Disclaimer: I still own Ainsley and Jada, and the rest still belongs to JK
Rowling.
A tear fell down my cheek and I ran off again. This time he didn't follow me. I turned a corner and saw the Slytherin portrait in front of me. Oh no. I stopped and leaned against the wall of the hallway and slid down it, sobbing. I couldn't breathe I was crying so hard. A few minutes later I heard the sound of footsteps coming towards me.
"Ainsley?!" I heard Jada cry. "Ainsley?! What's wrong?!" I felt her fall beside me and grab me into a hug. "Draco, go get me a wet washcloth PLEASE! HURRY!" She said and I heard him run towards the portrait. "Shhhhh." She said, stroking my hair. Draco came back with the washcloth and she put it on the back of my neck. The coldness soothed me and I began to calm down.
"I...I..." I stuttered between sobs. "I got in a fight with Cedric. It was awful. I hit him." I finally got out.
"Did he hit you back!?" Draco asked angrily. I was so stunned I couldn't cry anymore.
"No." I was completely calm. I proceeded to tell them exactly what happened. "And now I'm missing Potions."
"Don't worry about that. Snape thinks I'm the greatest student that ever lived. I'll tell him it was my fault you didn't make it to class." Draco said. I stared at him in disbelief. Am I hearing correctly? Is this Draco Malfoy being worried about me and doing nice things to me? "What? Can't a guy do something decent for once in his life?"
"I...I...I...wow. Thank you so much Draco. I owe you one."
"Just don't tell Potter...I mean Harry. I'll do anything for a friend of the girl I love."
My jaw dropped and Jada gasped slightly. "You love me?" She asked quietly.
"That I do." He smiled. Jada lept up and threw her arms around him, kissing him passionately. I smiled but my smile was soon replaced with a frown when I started to cry again.
"What have I done?" I said between sobs.
"Shh. Calm down. You did the right thing." Jada said returning to my side.
"I'm not so sure."
"Trust me. You did." She linked her pinky with mine. She was right. Since I wasn't allowed in the Slytherin common room, they stayed with me in the hall until it was time for lunch. The three of us walked to the Great Hall together and I sat down next to Ron as they went to Slytherin table.
"I'll kill him, Ainsley. I'll kill him." Ron said. He was gripping his knife rather tightly. I placed a hand over his.
"It's okay Ron. Don't worry about it." He'd obviously heard about the fight. I looked over at the Huffepuff table, Cedric was talking to Kevin.
"Don't worry about it? Bloody hell Ainsley." Fred said.
"I know I want to hurt him right now." George added.
"I think I hurt him enough." I said quietly.
"Remember what I told you Ainsley." Harry said.
"I remember Harry, but it's not necessary." I smiled. "Thank you." When I got back to my dorm I laid down and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. I turned over and saw the picture of myself and Cedric I had on my end table. I knocked it over and turned on my other side. I heard an owl fly into the room and I looked over. It dropped a letter onto my bed and flew out the window. I looked at the handwriting on the front and didn't want to open it. It was from Cedric.
Meet me tonight in our hallway at eight pm. I'll understand if you don't show.
"Well you can just understand." I said to the letter and threw it aside. Eight o'clock that night came and went. And I actually felt bad for not showing up. I couldn't sleep that night. I had the dream again where Voldemort killed my parents and I couldn't be with Sirius. Sirius! He could help me. I grabbed the nearest piece of parchment and quill and ran down to the common room. It was empty. Perfect for writing a letter to a fugitive on the run. I poured my heart out in the letter. I told him about Harry, Cedric, the tournament, and the fight. I told him about the dreams I'd been having and how much I missed him and wished he could come out of hiding. I folded the tear stained parchment and snuck out to the owlery in my pajamas. Charlie took off with the letter, in search of Sirius. I hope he found him soon.
The next day I heard all the girls talking about who they wanted to go with to the Yule Ball, and what they were going to wear. It made me sick. A couple of times I heard the whispers about the fight I had with Cedric, and even the occasional 'I wish he'd come out of his room, I would make everything better'. I drug myself to meals, moving slowly due to lack of sleep. At dinner, I was told what was going on with Cedric.
"He's not coming out of his room Ainsley." Harry said.
"He asked me to meet him last night. I didn't go." I looked at my plate.
"And you had every right not to!" Ron's voice squeaked. He cleared his throat. "I mean, I don't blame you."
Hermione chimed in. "What did he say to you?"
"He..." I started, but I didn't want to finish. "I'd rather not talk about it now."
"It's okay." She said, smiling. I smiled back.
That night when I got back there was a letter sitting on my bed, waiting for me. Hoping it was from Sirius, I tore off my robes and jumped on my bed in my uniform. The handwriting on the front told me that it wasn't from Sirius, but from Cedric.
Ainsley,
I figured you wouldn't have shown up last night. I don't blame you at all. I blame myself for being an arrogant prick. You know that saying 'You don't know what you've got till it's gone'?, well this might sound cliché, but it's true. Look Ainsley, I need you. I'm not myself without you. I know there's nothing I can say to make you come back, and you may not respond to this letter. But I wanted you to know that I'm in love with you and would do anything for you, even if you don't feel the same.
