Disclaimer: I own Ainsley and Jada. The rest are JK's.
He broke away quickly. "I...I'm so s-s-sorry." He stuttered. I was stunned speechless. I just gaped at him with my mouth hanging slightly open. "I just...I...I'm jealous of Cedric."
"Jealous of Cedric?" I whispered.
"Yes. Because he is with you."
"Ron..."
"You being over at the burrow all the time with Fred and George....I've always liked you Ainsley."
"Ron..."
"You've never noticed? I'm always a complete wreck around you."
"Ron..."
"And tonight was the last straw...I mean with you looking completely..."
"Ron..."
"Sexy. I just had to do something about it. Please forgive me Ainsley...I don't want it to ruin –"
"Ron!" I had gotten his attention and he had finally shut up. "You aren't making this any easier on me."
"Sorry." He shoved his hands in his pockets.
"I really don't know what to say." I said slowly. "I...Ron..." The portrait swung open and everyone poured in.
"The party's just getting started!!!!!!!!!" George yelled.
"I'm tired, I'm going to bed." Ron ran up the stairs to his dorm.
"What the bloody hell is wrong with him?" Fred asked.
"I don't know." I bit my lip. "I need to find someone. Excuse me." I pushed past everyone and ran out the portrait. Despite being in heels, I ran down to the Great Hall, hoping I would find who I was looking for. I did.
"Jada!" I screamed. I watched as she snapped her head towards my voice. She ran over.
"Ainsley are you alright?"
"Can I talk with you alone?" I panted.
"Of course!" She turned around towards Draco. "I'll be back soon." She leaned in and kissed him. I flinched. I grabbed her hand and dragged her towards an empty classroom. "Ainsley, you're scaring me. Are you alright!?"
I slammed the door shut when we got in and leaned against it. "This is not good. This is really not good at all."
"What happened? Was it Cedric? I'll kick his ass!"
"No. No. It wasn't him. Well, it kind of was..."
"What? Explain please! Details!"
"Well...I...he...."
"Yes..." She looked so puzzled. I just came right out with it.
"Ron kissed me."
"Ron?! Ronald Weasley!? That cute little redhead?! Awwww!" She squealed. I started at her. "I mean...bad very bad. Does Cedric know?"
"No." I shook my head.
"Are you going to tell him?"
I placed a hand on my forehead. "I don't know."
"Well I think you should...unless..." She looked at me. "You have feelings for Ron."
"WHAT?!"
"Well do you?"
"Of course not! I love Cedric!"
"Okay then it shouldn't be a problem to tell Cedric."
"Ugh! I wish this never happened. He caught me off guard! He just did it! And then he was like 'Oh Ainsley, I've always liked you...blah blah...oh I'm jealous of Cedric."
"Aww this would be so cute if it were a different situation."
"JADA!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Let me focus...he was out of line but he must really like you." She said as I let out an exasperated sigh. "Just think about Ron later, first tell Cedric."
"What the hell do I say to him?"
"The truth. Trust me, I learned from Draco. The truth is always better."
"Draco?"
"Very long story. There isn't much time. Just tell him, and if he freaks out reassure him the it was Ron who did it and that you love him..Cedric..very much."
"Should I do it now?"
"Yes, go go go!"
"What would I do without you?" I called as I ran out the classroom towards Cedric's common room.
"You would die a slow and painful death!" I heard her yell after me.
I stopped in front of Cedric's portrait panting. While I caught my breath I admired the painting. I watched the family talking and playing together. A mother, father, daughter, and two sons, one older then the girl, one younger. All living together happily in the countryside of Ireland.
"That's exactly what I want." I said aloud. The girl must have heard me, because she came running towards me, red curls bouncing, and her younger brother tagging behind.
"Hi!!" She exclaimed cheerfully. I smiled and opened my mouth to say the password, but she spoke again. "Aren't you the wife of the boy who lives here?"
"Oh no." I laughed. "I'm his girlfriend."
"Oh. That's what I meant." She said. "He talks about you a lot. He's always talking to himself. –"she got closer – "Yesterday he said he couldn't wait to start a family."
My hand flew to my neck and fingered the necklace he gave me earlier that day. "He did?"
"Yeah." She paused and looked at me for a while. "You're really pretty." She said finally.
"Really pretty." Her younger brother echoed quietly. My cheeks flushed red.
"Thank you." I breathed. "I'm Ainsley."
"I know. That's the name he always says. I'm –"
"Henry, Rebecca! Dinner!" Their mother called.
"You want to go in?" Rebecca asked me.
"Yes please. These Confessions." The portrait started to open.
