Round 13
Written for the QLFC, Season 5, Round 13.
Position: Beater 1
Position Prompt: Pawn 1: Write about a character being manipulated.
Characters: Cedric, Fred and George Weasley, mostly unnamed OCs
Title: Love Games
Word Count: 1,900
Beta(s): Wanderers
Optional Prompts:
5. (song) Poker Face - Lady GaGa
8. (colour) Steel grey
12. (word) Desire
Go Wanderers!
Content Warning: Allusions to harassment, bullying, toxic relationships and hella manipulation ahoy!
Cedric turned to look at him. He was met with steel grey eyes full of curiosity, and a warm smile — a smile he knew very well by now. But this time, his heart seemed to stop. Time itself seemed to slow down. For a moment, he considered moving closer — for just a moment. They were so close, leaning against one another as they talked about... what were they talking about?
The thought of moving in was immediately dismissed as he laughed and swallowed his desire for his closest friend. He pulled his gaze away, but found himself looking into those eyes whenever it seemed not-so-suspicious to. Steel grey, but not cold. No, they were like molten iron, searing white and hot, always burning. Sam was like fire, Cedric had always known this. He was mesmerized, he felt warm and comfortable around him. Now, he wanted nothing more than to dive into that molten steel and get lost in a sea of grey - a sea of Samwise Plunkett.
He could never forget that day. That boring, mundane day where he could remember nothing but that stupid, godforsaken moment, and those stupid hot steely eyes.
"I adore him, but...y'know…" Cedric mumbled quietly.
"He's got a boyfriend? He's your closest friend? You know if you made a move you'd forever disrupt whatever weird balance you have going on with those three?"
"...I don't know why I'm telling you this." Cedric buried his face in his hands.
"Neither do I, mate." George Weasley shrugged, "Might've something to do with that lifelong friend thing."
Cedric smiled weakly. It never seemed to matter how long he and the Weasley twins didn't talk, they would always greet him as though they'd spoke just yesterday. He liked that about them.
"Where've you been these days anyway? With that lot? Everyone's been saying it's like you've disappeared."
"Mostly." He ran a hand through his hair.
"What, are they holding you hostage?"
He laughed, "Hardly, I enjoy spending time with them. We've a lot of stories going on at the moment, you know." He was referring to a muggle game they all played, a role-playing one. He quite enjoyed it, but he knew no one but those three who played.
"Sooo...you don't have time for boring 'ol George and Fred now, is that it?" He pretended to sniffle, "I see how it is."
"No, no! It's not like that at all I-"
"Relax, pretty boy. We'll always be pals. Besides, Fred and I could use your skills in the future." He winked.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Cedric stood up and brushed his robes down, "Thank you for listening to me rant."
"Oh, it was an honour I assure you mister Cedric I-am-never-sad-or-upset-ever Diggory."
Cedric shook his head, "Get to class, George."
"One second," George held up a finger, then sprawled himself on the bench they had been sitting on and pulled the hood of his robes up over his head.
Cedric rolled his eyes, "On your head be it,"
"Good night, Dickory!"
He chuckled, and trotted down the corridor to his divination class.
Cedric stared at the runes in front of him, confused. Or rather, one rune in particular. "Hagalaz, air… It means no matter what there'll be-"
"A time of utter destruction!" Professor Trelawney cut in, pointing rather dramatically at the rune from where she stood. "Death, divorce, sickness, major set-backs oh, oh my dear boy…" She rushed over to his table to hold his hand, looking at the runes. "But it is an opportunity for change so...oh… Oh...reversed Isa...oh dear me…"
"I might…" He looked at the book, then at the other runes. "I'll be betrayed, or deceived…that's how the change will happen..."
"Let me see." Sam was behind him, Cedric could feel his breath tickling his ear. He did not dare to move as he spoke, secretly relishing every second he was near him - and feeling awful about it all the while. "Reversed rune indicating protection - meaning you've been warned in the past, or something. Now, you're apparently happy. You might be betrayed, which would lead to some massive change in your life that'll happen no matter what you do."
Professor Trelawney went to put an arm around Cedric, but stopped when she saw him shift uncomfortably. "You can always change the future, my dear. You've been warned before, you see." She pointed to the reversed protection rune. "Perhaps you can stop this before it begins."
"What a load of shite...that class, am I right?" Sam scoffed.
Cedric just smiled and shrugged. Truth be told, he quite liked that class. He thought he was good at it. The predictions he made usually came true, one way or another. Betrayal. Deceit. What if George told him? He shook his head. "No..silly…"
"Exactly. You have nothing to worry about. You've got us, after all."
Cedric felt blank when he woke up that morning. It was a warm, spring day. All the blossom trees were in bloom, the birds were singing and he walked down the corridors of Hogwarts feeling numb. He had no destination in mind - no destination, but away from them. From him. He had just turned a corner when suddenly he crashed into someone.
"Oi, watch—! Hey, it's…" Fred Weasley, and George too. "Mate, you alright?"
