Calliope's Guide To Hogwarts Chapter 10: A New Start, A New Year's Resolution, a harry potter fanfic

The excerpt from Prisoner of Azkaban belongs to JK Rowling. Everything else is my creation.

Chapter 10; A Fresh Start, A New Year's Resolution

I like phoenixes; they live their lives, then burst into flames and rise out of the ashes reborn into something new and more beautiful. No matter what life throws at them, they are able to overcome all obstacles and live on.

I wanted to be like a phoenix, so beautiful and indestructible. And that was my New Year's resolution to myself; I was not going to let the past drag me down. I would rise out of the ashes of my former life and be stronger than ever before.

This year is going to be a complete fresh start.

"At first I was afraid, I was petrified," I sang, twirling around to face the window, wand in my left hand being used as a microphone.

"Kept thinking I could never live without you by my side," I belted out, raising a hand into the air and performing a few dance moves. This was by far one of my favourite dance songs, and Gloria Gaynor was always able to put me in a great mood.

"But I spent so many nights, thinking how you did me wrong. I grew strong, I learned how to carry on." As the rest of the song kicked in, I twirled around, in my underwear and black t-shirt, hair half dried and messy as hell and began dancing along to the song waving my hands into the air.

"I will survive-" I was interrupted when Abby walked into my room and stopped short when she saw me singing and dancing like a crazy person in the middle of the room. She raised an eyebrow and walked over the camper bed that had been set up for her, dumping her wet towel on top of it, all the while eyeing me carefully.

"Merlin's beard, you're weird, Chrissie!" Abby exclaimed, shaking her head in amusement. She pulled the towel from her head, shook out her sopping wet locks and gave me an exasperated glance, before she began towel-drying her hair.

"Abby, you're acting like you've never met me before!" I cried brightly, sending her a winning smile, but she just sighed and shook her head in disbelief.

"Forgive a girl for sometimes forgetting," she remarked and with an arched eyebrow she glanced over at the Muggle CD player sitting on one of the shelves. Gloria Gaynor was still blasting from the speakers.

"You're in a good mood today considering we're going back to Hogwarts," she remarked airily, though I could tell that she was hiding the concern she felt for me.

"My dear Abbs, as Gloria Gaynor herself so eloquently sang, 'I'm not that chained of little person still in love with you'. Relax!" I laughed, skipping over to the wardrobe and pulling out a pair of jeans. I aimed the wand at the CD player and brought the volume down, while I searched through my wardrobe for a good jumper to wear.

"Aha!" I declared triumphantly, fishing one out of the messy wardrobe and pulling it on. I turned to face my best friend, who had dried her hair by this point and was stowing her wand away in her back pocket.

"I'm serious Chrissie," Abby said softly, sitting down on her bed and folding up her pyjamas. "You'll tell me if you're feeling nervous about Hogwarts and seeing Oliver, right?"

"Abbs, how many times do I have to try and convince you that I'm fine! I'm over it; in fact I'm perfectly happy with my decision. It was foolish to try and be friends and now that that pressure is gone I'm so much happier. I'm not going to be that girl anymore!" I shrugged my shoulders and grinned at her, turning my attention back to my half-packed trunk. I was whistling happily along to the song, occasionally shaking my booty to it too.

"I suppose…" Abby said a little hesitantly, but laughed as she watched me with my head in the trunk, bum in the air and shaking it along to the beat. "You really do look stupid doing that!"

"I pulled up and grinned at her, declaring happily. "I'm back, bitch!" I got up and pulled Abby up from her bed and the two of us danced our little asses off to the melody.

I hadn't been lying to Abby; I really was perfectly happy and that Chrissie from the time of Wood and Roger, the one who would cry over a boy and their idiocy was gone. I was back and I wasn't going anywhere.

"Christina!" Tess squealed and a moment later the blonde girl in question barrelled into me.

"Ooof!"I let out, completely winded as I staggered backwards from the weight of Tess. My bag dropped onto the ground and I awkwardly hugged her back. She pulled away from me, her hands still on the top of my arms and eyed me critically, as if she hadn't seen me in months.

"Do you always have to call me Christina at the start of every term? You just saw me two weeks ago!" I declared and Tess grinned at me.

"Yeah, but that doesn't count. It's a new year and I want to make the right impression on it," Tess replied amiably and I shook my head and my eccentric friend.

"Now come on, Jackie's waiting on the train in our compartment." Tess grabbed Abby's hands and mine, with a grin at Abby next to me and a quick flick of my wand we let ourselves be dragged onto the Hogwarts Express.

Having been sufficiently fed after the feast upon arrival at Hogwarts and weary from the journey, Abby and I had crashed onto the nearest sofa in the Gryffindor common room and fallen down upon it.

"Owww, I will never eat that much again!" Ethan groaned, holding his stomach delicately. This elicited a snort from Abby, who was lying half on top of me as she rolled her eyes at Ethan sitting next to us.

Maybe I should explain the presence of Ethan first; see he had come through for us with those backstage passes to the Weird Sisters concert. In fact he had been there too, and we had spent an incredible night out in London at his place, that ended up with us in the Leaky Cauldron at four in the morning, doing far too many shots of Firewhiskey and singing loudly until we got kicked out by Tom the barman.

We were a lot closer as a result of the night out in London and while I was a little apprehensive about hanging out with Wood's best mate, Ethan quickly assured me that his best friend was an idiot and all thoughts of Wood were thrown aside.

"Ethan, I'm sure you can see why we don't believe you, considering you say that after every meal!" I retorted, laughing at his absurdity.

"Am I never to be believed?" Ethan cried out dramatically and we grinned at him, shaking our heads.

At that moment Wood came flouncing into the common room and I stiffened in my seat a little as Abby and Ethan watched him with disinterest. He made his way straight over to where Harry Potter and Ron Weasley were sitting on the other side of the fireplace and all three of us looked away, bored.

It was only when Wood exclaimed loudly, "A Firebolt? No! Seriously? A – a real Firebolt?" that our interest was piqued again and we glanced over at them.

"Figures, Oliver would only be that excited about something Quidditch related!" Abby laughed and Ethan nodded his head sagely.

"You don't have to share a dorm with him. That is mild," Ethan exclaimed, shaking his head at his friend.

"Don't get excited, Oliver," said Harry gloomily. "I haven't got it any more. It was confiscated." We listened with interest, making sure not to look like we were overhearing as Harry explained to Wood how McGonagall believed the broom to be jinxed.

"Jinxed? How could it be jinxed?" Oliver replied, sending a very perplexed look at Harry.

"Sirius Black," Harry said wearily. "He's supposed to be after me. So McGonagall reckons he might have sent it."

Ethan and Abby exchanged surprised glances at the sound of Harry's admission, but Wood hilariously seemed to wave this piece of information that a dangerous mass-murderer was after his Seeker aside, and focused on the broom again.

"But Black couldn't have bought a Firebolt! He's on the run! The whole country's on the lookout for him! How could he just walk into Quality Quidditch Supplies and buy a broomstick?" Wood proclaimed, tone showing how much he disbelieved this hypothesis.

"I know," said Harry, "but McGonagall still wants to strip it down –"

All three of us watched with great delight as Wood went pale at the prospect of dismantling such an expensive broom. If Wood and I were still talking I would have completely sympathised with him.

"I'll go talk to her, Harry," he promised, rising from his seat on the sofa. "I'll make her see reason … a Firebolt … a real Firebolt, on our team … she wants Gryffindor to win as much as we do … I'll make her see sense … a Firebolt …" Wood stood there dumbly for a moment, not quite able to comprehend the thought, but then he came to his senses and darted out of the common room.

Abby and I burst into laughter, trying to cover our mouths so people wouldn't hear, especially Harry or his friend.

"And that, ladies and gentlemen, is our dear Quidditch captain!" Ethan proclaimed loudly to the crowded common room. "He always had his priorities in order."

"Wow, not even Chrissie can be that moronic!" Abby declared, shaking her head, to which I elicited out a "Hey!"

Abby ignored me and then said, "That boy really has absolutely no tact. I always thought that it was just because Chrissie was in the vicinity, but –"

"Abby, the bloke never had any tact. I love the guy, but he's an idiot and when you throw Quidditch into the mix; well you saw for yourself," Ethan replied and Abby laughed.

"Can you imagine that conversation with McGonagall. Oh I would sell my own mother to see that!" Abby announced and Ethan grinned at her. Then both eyed each other and turned their gazes upon me.

