The Badger **Seamus Finnigan Fanfiction**

1:7 Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve still fills me with cheer. Even though it doesn't hold the same magical properties it once did, it gives me this innate joy. 

Anna and I were making Christmas cookies in the kitchen when the Diggory's arrived. Cedric skipped into the kitchen and stole a whole ball of my cookie dough. "Hey!" I complained. Cedric just smirked. 

Anna and I put the cookies in the oven and went to the living room. It's a tradition that we each get to open one present on Christmas Eve. So we go around in a circle. Mrs. Diggory picks the fancy china dish my parents got her. Mr. Diggory opens a tie Cedric got him. My parents open gifts from each other. My dad got tickets to a band he wanted to see in London and my mom got a nice bracelet from my dad. Anna opens my mom's gift of new pajamas and fuzzy slippers. Cedric and I switch next. 

Cedric rips right into the book I found about the Triwizard tournament. Cedric found out Hogwarts would be hosting it in a few years and has been obsessed with it ever since. This is really my way of having him not talk to me about it. "Oh this is awesome Charlie. Thanks!" He says already flipping through the pages. 

I carefully open his. It's usually candy, but it's still special that he tries to pick something out. As I open it, I realize it's a box. Like a jewelry box. I look at him with confusion. "You'll like it." he says confidently. I shake my head at his 14 year old nonsense.

I open it. It's a name necklace, except he thinks he's funny and picked the one that says Charlie. I chuckle. "I do like it. Thank you." He leans back in his seat and clicks his tongue. "I did good." My mom leans over to look and laughs too. "Here I'll put it on." Cedric says. 

He gently takes it out of the box. I feel all eyes on me. As he puts it on and gently clasps it. 

My dad stands up and reminds us we have cookies. So he brings the cookies to the living room and turns on the TV. "Oh look it's Lottie's favorite."  It's a Wonderful Life is playing. Anna and I sit, legs entwined on the couch. Cedric plops next to us and groans. "I don't know why you love this. It's the most depressing movie ever." 

My dad brings us our cookies and we munch and watch. "But it has a happy ending and I think it's sweet that he can't see how much he means to people until he isn't there. Like Mary would never have love without him." Cedric still rolls his eyes. "I guess we can't all be as sentimental as you." 

I reach up and touch my necklace, willing to argue that he's more sentimental than he thinks but I just lean into the couch and eat my cookie. And all around it feels like a pretty traditional Christmas Eve. I feel myself slowly falling asleep. 

"Oh Cedric, I'll wake her." I hear my dad whisper. "No, it's okay. I want to watch the end." It takes a while but I slowly stir and open my eyes. I feel asleep on top of Cedric. Now that's embarrassing.

 "Hey sleepy head." Anna jokes. I rub my eyes. "What did I miss?" I ask. Cedric slowly gets up from under me. "Just that you were right. The ending was better than I remember it." I give him a small smile.  

Once again we say goodbye to the Diggory's and go to bed. In my room, Anna throws a pillow at me. "Ohh hi, what's up?" I say surprised. Anna looks at me. "Hello, I can't believe you weren't gonna tell me." I shrug. "Tell you what?" I ask genuinely confused. "Cedric bought you the sweetest gift. Your constant banter, I always took to be a familiar thing but you are totally crushing on him." I snort. Literally snort. 

"Are you nuts? He drives me up a wall. This necklace, although sweet I admit, is his way of saying 'I win' cuz now people are gonna see it and think I like to be called Charlie."  Anna turns on her side so we're facing each other. "You do love when he calls you Charlie. It means you're special to him." 

I make sounds that can only be described as sputtering. "Pfft, uh, sppss, psshh, debehk....As if!" I finally settle on. Anna looks at me expectantly. I sigh. "He's crushing on Cho. He's always crushing on someone else. I'll always be his best friend. That's how we work best. Besides he thinks I'm just a kid-I don't want him to like me. That would be weird." I'm holding my breath at the end. That's how I've always felt. Right? 

"If you say so." Anna says mysteriously. I flip up to look at the ceiling. I gently touch the necklace I'm still wearing. My first thought when he gave it to me was that now a piece of him would be always be with me to give me the confidence I so desperately lack. 

He was right about what he said in August, I did want to be in Hufflepuff to be with him. Maybe that's what swayed the hat from Gryffindor.

Crap. 

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HMMM! Some foreshadowing here :) Okay also I love It's A Wonderful Life. Go ahead and fight me! :0