Continuation from last chapter...
"Here's Boris the Bewildered's statue, let's see..." Harry looks around, remembering Cedric's instruction, he began counting the doors.
Try as he might, he couldn't for the love of himself turn the knob. 'The password's pine fresh...' Cedric's words rang through his mind, reminding him of what he needed to do before he could go in.
"Harry you idiot," Harry rolls his eyes, scolding himself before whispering, "Pine fresh," hoping not to alarm anyone about his presence there, since he's not even supposed to be there. Hearing a little 'click', the knob finally responded to Harry's twisting, unlike before.
Opening the door, Harry stood in awe, a beautiful room lit by a chandelier and the soft silver light of the moon. Looking around, he took in how the almost everything was made by white marble, including the big swimming pool in the middle, where Cedric had been waiting. soaking in the bubbly water. The room was filled with a pleasant rose smell, which Harry assumed came from the pool.
"H-Hi," Harry squeaks, awkwardly making his way towards Cedric at the other end of the bathroom, seeing how Cedric had his clothes hung on one of the clothe hangers nearby, he was glad the boy at least had his undergarments.
"Finally, I thought you weren't coming," Cedric smirks, shifting his position in the pool, revealing a bit more of his torso which Harry did his best to not ogle, somewhat succeeding.
Rolling his eyes in fake annoyance, Harry finally speaks up, "What exactly am I supposed to do with this?" Harry points towards the golden egg in his hands, its wails still haunting his ears even though it had been hours since he last opened his egg.
"You don't plan on getting in the pool with your clothes, do you?" Cedric asks, a smirk persistent on his face as he made a gesture towards the rose-colored-foamy pool. "I-I have to get in the pool...?" Harry asks, his cheeks heating up. He never had a problem stripping down to his undergarments before, but doing it in front of Cedric triggered something in him.
"Well... Yeah, otherwise I wouldn't tell you to come here, would I?" Cedric raises a brow, though a big part of him was racing to the moon and back, extremely excited that his plan was working. Other than his plan working, he was also excited that he managed to get Harry to react exactly the way he wanted.
'At least he hasn't cursed me or got angry so far...' Cedric thinks. Just a few moments earlier, he was worried that Harry would question everything he was doing, or even react negatively, so him reacting this way was perfect. Cedric knew he could make his move soon.
"F-Fine," Harry huffs, scuttling his way towards where Cedric hung his clothes and began to strip down.
From within the pool, Cedric was definitely enjoying the view. Harry wasn't as built as he was, the boy also wasn't completely bones underneath. "S-So uh... W-What do I do?" Harry stutters, surprising himself since he wasn't one to stutter unless it was cold.
"Dip down and open the egg," Cedric instructs, being first to lower himself into the water, Harry following suite. Once both of them were completely submerged, they both opened their eggs, Harry bracing himself for the loud wails... Instead, a melodious song came out of the egg, harmonizing with Cedric's own.
Soon, they both resurfaced to catch a breather. Though Harry had finally made progress with his egg, he was still confused as to what the song meant. "What... song was that?" Harry asked, looking over at Cedric, who had climbed onto the pool's edge, sitting with his leg in the waters, Cedric pointed at a mermaid painting near the entrance of the pool, who was now awake thanks to the egg.
"Mermaid... That's it, the Black Lake!" Harry squeaks in excitement, climbing onto the edge of the pool, sitting next to Cedric, who smiles at the smaller boy's excitement. "Thanks a lot, Cedric!" Harry exclaims, excited to share his findings with Ron and Hermione, Harry got up, Cedric's smile immediately turned into a frown, watching the boy hurriedly get up. He knew he had to make his move quick, or he'd lose what could be his only chance of being alone with Harry.
"Harry, wait," Cedric quickly got up, sprinting towards the boy, grabbing his wrist. "Huh?" Harry halts his step, turning towards Cedric, who was now towering him like he did earlier that morning in the corridor. Only now, the boy was practically naked.
Harry fought the urge to look down, knowing full well he'd get himself into more trouble if he did. "I... I need to tell you something," He gulps, looking away in embarrassment. Curiously, Harry lifts a brow, waiting for the taller boy to continue.
"I... I wanna take you to the Yule Ball," Cedric began, his face slowly heating up, which was obvious due to how pale his skin previously was. "Well, yeah...? We're both going, with Fleur and Viktor," Harry questions, a bit confused at Cedric's actions.