"What?" I asked, confused by the sudden attention placed on me.

"How come you're not joining in?" Ethan asked. "This is usually right up your alley, bashing Oliver."

"I don't see why I should bother with a bloke that has no consequence in my life. He's about as interesting to me as most of the Slytherins," I declared, shrugging my shoulders. I returned to examining my fingernails until they changed the subject.

"Chrissie and Oliver had a huge fight before Christmas and now they're not talking to each other again," Abby clarified to Ethan and he frowned.

"So that's why they've both resolutely avoided the topic of the other then?" Ethan queried and Abby nodded her head in assent.

"There's not much more to say on the topic. We're not friends so I really see no point in conversing about Wood or his idiocy," I remarked and Abby and Ethan looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders.

Percy Weasley, our very lovely and competent Head Boy chose that moment to come up to us, and as usual he was wearing a frown on his face.

Great, I thought. Here to give out to us again!

"Christina!" Percy spoke imperiously, as he stood in front of the sofa where we were sitting on.

"Percy!" I declared, matching his tone of voice with a grin on my face.

Percy scowled at me and then added, "I hear you've been harassing second year students on the train again."

"Percy, my dear!" I said sarcastically. "I don't harass anyone, but if someone is obnoxious and asks me stupid questions, I will give them their due!"

"Now really Christina!" Percy proclaimed, annoyance shining through. "You're a seventh year. Can't you behave as such, or do I have to deduct House points from you for bullying younger students?"

"You're delusional, Perce!" I cried out, standing up and crossing my arms across my chest for added emphasis. "Now stop being stupid!"

"I'm a Head Boy, and you should treat me as such!" he replied angrily, his eyes flashing behind those horn-rimmed glasses of his. "I won't have such disrespect from anyone, especially a fellow seventh year!"

"Go away Percy, or I'll tell your brothers Fred and George about Penelope," I cried out wickedly, grinning from ear to ear. Percy, at the sound of his secret girlfriend being mentioned went from white to red in the face. He glowered at me and then stalked off across the common room.

I plopped down on the sofa in between Abby and Ethan, wearing a big grin on my face.

"Well that was fun!" I declared happily, glancing over at Abby and then at Ethan. They both just raised their eyebrows at me; Abby shook her head and Ethan tried his best to suppress a smile.

It was good to be back.

Monday morning and the first official day of term found the girls and I sitting together, as was our usual tradition for the last six years. At the start of every term, we would forgo boys, other friends and just concentrate on each other. With Tess dating Joshua now for over two months and Jackie spending every waking moment studying for the N.E.W.T.s, it was one of the few times we could just sit and enjoy each other's company.

It also meant that another tradition could take place in peace; the bi-annual McGonagall bashing Chrissie event. While I normally don't take too kindly to being humiliated, there was something about McGonagall trying in vain to convert me to the concept of academia and following the rules that was always highly entertaining for me. Even if that meant, she always put me in my place at the end of every conversation; but this was my last chance before I graduated and I had to try and win at least one debate.

"Good morning Professor!" I said cheerily, as McGonagall stopped in front of us, handing out the the respective timetables to Abby, Tess and Jackie before focusing on me.

"Miss Margate," she replied simply, the lilt of her Scottish accent coming to the fore.

"This is the last term for us. Are you gonna miss us much, Professor?" I inquired innocently, beaming up at our Head of House, whose eyes were narrowing at my cheerfulness.

"You are aware, Miss Margate, that you will be sitting your N.E.W.T.s that the end of this term?" McGonagall inquired, her sharp eyes trained fully on me. I resisted the urge to grin back at her, sensing that this time she was being serious and assented my head.

"Yes Professor," I replied cheerfully, but I shrank back slightly when I saw that her hard stare hadn't softened. Right, maybe it's too early to joke around with her just yet. The woman probably hasn't even had her coffee.

"And you are aware, that this means you will have to pay attention in class and do your homework on time," she continued on sternly, crossing her arms across her chest and frowning down at me from her impressive height.

"Yes Ma'am," I replied meekly, shrinking visibly under her hard stare.

"And I expect not to hear any more complaints from the other Professors about your dealings with Mister Wood or any other boy?" I gulped at that one and looked down at my hands, embarrassed that even the teachers were aware of Wood and I. "Because I expect Mister wood to finally win that Quidditch Cup for us and I won't have anyone distracting the team."

"Of course Ma'am!" I uttered quickly in return. "I'll stay well away from him and think only of my books."

"Good Miss Margate. Here is your timetable," McGonagall spoke, her voice softening somewhat and I let out an inaudible sigh of relief. She handed me my new timetable and I could have sworn I saw the woman trying to hide a smile. She walked down the Gryffindor table handing out timetables and an uneasy feeling settled in my stomach that she had just played me.

Merlin, that woman was good!

The snow crunched loudly underneath our boots, the layer of ice that had formed over the old snow over the last few nights was tough and hard to walk through. Abby and I were huddled together against the biting cold as we approached Greenhouse Four for our first Herbology lesson of the new term. Abby yanked the door open, where we were met with a cry of protestation from several students inside as the wind gushed in behind us, but we ignored them and quickly made our way to the back of the Greenhouse and as far away from the door as possible.

I generally quite liked Herbology as a subject; it wasn't taxing on the brain, we shared it with Hufflepuff who were always very easy to get along with and since so few sixth and seventh years took the course, they had decided to throw us all into one big class.

That in turn became a bit of a competition between the sixth and seventh years, which Sprout, being as genial as she is, only fostered because it made us pay attention more.

Abby and I scanned the groups that had already formed and spotted a seventh year Hufflepuff by the name of Harvey Ryan, who was waving us over. Abby and I exchanged shrugs and trudged over to where he sat on the cold flagstones and saw that the only other one in his group was Cedric Diggory, the sixth year Hufflepuff seeker and captain.

"Hullo," Harvey announced to us and we grinned at him. The boy was always very friendly, if a little slow when it came to academics.

"Christina, Abby, you know Cedric Diggory, right?" he asked us, seeming a little unsure and I smiled broadly at him.

"Of course; you're Captain of the Hufflepuff team," I answered matter-of-factly and Cedric nodded his head, grinning back at me.

"We would like you a bit more, but we're still a bit sore about Gryffindor losing to you last November because of those bloody Dementors!" Abby replied simply, the irritation shining through in her voice. Cedric let out a deep throaty laugh and grinned at Abby's comment.

"Well, yes. I tried to be gallant man and called for a replay, but your Captain seemed to accept that it was fair," Cedric chuckled in amusement, eyes shining with mirth.

"Well, Wood is an idiot and doesn't speak for the rest of us!" I uttered, rolling my eyes at the mention of Wood's name. At that moment Sprout chose to walk into the greenhouse and the entire class silenced and turned their attention on her. Abby and I made ourselves comfortable on the hard stone-flagged floor, sitting on top of our school bags and I noticed that Cedric had moved from his spot and sat down next to me. He smiled at me once more before turning his attention to his Head of House.

The next fifteen minutes passed by slowly, partially to do with the fact that I was bored out of my mind, so I had taken to digging a small hole in the ground by banishing soil from the same spot. It was growing quite deep by the time I heard Cedric whisper next to me, causing me to look up.

"What?" I asked, not having paid attention.

"You seem to be digging quite a hole there. Trying to reach China?" he queried, humour shining through in his voice.

"You really don't know your geography!" I laughed and then pointed out that our polar opposite would be somewhere east of New Zealand. "But I'm guessing you weren't trying to be accurate," I conceded and he tipped his head to the side, though I didn't know what he meant by that.

"I'm Cedric by the way," he introduced himself and in an oddly formal manner, held out his hand to shake.

I frowned at the hand, before shaking it slowly and looking up at him. "I know. You're a good seeker."

"Thanks," he replied happily, beaming at the compliment and I tried to suppress a smirk. The boy was just too easy to please. "I take it you're a Quidditch fan, then."

"Oh yeah!" I said with enthusiasm and started talking about some of my favourite things about the sport. Cedric just chuckled along and let me prattle on, for which I was quite grateful as I probably looked like a loon.

"Your friend Abby doesn't seem too keen on me though," Cedric added and I waved off with bit of information with a flick of my hand.

"Oh that's Abby. She can take Quidditch a bit personal and she likes acting the gruff person from time to time. Just ignore it."

