A/N: Written for the Non-Canon Fun Challenge on HPFC.
Quidditch & Grass
Cedric Diggory should have been in the Hufflepuff common room, celebrating their victory over Gryffindor. Instead, he was jogging down a corridor, trying to find the other team's captain. He felt awful over the win. Everyone kept assuring him that it was a fair game, that he would have caught the snitch regardless, but it didn't feel right to Cedric. His eyes lightened up at the sight of two red-heads, whispering and looking at objects in their pockets.
"Fred! George!" He wheezed, out of breath from running through a good amount of Hogwarts. The twins turned around at the same time, eyes widening in unison when they saw Cedric. He took a breath while they talked.
"What's your problem mate?" They said in unison, looking behind Cedric. One of them, Fred maybe, continued.
"Need to repent after that cheap win?"
"We've got dung bombs." The other one said, holding up a handful of the small objects. Cedric shook his head, grinning.
"Thanks for the offer. I'm looking for Wood." The two waggled their eyebrows. "Oh, bug off! Oliver. Oliver Wood." The twins laughed and patted Cedric on the back.
"He's probably still sulking on the pitch." Cedric nodded, preparing to take off again. "Good luck getting that Wood!" They called out after him.
Cedric kept running, determined to find Oliver before curfew. After a couple more minutes of running, he was out on the Quidditch pitch, with only one other soul in sight. Lungs burning, Cedric walked over to the seventh year captain. The sinking feeling in his stomach multiplied when he drew closer. The boy was sitting on the pitch. His shoulders were slumped and he was pulling grass, piling it up in front of him.
Cedric thought he was being quiet, but apparently not. Oliver didn't look up, and Cedric could barely hear him.
"I'm not going back to the dorm guys. And if you threaten to throw dung bombs one more time, I'll hex you to next week."
"Good thing I'm out of dung bombs then, huh?" Oliver;s head snapped up at the unfamiliar voice. He turned and looked Cedric up and down, surprise fading.
"Good win." He mumbled, pulling another patch of grass out. Cedric sighed.
"No, it really wasn't." Oliver paused, but still wouldn't look in Cedric's direction. Cedric walked around him, sitting across from him. "Harry was attacked, and it wasn't a fair game. I wanted to offer a rematch." Oliver smiled a little, shaking his head.
"No, you had that snitch before Harry started losing it. As much as I'd like another shot at the game, you won." Cedric shrugged, nodding.
"Alright then." He certainly wasn't going to press the issue. They sat in silence for a few minutes, both adding to the pile of grass between them.
"You're a brilliant seeker." Cedric looked up, meeting Wood's eyes.
"Nah, maybe just compared to what Hufflepuff's had in the past." Oliver laughed. "Thanks for the compliment though." Oliver nodded. They sat in the pitch for another hour, watching the sky get darker. They spend some time in silence, some chatting about nothing. Soon enough they heard the professors calling out for students. They both stood, wiping grass off of their robes.
"Ready?" Oliver asked, holding out a hand. Cedric could feel his face turning red, thinking back to what the twins said. He took Oliver's hand, hoping his wouldn't feel too sweaty.
"Yeah." They looked back and saw a bare patch on the Quidditch pitch, and a pile of grass over a foot high. "Madam Hooch won't be happy about that."
"We can always deal with that tomorrow." Cedric laughed, looking at Wood. They walked back to the castle, saying everything but good night.