At first I was really worried about this one, but I like the way it turned out. I hope you do to. ^^ Cedric is nine and Charlette twelve. Enjoy!

Cedric leans over, his arms drawn close as his fingers curl over the top of the couch. His face is mostly hidden behind the couch, his nose peeking over the top as he watches with baited breath. He peers out the window, his eyes wide as he waits for her to come into view. She always does, always the same time, and always the same day.

In the next instant she appears with Charlette by her side. Cedric grins and his eyes spark with eagerness. Most of Charlette's horde of friends have moved on, found different cliques or people they connect better with. Not her though. She is Charlette's best friend – Rebecca. Her golden curls cascade over her shoulders and stand out just as brilliantly as that day she tried to force bows into his hair. Her outfit is just as colorful and she has traded out the plastic jewels for ones that shimmer in the sun to show off their authenticity.

Cedric's smile grows. He stares through half lidded eyes as her figure grows closer and closer. Within minutes she is just outside the door. He gasps and jolts upright. He scrambles around and out of the living room. He can't be here when she gets here! He takes refuge in the kitchen at the table. He stares intently at the lines in the table, pretending to be deep in thought. Really his mind is abuzz. His eyes dart toward the living room every other second and he can't keep from tapping his fingers against the tabletop.

He hears her laughter first. It is melodious and carries throughout the house. It cause his heart to flutter and makes it even harder to feign ignorance to her presence. She says something to Charlette, but it is soft, too soft for him to make out. All he catches is a name on her lips – Greylock. It punctures his bubble of bliss and causes his blood to boil. Why would she be talking about him. His fists clench. Then again, why wouldn't she be? Every day brings new news from his bullying to party tricks and everything in between.

"He's such a little jerk." Charlette answers. She settles on the floor in the living room, her dress flowing outward like a sea of red. "You know just yesterday he summoned a dog and ordered it after Cedric." She crosses her arms and blows out a breath.

Rebecca nods. "I heard about that. But…" She bites her lip. "Don't you think Cedric kind of brings it on himself?"

Charlette sighs. "Just because Cedric's a pansy and is the teacher's pet doesn't mean he deserves to be tormented. Greylock needs to grow up."

"And what about you?" Rebecca smirks. "Have you grown up and stopped playing tricks on the future king?" She raises a brow.

Charlette scoffs. "Oh, please. That's not even the same. He's a snot nosed little brat and needs to be taught a lesson in humility. Cedric is nothing like that. So don't compare the two."

Rebecca moves her hands in a downward motion. "Ok, ok. Relax. I was only teasing." She chuckles.

Cedric doesn't even pretend anymore. He stares unabashedly in the direction of the living room. He smiles as he hears Charlette take up for him. She doesn't do that much anymore – not at school. That first day where Greylock forced him into the air was the first and last time she stopped it. He's dealt with it on his own now for a year.

Cedric shakes his head with much force. He shakes away the terrible memories before shoving himself to his feet and exiting the room. He finds his way to his bedroom and settles on the bed. He takes a deep breath in and then lets it out. He draws his wand out and holds a hand out as he straightens his shoulders. For a minute he just sits like that – posed but unmoving. Then he flicks his wand, saying, "Fleur!" In a flash a yellow tulip appears in his outstretched hand. He captures it between two fingers and brings it to his nose. He inhales and the sweet scent fills his senses and sends a wave of tranquility through his body.

He grins from ear to ear. He leaps to his feet and rockets from the room. He scampers into the kitchen and screeches to a halt at the border to the living room. He stiffens and every muscle tenses. He bites his lip and ducks his head. Is he really going to do this? Really? He hides the flower behind his back. It's stupid. She won't reciprocate. She is worlds apart from him – their only connection being Charlette.

His palms sweat. Dang it. He forgot to wear his gloves today. He glances over his shoulder. Perhaps he should go grab them real quick. Oh, right. He sighs. He didn't wear them because he couldn't. Greylock stole them and has refused to give them back since the beginning of the week. Something about teaching him a lesson, just like always.

Cedric wipes his hands on his shirt, careful of the flower. He's only procrastinating. He knows it. But it won't get him anywhere. So he just has to do it. Do it! He marches into the living room to find them in the center of the floor. It is just like that day so long ago, only now there are but two. And now he can't keep his heart from beating double time. He walks up to them, the flower still hidden behind his back, and leans against the couch.

Charlette is the first to notice. She looks up and blinks at him.

Cedric smiles sheepishly. "H-Hey girls."

Rebecca peers up at the sound of his voice.

Charlette raises a brow. "What do you want Cedric?" She frowns and shoots him a sharp look. He knows better than to mess with her when Rebecca or anyone is over.

"I, uh…I just…um," He ducks his head and bites his lip. "I wanted to…here!" He shoves the flower forward at Rebecca. His cheeks blaze and he can't bear to even look at her. His cheeks blaze.

Rebecca stares at the offering. Her eyes flit from it to him and back again. "Oh, um, thanks." She plucks the flower from him. She breathes deeply in and lets the sweet scent flow through her. "It's, sweet." She chuckles. "But, I don't feel that way. I could never. You're too young."

Cedric's face falls. His stomach twists in knots and he feels suddenly sick. "O…Ok." He steps back. "I…I…" He turns hard on his heel and sprints from the room. He rushes to the edge of the kitchen and catches himself on the doorframe. He presses his head against it and forces deep breathes that only come out shuddery. Then he hears it. His ears prick and his eyes shoot open.

"I can't believe he just did that." Charlette throws her hand over her face. "I'm so, so sorry."

"It's fine. Adorable really." