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daddy-cake · 2 years

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Rotten Boy, Grotesque Romance || Yandere!Cedric x Reader

Chapter 2: Adam Driver Jumpscare

Summary for this chapter: This might've be a little wholesome, but it's just only going to go downhill from here...

A/N: So the chapter title is dedicated to a joke that me and my bestfriend made when making this chapter about Love Hypothesis. So, fair warning that a lot of the chapter titles are going to seem like they belong in a crackfic, you've been warn.

Anyways, how would you guys feel about if I made my whole tiktok page dedicated to making fun of all my fanfics and maybe even recommending some that I found???Also, how do you all like the playlist? I personally like, but I feel like I should've done better

Also SO SORRY for the long wait, my depression was getting little quirky these past months. BUT you guys should thank my Cedric Diggory t-shirt that I got for motivation, it's the best thing ever like- it looks like he's about to drop the biggest 2000's track ever.

Pairings: Fred Weasley x Reader(Platonic), Cho Chang x Cedric Diggory, Cedric Diggory x Reader(platonic/eventually "romantic")

Words: 12,028

GENERAL MASTERLIST

SERIES MASTERLIST

<- Part 1

It was the next day after the traumatic event that just took place for all wizards and witches of different backgrounds. You still couldn't get over it, it still lingers in the air for you and you could tell that it had a huge impact on Harmonie and Harry as well. You couldn't blame them though, they both came from a muggle background and one of them had his parents killed by the man behind the Death Eaters. You try not to think of it as you got dressed, but it still was a heavy thought that you just ended up wearing a plain dark sea green sweater and plain jeans.

You enter the living room of the tent and everyone was there sitting around, the three older brothers were sitting on the couch and still looked battered from fighting off the Death Eaters last night. Hermione was sitting in one of the chairs and she was still visibly upset about the situation with the elf. Harry was sitting in the other chair that was provided with an unreadable look, and Ron was sitting on the rug by the coffee table upset at Harry for taking the last spot in the living room. Ginny was absent along with the twins and Mr. Weasley, but you figured the twins were at the table and Ginny might still be asleep or with Mr. Weasley in the kitchen. So you made your way to the table and you were right about the twins sitting there, however, you still weren’t sure about the whereabouts of Ginny and Mr. Weasley.

The twins' sat at the table with a tired look on their faces, it seemed like they didn’t get great sleep last night like everyone else, but their expressions quickly lightened up and were filled with a bit of energy when they saw you. “Morning,” They said in sync with a smile on their face.

“Morning, how did you two sleep?” You questioned the boys as you took one of the chairs, you flipped around so you could sit on it backwards but still be able to look at the two mischievous gingers before you.

George was first to answer, “It took me about a good solid two hours to sleep and I kept waking up at random times, but overall it was fine.” It took you by surprise for a second that George was first to answer since it was always Fred who first opened his mouth, but you just thought that Fred was a bit tired today.

“It was alright,” Fred simply said before shooting the question back to you on how well you slept.

“Mine was… I don’t know. I guess I slept well, but I had a nightmare about how I lost everyone in the crowd and no one was willing to help me… I just couldn't find you.”

“Not even good ol’ Mr. Perfect?” George questions you in a joking way to hopefully make you feel better and lighten up the mood, “What a shocker since it seems to me he fancied you.” You shake your head at George’s conclusion about Cedric and his feelings for you. “You shake your head and not believe me but trust me, Pretty Boy Cedric got something for you. I mean he was really-”

“George,” You quickly cut him off before he could go on to a tangent, “He doesn’t ‘fancy’ me, he’s dating someone already. He’s just awkward and trying to be a good friend so drop it.”

“I don’t know, George might be right.” Fred shrugs siding with his twin brother. You roll your eyes, you may love him to death, but this was getting ridiculous. “Look, [Name]. If you look at it from our perspective, you will see that something is going on.” You shake your head and rub your temple, these sudden accusations about Cedric annoyed you a lot. You knew full well that there was nothing going on, Cedric might’ve been awkward around you guys because it’s his first time talking to you guys and he probably felt a bit timid considering most of the people in the group were rivaling Quidditch teams.

“Whatever, it’s like arguing with a brick wall. But if you ask me, you might want to stay away from Cedric in school or it might cause some issues. We can't have our best friend's hair being pulled out by his many different fangirls.” George concluded the conversation. You were about to protest but decided to drop it, you didn’t want to get into a bigger argument about such a stupid topic. The three of you sat in silence like everyone. You wondered if the others eavesdropped on the small little argument that just took place, now that would be awkward, especially with Hermonie's teasing nature towards you.

It was completely silent, not even Fred or Geroge were cracking jokes, but thankfully it was broken by Ginny and Mr. Weasley exiting the kitchen with sandwiches prepared for the group to eat for breakfast. “Hurry up and eat everyone!” Mr. Weasley announces to the group, “We need to catch the next portkey!” After those words were announced, it went back to silence with the occasional sound of munching on the sandwiches that were made.

You all walked up to The Burrow and you were all greeted by Mrs. Weasley who was worried sick about everyone’s well-being. She quickly ran up to all of you and hugged and kissed you all on the cheek. “Oh, my Merlin! You don’t know how worried I was!” Mrs. Weasley yelled at the group before turning her focus on Bill, Charlie, and Percy. “And look at you three!”

“Mother, we’re fine-” Percy spoke up for the trio, but he was quickly silenced by Mrs. Weasley.

“I beg to differ! You three look like a mess!” Mrs. Weasley yelled at her oldest boys. Mr. Weasley had to quickly step in before she could bombard them with her worries and concern. However, it took her a good two minutes to calm down. But you couldn’t blame Mrs. Weasley for her extreme concern for the group, if you were in her position you would be reacting the same way. After Mrs. Weasley was calmed down, they all went inside. “Oh, I’m so sorry everyone! I forgot to go shopping for school supplies because of how worried sick I was for you all!” Mrs. Weasley panicked and quickly apologized to the teens attending the school for witches and wizards soon.

“It’s fine Mrs. Weasley. We could do it some other day.” Harry spoke up.

You nodded in agreement as you spoke up as well, “Yeah, and now that you mentioned it. I totally forgot to go school shopping earlier, so thankfully I could actually get it done with you guys.” You laughed nervously as you admitted your poor time management skills and procrastination. You swore two to three weeks ago to go school shopping but you just never did. You blamed it on taking care of the creatures but you knew full well that it was something that you subconsciously put off, which didn’t help you in the end when there wasn’t much time left in the holiday.

“Alright, we can go shopping the day after tomorrow.” Mrs. Weasley calmed down after hearing the words that came out of your and Harry’s mouths. You will soon come to regret opening up about how you never went shopping over the break since you knew about Ginny and Hermonie always teased about your procrastination, well, Ginny was more making fun of you type of way.

“[Name] I thought you would know better by now to not procrastinate school shopping, I thought you would’ve learned your lesson since this is the third time in a row.” Ginny made fun of you with a snicker.

“Third? I thought it was their fourth.” Hermione jumped in giggling. The twins started chuckling at the two girls teasing.

You rolled your eyes playfully. “Okay, okay. I get it, I need to work on myself.”

“You better or Cedric might lose interest after finding out how bad your procrastination is.” Ginny laughed, but you stayed silent, not even reacting to what she had said. Cedric. Cedric. Cedric. Cedric. Why does everyone think something is going on between you two? The only “romantic” thing you did was laying your head on his shoulders and him resting his head on yours? But he was trying to help you rest for a bit comfortably. You and Fred would do it sometimes, how come no one ever says anything about it? “You two are friends so it’s obviously platonic” was the answer you possibly would get if you questioned them about it.

If things couldn’t get any better, Fred jumped in. “Oh, they don’t need to worry or care about that. They’re adamant about Cedric not fancying them because he’s dating Cho and that he’s just an ‘awkward and caring’ person.” He air quoted “awkward and caring” and that was enough to say how he viewed the Hufflepuff.

“All of you are aggravating,” Was all that you murmured before rubbing your temple. Everyone cackled at your annoyance which pissed you off even more, and you were going to show them your anger by giving them the silent treatment for the rest of today and all of tomorrow. However, you knew that promise would be broken since you couldn’t ignore them for that long. You stormed up to the room that you were staying in and sat down on the mattress that you were sleeping on while you stayed at The Burrow. You needed a break from everyone’s constant bombarding with Cedric. Cedric this, Cedric that. It was infuriating. You rubbed your temple again to release some tension that was building up. It was a mindless habit that you had when you were upset about something, it often helped with releasing a bit of anger. You grabbed a book that your parent(s) gifted to you last Christmas from your suitcase. It was a book about dragons and how to take care of them. Hopefully, it would help with calming you down.

An hour or maybe longer had passed from when you first entered the room to get away from everyone. It was peaceful and silent, something that was rare at The Burrow but it would be broken by a sudden knock at the door and a voice that cooed from the other side, “Oh, [Name].” You immediately knew it was Fred and he let himself into the room since he knew he wouldn’t get a message to come in right now. He walked up to the mattress and lay down, putting his head onto your lap so he wasn’t that easy to ignore. “Are you still mad at me?” He pouted, the tone of his voice reminded you of a toddler that just got yelled at.

You tried your best to ignore him by continuing reading your book but Fred snatched the book out of your hands, so you could put your full focus on him. “You’re still mad about us picking on you?” He sat up and turned his body towards you, but in that short time, you didn’t give him a response. “I’m taking that as a yes. [Name], you know we are just messing with you. We know that Cedric really doesn’t fancy you, we’re just trying to have fun.” He apologized to you on the behalf of everyone. “Speaking of fun, why are you stuck up here reading a book when you could be having fun with us by playing Quidditch with us?” He wraps his arm around you. You turned the other way to face away from Fred to hide the smile that was fighting its way to appear on your lips. “[Name]! You can’t ignore me forever!” Fred whines before tickling your sides. You tried to hold in your laughter but you just couldn’t.

