Waiting for the Moment (that Never Came)

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter.

AN: Done for the Candyland Pairing Challenge Game on HPFC.

Cedric Diggory was a dream. A dream of lanky sprawling limbs, intelligent questions and innovative spell work, and he was just as untouchable this week as he had been last week, and the week before, and for those few summer months when he was fourteen and Remus had been working part time at a bakery in his home town.

He didn't know why he was torturing himself this way. What he should do was tell Cedric that he was sorry but he was terribly busy with his marking, that with OWLs and NEWTs coming on he didn't know when he'd be able to take the time to see him again.

What his did was set the essays about classification of dark curses aside—after scribbling a hasty A at the top of the last one, which was technically only half-marked—and greet the sixth year prefect with a warm smile.

"Good afternoon Cedric."

"Hello Remus—sorry, Professor Lupin."

"As long as we're alone in my office you can feel free to call me Remus," he said, handing over the tea he'd prepared in expectation of the Hufflepuff's weekly visit.

A touch of milk and a teaspoon of honey for Cedric and a plethora of sugar and the barest drop of milk for himself.

He'd also had a plate of digestives sent up from the kitchen's, asking after his favourites with the house-elves.

"So tell me about your Charms project, Professor Flitwick says it's coming along quite splendidly," Remus offered as a conversation starter, turning away from Cedric to fiddle with the tea service a bit trying to compose himself.

Good lord, his hands were shaking. This was almost worse than those two years after Hogwarts where he'd been more than half-way in love with Sirius bloody Black and trying to share a flat with the handsome tosser.

"Actually, I wanted to ask you something first," said Cedric.

His voice was lilting with easy amusement but Remus was a werewolf and he couldn't hide the sudden uptick of his heartbeat or the sudden rush of nervous pheromones that filled the air.

"Of course," said Remus, turning back to face Cedric, curiosity overriding embarrassment, "What would you like to know?"

"I—that is, I'm going to turn seventeen in a few days and I'd wondered if you—if you might possibly be agreeable to seeing me, um, romantically?"

Remus blinked, biting down on his tongue hard enough to draw blood and wondering briefly—wildly!— if he'd fallen asleep at his desk again.

"I—I'm sorry could you—"

A steady flush was crawling up Cedric's neck, and he ducked his head, breaking eye contact.

"Sorry Remus—Professor Lupin, I knew it was a long shot, and a little inappropriate, I just thought I'd ask, you know, just—in case. I can go if you'd like."

"No," Remus said, trying to shake himself out of the stupor Cedric's confession had sent him into, "Please, just—I need to process this for a second if you could please just—"

"Oh, erm, yeah, sure."

Another rapid flutter of Cedric's heartbeat and Remus couldn't quite believe what was happening. The tremors in his hands were back and his tea sloshed a bit as he raised the cup to his lips and took a deep draught.

Hunched into the other chair Cedric mirrored him, folding a leg underneath his body and looking very young and very vulnerable—a temptation and a warning.

Taking a deep breath, Remus set his teacup carefully back into its saucer. He'd learned quite a bit about the dangers of succumbing to temptation. He had nothing to offer this brilliant boy, there was a veritable heap of issues standing between them, not the least of which was the age difference, his teaching position and his lycanthropy.

He couldn't in good conscience take Cedric up on his offer, not while he was still his teacher and not while he wasn't in possession of all the facts.

"It's okay you know," he piped up suddenly, "I can handle a flat rejection. In fact, to be honest, I'd prefer it to a platitude. I wasn't expecting you to say yes, or even take it this well."

Remus, let out the breath he'd been holding all at once, and decided to just, show his hand and let the chips fall where they may.

"To be honest myself Cedric, my first inclination is not to say no," Remus offered, watching and listening as he found himself quite suddenly under the full force of Cedric's attention, "I have had some—romantic inclinations towards you for some time now. Probably longer than is strictly appropriate."

"Then—"

"Just because you're coming of age and it will be legal, however, doesn't change the fact that this is not the right time for us to start—seeing each other in that way," said Remus carefully, running roughshod over Cedric's hopeful exhalation, "I am still your teacher, and it would be a gross misconduct. And there is also something about me you should know about me. A few skeletons in my closet as it were."

"That's not a no, though," said Cedric, "In fact that sounds rather a lot like a 'yes, but only after you've graduated and we've had a long talk about it.'"

Remus chuckled a bit.

"That about covers it, yes. I don't expect you to wait that long, of course. You're a teenager, you should have the chance to explore your options before tying yourself down if nothing else."

Cedric shrugged.

"I've been in love with you since I was fourteen years old, and I've gone on this long being loyal without a real hope of ever even meeting you again. Compared to that a year and a bit will be easy."

"You would think," said Remus, favouring him with a fond but sad smile, "But it rarely works out that way."

"We'll be the exception that proves the rule," Cedric said with a confident grin, "A year and a bit of waiting and one long conversation. I'm going to hold you to it."