Third Chapter – Unnoticeable Bitterness
The evil soul can no longer hide what awful screams it throws aside.
For two days, Harry pondered on why Cedric suddenly had a reaction like he did when they were in the Hospital Wing. It couldn't have possible been because of hunger. The agony on the older boy's face had been unmistakable. There was a deeper reason behind it all, and Cedric wasn't about to tell him.
For the same amount of time the two had not made contact, not even with their eyes. Although it was obvious that they were thinking about each other, neither was willing to approach first. It was almost a bit awkward to do so, and for unknown reasons, too.
"Go talk to him already," urged Hermione during dinner, kicking Harry under the table and receiving a soft 'Ouch!' in return. She knew about the incident. "It's okay not to ask him about what happened before, but at least say ' hi' or 'hello' or anything!" She sounded as though she was the one in Harry's shoes. Ron and Harry exchanged questioning looks.
"It's not that easy, Hermione," said Ron when he saw Harry was not in the mood to comment. "First of all, remember that Cedric has no clue about what Harry feels about him. Second, people are beginning to get suspicious so if they keep on seeing each other then there's bound to be a lot of rumor sooner than we expect. Last but not the least," Ron looked into Harry's eyes and spoke only when he found the spark that said 'yes'. "Harry's afraid to show that he cares about the pretty boy,"
Hermione blinked once. "That's so unreasonable of you, Harry!" she whispered angrily. "What's wrong about liking and caring about someone, huh? Is that evil? Is that a crime? I don't think so. I think that Cedric should feel lucky someone like you fancies him. It's not everyday that the only survivor of You-Know-Who's curse has a crush on you! That's extremely rare and wonderful! I swear, Harry, if Cedric rejects you I am going to shove toad warts down his throat and throw him in a pool of boiling ogre insides!"
Harry and Ron were much too afraid to speak.
"Uh…" said Harry after Hermione had calmed herself down with half a glass of cold pumpkin juice. "I get your point, Hermione, but are you saying that I should tell Cedric about this…err, crush?"
"Yes," replied Hermione, exhausted from talking too much and too fast. "And it has to be as soon as possible. At the same time, it has to be on a perfect day. He shouldn't be mad or annoyed or negative at all when you confess. You should catch him when he's at his best mood,"
Harry rubbed his chin and searched the Hufflepuff table for any sign of Cedric. He was talking to the girl next to him. The girl looked happy; she was blushing even. He was smiling at her, but his eyes were no longer as happy as usual.
Damn this whole thing, thought Harry to himself. I was better off stalking Cedric every other night when no one else knew. Now I'm being prodded to reveal my secret, and to Cedric himself!
Love was no rainbow ride indeed.
During Transfiguration, Professor McGonagall had simply given them notes to copy as they were going to discuss them on their next meeting. She had hexed the board so that each student saw part of the notes they were already copying; there was no need to wait for each other to finish a section.
Harry was bored to death as usual. He was copying with the laziest handwriting he had, while Hermione's was as neat as ever despite her speed. Ron had always said she might've been a typewriter in her previous life.
Harry was already in 'The Versions of the Solid-Gas Spell' when a piece of paper folded into a shirt landed on his parchment. He looked behind him. Seamus pointed to Neville who pointed to Lee. He mouthed "From Cedric Diggory". It was enough to make Harry blush.
Slowly unfolding the paper, Harry saw his name written on one of the sleeves. Even his handwriting's cute, he thought with a grin. He shook it off and read the letter. It said:
"Harry, I don't know why we're no longer talking, but anyway I just wanted to tell you that I know what to do with the egg. I discovered the trick by accident. This may sound really odd but if you want to know more feel free to ask me. Not by replying to this, of course. I'd like it better if you approach me, because this silence between us is driving me mad. I really want us to go back to what we were before. I like being with you, I really do. That's all. Hope to hear from you soon. Cedric,"
Hermione noticed the letter. Much to her surprise, Harry looked as though he had been hit by a freezing curse, except his entire face was blushing darkly.
It took a while to snap Harry back to normal. Ron and Hermione had to pull him out of the classroom with the letter, neatly folded back, in his hands. He had such a goofy look on that the other students began to stare at him in a strange way.
"What happened to Harry/" asked Fred, accompanied by his twin brother George. He waved a hand in front of the dark-haired boy but to no avail. He was still in Wonderland. "Blimey. What potion has he drunk lately?"
"Don't tell us you drugged him," said George half-jokingly to his brother Ron. "He can't help it if he's in-love with the pretty boy," The people walking by them stopped. "I mean, if Fred's gay then he's gay to the bone. There's nothing any of us can do, right Fred?"
Fred grinned. "Oh yeah. I love boys. It's not enough that I stare in the mirror in order to see one. I've had this never-ending curiosity about other guys; it's irritating sometimes. You of all people should know that George," Everyone started moving again. Fred budged George and gave him a now-everyone-thinks-I'm-gay-because-of-your-pathetic-reasoning-skills look. George returned an everyone-knows-that's-the-truth-so-you-don't-have-to-deny-it-or-anything-remember-Wood look. Fred blushed.
Harry suddenly absorbed what George had said. "How did you know about that?"