“Okay, okay!” You blurted out, a wide smile appeared on your blushing face. You jokingly try to push Fred away to make him stop but he keeps ongoing. You both were a laughing mess.

Fred eventually stopped with his nonsense and looked you dead in the eye. “Are you still mad at us? Me?” He questions you with a joking pouty face that you couldn’t help but giggle at.

“I don’t know…” You jokingly answered, he threw his head back and placed a hand over his heart then clenched his shirt dramatically.

“Oh, [Last Name]! You hurt me so much!” Fred laughed as he recovered from his dramatic stunt.

“But fine, I guess I forgive you… and the others.” You finally forgave him, or you guessed them, seriously.

“So that means you’ll play Quidditch with us instead of having your nose deep in a book like ‘Mione?”

“Maybe… But I feel like I’m a bit rusty. I never got to play any Quidditch over summer break.”

“Tsk, tsk [Name]. You’re always procrastinating, aren't you?” You rolled your eyes at Fred’s words. “No matter though, you’re just giving the other team a winning chance.” You two started laughing again. You enjoyed little moments like these, and you honestly needed it, especially after such an event happened just last night. After the laughing fit was done, he got up from the mattress and grabbed your hand to drag you down to the orchard where a makeshift Quidditch ground stood. Ginny, Charlie, Bill, Harry, George, and Ron all stood in the pit as they waited for you guys. You figured that Hermonie was just going to watch from the sidelines and help keep track of points, and you already knew that Percy was cooped up in his room dealing with work for the ministry.

“It’s about time you guys came!” Charlie hollered at you and Fred from where he stood. The stance he took looked a bit intimidating and it didn’t make it any better when he had one of the beater sticks in his hand. “I thought we were going to start without you two!” You two quickly jogged over to the group so you didn’t keep them waiting. While you two were jogging you almost tripped over Crookshanks and Brutus that were running away from the gnomes. You honestly thought they would’ve learned their lesson by now on to not mess with them, but you thought wrong.

You two finally made it to the pit, where a box was presented with the different balls used during Quidditch, but you notice that the snitch was nowhere to be seen in the box. You keep forgetting that you and the twins were the reason for the missing snitch two years ago when you visited them. You three still hope that one day it magically shows up and you don’t care how it might show up, it could fly right into someone’s head you all will be grateful that it finally has been caught.

“Okay, everyone. Charlie and I are the captains and that means we’re picking who we want on our team!” Bill announces to the group, you already knew that this was going to be unfair.

“You guys as captains and choose! That’s unfair!” Ron protested to his older brothers but it fell on deaf ears.

“And thanks to some people losing the snitch,” Bill looked at you and the twins before turning his attention to the whole group, “We won’t have any seekers, which helps out in the end since we don’t have many people.” Once Bill got done announcing to the group how things were going to be, he and Charlie played rock, paper, and scissors to show who gets to pick first. It took five rounds before Charlie was named victorious.

Charlie looked at the group deciding who he should take. “I want [Name] to be my chaser!” He made his decision and announced this to the group. This would go on for a good seven to nine minutes for the teams to get into order, and you could already tell who was going to win. Charlie’s team consisted of you being the chaser, him and George as the beaters, and Ginny as the keeper. Bill’s consisted of Harry as the chaser, Ron and Fred as the beaters, and Bill as the keeper. Ron complained a few times about the unfairness of the two teams, with Charlie’s team as a whole but he was quickly silenced by Fred questioning what he meant by those words.

Before the game could commence, they quickly went over the rules that were modified to fit this situation. You all got on to your brooms and got into proper position, you all waited for Bill to whistle as a way to signal that the game had started.

The sun was about to set and the game had finally ended when dinner was announced by Mr. and Mrs. Weasley. The game ended with an unknown winner, both teams claim that they had won but even Hermonie didn’t know who won since she lost track of the points twenty minutes in. Everyone was tired and some even had bruises and dirt spread across their bodies. Quidditch was an unsafe sport especially when you have people from the most competitive houses that would do anything to win.

The dinner was set outside like the day before the Quidditch World Cup. Crookshanks was still playing with the gnomes while Brutus laid down beside your feet, tired from messing around the gnomes with Hermonie’s cat. At the table, everyone was arguing as to who won the game exactly. Percy was irritated about the argument that took place, it gave him a bigger migraine with eight people yelling at each other about the game. Mrs. Weasley was also getting quite annoyed about the bickering that was going on. “Can you all please settle down?” Mr. Weasley called out to the group in a polite tone, however, it didn’t die down.

“If you guys keep this up, you’re all not getting any ice cream!” Mrs. Wealsey calls out in a more harsher tone than Mr. Wealsey to the group. You all were quick to go silent at the threat of a sweet cold treat not being served to you guys thanks to your bickering. “Thank you.” Mrs. Weasley huffed out. She was rubbing her temple as a way for her muscles to relax from being tense thanks to everyone’s loud arguing.

“We’ll settle this tomorrow, we’ll rematch!” Charlie announced which caused Mrs. Wealsey and Percy to groan out in annoyance: they could already tell that even with a rematch, the arguing will just continue.

“How about we just not play Quidditch for the rest of the week?” Mr. Weasley questioned the group, trying to avoid any more conflict between the two teams and of course him and his beloved wife and son. However, such a simple question would create a bigger conflict as the two teams started to protest against the idea. The three outsiders then just gave up on trying to get you all to stop with your nonsense.

It was the day to finally go to Diagon Alley for school shopping. There was still tension in the group after Charlie’s team won by just a point, but Bill’s team always argue that it doesn’t count since they were distracted by Mrs. Weasley announcing dinner.

Everyone was dressed in their robes and you and the twins stuck out like a sore thumb due to you three being the only Slytherins in the cozy house. You all stood in a line as Mrs. Weasley handed you guys some Floo powder. You weren’t looking forward to using Floo powder, especially after the chaos of the Portkey: you just can’t get that sinking feeling out of your stomach after using that transportation method. You just couldn’t wait to turn eighteen so you can take Apparate classes and never have to rely on those two methods for transportation ever again, or so you hope.

“Now, Harry this time speak LOUD and CLEARLY!” Mrs. Weasley instructed Harry, you forgot about the time that Harry fumbled on his words and got transported to some completely different place, sure he was found, but who knows if he’ll fumble on his words badly and end up in some other country. Harry just nodded at Mrs. Weasley's instructions. Fred went first, then Geroge, and then it was your turn.

You stood in the fireplace with a handful of Floo Powder in your left hand. “Diagon Alley!” You shouted and dropped the powder to your feet, as you dropped it you were engulfed in a green flame and you were gone from the fireplace and were instead in a fireplace of a pub in Diagon Alley where ashes filtered all around you. You turned into a coughing fit, thanks to the ashes, as you walked over to the twins that were waiting for you and everyone else at a table. You started to dust some of the remaining ashes off of you, trying not to do it so rough so you don’t make it worse. “Finally getting used to traveling by Floo Powder?” Fred questioned you. When you first visited the Weasley’s you couldn’t quite stick the landing when traveling through this method but after doing it for a while when you’re with them, you started to get the hang of it.

“Yeah, I guess-” A cough that emitted from your mouth cut your sentence off, when you were sure you were done you continued your sentence, “Yeah, I guess I finally am.”

“About time.” George chuckled as you sat down beside Fred.

Soon Ron came through the fireplace along with Hermoine and Harry, after the trio came Ginny and of course, Mrs. Wealsey was last. Ron was in the same predicament as you when it came to ashes all around his body, but it seemed like what he thought was helping was the complete opposite. “Ron, stop doing that! You’re just making it worse!” Hermoine scolded the ginger.

“Sorry that I don’t want to be walking around looking like a buffoon with ashes all over me!” Ron yelled back as his brows furrowed at the girl with curly brown hair.

“You’ll just look like a bigger buffoon with those stains!” Soon the group had to wait while Mrs. Wealsey had to help clean up Ron. You all just wished that Ron would’ve just left the ashes alone so you didn’t have to wait this long just to go shopping. Once the two were finished, you all walked out onto the streets of Diagon Alley which had many witches and wizards that were also shopping a bit later. A certain wizard stood amongst the crowd: Cedric Diggory. The perfect young wizard was doing last-minute shopping since he had horrible time management skills which he needed to work on to keep up the image of him being head boy, perfect, and captain of Hufflepuff that everyone admires. Plus, he needed to work on it since he was taking N.W.E.T. classes and he needed a good working schedule so he wasn’t suffocating from the heavy amounts of work, however, there was a third reason that was developing. You, specifically to impress you and how you could rely on him for help on assignments. Speaking of you, he caught a group of redheads in the corner of his eyes. He knew full well that it was the Weasleys, they were a family that you just couldn’t miss with their fiery orange hairs. Then he spotted you in the group. You were laughing and by the looks of it, it was because they were cracking jokes about Ron who was red in the face. He couldn’t help but admire you for a second as the world stopped for him. It would resume when you and your group went into a shop, he didn’t bother to read what the store was. He just had to pursue after you.

He entered the store only to be greeted by rows upon rows of books, he quickly knew that he was in Flourish and Blotts. Just his luck. He started looking through the aisles but he knew it was useless, so he climbed up the stairs to have a better look at the first floor, but when he peered over the railing, he couldn’t catch a glimpse of you; instead, he could only see Ron and Harry. Thus he started searching through the aisles of the bookshelves looking for you. His mind started to wonder at the possible surprised and excited look on your face when he purposely bumps into you since he didn’t want to seem creepy just coming up to you in public like this. Very ironic really. He was trying to prepare for the encounter and how he’ll start the conversation, but he wasn’t prepared right there and then when he accidentally bumps into the person he’s been looking for. You. He looked down at you, and he froze. He was trying to collect his thoughts to try and produce a sentence, but all that came out was a messily “sorry”. “It’s fine, none of us are hurt hopefully,” You laughed as you accepted his apology.