"Bye Ainsley!" She and Henry ran back to the cottage.
"Bye!" I called after them. I took a deep breath and walked into Cedric's common room. "Cedric?"
"Ainsley?" He walked out of his bedroom. His dress robes were off and his shirt was untucked and halfway unbuttoned. I sat down on one of the couches. "What's wrong?" He asked and sat next to me.
"Cedric..." I started. "Ron seemed upset tonight and I ran after him back to the common room to find out what was wrong...and...well..."
"Yes?"
"He kissed me."
"What!?"
"Cedric..."
"He did what?"
"Cedric..."
"I can't believe it!" He jumped up and started flailing his arms.
"Cedric..." Oh man. I wasn't doing this again.
"How could you let him do that?!"
"Cedric!" There. That shut him up. "Don't freak out. Please be calm."
"Calm? Calm?! My girlfriend kissed someone else. Not just someone else, but her little brother's best friend!"
"Excuse me, but he kissed me! I did NOT kiss him back." With that, I jumped up as well.
"Same thing."
"What? Cedric, now you are just being silly." I peeled off my long gloves, they were making my hands sweaty.
"Oh yeah I'm just a regular clown." He laughed sarcastically.
I cringed. "You know I hate clowns."
"Exactly, so you must hate me enough to let another boy kiss you."
"Cedric." I placed my hands on his face. "That's not fair. He took me by surprise. If I had known he was going to do it, I wouldn't have let him. I love you, don't you know that?" A lump rose in my throat and I spoke quietly. "You are my life. Well, you, Harry, and Quidditch...but you are at the top." He chuckled softly and I saw his eyes glisten. "Please don't let this little thing tear us apart, I wouldn't be able to bear it." I finally let a small tear spill from my eye, and my hands dropped back down to my sides.
"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry."
I fell onto the sofa again and put my head in my hands. "I should never have gone to the ball."
Cedric fell to his knees in front of me. "No. No. If you hadn't have gone, I would have died." I lifted my head and smiled at him while he reached up to kiss me. "Is my kiss better then Ron's?"
I sighed and shoved him. "Duh." He laughed and kissed me again, this time with more passion. I helped him get off the floor and sit on the sofa next to me. "Cedric." I whispered as he kissed my jawline.
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
He stopped and looked me in the eyes. "I love you too."
"Will you show me how much?"
He broke away quickly. "I...I'm so s-s-sorry." He stuttered. I was stunned speechless. I just gaped at him with my mouth hanging slightly open. "I just...I...I'm jealous of Cedric."
"Jealous of Cedric?" I whispered.
"Yes. Because he is with you."
"Ron..."
"You being over at the burrow all the time with Fred and George....I've always liked you Ainsley."
"Ron..."
"You've never noticed? I'm always a complete wreck around you."
"Ron..."
"And tonight was the last straw...I mean with you looking completely..."
"Ron..."
"Sexy. I just had to do something about it. Please forgive me Ainsley...I don't want it to ruin –"
"Ron!" I had gotten his attention and he had finally shut up. "You aren't making this any easier on me."
"Sorry." He shoved his hands in his pockets.
"I really don't know what to say." I said slowly. "I...Ron..." The portrait swung open and everyone poured in.
"The party's just getting started!!!!!!!!!" George yelled.
"I'm tired, I'm going to bed." Ron ran up the stairs to his dorm.
"What the bloody hell is wrong with him?" Fred asked.
"I don't know." I bit my lip. "I need to find someone. Excuse me." I pushed past everyone and ran out the portrait. Despite being in heels, I ran down to the Great Hall, hoping I would find who I was looking for. I did.
"Jada!" I screamed. I watched as she snapped her head towards my voice. She ran over.
"Ainsley are you alright?"
"Can I talk with you alone?" I panted.
"Of course!" She turned around towards Draco. "I'll be back soon." She leaned in and kissed him. I flinched. I grabbed her hand and dragged her towards an empty classroom. "Ainsley, you're scaring me. Are you alright!?"
I slammed the door shut when we got in and leaned against it. "This is not good. This is really not good at all."
"What happened? Was it Cedric? I'll kick his ass!"
"No. No. It wasn't him. Well, it kind of was..."
"What? Explain please! Details!"
"Well...I...he...."
"Yes..." She looked so puzzled. I just came right out with it.
"Ron kissed me."
"Ron?! Ronald Weasley!? That cute little redhead?! Awwww!" She squealed. I started at her. "I mean...bad very bad. Does Cedric know?"
"No." I shook my head.
"Are you going to tell him?"
I placed a hand on my forehead. "I don't know."