"I'll remember that. But you don't hold it against me for winning the match, do you?" Cedric asked, quirking an eyebrow at me. His dark hair fell into his eyes and he pushed it back.

"Well I was a bit miffed right after the match, but Wood was right. It wasn't your fault and you guys played admirably." I shrugged and Cedric seemed to accept this, because he nodded his head and turned to face the front of the greenhouse again, as Sprout had taken to walking in between the groups and checking how they were doing pruning their shrubs. I glanced down at ours in front of us and sighed, knowing we were going to get in trouble as no-one could be bothered doing the work in our group.

Sprout stopped in front of us and studied our wild shrub critically, before glancing up at each one of us, waiting for an explanation.

"I'm sorry for not starting already Professor, but we were having a debate on whether to clip the new saplings yet or wait for another few weeks," Cedric said, lying easily and Sprout looked up at one of her favourite students and smiled warmly.

"What an excellent question Mr. Diggory. You're right to be wary about pruning them too early, but for now it should be fine to just reduce their tips," Sprout replied genially and walked on to the next group. Abby and I let out a sigh of relief and Harvey gratefully nodded over at Cedric.

I smiled at Cedric, grateful for saving our asses, but I wasn't about to show it yet. "You're such a teacher's pet!"

"You really do speak your mind," Cedric chuckled, looking quite astounded that I was talking to him like that.

"I do. I don't see why I need to hide how I feel about things," I replied simply, pointing my wand at the hole I had been digging earlier and resuming my little project.

"You're really quite refreshing," Cedric intoned, glancing down at the hole in the ground and I glanced up, confused at this remark, although he wouldn't look up.

"Merlin, do people kiss your ass the whole time?" The surprise must have been evident in my voice, because Cedric looked up at me and shrugged, a little unsure.

"I'm Quidditch Captain, a Prefect and considered good-looking. It comes with the territory," Cedric uttered back, rubbing the back of his neck in an adorable, awkward sort-of-way. I gazed critically at the boy next to me and really examined him for a moment. He was dark haired, with high cheekbones, wide grey eyes and he was tall. True Cedric had often been considered good-looking, but it wasn't until I actually examined him that I realised what the girls in school had been on about. Sixth years generally never appeared on my boy radar; I had always been interested in blokes older than me, but I had to admit he didn't look young and he was handsome.

"Poor Cedric, so good looking that no one takes you seriously!" I said jovially, mouth quirking upwards at the corners.

"Yes make fun of me, why don't you," Cedric answered chuckling, bumping his shoulder against mine that only caused me to laugh.

"Oh can't the poor sixth year handle it?" I mocked, eyes lighting with mischief.

"You are one strange creature Chrissie. You insist on mocking me, even though you don't know a thing about me," Cedric marvelled, shaking his head, though I didn't need to worry that he was taking what I said wrongly, for he was trying his hardest to repress a smile. Needless to say he failed miserably and I grinned innocently at him.

Sprout decided to take the moment to intervene and heartily give out to the both of us, which caused me to laugh harder, seeing her favourite student being given out for only talking to me for ten minutes. Cedric proved to be quite fun for that class.

It had snowed the night before, blanketing Hogwarts and the grounds in a fresh layer of clean white snow that seemed to rid the school and its environs of any dirt or grime that had accumulated. It felt like my mind that morning as I stared out of our dormitory window; all unblemished and fresh, as if my past mistakes had been wiped clean.

I was dawdling behind the girls as we made our way back up to the castle from an uncomfortable outdoor lesson of Astronomy in frigid cold grounds, and they soon promptly left me behind. Frankly I didn't mind, as I enjoyed the cold air on my exposed face and delighted in leaving marks in the untouched snow around me. While observing the sheer majesty of the snow-capped mountains in the distance, I was hit by a snowball in the back of my head that caused me to swerve around on the spot to see who the culprit was.

One Cedric Diggory was grinning at me, which caused me to frown with bewilderment, but I noticed a second later that he was holding another snowball in his other hand and I quickly ducked. The snowball in question flew over my head and I stood up straight again.

"What was that for?" I called out to him, hoisting my schoolbag higher up on my shoulder.

"Why not? That and you're a prime target, considering you're all alone with no-one to protect you," Cedric grinned, his voice slightly muffled from the scarf that was wrapped high around his neck and mouth.

"Oh, is that how we're gonna do this?" I inquired, eyes glinting with mischief as I slowly bent down and scooped up a pile of snow. Cedric's grin was faltering when he saw my hands compacting the snow and I quickly hurled it at him before he got a chance to duck out of the way. My throwing skills weren't that great and it flew uselessly past his left side. The grin returned to Cedric's face and he quickly got another snowball, which he fired at me. I had to swerve at the last minute to miss it and in the process dropped to the ground and two handfuls of snow in one go, dropped my schoolbag on the ground and charged at him.

I didn't know why I was engaging in such a childish behaviour as a snowball fight, but somehow it was all the more fun with someone as amiable and fun as Cedric Diggory. It didn't help that he seemed to be singling me out, making yesterday not just a fluke. I barrelled into him and jumped onto his back, rubbing the loose snow down his back and underneath his winter cloak. He let out a surprised yelp and we toppled to the ground in a pile of limbs and laughter.

We continued on with our snowball fight for another ten minutes and I can honestly say it was the most fun I had in well over a month. Cedric was incredibly entertaining to play around with and he never took any offence when I bested him. In the end we decided to call a truce, when we saw how soaked and tired we both were. I made my way over to where my schoolbag was lying on the ground and scooped it up, hoisting it back onto my back. Cedric meanwhile was brushing the last of the snow of his trousers and I looked down at my own uniform and sighed with dismay. The snow still clung to my skirt and tights and the school jumper had large wet patches from the snow.

I glanced at my watch and saw that I was well over ten minutes late to class.

"Shit, I've got Defence!" I cried out and Cedric pulled his gaze back up at me. He smiled warmly at me and I said goodbye to him before I made a mad dash through the snow towards the castle.

By the time I arrived in class I was twenty minutes late and the entire class looked at me and took in my dishevelled appearance with raised eyebrows, but I ignored them and lied to Lupin about falling in the snow and getting hurt as my excuse. Thankfully he bought it without much telling off and I slid into my seat next to Abby, cheeks still red from exertion and a placid smile on my face.

The second Herbology class of the week fell on a Friday afternoon and while everyone else used this opportunity to spend as little time paying attention as possible, I was distracted by Cedric Diggory. He had sat himself down next to me at the start of class with protestations that I had run off on him after the snowball fight yesterday and that he demanded recompense in the form of another. I laughed at that and asked him if he wanted to be beaten by a girl again, which launched us into a long debate on girls versus boys.

Twenty minutes later Professor Sprout had managed somehow to steer her class back towards doing the work and I was busy re-potting old plants, occasionally rubbing my nose and wiping more dirt on it in the process. Abby next to me seemed to be in her own world and Cedric on the other side was being a good little Prefect and also doing his work, but I stopped for a moment and glanced over at the tall Hufflepuff.

He really was quite handsome and I wondered how I never realised it before, but then I supposed it was because he had never shown up on my radar. But stranger than that, he seemed to be interested in me, which I really couldn't fathom why. I desperately wished I could talk to Abby at that moment, but conversing with Abby in a quiet greenhouse with the object of the conversation sitting on the other side wouldn't be such a good idea.

Cedric caught me staring at him and asked with a raised eyebrow. "Why are you looking at me like that, Chrissie?"

I snapped out of my daze and blushed as I responded. "Sorry was lost in thought there."

"Well since I got your attention," Cedric said, suddenly becoming nervous as he began rubbing that spot on the back of his neck again before glancing back up at me again. "I was wondering if you would like to go with me to Hogsmeade tomorrow; on a date."

I took a few seconds to digest the request and stared at him in wonderment. "Are you asking me out?"

"Yeah."

"Oh!" I let out and then blushed, feeling special under his gaze and quite pleased that he asked me. Without even thinking about it, I responded. "Okay."

"Okay?" he repeated, a little unsure and I grinned broadly at him.

"Yeah."

"Cool," he replied and then I realised how dumb we must sound with our one syllable answers and I could see Abby from the corner of my eye rolling her eyes at the two of us. I was also infinitely glad that she chose not to butt into the conversation at the moment.

I later on walked out of the class, Abby's arm intertwined with mine, chatting away animatedly about Cedric, but I wasn't paying attention to her as the doubts started creeping into my mind.

