Something in the Water
"So, ehm, I was thinking we should look into Tyler Charles for the new chaser," Cedric said, glancing over at Emmie. She wasn't sure why, but he seemed a bit nervous. "He's in my year, so we would have him for the next three years and it's one less spot to fill next year."
Emmie thought it over a bit. She knew who he was but hadn't seen him fly or play before. But he seemed to have the right build for a chaser. And it was a good thing to choose someone younger who would stick around longer.
"Is he any good?" she asked, looking over at him. They had walked out of the great hall and were now headed towards the front entrance of the castle, likely headed towards the courtyard. There were a few other students milling about though they were relatively alone.
"I've played with him before and he's not bad. Not nearly as fast as you, but reckon we could work on that," he said. Emmie blushed slightly at the compliment.
"Well, Fincher's helped with me. Surely, he can do the same for Tyler if he makes it through the trials," she said. "And it's not like I've got many suggestions - though there are a couple in my year I was thinking should try out... Next year is going to be interesting."
"I'm sure there's a good selection that we don't know about," Cedric replied. "And if you take over as captain next year, I'm sure it'll be fine." Emmie chuckled as she glanced at him.
"As flattered as I am, I doubt Fincher'll put me up for captain," she said. Cedric stopped and looked over at her, perplexed.
"But you'll be the oldest on the team. And you're good. I thought it was a given that he'd want you to take over," he said, completely serious.
"Nah. Fincher knows that I'm only good at playing. Don't really have a mind for plays or leading. You're much better at that," she replied, smiling. "Plus, I'll have a ton to focus on with scouts and class. Not much time to strategize."
"Me?" he asked.
"Why else do you think Fincher's asked you to help out more?" Emmie said as she kept on walking. She noticed a slight blush come across his face as he caught up to her. She had to admit, she was starting to see more about why the girls in the house were going a bit batty over him. He really was handsome. And rather modest as well. That was definitely a plus in her book. Growing up in a house full of Gryffindors, it was a rare commodity.
"You think he actually will choose me?" Cedric asked, causing her to chuckle.
"Don't see why not," she replied.
They were now in the courtyard and Cedric led her over to the fountain, sitting down. She sat next to him, wondering just what else he wanted to chat about.
"If I do take over, will you help me? Maybe as a sort of… co-captain?" he asked. Emmie's eyes widened. She hadn't expected that.
"Perhaps," she said. "Why?"
"Well, I'll only be a sixth year. Might not hurt to have an older, more experienced player who's got my back," he said. "And I'm sure you know better about chaser training and all - working with your brother."
"I could probably help out a bit," she said. Cedric smiled in relief.
"Good," he said. He then looked down as he rubbed his hands against the top of his thighs, the nerves becoming more apparent. Just what had gotten into him?
"Is everything alright?" she asked, studying him.
"Yea, well… I know that the first Hogsmeade visit for upper years is coming up. I was wondering…" he stopped talking and took a deep breath before looking up at her, his expression rather serious. "Would you consider hanging out with me during the visit?"
Emmie blinked a bit before shrugging. She wasn't sure why that would have him worked up.
"Sure. Figure most of the team will be hanging out together on the trip anyway," she said. Cedric's face lit up as soon as she said sure, but then fell slightly with the rest of her sentence.
"I, what?" he asked.
"We usually get together while in Hogsmeade. I can make a point to meet up with you lot a bit while I'm out with my friends," she said, smiling at him.
"Oh, right… ehm… I was actually wondering if you'd go with me… alone," he said, his cheeks turning slightly red. Emmie's eyes widened as her own blush fell across her cheeks. He was asking her to Hogsmeade? On a date? Bother. How did she handle this? While she liked Cedric well enough and found him good-looking, she wasn't sure if she wanted to go on a date with him during the first Hogsmeade trip. In fact, it was the first time that someone had even asked her to go to Hogsmeade on a date. They were sure to be labeled a couple by the end of the visit and while Emmie felt ready for her first boyfriend, she wasn't completely sure she wanted it right now. And for it to be Cedric.
Blimey, everyone really had dating on the brain this year.
"I… well… I, I," Emmie stuttered.
"If you don't want to, it's fine," Cedric said quickly. "I know that I'm in fifth year and all…"
"It's not that, it's just, well… I guess… I like you, Cedric. But… I'm not sure if I like you… like that," she said, stumbling through her words. Bugger, she really was making a mess of this. She wished she could go back to being unnoticed. "I mean, I've never… thought of you like that before… and we do play on the team together…"
"It's okay. I understand," Cedric said, his face now bright red. She was sure hers was as well. "Really, I do." Emmie gave him a tight smile and nodded her head. "I should probably… homework." He then stood and walked off, waving at her as he went.
Emmie took a deep breath and slowly let it out. Well, that was unexpected.
Emmie waited a bit before heading back to the common room, more so because she didn't particularly want to run into Cedric on the way after her bungled rejection. She was sure her cheeks were still a bright red as she replayed the conversation over and over again in her mind. Bugger, this was not a good start to her year.
