Darling - Cedric Diggory

29

"So Angelina ended the year dating who?" My dad questions, the bowl of melted chocolate sits between us on the living room floor, as I dip a strawberry in taking a bite.

It's gone 3AM but we are both wide awake, enjoying our late night snack and catch up.

"Aidan but she's literally so in love with Fred,"

"Fred Weasley?"

"What other Fred do we know?"

"I thought the other guy was called Matthew," dad whines

"He was. It was Matthew and Aidan, the current boyfriend, over the past two terms,"

"Oh to distract from her burning desire for Fred?"

"Exactly! She's obsessed!" I nod, a wide grin on my cheeks. Angelina had confessed she fancies Fred on the last night of term. Having been very obvious about it for weeks. She was pissed at the end of year/Cedric won party and had pulled me away from Ced, I had been straddling him whilst we made out on a sofa in the back corner, to drunkinly confess her feelings to me, way too scared to tell the still oblivious twin.

"Does Fred-" dads question is cut off by a sudden hammering at the door.

"Who the fuck is that it's like 4 in the morning?" I question in confusion

"Probably a Potter or Remus," dad shrugs standing up

"They have keys," I remind flopping onto my back as he leaves the room to see who is at the door.

I sit up, eyes wide in shock when he re-enters. He's followed by Draco, who has bloodshot eyes and a painful looking black eye.

"Oh Dray," I let out, immediately having a good guess what's happened. I jump from the sofa pulling Draco into a tight hug. Holding him against me as he sobs against my chest, stroking his back comfortingly.

I was aware that Draco and my dad had written a little over the past few months but when I catch a look at my dads concerned face I quickly realise the pair may be closer than I knew.

"Em, why don't you go and make us all a cup of tea?" Dad suggests. I nod, releasing Draco from my hold and leaving the room, allowing the pair the private chat that they clearly need.

I re-enter 5 minutes later to see Draco looking comfortable in an arm chair as dad listens to him intently. He's talking very casually about a quidditch match so clearly whatever deep conversation they needed was complete.

We sit and drink our tea, talking about random things as Draco visually calms down. The teas soon empty and the clock chimes 5AM.

"We should all get some sleep. It's been a big day and it's late," Dad decides standing up

"Um, Sirius, may I stay here for the night?" Draco questions, awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Draco, that's a given. You can stay here the whole damn summer and come back every holiday for the rest of your life if that's what you need. We are family," dad assures

"Thankyou," Draco smiles, it's genuine and grateful and his eyes tear up slightly as dad pulls him into a tight hug.

"I'm going to write to your mother in the morning, let her know you're with us and your safe. Invite her to come and see you should she choose. Alone, of course," dad informs, the final comment drawing my attention.

"Thankyou," Draco nods

"Em, do you wanna set up the guest room for Draco whilst I clean up down here , I should think you two might need a chat,"

"Yeah of course," I nod in response

"Night kids," dad smiles gently.

I lead Draco up the stairs, hun grabbing his trunk from the entrance hall, and into the spare room next door mine.  He sits on the end of the bed whilst I fetch him a fresh set of towels, re-entering the room that he's scanning with his eyes.

"There's fresh towels here, en-suite in there," I nod towards the door to the en-suite placing the towels on the cabinet

"Thankyou. Your house is nice, it's homey,"

"Yeah it is," I agree, sitting down next to him. He sighs, leaning his head on my shoulder in an odd moment of vulnerability .

"You wanna talk about it?"

"I've kind of known for a year of two that my father was wrong. That he's an elitist prick and I wanted nothing to do with their way of life. I didn't want to leave mother though, she's so stuck and deserves more so I kept going back to look out for her. He was mocking the Weasley's, being so rude and horrible about them the whole way home from the platform and I couldn't stop thinking about how they weren't so bad, that they were good and loyal people, that they were morally so much better than us. I didn't say anything, didn't wanna fight yknow? But I kept thinking about all the things your father had said in his letters. Anyway at dinner he insulted Professor Lupin, I was so angry, he's a good teacher and the stories you tell about him he sounds like a good man. I just couldn't hold it in anymore. I screamed at him and told him he was wrong. Wrong about everything. The weasleys. Lupin. Muggle borns. All of it. He told me to leave, that I was no son of his and I had no place in his house, and mother tried to stop it all and he was going to hit her so I got in between. Told him if he ever touched her I would personally come back to that house and kill him and then I got my trunk, good thing I hadn't unpacked, and I left. You had always said I was welcome here if I needed a place to go so I went to Angelina Johnson's, she lives three houses down from the shop nearest the manor, she gave me your address. I took the knight bus," he explains. I let out a sigh. Shocked by his story and everything that happened.

"You're a better man than him, by a mile," I smile lightly, pulling my cousin into the tightest hug I can.

*****
Hey guys,
I just want to say a massive Thankyou for all the support on this. The main character is based on my best friend (she's always the main character in my shit) and I only wrote it for her literally as a joke so the amount of people that have read it is mad.

Also, I hate to self promote (that sounds so fuckibg weird who do I think I am??) but I'm currently writing a Fred Weasley fic. It's a friends to lovers thing and it's fake dating so yeah if anyone wants to check it out it on my account.

Thankyou again

Love- Lottie xxxxxx