A/N: So here's this. I think I might take a bit of a break from this fic for a while. I feel like what I'm coming up with is forced and trite. And really that it's just progressively getting worse and worse. And I would hate to disappoint anyone. Not to mention I feel just awkward about writing the romance in general. I don't write it well.
In any event, this following chapter will possibly answer a question, but then raise a few more. Thanks again for reading…

Sofia had made her way up to Cedric's workshop as she had planned. Unfortunately, the fitting for her gown,had taken longer than expected. It was nearly a quarter past five by the time she arrived. Too late for Cedric to get much teaching in, but enough time to pay a visit under the guise of her studies. She knocked and waited patiently for him to answer. He didn't. She frowned and rapped again a bit more urgently. Surely he wasn't cross with her? As promised, Amber had sent Baileywick to inform the Sorcerer that his apprentice was currently unavailable . The Steward had returned with a message saying that she needn't worry about coming to her lessons that day. As she thought about it, that more than likely meant he probably was cross. He could be so terribly passive-aggressive at times.

The second knock had still garnered no response.
"Mr. Cedric, are you there?" she called out. She knew if need be there was always the spare key she could use to let herself in, but that was more of a last resort.
"The Door is open, Sofia!" she finally heard him yell from inside. Feeling some sense of relief, she opened the door and let herself in.

The Sorcerer was half standing and half leaning against his work table, seemingly engrossed in a leather bound tome. He didn't look up right away.
She felt a bit of unsure of what to do.

"I'm sorry I'm so late." she said finally.
Cedric glanced up from his book. "I did send word that you needn't worry about it." he replied cooly.

"Well yes, but I still wanted to try to be here…" she said lamely.

Cedric's focus was now on her instead of his book. He looked her up and down and then spoke: "Well, aren't you just dressed up to the nines? " he drawled.

She blushed and looked down at her gown. It was much more extravagant than what she had taken to wearing in recent months. "Just wait til you see my Ball Gown." she said forcing a laugh. The Sorcerer smirked and rolled his eyes."It better be something impressive, considering you missed most of our lesson for it."
She noticed his gaze was at her hair and then realized what he was looking at.
"Oh yes, I wore my flowers!" she chirped happily.
"Flowers?"
"The ones you enchanted for me for my Twentieth birthday… I took some and made this."
"Oh, those flowers. Yes, now I remember." he said glancing back down at the book again as if he didn't care, but she noticed he looked perturbed and slightly flushed.

Sofia frowned. Had she really made him cross? She felt some unwanted emotions stirring in her chest again. She swallowed hard and put back on her mask of happiness.
"Is everything alright?"

"Oh, everything is splendid. Just got word I need to conjure fifty doves for this ridiculous party. It's Not as though I don't have plenty else to do! Let's just make the Royal Sorcerer perform an overblown Parlour trick!" he snapped.
Sofia looked at him wide eyed.
"Did you say doves?"
"You heard me!"

"When did she ask you to do this?"
"Not much more than an hour ago. It was part of the message Baileywick relayed when he came up to tell me you'd be late."
She covered her mouth to stifle a giggle.
"And what, pray tell, is so funny?!" he asked sharply.
"Oh, Mr. Cedric. I'm so sorry…"
Cedric narrowed his eyes and glared at her suspiciously. "Why would You be sorry?"
"Well, I may have inadvertently given her that idea…"

Cedric balked.
"Solomon's Seal, Sofia! What in the world possessed you to come up with something like that?!" he shouted, in a tone that was probably harsher than he'd intended.
"I said it in jest!" she shouted back, defensively. "I honestly didn't think she'd run with the idea. I mean, Amber isn't exactly the type who would want wild birds flying around like that. I was just annoyed when she asked me and I tried to think of something ridiculous. I never actually thought she'd be so keen on the idea… "

"And your suggestion was for her to have fifty Doves land in the formation of a heart?!"
"Well, not exactly. I did suggest the birds and I did say they should land in a heart, but the number of them has been doubled in Typical "Bigger is better" Amber fashion." she paused as she walked over to where Wormwood, Cedric's old Raven sat perched in the corner and then continued "Besides, I suggested Doves and Blackbirds. I suppose it's a good thing she didn't ask for both or else Wormwood might have found himself part of the Royal festivities and I don't think he'd have been too happy with that. Would you, Wormwood?" The Raven glared up at her.

