Harry Potter ❥ IMAGINES

Cedric x Reader (Hidden)

 You rubbed your gloved hands together and huddled against the wall- or, more accurately, the cave side. You were located in a small, cozy opening in the side of a cliff, overlooking the vast forest. It was particularly cold this week, and you were struggling to maintain your fire, as the Ministry would know where you were if you used your wand.

Shifting into a falcon, you dove out of the cave to hunt some more food that would barely keep you alive. Striking animals as small as rats to as large as foxes, you carried them one by one up to your makeshift home to cook for later. While flying, you stopped and floated midair when you saw a familiar barn owl flying to your cave in the distance. "Cedric..." You thought, and immediately turned back.

Morphing back into a human, you took a letter from the curious owl's talons and tossed a morsel of meat into its direction. Unwrapping the letter, you sighed as you opened yet another guilt trip. However, this letter was much longer than the others that you carelessly discarded in the corner of the caves, the ones that wrote measly "I miss you''s and "Please come back"'s. No, this one... you could tell he was getting desperate.

Slowly, you pored over his words:

(Y/N),

The girl that I spent ages studying with for the Triwizard tournament. The girl that I trained with endlessly to help her prove her worth. The girl that truly stood with me when no one else could see what was wrong. The girl I fell in love with more day after day.

Your eyes watered as he confessed his love for the first time since you left, heart slightly hammering at the realization of how blind you were whenever you two hung out.

Hermione's been pulling all-nighters trying to connect the dots on why you vanished. Harry and Ron have been sneaking out of school grounds to go to places they thought you'd be hiding. Hell, even Draco's affected. I know you guys had your secret rendezvous in the middle of the night, I saw you two once. Now, he's quiet, not even making fun of Harry's worn-out appearance.

Please, (Y/N)... everything is just wrong here without you. You see, all of us need you in our lives. Every bloody day without you is so, so painful, and I find myself asking the same thing over and over again: Why did you leave me?

Your hands shook, and you shakily wiped the tears from spilling down your cheeks. You leaned against the cave wall and looked up at the ceiling, eyes closed and heart broken. Oh, Cedric... I left because it was painful for me, too. I left you now because you left me back then, left me every time you saw another opportunity to put yourself in danger with that stupid tournament, and I couldn't take it anymore.

Rolling back your shoulders and heaving breaths, you looked back at the letter for the last line: If this letter ever gets to you, please... send me a sign of where you are and I will be there. Promise.

You stood there for a moment, pondering. You've been away for weeks, it must be too late to go back now. But... Cedric needed you. And as much as you hated it, you needed him too. You grabbed one of the gnarled roots growing in the back of the cave and attached it to his owl, sending it off with a kiss on its head and a wave of your hand. You knew he'd be here soon, as he knew those roots from your summers spent camping here.

Surely enough, Cedric arrived in 2 days. You sprung up out of your blankets as you saw his figure growing bigger and bigger as he flew towards the cave at speeds faster than you've ever seen in his Quidditch matches. You smoothed out your hair and willed back your tears as he dismounted. You stood there with your arms wide open. It was a few seconds of him standing there, taking in the sight of you for the first time in weeks. He broke the spell and ran at you, eyes tired but face bright and alive with sheer happiness.

He wrapped you in his arms, engulfing you in a smothering hug with your head against his chest. He spun you around, sputtering out words of how much he missed you and how happy he is to see you. Your heart warmed at the fact that he left out saying anything about going back to the school, as he knew you might not be ready yet.

You finally broke out a laugh and pushed him back slightly, holding his hands and looking up at him. "(Y/N), I wrote to you everyday, I've missed you so much! I just- It's so weird- You're here! And-" You laughed, quickly kissing his lips to silence him. That did the trick, as both of you froze at the action. Realizing the situation, you looked down at your feet and smiled.

"I know you must be at least a little angry at me for disappearing so abruptly but... that kiss should tell you exactly how much I've missed you too. So..." You squeezed his hands tighter. "Now you know that I liked you too, Ced. Always had before." His eyes widened a fraction, and he broke out into a wide grin showcasing his dimples.

He picked you up by the waist, your legs wrapping around him and grabbed his jaw, pulling him in for a kiss that made up for years of unconfessed love and passion.

Oh gods guys, I'm terribly sorry for all these incredibly long breaks! I'm afraid AP classes have officially killed all my free time, but I'm working on balancing out my time and being able to write as much as I can while also studying and having a life, which seems to be impossible nowadays... Anyways, part 2 to the Draco/Blaise series will be up hopefully soon if anyone wants it!