By the evening-time those doubts that had sprung up after Herbology had been given time to fester and subsequently grown. I was sitting on my bed, back propped up against the headboard with my pillow acting as a cushion against the hard wood. Abby was sitting next to me and Jackie and Tess were propped up against my feet. I was in the middle of a freak-out and the girls were trying their best to calm me down.

"Why the hell did I ever say yes to him?" I cried out and Tess rubbed my leg in an attempt to comfort me.

"Because he's handsome and you like him, right?" she responded softly.

I nodded my head and replied, "Yeah I do, but I can't go out with someone again! I just broke up with Roger and if anything that entire relationship should teach me not to trust my instincts with a bloke!"

"You can't compare Cedric with Roger!" Abby declared, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and giving them a squeeze. "Come on, one is a retard and the other is a sweetheart. I've never heard a bad word spoken about him." Tess emphatically nodded her head at Abby's words.

"What about it is concerning you so much?" Jackie asked solemnly, sitting up straight on the bed and stretching out her sore arms.

"I don't know if I can do this again so soon. I don't trust myself," I shrugged and looked down at my fingers, feeling the urge to bite my nails again. Abby sensed my desires and lightly swatted my hands away.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. Your confidence has been knocked by Roger and Oliver, but that doesn't mean you should give up on blokes altogether," Abby spoke, hugging me tightly. I appreciated the hug, but didn't quite know whether I could believe her yet.

"He's a year below me too," I added and Tess frowned at me.

"So?" she asked.

"I don't go out with guys a year behind me," I responded simply.

"Make an exception," was the only response I got from her.

"But he's a Hufflepuff."

"You like the Hufflepuffs," Jackie answered that one.

"What happens if he cheats on me too?"

"You don't know that. Not that any of us actually think Cedric would ever do that," Abby replied, matter-of-factly.

"It's too soon. What will people say?"

"Since when have you cared what others thought about?" This time it was Jackie who responded.

By that point I had run out of excuses and I knew it too. I just stared at my hands dejectedly, feeling so unsure about myself. Wood and Roger had done that to me. On their own I might have been fine, but combined in such a short space of time left me reeling and doubting myself. It was a disconcerting feeling and one I didn't like. I resented both boys even more at that moment for being so callous and for hurting me like that so easily.

"Look Chrissie," Tess began and I gazed at her. "You're being silly. This absolutely fabulous and hot guy just asked you out, above all the other girls who would love to go out with him and you're actually thinking of turning him down. You just need to go for it because everyone knows that Cedric is a complete gentleman and you've nothing to worry about."

"Alright," I relented and Tess looked momentarily confused, so I laughed and clarified. "Okay I'll go out with him. You're right; I should just give him a chance." And that's what I would do. In the end I didn't want to be a cynic about love and the only way to know was to find out.

Whatever nerves and fears I had about going on a date with Cedric Diggory evaporated within minutes of meeting up with him in the Entrance Hall. He greeted me with such a warm smile that it eased all my worries and we greeted each other so warmly it made my insides squirm with delight. In the ensuing queue to have Filch tick our names of the list for Hogsmeade we fell into a comfortable conversation about Quidditch that lasted all the way down to the village itself. Even though the weather was frigid, the wind was blasting its way into our faces and the snow had turned into sludge that threatened to creep its way through my thick dragon-hide boots, I was having a brilliant day.

It had been a long while since I had been on a first date as comfortable as this and I found myself easily letting my guard down and letting Cedric in on more than I usually would have. We were just discussing our families while walking along the main street, when Cedric gently grabbed my hand and steered me into the Zonko's.

I smiled as I looked up at him and with an arched eyebrow, I quipped, "So this is where you take girls on a first date."

I was pleased to see a light blush spreading over his cheeks, which made me laugh and I quickly elaborated. "Smart move, Diggory!"

He let out a small breath of air and smiled roguishly down at me. "It's so like you to be the only girl that would find Zonko's amusing. I actually wanted to pick up a few fireworks for the Quidditch final, in case we win."

"You're ruining my fun!" I growled at him and he chuckled away upon seeing the look on my face. I watched as he made his way through the throng and pay for the box of Fireworks, before we walked out of the crowded shop and back into the quiet village. Hogsmeade was beautiful, but it had a habit of getting crowded whenever a Hogsmeade trip was planned for the students. We walked on up the high street, discussing a number of varying topics that for the life of me I couldn't remember an hour later, but the conversation rolled on easily. I was never in want of a new topic and Cedric was as keen and engaging as they come; all in all I was having a fantastic time.

It reminded me of my first date with Roger a few months previous and I was struck by the difference in the two dates. With Roger I had felt uneasy and unsure of myself, always doubting and mine and Roger's very public first kiss in The Three Broomsticks that had always made me feel stupid in retrospect. Cedric on the other hand was an absolute gentleman, like the girls had predicted. He would come with me into the shops I wanted to go to, even if they were filled with girly clothes and I found myself liking him more and more. It was refreshing to date someone purely because you liked them. We spent a very entertaining forty minutes in the Quality Quidditch Supplies, peering over world player stats and arguing the merits of one team over another.

It was also while darting in between groups of students and crowded small lane ways that I noticed how my hands tingled every time he grabbed my hand to pull me out of the way or guide my gently down another lane with his hand resting gently on the small of my back. It made me smile stupidly, which I spent another ten minutes trying to conceal so I wouldn't look like such an idiot grinning like a fool.

Unfortunately by the time we reached Dervish and Banges Cedric had caught on. We were standing at the top of the village and the small hillock, watching the crowds mingle by further down the high street.

"What's with the smile?" Cedric inquired and I blushed as I tried to repress it, but it only made it grow wider.

"It's nothing," I replied, unable to meet his eyes as I moved my purchases from one arm to the other.

"Really?" he pressed, a matching grin on his face as he took a step towards me. "It doesn't look like nothing." I glanced up at him and saw that his light grey eyes were sparkling with delight and the wind kept moving his hair from side to side, which made him look even more handsome. "In fact to me, it seems like you're having a great time and that's what the smile is about."

I repressed the urge to grin back at him, as I said coyly, "You can assume that. I'm just in a good mood."

"That's good to hear Chrissie," Cedric murmured. "Because that means you're having a great time with me." He took another step towards me and with eyes as wide as saucers I watched as he leaned towards me and kissed me. The kiss only lasted for thirty seconds and he slowly pulled away before I got a chance to process it. I started at him, bewilderment shining all over my face and he chuckled quietly to himself. I was aware that his lips that been awfully soft and that I wanted to kiss him again.

"Why did you do that?" I breathed, unable to completely comprehend things.

"Because you look so gorgeous right now." His answer was so simple and wonderful I would have fallen for Cedric all over again if his kiss hadn't sealed the deal already. I smiled shyly at him and leaned forwards, standing on my tiptoes as he was so tall and returned the kiss. It started off so chaste, but it deepened and Cedric gently took my gifts out of my hands and wrapped his arms around my waist.

To be honest I don't think I could describe the kiss other than sheer bliss; like staring a bright summer's dawn, or grass tickling your feet while walking through a meadow. It was pure heaven and it took me a moment to remember that we were still in Hogsmeade, that it was winter-time and we were on a very public street.

We eventually pulled apart for air and Cedric wrapped his arms around me as the cold assaulted me and reminded how bloody freezing it was outside. Standing still in this weather in January wasn't a smart idea and my teeth started chattering quietly.

"You cold?" he asked, bringing his head down to see that I was slowly nodding my head, blushing slightly.

"I didn't wanna say anything," I replied sheepishly and he chuckled, taking my hand in his.

"Come on; let's get some hot chocolate for you in The Three Broomsticks. That'll warm you up."

"With marshmallows and cream?" I cried excitedly, as I took back my gifts.

Cedric laughed aloud at that and nodded his head. "As many as you want!"

It was on the way back towards the other end of Hogsmeade where the pub The Three Broomsticks was located when Cedric and I bumped into Wood. That would be quite an accurate assessment of what actually happened. A rather noisy and irritating group of third year students had just barged through Cedric and I, and in the ensuing gaggle of girls and their swishing cloaks I was knocked aside and walked straight into Wood.

Cedric, whose hand I had let go of in the process came up towards me, concern evident in his voice. "Chrissie, you okay?"

