A/N: What a beautiful day! Don't you agree?
Because
I need you more than you need me Because we moved too fucking fast I'm sorry please forgive me,
believe me if you want Because I cared way more I'm sorry please
forgive me, believe me if you want
Because I want you more I
know
I think I really had
to wish to make this last I know
Because I
really felt that you felt so much more I know
I'm sorry please forgive me,
believe me if you could
-Boxcar Racer; Sorrow (just a generally great song for a generally great band.)
Strange and Beautiful
Chapter 21
Dear Diary,
So everything's pretty much fucked up and gone to the shits now.
I feel like such a prep. All these feelings. I love Cedric – though I fucking hate him at the same time – but he would never comfort me the way Harry did. Harry just listened, when Cedric would put in his two cents. But Harry's like...a Gryffindor. And a third year. And he doesn't have that man smell like Cedric.
Ok, that sounds fucking creepy.
But I feel torn. Do I go for the one who cares who I like less, or do I go for the one who lies but I love?
Fucking teen drama.
-Erin
Erin threw her diary at the wall at the foot of her bed, a dissatisfied sneer forming on her face when it fell and opened, revealing it's contents. She stood, picked up the diary, and tossed it in her trunk.
She stared out the window at the black night. The moon was covered with clouds, and her vision was obscured by a layer of fog resting on her window. Erin had to resist the urge to scream at the fog, for it would wake up Jeanea. She didn't care about Samaire; she considered Samaire to be her ex-friend.
She scowled at the window when she heard a soft 'tap, tap'. She stomped over to the window and ripped it open, surprised to see a snowy white owl sitting on the sill with a letter in it's beak.
Erin furrowed her brow and took the letter out of the owl's beak, scanning it quickly.
Hey Erin,
Meet me outside your common room at one. I have something to show you.
-Harry
P. S. Get your mind out of the gutter.
A smile broke out on Erin's face at his cute attempt at humor. What hurt could come of
seeing what he wanted, she thought. She checked her watch – which read 12:50 – and snuck out of her dormitories.
Erin tip-toed through the common room and slowly opened the portrait, closing it behind her when she stepped out.
She checked her watch again – 12:55 – and leaned against the wall, her arms crossed and her patience waning.
"Boo."
Erin let out a wail and jumped when she heard the person whisper in her ear; the problem was, no one was there.
"Peeves..." she whispered. "This isn't funny."
She took another step back as Harry materialized out of thin air, clutching his side in laughter.
"Oh, that was priceless," he said, still laughing.
"What is that thing?" Erin asked, pointing to the cloak that he had just pulled off of himself.
"It's my invisibility cloak," he said. "Come on, get under here with me."
Erin stepped close to him and he swung it over her shoulders. She found Harry to be crouching a bit as to make sure that the soles of his trainers weren't visible.
"Where are we going, anyways?" Erin asked after the pair set off.
"You'll see," Harry whispered, pulling her to the wall to avoid a close collision with Professor Flitwick.
The pair walked wordlessly down the hallways, passing an array of teachers and ghosts on their way.
"Here we are," Harry whispered when the were standing in front of the statue of an ugly and decrepit witch. He pulled the cloak off of Erin.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Erin retorted. "We're standing in front of an ugly statue in the middle of no where in the middle of the night."
Harry ignored her and, after placing his wand on the statue, muttered, "Dissendium."
The statue moved itself so that a hump grew large enough for them to climb through. Harry went first and Erin followed after him.
"Ok, now you have me curious."
"Just be quiet, you'll see."
Erin walked behind Harry, feeling annoyed at the lack of information presented to her. They were silent as they walked down a long, dirty hallway for what felt like an hour.
Without warning, Erin stopped in her tracks.
"Tell me, and tell me now, where are we going? I don't want you to drag me off school grounds so you can feed me to the Dementors for revenge or something."
"I swear it's not that. We're here, anyway."
Harry reached above his head and pulled open a trapdoor, pulling himself up and out.
"Ok, you have me interested," Erin said, following him up.
She looked around the room, a skeptical look on her face. "It's a basement with boxes," she retorted.
"It's not just about the boxes," Harry said, approaching one of them. "It's about what's in them."
Harry raced around, opening box after box. A variety of sweet smells emitted from each box, and Erin realized that they all contained sweets.
"Welcome to the cellar of Honeydukes," Harry said, fanning his arm around to show it off.
"Wow," Erin said, walking up to one of the boxes and pulling out a cockroach cluster.
"This is all yours."
Erin began sucking on the end of a Sugar Quill, staring at Harry. "You brought me down here to bribe me with candy?"
"I figured you'd need something sweet to perk you up, with everything that's been going on," Harry said.
"How much do you know?" Erin asked, her eyes dimming.
"I have my sources," Harry replied, staring at the roof absent-mindedly while chewing on Fizzing Whizzbee.
"You care that much?" Erin asked softly, approaching Harry.
"While – err – I umm...err –"
"You what?"
"How could I not?" Harry said quickly.
Erin took a step forward and placed her hand on Harry's shoulder.
"Thank you," she whispered into his ear. She stared into his bright green eyes momentarily before closing her own and kissing him softly.
- - -
"She was the shits, anyway," Martin said, patting Cedric on the shoulder.
"Have you looked at her?" Cedric replied, staring at Martin with red, puffy eyes. "Have you talked to her?"
"Why would I?" Martin snorted. "She looks like shit because of all that makeup and man clothes that she wears, and she's probably a bitch anyway. Look at all she's done to you!"
"It was my fault," Cedric grumbled, swirling his pumpkin juice around with his spoon. "I went and did the one thing she asked me not to do. It's my fault. She deserves better."
"Looks like she's found it."
Cedric gave Martin a fuzzy look. "What?" he grumbled.
"Look at her. She's over there. With Potter."
Cedric's head slowly twisted over to where Martin was pointing, a look of awe on his face.
Martin wasn't lying.
Erin and Harry were standing at the entrance to the Great Hall, snogging.
Cedric slowly stood up, swaying, and exited the Hall, willing himself not to throw up all over his freshly washed robes.
- - -