Jen stood in the shower and just let it wash some of her anxiety
away. Afterward she sat by the window and stared out of it, thinking about
everything and letting her hair dry. Before she knew it Ramey softly tapped
her on the shoulder and told her it was time for dinner. Jen and Roger sat
on opposite sides of the table at dinner, and Jen hardly spoke the whole
time. She kept her gaze down at her plate, and if anyone else spoke to her,
she smiled, tried her best to look happy, and gave them one-word answers.
But the smiles never reached her eyes.
Oliver watched her from across the room. Something was wrong, and he knew it. But there was nothing he could do to help, and he really didn't know her well enough yet.
After dinner Jen sprang from the table and attempted to make a quick exit from the Great Hall...only to be intercepted by Cedric. "Hey, Jen." He said, putting his hand on her arm. "What's up?" He asked, pertaining more to her mood than what she had been doing.
"Roger," she said with a half-sigh, and then pressed her lips together. A knowing look entered Cedric's eyes and he gave her a hug.
"So, what'd he do this time?" he asked, steering her away from the Great Hall and out onto the grounds. "Oh, Cedric, he's being completely awful!" Jen told him the entire story and when she finished she bit her lip and looked at him in anticipation. "Well, then." Cedric said, shaking his head. "Jen you can't let it bother you this much every time. He'll eventually get over this maniac brother thing of his and things will be fine..but not until you start sticking up for yourself."
"Yeah, but-"
"And this will blow over eventually. I'm a guy, I know these things. We don't hold grudges for very long. So cheer up, ok? I mean hey, you scored a date to the ball, after all! That's reason to celebrate!" Jen managed a feeble smile.
"Yes, and you will have one too. Cho likes you." Cedric looked at her in disbelief.
"Come again?" They had reached the edge of the lake and they sat down.
"Ced. Cho likes you! She told me! So go for it, you have nothing to worry about!" She patted him on the arm playfully and laughed. "Oh, Ced. What are we going to do with ourselves?"
"I have nooo idea." He replied with a smirk. Jen sighed and laid her head on his shoulder, something that would have been worrisome to Oliver and Roger had it been anyone but Cedric, the two were as platonic as you can get.
"I suppose we should go back inside and face the soap opera that we live in, eh?" Jen asked wearily.
"Yeah, and you need some sleep if you're going to deal with this. Tomorrow is the Hogsmeade trip to prepare for the ball!"
"Also the day you're going to ask Cho, right?" She pressed.
"Fine, fine!" Cedric laughed. "But hey, you going down there with me?"
"Of course!" She replied. "Leaving at 11, I presume?"
"You got it!" Cedric and Jen always went to Hogsmeade together, it was somewhat of a mini-tradition. Of course no one could understand how they managed to maintain such a close friendship, being in two different houses. But since they grew up together, it was a fairly easy task. They parted ways once they reached the inside of the castle.
"Well, Ced, thanks so much. You always made me feel better." Jen said, smiling gratefully.
"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Goodnight." She said, and headed up the stairs toward The Ravenclaw tower.
The next day they headed out to Hogsmeade together, and picked out some things to prepare for the ball. Just after lunch, Jen spotted Cho coming up the road, and ducked into a shop to allow Cedric time to ask her. She watched Cho accept through the window, and when the coast was clear she emerged to meet a beaming Cedric.
"I told you so!" She said, grinning smugly. They met up with Avery, Crystal, Ryan, Maggie, and Brent halfway through the day. Cedric's Hufflepuff friends were nowhere in sight, but he didn't mind bumming around with a bunch of Ravenclaws. Jen kept shooting Maggie looks whenever no one was looking, sending her messages about Ryan being there. The day was fun, and the 7th years returned to the castle exhausted. Jen realized after they had returned that she had not once seen Oliver there, only to find out later that Gryffindor had scheduled an emergency practice. She shrugged it off. Crystal was bubbling over with excitement at having spent the day with Avery. Which was nothing compared to Maggie's excitement over Ryan. It turned out both had been asked to the ball at the same time, a group effort sort of thing. Jen could hardly think straight once they walked through the door of their dormitory. Amidst the incessant giggling, however, she was starting to get worried. The ball was tomorrow and she hadn't once spoken to Oliver since the Quidditch pitch.
