Author's Notes: Wondering what's going to happen? Well you don't have to wait any longer. You'll soon see what Cedric has in store for Miss Midgen. A lot is about to happen in this chapter, so be ready for it!
Chapter Twenty-One
Eloise's POV
At six fourty-five that evening, my stomach was doing unpleasant flip flops. I really did not like how unfathomable this situation was. I like to know what I am getting myself into. Going into the unknown is not something that I do willingly. It is far beyond my comfort zone.
I could not figure out why Cedric wanted to meet me at the Quidditch Pitch. Did he think flying lessons would patch things up between us? Well, if he did, he was wrong. I hate flying. I've only been on a broomstick once. That was during my first year at Hogwarts. First year flying lessons were enough to sway my opinion. I wasn't cut out to be a Quidditch player. That was a fact.
So why did he want to meet there of all places? It seemed so odd, but I knew that only I could answer that question. Just like Ophelia said, no one else could help me. I was all alone this time.
At six fifty, I decided that it was time. Taking a deep breath, I meandered my way down to the Quidditch Pitch. When I got there, Cedric was already waiting. He had a small, leather bag with him. I looked warily at the bag. One thought entered my brain. As this thought swam around in my head, my stomach churned again.
"Please tell me that we are not flying on brooms," I pleaded with Cedric.
Cedric grinned. "No, we are not going to fly on brooms. Though now that you mention it, I do miss flying."
A look of relief engulfed my face.
"Good because I hate flying," I stated, but then I frowned. "But, why exactly are we here?"
"Follow me."
Cedric's grin widened. He extended his hand for me to take. Still unsure about the whole thing, I accepted his hand and we walked inside the Quidditch Pitch. We stopped right in the middle of the field.
"You did not answer my question," I told him. "What are we doing here?"
"I thought that you and I could eat supper together," replied Cedric, unzipping the bag.
"But we could have done that in the Great Hall," I said, still confused.
Cedric gave me a look before answering. I'm not entirely sure what that look was trying to convey. Was it incredulity? Was it pity? I did not know because it had evaporated as quickly as it had appeared.
"Not without distractions," Cedric responded, taking out a basket of food.
It was then that I realized why Cedric had asked me to come. I felt really stupid for not realizing before.
"So, you thought that you could make a move on me, huh?" I inquired Cedric, challenging him to say no.
Cedric chuckled. "Did you just figure that out? I wondered how long it would take. I thought it would be obvious from the get go."
"I knew for a long time," I replied, lying. "ever since I first questioned you."
"Yeah, sure you did," replied Cedric, rolling his eyes in disbelief. "That's only why you hounded me with a zillion questions."
"I was testing you," I retorted, a little defensive.
"Of course you were," responded Cedric in that irritating way. He opened up the basket and took out a turkey sandwich. "Would you like one?"
"Don't change the subject," I growled at him. "I'm not done being angry at you."
Cedric put the sandwich away. When his gaze returned to mine, I saw something on it that shocked me. He looked incensed.
"When are you going to quit being mad at me?" Cedric questioned, using a voice of forced calm. His hands were betraying him, though. I could see them trembling.
"That depends, when are you going to stop being so irritating," I shot back.
"You know what I think?"
"What? What do you think, Cedric?"
"I think that you want to be furious at me. I think that you enjoy making me suffer for what happened at the Yule Ball."
"Well, duh, Captain Obvious. Because you didn't consider my feelings at all when you made that bet."
Cedric stared at me for a while. His demeanor changed. He appeared to be more placid. When he spoke again, he seemed to be choosing his words carefully.
"I'm really sorry about ever making that stupid bet, Eloise. I wish that I could travel back in time and erase it. But, I can't. All I can do now is hope that you'll forgive me."
"That's the problem," I told him. "I want to forgive you, but I can't. I was crushed when you confessed. You don't know what it's been like for me. I'm always the butt of everyone's jokes. Before this year, no one would even speak to me."
"But it's not like that anymore," Cedric said. "Everyone knows how wonderful you are now. No one is going to make fun of you. If they do, they'll have to answer to me."
I could tell that he was being serious. However, I was a little confused. So many inquiries floated through my brain. One stood out vividly among the others.
"So, what exactly do you want from me?"
Cedric fidgeted with the zipper of his bag. He took a deep breath and let his hand fall to his side. Turning his gaze towards mine, Cedric smiled.
"Isn't it obvious?" Cedric stated. "I want to start over. I want to forget about the past and move forward. But I'd still like for you to be a part of my life. That is, if you will let me."
I was speechless. All this time, I thought that Cedric just wanted to play a prank on me again. But he didn't. He actually wanted to start over.
"I'm not sure if that's possible," I said, unsure of what could happen if we did.
"Anything's possible," remarked Cedric. "I've heard Muggles say that magic didn't exist. Truth be told, I would feel the same way if I wasn't raised by wizards. But if something like magic exists, I think that anything could happen as well."
"Yeah, I guess that is true," I agreed with him.
Cedric beamed at me. I felt a tiny flicker of a smile on my lips. For a moment, it seemed as though something was about to happen. As we looked at each other, I felt something that I'd never felt before. There was an actual connection growing between Cedric and me. Something that certainly wasn't there so many months prior. Perhaps it had always been there, and I'm just now noticing it. Whatever the case, there was a strange mood hovering in the air.
"Would you be totally opposed to kissing right now?" inquired Cedric, rather boldly.
He appeared to be very nervous. I could tell that he was testing the waters. He wasn't about to do anything unless I gave him the green light. That was definitely a new experience for me. I wasn't used to seeing him act this way. It was uncharted territory.
