Disclaimer: I was saying boo-urns!
A/N: Celebration, another chapter:D I hope you are all having a splendiferous January. It seems a little less of hopeless bleak despair for me this year, strangely. :3 That's nice, I guess. Plus next week, I'm being graced with a four-day weekend which I tend to take advantage of writing this. Please keep reading and reviewing, my lovelies! Thank you so much!
Iris Knotwise: Yes, teenage angst...those were the days. XD I always hated the boys I loved in highschool. Argh, oh well. Thanks!
tropicaltoadfly: Thank you muchly! Yay for the first signs of love. :3
HelloLonely: Thanks! I'm glad you like it!
RobynLesko: Thanks! Yes, this story is going be very long and you're going to have to wait a long time before it's really romantic. But it will come, don't fear! I will feed you as long as you don't bite me. My boyfriend(aka sex slave Tim) bit me on the arm. I yelled at him for it. Anyway...
Mahyla: .. I'm glad you ended up liking it, though that first review was a little harsh. Sorry if it seems like I'm rushing it. I don't mean to. Anyway, the shoelaces are my favorite so far as well. I'm going to go ahead and delete the first review since you changed your opinion. ; Hope that's okay with you.
Wavy Blue: Thanks, hon, for the review and the watch! I'll watch you back, whether you like it or not. :9
Mysticdark1: Thanks, more chappies to come! Yes, I think I'm in the c2.
luv sean ferris: Thanks for the alert! Sean Ferris is sexay. :P
OverthoughT: Thanks for the alert!
This chapter is dedicated to Ryan, for ALWAYS making me laugh. I like cereal, too, hon. You watch too much Nickelodeon for being two and twenty, but I still love you anyway!
I love the quote by Shakespeare below, BTW. It's so true. :3 You should read this one.
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Someone Like You
Chapter Eight - The Marks of Friendship
"For aught that I could ever read,
Could ever hear by tale or history,
The course of true love never did run smooth." - William Shakespeare, "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Act 1 Scene 1
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The first task was only a few days away, and Harry had not yet fulfilled his promise to Kate of telling Cedric about the dragons. He kept planning to, but every time he saw Cedric, his insides filled with jealousy, and besides, Cedric was always surrounded by a throng of friends, so it would be difficult to talk to him alone. Harry kept procrastinating and putting it off, but he knew sooner or later Kate would ask him about it and then he would be in a tight spot.
He wanted her to like him. He wanted her to like him so badly.
Harry finally decided to tell Cedric. Wednesday morning after breakfast, Harry followed Cedric out the door when he left and Harry used a charm to split Cedric's bag. Cedric told his friends to go on to Charms without him. Harry took this opportunity and told Cedric about the dragons. The entire time Harry was talking to Cedric, he felt his inside writhing. Harry knew Kate was technically friends with Cedric now, and he felt challenged by Cedric. Not only were they competing over the Triwizard Cup, but Harry felt they were competing over Kate, as well.
After Harry's message, Cedric ran to Charms, unnerved by Harry's warning. Dragons seemed a bit extreme. He was filled with nervousness, finally reaching the classroom and entered. Everyone was already there and class was started. He looked around anxiously before spotting a seat on the left side (Angelina was on the right)of Kate in the back of the room. He walked swiftly back there as many of the eyes followed him momentarily, then returned to Professor Flitwick.
"You're late, golden boy." Kate accused mockingly as Cedric took a seat quietly next to her. Kate had made a habit of using that name whenever she was making fun of him.
"It's not my fault. My bag broke, and Harry stopped to talk to me." Cedric explained in a whisper.
Kate smirked. "Tsk, tsk. What did he talk to you about?" she asked quietly.
"The first task." Cedric answered, pulling out his Charms book, his quill, and his ink.
Kate's eyebrows raised. "Oh. Dragons, yeah?" she asked in a hushed tone.
Cedric nodded. "Yeah. He told you?" he asked almost inaudibly.
"Yes." Kate whispered.
"And you didn't tell me?" Cedric accused quietly.
"I told him to tell you! And he did, so no harm done." Kate explained.
"Oh. Right." Cedric whispered.
Professor Flitwick cleared his voice, clarifying his knowledge of the conversation between Kate and Cedric.
They stopped talk abruptly. Damn, Kate thought. I had a good comeback.
After a few moments had passed, Cedric whispered, "D'you know anything about dragons?"
Kate looked at him sharply, and shook her head. "Don't you?"
Cedric shrugged. "Just what I've learned from Care of Magical Creatures, which isn't too much." he whispered back.
"Sounds like you've got some work to do." Kate mocked quietly.
"What d'you mean?" Cedric asked, hushed.
Kate shot him a dirty look. "Oh, nevermind."
"You never answered the question." He accused quietly.
"What?" Kate snapped.
"D'you know anything about dragons?" he asked again.
She looked at him smugly. "Yes, actually I do." she whispered.
He raised his eyebrows, leaning a little bit closer to her. "Will you help me then?"