Oliver watched her from across the room. Something was wrong, and he knew it. But there was nothing he could do to help, and he really didn't know her well enough yet.
After dinner Jen sprang from the table and attempted to make a quick exit from the Great Hall...only to be intercepted by Cedric. "Hey, Jen." He said, putting his hand on her arm. "What's up?" He asked, pertaining more to her mood than what she had been doing.
"Roger," she said with a half-sigh, and then pressed her lips together. A knowing look entered Cedric's eyes and he gave her a hug.
"So, what'd he do this time?" he asked, steering her away from the Great Hall and out onto the grounds. "Oh, Cedric, he's being completely awful!" Jen told him the entire story and when she finished she bit her lip and looked at him in anticipation. "Well, then." Cedric said, shaking his head. "Jen you can't let it bother you this much every time. He'll eventually get over this maniac brother thing of his and things will be fine..but not until you start sticking up for yourself."
"Yeah, but-"
"And this will blow over eventually. I'm a guy, I know these things. We don't hold grudges for very long. So cheer up, ok? I mean hey, you scored a date to the ball, after all! That's reason to celebrate!" Jen managed a feeble smile.
"Yes, and you will have one too. Cho likes you." Cedric looked at her in disbelief.
"Come again?" They had reached the edge of the lake and they sat down.
"Ced. Cho likes you! She told me! So go for it, you have nothing to worry about!" She patted him on the arm playfully and laughed. "Oh, Ced. What are we going to do with ourselves?"
"I have nooo idea." He replied with a smirk. Jen sighed and laid her head on his shoulder, something that would have been worrisome to Oliver and Roger had it been anyone but Cedric, the two were as platonic as you can get.
"I suppose we should go back inside and face the soap opera that we live in, eh?" Jen asked wearily.
"Yeah, and you need some sleep if you're going to deal with this. Tomorrow is the Hogsmeade trip to prepare for the ball!"
"Also the day you're going to ask Cho, right?" She pressed.
"Fine, fine!" Cedric laughed. "But hey, you going down there with me?"
"Of course!" She replied. "Leaving at 11, I presume?"
"You got it!" Cedric and Jen always went to Hogsmeade together, it was somewhat of a mini-tradition. Of course no one could understand how they managed to maintain such a close friendship, being in two different houses. But since they grew up together, it was a fairly easy task. They parted ways once they reached the inside of the castle.
"Well, Ced, thanks so much. You always made me feel better." Jen said, smiling gratefully.
"No problem. I'll see you tomorrow, ok?" He asked, raising his eyebrows.
"Goodnight." She said, and headed up the stairs toward The Ravenclaw tower.
The next day they headed out to Hogsmeade together, and picked out some things to prepare for the ball. Just after lunch, Jen spotted Cho coming up the road, and ducked into a shop to allow Cedric time to ask her. She watched Cho accept through the window, and when the coast was clear she emerged to meet a beaming Cedric.
"I told you so!" She said, grinning smugly. They met up with Avery, Crystal, Ryan, Maggie, and Brent halfway through the day. Cedric's Hufflepuff friends were nowhere in sight, but he didn't mind bumming around with a bunch of Ravenclaws. Jen kept shooting Maggie looks whenever no one was looking, sending her messages about Ryan being there. The day was fun, and the 7th years returned to the castle exhausted. Jen realized after they had returned that she had not once seen Oliver there, only to find out later that Gryffindor had scheduled an emergency practice. She shrugged it off. Crystal was bubbling over with excitement at having spent the day with Avery. Which was nothing compared to Maggie's excitement over Ryan. It turned out both had been asked to the ball at the same time, a group effort sort of thing. Jen could hardly think straight once they walked through the door of their dormitory. Amidst the incessant giggling, however, she was starting to get worried. The ball was tomorrow and she hadn't once spoken to Oliver since the Quidditch pitch.