As soon as the four of us had found seats in the library, his two friends went off rummaging the sections of the library. I looked at Cedric curiously.
"What is it?" he asked me, placing his bag on the table.
"Is there something funny that you've been telling your friends?" I asked him. I was being serious.
"No… Why do you ask?"
I looked over at his friends. "They keep on laughing, chuckling, sniggering, whatever, when I pass by."
"Oh," Cedric said, blushing, "they think it's funny that I'm seeing you. They've been bloody annoying…"
"Why do they think it's funny?" I raised an eyebrow. I don't think it's funny.
He shrugged as he took out his Transfiguration book. "Well, I never told you but Fleur asked me to the Yule Ball a couple of days before Christmas… You know – her being a champion too – they thought that I would have said yes to her but I didn't. They told me that I should have gone with Fleur – her being part veela and everything."
"Oh…"
"I don't mean to make you upset…just because I didn't tell you that Fleur asked me."
Just because? "Oh, I wasn't thinking about that," I lied. "Fleur went with Roger Davies. Marietta told me that they were snogging in some bushes after the Weird Sisters played a few songs."
Cedric smirked. "Typical. I'm sure Davies wasn't even paying attention to what he was doing… He was blabbing at the table…didn't even see anything that he was doing. He was too busy watching Fleur."
"Question, Cedric." I was curious now.
He looked at me. "Yes?"
"Would you have gone with Fleur if you didn't ask me?"
He hesitated. "I don't know. I can't answer a question like that now…"
"What d'you mean?"
"You know since I'm with you and the Yule Ball has already happened…"
I nodded, unsure of Cedric's answer. "Oh, okay. Hm…I'll see you later." I gripped my bag over my shoulder and headed out of the library. I was disappointed. Cedric was handsome – Fleur was pretty. They would have made a good match if they had gone to the Yule Ball and everyone would have been staring at them. I ran my fingers through my hair and sighed.
"Cho?" Emily looked at me. "Are you all right?"
I hesitated but nodded. "Yes, I'm fine."
"What happened?" She had her bag over her shoulder and Marietta wasn't in sight.
"Where's Marietta?" I asked, changing the subject.
"She already headed down to the dungeon."
"Oh."
"Well, what's going on?" Emily urged.
"You think Fleur's pretty, don't you?"
She nodded. "Yes, but she is part veela."
I nodded. "I know."
"Why are you asking me?"
"I was with Cedric in the library and he was with a few of his friends. They kept laughing at me for some reason so I asked Cedric and he told me that Fleur had asked him to the Yule Ball but he said no because he was going with me. His friends think that he should have gone with Fleur. The two most attractive champions going together – that would've been fun," I said sarcastically. "I asked him if he would have gone with Fleur and he said that he didn't know. He couldn't answer the question! D'you think he would have said yes to Fleur?"
Emily stared at me and then shrugged her shoulders. "I reckon not. If he hadn't've asked you before Fleur asked him maybe you were on his mind while Fleur was asking him."
"What?"
"Put it this way, Cho, I don't think he would have said yes to Fleur. He really likes you."
I smiled. "Maybe…but still, I have my doubts."
"Cho, Cedric likes you and you shouldn't be thinking about Fleur at a time like this. The Yule Ball is over with – it's nothing to worry with now. Talk to him when we go to Hogsmeade tomorrow maybe you can get a straight answer from him then."
"Maybe you're right," I said, making my way through the dungeon and to my seat. Emily sat behind me.
"I wouldn't worry, Cho, really I wouldn't."
I turned around to face my cauldron and nodded. "Yes, you're quite right."
"Besides Fleur's never really talked to you anyways has she?"
I shook my head. "No."
"What're you guys talking about?" Marietta suddenly appeared behind Emily. Her face was flushed pink.
"Nothing," I said quickly.
Students began taking their seats seconds before the bell had rung and Professor Snape walked into class. He took a seat at his desk, glaring around at every student.
"I want to know what's going on!" Marietta murmured, leaning to the side, trying to talk to me.
Snape had begun to call the attendance when he looked up at Marietta. "Is there a problem, Miss Edgecombe?"
She shook her head violently. "No, Professor."
"In that case, I'll deduct five house points for talking," Snape said and went back to calling attendance.
I glared at Marietta and she looked at me.