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vnderoos · 2 years

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with every seed you sow ✧ sirius black

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THE MARKS THAT Y/N Y/L/N HAD RECEIVED on her last Transfiguration exam were ghastly compared to her usually outstanding work. There was just something about the material that Professor McGonagall had been teaching the last few weeks that she just couldn't seem to grasp. Even her friends—the Marauders, they preferred—had all done better than her, even Peter, and they chose to spend their free time partying or wreaking havoc on the rest of the castle. Perhaps that was why McGonagall had agreed to let her retake the test in a week's time, as long as she'd received tutoring from the student who'd received the highest grade.

And, of course, that was how Y/N ended up in the library with one of her dark-haired friends—surprisingly—through dinner on a Friday night. Their textbooks and note-covered pieces of parchment were splayed across the wooden table, as evidence that they'd already been there for hours. "Sirius, please," she groaned for the umpteenth time as he snuck his wand out to twirl a tendril of her hair around it and she ran her hands over her face in what she hoped looked like annoyance, but the hint of a smile on her lips would give everything away if he noticed. She should've known that with how close he was sitting beside her—so close that she could smell his cologne—that it would never get past him, and it didn't. "You know, if I'd known you were going to be like this, I would've put my request in for Remus, instead," she told him half-heartedly, trying to press her lips into a thin line to fight her grin, but he'd already seen it.

Sirius slipped his wand back into his robes and threw his head back in a laugh, his mouth stretching out into a grin—one that showcased his nearly perfect set of teeth. She could feel her cheeks heat up slightly at the sight of it, almost confused as to whether he'd gotten this handsome overnight or if she'd just never noticed until now. She had early spent time with him alone—away from the others—so the latter definitely made sense. Or, maybe, it was all just some sort of weird trick her mind was playing on her as payback for hours of studying. That seemed more likely. "We both know you like it when I bug you, Y/N/N," he pointed out, a crooked smile settling on his lips once he'd gotten his laughter out of the way, and he reached out a slender hand to wind a lock of her hair around his index finger this time.

She shot him a look, despite the sudden racing of her heart, and she reached up to take his wrist in her hand, her resolve faltering briefly at how warm his skin felt beneath her fingertips. She covered her sharp inhale with a deep sigh and unraveled her hair from around his finger, trying to recall a moment where he'd been this touchy with her in front of the others, but coming up short. "Not when we're meant to be studying, Black," she drew out and she gently pushed his hand back towards his own body with her cheeks ablaze, trying to tell herself that his signature smirk was not having some out-of-the-blue effect on her, because it wasn't. It was the same smirk she'd seen him give countless other girls, so it absolutely wasn't. She was just a bit hazy from having her nose in her textbook all afternoon.

Sirius let out a huff of amusement at her answer, clearly satisfied, and he propped one of his elbows on the table, leaning his chin into it. "So you do like it?" he retorted, a smirk playing on his lips.

Y/N widened her eyes at him. "Are you thick?" she asked, gesturing to the materials that littered the wooden tabletop and she lifted her hand like she was about to swat him. "I'm saying you need to—"

Sirius pushed himself off of his hand when hers lifted and he wrapped his long fingers around her wrist, leaning in towards her. He used his other arm to brace himself against the back of her seat. "Relax, Y/L/N, I'm kidding," he whispered and she could feel his breath against the shell of her ear, sending shivers down her spine, and his dark eyes stared intently into her own. She'd never realized how quickly he could take the breath from her lungs without even trying until then and she could hear her heart pattering in her ears. "We'll keep studying, if that's what you want," he muttered lowly, his thumb tracing semi-circles on her wrist and leaving trails of fire in its wake.

She nodded, swallowing thickly as she did, and she couldn't help but wonder what the hell was happening to her as she looked into his eyes. He was entirely unreadable, but she was sure her emotions were written in bold, black letters on her forehead. "It is," she managed quietly, averting her gaze from his because she couldn't take it any longer, and she pulled her hand gently out of his grasp.

Sirius let her with no qualms, but he left his arm around her chair. "Very well, then," he said, turning his head back towards his book, and she got an inkling feeling that he knew exactly what he was doing when he placed his free hand on her knee instead, tapping his fingers against her skin. Part of her wanted to knock his hand off of her leg, but the other part of her liked the warmth it brought, so she listened to the latter and let her hand rest gently on top of his own to keep it in place.

Y/N could see him turn to look at her out of the corner of her eye after that. "Thank you," she all-but-whispered and he nodded, giving her knee a soft squeeze. It was unbeknownst to her that the little tug in her lungs that followed was the first bud of many that a painful, unrequited love would soon bring her as it bloomed inside of her chest.

—

Slivers of golden sun seeped through the curtains in the dorm room that Y/N shared with Lily Evans the following Monday morning, stirring her from a less-than-sound slumber, and she rolled over in her four-poster bed. She hadn't seen Sirius much over the weekend, the last proper time having been their little study session, and oddly enough, she was looking forward to another one later that night. It was a strange feeling, even considering thinking about Sirius Black as more than a mutual friend, but it wasn't unwelcomed. Maybe spending time with him alone again, instead of letting the thought of him bounce around in her head all day, would ease some of the tightness that had been building up in her chest.

Of course, she'd have to make it though breakfast with the rest of the crew first.

She let out a loud sigh and lifted her hands up to her face, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "G'morning, Y/N/N," Lily hummed from across the room. "It's about time you've woken up. I nearly left for breakfast without you," she pointed out and Y/N shot up quickly, almost certain that the girl was pulling her leg. To her dismay, Lily's freshly laundered robe hung loosely off of her body, covering her neat uniform, and her red hair fell smoothly over her shoulders. Wondering how long she'd slept in, Y/N glanced at the small clock on her bedside table.

Her eyes widened as she did and she practically threw her red covers off of her body. "Dear Merlin, Lily," she gasped, tugging her fingers through her hair to brush it out the best she could on a time crunch, and she hopped hurriedly out of bed. "Hit me with a pillow next time I sleep in, please," she said through a nervous laugh, tugging her pajamas off and rushing to get her uniform on while Lily laughed.

"You don't have to move at the speed of light, Y/N/N," Lily pointed out as Y/N slipped her arms into her sweater, running out of stamina rather quickly from throwing everything about, and she poked her head through the hole. Lily sputtered out another laugh at the fact that she'd reminded her of some sort of mole rat with that mannerism. "I'm sure we'll still beat the boys, even if we are a few minutes late," she reassured her, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I can braid your hair if you'd like, so you don't have to style it," she offered and she took a couple steps over to her dormmate as she finished getting dressed, watching her adjust her red and gold tie one last time in the mirror that was propped up beside her bed.

Y/N nodded and she pulled an elastic out of her bedside table. "That would be lovely," she accepted, passing the black band over to Lily. "And you're right about us beating the boys. I forget it takes Sirius ages to do his hair," she joked, leaning her head back when Lily pulled her hair over her shoulders, separating it into three sections softly. That's probably why his hair looks so bloody lovely all the time, she thought to herself, staring at a pattern on the wallpaper absentmindedly.

She heard Lily let out a huff of amusement and she tugged on her hair softly. "Lovely?" she repeated and her sneaky smile carried into her tone. Y/N's cheeks flushed red when she realized she'd made her little comment out loud. Blast. "Funny that you say that, really. What was it that he said you called him just last week, hm?" Lily pretended to think about it while her fingers moved nimbly, tossing one bit of Y/N's hair over the next. "A 'loud, greasy, little mongrel', was it?" she teased, knowing full well that had been exactly what she'd called him.

Y/N could feel her cheeks flare further, and she could see their warm color in her reflection. She pressed her lips together for a moment as Lily tied off her braid before she shook her head, turning around to point a stern finger at the girl. "Hey, I only said that because Slughorn kept looking at us during his lecture and he would not shut up," she defended herself, picking her bag up off the floor as Lily went to do the same. "I didn't mean it. I happen to like his hair, actually. It's," she paused, shrugging her shoulders, "pretty," she finished and she stuck her chin up slightly, like she was proud to say it, and honestly, she kind of was. She couldn't tell you how many times she'd thought about twirling her fingers in it, just as he'd done to hers the night of their first study session.

"Oh?" Lily's eyebrows lifted as the girls made their way towards the door and she nudged Y/N gently in the side with her elbow when they started down the staircase. "What else about Sirius do you happen to find pretty?" she questioned, a teasing lilt in her voice, and Y/N's heart started pounding in her ears. She let out some sort of garbled noise and she glanced over at the girl with wide eyes. Lily burst into laughter at the sight, her lips pulled back in a perfect grin.

Y/N pushed her way out of the portrait hole, "Oh, shut it."

"You're rather defensive this morning," Lily observed when they started down the corridor, making their way towards the Great Hall. "Or maybe, you're just getting defensive about him," she theorized, leaving his name out now that they were immersed in a herd of other late students, all headed to breakfast.

"I'm not getting defensive about him," Y/N retorted, guess what, defensively.

Lily hummed, "Really? Because it seems like it to me. What happened during your study date?"

Y/N shot her a look that was contrary to her brightening cheeks and fluttering heart. "I'm not getting defensive about him, alright?" she repeated in a firmer tone, ignoring the heat of the growing pressure in her chest and the butterflies in her stomach. "And it was not a study date, it was a study session, and nothing happened. It was nothing," she told her, tucking her thumb underneath the strap of her leather bag. She was holding out and she knew it. Lily knew it, too, but it wasn't like she was just going to blurt out all of her newfound feelings when she didn't quite understand them herself, even if they had been germinating all weekend.

"Well, if you say so," Lily conceded.

Luckily, she didn't push the topic any further as they walked through the large doors and into the dining hall, making their way over to the Gryffindor table. Peter and James were sitting a little less-than-peacefully with Marlene, all of them immersed in noisy conversation as the two walked up.

Marlene tilted her head up at the sight of them and she flashed the girls a wide-eyed look. "Oh, thank Merlin," she sighed in relief as Lily slotted herself beside the blonde and Y/N slipped in comfortably beside Lily. "I can't believe you two left me alone with these nitwits," she said, her voice slightly teasing as she nodded towards the two out of the four Marauders that were settled on the opposite side of the table.

Y/N let out a soft laugh as James' hand smacked over his heart and he feigned offense, his eyes flickering to Lily like he was making sure she was watching him as he did. "Marlene, I wholeheartedly assure you," he paused, moving his hands to clap Peter sideways on the shoulders, "that whatever Wormtail did to upset you, he didn't mean it," he finished—teasingly, of course—and Peter made a show of rolling his eyes, pushing the boy's hands off of his shoulders as he did. Lily cracked a small smile as the scene unfolded, but she tilted her head down in a weak attempt at hiding it.

"Sorry, Marlene," Y/N apologized with a half-grin on her face as she knocked James gently in the shin with her toe under the table. He exaggerated a wince and threw a dramatic glare in her direction, but her smirk only widened. "I slept in a bit, otherwise we would've been here to keep this madman in check," she said, nodding towards James, who laughed mockingly before kicking her back. Her head snapped towards him again and she was about to say something unladylike, before someone interrupted.

Sirius had waltzed up to the Gryffindor table, in all of his Adonis-like glory, while everyone had been distracted by James's antics, accompanied by a bedheaded Remus, and it wasn't until he nestled in beside Y/N that anyone even noticed him. "Morning, everyone," he greeted as Lupin took a seat next to Peter and Y/N jumped at how close he sounded. Y/N's gaze snapped to Sirius's elbow, which then brushed up against her own, and she trailed her eyes up his shoulder to meet his own. "Morning, darling," he added and the way that he singled her out made her chest ache. "You're a bit of a spitfire this morning, aren't you?" he joked, knocking his knee against her own and she swore her heart skipped a beat.

"I was just—" she started, but she cut herself off when she felt her cheeks burning with pigment. She found it unusually hard to breathe as she tried to string her words together, opening and closing her mouth like a fish. She used to get crushing anxiety when she was younger, and she chalked her faulty breaths up to its return. "Good morning, Sirius," she found herself mumbling when she couldn't form one coherent thought that wasn't about how dashing he looked that morning. She'd been right about his hair, she realized. It was bloody gorgeous, shiny and black as it framed his sharp facial features beautifully, the ends brushing the tops of his shoulders. She felt Lily's hand creep towards her over the tabletop, pinching her forearm roughly, as if to snap her out of her trance, and she cleared her throat. She patted Lily's hand once in unspoken gratitude and she flashed the raven-haired boy a closed-mouthed smile, her chin dipping down in borderline embarrassment.

After watching Y/N struggle with making a fool out of herself, her friends returned to conversation amongst themselves and if Sirius, too, had noticed her blatantly gawking at him, she felt lucky that he didn't say anything. Instead, he grabbed a pumpkin muffin from one of the golden platters in the center of the table and dropped it onto his plate. Her eyes followed his hand to his lips as he kissed a few crumbs off of his thumb and she felt her stomach flip. Her cheeks tingled in a sudden fluster and she blinked up at him.

Sirius must have noticed the way her eyes lingered on him, because a small smirk graced his pink lips, sending shivers through her body. She was quick to divert her attention to the food, placing a couple of sausages and a cluster of strawberries onto her plate. "Did you sleep alright?" he questioned lowly, peeking over at her. "You seem different this morning," he added, loud enough for her to hear but quiet enough so that their friends couldn't.

His observation was enough to startle her in itself and she shook her head quickly. Merlin, if she wasn't careful, he would find her out before he even finished eating. "I'm not different," she assured him, sucking in a slow breath as if to quell her nervousness. She was usually so comfortable with him around, but their encounter that past Friday had screwed it all up. Damn him and his unwitting charm. "I slept fine, did you?" she countered, almost hoping he didn't so she could pin her odd behavior on his lack of sleep.

He nodded, "Beautifully, actually."

Of course, he had.

She mimicked his nod, before forking a bite of cut-up strawberries into her mouth.

There were a couple beats of mildly uncomfortable silence, before Sirius looked over at her once more. "Aren't you going to ask me what I dreamt about?" he questioned and she lifted her eyebrows at him when she turned to meet his gaze. There was a mischievous glint in his eyes that made her feel like he was baiting her into something.

Y/N sighed and peeled the paper off of her muffin. "In that case," she said, glancing back over at him, "what did you dream of, my darling Pads?" she questioned as blandly as she could, drawing out her joking little nickname for him.

A smile spread across Sirius' face like someone had dragged a butterknife over it and he let out a laugh. "'My darling Pads', I like that. It's really rather cute coming from you," he teased, eliciting an eyeroll and a bit of a blush on her end. "But, since you so desperately wish to know, I dreamt of you and our study date later. We're still on for that, yes?" he asked her, having gone through much too elaborate lengths to do so, and she let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head despite the smile that played on her lips.

"You're insufferable," she told him through another small laugh and he flashed her a teasing wink. She ignored the way that it made her heart flutter and she nodded, "But, yes, if you're still up for it."

"Of course, I am. You won't flunk on my watch," he promised.

Y/N gave him a huff of amusement. "I'm eternally grateful," she deadpanned, satisfied with herself when his lips quirked up at her comment, and then, their banter died down for a while.

They sat in silence, arms brushing occasionally, as they listened in on their friends' conversations, and Y/N kept sneaking small glances at Sirius when she felt he wouldn't be looking. Fortunately, he never was, but she felt less so whenever her eyes would follow his to a pretty brunette at the Ravenclaw table every so often. Every time they did, a part of her longed for him to look at her that way and her heart sank.