“Ye…yeah,” Cedric murmured, letting out a breathy chuckle. “How have you been holding up?” Cedric questions you, gaining back some confidence. However, he didn’t gain anything as he stood there, his mind was racing with the scenario of you two talking.

“I’ve been… alright.” You paused as you tried to find the right words to put how you were feeling after such an event, how you really couldn’t think straight, especially without the presence of him there. “It’s just that I’ve been a little lonely. Sure Fred and George kept me company, but sometimes they can be quite the bullying gits. You know?”

Cedric nodded in understanding, seeing how the twins didn’t spare anyone from their mischievous wrath. “Yeah. I bet they can be a bit harsh,”

“Yeah… I feel like I need someone a bit more… compassionate? Like…” You paused as you looked at him before looking away out of embarrassment. “Nevermind. How have you been?”

“The same as you, but minus the two gingers constantly pestering me with jokes and pranks.” He answered with a little giggle at the end and you joined him. “Not many of my friends came to visit me or wrote to me to see how I’ve been.”

“What about Cho?” The way you said Cho’s name sounded like you and her have been sworn enemies forever.

“Not even her…” The answer caused a smile to appear on your lips hearing that you were the only one concerned for his well-being.

You looked at the brunette that was in a daze, it seemed like he suddenly froze up. It was very out of character for him. Sure, he was awkward but he still could hold up a conversation unlike what’s going on here. “Hey… are you alright Cedric?” You waved your hand in front of him, it was a little awkward that you even had to do this in the first place. “You kinda froze up on me.”

Cedric jumps at your sudden movement. He finally was able to break away from his enchanted daydream.

“O-oh! So sorry! I was thinking of something!” Cedric blurted out, he started to try to think of something to lie about that caused his odd behavior.

“It’s fine, but uh, I gotta get going. The others and I have a lot of shopping to do,” You spoke up as you started to walk away from the boy, “See you at school!”

“Yeah!” Cedric yelled out as he watched you walk off. A smile was on his lips for a second when you bid your farewell, but the smile would disappear when you vanished into the crowd; leaving him in the dust just like that. He was going to kick himself later that night for not even raising a question to you if he could tag along, but he might as well “observe” you from the sidelines as you have fun with everyone that wasn’t him. Such bitterness will stick with him forever and he probably will never get rid of it.

You looked at the books that you have purchased. There were normal, by wizarding standards, textbooks for your upcoming classes that’ll probably make you fall into a pit of stress. Then there were some books that you purchased for your pleasure and to enjoy during your leisure or to pass the time. You knew Fred and George were going to start teasing you any second now seeing the books that you have purchased, it was just in their nature to tease you about everything and anything. “Are you seriously going to be digging your nose in books all year long?” Fred teased you as he popped up out of nowhere on your right side.

“Won’t you get tired of reading after reading your textbooks?” George then teased as he popped up out of nowhere like Fred, but was on your left side.

“Ha, ha, ha.” You faked laugh at their nonsense, “Well, reading will be the only thing that’ll help pass the time.”

“What are we not good enough for you?” The gingers asked you in sync.

“Getting to that point,” You jokingly answered and they both pouted and started whining about how much you hurt their feelings with your words.

“Well, what about Cedric? Don’t you have him to talk to? I mean you and him were talking for good while in Flourish and Boltts.” George said. You were surprised that they saw you and Cedric “talking”.

“We weren’t talking, it was more or so Cedric being absent-minded and I getting slightly uncomfortable.” You corrected George about the odd conversation with Cedric. “Besides I don’t know Cedric that much and he’s probably just trying to be nice by checking up on me, even though he dazed off.” You murmured to the last part.

“Yeah, sure.” That was what all Fred had said about the topic at hand. “

It has been a week since your last awkward encounter with Cedric. It was about time to get to Platform 9¾ to catch a ride on the Hogwarts Express to get to, obviously, Hogwarts and catch up with all your friends that didn’t come with you, the Weasleys, and the two muggles of the big group.

Mrs. Weasley was going to be taking the group since Mr. Weasley was too busy that day dealing with Ministry work, so it would be easier for Harry and Hermonie not to be constantly bombarded with questions if the outfits looked muggle enough or not. Sure, Mrs. Weasley will ask them if they do look like muggles or not, but never to the degree that Mr. Weasley takes it. According to both Harry and Hermonie, we look Muggle enough: they said the luggage that we have with us right now will just look like we’re just people on holiday and now are returning to where they originally lived. After situating yourselves, you all quickly hurry over to the muggle world so you don’t miss the train and avoid getting wet from the rain.

The rain poured and poured as you all tried to grab your suitcases and trunks out of the cab's trunk, it was all going well until a certain ginger's bag combust with fireworks shooting all around them. "What the bloody hell Fred!" You yelled at Fred through your gritted teeth yet he seemed more worried about the lost profit than getting in trouble. So much for trying to blend in with the Muggles.

"It's not my fault!" Fred yells back at you as he tries to make the fireworks stop. The taxi driver at that point looked upon the chaotic scene of three teens trying to make fireworks that were coming out of a suitcase to stop while in the rain; he looked like he was almost about to pass out.

"Fred, why didn't you put it in one of the trunks!? We're trying to sneak them in, not get caught by all of King Cross!" George yells at his twin just like you.

After twenty seconds, the fireworks stopped and the trio continued their unloading while throwing snarky insults at one another, mainly towards Fred for his foolish mistake. Once they took the last thing out of the cab and closed the doors, the car sped off for very obvious reasons like to get away from the weird teens. They regrouped with the others and had to listen to Mrs. Weasley rant about how irresponsible they were and that she would be checking all their stuff before they got on the train. You only hoped that the twins hide their gags well.

You load your things on the trolleys like everyone else and rush towards the entrance of the platform of 9¾. You all had an interesting way to get in, some ran straight for it while some acted sly while doing it so no one questioned why a group of people disappeared through a wall. You and the twins were obviously the sly ones since it was just in your joking and mischievous nature. You three leaned on the wall waiting for the right moment to slide right into the entrance when it started getting a bit more crowded in the muggle train station the three of you slid right in blending in with the crowd walking or rushing to their next destination. The trio of misfits ran through a short tunnel before they reached Platform 9¾, the place was filled with students bidding their families farewell or joining their friends that they haven’t seen all holiday. The twins and you were the second option as you three spotted a group of misfits just like yourselves; the group consisted of: Lee Jordan who was a Gryffindor who shared the same love for pranks as the twins, Angelina Johnson was also a Gryffindor but was tamer than Lee however she is still quite a competitive person, Isla Tay was a fellow Slytherin who was Singaporean-Scottish with tan skin and black shoulder-length hair that have a pair of round brown eyes to match, Nadia Hassan was a black girl with hazel eyes and a blue hijab with star rhinestones scattered throughout it from Ravenclaw and was also from Welsh, and José Rodriguez was a Mexican transfer student in Hufflepuff and he looked similarly to Isla but he had a Shaggy beard going on and wore a yellow beanie over his hair that slightly resembles Cedric's.

Lee was first to see you guys and his face immediately lit up like the sun. "Hey, you guys!" He shouted waving his arms in the air excitedly. His excitement caught the rest of the group's attention and turned to who he was exactly calling out for and once they saw it was you guys, they ran up to you three.

"Oh, my Merlin! It's been forever!" Isla yells and she pulls you into a hug.

"I wrote to you all holiday long," You laughed at her enthusiasm as you hugged her back.

"I know but I still miss you!" Isla lets go of you as her smile grows brighter like Lee's. Besides the twins, you were closer to Isla out of everyone in the friend group which would make a lot of sense since you two met when you both were first years riding the train to Hogwarts so it was almost like fate that you two would be best friends and similar.

You eight chatted for a bit before it was announced that the train was leaving soon, so you and the twins had to separate from the group for a second to go bid farewell to Mrs. Weasley. While you were with your group of friends, a certain "perfect" boy was watching from afar squinting his eyes with bitter jealousy. Cedric was with his group of his friends, they were talking about some random thing that he only guessed was Quidditch related, he didn’t know since he could care less about the topic since he was focused on the animal that was in his jacket and on an individual that has been plaguing his mind for the last weeks. He felt more at ease with them than with Cho who he is supposed to love and cherish with all of his heart, but it seems that you were the true owner of his heart. He deemed that you two were on a sustainable basis with how you two were during the Quidditch World Cup, but he thought there were some minor setbacks due to him daydreaming right in front of them about having a conversation with them while trying to converse with them, irony at its finest. However, this young man has hope for this year. You two might have a lot of classes with each other and play Quidditch with you, plus, if he is really lucky you two would train and study with each other.

Cedric's teeth gritted behind his closed mouth and his hands were forming fists as he saw how you seemed so happy with everyone that wasn’t him. "How does that sound Ced?" A friend of his questioned him all of a sudden. Cedric turns to the friend that was questioning him and tries to calm down.

"What were you asking? I blanked out." Cedric made up an excuse to his friend so he wasn’t agreeing to something he would regret later.

"I was asking if you wanted to join us in our usual cabin instead of the perfects," the friend answers, he and the rest of the group looked at Cedric with confusion: Cedric blanking out and not being in conversation was such a foreign concept to them and many other people. "You alright Ced? You never are usually this quiet or blank out."

"I'm alright just tired and I guess I'm still a bit shaken up about what happened during the Quidditch World Cup," Cedric lies before answering the other question, "But I have to stay with the other perfects, but maybe we can sit together when we ride to train home." His answer was a let down to the group, but to Cedric, it helped him a lot, for he could easily slip away from the Prefects cabin and check up on you and possibly converse with you more.

You bid Mrs. Weasley a farewell with the others then walked back to your friend group and headed towards your usual cabin until the trio of girls stopped the group and hurried everyone to a cabin. "Why aren't we sitting in our usual spot?" Lee asks the two, just as confused as everyone else.

"We made it just in time," Was all that Nadia said as she waved her hands to signal the group to quickly sit down. She sat right by the window and peers put in the hall, almost like she was waiting for someone.