"You look like you've seen a ghost," Oliver Wood, there was no mistaking that Scottish lilt.
Cedric couldn't speak. I'm fine. He couldn't seem to make his vocal chords work. The weight he'd been carrying in his chest had finally risen to his throat to choke him. All he could do was stare at the three of them. Then, he shook his head and walked on.
He heard the twins make their excuses to Oliver, who seemed more than happy to let them help their dazed friend.
"Cedric!" George put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from walking. "What happened with them?"
"Did you tell them to sod off— Ow!" Fred yelped.
"I…" Cedric croaked. It was all coming up now. He couldn't keep it down anymore. He buried his face in his hands and started to cry.
The twins led him to a quiet secluded area of the castle, making sure to avoid any prying eyes until they sat him down and let him sob silently. They didn't ask anything of him, they just looked at each other helplessly for a few minutes, until Cedric was able to tell them what had happened.
"I just...don't understand why he won't…why he won't understand! Why doesn't he get it? What they did was… It was unacceptable, right? Fuckin' awful!"
"Betrayal at it's finest," Fred sighed heavily — he seemed to be letting out a breath he'd been holding the entire time Cedric had been blubbering. He could see his hands balled into fists. Merlin, he hoped Fred wouldn't punch them or anything...
"Cedric," George placed a hand on his shoulder, "You've gotta let him go too. If he's on their side after what they bloody did to you? Leave him."
"But…"
"But what?"
I'm in love with him. The words didn't come out. But he supposed they both knew. "How can I leave him with those...people? They make you believe you're safe, that you'll never be hurt and then… I don't know, they manipulate you! I can't believe I was so stupid! I was isolated and...all that other stuff, I don't know…" He babbled.
"Did he not say he thought your idea of friendship was toxic? He was more than just a pawn," George whispered.
"Well, Merlin forbid you put your loved ones first — only when you're ready, willing and able to. Terrible philosophy." Fred scoffed. "Can't always put 'em first, you know that better than anyone...now… Sorry."
"Don't be…you're right." Cedric sniffled, "First it was Sam." It was the first time he'd said his name aloud in days. Sam. Perfect Sam, he'd taken a bullet for him — only to discover he was behind the trigger in the end. "When I knew he was okay, I moved to Flo, then they were okay...couldn't care less about…" He couldn't even say his name aloud. That toxic, manipulative bastard. He had them all wrapped around his little finger. He was whoever they wanted him to be. The vulnerable, creative young soul, just seeking friends. Liar, liar, lair.
"You came dead last, even when we kept tellin' you- Ow! Stop hitting me!" Fred snapped at George.
"I'll stop when you start showing some bloody sensitivity," George snapped back, then, he turned his attention back to Cedric. "You did the right thing, walking away from them, standing up to them too."
"Very Gryffindor. We're so proud." Fred pretended to wipe away a tear.
"He's twisted anyway, that bloke." George shuddered. "Playing this whole thing out like it's a game."
"How the hell does a victim of...uh, what you're a victim of," Fred rushed awkwardly before continuing. "Become the heartless villain?"
"Simple," Cedric found himself breathing evenly again, "He's good at playing characters. He's the victim now, they'll never see past it…"
"Can't read him like you can." George nodded.
"That's like You-Know-Who claiming…" Fred trailed off. "That...purebloods are somehow victims and… Oh, he does do that."
"He's a You-Know-Who now, isn't he?" George laughed.
"Don't give him the honour," Cedric muttered.
"Ooooooh! Oh!" The twins cackled loudly, and Cedric ended up chuckling a little with them. That was pretty good.
Despite having vented with the twins, and later the entire Gryffindor Quidditch team (because the more people he told, the safer he'd be from them, or so Fred said), Cedric returned to his dorm that evening still feeling numb. Exams were close approaching. He was so close to failing so many of his classes because of all this nonsensical drama. He was exhausted, he was so utterly done. He wanted to give up. Completely. He wouldn't sleep for weeks, he knew that. He'd be paranoid for the remainder of the year, and probably when he got home too. What if I see them again? What if they try to talk to me? The thought paralysed him with fear, just the thought alone.
Alone.
He was so alone now. All of this couldn't have happened at a worse time. This was completely, utterly, planned. The runes were right. The runes knew this would happen before he ever did. For something of this scale, he must've planned it for weeks. Although, probably better not to regale professor Trelawney with this particular tale.
He buried his face in his pillow and started to cry all over again as he thought of Sam.
"I love you, I miss you, I hate that I love and miss you, you asshole, why didn't you help me when I needed you, fuck, fucking fuck…!"
He wasn't aware he'd said it aloud, muffled by his pillow. He thought of Sam's smile, his laugh, his hot steely eyes, and silly voices, and how he'd never be around him ever again. Sam hated him now, because he'd twisted the story that way. Sam would never see past that bastard's poker face so long as he was in love with him. He'd never know the games he was playing. All the red flags just looked like flags when you wore rose-tinted glasses, he knew that all too well now.