Only when Y/N saw him wink at her did her chest feel like it was caving in entirely. It was a bit startling, actually, how it felt like something actually shifted inside of her, and she couldn't help but bring one of her hands to her chest. "Well, as fun as it's been with you all, I think I've got more pressing matters calling my name," Sirius spoke up after a bit longer, flashing a beaming smile at Y/N and the rest of his friends. "See you for our study date later, Y/N/N," he hummed, knocking her in the arm with the back of his hand, and before she knew it, he was up and walking away from them.

Y/N felt winded as she watched him walk away, like the breath had been vacuumed from her lungs, and she panted slightly as she glanced over at Lily. The redhead, having already been looking at her, offered her a sympathetic smile and she squeezed her hand softly. "Is it really nothing?" she mouthed, bringing back the topic of their exchange from earlier, and Y/N shook her head.

It was never nothing.

Lily's hand squeezed hers a little bit tighter, and contrary to Y/N's earlier belief, her study session with Sirius that evening only made her chest feel tighter.

Another seedling of one-sided love sprouted in her lungs that night.

—

As the cool autumn months ebbed into those of cold winter, the pressure in Y/N's chest only worsened. Even in late December, she still blamed it on anxiety—factoring in the few months before exams, her ever-so-hopeless crush on Sirius, and the impending war looming over everyone's heads—terribly clueless of the way her feelings were quite literally taking her over. It was nearly Christmas, now, and though the hallways were three-fourths empty, lacking the students who'd returned home for the holiday, she still found herself sitting in the common room with her friends.

Y/N was sitting sideways on the couch, her feet resting over Lily's lap, and Remus was settled into an arm chair in the corner of the room, while James and Peter wrestled each other in front of the fire place. "Good lord, I've never seen something so pathetic," Lily muttered as the boys gripped each other's arms, attempting to bring the other to the ground, but their strength seemed so evenly matched that they just seemed to stand in place.

Y/N couldn't help but giggle at Lily's words, her eyes trained on the two boys in front of her. "They're trying so hard," she said, another laugh bubbling up from her stomach, and she leaned into the couch cushion as she snickered.

"If Sirius were here, they'd never hear the end of this, I guarantee it," Remus piped up from across the room, and at the mention of their dark-haired friend, her laughter stilled. If only Sirius were there. She felt Lily place her hands over her shins, rubbing them softly in a knowing manner, as she grimaced. Sirius had been with them through the morning and a fraction of the afternoon, but as the sun started to set and the sky darkened, he'd found something better to do.

Or someone, rather.

She'd seen him jogging to meet her in the corridor, his girl of the week, with her blonde hair and golden brown eyes. He'd taken all the air in her lungs, plus some, with him. It had been all she could do for her lungs to focus on anything else but him since then, she'd felt, but she knew it had only been a matter of time before someone said his name and the feeling would creep right back up on her. It was haunting, almost.

"He definitely would've intervened by how," Y/N hummed, forcing the thought of Sirius with that Hufflepuff girl out of her head, and she let her eyes drift back to the wrestling boys. "Maybe we should take a page out of his books and raise the stakes, yeah?" she suggested, looking back at Lily, and a lightbulb went off over her head.

Lily furrowed her eyebrows, as if she knew it was going to be something she wouldn't care for, "Raise the stakes?"

Y/N nodded. "If James can pin Peter down in the next minute, I say, you go on a date with him," she hummed, loud enough for the boys to hear, and they stopped moving instantaneously.

Peter glanced over at them with widened eyes, looking between them and their messy-haired companion. James, on the other hand, stood straight up and puffed his chest out a little, brushing his hands over his white button down to smooth out the wrinkles. "Are you being serious?" he asked, his gaze flickering between the girls.

"Um." Lily's lips parted as she glanced at Y/N, but she found herself nodding slowly, anyways, as the girl urged her to agree. "Well, I suppose we are, but only because I have extraordinarily little faith in you, Potter," she told him, her tone almost playful as a slight grin made the corners of her mouth quirk upwards.

The grin that spread across his lips was nearly blinding. "Brilliant," he beamed, glancing over at Peter and nudging him in the arm with his elbow. "You hear that, Wormtail? I'll be taking Lily to Madam Puddifoot's in no time," he hummed, earning an eyeroll from the small boy beside him.

Peter sighed, "Well, what if I win?"

Y/N blinked at him, as she really wasn't sure what he was all that interested in. He was rather quiet most of the time, so she didn't know him quite as good as the other boys. "I don't know, Pettigrew," she admitted with a shrug. "A chocolate frog or something?" she tried sheepishly.

The boy's eyes widened in disbelief. "What? That's not even close. What if I—" Before the poor, unwitting lad could even finish his sentence, James hooked an arm around his neck and used his body weight to all-but-slam him against the floor. Peter let out a surprised yelp, but he hardly made a move to fight back as James planted a knee on his chest to keep him pinned down. He looked between Peter and the girls, a triumphant smile playing on his lips. Poor kid never stood a chance. "You're a right tosser," Peter groaned, winded, and they all erupted into laughter. Lily placed her hand on her forehead, squeezing her eyes shut as she giggled, Remus was doubled over on his armchair, and Y/N was hanging off of the side of the couch, her stomach bubbling with belly laughs.

She could feel her cheeks turning pink as she did, but her laughter was quite short-lived compared to everyone else's. She spared a couple more chuckles before she felt a sharp pain in her chest and she sucked in a breath, bringing her hands up to put pressure on her sternum. She let one of her hands stay as the stinging travelled up her throat, but she used the other one to cover her mouth as a wet cough crawled out of her throat. It was almost painful as it did, like she'd been incubating a cold for a while, but it made sense when she recalled the vigorous snowball fight that they'd all participated in only days prior. She'd returned to her dorm with her clothes soaked through, so it had really only been a matter of time before one of them came down with something.

The laughter around her ceased not long after her own, and Y/N could feel the worried gazes of her friends lingering on her. "That was hearty," James pointed out, having stood up now, and he crossed his arms over his chest. "Are you alright?" he questioned, taking a step towards her in a way that was almost protective of her, and she nodded.

"I'm fine," Y/N promised with a bit of uncertainty, propping herself up into a sitting position. She grabbed a tissue from the box on the table beside the couch and she spread it over her hand. "I think I'm just coming down with—" Another onset of coughs overtook her before she could finish and she placed her hand over her mouth, hacking into it. Her lungs stung as she coughed something up, feeling it shoot into the tissue, and she pulled her hand away to inspect it briefly. She felt a little uneasy when her eyes saw what it was. It was hard to tell when it was covered in mucus, but it didn't seem quite rounded. The edges of whatever it was were a bit fringed, and it was a yellowy color, with hints of red at one end. She swallowed thickly and folded the tissue up before anyone could ask questions. "It's probably just a cold," she assured them, getting up to toss it away.

Everyone let the topic go, seemingly satisfied with her explanation, and they all joked about her spreading germs as she continued to cough through the night. It wasn't until she found herself in the girls' bathroom before bed did she really feel nervous.

Y/N felt unusually tired as she trudged her way into the lavatory. She sighed, almost in relief, when she realized it was empty, which was no surprise considering the time, and she braced herself against the sink. She hadn't realized how achy her limbs had started to feel, how raw her throat felt from the coughing, or just how tight her chest felt when she was with her friends, but now that she was alone, it was all pressing down on her at once. She took a look at herself in the mirror, probably the first time she'd paid such close attention to herself in a while, and she was surprised to see the way that her under eyes were dark and hollow. "Godric," she muttered to herself, reaching up to touch her skin. She even looked like she had come down with something.

Deciding she would see what magic a long, hot shower could work, she started to strip herself of her clothes. She'd barely gotten her shirt off when another fit of coughs came out of nowhere. Her chest clenched in an instant, her lungs on fire as she coughed. These hurt more than the last and they were a lot less sporadic. When she'd coughed to the point where she felt like her sternum was cracking, something happened. Hunched over the sink, she coughed up another glob, larger this time, and she spit them into the washbasin. Her heartrate picked up nervously when she realized this one was coated in blood.

She could see the same sort of rigid shapes in it, so she separated it with her index finger, and she realized that they weren't just shapes—they were petals. She recognized them as those from a striped carnation, something her grandmother used to grow in her garden before her passing.

Y/N's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and she looked up at herself in the mirror once more, her eyes widening as she looked at her bare chest. She was a lot paler than she remembered being, and there were faint black lines spreading underneath her chest like roots. She lifted a finger to trace them and she swore she could see one of the lines stretching as she did.

This wasn't like any cold she'd ever seen before.

—

The cold days of December bled into January's soon enough, meaning the winds had grown harsher and the corridors had grown fuller with every student returning back to the castle to finish out the year. Unfortunately for Y/N and Sirius, that also had meant that Hogsmeade had grown busier again. She always forgot how quiet it seemed when it wasn't bustling with students, but as the two of them headed into town, she was quickly reminded now that it wasn't.

Y/N adjusted the pale purple mittens on her hands and looked over at her black-haired friend as they maneuvered themselves around a group of Slytherins and met again when they'd moved past them. "Bloody busy today," she grumbled, when she was close enough to Sirius again that their elbows brushed. Even through the her puffy jacket and his wool coat, she could feel it, and her cheeks grew warm. She cursed herself silently when they did.

Even in the new year, she hadn't escaped her feelings for him.

"Well, at least I'm not dead," Sirius hummed, jostling her arm with his own while a small smile played on his lips. Y/N couldn't help but manage one of her own, even if she did jerk her arm away from his a bit. She recalled what Sirius had said when they'd been back in the common room, sitting lazily beside each other on the couch while the rest of the Maurauders were nose-deep in their textbooks. He had moaned something about a butter beer and how he'd been craving one so, terribly, awfully badly and he'd probably just die if they made him go alone. Lily and James had eagerly volunteered Y/N—who had felt too restless to study, anyways—just to get him to shut up, but now that they were alone together, she wasn't quite sure that she hated it. "That's what matters, right, darling?" There was a note of playfulness dancing in his low voice.

She couldn't help but let her lips tilt into a crooked smile. "Maybe," she started with a slight shrug of her shoulders, her voice a bit hoarse from this month-long cold, and she pushed her shoulder into the boy's side gently, "although, it is much less quiet with you around," she finished and his nose crinkled, while his large hand was brought to his chest, long fingers splaying out over the cable-knits of his sweater. Her cheeks remained warm as a quiet chuckle spilled from her lips.

"You wound me, love," he joked, stopping in his tracks. "You know you fancy my words of many wisdoms," he continued, his hand falling from his chest, and he tucked it into his coat pocket instead, tugging it tighter against his back.

Y/N had stopped with Sirius and she quirked an eyebrow up at him. She crossed an arm over her chest and tapped a purple-mittened hand against her chin. "Do I?" She pretended to think, narrowing her eyes slightly. They continued to stare at each other for a moment in a slow-settling silence, until she dropped her act and smiled at him. She could feel the stretching of the pressure in her chest, the one she'd grown all-too-familiar with in the last few weeks, and it seemed to spread in wisps around her lungs. "I think you're right," she admitted.

Sirius let out a hum of content at her response and gave her a proud smirk, studying her face for a moment. "Man, you really are easy on the eyes, Y/L/N, you know that?" He questioned, reaching up to brush a tuft of her hair out of her face, and his cold fingers brushed against her cheek, leaving trails of fire in their wake. She could physically feel something lurch inside of her chest, and maybe this is what they meant when they said unrequited love was painful. Her heart was hammering so loudly in her chest, she almost forgot to listen when he said, "but that voice of yours had grown quite manly," he finished, and her eyes blew wide.

All the mushy-gushy was immediately forgotten and she stepped forward to smack his arm lightly. "Are you serious?" She exclaimed, suddenly very conscious of how gravelly it sounded, and she grimaced.

This bloody cold.

He threw his head back in a laugh, black hair shaking about, and if she wasn't offended, she would've marveled at him. "Yeah, Sirius Black, and you?" he teased, pulling his hand out of his pocket to extend it towards her, and she shot him a look. He huffed in amusement, a soft grin playing on his face, and he used that same hand to clasp her shoulder. He gave it a squeeze and leaned closer towards her face, as annoyed as her expression was. "I'm kidding, darling, your voice is lovely," he promised in a manner meant for only her to hear.

Y/N felt warmth spread through her cheeks and up to the tip of her frozen nose, and a little blossom opened in her chest, and she couldn't help but notice how his eyes sparkled in such close proximity. She swallowed thickly, but maintained her façade all the same. "It'd better be, Black," she said.

He merely smiled. "Well," he said, his eyes searching her own. "I was really hoping for a 'my darling Pads' again," he finished, recalling an encounter from weeks prior, and only then did he pull his face away from her own. She let out a small laugh at that, surprised he'd even remembered that, and then, he looped his arm through her own, leading her forwards once again. "But really," he hummed, lightly pinching at his throat with his free hand, "couple shots of firewhisky'll clear that right up," he told her.

She couldn't help but shake her head at him, unable to hide the grin that crept onto her face. "This your way of saying you want to get me drunk, then?" She teased back, her eyes quickly flickering to the sign hanging above The Three Broomsticks and back to him.

"Well, we've got to make sure James knows he missed out somehow," Sirius chimed with a quick wink, sliding his hand down her arm to take her mittened paw in his fingers, and he pulled her through the door. Right from the start, the place was whirring with tipsy wizards and witches alike, huddled together in their respective groups and chuckling with rose-dusted cheeks, but there were plenty of tables open. The lighting was a bit dim, but given the darkening sky, that was understandable, and Sirius began to lead her further into the building. He nodded to an unoccupied table in the back of the room. "Why don't you sit down and I'll get us some drinks?" he suggested, giving her hand a squeeze before letting go.

Y/N nodded, forcing herself to ignore the fact that his touch lingered on her hand even through her mitten, and she offered him a parting smile before she made her way towards the table. Her shoes stuck to the floor with every step, courtesy of the residual alcohol, but she didn't notice it much when she sat herself down at one end of the table. She crossed her arms over the tabletop and looked over at Sirius, big hands in his coat pockets as he waited for the bartender to acknowledge him. She rested her chin in the palm of one of her hands.

Sirius, from the time Lily had introduced them, had always been one way—loud, filthy-tongued, and up to no good—when James and Peter were in earshot, but when it was just the two of them, well, he was still up to no good, but he was softer and more gentle. She had come to feel like in those rare moments when they got to spend time alone together, he was at peace. She always wondered if he was just so used to the girls at Hogwarts falling at his feet, that maybe he enjoyed spending time with a girl who—infatuated with him as she was—treated him like a regular person.

Even looking at him know, the boy seemed completely content.

He was stepping up to the counter, a grin stretching across his face and his hands moving from his pockets so he could speak with gestures. She studied the way that his lips moved, wondering if she would ever get lucky enough for them to kiss her, and the way his eyes shone in the flickering lantern lighting. Her attention drifted to his cheekbones, lovely as ever, and the crinkles of a smile just above them in the corners of his eyes. Those were her favorite. When Sirius smiled, he smiled with his whole face and it was, without a doubt, heart-melting.

His hair, too.

Merlin, she'd always loved his hair, even before her heart longed for him. It had always been kept rather long, framing his face perfectly at any given moment. What she really loved about it, though, was when he was studying, or writing a paper, it was just long enough to fall over his cheeks and annoy him. She loved watching him thread his hands through it. Oh, and his hands—

There was a prick of pain in Y/N's wrist that stirred her from her thoughts and she let out a hiss, her body jerking into a more upright position. She was quick to rip her woolen glove off of her hand, dropping it into her lap. In the center of her wrist, a bud has sprouted through the surface her skin. It waited a moment before the petals spread open, blooming in front of her eyes, and revealing a small, yellow carnation with a reddish center. Her eyes widened slightly and she brushed her thumb over the flower, tilting it a bit to confirm that it was, in fact, growing through her skin.

