Disclaimer: don't own it so don't assume that I do!

---

Cedric had been reading the same line for about five minutes now. Potions was boring as usual. Snape was talking about the effects of some pixie dust when combined with a person's happy thoughts, but he couldn't be sure since he really wasn't listening… so he decided to read that book that he got in the library.

The Triwizard Tournament is the most perilous predicament that people can possibly pursue.

'What whacked up kind of book is this! What is up with all the tongue twisters!'

Snape couldn't really tell that he wasn't listening since he had put a spell on the library book to make it look like his Potions book. To the external world, Cedric looked like a studious student who was trying to do advance reading…NOT!

He wasn't exactly himself that day. The incident in the library had left him in a little bit of a daze. Getting poked in the eye wasn't exactly his idea of fun…but he wasn't complaining either.

The girl in the library…

'Hermione.' He smiled as he corrected himself.

Hermione was a change. All the people around him act as if he was just in another level…but he wasn't. He was just Cedric. Hermione treated him as just that. Just Cedric.

'Now that was new.'

It was certainly new. People never bossed him around. They never disagreed with him. They were never called him a 'baby'. He never got embarrassed in front of people. Never. It was like an unwritten rule that people were meant to be nice to him. He didn't actually know why. Having someone treat him like a normal being was a very welcome change.

He shook his head and decided that he had thought about her enough for one day. Shouldn't he be excited about History of Magic?

'Yeah…that's what I should be excited about. History of Magic. I wonder if Hermione enjoys that subject…NO. I told myself that I would stop thinking about her. That starts right now….yup any minute now…any minute…uhuh! Oh gosh I bet Hermione never talks to herself! AHHHH! I did it again!'

He picked up his book and began reading again…but he couldn't. It wasn't working. There was something about that bushy haired witch…he just couldn't put his finger on it. The way she talked reminded him of somebody…he just didn't know who.

"Read up on the properties of Bezoar and write a two foot essay on it…Now get out of my sight!" with that, the class scampered off like little bunnies, leaving Cedric to fix his things.

He took his quill and pen and went off his merry way.

"Hey Ced!" he looked back to see Oliver Wood waving at him, though Oliver didn't seem to be smiling. "I've got a complaint letter here that I need all Quidditch Captains to sign. It's to revoke the cancellation of the Quidditch season." He brought out about five feet of parchment that had Bring Back Quidditch as a heading and had three signatures at the bottom. "Flint and Rogers have already signed it…all that's left is you."

"Hey there Little Ollie...still bummed that Quidditch was cancelled." He smiled as he went to his fellow Captain.

"Call me Little Ollie again and I swear that you'll find yourself unable to reproduce." He said grimly.

"Oh come on Wood. It's just a game!" he laughed as he patted the bitter Keeper at the back.

"Diggory! How could you say that! You know that its way more than a game! It's our future! How am I supposed to impress the team scouts if they don't have any games to see! It's a sacrilege! You can't cancel Quidditch! Not even for a stupid interschool Tournament thingy!" Oliver's accent seemed to get stronger and stronger when he was angry. Never before had the world seen such a Quidditch fanatic.

"Fine I'll sign it. But think of it this way…you'll get to spend more time with Sam now that there's no Quidditch. I'm sure she'll like that." He consoled his friend as he signed the ridiculously long petition.

"I guess you have a point there" Oliver said thoughtfully "…but still they have to reinstate the season!" he quickly added.

"Ok then, your funeral. I'm not the one who's going to have his arse grilled by his girlfriend." He laughed.

"She isn't going to grill my arse. She happens to like watching me play. And besides you're one to talk. It's not like Cho isn't on your back 24/7. You know how girls are… being all yappity and emotional all the time…"

"Sam…" Cedric coughed as he whispered nervously.

"Of course Sam included. She is incredibly beautiful and smart and God knows how much I love her but sometimes she just gets too---"

"Sam…" Cedric said again.

"Sometimes I get too what?" said a voice from behind Oliver. The Gryffindor turned around only to see that his girlfriend had been standing behind him the entire time.

"Sammy! There you are." Oliver hugged his girlfriend. "I've been looking everywhere for you." He attempted to kiss her, but it was feeble.