All she wanted to do right now was go straight to her dorm and spend the next few hours before supper curled up with a book and try to get over her embarrassment. Cedric was a kind person, so she wasn't so worried that the entire house would know that she turned him down by the time she got there. But Cedric would know. And well, Kara, Melanie and Toni would know soon enough. She was sure they would have plenty to say on the matter.
As she walked towards the lower level of the castle, she found herself wondering just why she had turned him down. It wasn't so much that she wasn't interested in him, just hadn't taken the time to consider him. She never thought that he would be interested in her, being one of the more popular folks in Hufflepuff. And hadn't her friends encouraged her to get out there and pay the field a bit? Talk to other blokes? Get passed her long-suffering, one-sided crush on Oliver Wood? Perhaps she had made a mistake by saying no and should have considered it a bit more.
"Bugger. You really mucked that one up, MacKenzie," she muttered to herself as she turned a corner, her eyes trained on the floor in front of her.
"You know… talking to yourself is normally not a good sign," a voice said. Emmie stopped and looked up, her eyes first widening and then narrowing as she saw Flint loitering in the hall. He smirked as he started towards her. "Luckily for you, I don't mind it."
"What do you want, Flint? I'd rather not have to deal with your comments today," she said with a huff as she crossed her arms in front of her. He only continued to smile as he stepped closer.
"Won't take much of your time - just have a question for you. That is, unless you finally realize that you want me. Then I wouldn't be averse to taking a bit more of your time," he said smoothly. Emmie rolled her eyes and then motioned for him to continue so she could get this over with. She wasn't sure if he actually thought he was charming or if he acted this way just to annoy her.
"Fancy coming to Hogsmeade with me?" he asked. Emmie just stared at him and then laughed.
"What makes you think I'd want to go to Hogsmeade with you?" she asked, finding this rejection much easier. Granted it was Flint.
"I think you'll find that you'll come to enjoy spending time with me, MacKenzie," he said. "Could be very educational for you..."
Emmie felt herself want to gag. As if she wanted to spend any more time with Flint than necessary. And doing anything more than talking. Talking was bad enough as it was.
"The answer is no, Flint," she said, starting to walk past him. "It's hard enough I'm forced to patrol with you twice a week. I'd rather not waste anymore of my time in your presence." Just as she thought she was home free, his hand shot out as he grabbed her arm and pulled her back around to face him.
He moved closer to her, his nose nearly touching hers as she stared up at him, wide-eyed and not breathing.
"Think about it, MacKenzie. I know all the best spots to get to know each other a bit more intimately," he said softly, a knowing look in his eyes. Emmie felt her cheeks heat up and was sure she had gone bright red from the way he started chuckling. "You know, I'm beginning to wonder if being a prude is just an act for you…" His eyes roved down and then back up her body, causing Emmie to feel even more disgusted.
"I-I-It c-certainly i-is NOT!" she shouted as she yanked her arm away from him, hoping that she had managed a decent enough scowl despite her red face and stuttering. Flint just continued smiling at her.
"It's rather cute when you get all tongue-tied like that… curious to see what else you can do with that tongue of yours," he replied casually. Emmie's eyes widened as she backed up from him.
"I, I… you-you." She then stopped and spun on her toes, marching off down the corridor to the Hufflepuff common room, unable to say anything more. Blimey, why did she always have to get so embarrassed whenever anything remotely sexual came up? Well, that wasn't true. It was mostly the way Flint talked to her. She was sure that Oliver or Cedric would ever talk to her like that.
She could still hear him laughing as she turned a corner and nearly sprinted up to the barrels, quickly knocking out the pattern and then rushing in as soon as the passageway was revealed.
Without looking around, she beelined it towards the girls' dorms.
"Hey, Mac. Got a question for you," Michael asked, stepping in front of her and cutting off her escape. Emmie looked up at him and then huffed.
"The answer is n-no!" she shouted as she frowned at him and then shot over to the dorms. "Something in the bloody water today…"
Michael watched her go off, a curious look on his face. He looked over, noticing Kara had stepped up beside him.
"What was that about? I just wanted to ask her about our charms homework," he said. Kara glanced at him and then started towards the dorms.
"I'll figure this out…"
Emmie walked over and fell face-first on her bed, groaning loudly into the quilt. Melanie and Toni, who had been lounging on their beds doing homework, looked at each other and then back at their prone friend.
"Something happen?" Melanie asked, starting to sit up as Kara walked in and sighed upon seeing Emmie.
"What is it now?" she asked, crossing her arms as she stared at her best friend, who was now kicking the air. After a moment, Emmie sat up and looked around the room, her face bright red.
"Flint," she said, maneuvering so that she was sitting cross-legged on her bed. "And Cedric."
Melanie just blinked as she furrowed her brow in confusion.
"What on earth could have happened that involved the both of them?" she asked. Emmie sighed and dropped her chin in her hand, starting to pick at a loose thread in her quilt.