She pinched the stem of the flower between her fingers and pulled, wincing at the sharp pain that shot through her wrist. She removed the small flower, roots and all, leaving a small spot of blood in its place, like tearing off a hangnail. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly as she placed the flower in her hand and prodded at it. The petals were just like the ones she'd been coughing up, but she didn't understand how they'd gotten into her body in the first place. She struggled to inhale a sufficient breath as the pressure in her chest made itself just a little more noticeable, and she could feel her heartbeat pick up in the slightest.

She wasn't all too sure that this was just a cold anymore, but before she could dwell too much on the subject, Sirius set down a tea saucer filled with shots and two butter beers. "What's that you've got?" he asked as he situated himself across from her, nodding towards the flower in her hand, before his eyes flitted back to her own.

Her eyebrows lifted at his question and she shook her head, tucking the flower into the pocket of her coat and hoping he wouldn't pick up on the fact that she was nearly breathless. "Nothing important," she said, shrugging her coat off all together and setting it beside herself on the bench. That feeling in her chest was crushing again. She could feel it all the way in her shoulders and stomach now. "Who've you got all those for?" she deflected, gesturing to the half a dozen shots between them.

"Oh, right," Sirius beamed, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face, and he tilted his head at her, strands of his hair deciding to follow. "Two for me, four for you," he said, already starting to split them up between the two of them.

Y/N scoffed lightly, recalling when he and James had snuck a few handles in last Christmas and she was already giggling after two. "How come I get four?" she questioned. "Seems like you've got it backwards, Pads," she defended, sliding two of her shots back in his direction.

The black-haired boy covered her wrists in his hands and stopped hers halfway across the table. His eyes met hers in a challenging gaze. "Darling, one of us has to get absolutely smashed tonight, and the other one of us has to live to tell the story," he started, before a laugh started sputtering through his lips, "and I'm sorry, love, but I'm a bloody good storyteller." He couldn't even help it at that point but break into full laughter, pushing her hands back towards her chest slow enough as to not spill the shots. She shook her head lightly at him, but she stopped her protest all the same.

"If you insist then," she hummed, and Sirius pulled his hands back into his personal space. "I'm a terrible lightweight, though, so if anything bad happens, you're to blame."

"Oh, I remember," he said without missing a beat. "You'll be alright, though. If we get you drunk enough to fall on your arse, maybe it'll knock the cold right out of you."

Y/N picked up one of the shot glasses and tossed it back, downing it all in one go before she had the opportunity to smell it and chicken out. She wrinkled her nose as the amber liquid made its way down her esophagus, burning all the way down. "That's right foul," she muttered, flipping the glass upside down and placing it back on the saucer. "Gives me a bit of flashbacks," she said.

Sirius laughed. "Just reminding you of the end goal," he teased, before grabbing a shot himself. He tilted his head back and swallowed the liquid in an instant, setting his empty glass next to her own.

—

As the night went on, their drinks disappeared one by one, and then some, until Y/N was hiccuping in her seat. She'd begged Sirius for another round of shots about an hour before, and he'd only brought back four that time, claiming his had worn off in the few hours they'd been there already. It was certainly past curfew then, but sneaking into the castle wasn't unfamiliar to him. Y/N was at the point then, that as she downed another shot, she couldn't even feel the sting anymore. She flipped the small glass over in her fingers and placed it with the others. "I," she started to hum, lifting one of her fingers up at him and wiggling it about, "think you," she continued, letting a small giggle out, "should get me more," she finished in a slur, falling into another laugh, and she lazily propped her chin up with her hand.

Sirius furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at her, all-but-fighting the amused grin trying to spread across his face. He was far more sober than he would've liked to be at that moment, but if he were to get her home safely, they couldn't both be out of their right minds. "I," he mimicked the pattern of her speech, "think you," he waved his finger at her, too, "are getting cut off now," he said, pressing his lips into a thin line.

Hearing those words come out of his mouth felt like someone insulted her mother in that very moment. "What?" she asked, sitting up a little straighter and throwing her hands up in protest. "Why?" She dropped her hands, palms flattering against the table tops in only half-serious outrage.

"Think we've got to start heading back, darling," he hummed. "Gonna be a lot harder to bring you back if you drink yourself into a coma on me."

She let out an exaggerated sigh, staring at him through a haze of drunkenness. "Leaving already?" She pouted. "I was having fun," she protested weakly, puffing her bottom lip out and hoping that maybe he might cave enough for one more round, but she had no such luck.

Sirius only laughed, before gathering their mess in one place on the table to make it easier on whoever cleaned up after them. "Y/N Y/L/N having fun?" he repeated lightly, furrowing his eyebrows together as he slid out from the wooden bench he'd been sitting on and sliding his thick coat back on over his broad shoulders. He shook his head at her as he did, pretending to mull over the concept. "I don't buy it," he admitted teasingly, before walking around to her side of the table.

Y/N looked over at him as he bent down across her lap to grab her coat, his face centimeters from her own for a moment, and her breath hitched in her throat. It returned once he had pulled away, scooping up her coat, and leaving her heart fluttering in its place. "Well, you should," she slurred, hoping it didn't sound as rattled as she'd thought, but she was too tipsy to think much of it, so she stood up instead.

"Really, now?" Sirius drawled, his lips curling up in a crooked smile that he made minimal effort to hide, and he ran his fingers over the lining of her coat, opening it up. He held it up in a way that signaled for her to turn her back to him. "And why should I do that?" he questioned softly as she held her left arm up just high enough for him to slip her puffy jacket over shoulder.

The girl shrugged and he fitted her coat over her right shoulder as well, before she turned back around to look at him. "'Dunno," she stated, following next to him as he started towards the door. "I always have fun when I get the chance to sit and admire you, my darling Pads," she said, hardly giving the words much thought before they rolled off of her tongue. Clearly, as she would've died in mortification if she'd been in her right mind. Sirius let out a garbled noise that started almost as a gasp, but turned into something like a cough to clear his throat. She looked over at him and smiled to herself when she noticed the color that had come to his cheeks. Was he blushing?, she thought to herself, before shaking her head at the thought.

"Think I was right perfect on my timing," he chimed, pushing open the door to the tavern and rolling his shoulders back at the cold air that filtered in. "I've been trying to pry that little nickname out of you all night." His tone was joking and if her head wasn't spinning, she might've sworn he'd winked at her.

Y/N dumped it from her memory as she stepped out of the building and back into the winter, shivering at the sudden change in temperature, and she waited for him to do the same. "I'm a bit sleepy, Sirius," she admitted when the door had closed behind them, and they had started on the path back to the castle.

"Sleepy?" he repeated, like he was surprised. "I thought you were having fun doing—,"he paused. "Oh, what was it? Looking at me?" he asked, a bit of mischief in his voice, and she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Don't get cocky now that I've played into that ego of yours, Black," she warned, and he laughed, his lips pulling back in that way that they did, and her entire façade nearly crumbled at the foundation. He held his hands up defensively and shook his head. "But since I'm drunk," she said, uncrossing one of her arms to point a finger at him. "I might inflate it a bit more, because that's just how I'm feeling. You just watch yourself tomorrow, because I will deny it 'til the very end," she continued.

Sirius only laughed softly at her alcohol-induced antics and tucked one of his hands into his pocket, threading the fingers of his hair through the other. "You've gone bonkers, haven't you?" he joked, another laugh bubbling through his lips. "Perhaps, I'm responsible, though," he added, glancing over at her, but her eyes were already on him.

Y/N swallowed thickly and she nodded. "When you run your hand through your hair like that, you're bloody fuckin' responsible, yeah," she said, unable to stop the words once they'd formed on her tongue, and she could visibly see the pigment rushing to his cheeks at her words. She was so focused on the fact that she'd just made the Sirius Black blush, and so filled with the satisfaction of it, that she hardly even noticed the way her foot caught on a jut in the cobblestones and her balance blew away with the breeze. She would've been victim to the street if Sirius hadn't wrapped a hand around her bicep, twirling her so that he could pull her against his body to steady her, and her mind was reeling at the quickness of it all.

She looked up at Sirius with her breaths stuck in her throat and her heart drumming inside of her chest. When her eyes found his, they were searching her own intently, though he looked quite unsure of what he was searching for. "You drive me mad, Y/L/N, you know that?" he muttered, his face inching ever so slowly towards her own, and she could see his throat move as he swallowed thickly. Her heart only picked up the pace, her blood pumping furiously through her veins that she could feel her pulse in her neck without even touching it. "And, Merlin, you are difficult to read, because you act one way, but then you say things like that and I—" he paused for a moment, because she was starting to feel increasingly more ill. With every pounding of her heart, there was a shooting pain in her chest and a twist in her stomach, and the longer she stood there, the worse she felt. "Are you alright?" he all-but-whispered, taking a step back from her to place his hands on her biceps, and she shook her head.

Y/N managed a small smile before she pushed herself lightly out of his grasp, bringing one of her hands to her stomach. "I think I'm gonna be sick," she said, before an overwhelming wave of nausea barreled over her. To keep herself from toppling over, she lowered herself down onto her knees, bracing herself with one of her arms in the snow, and her chest was on fire. "I think something's wrong," she nearly whimpered, finding it hard to catch her breath in the moment, and she broke out into a fit of coughs. She barely registered it when Sirius knelt down beside her, placing one of his hands on her back. "I'm sorry." Her voice was small and hoarse, hindered as her throat tightened through the beginning of tears.

Sirius could feel her body lurching beneath his palm and he could hear the congestion in her lungs. He grimaced, feeling almost guilty that he'd let her push herself so far. He knew that she'd been feeling under the weather for quite some time, but he figured that she must've been clearing up by then. It hadn't occurred to him that her condition might be worsening until she was doubled over in front of him. "It's alright, Y/N/N," he assured her, rubbing his hand up and down her back. "We can wait as long as— oh, bloody hell," he hissed when she puked into the snow.

He was quick to gather her hair behind her head before it got caught in the crossfire, but only after did he realize when she vomited, it was filled with flowers and streaks of blood.

—

Everything from the night before was hazy on Y/N's memory. Everything except for the flowers that had spilled out in her puke, covering the snow in carnations and bile, and Sirius had witnessed the entire thing. She ran her hands over her face in borderline embarrassment as she stared up at the roof of her red canopy bed, and she sat herself upright. Her head ached from the aftermath of the firewhisky and her shoulder stung from—she assumed—holding herself up off of the ground.

Once she'd mustered up enough of her strength to start moving, she folded her comforter off of her legs and swung them over the side of her bed. She was wearing the same outfit she had been the night before, minus her coat, which had been thrown on top of the trunk at the foot of her bed, and she reckoned she could use a wash before breakfast. Y/N pushed herself up off of the side of the bed, grabbing a change of clothes from her nightstand, and she made her way towards the girls' lavatory. She was careful not to wake Lily or Marlene as she did, and when she got into the bathroom, she was almost thankful to find that it was empty.

She set her clothes up over the edge of one of the sinks and her mind lingered slightly on the burning in one of her shoulders as she moved. She wondered if she'd knocked it against anything on the way back to the castle the night before. She gripped the bottom of her sweater and pulled the hem up over her head, wincing as it seemed to snag on her shoulder. She dropped her sweater in a pile of knit on the floor, and when she looked up at herself in the mirror, she was surprised at what she'd seen.

Y/N had been sick with what she'd assumed was a cold for a while now, and there had been mild changes in her appearance, like faint dark circles and flushed skin, but staring at herself in the mirror in that moment, was like looking at someone she hardly recognized. The bags underneath her eyes had progressed significantly since the last time that she'd looked, sinking into her skin to the point where she looked hallowed, and her face looked so thin. Her cheekbones were sharper than she'd ever seen them, as was her jawline, and she reached up to touch her cheek. Her skin was pale and cool to the touch.

Her eyes traveled down to her neck, where faint dark lines seemed to stretch out just above her collarbone. Her breath hitched in her throat as she trailed the lines back towards the center of her chest, watching their color darken and their mass thicken the closer she got. She brought her hands to brush her fingertips over her sternum, pressing against it only to find the lines were like cables beneath her skin, and her fingers shied away from touching them a second time. She reached up to rub her eyes, almost praying that she might still be dreaming, and she reached behind her back to rub the shoulder that ached.

Y/N's heart sank in her chest when her fingers brushed against something that felt unfamiliar and she angled her back towards the mirror. The breath was stolen from her lungs when she was met with a patch of carnations. Her stomach lurched and she suddenly felt the urge to vomit again, bracing herself against the sink in case she did. She tried to catch her breath, but instead, she began to gasp for air, feeling a lump of tears forming in her throat and finding it quite hard to breathe over that.

The door to the lavatory creaked open and she reached down for her sweater, hoping she might be able to cover up in time, but her head was spinning, and the room was swirling, and she couldn't hardly think over the sound of her heart in her ears, and— "Shit," a familiar voice—Lily's—filled her ears and Y/N didn't bother with her sweater anymore. "Shit, Y/N, your back," she continued, her footsteps rapid as she practically ran towards the girl, and Y/N could feel a tickle of pain as Lily brushed her fingers over the carnations.

"Scale of one to ten," Y/N said.

"Fuckin' eleven," she muttered. "What's happening?" she asked, and the emotion in those two words—just Lily's genuine concern for her—was enough for the lump in Y/N's throat to spill over.

She shook her head as her eyes started to swell up with tears and she looked at Lily over her shoulder. "I don't know," she admitted and she turned around to look at her.

Lily pulled Y/N into a hug before she could explain anything more. "We'll figure it out."

—

After Y/N's worries had settled to a point where she felt like she was functional again, she and Lily had decided they needed breakfast. She almost regretted their choice as they approached the table and five solemn faces were what greeted her. Sirius had most likely told them what happened the night before, and she was sure he'd included the part about the flowers. She managed a small smile at all of her friends, which some of them returned sympathetically, and she moved to take a seat next to Sirius. Marlene and Peter scooted down to make room for her, while Lily planted herself between James and Remus on the other side of the table.

Warmth settled into the small of her back when Sirius placed his hand against it gently, like he was touching a porcelain doll, and her chest quivered slightly. She turned to look at him and the first thing she noticed was the circles beneath his eyes and the waves of concern rolling in them. "How are you feeling, Y/N?" Sirius questioned just loud enough for her to hear, and she shrugged her shoulders. "Looks like you're one second away from collapsing," he pointed out, meaning for it to be teasing, but he sounded more worried than anything.

She let out a huff of amusement and crossed her arms on the table too. "Feels like it, too, if you want the truth," she admitted, smiling half-heartedly at him, and he moved his hand from her back so he could pull her closer to him by her waist. He then grabbed a piece of toast from one of the platters in the center of the table. "Also, I'm really sorry about—," she started to apologize for the night before, but he was quick to interrupt her with a shake of his head.

"Don't apologize," he stopped her, moving his hand to her knee. He brushed his thumb over the cap of it and squeezed it softly. "I shouldn't have pushed you. You've been ill and my thinking was impaired. I'm the one who's sorry," Sirius continued, his eyes searching her own for some kind of acknowledgment, she assumed.

