Twist of Fate

Chapter 8

The Next Day

Harry was perched in one of the wind-protected alcoves in the courtyard when Cedric found him. Harry looked up from his book and smiled as the sixth-year Hufflepuff approached him.

"I figured you would come looking for me today." Harry swung his legs down to make room for Cedric who hopped up on the ledge next to him. The sun shown down brightly on the courtyard keeping the November chill at bay.

"You made it tough enough, this was the last place I could think to look."

"Sun. Don't get many days like this in winter at Hogwarts."

Cedric nodded and didn't say anything more. They both sat next to each other without talking, Harry knew that Cedric would wait until he was ready to talk. Harry finally broke the silence.

"So, how did you know? That Draco... That I..." Harry flushed and stopped talking.

Cedric laughed, he had a rich, deep laughter that always startled Harry with how warm it was. Cedric was someone who enjoyed life and wasn't afraid to show it. "How did I know that you and Draco might be interested in each other? Honestly, Harry, I'm amazed that the whole school doesn't know..."

Harry looked over alarmed, "Don't worry, they don't. Most people see what they expect to see. I was listening to you sniping at each other at the World Cup and it caught my interest. And you and I had already talked." Cedric shrugged, "You and Draco were so aware of each other, the tension between you was tangible."

"Yeah, but most people think that it is because we hate, well because it seems like we hate each other." Harry said, staring out at the lake. Even he wasn't sure when his interest in Draco had changed from dislike to fascination.

"That is just the surface." Cedric pointed towards the lake, "Look out there, you would never know there are merpeople, giant squids, and more below the surface. I bet you were -are conscious of Draco at every point of the day. You know what he has for breakfast, class schedule, habits. And he knows all of yours. Either you both were really scary stalkers or you were really interested in each other."

"Is that why you agreed to help?" Harry asked. "To help with the Imperius curse?"

Cedric looked over at Harry, "To be honest, I wasn't going to do it, but after I talked to Draco I knew he would resort to any way possible to convince you to help him. And I was afraid that you two might hurt each other if there wasn't someone there to help intervene." Harry nodded at that, they had come close to fighting that first time.

"Have you talked about how you are going to handle it? I assume that yesterday wasn't a...fluke." Cedric asked cautiously.

"We are going to do the same as we have been doing, fighting upstairs, see each other downstairs." Harry shrugged, "Really can't see anyway around it. The Slytherins and, I have to be honest, Gryffindors would both go crazy if they found out. And with me," Harry looked down at his hands, "Everything I do catches the attention of the newspapers. And then there is Draco's father...there really is no choice."

"Do you think that will work?" Cedric asked.

Harry looked over at him, "What do you mean?"

"You both are ... let's call it intense. To have a relationship and not be able to be open about it. To hide it from even your friends, it makes things much more difficult"

"Why is it going to be a problem?" Harry was feeling defensive, even though he had been wondering some of the same things himself.

"Well, look around your common room, the hallways, the Great Hall. Watch those couples who are in a relationship, straight, bent, any of them. You'll see them together but talking with friends, sharing meals together at each other's house tables, in study groups together. But they are also interacting with everyone else. It allows the couple to learn about each other, through interacting with each other's friends. It is all part of healthy relationships.