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Cedric groaned as he shoved his whole arm under his four-post bed. How does one possibly lose an entire 3-foot Transfiguration essay? As he grumbled at his misfortune, he pulled his arm out and instead opted to replace it with his head. He was making a fool out of himself anyway, might as well be thorough with it. Plus, he thought, it’s not as if a monster is hiding-
He saw a flash of green eyes. Cedric crashed his head on the bottom of his bed and scrambled to get out.
“Argh!” Cedric exclaimed, crawling backwards,“There’s something under there!”
One of his roommates attempted to muffle his laughter while the other made his way towards Cedric who was rubbing his head. “ Lumos ,” he said, pointing his wand under the bed. He grinned, pulling his arm out slowly.
“Ah, yes mate, a real scary, utterly terrifying -” he pulled his arm out “-tiny little kitten.” He plopped the feline down on Cedric’s lap as he and his friend left the room, giggling to themselves quietly.
Cedric, thoroughly embarrassed, blushed brightly as he stared down at the cat. It was a small black cat with sharp green eyes. "Well you're certainly not my essay are you?" His own eyes narrowed as the cat tilted its head at him, as though it was laughing at him as well. “You really shouldn’t go scaring people like that. It’s not very nice.”
The cat chirped at him and it hopped down off of his lap. It seemed it had already lost interest with Cedric. He watched it go. As his blush faded, his embarrasment turned to curiosity. What was a kitten doing all on its own at Hogwarts?
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The second time Cedric spotted the cat was just as odd if not odder than their first encounter. He was on his way to Transfiguration (with a brand-spanking-new essay because he searched all over and still couldn’t find the original–so much for being a good finder) when he heard a soft ‘ meow’ .
He paused.‘M eow .’ There it was again. Cedric's gaze flitted around the hallway trying to find the source of the noise when crash! Cedric rushed over to the source of the noise only to find a black cat. The same black cat he had found in his dorm a couple nights ago. Currently, it was s tanding right on top of a newly busted-up and broken suit of armor. It let out one more soft ‘ meow ’ before jumping onto Cedric’s shoulder and hiding in his cloak.
Cedric barely had time to think about the cat or why it had decided to climb on him when suddenly-
“ Mr. Diggory! What do you think you’re doing?” He covered his face with his hands and groaned. "You are a naughtly little thing aren't you," he said under his breath while awaiting his punishment. The cat only purred in response.
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After a brief lecutre on why beating up inanimate objects is not okay, Mr. Diggory, a fluffy head finally peeked out from under his cloak to look at Cedric. “I’m starting to think you’re a bit of a bad-luck charm, you know?” He whispered while looking straight ahead.
“First making me look like a bit of a tool in front of my friends and now getting me into trouble. Why do you have it out for me? Did someone send you?” His eyes began to widen, “Is this all a secret plot from the Ravenclaws in an attempt to have us lose the Quidditch cup this year? Or Sytherins?” He narrowed his eyes, “I wouldn’t put it past those sly bast-”
Cedric wasinterrupted from his rambling with a swat to his cheek. He stopped walking and turned his head in disbelief. “Did you really just hit me?” He asked, incredulous. The cat blinked from its post on Cedric’s shoulder, and then hopped down to his legs. Instead of hightailing and running away like it had done previously, the cat started pushing his head against his ankles. It’s bloody nuzzling me, he thought in disbelief. He stared down at the cat, bewildered.
“Hmm. Maybe not an evil plot after all,” he mumbled with a furrowed brow. The cat looked up at him and meowed.
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The cat stayed with Cedric for all of his classes throughout the day, sleeping in his robes, with the occasional nudge to his shoulder with its head. Through his bemused state about the whole situation, Cedric actually found the company quite nice. However, he knew it couldn’t last forever.
After his last class of the day, Cedric went to the library. He sat down, pulled the cat out of his robes, and set it down on the table in front of him. It meowed in protest, and stared grumpily at Cedric. “You know, as much as I appreciated your company today, little thing, you must have an owner looking for you somewhere,” he said, somewhat doubtful as he eyed the cat’s bare neck.
After a minute of silence, he sighed and buried his head in his arms on top of the table. “I like you, I do, but do you really want to keep your person waiting on you like this? They must be getting worried about you,” he said, slightly muffled through his arms. He really didn’t want to say goodbye to the cat. But he couldn't just keep it if it already had a home, that wouldn’t be right. And it must have a home with how friendly it was.