"What is this all about, guys?" José was now the one to question the girls as he sat down opposite Nadia.

Isla hurried to sit down right next to Nadia and look out in the hall as well. "Just wait, he might be coming soon!" The others just sat down in confusion. José sat in the middle of you and Fred on the right side of the cabin, Lee also sat on the right side by Fred and the window. On the left side: Angelina sat in between Isla and George. The eight of you watched for the hallway since there was someone special coming aboard soon.

As people start getting on the train you notice that Marcus Turner was the first to enter the cabin across from yours, while most of the group only knew him for being Ravenclaw's Prefect. Then Arthur Goodrich, Gryffindor's perfect, enters. Things were starting to click between the group as to why they were seated there. Nora Cunningham, Slytherin's perfect, enters the cabin as well. It was only a matter of time until the man of the hour entered the cabin.

The Hufflepuff Perfect walked down the narrow, ruby aisle of the train just to get to the perfect train. It seemed that in every cabin he passed he couldn’t see you, only girls fawning over him. He felt hopeless. He felt that he might’ve passed you or you were further back. "Is this all about Diggory? Then let me tell you ladies something, [Name] and Cedric- Ow! What was that for [Name]!?" He heard a voice near the Perfects cabin, it was one of the twins. He started to feel hope again, as he quickened his pace. He looked at the cabin across from the perfects and saw you sitting in between your friends. One of the twins was rubbing his shoulder as he glared at you, the boys were snickering at the scene while the girl gawked at Cedric.

"Hey, [Name]," Cedric spoke up with a smile gleaming on his face. He truly made the right choice picking to sit with the perfects instead of his friends, maybe his intuition is getting better.

"Hey, Cedric." You greeted back with a faint smile and a small wave. Lee and the other twin cooed at you in a joking manner which caused you to glare at the two.

"See you at Hogwarts and if you need anything, I'm just across from you," Cedric said, sending a small wink towards you before closing the door to your cabin and entering the perfects with a big smile and proud of himself for being what he deemed sly.

You sat there flabbergasted along with the others. "He doesn’t ‘fancy’ me, he’s dating someone already," Fred said mockingly and made a horrible impression of you thus earning him a smack to the arm by you.

"He was probably just joking around-" You tried to defend Cedric but were cut off by Nadia.

"Friends wink at each other?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure we all did it to one another as a joke at one point besides you." You argued and you were right. The group, besides Nadia, has winked at each other in some way as a joke or a friendly manner. It was odd though that Cedric would wink at you since the two of you weren’t that close, but you chalked it up to just him feeling comfortable around you.

Angelina spoke up wanting to get some answers on how someone like Cedric was friends with you. "Okay, now I genuinely need to know what happened during the holidays. No offense [Name], but how did you and Cedric become so close? The two of you never talked, I'm pretty sure he didn't even know you existed all these years or I guess he knew a bit about you since you both played Quidditch, but still."

"We talked a lot when going to the Quidditch World Cup and during it," You answered with a plain answer, but you knew one of the twins was going to pipe up.

"And don't forget after when you were lying your head on his shoulders and he was all smiling and giddy over it!" Fred spoke up before his brother could.

"Fred and I kept teasing them about it when we got home how he fancy them, but they keep on denying it saying that he's just an awkward guy that's also comfortable around them and that he’s dating Cho so he couldn’t possibly like them." George carried on. The rest of the group looked as though they weren't believing what they were hearing, they wouldn't believe what the twins were saying if it weren't for how you were acting when the twins would tease you about Cedric plus with how you and Cedric seemed comfortable around each other.

Isla broke the small silence, "You know how many people would want to be you?" You only rolled your eyes at her words. "If I were you I would be like 'yeah, he fancies me and I'll be a better partner than Cho'," Isla said in a sassy way. Now you couldn’t believe what you were hearing. Things just keep repeating themselves.

Soon the train began to leave, people were yelling from the train their last farewells to their families before going off to Hogwarts. Of course your group waved goodbye to their own families, before sitting back down. "Why aren't you guys respectful towards Cho?" You questioned the group.

"What do you mean?" Isla questions you.

You furrowed your brows at your own best friend, you were also in a state of disbelief of how she and possibly the others don't see anything disrespectful. You sighed, "nothing, nevermind." You weren't just going to kill the whole mood just like that and go on a rant about respecting other people. And just after that sentence, the group continues to joke about the situation, even Fred who you thought apologized to you like a week ago. This was ridiculous, utterly ridiculous. Yet, you acted as if nothing was wrong to not disturb the atmosphere; however, you knew the twins will bug you about how all of a sudden you're now joking about it once you guys get to Hogwarts.

After some time had passed the group dropped the jokes about Cedric and you, they moved on to other stuff like how everyone’s summers were. José seemed to be full of nonsense with his pet dog that looked like it was one sneeze away from passing. Angelina's was full of training for Quidditch so she can be Gryffindor's Quidditch team's Captain. Isla was of course writing to you, but also traveling around with her family since they wanted to see a few landmarks that Muggles always go crazy about. Nadia said she didn't do much besides really reading and cooking. Lee said he has been binge watching all of the Quidditch World Cups but also has been trying to practice playing Quidditch even though he really has no desire to play for a team, he just wanted to get better at it so he could play with you guys. All of the descriptions of the holidays were pretty average and boring to say but you couldn’t really say anything since up until going to the Burrow, you have just been taking care of magical creatures.

Soon the topic shifted to the twins and the mischievous things they had planned that year and there was going to be the grand one near the end of the year that will end the school year with a bang, and according to Fred it quite literally will end with a bbang. The two tried to tie Angelina in on it since she was the only one in the group, but she didn't budge not one bit. "Nope, unlike you guys I have to make sure that I stay on my best behavior so I can be captain!" Angelina protested.

"So? You can still be captain and pull pranks with us." Lee tried to convince her.

"No evidence, No crime." José also tried to convince her.

"We all will literally help to cover up if you were part of it!" Nadia pleaded.

"Besides, you need to loosen up and this is the best way." You chimed in.

"You guys are insufferable," Angelina rubbed her temple and sigh, "fine…" Angelina finally gave in and everyone in the group cheered at their victory, it was loud to the point they didn't notice the door abruptly opening. Then an audible clear throat sound tried to compete with the wild teenagers' antics. That was when the group looked at who interrupted their fun. They all collectively thought it was the Ravenclaw's perfect since it was obvious that he never once liked them and them being loud in the cabin right next to the perfects was asking for trouble, but it wasn't him to your guys' surprise. It was Cedric. The group soon started to snicker and look at you in a teasing way.

"Hogwarts… uh," Cedric gulps a little before trying to continue his sentence, "Hogwarts wants Perfects to start checking up on people on the train, so uh, do you all have your stuff in order?" Cedric was trying to lie about the fact that he just wanted to see you, but in his mind his voice was more confident and he didn't stammer a lot. "Also, Marcus wants you all to q-"

"Quiet down we know," George mumbles a little tired to hear the name of the Ravenclaw's perfect.

"You tell that sod-" Fred was about to yell something that would get you all in trouble if it weren't for Angelina kicking his leg, not hard but hard enough for Fred to get the message to close his mouth.

"You know you can take [Name] with you, they probably wouldn't mind." Isla said teasingly mostly towards you.

"I swear to Merlin, I HATE you so much." You grumbled at Isla and emphasized the "hate". Cedric was a bit hurt to hear you say this after one of their friends teased you about him, did you not want to see him? His grip on the door tightened and his teeth gritted against each other at the idea of you not enjoying his overall company. "Cedric, you should finish checking up on other students, if you spend another second here these guys' idiocy will rub off onto you." Was all you said before the whole cart went into silence just glare at you. While everyone else was glaring at you, Cedric gave out a little chuckle and waved you farwell. He closed the door. Maybe it was because you were embarrassed of your friends as to why you were so hesitant to talk to him. Cedric thought as he felt like he cracked some sort of unsolved ancient mystery. What also thrilled him was that it seemed that you also have a slight dislike for your own companies, which was far from the truth in reality, so he felt like he didn't have to worry about replacing you friends since it would be done in a snap of his fingers.

He walked into the perfects' cabin and sat down with the other people that were looked up to at Hogwarts. "They shouldn't be a bother for now," Cedric informs the group about the noisy group. Everyone seemed to take in count of his words and carried on to the previous conversation, but the Ravenclaw didn't buy any of his words; however, he would carry on the conversation with the others leaving Cedric almost alone in his own thoughts. He can only imagine that once you and he were at the school of witchcraft, you two had the same classes. "What a coincidence!" You say as you look at the brunette's schedule. It seemed that they were the same papers if it weren't for the names of who they belonged to.

"I know right! I guess we can be study partners for now on!" Cedric said beaming with joy at you two being together for a whole year.

"Maybe we can also be Quidditch partners since my other friends are so annoying and it seems that I won't be able to see them most of the time this school year, which is lucky me because you are so much better than them."

"Oh please! [Name], I know I'm great, but you don't have to say it out loud!"

"Oh? I thought Hufflepuff's were supposed to be humble?"

"Maybe I'm not like other Hufflepuffs." You and Cedric would laugh at the irony being displayed by Cedric with him not fitting the exact mold that everyone thought he fit in.

"I feel like a bit of me rubbed off on you then," You laughed even more, "or I guess Mr. Perfect isn't so perfect. Not complaining though." You would not care if he wasn't the perfect boy that everyone, even his family, views him as. It made him feel more comfortable to be around you and relax more… he can be himself and you wouldn't care like the others. He doesn't have to feel the heavy burden around you like he does with others. You two would then talk and talk. He would even show you his familiar named Arthur that he takes everywhere he goes since it brings him comfort.