"You're alive, Harry!" exclaimed George. "And what do you mean 'how did you know'?"
"I mean, how did you know I…have a crush on…" Harry couldn't go on. Glaring at Ron and Hermione, he felt slightly betrayed. Had they told other people about his secret?
"On Diggory? It's much too obvious now, mate," snickered Fred. He gave Harry a pat on the back. "But don't you worry. We won't tell a soul. Not everyone's as attentive as we are when it comes to changes in people,"
"I…I changed?" Harry reddened slightly. Was his crush on Cedric having that much effect on him?
"Well, not drastically," answered George. "It's more of in the sense of…"
"…Of the way you do thing," continued Fred.
"Before you weren't too keen about the tournament…"
"…And now you seem to actually want to win,"
"It's not like that," protested Harry. "I can't do anything if I was chosen to be a champion. I can only accept it. Me liking Cedric has nothing to do the tournament,"
"Oh yeah, sure it doesn't" teased Fred. "But if I were you, Harry, I'd jump the pretty boy in the middle of a task," George gave him a low high-five.
Harry blushed. He knew he was attracted to Cedric, but he never saw him as an object of his fantasies. He saw what the Hufflepuff had to offer physically; actually, he was beyond anything Harry could ever ask for in a person. So why had he never felt sexually aroused by him?
"Look, I have to go, err, see him," said Harry. A tinge of pink remained in his cheeks. "I'll see you guys later," He went the other direction to where the sixth years were. He ignored the "Jump him Harry!" from Fred and George. The letter went to his robes pocket.
A group of Hufflepuffs walked past Harry. He retraced their path until he was in front of the Hufflepuff Common Room. He wondered if Cedric was inside. Even if he was, Harry didn't know the password.
"Oi! You there!" Harry's heart shot up to his throat in surprise. It turned out to be Cedric. "Oops. Sorry, Harry. I was making rounds. I heard someone was making trouble out here in the corridors; thought I might check it out," He placed a hand on top of Harry's ruffled hair. "I'm glad you're here. It's been a while,"
"Two days to be exact," said Harry, smiling. He missed hearing Cedric's cool voice. "You mentioned something about the egg in your letter--?"
"Ah, yes I did," replied Cedric. "Butterfly Stew," Harry followed him inside the Common Room. The Gryffindor had never seen so much yellow contained in a single room.
"It's quite simple, really," began Cedric once they had settled on the couch. "All you have to do…" Harry listened closely. "…Is take a bath,"
"T-take a bath?" repeated Harry.
"Take a bath," confirmed Cedric, his grin widening. "Don't forget the egg. Oh, and I suggest you use the Prefects' bathroom, the one that I use,"
"Does the bathroom have anything to do with the egg at all?" At that moment, Harry's mind was on the image of Cedric bathing, naked and everything. He immediately recognized his perverted-ness and stopped thinking at once. It wasn't a healthy activity to picture someone in his birthday suit.
"Not really, no," said Cedric. "But it's nice in there. You can think about the clue in peace,"
Harry nodded. He looked around the Common Room. It was awesomely bright and cheerful. No wonder the ones from Hufflepuff were so lively; they were always surrounded by happy colors.
"What are you thinking?" asked Cedric out of the blue. He noticed that Harry was a bit pale. "Are you alright there, Harry?"
The color on Harry's face returned. "Cedric, I…have to…say something…" His voice was quivering while the rest of him was panicking. He felt rather sick.
Cedric smiled in an attempt to make Harry comfortable, not knowing that he was doing the exact opposite. "You know you can tell me anything," He said gently.
Harry frowned. He had to get it over with. If he held it in any longer, he was sure to burst at the most unexpected instant. He was trying to avoid that. "Cedric I like you," He said in a whisper as quickly as he could. It was done. Finally.
"What was that Harry? I didn't hear you," said Cedric. Harry blushed. He hoped not to have to repeat it.
"Cedric, I like you!" exclaimed Harry furiously. He saw the Hufflepuff's eyes widen. He looked away so as not to feel any worse. "I've liked you ever since last year when I found out were the Seeker for your team. It was only recently, though, when I truly recognized my feelings for you. I didn't care, you see, because I was busy with other things. After a while you no longer mattered. You went back to being nothing to me, and then…" He swallowed. "And then summer arrived. There were times when I thought of you, but not seriously. It was at the World Cup when I…felt it…"
Harry recalled seeing Cedric again since the match when they went to the World Cup with Cedric's father Amos, Hermione, and the Weasleys. Cedric had jumped off a tree, landing right in front of Harry. The younger boy had blushed involuntarily. He had to admit that Cedric really did possess a lot of charisma. One smile from him was more than enough to make anyone scream giddily, including Harry himself.
"I daresay—you must be Harry Potter!" said Amos the instant he saw Harry's scar, which was slightly seen behind his jet-black hair. He held out a hand and promptly shook Harry's. "Cedric has been talking about you all summer, weren't you son?" Cedric coyly smiled. Harry thought he looked so adorable that way. "Ah! I remember now! Cedric beat you in Quidditch!" He laughed with content. "I was quite proud of my boy at that time, and right now I still am. Imagine: He beat Harry Potter!"
