28th November 1993
Cedric Amos Diggory was not at all what Willow was expecting.
But to be fair, she didn't know what she was expecting.
She had heard many things about Cedric in passing (Parvati and Lavender played no small part when they loudly listed out the traits of the boys on their 'Hogwarts Hotties' list in the dorm room every other night. Currently, Cedric's topping the list.). They would croon about his handsomeness. How popular and well-liked he was in not only his house but the entire school. How unbelievably smart he was, ranking highly every year. How he was a great prefect and an even better Seeker. Considering all that, she probably was expecting a quiet, studious boy. But there was much more to him than many realised.
Cedric appeared affronted when she burst out laughing at his ridiculous, entirely unexpected question but his facade cracked and he joined in on her laughter. Madam Pince rounded on them almost instantly, her face thunderous at the fact that they were breaking the library's cardinal rule. She didn't know how he did it but he smoothly charmed Madam Pince, managing to soothe her ruffled feathers enough to prevent them from getting chased out or any further punishment. Madam Pince left them be, her mouth twitching with what seemed to be a semblance of a smile.
Cedric and Willow shared a glance and looked away immediately, lips pressed tightly together in an effort not to laugh again. Once they calmed down enough, she finally answered his question. She was born on June 19th 1979 and normally, she would have been admitted in 1990, the year before Harry. However, because of some extenuating circumstances (mainly the Dursleys), she pleaded to Dumbledore through Hagrid for her to be enrolled the following year with Harry. Dumbledore agreed.
Truth be told, she didn't expect to see him anymore after that day. She figured they were like passing ships in the night and her only proof that they have interacted would be through courteous smiles and nods if they happen to see each other in the hallways. But, as Willow had begun to realise after that day, Cedric was never what she expected.
He sought her out the next day in the library much to her astonishment, asking if he could join her. Hermione had been dreadfully busy since the term began, with her mountains of assignments and back-to-back classes that Willow would often find herself alone in the library. She managed to sputter out an affirmation, making him grin widely and he made himself comfortable next to her.
It became a common sight after that day. He would join her at her usual table, sitting down next to her with a quiet greeting before starting on his homework or studies. Willow was surprised by how easily she accepted his presence, how comfortable she was slowly becoming around him as he revealed unexpected little facets of his personality that drew her in.
He was a dreadful tease and it became obvious he enjoyed flustering her, which either left her blushing behind her books or scowling at him in frustration. He had a wit like no other, quipping dry remarks or humorous comments about authors or the content that had her stifling her laughter. But perhaps, the one thing that drew her in the most, that made her so comfortable around him, was his earnest nature.
She was wary about his intentions for the first week when he began to come around regularly, brushing off any questions about herself or giving vague answers. Cedric was undeterred but he never pushed her for more and was never offended. He would usually fall back to sharing about himself, extending the proverbial olive branch if you will. But it also conveyed his sincerity in wanting to truly know her better. Not as the sister to the Boy-Who-Lived like many people have done before, but as Willow Lily Potter, a typical girl by any other means. And just like that, she began to lower her walls, little by little.
"Nice to see that inanimate objects can still incur your wrath." Cedric strolled to the table on a Sunday afternoon, his teasing smirk in place. "Tell me, what has that piece of parchment done to offend you this time?"
The frown that was caused by her infuriating Transfiguration essay morphed into a scowl that she directed at the cheeky dark-haired Hufflepuff.
"It's just Transfiguration being frustrating. As per usual," She grumbled, rubbing her tired eyes.
"Here, let me see," He offered, reaching his hand out.
Willow passed him her essay, happy for a small reprieve. He scanned through the parchment while she closed her eyes and rested her head on the table.
"Seems like you're misunderstanding the underlying concepts of the Lapifors spell. That is probably why you're having trouble detailing the theory of how objects can be transformed into rabbits."
"Mm," She made a small noise, indicating that she was listening but she stilled before her head shot up in shock. That was not Cedric's voice.
She blinked a couple of times, nonplussed to find Ian Wilson reading her essay over Cedric's shoulder. "Uh…"
Cedric stared at Ian, similarly startled at the sudden appearance of his best mate. "Ian, what are you doing here?" He sputtered.