Cedric lifted his head after a minute of thought and found the spot where the cat had been moments ago, empty. He sighed once again. It was for the best. He then groaned and dropped his head back into his arms as he remembered an assignment that was due tomorrow.
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Cedric didn’t see the cat for a while after that. He decided to act as if it had never happened and continue with life as usual (although his friends still teased him about that night he found the cat in the first place– ”Uh oh Cedric, look out! Another big scary beast!” his friend exclaimed, pointing to something nearby. Cedric looked to see a large toad on the ground. He winced at the memory ).
As he walked through Hogwarts’ grounds, trying to find a place to study, he was distracted by a certain trio sitting by the lake. One person in particular. Harry . Ever since the Triwizard tournament had come to an end, Harry had fascinated Cedric. Despite being the ‘Boy Who Lived,’ Harry didn’t let the fame get to him and become all snotty and pompous. Instead, it seemed quite the opposite, really. He was kind and humble and-
Fingers snapped in front of his eyes. Cedric blinked and turned to look at Fred Weasley. George Weasley, never to be far from his twin, was on Cedric’s other side. “What’ve you got your eye on, mate?” Fred said, with a sly look in his eye. “Nothing,” Cedric replied, averting his eyes from Harry and turning to look at the lake instead, “I was just thinking.”
“Thinking, huh?” George draped himself over Cedrics shoulders “Because from where I’m at it looked more like you were staring at little Harry over there.” Fred nudged his side with his elbow while Cedric tried to wrestle his way out from both Weasleys.
“I don’t think staring is the right word to use, George, I would say a more accurate term is “gawking, with hearts in his eyes.” Fred laughed. Cedric, fully embarrassed with cheeks as red as the twins’ Gryffindor robes, exclaimed, quite loudly, “I was not staring–or gawking for that matter! I was just–I was..” He fumbled for words.
“Staring mate, it’s alright. Happens to the best of us.” George patted his shoulder in fake sympathy before he and his brother turned to walk away (probably off to bother some other poor bloke--Cedric assumed). He sighed and stared at his feet. Maybe he was staring just a little bit . He slowly looked back up to Harry again, only to find that now he was looking at Cedric. As soon as Cedric spotted the other boy, Harry gave a small smile and wave. Cedric gave a bashful grin in response, and walked to a nearby tree to sit by.
As he pulled out his books, he couldn't help but feel like he'd seen those same eyes somewhere not too long ago, he just couldn’t quite place it.
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Cedric was having a Bad day. A capital ‘B’ Bad day. He completely failed a quiz that he studied for, his nose had been sniffly all day ( probably getting a cold ), he’d tripped down the stairs like a loon in front of half of his year, and to top it all off, he had run out of toothpaste this morning. So instead of minty fresh breath, he had been forced to use his roommate’s absolutely repulsive watermelon-flavored ( watermelon!) toothpaste instead. It’s safe to say that his mood wasn’t the greatest at the moment.
Although it was only midday, he found himself in bed with a pillow pulled over his face. He knew that he had classes, but he couldn't quite bring himself to care. He groaned, about to roll over to his side, when he heard a tiny, ‘ meow .’ Cedric slowly removed the pillow from his face, and found the black cat at the foot of his bed. He stared it down for a moment, and then shoved the pillow back over his face. “I don’t have the mental headspace to deal with this right now,” he mumbled into his pillow.
He felt the light pressure of paws walking across his body, until they reached his chest. He brought the pillow down only slightly, so that only his eyes could be seen. “You’re back, huh.” He shifted his eyes into what he hoped was an intimidating glare that he aimed at the cat, “Well you’re not welcome here at the moment. Go away.” He shut his eyes tightly with a frown, then opened them moments later and fully removed the pillow from his face, sending it sprawling across the bed.
“I’m sorry that was rude. I shouldn’t have said that. Especially to you.” The cat stared at him, nonplussed, like he hadn’t said anything at all. It then shifted itself so that it was laying down on his chest. Cedric chuckled. “Yes, might as well make yourself comfortable while you’re at it. It's not like I'm getting up anytime soon,” he said, more fondness in his voice than annoyance now. He brought one hand up from his side, and hesitantly put it on the cat’s back. When the gesture was met with no reaction, he started gently stroking the cat’s fur. As the cat closed its eyes and seemed to doze off, Cedric began to speak in hushed tones to the cat.
