Strawberry and Vanilla (Cedric Diggory AU)

The Order: Part One

"What do you mean sir? And I ask that with full respect." Cedric said, holding his hands out in front of him warningly. Lots of people weren't who they looked to be those days. Ask Mad-Eye Moody and he'd tell you all about his time locked away while someone gallivanted around in his life as himself. The sun was nearly gone over the skyline and Cedric was... mixed.

        "Your parents have permitted you to come with me to spend the rest of your holiday in a remote location I cannot name at the moment. You have precisely fifteen minutes to pack your things and we'll be on our way." Dumbledore replied. Cedric was still completely lost and looked at Dumbledore confusedly. He sighed and continued, "What I mean, dear boy, will be explained when we reach our destination. Now, get packing."

       Cedric did as told, packing clothes and his toiletries, his medication, his leg braces. He asked Dumbledore what else he needed and received an entire list of a reply. He needed his wand, his quills and ink, his school uniform, basically everything for school. Of course, Cedric was over the law's legal age to use magic outside of school, so he did, but was still rushing around. He wanted to ask a million questions of Dumbledore, like what had been happening, where they were going, why they were going so suddenly...

        He couldn't find his Hufflepuff tie- Merlin. The Headmaster that made Cedric head boy was standing in his room, watching the head boy scramble without any sort of organization. Of course, Cedric was an organized person when it came to finding things in places he put them without the stress of 'we-leave-to-some-remote-location-in-T-Minus-fifteen'. Cedric did his best to keep up with the time he had and to keep his room in order, but he couldn't find his tie.

      "Accio tie," He finally murmured under his breath, ashamed. His tie flew off his dresser, from where it was hiding in plain sight. Great, just great. He looked like even more of an idiot in front of someone he worshipped as an authority.

      Once finished, Cedric stood tall against his crutches next to Dumbledore nodded approvingly. "You can apparate alone, Cedric?"

       "I can, sir," Cedric replied. "Just not if I don't know where I'm going."

       "You'll have to side along with me, then," Dumbledore vanished Cedric's trunks and Atlas' cage and stood next to Cedric who anxiously tightened his leg braces. Side-along apparating was worse than a Portkey and Cedric was eighteen. Dumbledore stared at Cedric apprehensively. He smelled like tequila and perfume, which wasn't exactly a good thing seeing as to where Dumbledore was taking him. The half-moon man held out his elbow for Cedric to link arms with him. "Whenever you'd like."

       Cedric braced himself and mentally said goodbye to the comfort of his room as he linked arms with Dumbledore and was pulled away from it in a distorting, breaking apart and remoulding sensation of a whirl. It only lasted a moment, but when he opened his eyes, he was in a kitchen. It was around nine-thirty and the kitchen held a total of three people. One was a red-headed woman who jumped at the sound of the crack of apparation and looked over-worked (from cooking for tomorrow's meal, no doubt), the other being Ginny Weasley. He barely got any time to look at the third help, before Ginny came flying at him for a friendly hug.

      "Happy Christmas Eve! What are you doing here?!" She asked, letting him go. Her nose wrinkled curiously, "And how do you smell good and bad at the same time? Like flowers and... alcohol? Have you been drinking?"

      "I'm not quite sure what I'm doing here or how I smell both good and bad... I had some to drink, yes, I'm of legal drinking age don't be so judgemental!" Cedric laughed when Ginny punched him in the shoulder playfully. He was glad Dumbledore swept him away to someplace he knew the people. It wouldn't be as bad as he imagined when he had to pack in fifteen minutes. The stress Dumbledore put on Cedric was almost unnecessary. "Happy Christmas Eve to you too, it's good to see you."