A smile was starting to plaster on Cedric's face and he was trying his best to hide it, but it was proving to be a difficult task. He tried to hide it by placing his hand on his face with his fingers trying their best to cover up the spots that made it obvious he was smiling. He leaned away from the group and towards the wall where his body rested. "Tired Diggory?" Arthur questioned Cedric. Cedric answered with a nod and a fake yawn, he closed his eyes to make it seem like he was taking a quick little nap. Then Cedric got the most brilliant idea ever: if he just pretended he lost something when everyone was nearly gone, he could seek you down and ask for your help when they reached Hogwarts. He wished he could give himself a pat on the back for the idea, but he couldn't due to the people around him would be judging him harshly.

"You guys are ridiculous! Fred, I thought you and the others were 'sorry' about making fun of me and Cedric?" You yelled at the group, mostly Fred. It's almost as if the twins forgot that they apologized to you days ago about the events. All of this made you frustrated. "Now I know to not trust you or any of your apologies again." You turned your body away from the group so that your body showed the distaste in the group at the moment. That's what you wanted to do in front of the group for doing what they did, but you didn't. You didn't want to kill the mood, so you just have to sit in silence and accept the fact that your friends are going to keep teasing you about this even though you don't like it at all.

Fred threw his arm around you as he teased you some more along with the others. "Aww, you're so adorable when you pout!" Was what blurted out and you began to become livid and you felt your cheeks and ears becoming warm.

"Knock it off!" You stuttered out of embarrassment and elbowed his side.

"AY!" Fred yelped as he held his side.

An old woman with a cart walked the narrowed aisle of the train. She stopped by every cabin to see if any of the children on the train wanted anything to snack on during the journey to the mystical school. It was very rare for students to not buy anything from the cart. For the case of Cedric, he missed it because he fell asleep while his delusions of you and him were getting the best of him. On the other hand, you with the others purchased a bunch of candies that can be categorized as joke candies with Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, Sound Sweets, and Exploding Bonbons being laid out in front of the laughing misfits.

You took a bean out of a cartridge before you and hoped that whatever color you picked would be one of the ones where the bad choice wouldn't be unpleasant. A yellow bean laid in the palm of your hand and you groaned. There was a chance of it being a pleasant taste of lemon or the ghastly taste of earwax. You took a deep breath in as you prepared yourself for the worse. "C'mon [Last Name]! Hurry up and eat it!" Jośe edged you to quickly eat it.

You shot a glare at him. "Oh, you can have time to prepare, but not me?" You sighed and just threw the candy into your mouth and chewed, you closed your eyes tightly to prepare the punch of flavors. Then a distaste filled your mouth and you immediately opened your eyes at the disgusting candy that was in your mouth.

"Ha! You got earwax!" Nadia laughed at you along with everyone else while you struggled to eat the candy since there was nowhere to spit it out.

In the cabin next door Marcus stared in disgust at the cabin next to them. He was upset that such disruptive teens were seated right next to them. He quickly got up and was about to throw the door open before a tired Cedric stopped him. He woke up a moment ago due to the commotion that Turner was upset about, but Cedric was more upset then the Ravenclaw since his dreams were sadly interrupted. "Wait, let me talk to them. They'll just only be louder if you go to them since they hate you." Cedric yawned and rubbed his eyes tiredly as he got up. Marcus only huffed and rolled his eyes before sitting back down and letting Cedric handle this. Cedric was about to open the door of the cabin of misfits until it was swung open by you.

"I'm going to get some Fudge Flies and more bonbons!" You called back to the group before bumping into Cedric. You didn't even notice his presence, but that could possibly be looking behind you towards the group. "Oh, so sorry Cedric!" You quickly apologized to the Hufflepuff.

"It's fine," he accepted your apology before closing the door of the cabin for you. "So you going to the cart? Let me come with you then, I didn't buy anything when she came by."

"Why is that?"

"I sorta fell asleep, the others aren't much company." Cedric laughed nervously as you two began to walk the aisle.

"Really? I knew being perfect was boring, but I didn’t know it was that boring." You emphasized "that" to exaggerate and seem extra for a good laugh. It seemed to work as Cedric let out another laugh.

"Yeah, there's not much to talk about since it'll just be the usual awkward talk of summer break then silence."

"I would totally let you come and talk with us, but you and I will just be made fun of the whole time." Cedric paused in his tracks for a second with furrowed brows.

"What do you mean?"

"Oh, the twins are set on the fact that you fancy me. Crazy innit?" You laughed before quickly dying down. "Hope this doesn't make our… uh… friendship awkward." Cedric stared at you in surprise as you were so hesitant to even state you two have a friendship. He was a little heartbroken.

"No, not at all. They’re just probably be jerks with how it's obvious that some of your friends don't really like me." Cedric said, giving you a soft smile and you smiled back.

After a second, you two reached the old lady with the cart. "Can I get a box of Fudge Flies and three boxes of Exploding Bonbons?" You asked the lady reaching into your pockets to grab out the money to pay her, but Cedric stopped you.

"Let me pay," he murmurs to you, "I would also like a box of Fudge Flies." He hands the women the money that paid off everything that was ordered then he was handed all of the items which you quickly helped since it looked like he was about ready to drop them. You grabbed the items that you and the other wanted and left the other box of Fudge Flies for Cedric. The two of you began to walk over to your original cabins.

"You really didn't have to pay for me." You spoke up.

"Well, I just wanted to be a good… friend, that's all." He wanted to say something other than friend, but it didn't feel right. He had Cho… he has to remember that he's supposed to be her beloved boyfriend that practically worships the ground she walks on, but there is something about you that Cho could never have.

"Now it feels like I owe you…" You grumbled.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel like that. I swear, you don't owe me anything and I won't bring this up like," he stopped himself before he could continue with his sentence, he wanted to throw some slander towards your friends but the conversation could go good or very much terrible. "Nevermind." You looked at him a little confused, you wanted to question what he was going to say but dropped it since he didn’t want to talk about it.

The two of you reached your respective cabins. "Well, I guess I'll see you some time at Hogwarts." You say.

"Yeah, see you around. Oh! Could you please tell the others to be a tad bit more quiet or else Marcus might pop a blood vessel as he yells at you guys." Cedric asks you to do a minor favor for him.

"Sure, can't promise they'll actually listen to me." You chuckled, "See you around, Cedric." You then enter the cabin and are immediately met with a bunch of your friends teasing you and laughing like hyenas.

"See you around…" Cedric mumbles out as he enters his own cabin.

"Took you awhile, Diggory." Nora said in a scolding tone.

"Yeah, yeah. I just wanted something to eat." Cedric grumbled as he began to eat the candy.

It was starting to get dark out and the sky would've been littered with bright white stars if it weren't for rain clouds filling the sky and began to sprinkle for a bit until it completely started pouring down. Everyone on the train had changed out of their normal clothes to their school uniforms as their time to depart the train was drawing near. It was time for Cedric to execute his plan, but he felt like he was missing something. It took him a second until he realized that the familiar that he had tucked in his shirt throughout the whole train ride was missing. He started to panic really badly. He didn't know what he would do without his little pal. Soon the train was brought to a halt. Each year was taken off the train separately which made it harder for Cedric to go looking for his buddy so had to sit around and wait until his year was called to come off the train, and Merlin only knows how long that will take. He sat in his seat, bouncing his leg up and down rapidly before chewing on his index finger's nail. "Are you alright, Cedric?" Arthur questioned Cedric, noticing his very nervous behavior.

"Oh yeah! Just a little worried about getting wet, that's all!" Cedric lied since he knew he'd be in trouble if they knew about his buddy being lost in a train because he decided to carry him around for some sort of comfort. However, his answer only got an eye roll from the Slytherin and Ravenclaw's prefects, but he could care less.

It felt like ages to Cedric, but it was finally time for his year to get off the train. He immediately dashed to your cabin hoping you were there and you were. He gave a big sigh of relief before urgently telling you he needed your help. "[Name], please help with something and promise not to tell anyone!" He grabbed your shoulders like they were his only lifeline, which in this case they were.

You were a little put off by his very frantic behavior, but pushed it aside since it was obvious he was in dire need of help. "Sure, what is it?" You questioned him calmly and even tried to calm him down.

"Okay… so uh…" Cedric tried to start off his sentence, but it was no use due to him being worried sick and was also in the presence of you. You told him to take a deep breath to calm down and he did before going on to his explanation. "Okay so throughout this whole train ride I had my familiar tucked away in my clothes, and when I changed out of my old clothes into my robes it seemed as though he ran off. He never ran off before!"

"Oh! Dear! We shouldn't be standing around!" You said before exiting out of the cabin quickly into the almost empty. Cedric quickly followed you out. "What am I trying to find anyway? A cat, a toad?" You questioned him as you started to look around.

"Well… uh… he's a niffler." Cedric said timidly as he began looking as well. "He's brown with some black spots, his most notable one is on his back."

"A-a niffler!?" You were shocked to hear his answer, but he quickly shushed you.

"Not so loud!" He whisper-yelled at you. "Look, I know it was stupid to buy a niffler, but eleven year old me never quite understood the concept of consequences of owning pets like that. I swear though, he's usually on his best behavior!" He tried to defend himself a bit for owning such a particular creature.

"Cedric, I don't mean to let your hopes up-"

"Don't say it!"

"But he might be good as gone…" You told him, almost feeling bad to be the one to bring him the sad news. Cedric shook his head though at you, not believing a single word that's coming out of his mouth. Sure he likes you a lot, but his niffler always comes first!

"Not possible, he couldn’t have gone that far!" He said as he started to quicken up his space and even looked at every single place that had anything remotely shiny. You shook your head before starting to help him find his lost niffler again.

After a minute of searching, you noticed something furry poking out of the crevice of a seat in one of the cabins. "Cedric!" You called out for him and he immediately rushed to you. "I think I found him." His face immediately lit up as he rushed over and began to pull out the creature from within the seat. Sure enough, it was a niffler holding some jewelry, but Cedric could care less at the moment that his niffler was stealing other people's belongings. He started to hug the small thing before scolding it like if were a child and forcing it to drop all the things it stole. You couldn't help but laugh, but still be disappointed at Cedric for owning such a creature.