I was still in a quandary about Cedric. I wanted to trust him, but previous experiences left me doubtful. A fraction of my mind couldn't help mulling over a few questions. Was he really turning over a new leaf? Could I really trust him? Only one way to find out.
I nodded and leaned a little bit closer to Cedric. Looking very pleased, Cedric reciprocated. As our lips touched, I felt a spark of electricity between us. I was aware of how this action would impact the both of us in days to come, but I didn't care. The only thing that mattered was the moment. With the impending third task, who knew if we'd ever get another occasion like this?
Cedric was the first one to pull away. I rested my forehead on his. I didn't want to be too far away just yet. I was hesitant for this moment to end. I wished silently that it would last forever. I knew that I would be perfectly sated if my wish would come true.
Alas, my wish did not come true. It was all due to my stomach rumbling. It's sound was that of a roaring lion roaming a savannah. The noise was much louder and more deafening in the quietude of the night. Apparently, hunger doesn't recognize the importance of a blissful point in time.
"Perhaps we should eat?" suggested Cedric.
"Yeah, maybe you are right," I agreed, half-heartedly.
We started eating all of the delicious food that Cedric had brought with him. Turkey sandwiches were only part of the meal. Potato salad, buttered biscuits, and strawberry jello followed. Cedric and I washed down our scrumptious meal with pumpkin juice. As we ate, Cedric and I chatted. We discussed our home lives a little more and the third task. Cedric said that he expected the third task to be the most dangerous of them all. When I asked him what he meant by that, he hesitated. I pressed a bit further, and found out that Hagrid had told him all about it.
"How did you get Hagrid to tell you? I didn't know you two were on good terms."
"Hagrid's always been very nice to me," stated Cedric. "We were chatting one day during class when it came up. He said that Potter already knew and he wanted me to know as well. I think that he just wants to ensure a Hogwarts' victory. Either that or he doesn't want to look as though he is favoring Potter."
"Probably the latter," I replied. "As if no one knew before. Hagrid worships the ground that Potter walks on. Don't get me wrong," I added after seeing the look on Cedric's face," Harry has always been nice to me. I have nothing against him, personally. I just dislike all of the favoritism that he receives."
"I think Harry doesn't particularly care for it either," chimed in Cedric, thoughtfully. "I mean, he didn't ask for a psychotic wizard to attack his family. All the attention that Harry receives seems to be unwanted. I think if he could, Harry would most likely trade for another life."
"And how would you know that?" I asked, looking astonished.
"I'm very observant," replied Cedric, grinning.
"More like nosy," I muttered.
"How could you suggest such a thing," declared Cedric, acting hurt.
"Because I know you," I retorted, cracking a smile.
My answer resulted in Cedric pinning and tickling me. All I could do was squirm. My pleas did nothing to stop Cedric's tickling spree. I thought that my sides were going to burst from laughing so hard.
Just when I could not take anymore, Cedric ceased tickling me. Once released, I sat up. Cedric looked at his watch. His eyes grew wide.
"It's way past curfew," Cedric stated. "We'd better get back to the castle before Filch finds us."
Argus Filch, the caretaker of Hogwarts' castle, was the bane of every students' existence. His cat, Mrs. Norris, was second on that list. They patrolled the corridors after hours and punished any students that they found out of bed. The duo were despised by the students. Neither Cedric or I desired to be caught by them.
Packing up the picnic basket, Cedric and I made our way towards the oak front doors. When we reached them, Cedric slowly pushed the door open a crack. He peered inside. I waited beside him nervously.
"I'll go in first," whispered Cedric. "If I'm caught, it isn't as big of a deal. I'll just tell Filch that I am on patrol duty tonight. Whitney's actually supposed to do it tonight, but she skipped out. So I'll make it look like she passed the responsibility off to me. Don't worry," Cedric stated, seeing my wary look. "Whitney won't mind. She hates patrolling with Filch anyway."
"I have no qualms lying to Filch," I disclosed.
"Great, follow me then."
As quietly as we could, Cedric and I crept into the castle. We snaked our way up two flights of stairs before we ran into our first obstacle. Peeves the poltergeist was fourth on the list of things students hated about Hogwarts. Severus Snape was the third. Unfortunately, both were currently in very close proximity to us. Cedric grabbed my arm and pulled me into a secret passage just in time. Any later and we would have been discovered.
"Your timing is impeccable," I murmured to Cedric.
Cedric pressed his finger to his lips. I fell silent, but my heart was pounding. The sound of my heartbeat was vociferous. I was fearful that it could be heard from outside these walls.
"Come on, Eloise," hissed Cedric. "We've got to keep moving."
I traveled closely behind Cedric. The path was dimly lit by torches. I could just barely make out Cedric even though I was so close to him. Fortunately, it was a straight path with only a couple of turns.
We soon reached another door. Cedric carefully opened the door. He checked to see if the coast was clear. When Cedric realized that it was, we continued on our journey. By now, I was terrified. I expected a ghost, a teacher, or Peeves to jump out at us any second. My anxiety was causing my heart to beat even quicker. I kept hearing voices and seeing shadows cast by the bright moonlight. My mind was playing tricks on me. Fueled by apprehension.
"Yes! We are here!" Cedric exclaimed in a hushed voice.
That was all it took to ease my fear. I felt that I could relax now. This was all behind us. I felt victorious. We thwarted Peeves, Snape, Mrs. Norris, and Filch. It had to be some sort of record. Not even the infamous Weasley twins could have accomplished that.
Cedric uttered the password. The portrait woke up and feebly started scolding us for being out so late. Ignoring the potrait's rants, we made our way inside the Hufflepuff common room. After saying goodnight, Cedric and I parted. Sleep was quite welcomed. The day had been a very adventurous one. I was ready for some peace and quiet. It was definitely well earned.
Reviews are always welcomed!