Y/N readjusted so she could set one of her hands over his and his skin was so comfortably arm. "You shouldn't be, Pads. I just didn't recognize my own limits," she reassured him. She almost wanted to slip her fingers through the spaces between his own, but before she could, his hand upturned beneath hers, and he slotted his fingers through hers first. She felt her heart skip a beat in her chest and a small smile tugged at her lips. "But," she hummed, clearing her throat out of nervousness, "your thinking was impaired, you say?" she questioned.

Sirius' full lips stretched into a grin. "As is expected when I'm accompanied by a woman of your caliber. Can't blame me for finding any excuse to spend more time with you, can you?" he chimed, giving her hand a gentle squeeze and igniting a wildfire across her cheeks. She turned her head slightly away from him in embarrassment and he let out a soft chuckle, his other hand coming up to ruffle her hair. "That was well-deserved, I think," he said.

"What?" She turned back to look at him with her cheeks still ablaze.

He laughed again. "For your comment about my hair last night," he explained. "Can't make me blush and expect me not to tease you about it."

"I thought I told you not to get cocky, Black," she rebutted, swatting away the hand that she held, and he chuckled.

"Oh, so it's like that, then?" he teased, forgetting her knee, and he wrapped his arm around her waist again instead, pulling her in for a good-natured side hug. "I was only joking. Well, about the payback, at least," he admitted, turning his head so that his lips brushed against the shell of her ear. "I promise, though, darling. I rarely think properly around you anymore," he whispered the words to only her and a tingle crawled down her spine.

Just when Y/N had been sure she couldn't get any more red, her cheeks grew burning hot, and her chest felt like it was exploding. "That's cruel, Sirius," she muttered half-heartedly, almost breathless from the way her chest was caving in on her lungs, and she reached across the table to grab a waffle. She felt much too lazy to actually cut it up and drizzle syrup on it, so she bit into it like a piece of toast.

"You can think what you want, but I know what I feel, love," he hummed, and he left his hand where it was while she nibbled on her waffle. She honestly couldn't tell if he was pulling her leg or not. "If you're still not feeling well, though, you're welcome to lean on me. I'll make sure you stay upright," he offered with a small smile and a quick wink, before he turned his head back to the others, tuning into the second half of whatever story James had wanted to share that morning.

Y/N, after Sirius had focused his attention elsewhere, did fancy the idea of a place to rest her head, especially on the shoulders of such a specimen, so she took a bite of he waffle to calm her nerves, and she laid her head against him. She could feel his fingers tighten on her side as she did, and his head fell to rest against her own. She could feel her walls come down, and it was as if it was on cue, that a wave of fatigue hit her. She locked eyes with Lily, who was looking at her from across the table, and the girl wiggled her eyebrows at her slightly. Y/N only flashed her a half-hearted smile and reached to set her waffle on her plate, her appetite suddenly having disappeared.

The tightening in her chest from minutes before still hadn't let up, and she found it becoming increasingly harder to manage a proper breath. Her chest felt thick and heavy, like it was filled with tar, and her lungs ached with every breath she sucked in. "Sirius," she whispered a little too softly, and she grabbed his leg with one of her hands. "Sirius," she repeated again just a bit louder, giving his leg a quick pat, and he lifted his head up off of hers and leaned forward to meet her gaze.

Sirius' gaze had gone from questioning to concerned almost as soon as he had the chance to gauge her change in condition. His eyebrows furrowed and he began to trail his hand up and down her side gently. "Not feeling well?" he asked quietly and she shook her head.

"Can you take me to the infirmary?" she questioned, wincing at the way her lungs stung as she spoke, and when her eyes flickered to Lily, she realized everything was becoming hazy. "Quickly," she added, her heart starting to thump a little faster, and she looked back at Sirius. The dark-haired boy nodded in an instant, his hand moving from her side to the center of her back, keeping her stabilized as he moved to stand up.

This seemed to catch Remus' attention, as he pushed up his glasses and furrowed his eyebrows. "Where are you two lovebirds off to?" he drew out teasingly, a small smirk tilted on his lips, before his eyes settled on Y/N, and his expression fell. "What's wrong?" His tone was rushed with worry, and rest of the group halted their conversation and turned to look at her.

Y/N shook her head and placed her hands on the edge of the table, using it to lever herself into a standing position. "I think I need to see Madam Pomfrey," she told them. "Something feels off."

"You think this has to do with the flowers?" Marlene questioned and she nodded.

"Yeah, I've been seeing them more and more, I think—," she paused, wincing through a small laugh because she knew she was going to sound entirely mad, "I think they might be growing in me," she explained, but it came out like a question, and she tried to ignore the way the edges of her vision had begun to turn fuzzy and the way her head started to spin.

Peter had started to scoff, but Marlene was quick to swat him in the stomach. "I believe it," Lily chimed in. "The way your chest looked Y/N/N—" she shook her head softly, recalling what she'd seen in the bathroom earlier that morning. "Here, I'll come, too, yeah?" she offered and Y/N held one of her hands up.

"No, it's okay, really, it's probably nothing, but—"

"Oh, bloody hell, Y/L/N," James blurted, striking confusion in her. "Your hand."

Y/N furrowed her eyebrows. "My hand?" she questioned, before turning her hand around to face herself, and her breath caught in her throat. Her face fell completely when the entirety of her palm was covered in carnations. The purple fuzziness on the edges of her vision started to trickle into her line of site in spots, growing rapidly. Everything became increasingly distorted as her head swirled. "I don't— I'm not—" she couldn't bring herself to fathom a coherent though, all she could do was sort of stare at her hand agape, and before she could even register it, everything had gone black.

Lily brought her hands to her mouth in a gasp, shooting up from her chair when Y/N fell limp. "Pads—"

Sirius had shifted behind Y/N before Lily had even had the chance to speak, supporting the weight of her unconscious body with his own. He moved to slip one of his arms against the bend of her knees and lift her up into his arms. "I've got her," he assured her, before looking at Y/N. Her head was draped over his bicep, her hair hanging downwards behind her head, and her lips were parted. "I've got you, darling."

—

Golden light seeped in through the windows in the hospital wing, pooling in puddles of sunshine on the stone floors as the sun began to set. A pesky ray filtered in directly over Y/N's eyeball and she squinted against it in her sleep. As she was far too unconscious to be aware of her movements, the placement of the light went unchanged. A grumble of frustration was pushed from her lips and her eyelids fluttered open.

She lifted her eyebrows in surprise when she wasn't met with the familiar, homey decor of the room she shared in the Gryffindor Tower. Everything she set her eyes on was white or gray. Beds lined the walls on each side of the long room. Some were occupied, but most of them happened to be empty. She sat up in her bed carefully, quickly remembering the pain that throbbed in her chest and ached in her hands as she did. She was about to call for someone—Madam Pomfrey, probably, considering she thought she was the only other able body in the room—when she noticed the boy by her bedside.

Sirius.

Y/N almost gasped at the sight of him, but she refrained. Instead, she looked at him with a small smile. Sirius had pulled a chair up to the side of her bed—how long ago, she was unsure of—and he sat slumped down with his arms crossed over his chest. His head hung forward and his chest rose and fell with every sleeping breath that he took, and she fought a small laugh when a snore pushed its way out. The way his chest rose and fell so peacefully was mesmerizing, but she had a few questions, and she was almost certain he'd be able to answer them.

She reached over the side of the bed with some difficulty and she patted his knee. "Black," she whispered softly, but another snore was the only response she got. She smiled at that, but she patted his knee a little harder. "My darling Pads," she sing-songed teasingly, "it's time to wake up, pretty boy."

That seemed to have done the trick, as Sirius let out a groan, before throwing his arms out to the side in some sort of stretch. He tilted his head from side to side, cracking his neck, and when he was situated, a heart-melting smile pulled its way across his lips. "'Morning, my beautiful girl," he hummed with a small wink, and Y/N's eyes widened.

Color rushed to her cheeks and lit them on fire, and her mouth fell open. "You cocky bastard," she muttered, shaking her head at him softly, and moving to lean back against one of the fluffy pillows on her bed. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked at him through playfully squinted eyes, the hint of a smile on her lips.

"Me, cocky? Never," he joked, pulling his chair up closer to the edge of her bed, and he reached across the sheets to pluck one of her hands up off of her chest. The teasing expression on his face grew somewhat solemn as he flipped her hand over in his, exposing the patch of carnations. The petals seemed to wave up at him. "You're a right mess, you know that, Y/N?" he asked, peeking up at her, before he ran his thumb over the flowers. Her hand tickled as he did and she let out a hum, as if she was asking for clarification. "You know. Scared the piss out of me in the Great Hall this morning," he admitted, setting her hand down in her lap, but he left her fingers tucked into his own. "Lily was here earlier after it happened, and James and Remus around lunch, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do anything but sit here all day." He gave them a quick squeeze before he pulled his hand back towards himself.

The thought of Sirius being worried sick about her made whatever was in her chest tighten it's grasp on her, and she placed a hand over her sternum as if to still it. "You've been here all day?" she questioned softly, her eyes flickering over his facial features, and he nodded once.

He slid one of his hands up and down his thigh a few times before he let it rest in the middle. "I mean, I'd like to think we're close, so your well-being, by default, is important to me," he told her. "With the throwing up and the passing out, and the flowers, I've been worried about you." She pressed her fingertips on one of the wiry lumps stretching across her chest, and she could feel it slither under her fingertips when she recognized that his words were touching to her. "Plus, I've decided that I fucking hate flowers," he continued, almost teasing, but with just enough certainty that conveyed his seriousness.

Her stomach was swirling with nervousness and her heart was knocking against her chest. "Thank you, Pads," she said with a small smile, gliding one of hands over the sheets to reach out for one of his, as she felt too awful to extend herself any further. He seemed to understand and he took her hand in both of his with a small smile. "Has Madam Pomfrey said anything about this?" she asked him.

"Professor Sprout was called in earlier after Lily and I explained everything," Sirius said.

"And?"

"She said there's an old Japanese story about a disease called hanahaki. It takes root in the chest and lungs in people experiencing one-sided love," Sirius explained, "it develops over years, or months in extreme cases, and by the final stages the victim's are puking entire flowers."

Y/N's heart lurched and she could feel her expression fall at his words. This had all stemmed from their first study session, the first time the roots took hold in her lungs, and as her love as grown, and remained unrequited, this disease had only worsened. "Is there a cure?" She muttered, her voice quiet, but she had a feeling she could guess the answer, based on the fact that she was in the 'final stages'.

He smiled in a half-hearted attempt and he squeezed her hand. "Sprout said it's rare. She'd never seen it in person before you, but she said the only cure is for that person to express their love to you in return." His gaze shifted towards his lap.

She was going to die, wasn't she?

"What happens otherwise?" she asked.

Sirius had seemed more distraught now, tugging his nervous fingers through his dark hair. "Otherwise— I don't want to think about—," he paused, looking up from his lap and his expression was muddled with confusion and concern. "Is it James?" he practically blurted, his tone slightly harsh. He tightened his hold on her hand. "Is this because of him and Lily?" he questioned and she could see in his eyes the way that his mind was whirring.

"Sirius," Y/N hummed, bringing her other hand to close around his.

"Did you tell him?" he continued, his eyes furrowing together. "If he said something that hurt you and that's put you through all of this—"

"Sirius."

"Merlin, Y/N, I'll—," he paused, shaking his head. "Y/N/N, I'll kick his arse. Maybe not too bad 'cause I'm sure we'll have something planned that week, but—"

"Sirius, stop," she stressed finally. "Quit it, okay? It's not James. Don't even say that like you'd actually hurt him. He's your best friend, you idiot," she told him, although her voice betrayed her words. She was soft when speaking to him, but she was also in acceptance. She was going to die in a matter of weeks, if she even had that long, so what was the point in keeping her feelings a secret anymore? "It's you, you slug," she mumbled.

Sirius stilled for a moment, his eyes squinting on and off as he attempted to process her words. "What did you just say, darling?" he questioned, fingers beginning to tap her wrist as his hand was still sandwiched between both of hers.

Y/N shot him a look. "I said, it's you. I love you," she admitted. "Part of me always liked being around you before, but I never thought anything of it until we studied together. Ever since then, I haven't been able to breathe right or think straight or be around you without my lungs collapsing, I—"

"Me?" he cut her off, pulling his hand away and poking himself in the chest with one of his thumbs.

He stared at her with a dumbfounded expression and she blinked at him. "Were you listening to anything I just said?" she asked in disbelief and he laughed. "See, this is really unfortunate, Black," she said, crossing her hands over her chest again and taking a deep breath. "I'm still a bit in shock that I'm apparently so in love with you that it's literally killing me, and you're—"

A cocky smile spread across his face like butter. "Now, now, darling, this is quite a development," he explained, holding his hand up and pressing it down in a slow, gentle 'calm-down' sort of motion.

She narrowed her eyes. "Development how?"

He folded his hands in his lap, fingers clasped together, and he tilted his head at her like a puppy. "Because, I'd say today's become your lucky day," he hummed, that stupid smile still evident on his lips, and cute as it was, she really wanted to smack it off right then.

"Lucky?" She repeated. "I just found out I'm literally going to die in who knows how long because of your dumb arse, and you want to call it lucky?"

"Oi, beautiful, settle down, maybe, so I can figure out what I'm supposed to say here."

Settle down?

Y/N was about to lose her mind, and maybe she'd even be cured after she strangled him to death, but before her fuse could blow, there was a blur of black, a dip in the bed, two hands cupping her cheeks, and a warm mouth smashing against her own. A gasp pushed its way out of her lips and it took her a moment to realize that Sirius Black was bloody kissing her. His lips disconnected from her own for a split second, his dark eyes peering into her own, and he opened his mouth to speak. "Darling, I—"

She gave him no time to finish.

Instead, she grabbed two fistfuls of his white, button-down shirt and pulled his mouth back against her own, pouring months and months of pining and drooling over him into one singular moment. His mouth melded against hers like their lips were never meant to part and the tips of his fingers were pushed back into her hair. One of his hands traveled to the nape of her neck to support her head, before his lips broke from hers again and peppered kisses over her face.

"I love you, Y/N," he whispered breathlessly, kissing over her cheeks and her nice. "I love you, I love you, I love you." He kissed her between each one and when he was satisfied with the surface he'd covered, he pulled away, and his eyes met her own. His eyes were glistening with emotion that seemed so familiar to her in his gaze, but she'd never recognized it as adoration until that moment. "And you're bloody stupid, because I've been set on you since I switched the names on your paper with Pettigrew's in Transfiguration last year."

Y/N's head was still reeling from the kiss, but her lips parted in surprise at his confession. "You what?" she sputtered through a laugh. "You're the one who's bloody stupid," she managed while she giggled.

As a chuckle bubbled out of his Sirius' mouth and Y/N tried—not very hard at all—to shove him off of the bed, the roots in her chest finally began to recede.

↴

a/n / two years and i finally finished a fucking imagine! yay :)

#harry potter #harry potter imagines #marauders #marauders era imagines #sirius black x reader #sirius black imagines #ben barnes imagines #ben barnes x reader #marauders x reader #marauders imagines #ron weasley imagines #fred weasley imagines #draco malfoy imagines #cedric diggory imagines

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shelbgrey · 1 year

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You belong with me(George Weasley) Part 1

Paring: George Weasley X Longbottom!Reader X Cedric Diggory.

Summary: your best friend George knows you deserve better. He wants to be that 'better' but to scared to say but after a burnt hand truth may come out. (A.U where Cedric doesn't die)

Prompts: 1.0) “I mean, it's nice they found each other Sometimes you fall for someone you'd never expect, but that doesn't make it wrong. Doesn't everyone deserve to be happy?”