"Yeah," I nodded and he quickly darted away, striding purposefully after the girls, presumably to be a Prefect and give out to them. I sighed and quickly brought my attention back to Wood, taking a step back and observing him, who for reasons unknown was still rooted to the spot, but then again so was I. He wasn't trying to catch my eye and I noticed distinctly that he was acting quite awkward. Frankly I was feeling the same; the fight still weighing heavily on both our minds.

Cedric strode up behind me and came to a rest, his attention on me. "I took away five points from each House for that stunt. It should teach them not to be so rude to other students." He then spotted who was standing in front of me and greeted Wood with a nod. "Hello Oliver, how were your holidays?"

"Grand," Wood replied easily, his Scottish burr stronger than before, most likely having strengthened in those two weeks he was at home. "I met with some scouts from Puddlemere United over Christmas."

"Wow, that's brilliant mate!" Cedric enthused, giving his rival captain a congratulatory smile. I wondered whether Wood and Cedric had always been friendly despite the rivalry and Wood's obsession with winning, or whether Cedric was just such a nice guy that he got on with everyone. I guessed that I wouldn't know; I would never ask Wood and I didn't have the courage to bring up Wood with Cedric either.

"It was just a meeting so I probably won't know for months, but they might come down and check out one of our games," Wood replied, shrugging his shoulders. He was still not looking towards me and I grew annoyed, remembering exactly why we fought in the first place. It hardened my resolve and I chose to ignore him, focusing instead on Cedric next to me. The way he so casually reached for my hand made me smile and I was dimly aware that Wood and Cedric were still speaking to each other.

"Well I'd better go find the lads," Wood said and Cedric nodded his head, smiling as he grinned down at me.

"Yeah I promised Chrissie I'd get her a hot chocolate," Cedric replied easily and the two boys said goodbye to each other before Wood walked off in the other direction.

Cedric turned to me and glanced for a moment at the retreating form of Wood and then back to me.

"Did Oliver just ignore you? I thought you were all friends?" Cedric queried, concern evident in his voice and I smiled at his unease. "Should I not have talked to him?"

I laughed gently and I responded. "No, talk to him all you want. our group do generally all get on, but Wood and I aren't friends anymore, as you could see in his interest in me." We began walking again, being careful to stay away from large groups.

"Alright," Cedric said, probably feeling it wasn't his place to pry and we walked on in silence.

It was an hour later that he raised the topic again. We were currently making our way through our second round of Butterbeers, seated in a booth in the corner away from the bustling crowd where it was a little quieter. The dim lights of the pub made it hard to see, even on a bright sunny day but I didn't mind. It was warm and I was seated next to Cedric in the booth, his arm resting on my shoulder.

"If you don't mind me asking, what is the deal with you and Oliver Wood?" Cedric began, and then started playing with his hands. "Sorry for blurting it out like that." He added hastily, giving me a sheepish expression on his face. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

I put down my glass and said slowly. "No it's fine. I'd probably have to tell you eventually, so why not get it out of the way." I sighed and then wondered where to start with the saga that is Wood and I.

"Well you're probably aware that we were seeing each other for a while at the start of the year," I began and Cedric nodded his head silently. "Well it didn't end so well and it got quite awkward as we're all in one group and I'm still really good friends with his best friend Ethan. For a while we tried to be friends with one another because we were all part of one group and because I thought he wasn't that big of an asshole. Well, we had a massive fight just before the Christmas holidays and we both just decided it was best if we stop trying to be friends, because the whole thing had been pointless anyway!" I realised that I ended that explanation on a bitter note, so I took in a deep breath to calm myself down and let out a sigh. "And that's the jist of it."

"I'm sorry about that," Cedric said, sympathy evident in his voice and I smiled at him.

"Don't be. It wasn't meant to be, as my mum always tells me. Now let's change the topic!"

"But you're fine, right?" he pressed and I nodded my head. Cedric smiled in return and we changed the topic to something a little more interesting for the both of us.

While I was in the ladies bathroom ten minutes later washing my hands, I glanced up at my reflection in the mirror and thought back to our conversation.

I was honestly fine. Wood ignoring me had strengthened my resolve and I knew that I couldn't have anything more to say to a bloke who could be such an asshole to me. I knew Cedric probably didn't understand it, and frankly neither did I, but I knew in that instant that I would be okay. I had made my bed and I was glad to lie in it. I magically dried my hands and walked out of the bathroom, letting the door swing shut behind me.

Calliope's Guide To Hogwarts

A Fresh Start, A New Year's Resolution

Every year on the first of January millions of people, young and old make promises to themselves for the year ahead. They promise to eat healthier, stay more active, take up sports, be kinder to their families, excel at school and work and a myriad of other resolutions. And as it invariably ends up, most are forgotten or broken within the first few weeks. It seems so pointless to me, to go and make all these grand proclamations about how this year will be different, better and not at all like all the years previous. After all, we can change our lives if we just will it, right?

I've never bought into this ridiculous concept. You are who you are and just because you say on a specific date that things will be different, it doesn't mean it actually will.

While the idea of leaving behind ones past and looking towards the future at this time of year is quite appealing, the concept that we can leave all our past troubles behind just like that is silly.

I know I may be the only one out there; my friends often tell me I'm too pessimistic about people, but then maybe I've seen all the mistakes and failures made and I know they aren't that easy to wash away.

In fact it's almost impossible to leave behind your failures; they cling to you like dirt and no matter how hard you scrub you won't take them off. Someone will always remember what you have done.

Everyone wants to change their past, escape their mistakes and failures and start afresh. Though life doesn't always give us those opportunities, for a short period at the start of every year we can fool ourselves into believing that we can. Just for those few days we believe in a rebirth of sorts and that all those silly mistakes we made and all those promises we'll never keep will actually be followed through. Maybe it is silly and stupid to believe this, but as I look around, I see how it brings hope to so many people out there, believing they can change themselves for the better.

Maybe that's what the New Year is really all about; allowing humanity to believe that we can change for the better. And for that reason I really can't fault it, or the millions of people that make the same resolutions to themselves year after year.

I want to believe in it too; and maybe this year I might get my fresh start that I so desperately crave. Maybe this year will be different after all...

Until next time,

Calliope

1994

"So you're going out with Cedric now?" Abby queried, leaning back on her seat to whisper to me.

"Yep," I replied, nodding my head, unable to keep the smile from my face. We were in History of Magic and it was one of the few classes were we all were together without the boys or any exes as we took the class with the Slytherins.

"And you're certain that you're actually going out with him; not like with Roger?" Abby pressed on, that frown not leaving her forehead.

"Yes!" I laughed, adding. "He most definitely asked me to be his girlfriend at the end of the date."

"That's brilliant Chrissie," Tess squealed, sitting next to me as she flung her arms around me and proceeded to jump up and down in her chair. she was quickly shushed by the three of us and told to be quiet by a droning Professor Binns.

"Hey Chrissie," Jackie began, her forehead wrinkling for a moment. "Isn't this your third Quidditch Captain you're going out with?"

Abby grinned devilishly and Tess' eyes grew wide as saucers at Jackie's remark. The redhead in question was trying to suppress a smile all the while retying her ponytail. The wench had done it on purpose! I glowered at her and then focused my attention on Abby and Tess, who were going to have so much fun at my expense, I could just feel it!

"You know my dear Abigail, I think Chrissie might have a type," Tess proclaimed grandly, jutting her chin up into the air as if she was some kind of a princess. I had to snort at that, because Tess was about as common as you could be. The girl had never even heard of the Wizarding Opera until third year.

"Really?" Abby replied, surprise filling her voice, playing along. "I never would have guessed. What gave it away; was it Chrissie running after Oliver because he's a Quidditch Captain or her dalliance with Roger Davies?"

"Okay I get it!" I laughed, holding my hands up in the air. "My obsession with the sport has moved over into the boys I'm interested in."

"What will you do when you and Cedric break up?" Tess queried, brow furrowed in thought.

"Hey, at least give us a chance!" I exclaimed, a little annoyed that the girls were so pessimistic about my love life. Okay so I didn't have the best track record and this year I'd been unable to sustain a relationship for longer than two months, but it wasn't all my fault.

"Well there's only Marcus Flint left after Cedric, right?" Jackie added. Tess nodded her head at her best friend, a grin on her face because Jackie had finally remembered a piece of gossip that Tess had tried to imprint on her brain.

"Dear sweet Merlin, as if I'd ever go anywhere near that buffoon!" I cried out, which caused Binns to shush us once more and call me Carolina in the process. The Slytherins in the class guffawed along and I was annoyed to see even Sally-Anne and Denise were grinning.