The sandy-haired Hufflepuff paid him no mind, his brown eyes scanning Willow's essay. He plucked it out of Cedric's hands and came around to sit next to her. "The Lapifors and Felifors spells are very different from one another. You can't apply the formula and concepts for the Felifors to the Lapifors spell."
"But I read through this paragraph here. Both spells use pretty much the same formulas," She argued, temporarily forgetting her bewilderment, gesturing to a certain section in her textbook.
"Mm, but this formula is responsible for transfiguring fur on objects," He reasoned. "There are subtle differences in the main formula. See here? And here? Those small changes and adjustments make a big difference when it comes to Transfiguration."
He continued to point out other misunderstandings and errors in her essay and Willow listened gratefully, finally enlightened after suffering for an hour and a half.
"Great, now that you've helped Willow with her essay, you can answer my question," Cedric interjected, folding his arms together and staring suspiciously at his friend. "What are you doing here, Ian?"
Ian leaned back on his chair with a grin, his hazel eyes twinkling with mischief. "Now, now, now. Is that the way you should be greeting your best mate in the whole wide world who was, by the way, terribly worried that you kept missing our study sessions?"
"Wait, missing study sessions?" Willow turned to look at Cedric, who was busy glaring at Ian.
"Yup," Ian's lips popped at the end. "You see, this tosser kept making a thousand and one excuses, ditching on our study sessions for the past few weeks now. Naturally, I was worried."
He shot Willow a smirk "And then, I saw you at the stands yesterday and I finally figured it out. And so here I find him, sitting next to you and studying without me."
Cedric turned to face her, eyes wide with delight. "You managed to come to the match after all?"
"Well, I did promise, didn't I?" She mumbled, bashful.
Cedric had asked if she could come and watch his match earlier this week. She was swamped with all her assignments but she promised she would try to come if she could. It took some doing (and a few late nights) but she was able to make it at the end, just in time to see him swooping down to catch the Snitch. However, even with the additional 150 points, Ravenclaw still won by a landslide.
"I'm sorry that Hufflepuff lost the match," she said regretfully. "You and your team flew brilliantly."
"It was sad but we trained hard and we did our best," Cedric said with a broad smile. "Besides, the Ravenclaw team this year is one of the strongest and best I've seen so far. We knew it was going to be difficult going in."
Ian snorted. "Well, except for their Seeker. He completely went in the opposite direction of the Snitch, mistaking a light reflecting off of Philip Weston's glasses as it instead."
Willow smothered her laugh with a polite cough.
"Well, they had to replace their Seeker at the last minute since Cho injured herself during practice," Cedric defended. "They didn't really have many options."
"And they chose him?"
"As I said, Roger didn't have many choices."
Ian scoffed but he let it go. "Anyway back to the much more important matters"—Ian reverted to his dramatics, clasping his hands over his chest as he wore a look of betrayal on his face—"After all the promises you made to me about making sure I get 8 OWLs at the start of this year, you ditch me? Do I mean nothing to you, Cedric? Was it all just lies?"
Cedric rolled his eyes with a scoff. "First of all, you're doing quite well without my help. Secondly, I promised to help you with Potions which I have almost every day in the common room."
"Cedric, if you promised to help Ian with his studies, you didn't have to be here all the time," Willow said, feeling guilty that she had been monopolising Cedric's time unknowingly.
"What? Oh, Willow, don't listen to—mmfff!" Ian slapped his hand over Cedric's mouth, effectively cutting him short.
"Thank you, Willow. At least someone here knows how to treat their friends right." Ian grinned brightly at her as he resisted Cedric's attempts to remove his hands.
Cedric finally managed to yank Ian's hand off his mouth and shot him a dirty look. "Fine," he bit out peevishly. "You can come and join the both of us here."
༻⸻⸻⸻⸻༺
10th December 1993
And so, Ian became another permanent fixture on her table. Willow was a little confused as to how two of the most popular boys started regularly hanging out with her library table but she took it in stride. Ian was a welcomed addition and despite Cedric's initial reaction, she could tell he wasn't angry with Ian's company. Just from their interaction alone, she could tell how close the two boys were and Ian brought out a more boyish side of Cedric that she enjoyed seeing.