"Don't give him any ideas." The bird rasped to her. The Princess giggled and turned back to face Cedric whose expression no longer held anger, but had softened into something she couldn't define.
"So, you see, it could have been a lot worse." His response to that was an eyeroll and a shake of the head.
"Look, I'm sure I can talk Amber out of it, and if I can't I can atleast talk her down to lowering the number. I'll help no matter what. I promise." she smiled up at him He remained silent.
After a beat he spoke: "Why did you choose those two types of birds, specifically?" he asked quietly.

"Oh, I don't know. I guess I thought.." she trailed off "It's silly."
"No, go on."
"I thought "A dove to catch your love. And a blackbird to steal your heart". Though, I suppose Amber really doesn't need someone to steal her heart." she looked him directly in the eyes as she said it, but then looked away. He was about to open his mouth again, but she quickly switched topics.

"You know, I'd be more than happy to find some doves for you if you can't conjure them."
"Of course I can conjure them! I'm the world's greatest Sorcerer, aren't I?!" He cried with indignant bravado. "I could conjure a thousand doves if I wanted."
She laughed and returned to her seat at his work table. He smirked and went back to looking at his neglected spellbook.
"Mr. Cedric?"
"What?"
"Do you think you'll stay at the ball after you do your spells?"
"Not if I can help it."
"Oh…" She was clearly disappointed.

He sighed: "Why do you ask?"
"Well, I was wondering if… if you'd like to dance with me?"

Cedric started to lift his head from the book, but stopped.
"No." he said quickly.

Sofia felt her heart sink a little, but she had expected that to be his initial answer and decided to persist.

"Well, why not?!"
"Because, Princess: I don't Dance."

"That's not true. You danced with me on my last birthday."
Cedric tensed up at her words. "That's only because you begged me for weeks and then said it could be my gift to you. And I told you then it was a one time deal. I don't dance, Sofia." he was getting more and more irritated and she probably should have just left it at that, but she gave it one more go. She probably shouldn't have.
"Please Mr. Cedric?"

He finally looked up at her, annoyance once again etched on his face and in a voice that was unduly loud and harsh he exclaimed:
"Merlin's Mushrooms girl, what part of the word No do you not understand?! I said No and I meant no! Now, stop badgering me! Honestly, Princess Sofia, you can be so insufferable! I don't know why I put up with you!"
And that's what did it. That's what opened the floodgates of the emotions she'd been suppressing all day. She began to cry. At first it was just tears, but soon it grew into full blown sobs and she buried her head into her arms. She was so desperately embarrassed. The last thing she wanted to do was cry in front of Cedric, but here she was doing it.

Cedric, of course, was upset by the display of emotion.

"Sofia, stop that!" the sobs got louder and then the irritated tone in the Sorcerer's voice changed to one of panic and pleading.

"P-please stop, Princess. Y-you know I'm no good at this kind of thing!" and she would have liked to have stopped, but she couldn't. The tears kept flowing. She couldn't see him, but she could hear The Sorcerer pacing around, saying "Oh, Merlin what do I do?" and then she heard him stop and the sound of glass moving and something being poured. In the next instant, Cedric stood next to her, his hand on her shoulder. "Sofia," he said, his voice gentle. "You need to stop crying, or you're going to make yourself sick. Here, drink this now." she lifted her head and saw through eyes swollen with tears that he was offering her a glass, she took it and drank the liquid, she recognized the taste of Skullcap and Chamomile and knew it was to calm her down.

She was still crying. Cedric sat next to her and put his arm loosely around her back, and then acting partly on impulse and partly on desire, she threw her arms around his chest and continued to weep into his shoulder. As was his habit at any sort of unexpected contact, Cedric stiffened, but after a moment or two he relaxed ever so slightly, returned the embrace and gently stroked her hair. He had done this before, mostly when she was still a child and had to come to him for some comfort. Not as much now that she was grown, the last time had been after Clover died. She knew he wasn't exactly thrilled when she did it, but he'd sit there and let her weep her fill in his arms without a word. Even now, though he was at the heart of her current grief, she found that the comfort she'd sought there remained.

