho and I are not together. She asked me to the ball and helped me prepare for this task, but that's really it. If I'm being honest, I think she only did that so she could get Harry's attention."
Just then, the brightness of the sun began to break through clouds above, making the Black Lake look much less unappealing than before. Maybe because of the slightly bluer sky, or maybe because the task was over (for Cedric), but the lake suddenly seemed extremely inviting.
"Would you want to go on a walk later?" Arden blurted out, looking from the water to the boy. He was already watching her, a small smile quirking up the edges of his lips. The way he was staring at her was foreign, and she didn't know how to feel about it. It made her uneasy, yet somehow. . . intrigued? Moments passed in silence, and Arden quickly followed up, slightly embarrassed. "Or not, I mean, whatever you want — "
" — I'd love to go on a walk. What time?" Cedric's voice butted over hers — in a polite way — his focus coming back into reality. He was so fixated on her face, all of her words floated around like a gas in his mind before solidifying. He felt lucky that his reaction was only delayed by a few seconds; he didn't want her to think he didn't care at all. The fact was he did care, possibly too much. But how could you care too much?
The position he was sitting in felt as much as it looked uncomfortable, so close to the edge of the stands that surely if a gust of wind blew by he would fall back into the icy water. As he scooted slightly away, he looked up and realized that he had no idea what time it was.
"What are you doing? It looks like you're about to fall," Arden began, watching him suddenly lean the edge, literally hanging on to the stand by one arm. She scooted forward and grabbed one of his arms quickly, nervous around the sturdiness of his grip. Though, now that she thought about it he was definitely better off holding himself up than with the help of her weak strength. Maybe it was more of an instinct to hold him, she thought. Sucking in a breath, she held still, both surprised by the likely truth to her thoughts and nervous for his response.
"I am trying to determine the time of day from the sun's position in the sky," Cedric began, leaning back so he was no longer over the edge. As he moved beside her, he looked down at her grip on his arm and grinned cheekily, slightly dazed from the commotion of the last hour.
"I really like you, Arden," Cedric breathed softly, still staring at her hand. Arden's cheeks reddened more, all of her solidified thoughts evaporating away (yet again) into a fog of incomprehensible thoughts. In the best possible way, she was at a loss of words, unable to form any coherent response. "I don't want to lose you. Ever. I hope this task proved that. I don't know what else I can do that beats saving you from a mermaid colony at the bottom of the lake. But if you can think of something, then tell me. I will do anything to show you how much I cherish you — "
" — Cedric stop," the girl finally exhaled, moving her hands so they held his. The moment didn't seem real, it was too perfect to even understand a fraction of what was happening. Struggling to find the right words, Arden took a breath before continuing slowly. "I understand, and I don't want you to do anything else." She was grinning softly, the blush on her cheeks deepening. "And I cherish you too, I have since you picked up my voluptuous hat on the train."
Before either could say anything else, the crowd began to roar again. Arden looked over the edge of the water and gasped, watching as a shark head evolved into Vikor Krum's.
"Second out of the lake is Victor Krum!" The cheers echoed off the water, making the sound become increasingly deafening.
"Where is Harry?" Arden suddenly gasped, realizing that it was long past the time limit. As if on cue, there was a loud splash of water, followed by gasps and the students' cheers. The girl turned around and looked at the water, her stomach plummeting as she only saw Ron and Fleur's sister, Gabrielle.
"Here," said Arden frantically, wrapping a towel around Ron and handing one to Gabrielle. Before they got to thank her, however, another loud splash was heard, followed by a loud THUMP on the wood beside her. "Harry!"
The boy was hunched over and painfully gasping for air as Arden wrapped a towel around him, unsure of how to help.
"Harry!" Hermione suddenly appeared, wrapping a second layer of warmth around his shoulders. Arden moved back so Hermione had room, and giggled as the girl aggressively hugged the boy. "Are you alright? You must be freezing! Personally, I think you behaved admirably."
"I finished last, Hermione," Harry countered through coughs, disappointment evident in his voice.
"Next to last — "
" — Attention! Attention!" Dumbledore yelled, silencing the stands immediately. Arden helped Harry stand up, listening eagerly to the headmaster's words. "The winner is, Mr. Diggory!" Her smile was so wide that her cheeks ached instantly. When she looked over at the boy, her heart swelled as she saw him smile and laugh as his friends nudged his shoulders and clapped. He was so beautiful, inside and out.
"However, seeing as though Mr. Potter would have finished first had it not been for his determination to rescue not only Mr. Weasley, but the others as well, we've agreed to award him second place!" Arden, who still had one hand on Harry's arm, gasped and pulled him into a hug. "For outstanding moral fibre."
"Second place, Harry!" She smiled, pulling away. He looked shocked, and that only made the situation better.
Arden grinned as a Hermione and Ron hugged him together, both congratulating him again in a big bear hug. As she was clapping for Harry, she looked over back to Cedric, smiling wider as she saw he was already looking at her. Through the commotion of friends and other students surrounding him, he held two thumbs up with his dorky yet perfect smile glistening across his face, as if to say can you believe this!
The moment was perfect, and Arden wished more than anything that it would last. Anything to see him happy like that forever.
AN this chapter was so hard to write I'm so sorry IVE LITERALLY BEEN WRITING IT FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS I HAVENT BEEN ON HIATUS I JUST COULDNT THINK OF ANYTHING GOOD SO I KEPT RE DOIMG IT but I hope it's good enough for a fillerish chapter 👺👺👺