Ian was amazingly talented, especially in Transfiguration, a subject that she often struggled with. He would explain the concepts in a simplified manner to a point where she could comprehend and apply them easily. Willow once commented off-handedly that Ian was a much better teacher than Cedric and he never let him live it down.
Not only that, he was surprisingly knowledgeable in physics. He admitted that his mum was a Muggle physics university professor and she wanted to make sure her son would not lose touch with his general education. Ian also had a wicked sense of humour and a mischievous streak, frequently engaging Cedric in witty banter that would leave Willow in stitches. Some days, things would get a little physical when Cedric becomes too annoyed. He would wrap his arm around Ian's neck, putting him in a chokehold and Ian, laughing all the while, would try to wiggle away or loosen Cedric's grip by punching or poking his torso. This was the exact scene that Hermione walked into while looking for Willow.
Hermione stopped in her tracks, baffled at the sight of the two handsome albeit rowdy boys sitting at the table. She turned to Willow, eyes round. Willow shrugged and gave her a helpless smile, trying to communicate that she would tell her later.
Hermione cleared her throat to get Ian and Cedric's attention. "Umm, hope I'm not interrupting anything—"
"'Course not!" Ian said cheerfully while still in the chokehold. "Join us! Come and grab a chair."
She sat down next to Willow, eyeing the two squabbling boys. "I know I haven't been joining you for a couple of weeks because of my classes and homework but I didn't think I'd missed out so much."
"Well, this was kind of a recent development," Willow informed her.
Hermione arched her eyebrow, clearly not convinced.
"Okay, Ian was a recent development," She amended. "Cedric has been studying with me for a while now."
Ian let out a cry of triumph when he finally extracted himself from Cedric's hold. He shoved Cedric away and faced Hermione with a friendly smile.
"Hello, Hermione! Nice to finally meet you. Ian Wilson," Ian reached out and gave the bemused Hermione a firm shake of the hand. "You may know that tosser on the floor as Cedric Diggory, the Hufflepuff Heartthrob of Hogwarts."
"I hate that nickname, you know," Cedric grumbled as he picked himself up.
"That's what makes it so fun to use it," Ian replied brightly, completely unperturbed by Cedric's glare.
"Nice to meet you both. I didn't know you and Willow were close." Hermione's eyes darted between Willow and the boys with a small smile.
"Yup, Willow and I are the best of buds. Cedric was feeling oh so left out, he decided to play the third wheel."
"If I recall correctly, you were the one who was feeling so left out that you stalked me for weeks just to find out where I was going," Cedric corrected him dryly.
"Meh, details."
Only once Cedric and Ian left for their Potions class did Hermione properly interrogate Willow.
"Okay, I positively missed out on so much. How did you even become friends with them?" she demanded.
Willow hesitated but seeing the determined look in Hermione's eyes, she knew she wouldn't let it go.
"He helped me build Harry's miniature Nimbus 2000 a month ago and well, he just stuck around."
"'He just stuck around'?" Hermione repeated flatly, eyebrows high up her brow in disbelief. "That's it?"
She shrugged. "He's a really great study companion."
"Why do I have a feeling you are more than 'study companions'?" Hermione smirked suggestively.
"I have no idea what you're talking about. We're barely even friends."
"Now why don't I believe you?" Hermione taunted, a rare look of mischief crossing over her face.
"You know, I think taking 12 subjects must be taking a toll on your mind because you are starting to imagine things," Willow noted seriously.
"Willow."
"Hermione."
The two girls stared each other down, unwilling to look away. However, Hermione backed down first, much to Willow's surprise.
"Fine, I'll let it go," Hermione said, jabbing her index finger. "For now. But this isn't over. You're going to tell me more later."
Willow groaned inwardly. She knew it couldn't have been that easy. "Guess you'll be waiting for a long time because there is nothing to tell," She sniffed, dropping her gaze to her History of Magic textbook.
Hermione scoffed, pulling out the same textbook and parchment from her bag. "We'll see."