"Please keep this between you and me, I don't really want him and I to get into any sort of trouble." Cedric than pleads to you, hoping you'll go along with his wishes.

"Of course." You say to his delight, but you had more to say. "You know, you're lucky you're my friend or else I'd report right away just out of spite." You teased and laughed which he joined in as well.

"Thank you for helping me find him and even finding him, I owe you my life." He said in a very soft voice as he began to tuck his friend into his robes. "We should get going, like right now." He said in his regular voice. Both of you totally forgot that you needed to get to the carriages fast because of there being a feast and the fact that it's still pouring outside.

"Yeah!" You said as you and him started rushing out of the train and towards the carriages. By the time you two hopped into one, you both were drenched. "Well, guess there was truly no point in running." You laughed as you looked down at yourself. You looked like a mess in your eyes, but Cedric thought otherwise.

"Yeah, I would totally offer you a robe like that one night at the world cup, but you should already know the reason why I wouldn't." Cedric tried to make a little joke.

"What's next? You're going to offer me to lay my head on your shoulders?" You laughed, he let out a chuckle as well. He felt fine with you and felt like he could be himself.

"Maybe, it wouldn't make a difference really unless you want to be damp," Cedric said before his niffler started crawling out his robes to shake off the water and be a bit more dry. "Archie!" Cedric yells at the niffler trying to make him stop so the two of you wouldn't get more wet.

"Archie? That's what you choose to name it?"

"Hey! Don't shame me, it was either that or Arthur and he seemed to prefer Archie over Arthur!"

"I really can't say anything, I named my cat Brutus."

"Guess we both suck at naming animals then."

The carriage soon made it to Hogwarts and the doors swung open, you both were hesitant to walk out there since the both of you felt that your clothes were beginning to dry, but to both of your dismay you had to get wet again. "How about you go first?" You said as you looked outside.

"How about I try to cover us both with my robe, I don't really care if it gets wet. Before you ask 'are you sure', I'm sure." He said as he began to take off his robe and place it over both of you. Archie soon began to crawl up onto Cedric's shoulders so he wouldn't be left behind.

"Do we just run out on the count of three?" Yoy questions and Cedric nods. "Okay… one… two…three!" You and Cedric both yelled as you began to run out of the carriage and towards the entrance of Hogwarts. The both of you almost tripped over each other quite a few times until you made it to the entrance. "You should put Archie away." You told Cedric as you pointed at the brown creature.

"Where would I even put him? I thought you took care of magical creatures for a living that keeping these guys in cages is impossible." He said as he started to wrap Archie in his robes. "He'll just have to deal with this until we get to my dorm room." He then began to walk inside of the school and you quickly followed him.

After a bunch of twists and turns, the two of you made it to the Great Hall where everyone was seated. It was really awkward for the two of you just to walk in late and sapping wet. "Uh, see you around [Name]." He murmurs to you.

"Yeah, see ya'." You said before the two of you head separate directions to join your house's table. You sat down with your friends while he sat down with his own.

"So what were you and Mr. Perfect doing? Snogging?" George teases as Fred pretends to snig with thin air.

"Shut up you two!" You yell at them and kick both of their legs under the table which causes them to yhelp.

"Who were you with, Ced?" One of Cedric's friends questioned the brunette as he sat down.

"Uh, [Name] [Last Name]." Was all he said as he tried his best to avoid any further questions.

"So you hung out with some Slytherin and not one of us?" Another one if his friend piped up and Cedric didn’t like his choice of words to describe you.

"They aren't-" Cedric yelled at first, but calmed himself down before continuing, "they aren't just some Slytherin,"

"Are you really gonna replace us with them?" With the way that his friends were referring to you was a way that seemed of disgust and Cedric was sick of it, he wanted his friends to have some respect for you. Maybe he might replace them with you, maybe he can also devise a plan to make them purposely get seriously hurt during Quidditch since he thought they deserved it for saying such words about you. At this point, it wasn't even a maybe. He will do it no matter what it takes and he will target your friends next.

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forbidden-forest-witch · 1 year

Text

Destiné à Être: A Remus Lupin Story

Chapter 10: Unavoidable

(Warnings: Smoking, drinking, language, sexual themes. 18+ only)

Word Count: 4.8K

"That's the thing about pain, it demands to be felt" -John Green

"I reckon you've all seen this?", Moody tosses the Daily Prophet onto the kitchen table. The front page features a mugshot and article of Sturgis Podmore, detailing his arrest after trespassing in the Ministry. It happened a week prior, the night after Remus and Brigitte shared the kiss.

"Someone put him under the Imperius curse. He was on guard with strict orders to not go in. None of you go in the Department of Mysteries alone". Moody's Magic eye swivels in his head.

"So, what exactly is the prophecy he's guarding?", Brigitte asks hoping to get more insight into what the weapon is that Voldemort seeks.

"Nothing that concerns you", Moody deadpans. Remus pats Brigitte's shoulder when she slumps in the chair.

"What'll happen to Podmore?", Hestia Jones asks.

"He's got six months in Azkaban. There's nothing we can do", Kingsley says grimly. Sirius shifts uncomfortably in his seat from the mention of the prison. Brigitte reaches under the table for Fleur's hand, who is present for her first Order meeting.

"He knows the risks ... We'll need his assignments covered. Lupin and Moreau– Gus. You two will take his overnight shifts at the Ministry. Brigitte and Miss Delacour will fill his place during the day. Weasley is going to have to start sharing you during the day", Moody orders, making Bill blush.

"Snape? Heard anything from their side regarding Podmore?", Moody asks.

"Malfoy executed the Imperius curse to get him into the Department of Mysteries. However, their plan was obviously thwarted. The Dark Lord will deliberate his plan of attack before another attempt. The prophecy is his top priority".

"CONSTANT VIGILANCE".

Kingsley requests the Advanced Guard stay behind to discuss more about this desired mystery weapon. Tonks, Fleur, and Brigitte find refuge in her bedroom. Fleur makes herself comfortable on Brigitte's pillows, curling her fingers around an unlit cigarette.

"A little help, sissy?". Brigitte eyes the tip of the rolled paper to ignite it.

"I told Remus I need to practice my magic. This is not what I meant", she giggles, taking out a joint from her underwear drawer.

"You simply need to adjust it some. You've never used it to defend yourself, not against such dangerous people", Fleur says, puffing away. Brigitte falls belly-first into her bed and takes a long drag.

She hands it to Tonks who graciously accepts. "Same goes for me. Moody says I need to work on not being so clumsy, or I'll never get by disguising as other people". She inhales the stimulant and leans back on Brigittte's armoire.

"If it wasn't a challenge, everyone could do it; and if it wasn't a risk, everyone would do it. That's what I told myself everyday after I was picked for the tournament", Fleur says confidently.

"You were a total badass in that, by the way, and flawless in every picture they printed", Tonks admires.

"Not all of us are blessed with such genetics", Brigitte chirps before taking another puff of marijuana. She stares at the joint, making it float to Fleur.

"It was pretty obvious in that meeting that Mr Bill Weasley would like a slice of those genetics". Tonks snickers, taking the joint from the flustered French girl, "and girl to girl, Bill is definite boyfriend material. Molly raised him right. I was school friends with his brother Charlie".

"I wish I could say the same about Gus, Tonks. My Maman tried her best. Three out of four successes isn't bad though". Brigitte smiles mischievously.

"Oh, Brigitte stop! Gus is a different man since moving here. He was in his final year when I began Beauxbâtons. He was what you call ... nerd?", Fleur quips. Brigitte scoffs and nods her head dramatically.

"Nerd is an understatement ... we weren't the biggest friend magnets. It wasn't a secret around school that our brother and Papa have lycanthropy. Gus studied a lot, ignored people".

"You both still partied plenty", Fleur cackles, obviously feeling the marijuana's effects. "You had some memorable moments. The perks of being insanely beautiful. People want to be around us".

"Fleur ... Tonks is a new friend. Try to fake some humility, huh?", Brigitte side eyes her.

"Nah. Never change Fleur".

"Thank you, Nymphadora ... we should go on a double date! You and Bill can be the tour guides ... sorry, Britt", Fleur cringes.

"For what? I don't want to go on a date with my brother". Tonks and Fleur glance at each other knowing not to push her. They discuss date ideas for the approaching cool weather, their voices fading into the background as Brigitte thinks about her kiss and tragically unknown future with Remus Lupin.

─── . ˚*☆ ☾ ☆*˚ . ───

Who she sees very little of the next couple weeks. Podmore's arrest really takes a toll on the Order, with them covering his shifts and Kingsley trying to find a way to get him released early. With opposite schedules, Brigitte and Remus barely have a proper conversation until the day of Sirius' birthday when they meet Moody at the house they already surveyed.

Brigitte is determined to make a move. She's tired of the dead-end flirting, and she knows the painfully shy and self-loathing Remus will never make a move. Although his touch and stare linger on her, that first kiss is the only one they've shared.

"You walk the block and keep your eyes open, Lupin and I are going in", Moody tells Brigitte as they stand on the roof's edge.

"Pardon?! I can come in too and–"

"No", the men say synchronously. Remus offers an apologetic shrug before disapparating. Brigitte curses under her breath, leisurely walking down the safe Muggle street. She circles the block, noticing some questionable men lurking on a nearby stoop, but nothing unusual. When she rounds the corner, Moody abruptly grasps her arm and takes them back to the safe spot overlooking the neighborhood.

"This location is secured. The property has been taken over by muggles, no traces of magic anywhere", Moody informs her. "You'll get your next location soon. Kingsley is currently updating the list of properties".

"Yes sir. Would you like to come back to Grimmauld Place with us? It's Sirius' birthday", Brigitte invites him.

"No. I'm going to inspect those men you weren't going to tell me about", Moody looks at her accusingly before disappearing with a loud CRACK.

