PRANKSTER [1] ↝ C. DIGGORY

thirty

"I'm just saying, I've heard those leaves can be sold for quite the profit," Clary said to Vasantha as the two wandered out of Greenhouse One, referring to the Venomous Tentacula the sixth year Gryffindors and Ravenclaws had been studying in Herbology that day. "If we could just figure out a way to get a couple of them out once we actually start tending to them, there might be a couple Firebolts with our names on them in the future."

"Hey Weasley," a voice called, and Clary turned to see Cedric leaning against the wall of the greenhouse. As they locked eyes, he pushed off against the wall and stepped closer to them, Vasantha's eyes nervously darting back and forth between the two. Clary could feel her heart suddenly drop into her stomach, though she did her best to remain stone faced. "Could we talk?"

"You know, I should go," Vasantha said awkwardly, gesturing back to the castle. "I'll see you later, Clary?"

"Yeah," Clary said softly as Vasantha turned and left, hurrying to catch up with Lee, who was already on his way back up the hill, and she turned back to Cedric, watching him with cold eyes. "So now you want to talk to me, is that it?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest. "What changed?"

"Clary, I..." Cedric sighed, running a hand through his fluffy brown hair, and Clary shook her head, turning away from him and starting her trek towards the castle.

"I can't do this right now, Diggory." she said, and Cedric hurried after her, desperately trying to keep up with her strides. 

"Clary, please listen to me." he said, and she stopped in her tracks, taking a deep breath and steeling herself before turning back around to face him.

"Fine," she said, "Talk. Tell me why, after months of us getting along like actual friends, you suddenly decide I'm no longer worth your time. Explain to me why for a second, just a second, I thought you might..." she trailed off, eyes dropping to the grassy earth below their feet. "But you're with Cho, and I can respect that. Even if it meant you had to cut me out of your life in the process."

"Clary I wanted to say that I'm sorry." Cedric said, slowly putting his hands up in surrender of the redhead's fiery temper. "And I wanted to explain, because you deserve an answer. The truth is, I didn't know how to end things with Cho after last year. I planned on doing it when we first got back, but when she and Davies broke up, I remembered how heart broken she was, so I put off doing it. I didn't know how to tell you because I was embarrassed, and I knew you deserved better than me stringing you along. I know there's no excuse for my behavior, and I'm so, so sorry. I pushed you away, and that's something I never wanted to do. Punch me, kick me, yell at me, prank me every day for the next year, I don't care. But I'm so sorry."

"I thought I did something wrong." she said softly, finally bringing her eyes up to meet his. "We were becoming friends, and then our... bet happened." she shook her head. "I didn't know what I did wrong, and you wouldn't talk to me. I missed you. I missed my friend that I could annoy the hell out of and prank until he gives me detention, and I lost that."

"You didn't do anything wrong." Cedric assured her. "Could we maybe... start over? Put this behind us?"

"We'll acknowledge that you were an arse and we'll move forward from there." she said adamantly after a moment, and a smile finally spread across his face.

"Deal," he said, and she smiled, holding out a hand for him to shake.

He extended his hand in return, clasping hers tightly and giving it a firm shake, his eyes never once leaving hers.

"So you and Cho, you're..?" Clary trailed off, and he shook his head.

"It's done." he assured her. "It's over. Cho and I are over."