someone like you

{ nineteen }

The soft sunlight gleaming in from the window made Harry crave Quidditch. He wanted to feel the rush of adrenaline and excitement, the wind on his face and the sky beneath his feet...

He let out a sad sigh reminding himself that it was useless to dwell on Quidditch, at least for now. The instant the tournament ended however he'd allow his mind to return to the feeling of flying on a broom

The sound of a newspaper slamming down beside him pulled Harry from his lulled state of longing. Frightened, he looked up to see Hermione fuming above him

"She's completely delusional!"

Harry, feeling the dread of another horrible Rita Skeeter story, groaned. He only hoped this one didn't centre around him. It was annoying enough as it was having people constantly checking with him to see if he was really twelve...he couldn't be that short could he?

"What's she done now?" Harry asked quietly, not wanting to know the answer but sensing Hermione needed to vent out her anger

"She has accused me of 'toying' with both you and Viktor Krum! It's bullocks!"

Harry noticed Hermione's already wild hair looked as if it had been attacked by bats, messier and frizzier than it usually was

Harry sighed, "Hermione it's really not a big deal—"

"Not a big deal? Harry everyone thinks I'm some kind of...well you know!"

Harry frowned, not everyone could've thought that..."Ron and me don't..."

Hermione looked as if she was deciding between smiling and lashing out, something which strangled Harry with anxiety

Eventually Hermione exhaled a long defeated breath and took a seat beside Harry, resting her head on his shoulder

"Someone needs to stop that insect of a woman, somethings not right...she knows stuff about things she's not even at..."

Harry smiled very slightly, "she could have people working for her you know?"

Hermione groaned, "oh course I know that I'm not daft but you don't understand...and why are you so calm about this? You're usually the one I have to calm down"

Harry shrugged, "I haven't really paid it any mind to be honest..."

"That or you're just too caught up with Cedric" Hermione gave him a knowing look

Harry rolled his eyes but remained silent, she wasn't wrong and quite frankly there was no point of him trying to deny it. Cedric had been on his mind quite a lot as of late

Hermione smiled genuinely and squeezed Harry's arm, "well I'm glad you're happy"

Harry shrugged before he lied, "we're alright I guess..."

The unfortunate truth was that since their last trip to the bathroom, Harry had felt indescribably insecure around Cedric. Finding even the simplest of actions such as eating meals with him succeed in making his nerves engulf him in an uncomfortable knot of anxiety

Things that usually would've made him content and happy instead made him uncomfortable, the once welcomed sense of Cedric's arms around him only served to make him insecure about himself