"I just got a letter from Mum." Cedric said one December morning at breakfast. "Looks like we're going to your place for Christmas."

"And we're going to yours for New Years." Rosalie answered without looking up, reading a letter from her Mum. "Another year with the Diggory's." She feigned disappointment and watched him coyly out of the corner of her eye.

"You love us!" He laughed heartily, shoving her shoulder.

"Oh yes I do!" She threw both arms around him and kissed his cheek. They grinned at each other and turned towards their breakfast, chatting openly with the people around them.

"Good morning, Cedric." Cedric and Rosalie both looked up to see Cho Chang smiling at him.

"Erm, hey Cho. How are you?"

"I'm fine, thank you. I'm hoping I'll see you at the Hogsmeade trip before holiday?"

He nodded, "I'll be there."

"Brilliant, maybe we can meet up."

"Sure." Cedric hesitated in his answer but smiled at her when she walked away. Rosalie was grinning at his side.

"Ohhh Cedric." She cooed, "someone's got a crush on you!"

"Shush, Rose. She'll hear you."

Rosalie giggled lightheartedly and finished her plate. She encouraged Cedric's suitors, although they never seemed to stick with him.

At Hogsmeade that weekend, Rosalie darted away from Cedric when she saw Cho approaching and Cedric gave her hell for it the rest of the night. He'd begrudgingly said he'd enjoyed her company but was furious that Rosalie had ditched him.

"I was trying to help your game!" She laughed at the look on his face. They were standing at the entrance to the girl's dormitory, saying goodnight.

"If you want to help me with my game, then tell me what I can do to get you." He winked, reaching out and tucking an errant piece of hair behind her ear.

"Ced, not that again. You know what I've said."

"Someday…" he smiled. She shook her head and leaned up to kiss his cheek before going up to bed.

Christmas Eve was spent in the Baxter's house. Rosalie sat with Mrs. Diggory and her mother at the kitchen table after dinner, while Cedric had gone into the sitting room with the men.

"Rose, have you got a boyfriend this year?" Mrs. Diggory asked over her tea.

Rosalie laughed, "nope, I'm free as a bird."

"You're such a pretty girl," she added, "that's so surprising."

"No one quite right for me, I guess."

"What about Cedric," her mother asked, exchanging a look with Mrs. Diggory.

"Oh for heaven sake! Did he put you up to this?" Rosalie laughed, "Ced's my best friend. He knows too much."

The mother's smiled at each other and then looked back at the girl in front of them. Taking a sip of her own tea, Rosalie felt two hands on her shoulder.

"Evening, ladies," Cedric smiled at all of them, "do you mind if I borrow Miss Rosie."

"Not at all!"

"By all means!" Both mothers answered at once.

Rosalie sighed, took another sip of her tea and rose from the table, "excuse us."

"Grab your jacket." Cedric directed, pulling his off the coat rack in the front hall. Rosalie obliged and met him at the front door. "A late night walk?"

Rosalie walked out the door first, pulling gloves on her hands and then yanking her scarf tighter around her neck. Cedric put his hand on the small of her back and lead her back towards meadow they frequented as children. They had measured the exact middle with a line of sticks and rocks in the ground and some of them were still visible, though it had been years since they'd played out here. At that point, however, they came upon two blankets: one spread out for the two of them to sit on, and the other folded neatly—evidently for Rosalie and her constant chills. She looked up at him with a wondering smile and watched him sit on the first blanket, pulling the second over his legs. He held up one edge, "are you joining me?"

She shrugged under the blanket next to him and let him pull her into his body. "You are quite the romantic," she whispered to him. Though there was no reason to be so quiet, it seemed wrong to ruin the perfect serenity. She stared up at the stars and felt his eyes on her.

"Yes?" She said after a long moment passed without him looking away. She turned her head and looked at him with a small smile.

"You are gorgeous." She blushed and he kissed her forehead, closing his eyes and savoring the moment.

"We had our first kiss out here." Rosalie remembered, staring at the stars again, "I had no idea if I was supposed to kiss you back or slap you."

"So you picked both?" Cedric laughed, nudging her.

She shrugged, "I was twelve. It was a knee-jerk reaction."

He muttered under his breath, something unintelligible and a gust of wind picked up. Without hesitation, he pulled his arm tighter around her and she moved into his side obediently.

"Are you ever giving up?" Rosalie asked quietly, afraid to look at him.

"Nope," his answer was immediate, "you're the only thing I want."

She sighed beside him and then sat up. She looked at him carefully and then speech poured out of her. "You only get once chance with me, and you know that. You've been by my side through all my misjudgments and mistakes and even my good choices that ended poorly. But you, more than anyone else in my life, know that I don't forgive and forget very well. If I give you a chance, and you break my heart, I don't know what I'll do. I'm completely terrified that you'll leave me broken and I can't deal with that. I can deal with being broken up with, I can deal with getting hurt, but I can't deal with you being the one to do all of that." She stared him straight in the eye as she spoke every word. Then she took a deep breath and asked, "Do you promise me, Cedric Diggory, that you will not break me?"

Cedric sat up and leaned forward to kiss her but she pulled away, "Cedric, I need to hear you say it. I know the answer but I need to hear it."

He dropped his hand from her face and stared her in the eye. "I promise, my Rosie, I won't do anything to mess this up."

The chimes of the clock in town struck midnight and Rosalie smiled at the irony, "Well then Happy Christmas, Ced. I'm yours."

He pulled her face into his hands and pressed his lips against hers forcefully. This wasn't like the playful first kiss they'd shared as tweens. Passion flooded from both of them and Cedric carefully put one arm around Rosalie's waist and the other at her throat. He pulled her down on top of him and her hand crept to his the collar of his jacket, grasping the lapel. Her other hand was at the back of his neck and she pulled his weight with her, lying underneath him, one of her legs still hitched up over his.

Finally, Cedric pulled away from her, breathing raggedly and stared at her, a smile creeping onto his face. "Best Christmas ever. Bar none."

Rosalie rolled her eyes, "you haven't even seen what I actually got you"

He looked at her pointedly and she sighed, "Fine, you're right, this is probably better."