Eventually the weeping girl calmed down and pulled away enough to look at him.
"I'm sorry." she said weakly.
"It's alright, Princess."
"I really don't know why you put up with me either." she said her voice breaking again.
He frowned, obviously feeling guilty. Gently he wiped the tears from her face with his gloved hand and then in a soft voice he said:

"Sofia, y-you know I don't mean those things… I-it's just how I am… and you have to know by now that I- I'm quite fond of you." He sounded sincere.

"Are you?" she sniffed.
"Of course I am, you silly girl! You don't think I would just let anyone be my apprentice do you?" although he said this with an air of flippancy , his arms had tightened around her, so she thought perhaps she meant more to him than he was letting on.
"I'm sorry I yelled at you." he said finally, surprising her.
"I'm sorry I was annoying you."
"Don't worry, I'm used to it." he said with a chuckle, hugging her one last time, before attempting to pull away.

Sofia, however, was reluctant to let go. Cedric sighed.
"There's something else bothering you, isn't there?"
She nodded.
"Well, are you going to tell me or do I have to guess?"
She considered telling him all of it, to make her feelings known. but then decided against it.

"I haven't been sleeping well."
Cedric nodded as if he understood. "I think I may be able to help." He gently disengaged himself from her arms and stood up. He walked to his potions cabinet and retrieved a bottle that he soon presented to her.
"This is, uh, a very potent sleeping draught it helps with dreamless slumber. So, if you drink this, those shouldn't trouble you…"
Sofia froze. "I never said anything about dreaming. I just said I wasn't sleeping well."
Cedric looked wide eyed for a moment, but then composed himself. "D-Didn't you? I felt sure that you'd mentioned it last week."
Suddenly something clicked in her head. If this caused dreamless sleep and he'd been absent from her dreams, then- "Have you been drinking it?"
Cedric's face remained unreadable.
"If you must know, yes I have. If I sleep at all. It's very effective."
"I see. Your dreams must have been quite unpleasant, then?"
"No, they weren't unpleasant…" he stopped short.
"Well, if they weren't why drink it?"
"They weren't unpleasant, but they were… distracting." He finally finished, not looking at her.
The seeds had been planted in her head. Just what was he dreaming about? She had a nagging suspicion she knew the answer to it. She wanted to ask him about his dreams, she wanted to ask him about so much more, but she was stopped when he spoke:

"Sofia, it's nearly six. You should probably wash up before dinner, or else they'll all see your face and ask why you were crying."

"May I ask you one last thing?"
He looked nervous: "What is it?"
She thought for a moment, and smirked. "Are you sure you won't dance with me at the ball?"
Cedric looked to be somewhere between enraged and amused.
"What if I make you a deal?"
He sighed. "What kind of deal?"
"If I can gather the doves you need, for the ball and train them myself, will you do it?"
"I don't see why I'd say yes to that. I can easily conjure them."
"But what if something goes wrong?" He glared at her. "Not that it would, but wouldn't you like that security?"
He groaned. "Fine. In the event you are able to train fifty doves, I'll dance with you. Just stop asking me about it!"
She smiled, "Well, you'd better practice your waltz, because as you know, wild birds flock to me."
Cedric looked at her, his mouth agape. She'd more or less tricked him. After a moment he spoke. "Well, that's just not fair." he said.
She giggled and was about to leave, but he stopped her.
"Sofia, don't forget this." He handed her the sleeping draught. "And make sure you drink it as soon as you go to sleep tonight. I promise it'll help."
She took it and looked up at him, there was something in his eyes that made her think of the song the blackbird in her dream had sung. He hadn't been dreaming and he didn't want her dreaming. Why?
She resolved to find out.
"Oh yes, thanks, Mr. Cedric." she paused for a moment, and looked him directly in the eyes "Sleep well." she breathed. and she was gone, leaving the uneasy Sorcerer behind her.

She looked at the bottle in her hand. She had a theory to test tonight and she needed to see if what she suspected was true. She wouldn't drink the potion.