"It wasn't them together. Just… Cedric wanted to talk about quidditch stuff before the meeting tomorrow and then he ended up asking me to Hogsmeade," she said. All three girls straightened up, grins coming over their faces. They had expected something along those lines when they saw him come into the common room before Emmie, his face nearly as red as hers, before going to his own dorm. "I said no, because, well, I don't really know why, but I did. And completely embarrassed myself in the process. And then when I was on my way back to the common room, Flint stopped me and then he asked me to Hogsmeade. To which I said a resounding no-"
"Hold on, both Cedric and Flint asked you to Hogsmeade in the same day?" Kara asked. Emmie looked over at her and nodded. "Is that why you nearly took Michael's head off?"
"Yes, I didn't want to be asked again," she said glumly. Kara couldn't help but chuckle.
"He wanted to know about homework," she replied. Emmie's eyes widened and even though it didn't seem possible, her blush deepened.
"Merlin, I'll have to apologize to him," she said, dropping her face into her hands.
"Well, I think it's a good thing. Getting asked to Hogsmeade and such," Melanie said. Emmie looked up, frowning at her.
"By Marcus Flint? It's horrible! You should have heard what he said to me! Going on about what I could do with my tongue and all," she whined as she dropped her head back into her hands.
"That's disgusting. I meant Cedric," Melanie said.
"We really should do something about the Flint problem," Toni said. "This is getting out of hand and it's only the first week of school."
"Please don't do anything! It's bad enough dealing with him," Emmie shouted, though her voice was muffled. "Besides, I'm sure it's just a passing fancy. He'll be over me and on to the next one in a couple weeks." Toni looked over at Kara and she just shrugged and motioned to Emmie, gesturing that this is what she had been talking about. Melanie and Toni nodded and looked over at her.
It wasn't so much that they thought Emmie incapable of taking care of herself, but they had spent so long looking out for their shy friend that it had become a habit. In fact, nearly everyone who knew Emmie naturally became a bit protective of her. Mostly because she was rather timid.
Even though she was 16 and a decent enough witch, her shyness would always get in the way.
"It's not that we're going to do anything for you," Kara said gently as she walked over and sat on Emmie's bed next to her. She glanced up at her in between her fingers. "But rather… I think we should make the whole self-defense lessons a regular thing. You're good, Em, but you just need a bit of practice."
"Yea! You just need a bit of confidence! And practicing with us will definitely help," Melanie said, smiling brightly. She glanced over at Toni and nodded towards Emmie.
"We'll all help," Toni replied, though a bit less enthusiastically. Emmie looked around at her friends and then sighed.
"Suppose it couldn't hurt. Not like I'm going to learn much in Lockhart's class this year. And could help with my charm marks," she said.
"That's the spirit!" Kara said, grinning. She looked over at Melanie and Toni. "We'll all help with the charms and spells as well as some good comebacks."
"Comebacks?" Emmie asked, frowning slightly.
"Yea, so next time Flint says something nasty to you, you'll have an arsenal of snide remarks to shoot back at him," Melanie said, her grin turning positively wicked as her blue eyes flashed.
"You can practice on us. We could bring in some of the quidditch blokes too. Sure, they'd be willing to help," Toni suggested.
"No! That would be… embarrassing!" Emmie shouted.
"It would help. You only seem to get tongue-tied and such with boys," Kara said reasonably. "At some point, you're going to have to learn how to talk to them."
"I talk to them just fine! This morning I had an entire two-hour study session with Wood without stuttering so much," Emmie declared.
"Yea, but that was about homework and quidditch. How did your rejection of Cedric go?" Toni asked. Emmie sat with her mouth open a bit as her blush returned. "I make my point."
"So… you're all suggesting that you give me lessons on self-defense… and how to talk to blokes?" Emmie said slowly, looking around the room.
"Think of it as… necessary life lessons that you aren't going to get in class," Kara replied.
"And no tests," Melanie added. "Er well… suppose the tests will be real life application." Emmie frowned slightly as she thought it over. She had enjoyed her mini lesson with Kara the other night. And it would be helpful in the long run. Hadn't she been wanting to build more confidence this year?
"Alright. Guess we'll do it," she said with a sigh as Melanie and Toni squealed and Kara pulled her in for a hug.
"Okay, first lesson starts now," she then said after she let go of her. Emmie looked over at her a bit dubious.
"Just what do you expect for us to do here in the dorm?" she asked.
"No spell work for now. Let's start with talking to boys," Kara said.
"Namely, how to reject someone," Melanie added. "Feel like you're going to need that this year."
"Tell us exactly what you said to Cedric and Flint…"
So, I realized after I started posting this that I got Cedric's age wrong (seriously thought he was in seventh year during GoF... whatever...). Apparently, he's in fourth year during this book - not fifth - but for the sake of this story, he's going to stay where I put him. Works better.
Aphrodite-Venus-u.k – Thanks! More to come with that…
Thanks for reading and following!
