#cedricfluff

[cardansriddle]

Cedric Diggory- Treasure

Warnings: none. just pure fluff

I rushed out of the common room, checking my surroundings before heading off to the library. Sneaking out after the curfew was not a good idea, but reading a couple of books was always a better option than spending the night restless. 

"Lumos" I muttered as I made my way into the dark library. I quickly found a book and went to take my seat on my usual table, however, I stopped in my tracks once I noticed a figure slumped over the table. I moved closer to the person coming to the conclusion that he must have accidentally fallen asleep while reading. I shook him gently, trying not to startle him. Suddenly, he jerked away at the sudden contact and lifted his head, rubbing his eyes tiredly, and only then I realized who it was.

Cedric Diggory. He was a Prefect.

Shit.

He looked at me, his expression puzzled. His eyes were surrounded by dark circles and I subconsciously felt bad for him. Being a champion whilst trying to prepare for exams was not easy. I remembered how he barely survived the first task, in which he almost got fried but managed to escape. I  snapped out of my thoughts once I realized he was staring at me expectedly. 

"You must've fallen asleep here. It's two in the morning." I whispered and he nodded in understanding.

"Why are you out of bed after curfew?" He said as he rose, collecting his stuff while keeping an eye on me. Upon noticing the horrified look on my face he chuckled lowly. "Relax, I'll let it slide this time."

"Thank you." I breathed out in relief and noticed the book he was holding tightly in his hands. "I assume you haven't figured the egg out yet?"

"Uh yes." He answered uncertainly. I could tell he was confused as tow why I was asking this question, and it wouldn't take a Legimilens to figure out that he was uncomfortable with the whole tournament subject. I wondered if he would accept help from anyone, and came to a conclusion that he was the Hogwarts champion, and giving him tips would help us win the tournament. So I told him what Fleur had shared with me early in the morning.

"Fleur mentioned something along the lines of taking a relaxing bath with the egg. " I said with a smirk and before he could reply I hurried out of the library and slipped back into the common room.

-

The next morning was quite tiresome. Chatting with my overhyped friends and trying to eat at the same time was a challenge for my sleep-deprived self. They were excitedly discussing the Yule Ball which would take place in a week, and despite having the perfect dress sent to me, being asked to the Ball by several suitors, I was not feeling excited. Since the announcement of the tournament, I have been feeling uneasy and expecting something to jump at me from the dark at all times. Countless of nightmares about deaths have been haunting me, which is the reason why I was too scared to get a blink of sleep. Noticing my solemn expression, my friends stopped their banter.

"Are you alright?" One of them asked and I nodded my head, putting my fork down and getting up to leave. They have learned from past experiences that it is not the best idea to push me, so they let it be, for which I was grateful.

On my way out of the Great Hall, I bumped into something hard, and if not for the hands around my waist that reached out to steady me, I would be on the floor from the impact. I looked up to see Cedric, who was staring at me with careful yet concerned eyes. 

"I apologize. Wasn't watching where I was going." He quickly apologised like the true gentleman he was, and upon realising that his hands were still holding my waist, he let go with a blush. I didn't say anything, just tried to get past him but he grabbed me by the arm. I looked at him, confused, and once again his cheeks turned a deeper shade of pink.

"I never thanked you for the...um help." He said lowly causing me to smile lightly.

"It was a reasonable thing to do," I replied and before he could say anything else, I gently pulled my arm from his grip and headed to the library. 

The library was almost empty which was normal considering the time. I quickly sat behind my usual table and started working on my essay, carefully choosing words and scribbling them down to the parchment. Not long after, I heard the chair next to mine getting pulled back and I look up to see the devil himself taking a seat next to me. I raised my eyebrows in question, he, however, without sparing me a glance, opened his book and started reading. 

"You seem drained of energy." He broke the silence after a while.

"Just have a bad feeling about this tournament," I answered briefly and saw him nod his head slowly from the corner of my eye.

He opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped midway as if he was unsure. "Is there anything I can help with?" Cedric offered after a moment of hesitation and I rolled my eyes.

"Listen, Cedric. Just because I told you how to open the bloody egg-" But before I could finish my sentence, he cut me off.

"No, I am genuinely interested in..well, being your friend." The words shut me up, and I searched his eyes for some kind of hint that he was just playing with me, but upon not finding any, I breathed out a tired sigh.

It was very quiet. The change of conversation shifted the room into a silence that was drizzled with a crackling tension. I felt my heartbeat speed up and flutter in my chest. I did not know how to reply to that, I did not want his pity. Was it pity though? 

"Your lack of response is unnerving." Cedric chuckled, the sound so melodic and comforting I didn't want him to stop talking. 

"I do not know anything about you." I pointed out shyly. He laughed and I could tell that I was amusing him.

"That is the point of friendships, you get to know each other." He was still staring at me, expectant. "How about this? Come to the Yule Ball with me and we will get to know each other while having a good time yeah?"

My cheeks reddened even further and I could not believe that Cedric Diggory just invited me to the Yule Ball. I suddenly became aware of the flickering firelight dancing across Cedric's handsome face, drawing attention to his sharp jaw and smooth lips. I had a sudden urge to kiss him but suppressed it. 

I cleared my throat and looked into his eyes while accepting his offer. "Alright."

His smile widened at my response and without saying anything else (for which I was grateful), He picked his book back up and picked up from where he left off like he did not just invite me to the Yule Ball.

Maybe befriending the champion wouldn't be so bad after all.

-

Fast forward to the day before the second task. After the Yule Ball Cedric and I became closer than ever. Every time I saw him my heart would be sent into a frenzy and my head would be clouded with the thoughts of his lips. It was getting harder to resist his charm, and as I sat next to him, trying to figure out how to breathe underwater for one hour. An idea popped in my head and I squealed with excitement.