1.6) “I need to know if it's possible that two people can stay happy together forever.” - “in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are”

This is for my buddy Ashlee, who hates Cedric with every fiber of her soul for no reason. There's no much Cedric bashing but he's not perfect in this story.

Potter MasterList

--------(Potions Class, Snape)--------

I silently sat in my seat waiting for Professor Snape to start the lesson. He was running unusually late so that ment the class was mixed up and being social. Come to think of it this is the most talkative the class has ever been.

Except me, my boyfriend Cedric did most of the talking but ever since the tournament I've only been there to benfet him. It's technically not his fault really but what hurt was he wasn't around anymore. He would show a bright smile and laugh whole heartedly to anyone who would listen but then be too tired for anything else.

His laughter continued as he had his back to me taking to Harry and a couple of Hufflepuffs. Not complaining I silently read my book. It was a Muggle book professor Lupin gave me called The Outsiders. I was nose deep when something snapped against the hard-back cover.

I peaked from behind the book and saw a rubber band. I smiled already knowing it was my best friend George Weasley. I rolled my eyes as George leaned twords me from the desk that was acrossed from mine.

“hiya, George” I nodded my head twords Fred as I moved over to their table. Cedric didn't even realize my absence. “hay freddie”

As few minutes went on the twins explained their new product ideas and different renovation ideas for the shop they're gonna open when they're done with school. I nodded happy holding on to every word. Honestly I could listen to them talk all day, especially George. The three of us had been best friends since our 1st year and they never failed at making me laugh or made me feel out of place.

“in your seats everyone” Snape said as he stormed in the the room making everyone quite.

“the man sure knows how to make a whole room speechless” Fred mumbled. I snorted trying not to laugh out loud.

Snape whipped around book in hand. “turn to page 934”

Everyone did and 934-935 was covered with pictures and scribls of writing of a potions. A shape shifting potion to be exact. I raised an eye brow as me and Cedric read off the ingredients and the uses for the potion.

“this is unusual” Cedric mumbled. I just shrugged at the first words he's said to me all morning.

"as you can tell it's a little bit more complicated than your silly little minds can handle” Snape insulted. No one batted an eye as it was usual for him to treat this class in such manner. And yes, this class was mostly Hufflepuffs and had only a few Gryffindors.

“so you'll be working in groups” a couple of people nodded with no emotion and the others sighed in realife.

“this is an easy A” Cedric whispered. I nodded with nothing else to say. I was relieved that he wanted to pair up, it gave us extra time together but part of me knew I'd end up doing half of it while Cedric socialized. Even if he intentionally did it or not.

Our happy faces dropped slightly as Snape continued. “I'll be asing partners. Take a seat next to them when I can your names” a few brave people groaned and others just rolled their eyes.

“Diggory your with Chan” I felt my stomach turn as I heard the paring. I knew Cedric would never betray me like that but I see how Cho Chan looks at him. She gave him the same look Cedric gave me long ago.

Cedric patted my hand and left to set next to her. I gulped as Snape read off the names.

“Potter and Jorden”

“Brown and Johnson”

Snape then looked up and eyed the twins. They looked unfased and continued the stare down. “if you two think I trust you to be partners in this particular Potion you got another thing coming... Weasley and Longbottom” he said refusing to me.

Fred raised his hand in a smart-ass sort of way. “excuse me sir but... Which one”

Snape sighed and pointed to George. “which ever one you are work with Y/n Longbottom, the other one can go with Finnigan”

George happy sat next to me. I set up from my slouched potion and handed him a quill with as he flipped through his book.

“get started” Snape said bluntly.

As I was reading the steps I feel something soft touch my cheek. I batted away and continued reading. It came back again and this time it tickled more. I giggled and pushed the quill out of George's hand.

He laughed as he successfully got my attention. “which cauldron do you want to use?”

“we can use yours a guess” George nodded and got up to get his from his previous spot. As he did Cedric stared daggers into the ginger.

---☆☆☆☆☆☆☆---

The cauldron boiled a Creamy white liquid as I grinded and cut up the different ingredients for the spell. On my right was George stirring the pot and reading the book.

“what do they mean shread something pure?” Cedric said getting a little too stressed over the potion. This class had never been his strong suit, which is why it would have been an 'easy A' if we were partners.

“your supposed to shread the dandelion” I said walking next door to his table. Right when I went over to help Cedric and the cauldron explode and the hot liquid splashed on my hand. I hiss and jerked beck into George's chest.

I held my hand as the cauldron dumped all over the floor. George quickly pulled me back from the steaming puddle. Cho and I coughed from the steam as Cedric stood there dumbfounded.

“Weasley take miss. Longbottom to Madam Pomfrey, and for the love of Godric clean your mess Diggory”

“y/n im sorr-” he started but George pulled me along towards the door.

“watch what your doing next time, Champion” I hear Fred say as we leave for the Infirmary.

Dispite the burning I felt on my hand I felt security as George walked next to me with his arm around me. I felt my heart sweal as he wrapped my hand in his red handkerchief and continued to ask me if I was alright.

“seriously, I'm fine Georgie” I chuckled as he opened the door to hospital wing. He smiled brightly as he held the door for me.

“madam Pomfrey, we got a Burned hand” George called out. The older woman sighed from the back and the sound of her foot steps followed. “What did you boys do now?”

She looked surprised as she saw me clenching my hand as stood next to George. “my dear what happened?”

“Diggory Knocked a hot potion onto her hand” George said looking visibly upset. Madam Pomfrey led me to one of the beds and George followed without hesitation.

George helped me on the bed as Pomfrey brought a stool to set in front of me. “let me see, Dear” she said softly. I hissed as the fabric left my red hand. You couldn't miss Pomfrey's expression as she examined my hand. I looked down for the first time and my eyes bugged out.

On my first two fingers had a thing strip of red coiled all the way up from my nails from my knuckles and the whole top of my and and thumb was covered in a deep red with white blisters.

She sighed sympathetically as she carefully studied my hand. “What potions were you using Dear?”

“it was supposed to be a shape shifting potion” I sighed. “Diggory's didn't go as planned, Godric knows what was put in that heaping pile of crap” George said butting in. The more the thought of it, the angry he got and thst didn't go unnoticed.

“did you breath anything in?”

I nodded thinking back when Cho and I were coughing and hacking from the steam from the potion.

“well, I can use a spell to transfer the heat out of your skin, then we'll put an ointment on it, but since we're not quite sure what was in the cauldron you'll have to say the night or just intill the potion leaves your system” Pomfrey explained.

Next she pulled out her wand and gently touched it to the tip of my finger. She gently pulled back before anything happened. “this usually hurts so brace yourself”

The tip of her wand touch my finger again and this time I grabbed George's hand with my good one. The pain wasn't as bad as imagined, but It felt like someone was pulling hot needles out of my hand.

After a few seconds she was done but there was still white and red puss like things that clinged to my hand. I looked at it in disgust as Madam Pomfrey gently coated my hand on ointment the rapped bandges over it.

“after dinner I want you to come back and then we'll decide if you have to stay over night” Pomfrey said. Me and George both nodded as he helped me off the bed.

“keep an eye on that poor girl, George” Madam Pomfrey yelled as we left. My cheeks dusted red as George closed the door behind us. He look equally red but tried really hard to hide it.

It wasn't awkward or anything, we were close friends and the whole school basically knew we were best friends. But knowing that George went out of his way to take me to the hospital wign and even stayed when he didn't need to made the butterflies in my stomach go crazy.

“so, your on first name bases with Madam Pomfrey know?” I asked playfully bumping his shoulder with mine. All the professors and staff usually referred to as with our last names so I was genuinely curious.

George chuckled and looked down. “yeah, when your Pyro maniacs like my brother and I you end up in the hospital wign for miner injuries.”

I nodded remembering all the times him and Fred would disappear after a practical joke gonne wrong or when one of their fireworks backfired.

George laughed and wrapped his arm around me. “let's get some dinner, I'm starving”

“same, let's go”

As we walked into the great hall it was already fairly packed. I looked over at the Hufflepuff table and spotted Cedric getting tugged around by his 'fans' as they flashed around their 'Potter stinks' pins around.

My smile fell as he was once again busy. It was a big room, I knew that much so there was no reason to get upset with him. George shook his head at him and pulled me to the Gryffindor table Where our brothers, Hermione and Harry were.

“heard about the hand, you okay Sis?” Neville asked as I sat down across from him. I gave my little brother a reassuring look and nodded. “I'm fine Nev”

“that's not what Pomfrey said...” George mumbled. I nudgged him as Fred who was setting on the other side of me gave me a concerned look. I elbowed him then looked at my friends worried faces.

“I'm seriously fine, she just said I might have to stay the night because we didn't quit know what was in Cedric's Cauldron.”

Hermione eyes widened with consern. “Cedric did that?”

“really?” Neville asked surprised but also had a hint of anger to his voice.

“it was an accident!” I sighed.

“well that accident might keep you in the hospital wign tonight” George said taking a bite of his chicken.

As dinner was coming to an End my stomach started to turn and my chest felt like it was tighting around my heart the harder it pounded.

I gulped and set my fork down as the voices around me started to sound muffled then none existent.

“y/n!”

---☆☆☆☆☆☆☆---

“come on love” George's voice said faintly.

I winced as pounding progressed in my head. My eyes fluttered open as I adjusted to the sunlight that shined through the many windows.

I turned to my left and saw George's bright smile. Behind him was Neville, who was passed out in the bed next to mine.

“Hey, Darling how are you feeling?” I slightly smiled at the ginger I called my best friend.

“Why didn't anyone tell me?!” Cedric said suddenly making me jump by the sudden noise. Cedric then ran to my bed worried. George set back in his chair extending the space between us.

Cedric ran to my bed side and took my hand. His eyes full of concern and his expression was frazzled. He sat down next to me as George stared him down.

“he didn't seem to concerned yesterday, she's here because of him”

“thanks for staying with her Mate” Cedric said bringing George back to reality. George forced a smile at him but he couldn't hold back the sarcasm.

Before George could say anything Harry and Ron both peaked their heads in the room. “George, Neville Professor McGonagall is looking for you guys”

Neville set up from the bed beside mine and gave me a hug goodbye. “oh, how you feeling?” Ron asked. I smiled and held my thumb up.

“I'm good here, I'll catch her later” George responded. Cedric raised en eye browe. His face held a hint of jealousy as George stood his ground.

“it's fine go, I'll be here with her” Cedric said like he was trying to mark his territory. He stared down George and such a way I've never seen Cedric do.

“oh that makes me feel so much better” George mumbled under his breath. Cedric gave him a questioning look. “sorry, didn't catch that”

“nothing, I'll come by later N/n” George huffed as he lefted with his younger brother.

---☆☆☆☆☆☆☆---

“ced, let's go!”

“yeah, mate let's go”

Cedric's Friends continued to call him as he sat at my bedside. He looked over his shoulder and chuckled as his Hufflepuff friends flagged him down. He then looked at me with a questioning look. Not wanting to fight and feeling slightly hurt that he'd leave so quickly I just forced a smile.

“go ahead, I'll be here” he smiled big and kissed my lips passionately. “thank you love”

I stared at burned hand with a sorrowful. As soon as I heard the door latch I let the tears fall. Everything seemed to be hitting me and sitting here made me think. I felt hurt on how easy Cedric left, like I was second priority. But with George he never wanted to leave.

I couldn't shake the thought of how easy It is to be around George Weasley... How safe it is. He always knew how to make me smile or laugh no matter what I was feeling thst day. I loved how his brown eye held so much love and humor. His eyes could be so lively and loving and barely show any fire or hate.

“what's wrong my dear?” Madam Pomfrey voice said suddenly said. I turned my head towards her and the words started falling uncontrollably.

“I kissed him, but I wanted it to be someone else... Dose that make me a bad person?” I mumbled. Madam Pomfrey gave me a soft expression.

“no, I doesn't” she said softly. She smiled turned around. She turned back when I spoke again. I couldn't shake the feeling romance was pointless. Are boyfriends and girlfriends just supposed to be on the side lines till their partner wants them? Is there such thing as love? I think love is what I feel when I'm around George.

“I need to know if it's possible that two people can stay happy together forever.”

Madam Pomfrey turned around with a small smile “in my opinion, the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are”

“your still young dear, you'll find that someone” I nodded as she left.

Her words running through my brain over and over again.

#George Weasley imagines #George Weasley x reader #George Weasley #George Weasley one-shots #Fred Weasley imagines #Fred Weasley x reader #Fred Weasley #Cedric Diggory imagines #Cedric Diggory x reader #Cedric Diggory #Neville Longbottom #Neville Longbottom imagines #Neville and x reader #Harry Potter imagines #Hogwarts #Gryffindor #Hufflepuff

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multifandomsimagine · 1 year

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Imagine dating Cedric and being in the crowd when Harry brings back Cedric from the graveyard

You had been in the middle of talking with your friends, trying to pass the time as you waited for Harry and Cedric to exit the maze when a flash of blue fills the Quidditch pitch. Fleur and Viktor had been eliminated from the third task, leaving the two Hogwarts champions in the tournament. The crowd erupts into cheers as two people land in the middle of the pitch and people exit the stands and try moving closer to the field to get a better look at who won.

You can't see anything through the crowd but you know that something is wrong when the clapping stops and everyone freezes in their place which in turn makes your stomach drop. Turning to your friend, who can get a better look at the pitch due to their tall size. You watch as they look toward the pitch, looking over the heads of others to get a good view. "What's happened?" You ask, their name leaving your lips. "Are Harry and Cedric okay?"

Instead of answering you, your friend lets out a gasp before they spin to face you once more. They pull you to their chest, blocking you from viewing the pitch. "Don't look [Name]." You struggle in their hold, trying to break free but it's no use as they only tighten their grip.

Looking up at them, you're about to demand an explanation when your breath catches when you notice the tears falling from their eyes along with the pain shining clear in their eyes.

Your eyes widen when you make the connection and you shake your head in denial. "No," you murmur. You rest your head on their shoulder, gripping the front of their coat as your tears begin to dampen the front of their clothes. "No, you're lying. Please tell me your lying?"

#cedric diggory x reader #cedric diggory imagine #cedric diggory imagines #harry potter imagines #harry potter x reader #harry potter imagine #yoshino writes imagines #birthday event #birthday event 2023

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clnriswood · 1 year

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DRACO MALFOY X CEDRIC DIGGORY X READER

Something Different | Part Eleven

a/n: hiatus is finally over and i am so excited to be be writing again hehe! i hope this longggg chapter was worth the wait. prepare for more twists and angst to come! >:)

tag list: @call-me-banana-bandit @pillowjj @truly-insatiable @natsiboo @justmesadgirl @boredoffmebox @jjjmaybank @jejegu @ superpowereddonut @irritantive @salemlilly @marshmelloyellow02 @puffymints @is-it-really-a-secret @i-mmunity @sebastiansass @hisoldlover @kyobien @averagefangirl21 @inurealiyah @fuzzzwald @lesfleursmonet @you-bleed-just-toknowyouarealive @darkqueennyx-blog @cityintexas-dallas @summerconcerto @awesomebooklover17 @nicodoesntexist @ashleyriddle @uglymaggot

It had been nearly a year since the girl had set foot inside the Room of Requirement. Nearly a year since Draco Malfoy had outed Dumbledore’s Army to Professor Umbridge, which Cedric Diggory was sure to point out to the blond the moment they set foot inside their hiding place. This room was different from the version she’d come to know during her lessons with Harry throughout her fifth year. This room was a never-ending sea of cupboards, tables, chairs, and every miscellaneous odd object one could possibly imagine. It was amongst the mess that the girl drifted, coming to a halt only when they were deep enough into the junk that even an uninvited guest would struggle to find them. The unlikely trio slowed, all three eyeing the single squashy sofa chair that sat nestled between a scratched-up desk and rickety stool.

