Chapter 25: Drawing

Cedric Diggory ended the last week of school up in the hospital wing. Again. The new spell he and David had tried wasn't really successful, and they finished with their wands in their nose and awfully a lot of laughter. He grumbled. He was Cedric Diggory, not? He was supposed to do every spell alright and now this happened! He looked at David.

'Your fault.' He said.

His friend looked back at him and shrugged.

'No way.'

'Oh yes it is, I'm a good wizard so it has to be your fault.'

'You want another duel?' David grumbled.

'That's gonna be one without wants then.'

It was silent for a moment, then they burst out in laughter, Cedric finally seeing the sillyness of the whole situation. They ordered Cho not to visit them cause this lack of talent in spells was quite emberassing. As David and Cedric did more emberassing things, some could work out pretty well like the serenade they brought to Cho together. On valentine's day, they could not decide which one of them could have Cho, so they decided to share her, after awfully a lot of fights and struggling.

She had been sitting outside on a bench, reading when the two boys came walking they were snickering and a little nervous. Cho had looked suspicious at them and they came to stand in front of her.

'What?' Cho had asked as they stood there grinning at her, silently but so amused. If she only knew, if she only knew… Cedric and David would look at each other meaningful and the next second they had dropped on their knees and started singing to her. Cho had blushed insanely. People who walked by laughing or making noises like : Aww. Some girls looking jealous but Cedric had seen Cho shine, she seemed to feel lucky. They really had made work of it, Diggory and Rankin did not do half things and if they did, they both did another half so it would be a total in the end. Once they were done they had been looking at her victorious and Cho had giggled flattered. He could still remember that giggle.

'Thank you both so much!' she had squealed and kissed both their cheeks. Cedric had got all warm inside from that truly mean kiss.

'We are not done yet!' David had said enthusiastic.

'Not even close!' Cedric had added grinning and they pulled of her bench, pushed into Hogwarts.

'What are we going to do?' she had asked.

'Everyone here should now that you are our Valentine, so we need to mark you!' Cedric had chuckled. They should know! Especially Harry Potter. With David he could share, only a little because he was his friend, and he knew Cho liked David as a friend as well.

'As long you are not going to paint me! Or burn me!' she had said panicky.

They boys had laughed a pushed her on a chair in their Hufflepuf commonroom. Paint her? Burn her? What did she think of them, they loved her!

'A chocolate, miss?' David had offered while Cedric grabbed the stuff they prepared. Cho tried to peek all the time and he chuckled when coming back, grinning joking.

'With or without love potion?'

David had laughed. 'We aren't that cruel,'

'What do you have there?' Cho had asked when Cedric returned at her chair. He had all sort of stuff in his hand. Stuff to mark her, even though she was a ravenclaw, this would be her one day as hufflepuff-girl.

'Just some stuff to mark you,' he had said innocent. He and David both started to touch her hair. Putting it up by putting ribbons in it from the colors of Hufflepuf, Cedric enjoyed how his hands stroked through her hair even though he did a pretty poor job. Dealing with ribbons wasn't his strongest point and it wasn't David's either so to see. But it did not even misstood her! She groaned a little though when they came with more.

'What now?' she had questioned, probably thinking about more marking stuff but Cedric had smiled. Enough marking, these were her presents. He bought her quite a lot, music boxes and chocolate and he enjoyed the smile on her face, unwrapping both Cedric's and David's presents. They ended up with the last, which she probably would love if he knew her a little.

'You guys!' she had said, almost getting emotional, Cedric saw. He already wanted to hush her, but knew he shouldn't. Though, he wasn't able to resist to press a kiss on her face.

'Thank you,' she had said hoarse.

'We have one more thing,' David grinned. They had put out the package towards her at the same time. When Cho unwrapped it a beautiful little dress came out, matching the colors of her ribbons. Cedric saw her eyes lighten up when she looked at it, and how he enjoyed that.

'You like it?' they had asked.

She had burst into tears than. 'Thank you guys!' she had sobbed.

Both Cedric and David wrapped their arms around her.

'We love you!' they had said perfectly at the same time.

Cho had worn the dress whenever she had been able to, so many times that Cedric had warned her, that it would be a part of her skin after a while.

'Sleepyhead!' David called out. 'It's the third time Madame Pomfrey asks you if you want to hurry up with getting away from here!'

'Uh?'

'Bugger off, you're done.' His friend said dryly.

'Oh!' Cedric grinned and he stood up, running his fingers through his hair as he waved to David teasing, who still wasn't done and he walked upstairs, this a nice moment to be with his beloved Cho without his friend bothering him.

He could hear her chuckle when knocking the door.

'Having fun on your own?' he teased.

'Yes!' and Cho burst into laughter, she seemed to like it, to have him there again and he sank down on the edge of her bed.

'What's so funny?' he asked and crawled next to her.