"Ced!" I shook his slumped form. However, before I could tell him about my revelation, Professor Snape interrupted me with a fake cough. I turned around to face the intruder and without sparing Cedric a glance, he gestured me to approach him. 

"I believe you are needed in the Headmaster's office." He drawled with a bored tone and Cedric lifted his head and looked at us with pure confusion etched on his face. 

"Page one hundred twenty-eight," I whispered in Cedric's ear before picking up my stuff and following Professor Snape out of the library. On our way there, I wondered why would I be needed in Headmaster's office, after all, I haven't pranked anyone since the tournament started, and have completed all of my assignments. However, I refrained from asking Snape my questions. It would be useless.

"Lemon drops." He drawled at the Gargoyle guarding the entrance and with a single clear nock, he entered the office, me trailing behind him. Upon my arrival, I noticed Granger, Weasley and Fleur's little sister also standing there. 

"You may all be confused as to why I summoned you here." Dumbledore rose from his seat. "The champions' next task will be to rescue the thing they would miss the most. You being the closest people to our champions, will be put under a strong sleeping potion and they will have to rescue you in an hour." Dumbledore explained as Snape started handing out small vials of the potion. I took it hesitantly and stared at it.

"Is there a problem?" Snape asked after a moment and I realized the students next to me were already in a deep slumber, and I was the only one standing and idiotically staring at the potion.

"I'm just- I mean uh, sir? But I am far from being the person Cedric would miss the most. We are barely even friends." I said, catching the amused expression on Dumbledore's face. I turned my head to look at Snape who raised his eyebrow as if in disbelief. I mean the thought of being Cedric's "treasure" in this task was making me giddy, but the sensible part of my brain kept telling me this was some kind of a misunderstanding, that they brought the wrong person here.

"Just drink the potion," Dumbledore said softly and I sighed, popping off the lid and downing the thick liquid in one go. As soon as I swallowed the last drop, sleep overcame my senses and I found the world going dark before I fell into a dreamless sleep.

-

Cedric looked around frantically, trying to find the girl he had become so close with over a short period of time, but she was nowhere in sight. He released a disappointed sigh, thinking she couldn't care less about his task or well being. Pushing the hurt feelings aside, he prepared to dive into the water. Little did he know the girl he was looking for was already waiting for him underwater, waiting to be rescued. 

Cedric raised his arm and pointed his wand at his head. "Papula caput" He cast the bubblehead charm that was on page one hundred twenty-eight. The charm that she suggested. And she was not here.

The shrill sound of the whistle echoed in the air and with a final look around (to see if she showed up because maybe she was late?) and finally coming to the conclusion that she would not come, he dived head straight into the water, pushing his body deeper and deeper, to try and find the treasure the egg had hinted he would need to find.

The deeper he swam, the darker it would get. He could only see tangled black weed and the foggy dark landscape ahead of him. He could neither see nor hear any signs of other champions, his treasure, or merpeople around him. With a worried glance to his watch on his wrist, he could tell there was not much time left. Then without a warning, something suddenly grabbed at his ankle, trying to pull him down with great force.

"Flipindo!" He fired at whatever was grabbing him, but the angry creature seemed even madder as another one clutched his other ankle. He started firing spells at them (he realized they were grindylows, water demons with horns and sharp fangs) and when they released their grip on his ankles for a moment, he quickly swam forward in order to escape their wrath. Fortunately, they let him go and he decided to go a little higher in order to not get caught by any other creatures lurking in the shadows. He swam for what felt like hours, the silence stretching and pressing at his eardrums. Then he heard it.

"An hour-long you'll have to look, And to recover what we took..."  

He swam towards the direction the mersong was coming from. He spun around a corner and saw a bunch of merpeople singing the familiar song, luring the champions towards them. Behind the merpeople were the "treasures" of the champions, each tightly bound with ropes around their ankles. And as he looked closer to rescue his own treasure, his breath got caught in his throat. 

She was the person he would miss the most, he realized as he swam towards the girl. Her skin was paling since had been in the cold water for Merlin knows how long. Her floating form made his heartache and he quickly pulled a knife and cut the ropes around her ankles and with an encouraging nod at Potter, who was torn between saving Ron and Hermione, he swam upwards. 

Cheers broke out as soon as we resurfaced, and I took in a breath, sighing in relief when oxygen made its way into my lungs. I felt a firm grip on my waist and only then I realized I was in the arms of Cedric Diggory. He was watching me, concern clear as ever in his eyes and I smiled at this. 

Snapping out of his trance, he started guiding us towards the deck, and once there, professors pulled us up and we were wrapped in warm towels. He was still watching worriedly, I realized as I caught his gaze. He broke free from his friends' embrace and approached me.

"Are you alright?" He asked me.

"Yes, what about you?" 

"Better now that you are safe." I couldn't help but blush at his words and looked at my soaked shoes. He lifted my chin with his finger and smiled widely, and before I could process what was happening, I felt his lips on mine. Without a second of hesitation, I kissed him back and even though the students around us were cheering louder than ever (thanks to Cedric's public display of affection and at the same time confession), I felt like we were the only ones that mattered at the moment. My heart was hammering against my rib cage, thumping like a tennis ball being smacked against a wall over and over again. The short yet passionate kiss came to an end, much to my disappointment.

I could see Dumbledore smiling and the single elegant eyebrow Professor Snape had raised knowingly and I let out a laugh. Had I been that blind?

The thought was thrown out of my head as Cedric put his forehead against mine and we smiled foolishly at one another. 

Merlin, I had never felt so content.