Both boys eyed instinctively moved to give the girl the sofa chair, stepping aside to each of its arms in offer. Awkwardly, the girl pursed her lips and considered her other options. Cautiously, she ran her index finger through a line of thick dust on the nearby abandoned desk. Then, she was hoisting herself up onto it with a shrug. Disgruntled, the boys moved from the chair, Cedric upon the stool, and Malfoy choosing to lean against the empty sofa.

“So,” the girl cleared her throat, an uncomfortable quiet settling over them. “My father,” she turned to Draco. “Tell me.”

Draco’s mouth opened slowly, unsure where to begin.

“He’s alive?” she pressed.

“Yes,” the blond began rather carefully.

“Prove it,” the girl demanded at once.

He couldn’t help it. The Slytherin shook his silver-white strands of hair with a gentle laugh. Cedric didn’t look too pleased about it, or really just the whole ordeal in general, but he was sure to remain well-behaved this time around.

“How very demanding of you,” he noted with his usual edge of flirtatiousness.

The girl didn’t budge. Rather, straight-mouthed, she simply stared with urgent seriousness into the pale boy’s glittering ice-colored eyes. This was no time for his coquettishness.

“Y/N,” Draco’s mouth twisted cooly. “Surely you don’t think it’s that simple?”

“And why not?” she prodded.

“You-Know-Who,” Malfoy elaborated. “He’s very—” he paused, thinking, “—intentional. With his strategy. With what he wants people to know. And what people know right now is that your father is dead. That’s what you believe too, is it not?”

Frustratedly, the girl nodded. “Well, it’s something like that,” she breathed. This was at the bottom of her list of topics she liked to discuss, and it was one she’d kept to herself for the entirety of her life. “My mother died first, as you know.”

She swallowed. Both boys stared at her with a fixated intensity that only made her more anxious.

“They said he did it. My father, of course. Because that same night was when…” she trailed off.

“Well, I’m sure you’ve both heard it for the last six years anyways,” she clenched her teeth together.

Still unmoving, the pair blinked in silent understanding.

“It was all over the Daily Prophet, what he did. Killing my mother, and then taking out ten muggles with him in what they deemed his horrific Voldemort-affiliated suicide.” Both boys flinched instinctively at the sound of the wizard’s name. She inhaled a shaky gulp of air. “I was only a child, at the time. Just about Harry’s age, actually. Which is ironic,” she reflected, “because even after knowing of it all, he still… he still wanted to be my friend.” Her lips pursed in quiet contemplation before she continued. “Well, the Ministry notified me about it when it happened. Obviously, I don’t remember it well. He murdered a bunch of muggles during a fire, they said. Only, they didn’t do too much reporting on him after the fact because—”

The word hung in the air for a moment. Because. Draco and Cedric were practically leaning forward into her storm of words now.

“Because they never found a body,” she finished.

“What?” they harmonized.

“It wasn’t reported on,” she sighed. “The Ministry didn’t want to cause an unnecessary panic,” she added. “But I went to the funeral, still. It was just me and a guardian from the orphanage that they’d assigned to me from the home.”

Much like Harry, the girl’s life before Hogwarts was not one she looked back on with particular fondness.

“There was no body,” she finished. “Just an empty casket.”

Her eyes came to Cedric’s, bluish-green and sad, and Draco’s, soft and wide.

“I always just assumed it was true,” she said. “I hoped he was dead. After what he did, how could I let myself think otherwise? But then, after what you said,” she breathed, eyes falling on Draco’s. “Well, I suppose a tiny part of myself always feared it, but I never really believed it. I didn’t want to. But now,” she said, leaning forward onto her knees, “you know something.”

The blond straightened, his mouth drooping, brows creasing.

“I am sorry, Y/N,” he began sincerely, to which she shook her head. “I am,” he repeated, firm this time.

“It can’t possibly have been easy, what you went through,” Cedric added.

The boys looked briefly at each other, an unspoken exchange occurring in their stares.

“Stop,” she raised a hand with a sour-faced scowl. “I don’t want pity from either of you two, okay? I just want to know if it’s true. I need to know where he is.��

The girl turned her legs back towards Draco, sitting more upright. Reluctantly, the blond folded his arms across his chest, his long white fingers curling over the sleeves of his black robes.

“The Death Eaters,” he began. “There are whispers I’ve heard, things my father has told me. You-Know-Who’s Army is stirring. People are—” he stammered “showing up, again. People who were thought to be gone.”

Draco’s gaze turned gentler yet, sympathy swallowing his visage.

“Have you seen him then?” the Hufflepuff responded with a slow suck of air through her teeth. “Is it true?”

The Slytherin’s jaw loosened. His silence reverberated through the room, the fierceness of his gaze so consuming that for a moment it was only him and the girl in there.

“Yes,” he answered quietly. “It’s true. I’ve seen him myself.”

Her heart sank. Sure, he’d claimed it before. But this time she could feel in his words, in those eyes too, that Draco was being honest.

“Well then. I want to see him too,” she decided.

“What?” Cedric interjected at last. “Y/N—”

“I want to know exactly what happened that night,” she fired off before the brunette could get a start. “I want to hear it from his mouth,” she said. “And when he’s done,” she hopped down onto the balls of her feet with a brush of her hair behind her ears, “I’m going to kill him myself.”

Both boys froze. Cedric, a little mortified, and Draco, a little less so. It was the former who spoke first.

“Even if it were true,” Cedric argued, tarnishing Draco’s word as he did, “you’d have to get him in the same room as you. What makes you think he’d even want to do that, for starters?”

Draco Malfoy replied, so quietly that neither of his two listeners heard at first. A moment later, he cleared his throat, jaw hardening.

“He told me so,” the boy uttered, clear as day.

“What? Really? Why?” the questions left the girl’s trembling lips faster than she could process them.

“Yes. And also, I’m not one of them, before you get started,” Draco worded bitterly in Cedric’s direction for good measure. “But yes. He came to Malfoy Manor, over the Summer for one of my father’s so-called ‘meetings.’” His tone shifted displeasingly. “He cornered me one evening asking if I knew you,” he rambled, eyes flickering between the girls.’ “I told him yes. But, really, I didn’t even realize it was him until after he’d gone,” Malfoy worded cautiously. “But, looking back, what unsettles me most is how he seemed so…” his words were swallowed by momentary thought. “He seemed concerned.”

“Concerned?” the girl echoed.

“Yes,” he confirmed hesitantly. Then he added, “for you. He wanted to know,” Draco swallowed “that you were alright.”

Where the girl perhaps should have felt some form of confusion or care, she only felt even more resentful.

“You’re telling the truth?” she interrogated the blond disbelievingly.

“I am,” he bowed his head.

“Swear it,” she commanded with a step closer to him.

Draco appeared increasingly flustered. Cedric straightened as he watched in silence. His mouth loosening, Draco bore his gaze into the face of the girl who had no doubt been hurt and tricked before. She only wanted answers, answers that he alone could give her.

“I swear,” he promised, voice gravelly.

Her eyes welled with the tears she fought back.

“Okay,” she said. “I trust you,” she nodded with a little sniffle. “But I don’t trust him,”

Malfoy nodded understandingly, and he looked desperately as if he wanted to hold her, take her hand, anything. But he didn’t.

“I know,” he phrased, and it was just them again now. “I know.”

The girl allowed herself a moment, nose pointing away as she barred her emotions within the confines of her increasingly tightening chest.

“I still want to see him,” she decided, leaving her intentions intentionally vague for the moment being.

“Y/N,” he shook his head. You have no idea the danger you’d be putting yourself in,” his arms dropped, hands finding their way into his pockets.

“But,” she ignored him, “you do know how then? Is that what you’re saying?”

“Y/N,” his lashes fluttered as he repeated her name, more tenderly this time.

“Answer me,” she said, stepping in closer toward the blonde.

His lips quivered, expression reluctant, but he maintained her stare still.

“Yes,” he sighed. “Hypothetically, yes. There is a way you could speak with him.”

“Excellent,” she perked up. “How?”

Chewing at his cheek, the boy lifted a glittering ring-clad finger to the great big cabinet that stood three feet behind the girl. A vanishing cabinet, she realized at once. One that surely could connect to another outside of the school, with the right tinkering.

“No.”

Cedric’s voice cut through the exchange, quiet but unmistakable.

“No?” the girl spun to face her boyfriend. “What do you mean, no?”

“I mean,” he stood with a shake of his head. “That this is too unsafe. For you, and for everyone in the school. You’d be allowing your father, a killer, a direct path into Hogwarts. Y/N. It’s too dangerous.”

“I could keep it under control,” she objected. “It’s fine.”

“No, it’s selfish,” Cedric corrected.

His words stung, red-hot and foul. For several moments, nobody so much as moved. Fighting back the flurry of emotions that crashed upon her, the girl turned her head ever so slightly. This was becoming too much, and too quickly.

“Y/N, I’m sorry,” Cedric pressed his lips together, breath coming short and frustrated. “I didn’t mean—”

“I think you should go,” she silenced him.

Cedric looked like he’d been slapped across the face. Regret and hurt washed over his flushed and delicately carved cheeks. A lump formed in the boy’s throat as he turned his eyes to the old floorboards with a sorrowful shake of his head that sent brown waves spilling over his brows.

“I—” he tried, his voice awfully raspy as it lowered in plea. “Is that really what you want?”

She could barely look at him now. It’s not like she loved him any less. She knew exactly where he was coming from, and it was a place of love, no doubt. But she also knew that he would never be able to understand what this meant to her, why it mattered.

“It is, yes.”

Cedric didn’t even manage another word this time. Instead, he simply nodded. His eyes drifted from his girlfriend’s to the blond’s, and an instant dislike overwhelmed him. It was to him that he spoke his goodbyes.

“You know this isn’t the right way,” he hardened. “Please,” he bargained. “Don’t. For her.”

But the Slytherin didn't so much as budge.

“This is her life,” he murmured. “Her choice.”.

“She could get hurt—”

“You don’t think I know that?” he spat softly, silencing the Hufflepuff. “I do. Of course I do.” Two searing ice-colored eyes made their way to the girl’s stricken visage. It was her that he spoke to now. “But… I also know what it’s like to not be given a choice,” Malfoy defended quietly, his words heavy with unspoken personal implications. “And so… I won’t be the one to deny her that. I can’t be.”

Cedric, wounded, turned to his best friend with a final heavy breath. But, when she didn’t look back his way, he accepted his loss. Silently, he offered his rival a final lingering glare, one burning with resentment, and then he was gone. It was minutes later, after he’d gone, that Draco finally spoke.

“Are you alright?” his voice came, quiet and unfamiliarly gentle.

At last, the girl was able to meet his eyes again. Only this time there was no pushing back the wave of tears that clung against her reddened stare, or the unbearable tremor of her face as she wiped at it. At first, she tried to croak out something of an “I’m fine,” but after being met with a clearly disbelieving deer-in-the-headlights blink from the blond, she gave in.

“No,” her voice cracked as she ran her tongue over her lips, a strained chuckle escaping her. “I’m not okay.’

She swallowed, allowing herself another glance at the Slytherin. The boy sighed, slow and soft. She could see his fingers curling in his pockets as his tongue ran over his teeth. It was taking every ounce of control he had to maintain his distance, to not bring her close as he wished he could. No, not after she’d made clear the terms of this arrangement. She was not his to hold. But the girl had turned her attention away now and was focusing it instead on the grand cabinet that stood tall behind her.

“Alright,” she spoke to its wooden door. “How do we use this thing?”

…

Nothing said the end of the semester quite like yet another one of Slughorn’s odd and appropriately deemed ‘Slug Club’ events. This time, the frog-like professor had upped the status of his special invites from ice cream party to the real deal. Each of his guests was allowed one date, and of course, Cedric had lasted all of a minute before asking his girlfriend to join him as his official date. At the time, she had only rolled her eyes and scrunched her nose into a laugh that meant ‘yes’, but now, on the evening of its occurrence, the feeling in the air had shifted. Where a lingering excitement had begun to form for, of all things, a Slughorn party, was a newfound uncomfortability that she hadn’t quite figured out how to handle.

That night, as she descended the spinning staircase that led to the Professor’s party, a memory flashed before her eyes. The cream-colored dress she’d worn to Slughorn’s last dinner, the way Cedric’s face looked when he saw her, still clear as day in her vision. And the feeling of his fingers, warm and soft as he held her hand beneath the table. And so, midnight blue dress spilling over the curves of her shoulders and hair meticulously curled to perfection, she urged away her frustration. And, seeing her boyfriend dressed handsomely in a fitted white button-up with a dark blazer to match, she almost forgot entirely. There was that upturn of his full lips and the familiar shine engulfing his eyes, just as he’d looked the last time. It was undeniable in his face — he loved her still as he had then. Maybe more, in fact.

“Hi,” the girl exhaled with a shy smile as she reached the foot of the staircase.

“Hello,” Cedric’s voice rumbled, warm and low. “You look,” he paused, making no effort to hide the stare that traveled from the girl’s eyes to the slit in the side of her dress. “Beautiful,” he finished politely.

“Thanks,” she chuckled, her face flushing. “You don’t look too bad, yourself.”

The smile the boy offered was almost debilitatingly handsome. The two laughed quietly, the sweet moment lingering for a little before being swallowed whole by the silence it left. Nervously, Cedric let his mouth fall open.

“Erm—” he tried through a short breath, “about earlier.”

“Ced,” the girl interjected. “It’s alright.”

Cedric shook his head, gold-brown waves bouncing over his forehead and framing his bewildered gaze handsomely.

“But—”

“Look,” she tried slowly. “Can we just…forget about it? At least for right now? It’s the end of the semester, and a really long one at that” she explained. “And I’m tired, and panicked, and dreading this ordeal, and I just—” she rambled. “I love you.”

Cedric’s ocean eyes widened, his face flooded with relief and pining.

“I love you,” she repeated, stepping in closer to her best friend. She reached each of her palms to his blazer, gripping the boy by each side with an angled stare of her doe eyes at him, which did the job well enough.

“I love you too,” he murmured with a brush of his long fingers through her hair.

The boy’s right hand stopped against her cheek, thumb grazing her skin as he moved his left hand against her hip. For a moment, he only drank her in from a distance, consuming her wholly with a flicker of his eyes across her body. But soon finding himself unable to resist, he was bringing the girl forward with a tug of her face toward his lips. She raised to the tips of her toes to reach him, her left hand curling around the boy’s wrist for support as her lips opened against his with a smile. She could feel the stretch of his mouth, the mirror of his flashing teeth as he laughed warmly into her kiss, his left hand squeezing a little tightly at her waist, and then tighter yet. She paused, a surprised and eager moan of contentment caught in Cedric’s grin.

“Oh, come on. Get a room. Or a broom closet, at least.”

The two untangled themselves at once, spinning around to face their friend and spectator.

“Harry!” Y/N exclaimed with mild horror.

“Y/N!” He exclaimed back casually as if he hadn’t just caught her entangled in a rather passionate kiss with one of his best friends.

“Harry,” Cedric’s mouth went into that lopsided grin of half-embarrassment half-pride. “Good to see you, mate.”

“Was it?” Harry countered jokingly.

The girl pressed her fingertips to her temples with embarrassment.