"I don't know. You might grow desperate once all the other Quidditch captains have dried up," Tess said, letting the sentence drag out, a smirk on her face.

"Plus by that point Flint might have heard about your little preference for captains and start chasing after you," Jackie spoke and all four of us turned in our seats to glance at Flint sitting in the corner of the classroom. The boy in question was shaking his quill and causing large blotches of ink of small onto his school jumper and parchment, a frown marring his disfigured features.

"Can you imagine that bloke on top of you?" Abby mused, as ever unable to control the words that came out of her mouth. We all shuddered at the thought and turned back to each other.

"You always go to far Abbs, always way too far." I declared and Tess nodded her head emphatically.

"Yeah the line was like here," Tess added, drawing an imaginary line between the both of us. "And you're on the other side of the room."

"Girls let's not loose sight of the point of this conversation," Abby said, raising her eyebrow at me. "Let's all get back to Chrissie wanting to ride the entire four Quidditch teams here."

"True," Tess and Jackie nodded and I sighed, dropping my head into my arms. My friends were impossible.

Wednesday evening I could be found meandering through the empty Hogwarts corridors in my warmest winter cloak and jeans, but I wasn't being a loner. Instead I was accompanied by one very handsome Cedric Diggory, who not only was keeping me company and entertaining me with humorous anecdotes from his past, but would occasionally brush against my hands and make my entire body tingle.

It was proving quite difficult focusing on the conversation with his light touches and his smile, and I was starting to worry that I would become nothing more than a simpering idiot.

"Do you bother with New Year's resolutions?" I asked him the question that had been going through my head for the last week.

"Yeah," Cedric replied simply and I glanced up at him, willing him on. "I give myself a mantra for the upcoming year so I won't forget and I've got something to aim for."

"And what was yours this year?" I pressed him and noticed that his entire body was focused on me. We stopped in the middle of the corridor, somewhere on the fourth floor and Cedric turned around to face me, standing incredibly close.

His hand went to a loose strand of hair that was being incredibly unreasonable and tucked it gently behind my ear before proclaiming, "My New Year's resolution was to ask you out."

"It was?" I asked, tone filled with disbelief. He nodded at me, that grin of his growing wide and showing off his perfect teeth.

"That's really sweet," I breathed, gazing up at his with wide eyes. The more time I spent in his company the more perfect he seemed, and the more I thought about it the more unreal this entire scenario seemed. I pinched my right arm and let out a string of curse words as Cedric gazed perplexed at me.

"What was that for?" he asked, his voice showing his curiosity.

"Just wanted to check it was all still real," I replied, not looking up as I rubbed my arm ferociously, but it was still pretty painful.

"And is it?" he chuckled.

"Well my arm hurts like a bitch, so it's gotta be, right?" Cedric chuckled at me and leaned in for a kiss, taking me completely by surprise. That was the thing I liked the most about this boy. He was so incredibly sweet, but could still take my breath away. Really, I was in quite some danger of being hooked.

"There is something you have to accept about me," I said solemnly, sitting up straight at the desk in an empty classroom on a Thursday evening. Cedric and I had ended up in here, not only because it was empty, but because twice already had Peeves interrupted us while we were snogging. At first it had been embarrassing, but the second time it was quickly becoming quite annoying and I had shot a curse in his direction while Cedric dragged me off. Currently we had abandoned the wall and our snogging sessions and were instead conversing quietly amongst ourselves.

"And what is that?" Cedric inquired, leaning in closer and planting a feather light kiss on my lips. I smiled, but let my face grow serious again as I glanced up at his dark grey eyes. I pulled my forgotten schoolbag closer to my feet and pulled out the Muggle wireless radio that had been enchanted to receive a signal even through the strong magical interference at Hogwarts. I sat it down on top of the wooden high table where we were sitting at and turned on the dial. At first nothing but static came out, so I fiddled with the knob and prodded it with my wand a few times until a random song from a Muggle pop band came blaring out of the speakers.

"What kind of music is that?" Cedric asked, his brow furrowing in confusion as he stayed quiet and listened to the catchy and upbeat song. The chorus finished and he glanced from the wireless and back up at me.

"It's Muggle music," I replied simply, watching that confused frown being replaced by a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth.

He began to laugh and added, "Well if that's the worst, then I'm not worried!" I just frowned at him. "Seriously, you had me worried that I'd have to put up with a girlfriend whose incredibly hormonal or you've got a father that wants to kill me or something!" Cedric laughed and I prodded him in the arm.

"Hey!" I pouted at him. "I was being perfectly serious. Not many people get my obsession with Muggle music and most just think I'm crazy."

"Chrissie," Cedric began, his voice placating, as he took my face in his hands and kissed me lightly. "I think it's cute and perfectly matches your character and I promise not to think you're crazy. How about that?"

"Alright," I replied, mollified and I grudgingly returned the smile he was sending my way.

"Now, have you got any good Muggle bands on that thing?" Cedric queried, bumping his shoulder against mine and I aimed my wand at the wireless radio and promptly changed the station until it settled on something we could both listen to, which eventually ended up being a song by Queen that both amazed and fascinated Cedric. He bopped his head along to the catchy melody and tried to sing along to the chorus, but failed miserably, which only caused me to smile more at him.

"Come on, songs are meant to be danced to, whether they're Muggle or Wizarding," Cedric promptly declared, jumping up from his chair, grabbing my hand and pulling me onto my feet. I let out a squeal, nearly toppling over, but Cedric quick reflexes caught me in his arms and I smiled shyly up at him. He gently took my other hand and danced with me in the middle of the empty and darkening classroom, his hand resting gently on my lower back.

I glanced up at him and saw that his eyes had darkened a little and there was an intense gaze on his face. He leaned down and captured my lips in a sensuous kiss that soon grew more intense. My hands threaded through his dark hair as he pulled me flush against his chest, that elicited a light squeal from me.

We stood like that for a few minutes, gently swaying to the beat, that had changed to a mellow song and snogging with all our might. The kiss itself was becoming quite heated, and we stumbled rather awkwardly towards a desk, which we hit with a bump and a laugh. Cedric's hands were holding my face and my heart was thumping away to the beat of the song.

"Peeves, you bastard!" a voice roared out and we jumped apart, flushed and out of breath, looking around to see where the yell had come from. We listened as the thundering sound of footsteps made their way down the corridor outside our classroom and Cedric sent a bashful smile my way.

"Well that ruined the moment," I let out, running a hand through my wild hair in an attempt to coerce it to lie flat again after Cedric had made such a mess of it.

"Come here," Cedric spoke, his voice a few decibels lower and with with a throaty husk. He wrapped an arm around my waist and grinned down at me. "I've never let Peeves stop me from anything before, and I'm not about to now." He captured my lips once more and I lost myself in his arms.

"Go, go Gryffindor!" Abby and I chanted into the noisy crowd of the rapidly filling stands of the Quidditch pitch. It was a Saturday morning, the sun shining bright and clear, the wind having died down and the snow was sparkling under the bright light. Abby and I had taken up our usual spot in the middle of the Gryffindor stands, ready for the day's game of Slytherin versus Ravenclaw that would decide whether we still had a chance or not.

The obsessed Quidditch fans in both of us had come out that morning and we were decked head to toe in crimson and gold, topped off with our Gryffindor scarves. While that image itself might not be very usual; we done this for every Gryffindor game, the fact that a rather apprehensive Cedric Diggory was sitting next to me, was. He had insisted on wearing his Hufflepuff scarf and Abby and I had spent the last ten minutes, in between cheers and boos as both teams had yet to come out of their lockers, trying to persuade him to drop his traitorous colours and join our side.

"You are aware, that this is Ravenclaw and Slytherin, right?" Cedric queried, watching us with alarm as we continued chanting for Gryffindor. Abby raised an eyebrow at him, and I sighed.

"Cedric, this is just something we do. We cheer for Gryffindor, even if they aren't playing."

"But why don't you just support Ravenclaw?" he pressed, bewilderment watched all over his face.

"What would be the point in that?" I queried, but Abby interrupted me.

"Also because Chrissie's ex is playing for Ravenclaw and we hate him." She said this so simply and with such ease, the second of Cedric's eyebrows raised at that.

I blushed and sent a warning glare in Abby's direction. "Shut up Abbs!"

"I understand," Cedric replied warmly, dropping the subject, which I was very grateful for.

