PRANKSTER [1] ↝ C. DIGGORY

forty-one

"We need a new plan." Fred stated as Clary sat down to breakfast that morning, blinking groggily in confusion back at her brother's vague statement.

"Good morning to you, too," she said in response, piling bacon onto her plate as well as a few scrambled eggs.

"We need a new pranking target." George explained, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice. "Pranking Pretty Boy Diggory's no fun anymore. He just laughs at our jokes these days, instead of giving us detention. He's too used to us."

"You know I tied that bloke's shoelaces together last week and he gave me a high five?" Fred asked incredulously. "When I did that to him back in fourth year, I spent two nights in Flitwick's office sorting through old books for hours on end. Sure, it was boring, but the reaction was worth it."

"And to make it worse, someone taught him our secrets, so now he can get revenge if he so pleases." George continued, shooting their sister a quick glare.

"Which he has." Fred pointed out. "Don't forget the Stink Pellets that somehow found their way into my bag last week."

It was true. In the weeks following Christmas and the Yule Ball, and Cedric's initial first attempt at pranking Newt with the Frog Spawn Soap, Clary had given the boy a few of the pranking lessons she included in his Christmas present, teaching him a few of the classic Weasley tricks of the trade. Although, unlike when she was with her brothers, Clary and Cedric were very particular about which students they pranked, usually sticking to their own friends rather than random students in the corridors, and were extra careful not to get caught. After all, Cedric had a reputation as a Prefect and a Triwizard champion to uphold, but he also had almost six years' worth of revenge to get against the Weasleys and Vasantha, and was eager to get started.

"Pretty sure your bag smelled like that already." George replied, and Fred elbowed him in the ribs in response.

"He's a useful ally." Clary said nonchalantly with a shrug. "A Prefect that won't give us detention? That's a win, if you ask me. So," she said, switching the subject. "What are you boys up to today? Zonko's?"

George scoffed. "As if we go anywhere else."

"I need a new Fanged Frisbee," Fred said. "Filch confiscated my last one after I threw it to Goyle two weeks ago."

"Grab me a couple Sugar Quills," Clary said, rummaging through her purse and pulling out a few Sickles, passing them to her brothers. "I've already used up the ones Ginny gave me for Christmas, and I'll need one for History of Magic this week."

"Meeting up with Diggory today?" Fred guessed, and Clary nodded.

"He left early with a few friends to get breakfast at the Three Broomsticks." Clary explained. "So I told him I'd just meet him there. And Vas and Newt had plans with Rolf today, so they left early too. I guess their dad's in town to visit."

Clary quickly finished her eggs and bacon, picking her purse back up and rising from the table. "Shall we, gentlemen?" she asked. "Lines are going to start getting long soon."

"Ma'am, yes ma'am." Fred and George saluted, following suit as their sister led them from the Great Hall and out into the frigid January air, a cold blast hitting them the second they stepped outside.

Clary instantly zipped up her coat and pulled her hat down further over her ears as they trudged through the snow, the white frost covering her boots as they made the descent down the hill and into town. Up ahead, she could see Harry and Ron, and a small sense of pride swelled in Clary, happy for Harry that he was finally allowed to attend the Hogsmeade visits this year. Due to the cold weather, many students had opted to stay at Hogwarts for the weekend, though the Weasley triplets and their friends never missed an opportunity to visit Hogsmeade.

True to his word, Cedric was waiting near the entrance of the village when they arrived, leaning against a lamppost in an attempt to shield himself from the icy winds. Snow coated his dark hair and he waited with his hands shoved in his pockets, though he smiled at the Weasleys' arrival, kicking off from the lamppost and jogging over to join them, careful not to slip on any patches of ice as he did so.

"Morning," Cedric greeted, pulling a hand out of his coat pocket to extend to Clary, who took his gloved hand in hers. "Shall we?"

"We shall," she said, and they bid goodbye to Fred and George, who were already making a beeline for Zonko's Joke Shop to get out of the cold. "Where to?"

"I have an idea," Cedric said, leading her through the store-lined streets, past groups of students hurrying through the cold from one shop to another.

Clary and Cedric wove their way through the crowds and rounded the corner away from the main streets of shops, into a much less populated area of the village. Only when the sign for the Hog's Head Pub came into view did Clary understand what Cedric's idea was, and the Diggory boy pushed the door open with a dull jangle of the overhead bell, the heat from the fireplace inside instantly heating their frozen bodies.

The bell jangled again as the door shut behind them, and they looked around at the groups of empty tables, save for a couple groups of older wizards drinking Firewhiskey in the back, and the goat that still wandered aimlessly through the pub, letting out a soft bleat every few moments. While nearly everything had changed in the past year since their last visit, the pub itself remained the same.

Clary picked out a table near the fireplace, pulling off her coat and maroon and gold striped scarf while Cedric ordered two butterbeers from the bar. He returned a few moments later with the two drinks, setting one in front of where Clary sat and taking a sip of his own before taking a seat across from her, the snow stuck in his hair finally beginning to melt.

"Still much less crowded than the Three Broomsticks," Cedric said appreciatively, his eyes wandering around the pub before landing back on the redhead sitting across from him. "Easier to hear yourself think, and you don't have to try so hard to talk over those sitting near you."

"Feels like just yesterday we were in here, talking about our hopes and dreams." she mused, a sentimental smile finding its way onto her face.

"We sat at that table over there," he said, pointing to the corner at the opposite end of the room, and Clary could almost picture younger them sitting at the wobbly wooden table, Clary teasing him and only referring to him by his last name as she used to. When Weasley and Diggory had turned into Clary and Cedric, she still couldn't quite be sure.

"Those kids had no idea of what was about to come." she chuckled softly. "If I had a Time Turner and could go back to tell myself that day what would happen, I'd think I'd gone mad."

"That was kind of our unofficial first date," he said with a smirk, taking another sip of his butterbeer. "Where I realized I was starting to fancy you. I know I was still with Cho and everything, and I ended up really messing things up between you and I for a while because of that, but I'm grateful you gave me another chance, Clary."

Clary smiled softly. "We've sure come a long way." she mused. "We've both done things to each other that we regret. I know I might've taken a couple pranks too far back in the day, but you forgave me eventually. And now here we are."

"When did you get so wise?" Cedric asked, furrowing his eyebrows with a smirk. "And when did I become the prankster?"

"Well, don't get too used to it." she reassured him. "You may be a decent prankster now, but you'll never outprank me."