"Oh cut the crap Wood! Don't you Sammy me! What were you talking about hmmm?" said Sam, standing at a distance from him with her hands crossed in front of her chest and tapping her foot. Calling her boyfriend by his last name was never a good sign.

Oliver started to laugh nervously. "Nothing."

"Ced, what was he talking about?" she turned her head to Cedric and raised an eyebrow.

Cedric couldn't help but snicker. Here he was, standing in front of a scowling Sam (who could rival any girl in the art of manipulating their boyfriends) and a pleading Oliver (who seemed to be begging him to keep his mouth shut) "Well Sam, Oliver was just telling me on how yappity and emotional girls get…you included."

"Is that so." Said Sam as she turned to her boyfriend. Let me tell you, that she didn't look pleased at all.

"Ced…how could you! I thought we were mates." Oliver whined to Cedric.

"Sorry mate…she can get pretty scary when she wants to be." He shrugged.

"You are wise to know that. You did the right thing Ced." Smiled Sam. "Now if you'll excuse me, Oliver and I need to have a little talk. Come on Wood!" She said taking Oliver by the wrist and dragging him through the corridors.

"But hun, didn't you hear the part where I said that you were beautiful and smart and that I loved you." Oliver pleaded as he was dragged to some remote corner.

Cedric couldn't help but smile at this. 'Now who'll be the one who'll be unable to reproduce?' He mused. But he had no doubt that Oliver would soon give in to Sam in the end. Cedric was sure that Oliver would drop the petition just to make Sam happy. He was certain that he would see the couple snogging in the broom closet not too far in the future.

He laughed for a while until he realized that he was running late for History of Magic.

'What is wrong with me today?'

He raced though the hallways only to enter the room with Professor Binns already starting and half the class fast asleep.

He slipped to the room unnoticed and sat down in the solitary table in the back corner.

He sat down at his table noticing that all the carvings were now nowhere to be seen. Only one was left, and this note was not one that he'd ever seen before.

YOU REALLY ARE WEIRD.

He laughed and remembered that this note was supposed to come with a response to his little survey.

'Now where could that note be… aha!' he bent down to the left leg of the table and found a note left in the crack.

He opened the little note only to see that it was written in the elegant script of a girl.

'Ok…now I know that she's a girl. Yeah!'

I know what you're thinking…and yes I am a girl…I'd certainly surprised if I wasn't.

'Ok, now who's the mind reader.'

If your twisted mind is thinking what I know you are thinking then I would have to say no…I am no mind reader. And in risk of this getting weird again, I'm going to go straight to the point.

'That's good it would have been extremely weird if she was reading my mind all the time. I like it direct.'

I like things to be direct. Here goes. So yes…obviously I am a girl. I belong to Gryffindor.

'Gryffindor…that's tolerable. Thank God she isn't Slytherin!'

As for the name…I kinda feel weird about telling a total stranger my real name. For all I know you might be a complete wacko who's bent on preying on innocent vandals (don't worry I don't really believe that, but its better to be safe than sorry.) You can call me Periwinkle Otter. I happen to like otters and periwinkle is my favorite color.

'A little five-year-oldish but cute. Periwinkle Otter it is.'

It may be a little juvenile, but I happen to like it. It's cute and I don't care what you say. I'll see you come up with a better name! As for the weather question…I like it when it rains. It's tranquil and cleansing. And besides, the rain is the one thing that can be both calming and destructive. Little showers make the flowers grow…big storms scare you beyond imagination. You do not want to see me angry…ask the person I punched last year!

'Rain girl…nice! Though she does tend to over analyze things a bit. But again…it's cute.' He reread the last part and inwardly laughed. 'Note to self…don't irritate this girl.' He smiled.

I know I have a tendency to over analyze things…but I can't help it! Ough it's just me! Nothing you can do about it. My friends have already tried. And about that last part…I promise you that I don't just randomly beat up people. That guy was just getting on my nerves.

He laughed again. This girl was sweet and at the same time could handle herself. 'My kinda woman! No Ced…remember Cho…girlfriend…bad thoughts! Banish them this instant.' He stopped arguing with himself and continued reading the note.

It is unfair. You know my house, but I don't know yours. I think I deserve the same courtesy.