'You did a serenade!' Cho laughed.

He stared at her for a moment, was she drunk or so? But he knew she wasn't, just giddy and he had to laugh as well

'Yeah I guess I sort of did, are you laughing at me?'

'Noooo!' Cho squealed giddy.

Cedric snickered and walked with his fingers over her belly. He held his sketchbook under one arm, actually had been searching for inspiration but now Cho noticed it.

'Drawings!' she smiled pleased and took it from him. He wanted to protest, knowing the last drawing way to well and a little scared she would see it, wouldn't like it. But taking it away from her… he could never do that. As she opened it the first drawing was their spot at the lake, that one worked out. Cho smiled. The next drawing was her. In her school uniform, looking over her shoulder smiling.

'Nice Ceddy,' she commented. He could only smile weakly and played with his fingers nervously. Cho looked wondering at him for a moment but then skipped to the next drawing, which was also her. Only now in her orange dress. The next she was too, and the next, and the next and the next and the next. Cedric moved unease. He knew it, she was everything. Every drawing except for the lake and than the last… The last drawing she was also. Drawn from straight in front of her, her hair fluttering a bit as a breeze was going through it. The drawing stopped at just under her collarbone. She searched for the lines who would point out her shirt but there weren't any. He skipped them, liking to think about how he could finish the drawing. Cho was bare shouldered. She looked up at Cedric and he blushed.

'I…I'm…'

She gave him back the sketchbook and smiled sweetly. That made it only worse. How could he have been so stupid?

'They are really good,' she said. 'You have talent,'

Cedric gazed at her.

'You are just a big part of my life that's why…'

'I know, don't explain,' Cho said.

Cedric nodded and Cho grinned pushing him softly.

'Seriously I'm flattered!'

Cedric laughed softly, trying to kiss her head, but Cho escaped him by kiss his cheek first. He chuckled, secretly pleased she wished to beat him with kissing.

'Little monster!' he said.

'I'm going to take a shower for a moment,' Cho said grinning and stood up. Cedric rose a little as well, almost following.

'You want me to join?' Cedric joked wiggling his eyebrows.

'Shut up,' Cho laughed. 'You stay here, you better be here when I return!'

'Of course Cho,' Cedric smiled and his eyes followed her until she was in the bathroom. He rather had come with her but he knew he was pushing his luck.

As Cho came back, earlier than expected, he looked up at her for a brief moment and then gasped softly.

'Cho,' he groaned.

'What?' Cho said as she walked to her closet to find some clothes.

'Best friend or not I'm still a boy!'

Cho laughed. 'Don't be such a baby,' she said as she looked into the wardrobe.

'Won't you pose for me?' He never thought she would hear, for he whispered it in a sudden desire, wondering why he asked in the first place.

'Where?' she asked at instant.

So easy… she allowed him to draw her so easy, and he pointed to the little sofa for a second, his eyes wondering.

'Lay down?' Cedric asked.

She did, and he opened his sketchbook. Would she find it too much to… no he could not ask that of her, she already only had a towel and…

When he looked up after finding his page he gasped softly as she laid there like that. Naked, her body pale and light in the sunshine through the window. He swallowed, this was what he meant. He started to draw right away. It was hard to focus, her beautiful body distracting.

'Can you put your hand a little more against your cheek…Yes there, keep it there,' he said, very professional.

Cho smiled a little. Cedric drew and looked and drew and blushed. He could not help it to blush, she just was so beautiful…

'You are blushing,' Cho chuckled.

'Am not…' Cedric mumbled weakly as his pencil sketched over the paper. He knew he lied but it was such a bad attempt to hide he couldn't really call it lying.

'You are Picasso, you are blushing!'

Cedric smiled as his eyes went upon her. Did she know?

'I don't think you have a clue how beautiful you are,'

'Am I giving you a hard time?' Cho asked, while still holding perfectly still. She seemed to care about it and he chewed his lip.

'A little,' Cedric mumbled. 'But drawing helps, makes me focus on lines, instead of…' his eyes wondered up to her body again but then he shook his head and drew further. She was so gorgeous… did she know how she was everything he longed for? How perfect she was?

Cedric would meet her eyes for a moment. More at ease then before, less red but still some nervous. Once he was done he looked at her insecure.

'You want to see it?' he asked.

'Yes,' Cho muttered.

Cedric stood up swiftly and walked towards her showing her the drawing, which was truly beautiful. It worked out, so perfectly. It was her…

'It's beautiful,' she said. Cedric smiled a little proud and took the towel from the ground and covered her body with it. She could become cold… he softly stroked her face.

'How about a best friends kiss?' he asked.

Cho laughed and smacked him softly.

'You really are pushing you luck!' she said snickering while shaking her head.

Cedric smiled along, though a little disappointed. When would he finally realize, letting himself realize this became too much? That he wanted her…