"No! Not that way," Cedric huffs out, gathering every bit of courage he had, "I... I w-wannna take you as my partner. M-My... boyfriend," Cedric squeals, feeling like his heart could beat out of his chest any moments now.
"W-What...?" Harry's mouth formed an 'O' in confusion, shock and everything in between.
Suddenly, he feels Cedric's grip on his wrist loosen. "Y-Y'know what, I'm sorry. I uh... This was a mistake, y-you don't swing this way," Cedric suddenly says, his voice filled with remorse and regret, looking away once again. He was ready to turn tails and run- along with his clothes, only to have Harry grab his hand.
"You didn't even wait for my answer, big guy," Harry says, who was fighting back the stutter as he spoke. "O-Of course I'd love to," He began, his face now as pink as a Sakura Blossom, Cedric turns to face the pink-faced boy, his own flushed red, having a hard time believing what he was hearing.
"R-Really?" Cedric gasps. The taller boy knows he could score any girl he wanted, if he tried, but when it came to Harry, everything was just difficult, even breathing felt like a chore.
"Yeah but... why me? I mean, you could get any girl, or guy, in the entire school if you wanted," Harry asks, Cedric somewhat surprised, as if Harry had just read his mind.
"I... I'll be honest, I fell for you during our first Quidditch match," Cedric recounts, Harry wincing at the memory of falling off of his broom and almost dying that time.
"Ever since then," Cedric turns, fully facing Harry, squeezing his hand gently, "I... I just fell for you. Everything about you. Your emerald eyes, your nose, lips... How you're courageous enough to live life normally even though you're practically being hunted every moment by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, how amazing you are at flying..." Cedric begins, Harry feeling his face heat up every second Cedric spoke.
"Will you be my boyfriend, Harry? And more, if this... hits off?" Cedric smiles, the thought of sharing his entire life with Harry just felt... right.
"I'd be honoured," Harry smiles, looking down into Cedric's beautiful grey eyes, both of them leaning in more...
Then and there, their lips met. Both of them losing their first kiss to each other.
It wasn't explosive fireworks or lightning like what Harry had read on lots of books, but it was warm, loving... amazing. Their lips lingered, feeling as if time had frozen all around them.
Even the mermaid in the portrait on the wall covered her face, peeking through a small hole between her webbed fingers now and then, feeling as if she was intruding into something very personal, not that she hadn't seen enough things after being on that damn wall for a long time.
Soon, both boys pulled away, the need for air being far too great for them both.
"Your lips are soft," Cedric smiles, resting his forehead on Harry's, getting himself lost in the boy's emerald eyes, again.
"Yours are dry," Harry rolled his eyes, watching in amusement as the boy quickly licked his lips repeatedly. "I'm kidding," Harry gently shoves Cedric, touching the boy's toned torso for the first time.
Actually, it's his first time touching any boy's torso. He admired Cedric's body for a bit, awed at how the boy was quite built, especially since Seekers are generally small and light. Harry quickly pulled his hand away after a while, looking away after feeling as if he was being creepy.
"You can look, and touch, y'know," Cedric smirks, watching the boy's face turn red again, for the hundredth time that day. Harry rolls his eyes, both of them making their way towards a separate towel, drying themselves off and putting their clothes back on.
"See you tomorrow...?" Harry smiles, excited to see what the future had. He didn't even care about how the school was against him, how the Triwizard Tournament might kill him... He was just in heaven knowing Cedric Amos Diggory, literally the most attractive person in school, was his boyfriend.
Even the thought felt unreal to him.
"Wait," Cedric smiles, looking down at his wrist, he gently took off one of his two black weave bracelets, things he found while on vacation with his father years ago.
"Here, it'll remind you of me, and this night," Cedric smiles, handing it to Harry, who sheepishly put it on, slightly loose around his wrist since it had expanded to fit Cedric's.
'Thanks," Harry smiles, getting a soft kiss on the forehead from the taller boy.
"See you tomorrow," Cedric chuckles, watching Harry walk down the opposite end of the hallway, giving Cedric a small wave.
Cedric waves back, making his way back to his own dormitory with his own golden egg in his hands. Sure, they were supposedly opponents in the upcoming tournament competitions, but he'll deal with that when it comes.
All he knows is he has managed to score the Harry Potter, the bravest, probably most traumatized yet still so attractive boy, he knew alive.
He wouldn't trade anything for that night.