“Of course,” Cedric huffed smartly. “It’s going to be a wonderful evening, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Ah. Yes.” Harry forced his lips into a terribly awkward smile of encouragement. “I’m sure you’ll be having a great night.”

“Harry—” the girl straightened with a gawk.

“Yes?” he perked up with a rock forward on its heels. Then, pointing down the hall, he stopped whatever conversation was about to happen. “Well, so unfortunate to cut this short,” he declared. “But my date is arriving so I really best be—” he waved a hand at the blonde girl who stood about thirty feet away from the group.

There was Luna Lovegood, looking as Luna-y as ever in her spindly and sparkly violet dress.

“—best be going,” Harry finished. Then he did a sort of bow goodbye before promptly beginning his sprint away from the caught couple.

“Oh my God,” the girl covered her face in shame once he’d left.

“Oh, come on,” Cedric brushed his fingertips through his girlfriend’s hair as she pressed her forehead to his chest, where she hoped to be buried away from what had just happened.

“Ced. That was terrible,” she moaned into his chest.

“It was funny,” Cedric countered positively, dropping a kiss to her forehead. “Now come on,” he said, “we really have to get going.”

She pulled away, her palms resting against his opened wrists as she pouted up at him.

“Why? What’s the big rush to get to Slughorn’s party?” she asked.

“Oh,” Cedric feigned surprise. “No, not that.” He was barely holding himself together now as he wheezed through his next words. “There’s a broom cupboard,” he offered, “just down the hall.”

“Ced!” she snapped with a disgusted laugh and a smack of her hand to the boy’s chest.

The boy buckled over in laughter as she began her overdramatic storm away from him. He laughed through his pleas for her to come back, all the while.

“I’ll see you at the party!” she called over her shoulder.

“Wait!” he begged as he brought himself upright. “You can’t go running off without me, you’re my date!”

The girl paused, throwing a curtain of curls and a devilish grin over her shoulder.

“Then you had better catch me.”

. . .

The night went oddly, predictably. First, there was Hermione, spending the majority of the event hidden away from frat boy Cormac McLaggen whom she’d invited for some reason. Then there was a very uncomfortable conversation between Y/N, Luna, and Slughorn, in which Luna wound up smacking about the clouds of invisible wrackspurts that she claimed resided before the professor’s bewildered eyes. At one point Harry appeared, muttering something along the lines of ‘setting Snape’s head on fire,’ before whisking away into the crowd. And then there was Cedric, so polite as he chatted up every terribly boring guest who looked his way, his girlfriend an unwilling victim to the dull onslaught of conversations.

It was around the point that she was considering leaving when the girl saw Draco, of all people, amidst the crowd. But what was especially strange about it all was that it was Mr. Filch who was accompanying him, dragging the blond in by the collar of his black suit. Draco’s shoulders were hunched, his eyes glued to the floor with embarrassment. As Filch paraded him before the crowd, the Slytherin’s eyes dared to meet Y/N’s. They widened, then fell once again.

“Found him lurking in this corridor,” Filch declared with a turn to professor Slughorn. “He claims to have been invited to your party.”

“Okay!” Draco snapped, exasperated. His nostrils flared as those searing ice-colored daggers came up to meet his audience. “I was gatecrashing,” he admitted with an ashamed tilt of his head. “Happy?”

“Oh,” Slughorn put his hands on his hips. “Well! I suppose we do have the room, dear boy—” he began “If you’d like to stay—”

But before he could decide, Snape answered.

“I’ll escort him out.”

Two loud footfalls came slowly to a halt as the greasy-haired Professor came to a stop before the blond. Severus Snape bent his sharp nose toward the boy with a flicker of his charcoal black eyes across his guilt-stricken face. Slowly, a sneer curled onto Draco’s lips.

“Certainly, professor,” he hissed lowly.

Nobody dared to move, for a moment.

“Alright! Everyone, carry on, carry on!” Slughorn demanded with a jovial wave of his hands.

A murmur began to fill the room, then a quiet sea of conversation washed its way back to life. But, with no interest in staying anyways, the girl set her sights outside of Slughorn’s party. Without a second glance back, she reached for her wand and glided swiftly from the warm room and its twinkling string lights. Out in the corridor outside, she was surprised to see Harry Potter already standing there, leaning against the wall incredibly conspicuously.

“What are y—” the girl started to speak.

Silencing her, the boy-who-lived raised a finger to his lips in warning. Then he tilted his head to the right. From just around the corner, when it was quiet enough, she could make out Snape’s unpleasant and familiar voice.

“I’m spying on Malfoy,” Harry whispered as the girl approached him. “What are you doing?” he asked after a moment.

She sighed and stood behind him, leaning against the wall as he did.

“Same thing,” she huffed.

“Y/N? Harry?” came Cedric’s warm voice as he too emerged from the gathering.

Both friends silenced him with alarmed eyes and a demanding “SHH!”

“Sorry,” he apologized through a low murmur. “Spying on Draco?” he asked expectedly.

They both nodded.

Eyes rolling, the brunette stuffed two hands into his pockets and padded his way over to the wall, where he would tilt his ear against it as the two before him had. There, the three bent diagonally against the stone, listening as best they could.

“I swore to protect you,” came the sneer of Severus Snape.

“I don’t need your protection,” spat Draco, instantaneously.

The girl felt her stomach lurch with sadness for him. His answer was almost too-predictable. But then he dared to go on.

“I was chosen for this. Out of all others. Me.”

She swallowed, straightening with fear. From either side of her, both boys also shifted nervously at his words.

“I was chosen,” he repeated, crueler this time. “This is my moment. And I won’t fail.”

But it was just one kind of cruelty that she had long since come to recognize in the Slytherin. It bore the same spiteful intonations as the words he used to pridefully spit her way back when he still claimed he resented her. He didn’t mean what he was saying, but his words were laced with the poison of pretending like he did. Whatever was going on, he didn’t want a part of it. She deciphered that much from the quiver of his voice alone.

There was a scuffle of shoes and limbs, and then the heavier set of footsteps, Snape’s, were disappearing down the corridor. But still, Draco remained.

“I knew it,” came Cedric’s voice from behind her. “He’s with them.”

Harry turned. “He hasn’t actually admitted to anything.”

“He’s clearly entangled in something,” Cedric’s brows came together. “What else could it be?”

She could see the boy’s mind racing. She could see that he already knew the answer.

“Stop,” the girl hissed under her breath. “Both of you.”

The boys froze, staring at their friend in bewilderment.

“Can’t you hear he’s hurting?” she said with a gape. “He’s still there,” she waved a hand indicatively. “And he’s not alright.”

“What do you mean?” Harry whispered cluelessly.

“Whatever he’s bound by,” she worded vaguely. “He wants out.”

“Y/N,” Cedric chimed, shaken by her sudden defense of the Slytherin. “He just said this was his moment. He’s said it like it’s an honor, a gift.”

“But what does that even mean?” Harry stated, more to himself than to the Hufflepuffs.

“Sure, he said it,” the girl explained, aggravated. “But can’t you tell he’s lying?”

Two sets of eyes were on her again. And they were looking at her as if she were mad.

A hint of a smile grabbed at Cedric’s lips. “And… you got all of that from… his tone of voice?”

Her nostrils flared. “Yes.”

“Y/N,” he shook his head through a flustered stammer. “How can you blame me for not hearing the lengths you’ll go to in order to defend him?” There was that last word, dusted with salt and familiar bitterness. Him.

“You’re wrong,” the girl shot back, loud enough that her voice was sure to have traveled over to the next corridor. But she didn’t really care now. “And mean.”

Then she spun on her heel, hair flying as she began her march around the corner, her heels bringing a loud attention to her presence as it moved. Any remainder of Cedric’s smile vanished at once. From beside him, Harry’s green eyes widened behind his glasses from second-hand embarrassment. Even he knew he’d missed the mark. Hasteless, both boys scuttled forward to the edge of the wall, close enough to be heard but not seen.

As the girl rounded the corner, she was met with an almost eerie sight. Bathed only in the moonlight that flooded the corridor from a grand arched window, Draco Malfoy was hunched against the hall’s stone pillar, back turned stoically against the light. As the girl’s footsteps sounded, he straightened, and she could make out the familiar silhouette of his side profile as he turned his slender features against the white glow of the night. In his lavish black suit, he seemingly melted into the darkness.

“Y/N,” came the sound of his raspy voice.

He’d been crying, she confirmed silently. There it was in his voice.

“How did you know it was me?” she asked calmly toward him.

He’d guessed it without so much as a glance her way.

“Your shoes,” he murmured, clearing his throat. “Remember?”

Slowing, the girl thought back to the night he’d tried to kiss her, the same night he’d claimed to know her well enough to pick up the distinct sound of her footfalls.

“They have a way they sound,” he explained, his voice rumbling a little more warmly now. “You have a... a way that you walk.”

She swallowed, doing her best to remain composed for him.

“A way that I walk?” the girl mused softly, closing the distance between herself and the blond.

He tensed, alert. “Don’t.”

“What?” she asked softly, approaching the boy still.

“I don’t know what you think you know,” his voice dropped in warning, “but you’d do better to keep your nose out of it.”

“Okay,” his friend said at once. “But I’m not worried about that right now,” she defended, coming to a stop with a white-flag raise of her palms.

Draco didn’t dare to look at her.

“Then what?” he managed quietly.

“I—” the girl paused. She knew well enough that Cedric and Harry would be listening from just around the corner. But kindness was something she could afford to regret. “You,” she decided. “I’m worried about you, Draco.”

“I don’t need your pity,” he shot back at once. Quick and sour, just as he’d sounded a minute ago with Snape, and just as she’d sounded when she told the two boys the same thing earlier that day.

“It’s okay to admit you’re scared,” she tried with a gentle lilt of her voice. “But I…” she stepped forward, “I want to be here for you.”

This was enough. Draco turned his tall and thin frame toward the girl, his piercing ice-colored eyes meeting hers in the moonlight and sending a flurry of emotions crashing over her. The Slytherin's pale brows came together, and she noticed that they framed a reddened pair of eyes that looked even more tired at night than they did in the day. Normally, they would go on do something along the lines of what Cedric called ‘eating her,’ but this time he didn’t allow himself, which he’d gotten marginally better at since his forced acquaintanceship with the boy.

“I don’t need you,” his voice said, and his face lied.

“Let me be here for you,” the girl ignored him, a mere foot from the boy now.

“I don’t—” his lip curled and his nose scrunched, but it was softly that his next words came “—need you.”

“Please,” the girl urged, so badly wanting to make the pain leave him but not knowing how. “Draco,” cracked her voice, making him hurt all the more at the sound.

He didn’t say anything else. Instead, he just stood there, lips trembling as he waited mutely for the thing that would save him. The thing that he wouldn’t say, and all of the things that he wished to but couldn’t. Unsure what else she could do, the girl decidedly closed the space between their bodies and threw her arms around the boy’s neck. She had to practically jump to reach him as her arms curled around him, forcing him to stumble into her desperate embrace. His face had barely made it to her shoulder before he began to cry, and it was so quiet that she could barely hear it. Almost like he’d practiced keeping his cries stifled, she thought.

For a moment his hands stayed stuck between the folds of his pockets, but then, slowly, they lifted. Two hands snaked around the girl’s torso. At first, he just let her hug him, his hands gripped to her in support more than anything else. But then he was sliding his arms up against her back, scooping the girl in closer to his hard chest and clutching him to her like she were his life force. She could feel the curve of his cheek to the side of her neck, could feel his rattling breaths and the tears that caught on the fabric of her midnight-colored dress. She let the edges of her fingertips brush the nape of the boy’s neck. Consciously forcing herself away, she kept them from his hair. Meanwhile, her own locks were tangled in the limbs and tear-stained cheeks of the blond, who held her in absolute silence for almost a minute before letting go.

His nose was red, his eyes, redder. But something of an almost smile traced his mouth. The boy sniffled, face glittering from the light of the moon and stars. This was the first time she’d seen him cry, she realized. And he looked more ethereal than she could’ve imagined. She wondered what his next words would be, but was surprised when they finally came.

“I’m sorry for crashing your party,” he said.

She stepped back, “don’t be.”

Draco Malfoy dared to smile, the emotion looking unfitting on his sallow face. Neither spoke, but both were thinking the same thing.

“I won’t see you until after the holidays,” he worded softly.

This was his way of telling her he would miss her.

“I guess you’re right,” she blinked up at him, her heart racing in her chest.

This was her way of saying the same.

“Well then,” he sighed heavily as a familiar melancholy pulled at his lips. “Merry Christmas, Y/N.”

A steady fall of snow passed the two from outside. The only sound was their breathing and the distant clamor from Slughorn’s festivities. The girl shifted her feet nervously.

“Merry Christmas, Draco.” She nodded, pressing her lips firmly together.

Both were still, neither wanting to be the first to leave. After a few seconds, it was Draco who turned to depart.

“Wait,” she said.

His eyes were back on hers now. He didn’t say a word.

“I’ll be staying with Mr. and Mrs. Diggory,” she said. “If you ever want to reach me.”

Draco Malfoy’s pale face flooded with relief. He opened his mouth to say something, but nothing came out, so he settled instead for a little bow of his head. But that was okay because she understood all the same. His two blue eyes shone with a final look of gratitude, and then he was gone.

The silence that was left in his absence was deafening, and yet the girl was unvexed when she turned and was met with the sight of two boys just down the corridor. There was Harry, looking like he’d just now realized something obvious, and there was Cedric, wrought jealousy woven through his handsome and delicate features.

155 notes · View notes

shadowbriar · 10 months

Text

Cedric Diggory Masterlist

♤ Angst - ♡ Fluff - ✮ AU - ♛ Popular

One-shot

♡ Series of Pleasant Firsts [Requested]: When the walls between love and friendship starts to crumble, will any of them be brave enough to take the leap of faith and tear it to shambles?

#cedric diggory #cedric diggory imagine #cedric diggory imagines #cedric diggory fanfic #cedric diggory fanfiction #cedric diggory oneshot #cedric diggory scenario #cedric diggory scenarios #cedric diggory angst #cedric diggory fluff #cedric diggory x you #cedric diggory x reader #cedric diggory x oc #cedric diggory x y/n #cedric diggory masterlist

31 notes · View notes

chloe-skywalker · 2 years

Text

Worried - Cedric Diggory

Cedric x Fem!reader

Warnings: none

Word count: 313

Summary: Y/n’s worried about Cedric being in the tournament.

Authors Note: He never died in this I hated that part!

Masterlist

Harry Potter Masterlist

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

“I’m worried about you.” Y/n stated to her boyfriend as she nervously played with her fingers.

“I’ll be fine.” Cedric smiled over his shoulder as he grabbed his wand off his desk.

“They say this is the most dangerous challenge, Cedric.” Y/n stresses hoping he would understand where she’s coming from.

“Hey.” Cedric turned walking towards her. He reached his hands up to cup her cheeks, tilting her face to look him in the eyes. “I’ll be fine. Ok? Promise.”

As they headed to the final challenge. A maze. Once everyone was there and ready to start y/n had to move to the stands. Cedric turned around and looked up to where Y/n sat in the front row of the stands.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” he reached up to hold her hand for a brief moment, smiling up at her.

“I’ll hold you to that.” She smiled back best she could given how nervous she was for him. Y/n squeezed his hand back as tight as she could.

Waiting for Harry and Cedric was getting very nerve racking. Others showed up but they were still missing. Once they came through everyone cheered happily to see them come through okay. Y/n was happy as well till she studied the look on Cedric’s face. Specifically his eyes, and that was all it took for her to know something happened. But she’d ask him later, as for now she just wanted to hold him. Know he’s okay.

