Keep Your Promises (Cedric Diggory x Reader)

It's Written In Blood

Dumbledore had really outdone himself this year, in terms of Halloween feasts. This year's had perhaps been the best celebration you had experienced in your 5 years at Hogwarts. You had just finished dinner and were ready to sleep off your exhaustion, made worse by a large meal and gruelling Quidditch tryouts. Terence sulked solemnly to your left, his natural, bruiting demeanour as present as ever. The rest of your house followed close behind as you led them through the torch-lit corridors towards the Slytherin dungeons. The chatter of your fellow housemates was almost deafening, as you sighed, tired of the cacophony of noise.

    Suddenly, you came to an abrupt halt in the middle of a large intersection in the corridors. You peered across the hall and noticed that the Hufflepuff and Gryffindor prefects, had stopped their houses as well. Behind you, students shouted protests, but everyone fell silent when they noticed the writing on the wall. Gasps and screeches of fright echoed throughout the halls as people began to read the ominous vandalism.

    "The Chamber of Secrets has been opened? Enemies of the heir beware? What is that supposed to mean," Draco shouted obnoxiously as he pushed to the front of the crowd, your brother not far behind. Matt looked up at you, his dark eyebrows pulled together in concern, as he shot you a questioning look. But all you could do was shake your head in bewilderment. What the fuck was going on? Was this some kind of joke? No. It couldn't be. Could it? "You'll be next, you filthy Mudbloods," Malfoy spat, as he pointed an accusing finger around the hall.

    Directly below the dripping words, was a cat. But not just any cat, it was Filch's cat. Mrs. Norris. You peered through the dim light to get a closer look and noticed that she wasn't moving. Instead, she seemed to be frozen in place, paralysed, and hanging upside down from a torch rack. The entire scene was grotesque and frankly, quite frightening. Without thinking, you reached for Terence's hand, seeking comfort. Was the cat dead? Terence turned to you, his brown eyes, filled with fear and his face blood-chillingly serious. He shook his head, as he released your hand and slung a protective arm over your shoulder, pulling you into his side. You shivered, frightened, as you leaned into your friend's embrace.

    You glanced across the hallway in surprise, noticing that Cedric's piercing stare, trained on your best friend. Terence, thankfully, hadn't seemed to notice. Beneath the obvious anger, you saw a look of hurt, as he watched as Terence encased you in a tight embrace. You immediately shrugged out from underneath Terence's arm as Cedric exhaled in relief. You sent him a questioning look, eyebrows raised in concern, but he refused to meet your eye as he averted his gaze. You shook your head in befuddlement, he knew better than anyone that you would never leave him, especially not by cheating on him.

    The crowd's murmurs grew louder and more panicked as the weight of the message began to sink in. All around you, students grabbed for one another, desperate for comfort. You watched, out of the corner of your eye, as two girls on either side, clutched your boyfriend's arms in fear. You scowled, trying to suppress the jealousy raging inside of you. Now wasn't the time.

    Terence wrapped his arm around your shoulders once again as he bent down to whisper in your ear. You could practically feel the rage radiating off of Cedric. You shook your head, jaw clenched, angrily. Serves him right, he's the one with two women hanging off of either side him, you thought, bitterly. You sighed, jealously at its finest. Rolling your (E/C) eyes, you turned your attention back to your friend, tired of you boyfriend's hypocritical attitude.

    "(Y/N), take a closer look at that writing. Do you see it? At first I thought it was paint. That would be the obvious thought, right? But it's not. It can't be. It's far too runny to be paint. Do you see how it's dripping? I can't be sure but, I think, I think it's written..."

    "Oh My God! It's written in blood," you exclaimed in horror, just loud enough for the corridors to fall silent, once again. Across the hall, the pair of girl gripped Cedric more tightly, looking frightened as they press closer to him. You scoffed, inaudibly, turning away from him.

    Behind you, you heard a vast amount of clamorous noise as professors and other staff members began to push their way to the front of the crowds. Mr. Filch emerged from the crowd, looking rather irritated, but the scene unfolding before him, stopped him dead in his tracks. He peered closer, squinting in the dim light, eyes water as he caught sight of his beloved cat.

    "MRS. NORRIS?! No! Not my cat! What happened?! Who did this?! You! You murdered my cat, you horrible boy! You've killed her," Filch screeched, pointing a bony and crooked finger at Harry, who you had just noticed, had been standing beneath the wall. Harry began to stutter his protests, denying involvement, as students gasped and whispered furiously.

    "Argus?! What's going—"  Dumbledore began, before cutting himself off quickly as he neared the front of the vandalised wall. His twinkling blue eyes caught site of the bloody lettering, before shifting nervously to Mrs. Norris' comatose body. Professors McGonagall and Snape appeared behind him, looking equally as distraught. Dumbledore turned to face the masses  of students, fear etched into their faces. His pale irises landed on each of the House Prefects, yourself and Terence included. He sighed, shaking his head anxiously as he cleared his throat, to gain the crowd's attention. "Attention students! You are all to follow your House Prefects back to your dormitories, immediately! Everyone... except for... the three of you," he roared, addressing Hermione, Harry and Ron.

    Your fellow house members turned to you, awaiting further instruction. You shot one last disapproving glare in your boyfriend's direction, who was still encased in a tight embrace. You sighed in annoyance, as you turned on your heel and motioned for your housemates to follow you back towards the dungeons. Terence fell into step beside you, sending your a curious glance.

    "What was that about, (Y/N/N)? Glaring at the Hufflepuffs, I mean," he asked as you started in the direction of the dormitories. You shook your head, waving your hand nonchalantly, as if to dismiss the question.

    "What do you mean? When aren't we glaring at Hufflepuffs, Terence? We glare at every other house, don't we? What's the difference? That's what we do, we're Slytherins," you snapped, channelling your house's outdated prejudices. You bit your lip, anxiously, hoping that was a believable explanation. Unfortunately for you, Terence pressed on.

    "Yeah, I know. I mean, don't get me wrong, I'm not one to turn down an opportunity to make a Hufflepuff cry but you just... I don't know... seemed personally offended. Is there something going on that I don't know about? Did someone hurt you?! Do I need to get the gang together and go knock some heads together? Because you know I will, no one messes with our girl," Terence asked, referring to your team. You rolled your eyes, but laughed despite yourself. Perhaps they'd be able to knock some sense into your boyfriend.

    "Did someone do something to me? A Hufflepuff?! Please, don't make me laugh! No, of course not. It was just pathetic, the way they clung to each other like children," you laughed, coldly. That was partially true, wasn't it? Terence nodded in agreement, smirking malevolently.

    "If that isn't the damn truth, I don't know what is! Fucking cowards, if you ask me. But, just in case you've forgotten, you were holding my hand," Terence pointed out, grinning mischievously. You scoffed, rolling your eyes, but you couldn't hide your own smirk.

    "And I hated every second of it," you teased as Terence feigned a look of mock hurt, clutching his chest as if he had been wounded. You nudged his ribs, making him smile. You sighed, giving him a strained smile, but your mind was elsewhere, consumed with jealousy.