Hufflepuff
Seventh Year
Standard
Word Count: 1492
Prompt: [Pairing] Cedric Diggory/Hermione Granger
Summary: Hogwarts gets a wall of letters. Students are welcome to pick a letter and respond.
Letter AU. Black!Hermione.
An anonymous letter wall. Of all the things for Hogwarts to have, that was definitely the most interesting. Cedric Diggory, fifth year, thought it was a great idea to have a platform to announce your feelings and secrets without worry of having people judge you for it. So long as they couldn't recognize your handwriting but there were spells for that.
On his prefect round that evening, Cedric passed by the wall. Fifteen letters were already tacked onto the wall with temporary sticking charms or Spellotape. Damn his curiosity he began to read them, hoping that Percy Weasley wouldn't come around and chew him out for slacking off on prefect duties. One caught his eye in just the first few sentences.
Plucking the letter off the wall, he sat down in one of the windows and let the moon light up the letter.
To Whom it May Concern,
I feel underappreciated by my friends. Sometimes, I wonder if they can even be called that. We have very little in common except for a knack for trouble. Of course… if it weren't for them, I'd never get in trouble at all. It feels like I know everything about them, yet they know nothing about me. They don't even know I had a little sister once. I always seem to feel stuck on the outside. If we were walking and talking down a sidewalk and it suddenly narrowed, I would be the one who would have to move behind.
Sincerely,
Lonely Inside
Cedric bit his lip. Seemed like this kid needed someone to talk to. Unsure if it was against the rules of the Wall, he dug into his school bag, which he always carried with him, and brought out a piece of paper he got from his Muggle-born friend, Redmund. He considered his words carefully and wrote a response.
Dear Lonely,
I can understand a bit how you feel. Everyone relies on me for everything, homework help, a shoulder to cry on, etc., but they never offer to do the same for me. Don't get me wrong, they're good friends and they ask things about me, but for some reason, I feel like I can't talk to them when anything is wrong. Like, they wouldn't understand why I'm so stressed 24/7 or if I told them why sunny days sometimes make me sad. I think I'm worried they'll say, "why should you feel that way? Everything comes easy to you!" I might just be cynical, though.
It's terrible that you feel so lonely around your friends. If you'd like to tell me the things they won't ask you about, put your next letter in the portrait hall. There's a loose stone by Morgan le Fay's portrait. We can keep it anonymous.
Sincerely,
Stressed Out
P.S. You said had a little sister. Am I overstepping boundaries if I asked what happened?
He taped the response to the first letter and put it back on the Wall. For the next few days, he checked the stone until he found a letter stashed inside. With a small smile, he took out the letter and sat down to read.
Dear Stressed,
I must say, I was surprised to find a response to my letter. I just imagined I was standing on a bullhorn, shouting at an empty room. I completely relate to being stressed out all the time. I'm taking all available classes and I'm certain this Time-Turner is messing with my brain. I'm just too proud to quit, I think.
Cedric chuckled and lightly touched his own Time-Turner that was hiding under his shirt.
I also think that it's silly to believe anyone has a perfect life. Everyone is dealing with something. Bullies, insecurities, home problems, whatever it may be. At least… that's what my books tell me. Before you ask me to elaborate, I have books on making friends. Yes, plural. A lot of them say to never volunteer information or you come off as self-centered. I suppose volunteering information about yourself is different in letter form.
As for my sister… it's difficult to write about. She died shortly after I received my letter for Hogwarts. Halloween. I suppose it's why I hate the holiday and cried in a lavatory my first year. Her name was Paulina after a character in TheWinter's Tale. My parents love that play. This is the first time I've talked about her to anyone else since she died.
Sincerely,
Lonely
Cedric and Lonely wrote each other once a week for months. They not only vented to one another about things that frustrated them or (unnamed) people that drove them crazy, they shared interests. While they didn't have a lot in common at first, they started accumulating things. Lonely loved books and sometimes left novels in the hole which was the perfect size for a standard book. Cedric loved art and left them drawings of things he'd seen. He wasn't even sure if Lonely kept them, but they always had nice feedback.
The year ended and at the beginning of his sixth, Cedric and Lonely picked up where they left off. They began getting deep and personal. He found his heart leaping with joy every time he received a letter. When he was deemed Champion, it was wonderful to have someone to talk to who didn't bring up the tournament every five minutes and didn't even voice their opinions on it. By the time the Yule Ball was announced, he realized that he was falling for Lonely. Which led to a new confession that he didn't think he would ever tell anyone ever. His hand shook as he wrote out the words.
Dear Lonely,
I hope this doesn't weird you out or anything and I don't want to ruin what we have, but I've got something to say about myself and I'm hoping you'll understand and won't judge. First off, I'm a boy. That might not be a shock, but it does relate to my next few statements. I think I'm falling for you. I don't know who you are, but I know who you are if that makes sense. You're witty, compassionate, complex, and passionate about the things you love. I'd like us to meet and I'd like to ask you to the Yule Ball. You never disclosed if you were a boy or a girl and I don't care. I've never cared actually. I've always fancied both boys and girls. It's just more acceptable to express my fancy for girls. I'd happily announce it to the school if you were a boy and said yes.
Please don't let this change your view of me.
Love,
Stressed.
As soon as he stuck the letter in the hole, he walked away feeling more anxious and stressed than ever. What if this ruined what he and Lonely had? He hated to lose it. Maybe it wasn't too late.
The bell tolled, signaling the beginning of class, and Cedric exhaled sharply. He could use his Time-Turner to try and get it back after class. But what if he accidentally crossed paths with himself? Or when he tried to get the letter, he accidentally stumbled upon Lonely themself? Figuring the damage already done, he checked back during his prefect round and found the letter gone. The following days, he checked the hole religiously until, finally, almost a week later, the response came.
Dear Stressed,
I apologize for the late reply. Your declaration was a shock. Not in a good or bad way just… a shock. I will tell you this. I accept you for who you are, I am a girl, and I'd love to go to the ball with you. I'll be wearing periwinkle.
Love,
Lonely
Cedric pumped his fist in the air. "Yes!" He brought out a scrap of paper and scrawled out a quick note.
I'll be waiting for you at the bottom of the Grand Staircase.
~o0o~
Cedric waited anxiously at the bottom of the Grand Staircase for Lonely. His friend Chevonne showed him what periwinkle looked like, so he didn't have to wonder there. None of his friends knew that he didn't know who his date was. If he told them it was over a letter then the whole school would know, and it would ruin the surprise.
A flash of periwinkle caught his eye and he looked up to see a brown-skinned girl in flowing robes, her hair slicked into an updo. He recognized her. She was Harry Potter's friend.
As she descended the staircase, they made eye contact and there was the instant realization of what they meant to each other.
"Lonely?" he said when she reached him.
"Not so much anymore," she replied wittily. "Are you disappointed it's me?"
"Not in the slightest."
"Stressed?" she joked.
"Not in the slightest," he repeated, beaming. He offered his arm out to her. "Shall we?"
Hermione rested her hand in the crook of his arm and smiled. "We shall."