“Oh thank God.” She said as she reached him from running down the stairs to hug him.

Cedric wrapped his arms around her tightly once she was in his reach. After what he just went through and finding out Voldermorts back Cedric was just happy to be holding her in his arms once again. “I told you I’d be ok.”

Tag: @gruffle1

#imagines #imagine #x reader #harry potter imagine #harry potter and the goblet of fire #y/n #harry potter imagines #cedric diggory #cedric #cedric diggory x reader #cedric x reader #harry potter #cedric diggory imagine #cedric diggory imagines

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xreaderbooks · 1 year

Text

HP/Wizarding World Masterlist

Golden Trio Era-

Harry Potter

Draco Malfoy

Cedric Diggory

Marauders Era-

Sirius Black

Remus Lupin

James Potter

Hogwarts Legacy-

Sebastian Sallow

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mgcldydrms · 1 year

Text

One Shots

...

Blurbs:

After Study Cuddles

Headcanons:

...

#cedric diggory imagines #cedric diggory blurbs #cedric diggory x reader

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dreaming-about-fanfictions · 2 years

Note

Hello<3 Happy Wedding Day!!

I was hoping if you could do a 💍 for the Harry Potter Fandom.

I am a desi girl who has short hair and brown eyes. I love reading,singing(psst they tell me I sing nice)and baking. I have average height. I am a proud Hufflepuff🟡⚫️🟡⚫️. Also I'm quite or loud with correspondence to the people surrounding me. I have a preference for males.

Thank you and congratulations to you for your wedding🥂❤️

I ship you with ...

... Cedric Diggory!

Yeah, you might say it's obvious because he's a Hufflepuff too but that's not why I picked him! Just imagine - sneaking out to the kitchen in the middle of the night to bake cupcakes. Teasing him. Him blowing flour into your face. A whole "flour war" starting until Filch catches you and you get weeks of detention, but hey - totally worth it. Also - dates outside the castle walls, his head resting in your lap, both of you reading. He only looks up occasionally to tell you how beautiful you are. I feel like he'd be such an appreciative boyfriend and the two of you would just work so well together. 💛

***

Thank you for sending in a request and thank you for the wishes! I hope you enjoyed this 🧡

#cedric diggory x reader #cedric diggory x you #cedric diggory imagines #harry potter imagines #harry potter match up #wedding celebration

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cloudybarnes · 8 months

Text

Busy Bee

Pairing: Draco Malfoy x slytherin!reader

Summary: you may have accidentally fallen asleep on draco, but in your defense, he was really comfortable to sleep on! now, though, you're forced to face your feelings for him and do something about them

Word Count: 2.6k+

Masterlist

✰ ✰ ✰

“Blaise, move your big arse away from my comfy spot.”

You had a tiring day of classes, and wanted nothing more than to just relax for the rest of the night. You had gone back to the Slytherin common room to hopefully see some of your friends and just wind down for the night.

Everyone in Slytherin knew there was one special spot on the lounge couch that was reserved for you. You had spent countless hours and dozens of nights in that exact spot either studying or just hanging out with friends. That was your spot, and when you came into the common room, everyone knew to make way for it.

Blaise chuckled and raised his hands in surrender. “Sorry, (Y/N), didn’t realize you’d be back so early.”

“Early?” You exclaimed as you jumped into your spot. “I’ve been busting my butt all morning for these stupid exams. I’m exhausted.”

Pansy groaned from her spot on the floor. “Why don’t you just cut yourself a break once in a while? It’s no fun when my best friend is too busy for, like, anything anymore.”

You frowned. “I’m not too busy for you! I’m here now, aren’t I?” You grabbed a blanket from the stockpile you kept in the common room, and wrapped yourself tight in it.

Pansy rolled her eyes with a smile. “Yeah, yeah. You’re just in time to hear about the latest shit with Emma.”

Pansy had a wild grudge against this poor Hufflepuff girl who didn’t even know that Pansy was beefing with her. It was quite funny, honestly, but you loved Pansy enough to let her moan on about what annoying thing Emma does everyday.

“Oh goody.” Draco came out from the stairwell into the common room with a roll of his eyes. “Another go round of how insufferable you think that Hufflepuff is.”

He glanced over to see you cocooned in your blanket and let out a soft laugh. Draco took his seat next to you and laid his arm over the back of the couch behind you.

Draco intrigued you. Over the last year, the two of you had grown quite close. You considered Draco a good friend, but you would be lying to yourself if you said you didn’t wish it were more. Draco was kind. He was flirtatious and charming, but he was sweet and gentle with you as well. Sometimes you thought Draco may have feelings for you in return, but you were far too scared to confront him about it.

“Well, for starters, we already know how much of a know it all she is, but for some reason she has to showboat just how smart she is. You’d think she was a Ravenclaw what with how obsessed she is with being correct.” Pansy said.

Blaise started to respond to her squawking when Draco shifted closer to you. Blaise’s voice drifted away as you focused your attention to Draco.

“You alright, Dray?” You asked.

He smiled slightly. “Yeah, just trying to get comfortable. Salazar knows Pansy will be talking about this nonsense for hours.”

Draco dropped his arm from the back of the couch to wrap around your shoulder and pull you into him. You could feel your heart beating out of your chest, silently hoping Draco couldn’t feel the intensity of it.

You tried to hide the grin threatening to break out on your lips as you snuggled closer to his chest. This was definitely a first for you guys. Though you and Draco had been quite flirty, he’d never been so open with his physical touch before.

“Then she had the nerve to choose me as her partner. Like I would ever consider her!” Pansy glanced over at you and did a double take when she saw you wrapped up in Draco. Her eyes grew slightly, but she averted them with a clear of her throat as to not make it obvious.

“And then, she had the audacity-“

“She really is quite obsessed with this hufflepuff, huh?” Draco whispered to you, quiet enough for Pansy not to hear.

You looked up at him. His face was so close to yours, your noses were practically touching. You bit your lip as a smile threatened your face.

“Yeah,” you whispered back as you stared into his eyes. “Leave her be though, it keeps her entertained.”

Draco chucked, his minty breath hitting your face due to your close proximity. Your own breath caught in your throat. You hadn’t realized just how close you were to him. You could feel your stomach doing cartwheels as you took in all of his glorious features up close. The glimmer in his eyes, the point of his nose, the curve of his lips.

“I didn’t see you earlier,” Draco shifted the conversation, pulling your gaze from his lips back to his eyes. “What were you doing all day, busy bee?”

You blushed at the nickname. “I was just in the library writing up essays and study guides for our finals.” You let out a yawn, the reminder of your morning making you realize just how exhausted you were.

“Sleepy?” Draco murmured in your ear.

You nodded your head with a mumbled ‘yes’, then rested your head on his shoulder. Draco wrapped his arm tight around your waist, pulling you as close to him as possible. With his other hand, he softly combed his fingers through your hair.

You hummed as you closed your eyes. “You’re comfy,” you sleepily mumbled.

Draco chuckled. His fingers brushed against your cheeks every once in a while as he gently continued combing through your hair.

As you felt yourself falling asleep, you could hear Draco shushing Pansy and Blaise to ensure they didn't wake you.

✰ ✰ ✰

The next morning you wake in your bed, unsure of how you got there. You must have gone up sometime in the night and just not remembered.

With a shrug, you stood up and stretched your arms over your head. Pansy was snoring in the bed next to you. You tiptoed over to her and gently shook her awake.

“Pansy,” you called as you shook her some more. “Come on, babe, time to wake up.”

She just grumbled and swatted your hand from her shoulder. You huffed. Pansy was terrible in the mornings, and for some reason unknown to you, she didn’t believe in alarm clocks so you got stuck waking her up every morning.

A mischievous idea came to mind, and with a smirk you jumped on top of her sleeping body.

“Ahh!” She shouted as you frantically shook her awake.

“It’s wake up time, Pans! We’ve got to get ready for our charms exam this fine, beautiful morning.” You said with a laugh.

Pansy sat up and pushed you off of her so you laid on the bed instead. “Geez,” she grinned as she rubbed at her sleepy eyes. “Who knew a night with Draco would make you so chipper this morning.”

You sat upright in crisscross as your smile fell. “Wait, what?”

You had spent the night with Draco? But that didn’t make sense, you woke up by yourself in your own bed. Plus, you would have remembered if something had happened between the two of you.

Pansy saw your confused expression and chuckled. She grabbed a pillow and gently swatted you in the face with it. “Not like that, you silly. Salazar knows if you slept with Draco you’d have probably died of happiness.”

“Hey!” You whined as a blush started creeping on your cheeks. “I’m not that crazy for him.”

“Oh, please,” Pansy scoffed with a slight smile. “I saw the way you cuddled up with him last night. I almost had a heart attack for you when I saw how close you were! Go (Y/N), go (Y/N)!” She cheered.

You laughed and pushed Pansy away from you. “Shut up!” Your giggles died down as you recalled how you laid with him last night. “Was it really that obvious?”

“Girl please! I thought Draco was gonna scoop you up and run away with you. You should have seen the look on his face when you fell asleep on him. He looked at you like you hung the damn stars in the sky.”

Your heart fluttered. You knew there was something going on with you and Draco, but by the way Pansy was talking, though she had a knack for exaggeration, it sounded like he really did have a thing for you.

“So, what do I do now?” You asked as you slightly rocked back and forth on her bed.

“Are you joking?” Pansy deadpanned at you. “(Y/N/N), you gotta go get your man! I’m tired of watching you two drool like little puppies over each other just for nothing to come out of it.”

Your cheeks flushed. It had been a long time of this back and forth with Draco, and you decided you were ready to see where it got you.

“Okay, I’m gonna tell him next time I see him.” You said.

Pansy cheered. “Yes, finally! Now hurry up, I’ll help you pick a cute outfit that has ‘date me’ written all over it.”

You chuckled as Pansy eagerly jumped up and ran to your closet. She grabbed your shortest skirt, a white button up top, and your Slytherin robes.

“Pans, how is this any different than my usual outfit?” You asked as you stood from the bed and joined her near the closet.

“Ah, my sweet (Y/N), it’s not about the clothes you wear, but how you wear them.” She grinned as she threw the clothes into your hands. “Put them on so I can work my magic.”

You chuckled and stripped out of your pajamas to put on your school outfit. Turning back to Pansy, you said, “Okay, now what?”

She devilishly grinned. Pansy pulled your skirt even higher up your legs to expose just a bit more of the skin there. She unbuttoned the top two buttons of your shirt and fixed your boobs so they popped out a little bit more. She wrapped the robe around your shoulders, but let the front open so you could see everything underneath.

“And no tie,” she added, “that way your shirt can stay that way.”

You chuckled. “You get me into all these crazy shenanigans, you know that right?”

“You know you love me.”

“Yeah,” you added wearily, “but what if it’s too much? I mean, we still have to go to class. It’s not like I'm only going to see Draco.”

“Who cares?” Pansy asked as she started to dress herself in a similar manner. “Let the other boys stare and show Draco that you’re a hottie who other boys can get at if he decides he’s gonna be a wuss today.”

You laughed. Pansy always knew just how to make you feel better. “Alright, let’s get out there, then. Don’t wanna keep all the boys waiting.” You winked at her.

Pansy smirked and wrapped her arm with yours. You walked out together and down to your first class that you shared.

Luckily for you, Draco did not share the same period for charms as you. You thought if Draco was in the class you would have surely failed your final.

You felt pretty confident in your answers, and soon enough class was dismissed.

Your heart beat out of your chest as you said your goodbyes to Pansy and walked to your next class: one you shared with Draco.

Nervously, you picked at your clothes as you walked to potions. On your way there, you couldn’t help but notice all of the random students staring at you. Boys, and girls, sneaked peaks at you as you walked past them.

It felt nice to be noticed, you just hoped Draco would react in a similar way.

Speak of the devil.

There Draco stood in all his glory. He leaned against the wall outside of the potions room looking you up and down. Draco’s lip was trapped between his teeth and he sized you up.

“Bloody hell, (Y/N).” Draco mumbled, just loud enough for you to hear over your rapidly-beating heart.

Draco pushed himself off the wall and started walking towards you, meeting you halfway. He didn’t say anything. All he could do was stare. Draco knew you were gorgeous; he’d be a bloody fool to not have noticed it before, but there was something about the way you looked that made his head spin.

While he shouldn’t say it, Draco had always imagined how you would look after he’d had his way with you. He didn’t ever want to seem like a creep, you were too sweet for that, but that just made him more curious.

In all honesty, he didn’t know you had this in you.

“Uh, Draco?” You asked. Draco had zoned out as he stared at you. You could feel your cheeks getting warm and you took in how awestruck he looked.

“Hm?” He glanced back up into your eyes. “Sorry, sweetheart, you just- you just look incredible. Well, you look gorgeous everyday, just you look gorgeous and sexy if that makes sense.”

You raised an eyebrow almost teasingly. “Oh, so you think I look sexy now, huh?” You don’t know where this newfound confidence came from, but you liked the way Draco’s eyes widened as you crossed your arms over your chest, pushing your boobs out ever so slightly.

Once he recovered, a smirk adorned his handsome face. “I always think you look sexy, now I'm just seeing it in person rather than my dreams. And speaking of dreams,” Draco grinned devilishly, “how did you sleep last night, darling?”

You had almost forgotten about the confusion of the night. “I slept well. I think.” You chuckled as you pushed a piece of hair behind your ear. “I don’t exactly remember getting to bed, though. Care to enlighten me?”

Draco chuckled, “You fell asleep, quite adorably I might add, and I as the gentleman I am had the privilege of carrying you up the stairs and tucking you in for the night.”

You smiled, “how come you didn’t just wake me?”

Draco’s cheeks tinged pink. “I, uh, I just knew how tired you were from your morning and I didn’t want to disturb you. Hope that was okay.” Draco rubbed the back of his neck a little awkwardly.

You grinned and reached up to squeeze his arm. “It was really sweet of you, Draco.”

The two of you stared at each other for a minute, the silence held some tension, it had some longing imbedded into it.

“Draco…”

“Do you want to go out sometime?” Draco cut you off.

You gaped at him. “Like a date?”

Draco smiled, “yeah, exactly a date. I knew I’ve liked you for a little while, (Y/N), but when you cuddled up against me last night, I had this thought that I wanted to do it again. And then again after that too. You held onto like you needed me, and, uh, I really liked that.”

Draco blushed a little at his confession and shuffled his feet around nervously.

You couldn’t help but grin and wrap your arms tight around his neck. Draco was a little taken aback by your quick movement, but surely sunk into your hug and wrapped his arms around your waist.

“I’d love to go out with you, Dray,” you whispered as you were pressed so close to him. “I’ve been hoping you would ask me out for a long time.”

Draco pulled away, but still held his hands on your waist. “Sorry for keeping you waiting so long, darling.”

You giggled and grabbed Draco’s hands to pull him towards the classroom. “Come on, Slughorn doesn’t wait for anyone and I need to do good on this exam.”

Draco chuckled and let you pull him along to class. He couldn’t wait to finally take you out on a date.

#draco malfoy oneshot #draco malfoy one shot #draco malfoy imagine #draco malfoy x reader #draco malfoy #harry potter #harry potter x reader #draco malfoy x slytherin!reader #draco malfoy x you #draco malfoy x y/n #ron weasly x reader #ron weasley #cedric diggory #cedric diggory x reader #fred weasly x reader #george weasley

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