“As long as you’re here Little Thing, I might as well tell you why I was such a grouch. Well to start, I failed a test and I've got a cold. And let me ask you this--have you ever had to use watermelon toothpaste? Honestly..."
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After that day, Cedric found himself actively seeking out the black cat, and on days when it wasn’t around, he felt bit lonely. Sure, he had lots of friends was truly hardly ever alone, but he had become accustomed to the feline’s presence, usually sleeping on his shoulder under his cloak.
Even though he seems to wander all day, he must have an owner. I do wonder how responsible this owner is, though. Cedric thought to himself with a furrowed brow, Letting your cat just wander the halls all day, all by itself. What kind of-
He was interrupted from his musings when he bumped head first into something. Or, rather someone he supposed. He screwed his eyes shut, cringing in embarrassment as he stumbled backward.
“I’m so sorry, I was lost in thought and wasn’t looking where I was going,” he said, looking at his feet while rubbing his head, “Are you okay?” he asked, glancing upwards. Instead of being met with a person, like he’d expected, it seemed that he had actually run into a statue. And had apologized to it.
His face flushed a soft pink in embarrassment. He gathered his books that he’d dropped and was just about to keep walking and pretend like that never happened when he heard soft laughter coming from behind him. A second wave of embarrassment hit him as he turned around to see a boy with messy black hair and green eyes looking at him in amusement.
Cedric groaned, “Stop laughing at me, it wasn’t even that funny,”
“It was a little bit funny,” Harry said with a mischievous gleam in his eyes. He walked closer to Cedric and put his hand on his shoulder. Cedric felt his face heat up lightly once more at the other boy’s close proximity. “I wouldn’t worry about it much Cedric, I’m sure the statue forgives you,” he said while grinning at Cedric's embarrasment.
Although his ego was a bit bruised, Cedric found that Harry’s smile was contagious, and he gave the other boy a sheepish grin in return.
“Shut it,” he said to Harry while he pushed his hand off his shoulder good-naturedly. “You did look quite distracted there,” Harry said curiously, “What were you thinking about?”
Cedric scratched the side of his head, “Well, there’s this cat that’s been wandering around Hogwarts, a black one,” he explained, “Have you ever seen it before?”
Harry looked startled. His eyes had widened slightly and he stuttered a bit as he spoke, “A cat? I’ve uh–” he adjusted his glasses and cleared his throat, “No I can’t say I’ve seen any cats around. Other than McGonagall, of course.” He laughed awkwardly. Cedric raised an eyebrow at the other boy’s odd behavior. “...Yeah, it’s just–it’s by itself all day and I just wonder where its owner is and if they’re worried about it at all.”
“I’m–I’m sure the cat is probably fine, it’s probably nothing to worry about!” Harry exclaimed as he started walking away rather quickly. Cedric noticed that his hands were clenched tightly by his sides. “Feel better from your cold!” Harry shouted distantly a few moments later.
The Hufflepuff stood bewildered where Harry had left him. “Huh,” he said, “that was odd.” He frowned and started walking to his next class. “Did I mention that I had a cold?”
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After a rather tiring day, Cedric found himself in one of the many alcove windows around hogwarts. As he looked out the window, he thought back to earlier in the day. He couldn’t figure out for the life of him what had made Harry so panicked. I really don’t think I said anything.. Maybe when I told him to shut it he thought I was really upset at him? Maybe I should apologize?
He was still looking out the window when he heard a soft ‘ meow ’ and then the cat was in front of him once again. “Hello, Little Thing,” he mumbled, still frustrated with himself. Cedric groaned dramatically and said, “I think I’ve made a friend upset, but I don’t know what I’ve done to upset him in the first place!” The cat meowed again and then pawed at his leg in concern.
“As cute as you are, you’re not much help,” he said with a sigh. The cat stopped scratching at Cedric’s leg, blinked up at him, and then curled up into a small ball beside him, electing to ignore him entirely, it seemed. "Maybe you've got the right idea," he said with a yawn. His eyes blinked slowly as he started to drift off. I'm sure I'll think of something to say to him after I wake up..
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It couldn’t have been more than thirty minutes later when Cedric awoke. However, even with his eyes closed, he knew that something was off. The once small body that was curled up next to him as he fell asleep was now much larger and seemed to be half laying on top of Cedric now as well. His eyes shot open and he stared. He blinked and tried to comprehend what was happening. He had fallen asleep with a cat beside him and instead woke up with Harry Potter laying on top of him.