"As for cheering for Gryffindor, come to the dark side. We have girls and way more booze!" I giddily spoke, laughing as I prodded him lightly in the side. He grinned back at me, and asserted he was quite happy keeping on the Hufflepuff colours, and as team captain it really wouldn't look right if he abandoned them so easily.

"Psssh!" Abby retorted, snorting at him, but then her attention was pulled away from Cedric as the Slytherin team made their way out of the locker rooms and made their way towards the waiting Ravenclaw team in the middle of the pitch.

Both Abby and I were momentarily distracted by the presence of the Slytherin team and we let out loud boos and taunts, waiting until both captains had shaken hands and flown into the skies before we sat back down again and focused on Cedric.

"Right Abbs, I think we need to do something about that scarf," I nodded at my friend, who was sitting on the other side of Cedric. We grinned at each other and tackled a surprised Cedric, who let out a yelp in the process. In record time we had pried the Hufflepuff scarf from his neck and wrapped him with both of our Gryffindor ones, so that he could barely see and looked absolutely ridiculous.

"That's so much better," Abby said happily and we grinned at a sighing Cedric, who was pulling the scarves down a little so he could breath properly.

We were momentarily distracted by the match when Draco Malfoy, having seen the snitch dived for it, only to be stopped by one Cho Chang. Once normal play resumed, we turned back to Cedric, who was watching the game intently.

What was it with Quidditch captains and obsessing over the strategies of the other teams?

"We are so going to win the Cup this year!" I proclaimed confidently, keeping my gaze on the game in front of us and watching as a Ravenclaw beater whacked the Bludger away to the other side of the pitch.

"I wouldn't be so sure. Hufflepuff has some skills!" Cedric retorted and I rolled my eyes at him.

"Honestly Cedric, you're covered in Gryffindor scarves, are sitting rather deep in enemy territory and hanging out with two of the biggest fans in the school. Is that really such a good idea?"

Cedric chuckled in reply. "I suppose there's really no point arguing this with you, is there?"

"Nope!" I cried, grinning at him as I shook my head and sent my wild mane into the wind. the loose tendrils kept hitting me in the face, and I impatiently pushed it out of my eyes, to no avail. The bite in the air was starting to get to me, and I began shivering lightly, pulling my hands into the sleeves of the jacket and huddling closer to Cedric's warm form.

Twenty feet above us, Roger Davies made another run for the goals, carrying the Quaffle under one arm, only to be blocked by Marcus Flint, and the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw stands around us let out groans of frustration and annoyance.

"You cold?" Cedric muttered, leaning in close to me and I nodded my head at him, smiling sheepishly.

"I wish Jackie was here to put a warming charm on my clothes to help with the cold, but she's determined never to go to another match after the last one," I replied, blushing lightly by Cedric's strong gaze on my face.

"Come here," he said, wrapping an arm around my shoulders and pulling me close to him. The gesture, more than the body heat was making me warm, but at that point I didn't care as I grinned stupidly up at the handsome Hufflepuff I could now call my boyfriend.

The thought still gave me a thrill and I beamed up at him, feeling incredibly content and comfortable.

I took the moment, while Cedric and Abby were busy following the match intently to study my new boyfriend. What had initially been a courtship filled with wariness, had blossomed into something quite sweet and comforting. It had been a long while since I had actually dated a guy just to get to know him; the last being my ex boyfriend James. Cedric, who I had initially only intended on going out on one or two dates with, had managed to win me over. That in itself proved to be quite a feat, considering my previous experiences with Hogwarts boys, but he had proven himself to be the antithesis to every bloke I had ever been out with before. He wasn't egotistical like James, indecisive like Wood or as cowardly as Roger. In fact, while I had despaired of developing a type after Roger, Cedric seemed to be breaking that mould.

He was so incredibly kind and attentive; he showed no hidden agendas and didn't push me or the relationship. He was a true gentleman, and I relished the thought of taking this relationship slowly and seeing where it goes.

"A Knut for your thoughts," Cedric smiled at me, bumping his shoulder against me.

I smiled warmly up at him and lightly shook my head. "I was just thinking about Quidditch," I lied easily and Cedric let out an easy laugh at the sound of my response and pulled me in closer for a kiss.

"Guys!" Abby cried out impatiently. "There's a match going on here!" Cedric and I rolled our eyes at Abby's brusque nature and turned our attention back to a riveting game.

Later that day, after we watched with dismay Slytherin narrowly beating Ravenclaw in the last hour of the match, we left Cedric behind in the Entrance Hall and disheartened made our way back to the Gryffindor common room. Abby and I weren't the best at academics, so it took us quite a while to calculate and realise that by having Ravenclaw lose, we were still in with a chance of winning the Cup, so by the time we made it back into the common room our spirits were considerably lightened.

"Where are Tess and Jackie? I haven't seen them all day," I queried, turning my head over to look at Abby slouched on the sofa next to me.

She shrugged her shoulders, not looking up from her Quidditch magazine and replied, "Bonding probably. Tess did say something about wanting to use the time to do something fun while the match was on."

"So, the 7C party is still on for tonight?" I asked her, shifting in my seat as I was starting to get a little bored just sitting in the common room doing nothing.

"Yeah," Abby replied, still engrossed in the magazine and some players' stats of the new transfers. "It's Hufflepuffs' turn to host it, and they wanna do a Welcome Back do, which frankly to me seems a little cliché."

I pulled my legs up and began fiddling with the laces on my heavy boots when the common room burst open and an irate half of the Gyrffindor team came storming in.

"Oliver, you have got to be serious!" Alicia Spinnet declared shrilly, her angry voice reverberating through the crowded common room. For lack of anything better to do, I shifted around on my seat and propped myself against the back of the couch, ready to watch the scene unfold where no doubt a Gryffindor team member might actually try and kill Wood.

"I am Alicia. You saw the match. Slytherin just barely won against Ravenclaw. We're still in with a chance of winning the Cup, the next match is against Ravenclaw and you know they're not going to go easy on us," Wood retorted, striding purposefully into the room and making his way towards an empty table, where he promptly opened up his school bag and dumped a whole load of charts and players' moves on the table.

"Yes, I understand, but why five nights a week?" she persisted and Angelina, who I hadn't seen up until this point nodded her head furiously, her braids shaking from side to side.

"Because that is the only way we are going to beat them."

"Some of us actually have a social life and school, and like something called sleep!" Alicia yelled at him, crossing her arms over her chest and glaring at the Scot, who had sat down at the table by this point and started scanning the charts.

Wood glanced up, pinching the bridge of his nose and replied, his tone sharp and filled with irritation. "Do you want to win against Ravenclaw?"

"Yes, but -"

"Then it's five nights a week," Wood replied brusquely and he quickly got up from his seat, gathered all his parchment in his arms and hoisted the bag onto his shoulder. "That's the new training schedule. I'll see you at seven tonight." With that he made his way up the staircase and into the boys' dormitory.

"That boy is such an idiot!" Alicia declared angrily, stomping her foot in rage as Angelina placed a placating hand on her shoulder. "And I was meant to go on a date tonight!"

I felt sorry for Alicia and Angelina; they were lovely girls and they shouldn't have to deal with Wood's pig headedness, but at the same time it wasn't like I could do anything about it either. I waved to Angelina on the other side of the room and she smiled back and me, tapped Alicia on the arm and they both made their way over to me.

"Tough deal," I sympathised and Alicia grimaced, while Angelina shrugged her shoulders, letting out a sigh.

"I guess there goes any hopes of getting good OWLs," Angelina sighed and plopped down on the arm of the sofa Abby and I were sitting on. Abby glanced up from her magazine to quickly say hello to the two girls, before disappearing back behind it again.

"That boy has such a large stick up his arse! No wonder he's called Wood!" Alicia thundered and I chuckled at that.

"Chrissie, can't you go talk to him or something? He listens to you, or at the very least he might consider something you say to him," Angelina pleaded, her dark eyes begging me for help.

"I'm sorry girls, there's nothing I can do. Wood and I aren't friends anymore, so whatever influence you guys think I have over him is gone," I responded, sending them both sympathetic smiles.

"But he would always listen to you!" Alicia remarked with certainty.

"I highly doubt that!" I chuckled and then explained. "We got into a fight and we're not friends anymore, so I'm sorry."

"Oh," the girls replied, looking crestfallen at the thought of training five nights a week.

"Is that why George got such a bollocking from Oliver at training when he insinuated Oliver needed a good shag from you?" Alicia asked and Angelina elbowed her in the side, giving her a filthy look.

