YOU MAKE MY HEART SHAKE, BEND, AND BREAK BUT I CAN'T TURN AWAY!
aurora "rory" archer was a powerhouse. well, sort of. she was a fierce friend with a heart of gold and a love of music. she was also awkward, bad at potions, and... fatherless. her frie...
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WINTER MELTED INTO SPRING AND the year was nearly coming to an end. O.W.Ls were only a few weeks away and Rory was still determined to produce a Patronus for bonus points. All the while, she was learning how to balance her friends and Cedric. The twins still weren't fond of him, despite how many times Rory had made him sit at the Gryffindor table with her for breakfast or brought her to the common room to study with her. They were nice to him, but something seemed off.
So, they ended up spending a lot of their time in the Hufflepuff common room. Rory enjoyed it. The ambiance was peaceful and it was a lot quieter than the Gryffindor area. Also the boys' dormitory was a lot cleaner than Fred and George's room.
Cedric was being patient with Rory. He didn't mind that she wanted to ease into a relationship. They hung out as friends who were just a bit touchy with each other. Just friends.
Together they sat on Cedric's bed. They skipped lunch so it was just the two of them without the other Hufflepuff boys hanging around.
"You'll write to me this summer?" Cedric asked, grabbing a mustard colored pillow from his bed and hugging in.
Rory nodded, "Of course, Ced. As long as you write back."
"Do you think I'll be able to see you?" He asked.
Rory ran her fingers through his hair and smiled, "I don't know. I want to, I do. But I've told you about... and it might be really difficult."
Cedric sighed, "I understand. Your house is connected to the Floo Network, right? Maybe you could just come over one day when your mum is at work."
Rory nodded, "Yeah, alright. I'll see what I can do."
"I like it when you play with my hair," He said with a dopey smile.
"That's exactly why I do it." She smiled, giving him a kiss on the forehead. He smiled back and planted a kiss on her lips. She looked down shyly. "Listen, Cedric. I like you and — "
"Shh, Rory," he said softly, putting his hands on her shoulders, "Let's just be here, in the moment. Let's enjoy life before our O.W.Ls, and anything else that comes our way. Okay? I'm not asking you to call this something you don't want. I'm just asking you to be here with me, and for once not think of some future hypothetical. Please."
Rory nodded slowly and kissed him again. A bit deeper this time. Maybe Cedric was right. She was going to miss out on so much of her life if she didn't live in the moment. There was no use in giving power to imaginary things. She wouldn't be controlled by that.
"This is nice," He said, pulling her closer. Rory liked kissing. It was... fun. She expected it to be like a firework show inside of her, but it was more like standing up and cheering at the end of a show during curtain call. Still, a good feeling. She was attracted to Cedric, she really was, but every time his hands began to roam she got too giggly and uncomfortable and stopped it before they reached their destination. This time, she tried to not do that. He lightly pushed her so her back was now on the bed and he was on top of her. His hands went in her hair, then slowly brushed by her neck and then landed on her chest. They stayed there for a bit and after a few seconds, she felt as if he'd begun feeling more comfortable. For a second, she almost let it happen, it's not like it was uncomfortable. But, as she usually did, she got scared and couldn't do it anymore.