Through the confusion, a soft blush graced over Cedrics features as he studied the other boy’s face. He didn’t know if he’d ever seen him this peaceful before; he seemed to be constantly stressed or thinking about something which, in turn, would cause him more stress. Sometimes he wished he could magic away the furrow that seemed to be a permanent fixture in Harry’s brow.
From this close, Cedric could see how Harry had very faint freckles scattered across dark skin on the bridge of his nose. He could see a small, faded scar (not the scar) that appeared to be many years old across one of his cheeks–he wondered how he had gotten it. He could see long dark eyelashes that fluttered a bit in his sleep. During Cedric’s study, he hadn’t noticed the other boy start to stir. All of a sudden, gray eyes met green ones for just a moment before Harry shot up from where his head had been in Cedric’s lap and promptly fell to the ground.
“Shit! Merlin, that did not feel good,” Harry grumbled, still not fully awake. Cedric peeked over the window ledge cautiously. “...Harry?” he asked hesitantly. “You alright?”
Harry sighed, “Yeah, I’m okay,” he paused, “Wait, what? Harry–?” he looked down at his body in bewilderment. “I’m–I’m me?”
Cedric only felt more confused now, "You..are you?
Harry frowned a bit, "I just meant–-I'm not..." he stopped, glaring at his palms as if they were the ones who'd wronged him.
Cedric shuffled, getting himself into a sitting position. He looked at Harry for a minute in contemplation then gently patted the spot beside himself. "Maybe..you could explain what happened?" he suggested. Harry sighed, then started to get up. “Yeah, I guess I should,” he said, somewhat reluctantly. He sat on the ledge and ran a hand through his hair, “I guess it all started when I found myself in the Hufflepuff common room…”
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“So you’re the cat that’s been following me around?” Cedric asked with a smile on his face.
“I wouldn’t say that I’ve been “ following you around, ” remarked Harry. Cedric laughed.
“You’re telling me that that time when I was out at the Great Lake in the middle of the night, you just happened to stumble upon me?” he said with a grin, nudging Harry slightly.
“ Okay , fine, maybe I followed you. I just–” he paused, seemingly struggling to find the right words, “I like... being around you I guess and-"
"Wait," Cedric inturrupts, "You hit me!" he turns to look at Harry, scandalized quite honestly. He recived a dry stare in return, not unlike the ones the cat had given him. Suddenly the resemblance was uncanny.
"Is that really the most important thing we need to talk about right now?"
"Yes!" Cedric cried in indignation, "I can't belive you hit me!" Harry, although trying his best to remain impassive, started to grin a bit at Cedric's antics.
"Okay, yes! I hit you! With my tiny little cat paw. I'm so sorry it wounded you so badly." Harry says with a laugh. Cedric only grins at him.
"Well, at least you can finally talk back to me," Cedric said after a beat of silence, “It beats when I’d tell the Little Thing about all of my adventurous days and was only met with a condescending look in my direction.”
Harry's grin shifts into a smirk, “The most “adventurous” day you had was when you wore weird socks one day instead of normal ones.”
“My socks are fun, not weird. Especially the ones with the little owls on them,” he objects, a little put out by the dig on his socks if he was being completely honest. He pulled himself together after filing the comment away in the back of his mind.
It was silent for a moment. Neither boy was sure what to say to break the silence.
"Harry," Cedric finally said. Harry's head turned to meet Cedric's eyes.
"Yeah?"
"I like being around you too."
While he spoke, Cedric slowly creeped his hand over to Harry’s. Harry tensed a bit at first, surprised at the touch, but slowly relaxed as he turned his hand over for Cedric to take.
They sat there without speaking for a litte while longer, enjoying the comfortable silence that had enveloped them, before someone finally broke it.
"So about that clue you gave me during the Triwizard Tournament--" Cedric cut him off by putting a hand over his mouth.
"I was trying to be smooth, alright?" he insisted. Harry was now shaking with laughter, his eyes shining with mirth, and although he'd brought up a quite embarassing memory, ("Just take your egg and mull things over in the hot water." Really Diggory? That was the best you could come up with?) he couldn't find it in him to be annoyed in the slightest. He was finally talking to Harry, person Harry, and Harry was talking to him. Nothing could bring his mood down right now.
(His mood would in fact be brought down later after being told that he was not allowed to call person Harry “Little Thing.”
“I’m six feet tall and only about one inch shorter than you, you can hardly call me little!”
“But it’s cute!”)