September 1, 1992 ~
Garnet was sitting in a train car by herself, just waiting.
She looked up when she heard the door slide open and Cedric come in. She smiled. She really did like him.
He sat beside her and took her hand in his. "Having a good day?"
Garnet nodded. "We got here a little early. Dad left the office to come put me on the train, and then he had to go straight back." she shrugged. "How about you?"
"Better now." he looked into her eyes.
Garnet blushed, but a small part of her heart still ached.
The doors of the car slide open again. Garnet looked up and smiled at her friends.
"Oh..." George said. "Are we interrupting?"
"No," Garnet said. "Come on in."
George thought he saw Cedric roll his eyes.
Ginny followed her brothers into the car.
"Ginny!" Garnet grinned. "Are you excited?!"
Ginny nodded. "I'm just hoping to be in Gryffindor like my brothers."
"I'm sure you will be." she smiled at the anxious girl. "Where's Ron and Harry?"
The Twins and Ginny shrugged.
"They probably found Hermione and sat with her." George replied.
Fred tried to keep the entire trip to Hogwarts as normal as possible, even with Cedric hanging out with them.
When finally the train came to a stop at Hogsmeade Station, Garnet gave Ginny a quick hug and wished her luck as she followed Hagrid with all the other First Years.
No one had seen Harry and Ron yet. Garnet was starting to worry, which only amplified when Hermione joined them looking for them.
"I'm sure we'll see them inside." Fred said, only half believing it.
After the Sorting Ceremony, where Ginny was infact sorted into Gryffindor, Garnet sat and ate with Adrian, chatting.
Dinner came to an end, and as usual Garnet said bye to Adrian and got up to go join the Twins. However Cedric called her name from the Hufflepuff table and waved her over to join him.
Garnet looked at him, then looked to the Twins who were staring at her. George saw her looking back and forth from Cedric to the Twins, with an anxious look on her face. Fred noticed the same look. He smiled and waved her on, telling her to join her boyfriend. She gave him a look, practically asking permission and he nodded.
Biting her bottom lip, she smiled, waved and went to sit with Cedric.
George's chest lurched when he watched the Hufflepuff put his arm over Garnet's shoulder.
"You need to calm down. Seriously. Do you really see it lasting? Diggory's one of the biggest flirts in the entire school." Fred murmured to George, sensing his feelings. "I just don't see it working out between the two of them. But you go turning into an arse and you won't even have a friendship to go back to if and when things with him end."
George nodded, knowing his brother was right. He sighed. "I'll try."
Cedric walked Garnet to the dungeon corridor. They had been chatting all through dessert.
"So, I'll see you in the morning at breakfast, yeah?" he smiled at her.
"Of course." She grinned back at him. "I'll be down."
Cedric nodded and leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. She blushed and headed for the Common Room.
Once she got in there, the room was a buzz with news about Harry and Ron arriving via a flying car, and smashing it into the Whomping Willow. Malfoy kept running his mouth about them. She resisted the urge to smack him. He was, after all, the son of her Godfathers friend.
That night, Garnet laid awake in her bed. She liked Cedric, she really did; but every time she looked at George, she wanted to be beside him, talking and hanging out. She worried how being Cedric's girlfriend was going to change her friendship with the Twins. Can she still go exploring? Can she do pranks with them? Who will she root for during the Gryffindor Hufflepuff game?
She started stressing out.
Garnet closed her eyes and took a few deep breaths, and urged herself to relax.
~ October 31, 1992 ~
Garnet was laying on her four poster bed, trying to fall asleep while the Common Room was noisy with activity.
The entire school was in hysterics over writing on the wall outside the girls bathroom in the first floor corridor.
"The Chamber of Secrets has been opened. Enemies of the heir...beware."
Malfoy seemed to be strutting around, nose in the air. Garnet felt like he knew more than he was letting on, but there was no way to prove it.
That boy was simply insufferable lately, especially with the first Quidditch Game, Gryffindor versus Slytherin coming up. The bugger had managed to have his father buy his way onto the team with new brooms.
The boy needed taken down a few pegs.
~ November 2, 1992 ~
"Oi! Wait for me guys!" Garnet hurried to catch up to Fred and George as they were walking to Care of Magical Creatures this morning.
"I'm sorry, do I know you?" George shook his head, slightly irritated that Cedric seemed to always be around Garnet, and she never got to hang out with them anymore.
Garnet looked upset, "I'm sorry. I know I feel like I've been neglecting you guys." She was looking at the ground.
Fred elbowed his brother, then put his arm over Garnet's shoulder.
"We understand, love. He obviously wants your attention to be focused on him." Fred laughed.
But Garnet frowned, "I miss hanging out with you guys, roaming around and getting into mischief."
George watched her face. He felt like there was a big hole in his chest. He missed having her with them as well. He pulled Garnet in for a hug, then gently kissed the top of her head.
"We're not going anywhere, we'll hang out when we can." he said to her.