"So now I have to report every creepy man I pass? We're gonna be busy".

"That's Moody, for ya. Wait–do men bother you a lot?", Remus turns to her concern, a protective and slightly jealous heat percolating through his veins.

"I'm fine, Remus. C'mon, I have to help Molly prep for the party". She sticks her hand out and he intertwines their fingers so they can Apparate home...

Which is totally transformed by the evening.

"You really didn't have to do all this!", Sirius beams as he walks into the kitchen with Arthur and Bill. He looks around at the red and gold streamers hung from the kitchen ceiling, lit by floating candles that are reflecting in his moist eyes.

Tonks is the first to hug her cousin, with Gus lingering behind her to shake his hand, followed by a kiss on the cheek from Brigitte and Molly. Fleur puts a cone party hat on his head and Remus hands him a glass of fire whiskey. Sirius hadn't smiled so big in ages his cheeks ache.

They toast to his good health and soon proclaimed innocence, and dig into the decadent spread. It's all Sirius' favorites: a rack of lamb with roasted fall vegetables and mashed potatoes. A love-filled birthday meal he's never experienced before in this house.

"You've never made any of us a dinner this nice...", Bill mumbles to his mother, picking up his third bread roll.

"Well deary, don't celebrate the next fifteen birthdays and I promise to do something special for you", she smiles sarcastically.

"I make you whatever you want, my love", Fleur assures him, sensually touching his arm. Mrs. Weasley purses her lips, rethinking Bill's next birthday dinner.

"I like the decorations. It's nice to have some color in here", Remus compliments, earning a serene smile from Brigitte. They're squished together at the end of the table, whispering and watching Sirius soak up the moment.

"Thanks, Rem. It was fun, we put up most of the streamers without magic, made the cake like muggles too! Sometimes it's fun to do things with intention and care".

"I think we should keep the streamers up, everyday. Livens up the room, yeah?". Remus waves his hands around, motioning to the monochromatic style.

Brigitte cocks her head and smiles playfully, "I think we'll be lucky if Kreacher doesn't rip down every piece by morning. I'll redecorate for your birthday...".

"And that's why I'll never tell you when it is", he says playfully.

"Ha! You think I don't have my resources?".

"Meaning, Sirius?".

"Oh, hush", Brigitte shoves his arm, feeling his tense biceps. Finishing her champagne, Brigitte pushes her chair out. Remus assists her to stand, and his heart palpitates when she runs her fingers across his knuckles.

"I'll be right back!". Brigitte retrieves the birthday cake from the pantry. The 36 candles light up as she returns to the kitchen. The French girls and a reluctant Gus sing Happy Birthday in their mother tongue, and Sirius makes the longest birthday wish history.

"I hope you like it. It tastes better than it looks", Brigitte laughs at the lopsided mess.

Her sweet, bubbly giggle makes a tingling sensation erupt behind Remus' belly button. The kindness she shows everyone makes his heart skip a beat. She is the light of 12 Grimmauld Place and the reason he feels nervous but simultaneously peaceful every time he walks through the front door. That's why he doesn't understand how someone so bright would look at him twice.

After second helpings of cake, Arthur and Molly leave, and the younger crowd continues the party upstairs. Sirius puts on the Ramones and dances around with the girls while Remus, Bill, and Auguste sit around with their drinks; the latter two dominating the conversation with talk about goblin business. The werewolf turns his gaze once again to Brigitte, hopping around barefoot on the ripped rug, in a curve-hugging dress.

"Hey ho, let's go! Hey ho, let's go!", she sings with Sirius, cheeks flushed and hair sticking to their sweaty foreheads. Brigitte feels Remus' eyes on her and he looks away when she finds him, but not quickly enough. She saunters to him, towering over the scruffy man. Remus looks up at her over the rim of his glass, noticing her outreached hand.

"Oh– after I finish the drink?", he stutters. Brigitte quirks an eyebrow, leaning forward and wrapping her fingers around the glass. She brings it to her lips and downs the brown liquid without batting an eye.

"All done", Brigitte says innocently, pulling Remus from the couch. Auguste rolls his eyes at his sisters flirtations and takes a shot with Bill before they too join the mini dance party.

It’s like a mosh pit, mainly because of Sirius throwing his fists around as he jumps around and screams “its my Brithday!”. It’s a joy to see him in a happier mood. He takes turns dancing with everyone and drunkley kisses the girls cheeks. And of course, Remus and Brigitte try to stay close on the makeshift dance floor.

After an unknown number of whiskey and champagne bottles, vinyl changes and toe injuries, the visiting couples all but collapse on the floor. "Thank Merlin we just have to apparate", Tonks groans with all her body weight against Gus.

"Lucky I'm sober enough to do it". He pushes her onto Fleur and the two brace against each other on their way out. Sirius drunkenly bids a goodnight and drags himself to his room on the top floor.

Brigitte takes the Queen vinyl and slides it back in its sleeve. She puts out the fire and when she turns around Remus is still standing closely with his hands in his pockets. He gives her a small smile and a quiet, "Goodnight", but going against his better judgement he doesn't step away from her.

Brigitte looks up through her thick eyelashes and wishes him good night while caressing his rough, scarred hand. She glances at his mouth and then his eyes, biting her lip and giving him a expecting look.

"We can't, Britt", he says regretfully when she rises up on her tip toes. Brigitte takes half a step forward, her hands moving to his shoulders.

"You said that last time, Remus", she whispers.

"And I meant it... Look, I'm damaged. I'm old, poor, and I've never had a future. You- You're the brilliant woman I've ever met, and you have your whole life ahead of you... I'd ruin that. I'd ruin you. It's different here, we're not in France... You have no idea how much I want this, but it'd be incredibly selfish of me...", he mutters, avoiding eye contact and carefully taking her hands off his shoulders.

Brigitte's face and heart crumble at his harsh words. "Remus, that's such a foolish thing to say! You'd never ruin anything; y-you've made my time here infinitely better! And you're not old or damaged or any of those other things. You're kind, smart, handsome, and I feel lucky to have you in my life... I treasure love and friendships over everything, especially material things like money... I know you feel our connection too. Why can't you let yourself be happy, Remus?", she says with her voice cracking.

"Because I dont deserve it; and I don't deserve you. You'd eventually see that. I'm sorry for letting this go on as long as it did. Just, please ...", he trails off, physically aching from rejecting her.

Realizing there's nothing she can say to change his mind, Brigitte cups his cheek. She leans forward to make him look her in the eyes one last time and gives him a quick kiss on the corner of his mouth. Then she turns and runs to her bedroom before he can see the tears rolling down her plump, freckled cheeks.

Remus stares at the floor where Brigitte was standing, listening to her receding footsteps and feeling as though his heart was ripped from his chest. 'You're kind, smart, handsome, and I feel lucky to have you in my life'... SHE feels lucky to have YOU and you push her away as fast as you can. You're a fucking Idiot!'.

The sound of her heartbroken voice plays in his head on repeat, making him rapidly blink away the moisture stinging his eyes as he stands in that dark room alone.

─── . ˚*☆ ☾ ☆*˚ . ───

Brigitte is able to keep the incident to herself for almost two weeks. She shadows Death Eaters and watches Diagon Alley with Order members who aren't big on small talk, organizes Sirius' personal testimony for whenever they have Pettigrew, and spends most evenings in her room drawing. Remus is coming home late again, and for the first time the two sit apart during the Order meetings.

It's not until her schedule crosses with Fleur that Brigitte can no longer pretend like nothing happened. They're under an invisibility charm together, stealthily walking the Knockturn Alley rooftops. Creepy characters lurk in the shadows on the street, but no Death Eaters or suspicious activity coming from Borgin and Burkes.

"I can't take it anymore. What happened?", Fleur asks.

"With what?", Brigitte tries to play dumb.

"I know you. It takes a lot to upset you. What did he say?".

"Who?".

"Dammit woman you know what I'm talking about-- Oh look, Malfoy's going into that store". They silently watch for a few moments until the wizard walks out empty-handed.

"We'll tell Moody he's still involved in this sketchy stuff. Now back to you and Remus", Fleur says, more interested in her friend's boy troubles than the browsing Death Eater.

"There is no me and Remus. He made that quite clear", Brigitte spits.

"Mon Dieu", Fleur frowns. She looks over to the sunset beyond the city skyline. "Come. Moody said we're finished at nightfall". She apparates Brigitte to the cousin's flat she's living in. It's a townhouse that takes half a block. The floors are marble and the crown molding is mahogany. Heavenly frescos adorn the high ceilings.

"I'm the only one here. Family is safari-ing in Africa, then spending the winter in Morocco", Fleur explains. She prances to the bar and Brigitte slumps onto a fluffy satin couch.

Fleur gives her a glass of cognac and clinks their crystal together. Brigitte gulps the entirety of the drink.

"I kissed him", she says, making Fleur choke on her drink. "I kissed him and he rejected me".

"Oh, sissy. Men are idiots", Fleur rests her head on Brigitte's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?".

"I really don't. I've been successfully burying my feelings thus far". So instead, they chain smoke cigarettes and lie on the living room floor, watching the enchanted, floating flower petals that Brigitte conjured above them. She points her finger, twirling it in circles to make the petals whirl around like a tornado.

Which does elate her somewhat, but all the sadness she feels from the rejection and vulnerability she showed Remus comes hurling back once she's in Grimmauld Place; though it's only for a moment to change her dress. Fleur had insisted they go out for the night, and Brigitte's day attire is certainly not welcome in the upscale clubs Fleur frequents.

Brigitte finds a sullen Sirius alone in the kitchen, once again throwing insults at Kreacher.

"I'm sorry. It's my fault Remus is not coming around. He hates me. Maybe I stay with Fleur?"

"Absolutely not. Moony goes through these phases sometimes. I'm sure you've seen how hard it can get, his condition... What did he do?".

"He didn't tell you?", Brigitte asks surprised.

