Author's Note: Thanks to stars fall at midnight for presenting The Secret Relationship Challenge. I was hoping to get a unique pairing that I'd not seen before, and I got much more than I hoped for. As always, all characters within are the property of J.K. Rowling and her corporate friends, while the plot is mostly mine. Even better, this story theoretically fits canon, so just imagine that this took place the day after Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff in The Prisoner of Azkaban. And now, on with the show!
It was nights like tonight that made Cedric Diggory wonder why house rivalry was so important. Yesterday, his Hufflepuff team had bested the Gryffindor squad, even though they shouldn't have been playing in the first place. The only reason the 'Puffs had been on the pitch was because Draco Malfoy had managed to fake an arm injury just long enough to get the Slytherins switched to a different match. Everyone knew the little worm was faking it, but as he liked to remind everyone, his father was on the board of governors, and could easily get a student expelled without proper cause other than angering the scion of House Malfoy. Cedric was a bit skeptical that anyone on the board had that much power, considering no one who had ever stood up to Malfoy's taunting had left the school.
Which brought Cedric's thoughts back to Harry Potter. Grabbing the Snitch before him had been wonderful, until Cedric looked back and saw Harry falling to the ground, his broom blowing wildly off toward the Forbidden Forest. Thankfully Dumbledore had slowed Harry's fall. Cedric didn't want to think about what might have happened if he hadn't. Of course, Malfoy had to take advantage of the situation by miming Harry's fall every chance he got, now that his arm was "finally healed." If not for his position as a Prefect, Cedric would have hexed the bastard in the hallway, consequences be damned. With all of this on his mind, and clearly etched on his face as well, it was no surprise to the rest of Hufflepuff when Cedric left the Common Room, heading for the Astronomy Tower to clear his head.
His mind kept turning the scenario over: Why did Gryffindor and Slytherin hate each other so much? His father had been at Hogwarts over 30 years ago, and had said that while there were occasional disagreements between the houses, the only constant trouble had been caused by people who would all turn out to be Death Eaters, and they hexed Muggleborns exclusively, no matter which house they were in. Some time in between, there must have been something that ignited the rivalry further, but Cedric couldn't fathom what it was. He knew there was no history between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw, or either of those houses with Gryffindor. And yet while all three houses had skirmishes with the Snakes, only Gryffindor had taken it extremely personally.
This train of thought carried Cedric undisturbed throughout the halls until he reached the top of the Astronomy Tower. Looking out over the grounds, Cedric wondered how his life might have been different if he had been a Gryffindor, and waging constant war against Slytherin. He was so lost in thought that he didn't hear her come up until she was standing right next to him.
"Cedric? Are you all right?" asked Padma Patil. "You seem to have much more on your mind than when I usually meet you up here. Do you want to talk about it?"
It was times like this where Cedric was glad the 'Puffs and the 'Claws didn't have a rivalry. If they had, he wouldn't have discovered the exotic beauty that was Padma Patil. They had become friends during long hours studying in the Hogwarts Library, and at the start of this year had decided to be more than just friends. However, knowing how the Hogwarts rumor mill worked, neither wanted to worry about what the rest of the school thought of their relationship, so they limited themselves to being friendly around each other in public, and saved their more romantic moments for alone time, usually at the top of the Astronomy Tower. They both considered themselves stargazers, and it was much easier to pretend that they were simply studying the stars if anyone came up and found them.
"Oh, hi Pad. I just can't stop thinking about the game yesterday. I'm glad we won, but I don't feel right about how it happened. I already offered Wood a rematch, but he wouldn't take it. It got me thinking about a lot of things, and I just came up here hoping to find some answers," said Cedric.
Padma looked out and saw that yesterday's rain had slowed, but a mist still hung over the Hogwarts grounds, making it difficult to see much beyond the castle. No stargazing tonight.
"Cedric, I know that wasn't the way you wanted to beat Harry Potter, but the fact is, you won the game. No one save for a few of the Slytherins wanted to see the game end with Harry falling off his broom, but he did, and you can't change that. You've done all you could. You might just have to accept this and move on from it."
Cedric looked at his girlfriend, a concerned, yet caring expression on her face. He reached out for a hug, and quickly found that a warm Indian witch in your arms makes a lot of things feel better. After a brief embrace, he let go, and kissed his girlfriend on her forehead.
"Thanks, Padma. I needed that. I just hope that I won't have to win a game like that again," said Cedric. "Now, since we are up here alone, and the stars seems to be hiding from us, what can we possibly do until curfew time?"
Padma's face lit up with a bright smile. "Well, I can think of one thing." She pulled Cedric in for a kiss, which became very passionate very quickly. After a minute or two, they broke the kiss, grinning at each other.
"Well, Padma, I'm afraid I must go back to Hufflepuff and see if I'm needed. And I'm sure you've got some materials to revise for the week ahead," said Cedric. "So, barring any major assignments or detentions" he winked at his girlfriend "I'll see you here this time next week?"
"That sounds lovely, Cedric," said Padma. She kissed him on the cheek. "'Til next week."