Kate gawked at him silently. "Are you kidding me?"
"Oh, come on. You even said you didn't hate me anymore." Cedric reasoned.
"I said no such thing." Kate hissed.
"You're my only hope." Cedric insisted.
Kate looked at him, looking into his grey eyes. She opened her mouth to retort again, but something in his eyes stopped her. She saw something that made her think that he really, honestly wanted her to help him, when surely there was someone else more learned on dragons who could help him.
"Fine." Kate finally answered, shaking her head at her self.
"Thanks. I promise I'll make it up to you sometime." Cedric promised.
"Okay," was all she could think of to say, bewildered at what she had just done. She had just voluntarily consented to help Cedric, whom she certainly wasn't about to become friends with...or at least, if they weren't friends yet. Kate wasn't sure.
Kate groaned to herself, not listening to any of what Professor Flitwick was saying. She hated how ever since she had met Cedric, she had no idea where they stood together. With her other friends, she new how close she was to them. And with her enemies, she new how much she hated them. But Cedric was different. She didn't know whether they were friends, or rivals, or just acquaintances. It seemed to change everyday. At least, that's what she thought.
After class, Cedric asked Kate to meet him in the library on Thursday evening. Kate nodded smugly, then hurried off to Divination.
Kate never told Harry directly about her helping Cedric on the dragons, but he heard Angelina talking about it to Hermione. Upon hearing this, Harry felt his skin turn cold and his bitterness towards and jealousy of Cedric turned up another interval. What was Kate playing at? She terribly dislike Cedric. So why would she do something like this?
Kate swallowed down a lump of bitterness that had formed in his throat. He didn't deserve her, he told himself. Sure, Harry knew Kate would never date Cedric. But she was even less likely to ever like Harry in the way he liked her.
Hopelessly, Harry went to bed early, wondering if there was anything he could do.
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Kate was fashionably late to her appointment with Cedric. She sauntered into the library about 7:15, fifteen minutes later than they had agreed to meet. Cedric was sitting calmly at a rectangle table near the back of the room, reading out of a large book titled Doom and Other Things Dragons Bring. Kate couldn't help but look as she read the bleak expression on Cedric's face.
He then noticed her, looked up, and smirked. He didn't dare chastise her for being late. She'd probably just leave. Cedric was cautious to not push any of her buttons.
Kate sat in a chair opposite Cedric. "Hullo, Kate," he greeted calmly.
"Hi." Kate responded shortly. She didn't know whether to regret her decision to help him study or not yet.
"So, enlighten me, please." Cedric requested as Kate got comfortable. "Know anything that's going to help me not be engulfed in an inferno?"
Kate shrugged. "Luckily for you, I do."
Cedric looked around uneasily. Kate laughed.
"Okay. So, my uncle works with dragons. Every summer when he came to visit us, he'd reminisce his tales of his scaley friends. I learned a lot, actually." Kate explained.
"Fascinating. Go on." Cedric said, a slight tone of mock in his voice.
Kate went on. "So, there are many different types of dragons, but only certain ones can survive in the northern hemisphere, so we can rule out certain ones that you wouldn't have to face." Kate told him.
Cedric nodded comprehensively.
Kate began again. "First of all, there's the Norwegian Ridgeback--" Kate meant to say more, but then she felt Cedric's knee touching hers. It moved away as quickly as it had come, but Kate stopped speaking, feeling her heart skip a beat.
Cedric didn't seem to have noticed anything. After Kate was silent a moment, he gave her a confused look and said, "Are...you okay?"
Kate understood she must have had a very strange expression on her face. She snapped back to reality and went on. "Er...yeah. Anyway, Norwegian Ridgebacks..." Kate went on talking. Cedric listened intently to everything she said, taking specific notes down on a pad of paper. He found it surprisingly nice to listen to her voice, even though it was her voice that had mocked him and chastised him so many times. Usually, after listening to one person's voice for a long period of time, like Professor Snape's, he'd get a headache. But Kate must've talked for a near hour and a half, and Cedric's mind never started to get irritated.
Kate finally finished telling him what she knew. She didn't have any idea how long she had talked. It had only seemed like a few minutes, but her watch told her it was near an hour and a half.
Then she noticed that sometime during her talk, Cedric's knee had brushed against her's. But this time it hadn't moved, and it was still there when Kate realized it.
Cedric glanced at his watch. "Well, it's almost eight forty-five! That felt like it took no time at all."
Kate nodded in agreement, still frazzled by the fact that his knee was still touching her's. "Yes, I didn't seem like I was talking that long..."
"You must be a good teacher, then." Cedric grinned and winked.
Kate laughed. "Oh, sure. I bet you were asleep, and that's why it went by so fast."
"D'you think I can sleep with my eyes open, my torso upright and write stuff down?" Cedric smirked.
Kate shrugged, sniggering. "It's a magical world."
Their eyes met, and Cedric smiled in a satisfied way. "Well then, unless you have any more library business, you're free to go. Sorry I kept you away from your mates for so long."
