cd: golden dreams

• chapter one

SEPTEMBER

Finally. His seventh year at Hogwarts has approached. Cedric's smile was as big as ever as he ran through the barrier to get onto Platform Nine and Three-Quarters, eager to greet his best friend after the summer holidays.

Looking over the heads of all the students and parents, due to his towering height, his eyes searched for the familiar head of blonde that he adored so much.

Cedric's eyes stopped moving once he laid them upon his best friend talking to a few of her other friends. Her back was facing him, but he could still hear her delightful laughter. He abandoned his trolley and quietly ran up to Stella, in hopes to surprise her.

As he neared her, he put his finger to his lips to silence Stella's friends so that the fright he would give her would not be ruined.

Cedric then suddenly wrapped his arms around his best friend, who jumped and gave a high pitched, loud squeal due to her shock.

Stella turned around to see who the culprit of her scare was, and of course, it was none other than her best friend, Cedric Diggory.

"CEDRIC! I told you the last time you scare me like that it'll be the end of you!" Stella exclaimed, jokingly.

"Sorry Stell. You know I'm only joking. Although, now I do feel the need to put at least five feet of space between us for my safety." Cedric replied with a smile.

Stella couldn't resist him anymore. She gave a shy smile before running into Cedric and wrapping her arms around him, missing the feeling of him.

Stella's friends rolled their eyes, but couldn't help but smile at the two of them and how cute they looked together.

"I knew you couldn't resist me," Cedric said softly, sitting his cheek on the top of Stella's head.

"Oh shush. I missed you so much." Stella said, her voice is muffled from her face in his chest.

"I missed you more Stell."

Cedric raises his head off of hers and unhappily leaves the hug. "Come on. Let's go find a carriage before they're all filled."

Cedric says, grabbing Stella's hand and walking in the direction of the Hogwarts Express, completely forgetting about the trolley he left in the middle of the platform.

"Wait. Ced, where's your trolley?" Stella questions him, genuinely confused.

"Um...," Cedric answers, scratching the back of his head, embarrassed.

ON THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS

Cedric and Stella roam the passage of the train, looking for an empty carriage and Stella was laughing about how Cedric completely forgot about his items sitting in the middle of the platform.

"I guess I was just way too eager to see you after so long," Cedric says to Stella, looking into the compartments to avoid her eyes.

Stella just couldn't stop laughing.

"Here's an empty carriage. So you can stop laughing at me now."

Cedric walked into the carriage, dragging her behind him by her hand. 

The two best friends made their way into the carriage, sitting next to each other, rather than across from each other.

"So how was your summer?"

"It was great. I had lots of fun. My parents took my sister and I to our holiday house, we also went to the swimming pool quite a few times. How was yours?"

"Fine. Mostly just stayed at home." Cedric said, whilst looking down fiddling with his hands in his lap.

"Your dad?" Stella inquires.

"Yeah," Cedric says, looking at her now.

Stella then moves closer, lays her hand on Cedric's knee and looks up at him. 

"It's going to be okay Cedric. Your birthday is coming up soon, and then you can do whatever you choose." Stella gives him a comforting smile.

All Cedric has ever wanted to do on the holidays was to see Stella. Go out to the park, have a sleepover, walk to the beach, whatever as long as he was with her.

But his father never allowed it. He always thought that this girl was distracting him from his magic abilities, and didn't want her around him. 

Cedric hated that his father thought that way. He argued with him constantly but always lost.

Stella was right though. Once his day comes, he can have all the time he wants with her, if she was okay with that of course.

Cedric smiles back and grasps her hand with his, and for the rest of the journey to the castle, they talk about anything and everything, just like the both of them longed for for so long.