༻⸻⸻⸻⸻༺
18th December 1993
"Harry, wait—" Willow tried to speak to Harry after dinner but he ignored her, speeding past the crowded common room, and up to the dorms.
She sighed, deciding against following him. He needed time to think and honestly, so did she. How did such an incredible day turn out so horribly? They went through the secret passageway Fred and George had shown them on the map they gifted, finding themselves in Honeydukes. It was absolutely amazing. Shelves stacked with all sorts of sweets, from the most common (they had some fantastic looking fudge) to the highly unique (Cockroach Cluster was right up there).
After promptly scaring the life out of Ron and Hermione, they strolled down the beautiful streets of Hogsmeade all decked out for Christmas to the Three Broomsticks where they finally tasted butterbeer. She never had a drink more delicious in her entire life. They had not counted on the sudden arrival of their professors and Fudge at the Three Broomsticks. Or their timely discussion of Sirius Black.
"I'm sure he just needs some time to think about it," Ron said, his forehead creased with worry.
"I know," She sighed softly, turning to face him and Hermione.
Ron pursed his lips before hesitantly asking, "How about you, Willow? Are you okay?"
Her lips quirked into a hollow smile. "I'm…coping. I think. But I never—" She broke off, biting her bottom lip. "How did we never know? How did no one tell us that he was our father's best friend? Hagrid, Mr and Mrs Weasley…they should have known about it. They should have told us."
"They wanted to protect you," Hermione reasoned. "I mean, Sirius Black is a very dangerous man."
Ron nodded furiously in agreement. "Dad told me before what happened to Pettigrew once Black was finished with him. All they could retrieve of him was a single toe to give Pettigrew's mother. If Black could do that to a fully grown wizard, then…"
The unfinished sentence hung between them like a noose. Willow swallowed thickly, her emotions as turbulent as a hurricane. It was too much for her to handle right now.
"If you don't mind, I think I'll need some time to myself too," She said. "I'm going to retire to my bed early."
"Of course," Hermione gripped her hand tightly, her chocolate brown eyes quivering slightly. "We'll talk tomorrow morning?"
She nodded, briefly giving both her best friends a hug before she trudged up to the third-year girls' dormitory. With a heavy sigh, she flopped back onto her bed, not bothering to remove her outer robes. She laid there unmoving for what seemed like hours, desperately trying to get a handle on her thoughts and emotions. However, her mind kept veering to the discussion between the professors and the Minister at Three Broomsticks earlier, replaying repeatedly in her head like a broken recorder.
She released another sigh before she rolled to her side. She stretched her hand out to her bedside cabinet and grabbed the leather-bound photo album Hagrid had made for Harry and her at the end of their first year. Hermione found a nifty duplication spell so they could carry one each. She shifted her body, propping herself against the pillows as she turned the pages slowly, searching. She stopped at the black-and-white picture of her parents waving up at her, dressed in their wedding attire. An unbearable sadness filled her chest as her fingers gingerly traced the faces of her parents. Her parents in the photo smiled brighter in response and inched closer to her finger, as though they were nuzzling against it.
A lump formed in her throat and she felt the sting of tears at the back of her eyes. She screwed her eyes shut and took a few breaths to calm herself before opening them. Her eyes moved from the exuberant faces of Lily and James Potter to the man standing between them. Sirius Black.
She could hardly recognise him. He seemed like an entirely different person from the one on the front page of the Daily Prophet. In this picture, he looked incredibly handsome. The smile on his face was practically blinding as he gazed at the happy couple in obvious adoration.
"Why did you do it?" She asked the man in the photo. "Why did you betray my father like that? My entire family?"
"He was your best friend," She whispered. "He made you his best man. Heck, he made you Harry's godfather. He trusted you with his life, our life when he made you the Secret Keeper. I don't understand why would you betray him like that?"
Black in the photo continued to smile, heedless to her turmoil, unable to give the answers to the many questions she had.
She couldn't understand it. Flitwick even said they were practically brothers so how could Black double-cross her father like that? There had to be a reason and Willow needed to know it. A sense of determination filled her while she stared grimly at the photograph. By hook or by crook, she was going to find the answers she needed.