"Hell no. He's been avoiding me just as much as you".

"Oh ... Well– find a way to tell him I won't be home tomorrow. I'll stay with Fleur for the weekend. You shouldn't suffer because he doesn't want to be around me", Brigitte offers.

"Whatever he said, he didn't mean it", Sirius yells as she hurries to her bedroom. But Brigitte ignores the comment and gets ready for a night out on the Muggle town: a skin-tight black velvet dress with long sleeves and exposed back. She finishes the look with sheer stockings and combat boots.

"Fleur's gonna love this", she snickers. Hair without sheen and a chunky boot are the antithesis of fashion to the part Veela.

Brigitte runs down the stairs as quietly as a jungle cat stalking its prey, wanting to avoid another awkward moment with Sirius. She apparates to Fleur's block, where the French witch is already waiting outside smoking a skinny cigarette.

"This is exactly why I wanted to dress you ... let's go. With your pretty face, you'll still get in", she remarks, flicking the cigarette butt.

"Ugh! Rude! Where are we going anyway?". Fleur takes her arm and Apparates them to the rich part of town.

It's a nightclub called Noir. Very fitting for Fleur. The girls skip the long line, and waltz right in like they own the place. An upbeat remix blasts over the speakers, so loud Brigitte can feel the bass vibrating throughout her body. Tall, beautiful people fill up the space, and Brigitte realizes Fleur wasn't making a hyperbolic insult at her outfit. High-end designer logos are seen in every direction.

Fleur speaks into an waitress' ear, an intimidatingly beautiful woman who takes them to the only empty seats at the bar.

The bartender looks bored, raising his eyebrow instead of asking what they'd like to drink. Fleur lifts up two fingers and shouts, "Courvoisier Cognac!".

That's the last thing Brigitte remembers ...

They sway their bodies together in the middle of the dance floor, unintentionally seducing the entire room. Brigitte let's the music guide her, no thoughts in her head. Their hair are tangled messes from the erratic movements, mascara already smudged and drinks sloshed on their dresses.

A few more songs later, a hand much larger than Fleur's finds its way around Brigitte's waist. She turns abruptly and makes eye contact with a very handsome Muggle. A young man, no older than herself, dressed in an impeccably tailored suit. His hair is more gelled than Brigitte usually likes, but there's no denying his attractiveness. He looks like he stepped out of a Hugo Boss ad she's seen plastered everywhere, with his almond eyes and round lips.

When she doesn't push away his touch, the man takes Brigitte's hand and leads her in a dance. His leg slowly finds its between hers as she grinds her hips. He moves in sync, masterfully finishing his cocktail without any dripping down his chin. When the song fades into a new one, he leans to her ear, brushing her hair away before speaking.

"I'm Victor. I'd love to buy you a drink?", he asks with a smile, exposing his pearly white teeth. Brigitte glances at Fleur, but she's too preoccupied with her own dance partner. She keeps the man at an arm's distance apart, despite his attempts to get a better hold of her hips.

"I'm Brigitte", she says with a barely noticeable slur once they approach the bar.

"Beautiful name, beautiful girl. What would you like to drink, Love?".

"Whatever you're having". Victor smirks and turns to the bartender, who passes them each a glass of warm amber liquid. Brigitte takes a sip and violently cringes at the foul taste. Somehow Muggle whiskey is worse than the stuff Sirius and Remus drink.

Remus. It's the first time the lycanthrope has crossed her mind all night. Brigitte shakes her head, pushing it away. She takes a large gulp of the drink, hoping it will make her feel good like the cognacs did not so long ago.

"You from around here, Brigitte?", Victor asks, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"No. France. I'm working here temporarily. Same goes for my friend", she says gesturing to Fleur.

"Well, I could listen to you all night", Victor purrs before downing his beverage. "Watching you dance was quite nice too. Care to rejoin our friends?". He offers his hand, which Brigitte takes after another few sips of alcohol. She notices how smooth this white-collared man's skin is compared to Remus'. Not a stubbly hair in sight, not that she minds the scruffy look.

She tries not to think about that either. Instead, trying to be in the moment, feeling Fleur brush up against her as they dance. She focuses on Victor's hands exploring her body, him pulling her close and brushing his nose against her neck. She can smell his expensive cologne. Brigitte clears her mind, dancing up against the hot stranger as he grips the curvature of her bum.

His fingers trail up, tracing her spine and around her neck until he's cupping her cheek. They both know what happens next. Brigitte turns her head slightly and raises her chin, letting his press his lips to her. They're soft and smooth and clearly experienced. Victor groans when he tastes Brigitte and softly squeezes her necks.

It's not a bad kiss at all ... but it's not Remus, and that realization hits Brigitte all at once. No amount of alcohol can make her forget that. She suddenly pulls away, pushing Victor's chest.

"I'm sorry", she whimpers as she clumsily pushes through the dance floor towards the exit. She ignores Fleur calling after her, not stopping until the cool, night air hits her skin. This behavior isn't like her at all. Getting hung up on some man, then using alcohol and other men as a distraction. She's not sure if Remus' rejection, or her response to it is more humiliating. Then again, she'd never consider Remus just "some man", and that's why it hurts so much.

"Britt! Brigitte, Love! You okay? Did that guy-"

"No, no it wasn't him. It's me. Fleur ... why does this suck so much?". She stumbles as they stand on the curb.

"Because you've fallen for Remus and you've never let yourself like a guy this much before. It double hurts when the person who rejects you doesn't want to". Fleur wraps her arm around Brigitte and hails a taxi. No way can they Disapparate when they're both this intoxicated.

"He is so stubborn ... but so smart and cute. And totally good enough for me! No matter what he says! Why does it have to be so complicated?!".

"So this is what happens when you get liquor drunk? You're much more refined on champagne", Fleur jokes as she helps Brigitte into the yellow car. After a silent ten minute drive, they arrive in front of 11 Grimmauld Place. Fleur drags a sleeping Brigitte out of the backseat and sits her on the stoop. She pays the driver and waits for him to leave before waving her wand to reveal Headquarters.

"I am not carrying you up the stairs", Fleur hisses. She opens the door and lets out a sigh of relief seeing the kitchen door illuminated, but who she finds isn't who she was expecting.

"Hey, Sirius can you– oh! Remus, hello ...", Fleur's greeting dies down upon seeing the lycanthrope alone in the kitchen.

"Fleur. Everything alright? Where's Brigitte?", he asks in a hurry. Fleur looks down at her shoes, the bright lights of the kitchen irritating her drunken eyes.

"She's fine, technically ... that's why I came in here, follow me". They march to the front door to find Brigitte slumped over on the steps.

"She's a light weight", Fleur giggles. Remus kneels down in front of Brigitte and sits her up.

"Hey, Brigitte. Can you stand up for me?", he asks. She mumbles incoherently.

"Thats what I thought", he sighs. Remus scoops Brigitte up with ease.

"Just put her to bed", Fleur instructs. "On her side so she doesn't choke ... and Remus? Stop fucking around with her". Fleur flicks her wand and takes the Knight Bus home. Remus looks down at Brigitte tucked into his chest as he climbs the many steps in Grimmauld Place. She nuzzles into his shirt and takes a deep breath.

"Smell... good", she mutters before passing out. Remus smiles sadly, kissing Brigitte's forehead and gently placing her into bed. He removes her shoes and pulls the covers up to her chin, praying she'll have no hangover or memory of him in the morning.

─── . ˚*☆ ☾ ☆*˚ . ───

After that night, Fleur demanded they get together for another small soiree to get Brigitte's mind off things. Or rather, to give them a chance to gossip about it.

"I stopped by the bank today and Fleur told me all about your fun night out ... lover boy still being hard-headed, huh?", Tonks inquires.

Brigitte glares at Fleur, "Remus was quite clear. 'I'll ruin you. I'm damaged, old, you're too good for me'; and he wouldn't listen to me. We haven't talked since", she says painfully, taking a hit of a joint. Fleur looks at her hands guiltily, having decided against telling Brigitte about Remus carrying her to bed.

"Oh, Britt, I'm sorry. I doubt he'll be able to resist you forever, though. The lycanthropy makes him stubborn", Tonks says trying to comfort her.

"Yeah! And if he doesn't come around then you gotta go for one of these Princes! That Edward is not so bad". The girls laugh at her dramatics. "That'll make Remus crazy jealous".

"What will?", Bill asks as he and Gus come inside from the small terrace smelling like burnt tobacco.

"Britt getting with one of your Muggle Princes".

"That'll be the day", Gus laughs. Brigitte shoots a spark from her fingertip to her brother's butt cheek, making him yelp like a poodle. "Ouch! You know I'm on your side! No Prince of Lupin better hurt ya".

"Aw, I think I might cry", Brigitte swoons, wiping away a fake tear. Coincidentally, on the other side of London, the two Marauders are sitting in the Grimmauld Place kitchen with their whiskeys, the room cold and dimm without Brigitte's lively energy.

"I can feel you looking at me, Pads", Remus groans, looking at his meat and potatoes.

Sirius shakes his head and throws down his fork, "I'm just wondering when you're going to tell me what happened ... I saw the way you two were. I saw the longing looks. Now- nothing".

Remus sighs and drops his head in shame, "Fine. She kissed me, Sirius ... I had to end it before she got hurt".

Sirius looks at him unimpressed, "You're telling me that incredible woman kissed you and you push her away? You don't think Britt can protect herself? And protect her from what!? You're supposed to be the smart one", he says flabbergasted.

Remus keeps his head down, too guilty to look at his friend, "it's better this way... She'll be glad one day that she didn't waste her time".

Sirius laughs at his self-depreciation, "Wow, Moony you belong in a Greek tragedy! I can't believe you- someone who accepts and understands your furry condition; loves the same nerdy shit? I told you not to ignore that... The last few weeks, she still asks me about you. You're worried about hurting her, you already have mate".

Masterlist:

Taglist: @dontjudgemyobsessionpls

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