I rolled my eyes at the comment. I didn't know the twins that well, but it sounded like them. "Yes that ought to be it. Although do tell George Weasley I don't appreciate him talking about me like that. He may be one half of the biggest jokers ever to go through this school, but I'm still older than him."

"Sorry," Alicia proclaimed sheepishly, but I laughed and told them I wasn't offended.

"Oh, by the way. I heard about you and Cedric Diggory. Congratulations; that boy is damn fine!" Angelina proclaimed, whistling at the thought of my very handsome boyfriend.

I blushed and tried to hold back my smile. "He is, isn't he?" I chuckled and the girls bid me farewell, leaving Abby and I alone on the sofa once more.

The first 7C party of the year turned out to be a messy one. In fact, it turned out be quite a rowdy affair, with everyone letting loose and going bloody mental; and I loved every minute of it!

I was dressed to kill in a very bright tube skirt and matching striped red top with Abby, Jackie and Tess by my side as we meandered our way through the crowded Come-and-Go room. The music was blaring some new hits from The Weird Sisters and Tess was shimmying her hips along to the beat. I had hoped to sneak Cedric in earlier, but Abby had dashed those dreams when she insisted she couldn't pull any strings for a sixth year. I had left him that evening with a very cryptic response to spending some girly time with the girls and thankfully he hadn't pressed me on it.

"Magda, Magda!" the very raucous crowd cheered, having formed a circle around a tiny girl with black hair and frumpy clothes that was in the process of downing a series of Firewhiskey shots, next to a table laden with alcoholic drinks. We paused with equal grins on our faces as we watched the small Slytherin seventh year down shot after shot, steam coming out of her ears in the process.

In fact, this girl wasn't the only Slytherin who was going absolutely mental. Either they decided to take that stick out of their asses or were just celebrating their win, but everywhere I looked there was a Slytherin either completely hammered, falling down, making a fool out of themselves or, in the case of my arch nemesis; Michaela Witcher, throwing up in the corner.

I elbowed Abby next to me and pointed in the general direction of Michaela, her hair being held back by one of her friends and we both grinned.

"Looks like the bitch can't handle her drink," Abby snorted and I smiled gleefully. I knew I shouldn't be revelling in another's misery, but schadenfroh be damned. This was hilarious!

"I don't think I've ever seen the Slytherins act this wild before!" I yelled into Abby's ear and she nodded her head.

"My spies tell me, they got a whole stash of Firewhiskey and have been drinking in their common room for the last five hours!" Tess declared loudly and I was barely able to make out her words over the din.

"You gotta hand it to them; the majority might be a bunch of assholes, but they sure know how to party!" I retorted and we gingerly made our way through the crowd again, finally reaching the safety of the couches in the back of the room. Thankfully it was a little quieter and emptier in this part, and I gazed around to see that the room had changed shape again, resembling a large cavern. The girls plonked themselves down a corner that had blankets and pillows strewn on the ground, making themselves comfortable.

"Chrissie?" Abby queried, from where she was lying on the ground in between Jackie and Tess.

"Hang on a minute guys, I'm gonna go find Karine," I replied, smiling at the girls and making my way into the throng once more. If at all possible, the crowd had gotten more loud and excitable, jumping up and down to the music and I was jostled from side to side.

After five minutes of trying to find Karine, I was about to give up and return to the girls, when Harvey Ryan, the seventh year Hufflepuff and Cedric's friend held a hand out and pulled me through a group of girls dancing.

"Oh thank Merlin!" I exclaimed, a little breathless, pushing my hair out of my face. It was becoming very hot and sticky in the Come-and-Go room and my hair was sticking to my face. "I thought I was going to be crushed in there!"

Harvey laughed and gently led me out of the crowd. "No problem Chrissie. So how are you liking our little shindig?"

I grinned at him and looked around, surveying the room, filled to the brim with seventh years that were noisily singing along to the songs, dancing animatedly and getting into all sorts of trouble.

"It's bloody brilliant!"

We finally made it out of the large party and I was surprised when Harvey and I bumped into Wood. I took a deep breath and glanced up at the tall Scot in front of me. He was avoiding eye contact with me and I noticed how he kept fidgeting with the collar of his navy shirt. He looked strange dressed up in smart trousers and his hair combed back.

"Oliver, mate," Harvey spoke easily, shaking hands with Wood and I wondered briefly if Wood was friends with everyone in this school apart from me. That thought quickly vanished when he replied to Harvey and then glanced up at me.

"Margate," he spoke simply and I met his gaze with a fierce one of my own.

"Wood," I replied in the same tone, jutting out my chin in an attempt to show I wasn't intimidated by his presence.

"Hold on Chrissie, I gotta catch up with Katherina," Harvey uttered and gave a quick nod to Wood before he dashed off into the crowd once more, chasing after a pretty blonde girl with mahogany dark hair. I watched his retreating back, when I was startled out of my thoughts by the sound of his voice.

"How were your holidays?" Wood inquired, his voice devoid of emotion. I frowned at him, not quite sure why he was still here or talking to me.

"Fine, and yours?"

"Same," he responded gruffly and I could feel his hard gaze upon my face so I pulled my eyes back up at him and returned the glare. We stood like that for a few minutes, neither saying a word and daring the other to break the silence first.

"Was there anything else?" I asked, a bite to my tone and I could hear him gritting his teeth in annoyance. It gave me a sickening sort of satisfaction, seeing how easily he got riled up by me.

"You always have to be such a bitch, Margate, don't you?" he ground out, words laced with acid and I glared fiercely at him, crossing my arms across my chest.

"For your information Wood, I was just trying to move the bloody conversation along! Merlin, do you always have your knickers in such a twist?" I arched an eyebrow at him and sneered with satisfaction when I saw a vein throbbing in his temple.

"This is what I get for trying to be reasonable with you, but that always was impossible!" Wood snipped back angrily, also crossing his arms across his chest.

"You're the impossible one here!" I yelled out and poked him in the chest with my index finger. I dropped the hand and sighed, running my hands into my hair as I let out a deep breath.

"We can't keep doing this Wood," I sighed, pushing my hair out of my face and looking up at the bloke in front of me. "There's a reason why we shouldn't be friends."

"You're fucking right about that!" Wood snorted, laughing to himself. I sighed; this was probably the best reaction I could have hoped for.

"Well there's something we can agree on at least!" I exclaimed and Wood nodded his head. "I'm gonna go now," I added and Wood nodded his head once. I left him standing at the edge of the dance floor and made my way back to the girls.

The funny thing was; that had been the only thing Wood and I could agree on in a long, long time. We had spent so much time bickering and arguing that it just wasn't possible to be friends anymore and we were both tired with trying the whole time. There was just too much water under the bridge and we both needed to move on. It didn't help though that talking to Wood still made my palms sweaty, or set my heartbeat racing, and I couldn't just blame it on him being handsome. I hated that he had a physical effect on me even a month later; had we both agreed to not have anything more to do with the other?

Fresh starts are a brilliant concept; the idea that we can leave our past mistakes behind and start anew, but the reality is so much more difficult. The truth is fresh starts are hard and not everyone wants them. We are incapable of letting go so easily and even though Wood and I could agree on not being friends, we couldn't even have one decent conversation before another argument erupted.

Sometimes there's just too much resentment in the air to ever get your fresh start and that is something they don't tell you about on New Year's Day. Wood and I were like that, and while I knew our assertion to be true, in the darkest corners of my mind I wasn't quite ready to let go.

In the end that's what stops us after all - the ability to truly move on.

A/N's: Now before you guys feel the need to kill me for not putting Wood and Chrissie together already I'm sorry! There is a grand plan here and all I will say on the topic is that this is like Pride and Prejudice; everyone knows what the ending is gonna be, it's the journey that I'm telling here. We all know that Chrissie and Wood are meant to be together, but they're not as smart as you and I so they need a little more time to come to this realisation.

As for Cedric; I'm not a hundred per cent happy about how he's coming off in this chapter. I suppose, I like Chrissie, am still trying to figure him out. Hopefully he will look more human in the next chapter.

As for the next chapter; this is one I've been particularly excited and nervous about. It's gonna be a departure from the standard model and I'm going to try something new. It's probably also gonna be the only chapter that will be AU. I hope you guys will love it as much as I love the idea. That's all I'm gonna say on it now.

As always, please review and know I love you guys.

Agrolass

xxx