"But where do I begin?" She wondered aloud in the empty dormitory. She racked her brain, trying to come up with a solution. Her eyes came to rest on the open photo album on her knees and it hit her.
Hagrid mentioned that he sent owls to their parents' classmates, asking for photos when making the album. She turned the pages absentmindedly, thinking hard. She was sure she could get the names from him easily. She could write to them, asking what her father and Black were like when they were classmates. Maybe she could also ask McGonagall.
Willow paused in the middle of flipping the page and made a face. She'll keep that in view for now. She really can't imagine asking McGonagall to regale her with old memories without arousing suspicion. Her eyes roamed the moving wizard pictures when she caught sight of a face that made her drop her album in shock.
She hastily picked up the album and frantically flipped back to the page. It was a picture of her father during his Hogwarts days, taken near Black Lake. His messy hair was ever-present, leaning towards the camera with a bright smile. Next to him was Black, looking much more youthful and handsome, his arm slung around her father's shoulders. Behind the two boys, at the corner was a plump skittish-looking boy, nervously smiling at the camera. Willow could only assume it was Peter Pettigrew. But what made her do a double-take was the person sitting near the tree in the background, looking down at the book.
She pressed her finger against the photograph, nudging her father and Black out of the way. They moved aside and the person near the tree finally looked up, an exasperated grin on his face. She gasped as she took in the characteristic scar across the man's face.
"Professor Lupin?"
༻⸻⸻⸻⸻༺
Willow raced through the hallways, intent on reaching the library before curfew. She was almost positive that the man in the photograph was Professor Lupin but she had to make sure and she couldn't wait till the morning. She stumbled into the library, distractedly noting that Madam Pince wasn't at her usual perch.
She immediately made her way to the archive section of the library, where the past yearbooks were shelved. Panting, her eyes roamed the books until she spotted the gold embossing of 1978. The year her parents graduated.
Willow pulled out the book and immediately flipped through the pages, frantically searching for the photograph of the graduating cohort for that year. It was near the back of the book and she skipped to the Gryffindors.
A sea of people was smiling up at her and throwing up their hats into the air. She scanned the photo and spotted the young man with a scar diagonal across his face. She inspected the list of names at the bottom of the page that was arranged according to their position. Remus John Lupin was written in black ink, clear as day.
Her eyes drifted to the picture once more and she could now see Lupin had his arm around another man. It was Black. Both of them were grinning widely while shoving against each other in the photo. Her eyes moved to their right and her breath stuttered when she caught sight of who was beside him. Lily Evans was staring back at her, laughing so happily that you could almost hear it. She was pushing away James Potter who kept trying to land a kiss on her cheek.
"Mom…Dad," she croaked, staring dumbly at the photograph. She slid down the shelves, landing heavily on the dusty floor. She shouldn't be as shocked as she was but she couldn't help it. It was a photo of her parents she had never seen before, dressed smartly in their graduation robes, faces shining with hope and promise for the future, oblivious to the fact that they were going to die at the hands of a madman three years later…it was her undoing.
The fragile dam she erected in her head crumbled pathetically. All the memories, all the overwhelming pain flooded every crevice of her mind, reminding her of the night she and Harry lost their parents. What the dementors reminded her of every time they were close. The shouts of panic. The flashes of green. The low hiss of Voldemort's voice, cold and threatening. Her mother's desperate pleas. Willow whimpered, her head cradled in her hands, making futile attempts to block them.
"Willow? What are you doing here? The library's about to close," A familiar voice called out and she flinched, abruptly pulled out of her nightmares.
Cedric was standing at the corner of the bookshelves with a smile but it instantly fell from his face when he saw her curled up on the floor, face stricken with tears and pain.
"Hey," he uttered softly, kneeling before her and extending out his hand to her cheek, gently sweeping away the tears streaming down her face. She expected him to ask questions. Expected him to immediately ask her what was wrong. But, his next move surprised her. He never did what she expected, anyway.
He pulled her into his arms, enveloping her in a gentle hug. The soft thud from the yearbook falling to the ground seemed so distant as everything about Cedric enveloped all her senses. The scent of leather and sandalwood. The warmth emanated from his body. The softness of his robes pressed against her face.