I love you,
Cedric
A tear fell down my cheek and I ran off again. This time he didn't follow me. I turned a corner and saw the Slytherin portrait in front of me. Oh no. I stopped and leaned against the wall of the hallway and slid down it, sobbing. I couldn't breathe I was crying so hard. A few minutes later I heard the sound of footsteps coming towards me.
"Ainsley?!" I heard Jada cry. "Ainsley?! What's wrong?!" I felt her fall beside me and grab me into a hug. "Draco, go get me a wet washcloth PLEASE! HURRY!" She said and I heard him run towards the portrait. "Shhhhh." She said, stroking my hair. Draco came back with the washcloth and she put it on the back of my neck. The coldness soothed me and I began to calm down.
"I...I..." I stuttered between sobs. "I got in a fight with Cedric. It was awful. I hit him." I finally got out.
"Did he hit you back!?" Draco asked angrily. I was so stunned I couldn't cry anymore.
"No." I was completely calm. I proceeded to tell them exactly what happened. "And now I'm missing Potions."
"Don't worry about that. Snape thinks I'm the greatest student that ever lived. I'll tell him it was my fault you didn't make it to class." Draco said. I stared at him in disbelief. Am I hearing correctly? Is this Draco Malfoy being worried about me and doing nice things to me? "What? Can't a guy do something decent for once in his life?"
"I...I...I...wow. Thank you so much Draco. I owe you one."
"Just don't tell Potter...I mean Harry. I'll do anything for a friend of the girl I love."
My jaw dropped and Jada gasped slightly. "You love me?" She asked quietly.
"That I do." He smiled. Jada lept up and threw her arms around him, kissing him passionately. I smiled but my smile was soon replaced with a frown when I started to cry again.
"What have I done?" I said between sobs.
"Shh. Calm down. You did the right thing." Jada said returning to my side.
"I'm not so sure."
"Trust me. You did." She linked her pinky with mine. She was right. Since I wasn't allowed in the Slytherin common room, they stayed with me in the hall until it was time for lunch. The three of us walked to the Great Hall together and I sat down next to Ron as they went to Slytherin table.
"I'll kill him, Ainsley. I'll kill him." Ron said. He was gripping his knife rather tightly. I placed a hand over his.
"It's okay Ron. Don't worry about it." He'd obviously heard about the fight. I looked over at the Huffepuff table, Cedric was talking to Kevin.
"Don't worry about it? Bloody hell Ainsley." Fred said.
"I know I want to hurt him right now." George added.
"I think I hurt him enough." I said quietly.
"Remember what I told you Ainsley." Harry said.
"I remember Harry, but it's not necessary." I smiled. "Thank you." When I got back to my dorm I laid down and stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. I turned over and saw the picture of myself and Cedric I had on my end table. I knocked it over and turned on my other side. I heard an owl fly into the room and I looked over. It dropped a letter onto my bed and flew out the window. I looked at the handwriting on the front and didn't want to open it. It was from Cedric.
Meet me tonight in our hallway at eight pm. I'll understand if you don't show.
"Well you can just understand." I said to the letter and threw it aside. Eight o'clock that night came and went. And I actually felt bad for not showing up. I couldn't sleep that night. I had the dream again where Voldemort killed my parents and I couldn't be with Sirius. Sirius! He could help me. I grabbed the nearest piece of parchment and quill and ran down to the common room. It was empty. Perfect for writing a letter to a fugitive on the run. I poured my heart out in the letter. I told him about Harry, Cedric, the tournament, and the fight. I told him about the dreams I'd been having and how much I missed him and wished he could come out of hiding. I folded the tear stained parchment and snuck out to the owlery in my pajamas. Charlie took off with the letter, in search of Sirius. I hope he found him soon.
The next day I heard all the girls talking about who they wanted to go with to the Yule Ball, and what they were going to wear. It made me sick. A couple of times I heard the whispers about the fight I had with Cedric, and even the occasional 'I wish he'd come out of his room, I would make everything better'. I drug myself to meals, moving slowly due to lack of sleep. At dinner, I was told what was going on with Cedric.
"He's not coming out of his room Ainsley." Harry said.
"He asked me to meet him last night. I didn't go." I looked at my plate.
"And you had every right not to!" Ron's voice squeaked. He cleared his throat. "I mean, I don't blame you."
Hermione chimed in. "What did he say to you?"
"He..." I started, but I didn't want to finish. "I'd rather not talk about it now."
"It's okay." She said, smiling. I smiled back.
That night when I got back there was a letter sitting on my bed, waiting for me. Hoping it was from Sirius, I tore off my robes and jumped on my bed in my uniform. The handwriting on the front told me that it wasn't from Sirius, but from Cedric.
Ainsley,
I figured you wouldn't have shown up last night. I don't blame you at all. I blame myself for being an arrogant prick. You know that saying 'You don't know what you've got till it's gone'?, well this might sound cliché, but it's true. Look Ainsley, I need you. I'm not myself without you. I know there's nothing I can say to make you come back, and you may not respond to this letter. But I wanted you to know that I'm in love with you and would do anything for you, even if you don't feel the same.
I love you,
Cedric