"Well I think you should...unless..." She looked at me. "You have feelings for Ron."
"WHAT?!"
"Well do you?"
"Of course not! I love Cedric!"
"Okay then it shouldn't be a problem to tell Cedric."
"Ugh! I wish this never happened. He caught me off guard! He just did it! And then he was like 'Oh Ainsley, I've always liked you...blah blah...oh I'm jealous of Cedric."
"Aww this would be so cute if it were a different situation."
"JADA!"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. Let me focus...he was out of line but he must really like you." She said as I let out an exasperated sigh. "Just think about Ron later, first tell Cedric."
"What the hell do I say to him?"
"The truth. Trust me, I learned from Draco. The truth is always better."
"Draco?"
"Very long story. There isn't much time. Just tell him, and if he freaks out reassure him the it was Ron who did it and that you love him..Cedric..very much."
"Should I do it now?"
"Yes, go go go!"
"What would I do without you?" I called as I ran out the classroom towards Cedric's common room.
"You would die a slow and painful death!" I heard her yell after me.
I stopped in front of Cedric's portrait panting. While I caught my breath I admired the painting. I watched the family talking and playing together. A mother, father, daughter, and two sons, one older then the girl, one younger. All living together happily in the countryside of Ireland.
"That's exactly what I want." I said aloud. The girl must have heard me, because she came running towards me, red curls bouncing, and her younger brother tagging behind.
"Hi!!" She exclaimed cheerfully. I smiled and opened my mouth to say the password, but she spoke again. "Aren't you the wife of the boy who lives here?"
"Oh no." I laughed. "I'm his girlfriend."
"Oh. That's what I meant." She said. "He talks about you a lot. He's always talking to himself. –"she got closer – "Yesterday he said he couldn't wait to start a family."
My hand flew to my neck and fingered the necklace he gave me earlier that day. "He did?"
"Yeah." She paused and looked at me for a while. "You're really pretty." She said finally.
"Really pretty." Her younger brother echoed quietly. My cheeks flushed red.
"Thank you." I breathed. "I'm Ainsley."
"I know. That's the name he always says. I'm –"
"Henry, Rebecca! Dinner!" Their mother called.
"You want to go in?" Rebecca asked me.
"Yes please. These Confessions." The portrait started to open.
"Bye Ainsley!" She and Henry ran back to the cottage.
"Bye!" I called after them. I took a deep breath and walked into Cedric's common room. "Cedric?"
"Ainsley?" He walked out of his bedroom. His dress robes were off and his shirt was untucked and halfway unbuttoned. I sat down on one of the couches. "What's wrong?" He asked and sat next to me.
"Cedric..." I started. "Ron seemed upset tonight and I ran after him back to the common room to find out what was wrong...and...well..."
"Yes?"
"He kissed me."
"What!?"
"Cedric..."
"He did what?"
"Cedric..."
"I can't believe it!" He jumped up and started flailing his arms.
"Cedric..." Oh man. I wasn't doing this again.
"How could you let him do that?!"
"Cedric!" There. That shut him up. "Don't freak out. Please be calm."
"Calm? Calm?! My girlfriend kissed someone else. Not just someone else, but her little brother's best friend!"
"Excuse me, but he kissed me! I did NOT kiss him back." With that, I jumped up as well.
"Same thing."
"What? Cedric, now you are just being silly." I peeled off my long gloves, they were making my hands sweaty.
"Oh yeah I'm just a regular clown." He laughed sarcastically.
I cringed. "You know I hate clowns."
"Exactly, so you must hate me enough to let another boy kiss you."
"Cedric." I placed my hands on his face. "That's not fair. He took me by surprise. If I had known he was going to do it, I wouldn't have let him. I love you, don't you know that?" A lump rose in my throat and I spoke quietly. "You are my life. Well, you, Harry, and Quidditch...but you are at the top." He chuckled softly and I saw his eyes glisten. "Please don't let this little thing tear us apart, I wouldn't be able to bear it." I finally let a small tear spill from my eye, and my hands dropped back down to my sides.
"I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry."
I fell onto the sofa again and put my head in my hands. "I should never have gone to the ball."
Cedric fell to his knees in front of me. "No. No. If you hadn't have gone, I would have died." I lifted my head and smiled at him while he reached up to kiss me. "Is my kiss better then Ron's?"
I sighed and shoved him. "Duh." He laughed and kissed me again, this time with more passion. I helped him get off the floor and sit on the sofa next to me. "Cedric." I whispered as he kissed my jawline.
"Hmm?"
"I love you."
He stopped and looked me in the eyes. "I love you too."
"Will you show me how much?"