"I—I—" It was hard to form any words, especially when she was being suffocated by the tirade of long-suppressed emotions but she had to give him some sort of explanation or an excuse. She had to at least say something. Anything.
However, Cedric shushed her gently. "You don't have to say anything, Willow. Just let it all out. You don't have to keep bottling it in any longer."
Something inside her snapped and she couldn't control her cries any longer, clutching his robes tightly in her fists. She spilt the tears she held back for years, for her parents, for Harry, for herself. Cedric held her without a single word, one hand stroking through her hair while the other rubbed soothing circles at the small of her back.
She didn't know how much time had passed, it could have been minutes or even hours, when her tears finally subsided, reduced to a couple of sniffles.
"Sorry," she croaked, her voice scratchy, "I've soaked your robes."
His chest rumbled underneath her cheek as he chuckled, the sound pleasant to her ear. "It's alright. I have plenty more."
She dared to take a peek at the older Hufflepuff. She must look like a complete mess, nose and cheeks red, eyes swollen and bloodshot but nothing in Cedric's expression indicated disgust. There was only tenderness and concern.
"How are you feeling now?" He asked, his hand coming to cradle her cheek. She unconsciously leaned into his touch, drawn to his warmth.
"Better," She answered truthfully as she rubbed her nose with her sleeve. She felt surprisingly clear-headed now after crying her heart out, no longer tormented by the fragments of her memories. However, she was finally made aware of the rather intimate position they were in. She was cuddled against his chest, bracketed by his raised legs. The arm that was not currently stroking her cheek was wrapped securely around her waist, keeping her close to him.
"Oh, um—" Now her brain was breaking down for a different reason. Space, she needed some space. Yes, space would be good. With burning cheeks, she pulled away from his arms, moving back so that she was resting against the shelf opposite him.
"Thank you," She mumbled, peeking from underneath her lashes. "And I'm sorry. I don't usually cry like that. Or at all really."
Cedric shook his head with a smile. "It's fine," He reiterated. "Everyone needs a good cry from time to time."
"Really? Even you?"
"Of course," he said solemnly although his eyes were twinkling. "A good cry in the showers and I'm back to my fit self the next day. Although, crying in someone's arms is a wonderful alternative. An improvement, even."
A blush shot up to her cheeks at the teasing wink he sent her way. She returned it with a half-hearted scowl, very little heat in her glare.
"You can always ask Ian," She quipped with a sniff. "I'm sure he would indulge you."
"Pass," He shuddered, making a face. "It would encourage his clinginess and that is something I never want to deal with."
A laugh was startled out of her lips, her heart and mind felt after peace for the first time since Hogsmeade. Cedric grinned with relief at the sight of her giggling genuinely. He rummaged through his bag and pulled out a new bar of chocolate.
"You truly never go anywhere without chocolate, do you?" Willow commented. It was another thing she noticed about him, always sneaking in bars of chocolate when he was studying.
A spark of mischief lit up his eyes. "What can I say, I have a sweet tooth. Besides, I am a strong believer that chocolate makes almost everything better."
He broke the chocolate bar into small pieces and she nibbled on the offered treat. The familiar rush of warmth spread to the tips of her hands and toes at the first bite, further soothing her heart and mind.
"You're right. Chocolate really does make almost everything better," she murmured.
Cedric's smile grew wider as he popped a large piece into his mouth. "See, I knew you were a woman of taste. Now Ian, on the other hand, is just dreadful. He thinks chocolate is just brown sludge."
Willow shook her head somberly. "How very uncultured of him."
"Another reason why we should never be cuddle buddies," He stated gravely. "I would start crying all over again from his baseless reviews about chocolate."
The bar of chocolate quickly finished between the two of them and they descended into a comfortable silence. Cedric was the first to break it, asking softly, "Will you tell me why you were crying, Willow?"
"I—" An automatic response was about to bubble out of her lips, to offer some half-baked excuse. But she felt a light touch underneath her chin, tilting her head up. Her breath hitched as his grey eyes bored into hers. The good-natured teasing demeanour he adopted earlier was gone, replaced by such a serious expression, face tight with concern.
