I never knew one glance could be so mesmerizing. He doesn't even stop talking with his friends as he bumps into me, looks me in the eye for the silent approval that I am alright, and keeps walking down the stone hallway toward the main dining hall. I stand staring after him, fumbling to get my books in order.
It's strange that one moment could seem so meaningless to others and yet so much to the ones involved. Never would I have thought that my life could become one of secrets and fake smiles. I guess this is what I need to get use to- going to a "boarding school for specially gifted children." At least that is what I had to tell my friends and family back in England. The only ones who know the truth are my mum and father, who both told me stories growing up about their great experiences at Hogwarts. Finding friends at my new school was easy since we were all coming to a new place, exactly like my parents told me it would be like. The only student here who seemed distant and not welcoming, however, was the only one who I really actually strived to be noticed by.
I keep walking down the hallway to join the others in the dining hall. I instantly find my friends sitting at our usual table and join the conversation right away, hearing about what Jennifer's professor made them do today and then I share my class experience for the day as well. While Jennifer continues to talk, I feel a sudden sense of goosebumps on my neck and subconsciously my head jerks to my left to look at a table three across from mine. He sits there laughing with his friends, exactly as I had seen him before in the hallway, but he is also glancing my way and our eyes meet yet again. It's a heated attraction, our eyes acting as if they are magnets that have finally met after being away from each other for so long and can't bear the thought of being pulled away from the other once again. He continues on with whatever he was saying and casually his friend takes the attention of the group to listen to his side of whatever story they were discussing. I can hear Jennifer in the background still talking but slowly a thumping noise takes over my brain and I can hear the rhythm of my heart drown out everything around me.
"Cho?" I snap back to reality to the sound of my name and looked over at my friends. "What are you staring at?" Jennifer asked me slowly, sensing as if I am hiding something from her.
"Or who are you staring at?" teases Ashleigh with a huge grin on her face.
"Nothing… nobody." I reply. I grab my water and take a huge swig of it to try and cool down, knowing my face is beginning to redden.
"Are you looking at Cedric or Peter? Because either are a great distraction." Melinda laughs and motions over to the table across the room from us. "Did I tell you guys about the dream I had the other night about Cedric?" And like that the attention is off of me and onto Melinda's fantasy of her and Cedric in a dark corner of the library. I can tell Jennifer is still suspicious but she goes along with Melinda's story, making it obvious to only me that this conversation is in no way over. It isn't the first time she could sense something was different with me. She was there the night that mine and Cedric's paths crossed and she saw us leave the Halloween party to go off on our own.
Soon enough dinner is over and we all slowly begin to get up to head back to the common room. Walking out in the hallway I realize I forgot my books under my seat and wave a quick goodbye to everyone, promising to meet up with them upstairs soon. I quickly jog inside and bend down to retrieve my books when I feel a strong hand on my hip and sense someone behind me. I gasp, dropping my books once again for the day, and turn around to see Cedric with a smug grin on his face.
"Sorry to keep doing this to you." He says to me in a low husky voice while bending down to help me with my books.
"That's alright. You just surprised me that's all." I stammer out. I don't know what it is about him that always makes me so nervous. We spent a whole night together just a few days ago and now I can't even think about him without turning into a nervous wreck- let alone be within arms distance like this.
"I just wanted to see how you're doing, Cho." My name rolls off his tongue making a huge grin appear on my face.
Hoping to have the same effect on him I reply, "I'm fine, Cedric." A small chuckle escapes from his mouth and he looks down at the floor for a second before looking at me again with bright green eyes.
"I've been thinking about you, you know." I feel my jaw drop open before I can gather my thoughts together quick enough to pull it back up into place.
"Is that right?" Stay cool Cho, please just stay cool! I tell myself as I notice my legs begin to quiver. Cedric takes a step forward towards me.
"That's right. Have you been thinking about me?"
Before I can even attempt to think of a response to this, a third year professor I've never met before interrupts to tell us we need to leave the dining hall for clean-up. "We'll open again in just a few minutes if you want to come back." Cedric kindly thanks him, always being the ideal model of a star pupil and quidditch captain, and firmly grasps my hand to lead me out of the hall and towards one of the many over-whelmingly large staircases.
"Where are we going?" I ask Cedric as he pulls me up the stairs.
"Somewhere I can be alone with you."