~*Chapter Eleven*~
In the Astronomy Tower
The Easter holidays were soon upon the castle, and it was a special time of year even though the professors didn't go out of their way to decorate the castle. The biggest event, for the rest of the school, was when Fred and George transfixed Snape into a pink Easter Bunny costume. Gryffindor lost a hundred points that day (fifty for each of them) but the House laughed it off and spent the rest of the year patting Fred and George on the back for their little stunt.
However, the things that stood out in Angelina Johnson's mind twenty years later was her many meetings with Cedric during the precious days without professors. On the first day of the vacation, Cedric came to the portrait hole.
"Oy, Angelina!" Fred called across the common room. "There's a wee Hufflepuff here to see you!"
"Thanks, Fred!" Angelina called down from her room. "Tell Cedric I'll be right there!" she fixed her hair and then flew down the stairs and out the portrait hole.
Alicia sighed. "They make such a cute couple!" she said dreamily. Katie agreed.
"Stupid brainless git," Oliver muttered from behind a Quidditch magazine.
***
Angelina followed Cedric up to the Astronomy tower. "Isn't this off-limits?" Angelina giggled as she climbed the spiral steps behind Cedric. Small triangle windows were cut into the stone now and then.
"Don't be stupid," Cedric said. "Of course it's off limits." Angelina laughed and Cedric pulled her onto the platform at the top of the tower. The windows here were still triangular, but they were wide and stretched from the ceiling to the floor. A thin railing ran around the room to prevent students from falling off. A strong breeze assaulted the two of them as they stood up.
"Look at the view," Cedric said, waving her over to one of the windows. Angelina approached cautiously and set her hands firmly on the railing before she looked over.
She gasped. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. The lawns rolled off in gentle hills towards the distance, spotted with dandelions and daisies. The lake sparkled in the springtime sun, and the water rippled gently towards the sandy shores. Thick woods spread from the edge of the lawns into the distance, where a London was faintly visible, shining silver against the greenery. Hogsmeade looked like a picturesque village from up here. Smoke spiraled gently from the chimney of the Three Broomsticks, and even the Shrieking Shack looked in place from up here.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" Cedric said, voicing her thoughts.
"When did you find this place?" Angelina breathed.
"Well, it's kind of a public thing because this is the Astronomy Tower and all," Cedric said, smiling. "But, I personally discovered this when I set out for a midnight tour of the castle in a bout of rule breaking when I was in my second year. I would come up here all the time and write, or just think. Look at Hagrid's cabin," Cedric pointed towards the little cottage. "It's so"-
"Tiny!" Angelina said, finishing his sentence. Cedric turned to smile at her. They stood there for a while, pressed close to each other, Cedric's arm around Angelina's waist.
"A class starts here in five minutes, you know," Cedric murmured. Angelina sighed.
"I guess this place is off limits now, then," she said, a regretful tone in his voice.
"Mmm." Cedric's words were lost as he pressed his lips into Angelina's hair.
"Professor!" A voice called. Angelina froze. Cedric's arm grew stiff and tense around her waist.
"Professor!" They called again. There were footsteps on the stairs and the wide wooden door swung open. Percy Weasley stood there in the doorway. When he saw Cedric and Angelina like that, with Angelina's head against Cedric's chest and Cedric kissing her hair, he froze and stared at them for a moment.
"This place is off limits," Percy said finally.
"We're leaving," Cedric said, removing his arm from Angelina's waist.
"You're Cedric Diggory, aren't you? From Hufflepuff?" Percy asked. His Head Boy badge glinted in the sun.
"Yes," Cedric answered.
"Then, ten points from Hufflepuff. And from Gryffindor then too, Angelina. Go back to your classes, now, and I suggest you don't come back here unless you're here to learn. Good day."
Cedric and Angelina hurried down the stairs before more students could come. They burst out into the main hallway.
"That Percy's a stiff," Cedric said.
"I agree," Angelina said. "It's a wonder Fred and George could have a brother like that. They're so funny and happy and full of life, and then Percy is just…boring and stiff, as you said."
"I wish we could go outside," Cedric said, looking wistfully towards the two front doors.
Angelina agreed. "But there's the dementors."
"I miss the sunlight. I feel like old greasy pale Snape, locked in a dungeon all day long."
"Yeah," Angelina said. Then she caught a glimpse of her watch. "Damn!" she said, "Quidditch practice! I have to go!" She leaned up to give Cedric a quick kiss and then she ran off towards the common room to get her broom.
***
"Where have you been?" Oliver yelled as Angelina sprinted across the field, clutching a stitch in her side. The other members of the team were in the air, the two Chasers passing the Quaffle back and forth. Katie threw it in one of the large yellow hoops.
"They can't practice maneuvers without a Keeper!" Oliver shouted. "The finals are coming and they're sooner then you realize!"
"Oliver!" Angelina said, laying a hand on Oliver's shoulder. Oliver's whole face tensed up and he looked like he was going to have a nervous breakdown, or cry, or something horrible like that.
"Oh, Wood," Angelina said, shaking her head and wrapping Oliver in a hug. He shook slightly as she held him, and Angelina had the sudden impulse to rock him back and forth like a child. "Calm down, Oliver," she soothed. Then she grinned. "Would you like me to sing you a lullaby?"
"No," Oliver answered, his head buried in her neck.
"Rockabye baby…" Angelina sang.
"No!" Oliver said, pulling away slightly. He grinned a bit and picked up his broom. "Sorry," he said, "I'm just a little uptight these days."
"A little? That's an over-understatement!" Angelina smiled at him as she mounted her broom and kicked off. Oliver grinned back and flew over to the goal posts. Angelina joined Katie and Alicia, who grinned at her with knowing looks.
"What?" Angelina asked.
"You've been with Cedric, haven't you?" Alicia asked.
Angelina shrugged.
"Come on, I've never seen you look so happy," Katie teased. "He kissed her," she whispered to Alicia.
"I think they did more than kiss," Alicia said.
"Shut up, you guys," Angelina said. Katie through the Quaffle at her head, but it missed by a mile. Fred cracked at it with his bat and Oliver called a time out, yelling at the team and smiling at the same time.