Garnet nodded, then smiled at her friends, "So...what do you think we're working with today? Any chances Professor Kettleburn lost any other limbs over the weekend?"
The trio caught up with everything from over the weekend. It really was difficult with Cedric wanting to be with her all the time. He even followed her to the Library and watched her read.
"You going to come root for us this weekend?" George asked.
"Oliver's got a new strategy on beating Slytherin." Fred shrugged.
Garnet laughed, "I have no doubt you guys will crush them. Especially with Harry head to head with Malfoy."
As Garnet walked out of Transfiguration with Adrian, she sighed when she saw Cedric waiting for her.
"Hello love," he smiled then kissed her on the cheek. "Ready for lunch?"
Garnet smiled back, "Of course."
They had been dating over two months now, and he had yet to actually kiss her.
They sat and ate lunch together. Cedric started going on about something, and Garnet tuned him out. She felt bad. She liked him, she really did, but she started really thinking they were better off friends. So how does she tell him that?
"So what do you think?" Cedric asked, grinning.
Garnet realized she should have been paying attention. "I'm sorry, about what?"
"Skipping the Quidditch match and having a picnic by the lake?" he cocked his head at her.
"Oh," crap. Garnet should have been listening to him. "I'm sorry Cedric, but I promised Fred and George I'd be rooting for them."
Cedric's face fell a bit. "I'm sure they'd understand." he tried.
Garnet shook her head, "No, I haven't gotten to hang out with them lately, they asked me if I'd be there and I promised. I don't go back on promises."
Cedric nodded, but wasn't happy about it.
Walking out of the Great Hall, she saw the Twins waiting to walk with her.
She felt Cedric stiffen beside her.
"I'll see you later, okay Ced?" she smiled at him as he narrowed his eyes at the Twins.
Looking back to her, he got an idea. "Yep, I'll see you later." He leaned in.
She had been waiting for a peck on the cheek, but instead, kissed her on the lips, taking her by surprise.
No surprise, she didn't feel anything.
Garnet looked at him in shock, as he pulled away, and watched him look over to the Twins with a smirk on his face.
Then it clicked.
"You only did that because they were watching." She glared at him.
He turned his eyes back to her, his smile dropping. "I...yeah, no, I was showing them you're mine."
Anger built up in her chest. Garnet shoved Cedric.
"I don't belong to anybody." She yelled at him, "And a girls first kiss shouldn't be because her boyfriend is jealous of her best friends." Garnet turned away from him and walked quickly towards the Twins tears, streaming down her face.
George was mad as hell. Fists clenched, he took a step towards Cedric, but Fred grabbed his arm. Garnet wiped her eyes. George put his arm over her shoulder, staring Cedric down.
The three of them walked towards Charms and Transfiguration.
"You alright?" George asked her.
Garnet simply nodded, unconvincingly.
Fred looked at George. They nodded in agreement. They'd make her smile again before the day was out.
Cedric was waiting at the bottom of the North Tower stairs after Divination.
Garnet didn't want to fight right now so she walked right past him.
Cedric dropped his head back, glancing at the ceiling and sighing before he ran to catch up to her.
"Garnet, talk to me, please?" he begged.
Garnet stopped suddenly.
"What Cedric?" she didn't want to look at him.
He took her hand in his and pulled her out into the Courtyard.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I shouldn't have behaved like that."
Garnet nodded, then looked at him. "You acted like a real wanker. It was totally uncalled for."
He took a step closer to her. "I know. Especially your first kiss." he smiled at her and took her books from her hands, setting them on the bench. "So I'm going to try again."
Garnet's eyes widened as Cedric placed his hands on her waist. He pulled her forward and her hands rested on his upper arms. He leaned down and gently kissed her.
She closed her eyes, waiting for a butterflies to hit her stomach, but they didn't. She still didn't feel anything.
Cedric pulled away from her, smiling. "Was that better?"
Garnet looked in his eyes for a moment. If she was really honest with herself, she didn't want to be Cedric's girlfriend.
"Cedric..." she sighed. His smiled faltered.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"I...I don't think we should date anymore." she felt him tense at her words.
"But why?" Cedric frowned, taking a step back from her.
"Ced, did you feel anything when you kissed me?" she reasoned with him.
"Like what?" he asked shortly.
"Like butterflies, fireworks, anything." Garnet asked.
"No," Cedric looked at her like she was crazy.
Garnet shook her head, "I know we're young, I'm only fourteen, but a kiss should give you a feeling if it's with someone you really like." She looked down at her hands, "I'm sorry I didn't feel anything either."
Cedric looked at her, stepping forward again. He placed his hands on either side of her face. "Let me try again." He kissed her, trying to make her feel something.
Garnet grabbed his wrists and pulled away. "Cedric, I'm sorry." she shook her head. "I like you, but I like you so much better as a friend."
Cedric hung his head and closed his eyes.
"I hope in time you can be my friend again." she said quietly as she picked up her books.
Cedric nodded in defeat.
Garnet kissed him on the cheek, "Bye Cedric." and she walked off towards the Common Room.