"He fell of his broom, dad," reminded Cedric, winking at Harry, whose heart jumped a mile off his chest. "If nothing had happened to him, he would've gotten to the Snitch first. His scar says it all. Heck, he's faster than lightning, I believe,"
"T-that's hardly true," said Harry. For some reason he felt intimidated by Cedric. It was only the second time they had been so close, the first one being the Quidditch match, when they were head-to-head in chasing after the Snitch. Something told Harry he wasn't supposed to forget that memory.
"C'mon!" Let's get a move on!" said Mr. Weasley to Harry, Cedric, and Amos. The three followed the Weasleys and Hermione. Harry went beside Ron.
"Looks like you and the pretty boy are getting along well," said Ron with a malicious grin.
"We're not," lied Harry. The truth was, whenever Cedric was there the cold air around Harry became warm.
"What have you got against Cedric, Ron?" asked Hermione, sounding annoyed. Ron raised an eyebrow.
"Look who's talking," he said. "You're the one who values looks so much. And I thought you were smart,"
Hermione turned red. "You're out of line, Ron! How can you say that when all I said was--?"
"Hey, hey," said Harry. He went between them as soon as he sensed a fight about to commence. "I can't believer you're arguing about Cedric. Come on, that's quite inappropriate, don't you think?"
"Hmph!" Hermione looked at the trees instead. She thought they were better than seeing Ron's face. Ron did the same, although he was able to begin a conversation with Fred and George about Quidditch.
"He's rude and doesn't even know it," said Hermione. "Cedric hasn't done anything, and he's calling him a pretty boy like he doesn't have a proper name!"
"Well, he sort of is a pretty boy," said Harry. Hermione said no more.
When they had gone up the hill, Mr. Weasley urged them to touch the Portkey so they would be off. Harry was confused. The Portkey was an old boot?
"Harry! Hurry up!" shouted Mr. Weasley. "Or we'll leave without you!" Harry rushed to the Portkey and realized he was beside Cedric. He partially saw that the older boy's eyes were a strange color…
Before Harry could look into Cedric's eyes any further, the world around them spun wildly. Harry felt like puking so he closed his eyes. He heard Mr. Weasley say, "Let go! Let go!" Despite thoughts about death whirling in his mind, Harry did as they were told. Before he knew it he had landed on the ground real hard. The bones in his back seemed to have cracked. He opened one eyes. Mr. Weasley, Mr. Diggory, and Cedric landed softly on their feet.
"Need some help, Harry?" Cedric took Harry's hand to help him up. Harry tightened his grip and accidentally put too much force when he pulled Cedric back. They soon found themselves entangled on the ground. "Sorry, mate. I can be clumsy, you know," apologized Cedric.
"That's quite alright," said Harry, a toothy smile on his face. "We're just the same," The feel of Cedric's body against him was unbelievably good. If only they could stay that way for a bit longer. "Err, could you um, get off me now?" he said, pretending to be slightly bothered. Cedric wore a panicked look and quickly got up. Harry stood as well. He realized how close they were lying there, and at last he had seen Cedric's eyes.
They were in the most beautiful shade of gray Harry had ever encountered.
At the present time, though, Harry wanted anything but to look in those eyes, those deep pools of gray that seemed to have been set first with his words. He could hardly breathe when he saw, out of the corner of his eye that Cedric had stood up.
He's probably going to throw me out, he thought. "Please be gentle with me," he blurted.
"I will," he heard Cedric say. Harry stared at the ground, waiting for a shout, a push, a shove, anything violent. He had said what he was supposed to say and that was the most important part. He didn't care if Cedric beat him to a pulp now; he deserved it anyway.
What happened next was a series of events Harry had a hard time believing. Cedric went in front of him; he was still staring at the floor so he didn't see the Hufflepuff's face. And then he felt it, something being pressed on his head. He realized that he had been kissed. He looked up. Cedric's lips were but an inch from his own. Cedric murmured "Harry," in a gruff voice before their lips eventually met.
The idea of being kissed by Cedric was something Harry simply had never pondered on. It was too absurd, too weird, and too impossible. It was as unimaginable as the Dursleys being genuinely nice to him. And so when it came true, Harry cried in happiness.
Cedric didn't seem to mind. He continued kissing Harry, tasting the Gryffindor's salty tears. It somehow turned him on—Harry's partial vulnerability. It was as though Cedric could do anything to him then, including…
"Oh Cedric," moaned Harry when their kiss broke. His eyes were halfway open, and he was more flushed than he should've been. Cedric saw that Harry must like him that badly for him to be so…affected.
"Do you want more, Harry?" asked Cedric in a very seductive voice. He already knew what Harry's answer was going to be by the deep blush on his cheeks.
Harry felt his entire body become numb when he said a pleading "Yes," Cedric smirked and whispered something in his ear. He reddened even more, the reaction adding to Cedric's satisfaction.
Author's Note: I first wrote this in a notebook with my awfully large handwriting, so I didn't think it would be so long. Oh well. Next chapter will be where all the loving is going to be, if you know what I mean. Mwahahahaha! Thanks for reading!