Kate laughed and grinned smugly. "So you think you get to tell me what to do now?"
Cedric rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yes, I guess so."
"Just because seventy-five percent of the female student body would happily eat off their own arms for you doesn't mean you can tell me what to do." Kate retorted playfully.
Cedric laughed. "That's a good one. And I assume you aren't in that seventy-five percent?" he asked.
Kate nodded pridefully. "I wouldn't eat my own arm for all the pasta in Italy."
"I can see that. After eating your arm it doesn't seem like you would have much of an appetite for pasta." Cedric joked.
Kate laughed. "But pasta is my favorite!"
"Really?" Cedric asked, raising his eyebrows. "Which kind?"
"Fettuccini Alfredo, of course." Kate answered promptly.
"Strange. A Spanish girl who loves Italian pasta." Cedric evaluated dreamily.
Kate stuck out her bottom lip. "Why is that so strange?"
"Oh, just...I dunno." Cedric answered.
"What about you? What's your favorite food?" Kate asked.
Cedric thought about it for a moment. "Well...I like seafood."
Kate tilted her head. "Really? I love it, too. Especially shrimp. Can't go wrong with shrimp."
Cedric laughed. "You heard of jumbo shrimp? Talk about an oxymoron."
Kate started laughing even harder. "How did we even get talking about this?"
"Well, you said any girl would eat their arm off for me, and it just went off from there." Cedric, explained, laughing hard as well.
Kate laid her head on the table as she laughed. "You know, as much as I hate to admit it, you really are an okay guy."
Cedric smiled. "Thank you...I guess."
"You've made good strides getting on my good side, even though you're competition to my friend and you got me into detention." Kate explained.
"I've been trying." Cedric replied honestly. Their eyes met again.
Kate was reminded of what he had said earlier. You're my only hope. Was he that desperate to be her friend? Why did he care? Did he just want everyone on his good side, or what?
" Well, you really ought to get going, before you get into trouble for being out after hours." Cedric finally said after a moment of silence.
"Oh, right." Kate said, almost sadly. She actually wished she could stay and chat longer. She stood up, picking up her bag.
"Good night, Kate." Cedric said sweetly.
Kate smiled to herself. "Good night, Cedric."
"Oh," he said shortly. "You can call me Ced, if you want."
"Okay, then." Kate sniggered. "Good night, Ced."
Cedric nodded. "Good night." he said again.
Kate left feeling warm and full, like being with Cedric had been fulfilling. It was strange. She actually enjoyed talking to him. She wasn't regretting it like she had thought she would.
Cedric felt the same, quite happy Kate was on his good side now. He enjoyed her company a lot. He found her to be funny, nice, intelligent...the best kind of friend.
So what were they, he wondered. Were they friends?
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When Kate entered the common room, Angelina, who was sitting at a table working on Defense Against the Dark Arts homework with Fred and George, asked her how it went.
"It was...nice." Kate responded frankly.
Harry, who was sitting nearby, heard this and felt his stomach knot. He tried to tune out anything else they said, but that was it. Kate proceeded immediately to the girls' dormitory.
She found herself still hearing his words. They were strangely haunting her, and she couldn't get them out of her head, like a song she had listened to that wouldn't leave her.
You're my only hope.
I've been trying.
And strangely (and frighteningly), Kate didn't consider this to be a bad thing.
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You wanna know more, more, more about me
I'm the girl who's kicking the coke machine
I'm the one that's honking at you cuz I left late again
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Could you see I want you by the way I push you away, Ya!
Don't judge me tomorrow by the way I'm acting today
Mix the words up with the actions do it all for your reaction
Ya! Hey! Hey!
Get tangled up in me
You wanna know more, more, more about me
Gotta know reverse psychology
I'm the reason why you can't get to sleep
I'm the girl you never get just quite what you see
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Could you see I want you by the way I push you away, Ya!
Don't judge me tomorrow by the way I'm acting today
Mix the words up with the actions do it all for your reaction
Ya! Hey! Hey! Get tangled up in me
You think that you know me
You think that I'm only
When everything I do is only to get tangled up in you
You wanna know more, more, more about me
I'm the girl that's sweeping you off your feet
Hey! Hey! Hey!
Could you see I want you by the way I push you away Ya!
Don't judge me tomorrow by the way I'm acting today
Mix the words up with the actions do it all for your reaction,
Ya! Hey! Hey!
Get tangled up in me
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A/N: Yay, I finished the chapter! Sorry, I would've had this up sooner, but I spent too much time dancing to The Bravery during the weekend, so all my time was taken up. -tomatoed- Okay, just kidding. But I did have a busy weekend. I hope you liked this chapter. I did. More weird conversations. Aren't they the best? X3 So where do Kate and Cedric stand? Will Kate ever admit to being friends with Cedric? And how will Harry continue to respond to their friendship? More of this and more next chapter:3 Please review, my lovelies!