𝐈𝐭 𝐇𝐚𝐝 𝐓𝐨 𝐁𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 (𝐂𝐄𝐃𝐑𝐈𝐂 𝐃𝐈𝐆𝐆𝐎𝐑𝐘 𝐱 𝐑𝐄𝐀𝐃𝐄𝐑)

2: How Have We Never Met?

Y/N PERSPECTIVE

It was late. Too late. My head was spinning, because of course I stayed longer than I intended too. Elaine knew me better than anyone else, and she knew that once I got a few butterbeers in me and started dancing, the rest would be history.

I knew that Elaine wouldn't be walking back with me when I caught her sneaking up to the dormitories with Oliver Wood out of the corner of my eye, so I stumbled alone through the dark halls back to the Hufflepuff common room with a lumos charm to guide my path. I almost missed the entrance because my vision was so hazy.

I tapped the barrel like you're supposed to in order to get in, but nothing happened. I scoffed out loud to myself.

"My seventh year and I can't get it right? This is embarrassing!"

"Mind if I give it a go?" 

I jumped at the voice behind me. The tall gray-eyed boy from the party emerged from the darkness, coming up beside me to tap the barrel. The entrance swung open immediately.

"Don't be embarrassed, you've had a long night," he mumbled with a slight smile, and crawled into the tunnel.

"Wait... wait, you're Cedric Diggory, aren't you?" I asked, stumbling after him. He turned around and nodded, waiting for me to catch up to him.

"I'm sorry I didn't recognize you!" I said with a slight chuckle, "it must have been the lights. And your clothes. And the butterbeer."

He laughed. "It's okay, Y/N. Took me a moment to recognize you too. Plus, it's not like we've had many classes together in the past six years."

He's right, we haven't.

"I didn't think you were much of a partier. More of a quiet guy."

"I suppose. I'm relatively friendly with the Gryffindors though, I'd say," he responded. We had reached the empty common room, and a cozy crackling fire cut through the silence.

"Sit with me for a while?" he asked, and collapsed into the deep cushy sofa. This surprised me a bit. I was tired and slightly drunk, and nothing sounded better than sleep right now.

"Why?" I asked, then quickly backpedaled when I realized how rude it sounded.

"I-I just meant, we've never really talked before," I slurred. 

"It's funny," he responded easily, "that we've never fully met before. 7 years in the same house and the first time we cross paths is when we're drunk in the hallway after dark." He didn't seem to be phased by awkwardness, ever. Conversation came naturally to him.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," I said lightly.

"And you," he responded.

The silence felt thick. All I wanted was sleep, but here was this boy being so polite...

"I should get to bed," I murmured.

"Oh, yes, of course," he interjected quickly. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable." Cedric stood up to leave.

"Oh, I-"

"Goodnight, Y/N. It's late." 

I watched Cedric climb the stairway to the boy's rooms, wondering if I said the wrong thing.

★゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜☆゜・。。・゜゜・。。・゜★