"Don't say it was nothing," He pleaded. "No one cries their entire heart out like you did because of 'nothing'."
It was the first time he asked her so directly, that he pried for an answer. If anyone else had asked her, she would have already strung together a plausible-sounding explanation to stop them from probing deeper. However, the way Cedric was looking at her now and how he held her in his arms as she sobbed…she felt protected, instead of being the protector. For the first time in a long time, she felt safe with him. Because of him. She felt safe enough to allow her guarded heart to lower its walls.
She swallowed thickly, silently picking up the yearbook that had fallen face down on the wooden floor, turning back to the photograph. "I was looking through the pictures in the yearbook and saw my parents in the graduation photo," She confessed. "They looked so happy…and alive. It caught me off guard. And with everything that had happened and is happening, I just—"
A comforting warmth enveloped her hand, grounding her, stopping her from spiralling once more down her dark memories. Cedric rubbed his thumb across her knuckles, the motion stirring something unfamiliar but not at all unpleasant in her chest. For once, she didn't pull away.
"May I see it?"
She nodded slowly and placed the yearbook in his lap. "Here are my parents." Willow pointed out the couple in the top row.
He silently stared at the laughing couple before saying, "I'm sure you've heard this many times before but you really do look like your mother."
She hummed in agreement. He was right. Many witches and wizards always said she was an exact copy of Lily just as Harry looked like James, baring his eyes. Both of them had their mother's eyes. Harry got tired of it after a while but she didn't mind it much. It always made her feel close to her mother somehow. It somehow reassured her that Lily Evans and James Potter weren't completely gone from this world.
"So," Cedric began, passing her back the yearbook, "what brought on this sudden search for your parents in the yearbooks?"
Willow hesitated, playing with the edges of the book.
I can trust him with this, can't I?
"I wanted to do some research," she admitted softly. "To find out more about Sirius Black."
A beat of silence.
"Why?" Cedric asked, no judgement in his tone, just curiosity.
"I just found out that he was my father's best friend when they were in Hogwarts. They were joined at the hip apparently, practically brothers. He was the best man during the wedding and he is even Harry's godfather. Why would someone who my father wholly trusted stab him in the back like that?"
She slumped against the wooden shelves. "I know it's stupid but I just feel like I need to find out more about him. I need to know why he would betray us like that."
"It's not stupid," he spoke so quietly, that she almost missed it. Willow met his gaze, the determination and conviction shining so brightly in his silvery eyes that she couldn't look away.
"It's not stupid at all, Willow. If anyone deserves to find out why it's you," he stated firmly.
That unnamed feeling from earlier burned brighter in her chest, warming her from the inside. If she had told Harry, Hermione and Ron what she wanted to do, they would have put a stop to it immediately. Harry would have been furious, Hermione would do everything to talk her out of it and Ron would brush it off fearfully. But here was Cedric, encouraging her, telling her that she deserved to find those answers she wanted.
"So, how can I help?"
Willow blinked in surprise. "What?"
Cedric grinned at her stupefied look. "Well, I can't let you do this on your own. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't help?"
The corner of her mouth twitched upwards. "Friends? So we're friends now?"
Cedric chuckled, giving her hand a small, playful squeeze. "I don't just spend all of my time in the library with anyone, Willow Potter. So what do you say?"
"To us being friends? Or to help me find out more about Sirius Black?"
"Both."
"But you have your O. this year," She pointed out. "I can't ask you to help me with this when you have an upcoming major exam."
"Good thing you're not asking then. I'm offering. Trust me, I'm very capable of studying for my O. while uncovering a notorious runaway felon."
Willow released a huff of laughter, shaking her head. Goodness, Cedric Diggory was truly unpredictable. Warmth blossomed in her chest like a spring flower at his sincerity and at that moment, she finally decided to let him in. "Alright, Cedric."
"To which one?"
"Well, I don't just let anyone but my friends help me uncover the motives behind an infamous criminal," She teased.
She didn't know it was even possible for his smile to grow wider and more radiant but it did.
"Excellent. So, where do we begin?"
