ONCE UPON A TIME.

13. affrontement

  ⌜ cedric ¦ amata ⌟  

    "YOU'VE BEEN AVOIDING ME."

    Amata almost doesn't want to look up from her text book. She knew, though, that she would have to face him eventually; feigning a sigh of annoyance, Amata slams her book close and looks up at Cedric.

     He'd caught her alone this time; Amata had wanted to study a bit before Professor Moody's assessment, and the Carrows were insistent on finishing their breakfast. "Avoiding is a relative term," Amata responds slowly. "Maybe I just haven't run in to you, you know."

    "Every time you see me from across a hall, you walk the other way." Cedric shoots back, matter-of-fact. There's a hint of hurt under his calm and collected delivery; as much as Amata doesn't want to, she decides to pour a little salt on the wound by mustering as much Slytherin spite as she can manage. 

     "Cedric Diggory noticing wittle ol' me?" Amata taunts, leaning forward in to her table. "Are you here to tell me that I ought to be honored that the Hogwarts Triwizard champion is my ' friend '?"

     "When did I say . . ." 

     "You forget yourself, Diggory." Amata snaps. She softens in the slightest at the look on Cedric's face. "I told you on the Express . . . we're not friends." she says quietly. "You don't know the first thing about me, and I don't know anything about you."

     "Pure coincidence." Cedric says in an empty voice, reminiscent of the brief conversation they had on the train to Hogwarts. Back then, when she'd said it, the two had still managed to jab each other as if it were a joke; now, however, there's not a hint of humor as she says it again. "Coincidence." Amata echoes with her tone just as flat. "Let's keep it at that."

     Cedric mumbles something as he adjusts the strap of his bag on his shoulder. "What?" Amata asks tiredly. She doesn't want the whole thing to turn in to a full-blown argument; the few people in the room are already shooting them curious loosk. 

     "I said," Cedric says louder. "I want to." When Amata says nothing, Cedric continues; he says it in a voice that's barely audible, only enough for the two of them to hear as the rest of the class trickles in.

     "I want to know you."

     She still can't say anything, so he wanders off to the Hufflepuff tables, leaving her

speechless.