'Fine…it's not like I have anything to be ashamed of. Hufflepuff is a great house and besides, everybody loves a Hufflepuff!'

Oh and I think that I should have something to call you too! I mean its good to have a name to go with the twisted notes.

'She thinks I'm twisted…HA! She has no idea!'

Plus…It's my turn to ask a twisted question. I kind of want to ask if you are the kind of guy who likes hot or cold coffee.

'Hot…but what does that have to do with anything?' he asked himself.

I know what you're thinking. 'What does that have to do with anything?' Well I'll have you know that based on experience…hot coffee drinkers are the kind of people who have two personalities to show…one for the outside and one for when you're alone. Cold coffee people are the kind of people who are 'what you see is what you get'. Besides, hot coffee people are those who you can usually have deep thoughtful conversations with…but the cold coffee people are those who you go to for a good laugh.

'I wonder which kind she likes…personally I think I'd prefer the hot coffee people.'

I'm a hot coffee person myself…just wanted to know which kind you are.

'I knew I liked her.' He smiled. (a/n: not in that way…yet. God people they just met! If they liked each other immediately then it wouldn't be much of a story now would it? I didn't think so!)

Well, that's all. Please reply…coz like you said, if you don't… I'd know (now who's being creepy!) Could you just leave the note where you found it. I don't think we should carve on the table anymore. I can just see Filch's face when he sees the carvings. He'd be talking to his creepy cat while pacing around the room saying:

Those damn rotten kids…carving on the tables like it's nobody's business. When I find them I am going to cuss their arses to oblivion and they'll be gone before they can say HOGWARTS!

I personally would want to save myself from the rage of such a creepy old man. God knows how crooked his mind is…well, as I said earlier…that's all.

-Periwinkle Otter

Cedric smiled at the letter. She was so…oh what was it…she was unique. She was unlike any girl he had ever talked (or in this case written to). She seemed smart an independent.

This girl…the Periwinkle Otter…seemed so sure of herself. She seemed to be the kind of person who he could open up to with ease.

'Well…time to write a response.' He took out a fresh piece of parchment and wrote. He didn't even think about what he should or shouldn't say to her. The words just flowed out naturally. She brought it out of him. It seemed that he could tell her anything and everything.

He wrote and her wrote until he noticed that Professor Binns was finishing the lesson.

He put the finishing touches on his note and signed it at the bottom.

- Badger Boy

'Ahh! House pride and a pseudonym all in one!' he quickly folded up the parchment and stuck it inside the crack on the table leg.

"Hurry up Ced! Mina's waiting for us by the Goblet of Fire." Called his friend.

"Hold your horses Adam! I'll be right there." He quickly gathered up his things and shoved them in his bag. He brought out his wand and magically erased the last note left on the table, remembering the image of Filch talking to his cat, and ran up to his friends.

Adam slung his arm on Cedric's shoulders and laughed. "So mate…are you ready to put your name in the Goblet!" he said excitedly.

"As ready as I'll ever be." He replied, trying to act as excited as he could. Once again, Cedric gave in to people's expectations.

"That's right! Don't worry…I'm sure that you'll get chosen! I just know it." Said Bryan (another one of Cedric's friends) animatedly.

"Thanks Bry." He managed to smile. Personally, he was kind of wishing that he doesn't get chosen. He was just going to do this to meet up with the public's expectations.

That day, Cedric Diggory put his name in the Goblet of Fire…unknowing that he would be chosen as one of the Hogwarts champions. He would be one surprised Badger.

---

A/N: there you have it! the newest chapter of I Hate My Life! Thank you for the support you gave during my suspension! I really appreciate it! Thanks for all who reviewed! Oreos to you all…Ironically though, I am now in a coffee shop eating Oreo cheesecake while sipping some hot coffee…go figure. By the way, the character of Sam here is dedicated to Anuksunamun-Kalia (the real Sam!) I don't know if it would fit her personality…but I do hope that she liked being paired up with Oliver Wood since she's an OWHG shipper. She made a petition protesting against the deletion of stories due to the use of song lyrics… that was a really great thing to do! I speak for many songfic authors when I say Thanks!

Anywhoo…oreos to the person who finds my HBP reference and my Peter Pan reference. Thanks you guys and review!

The Tofuubeaver!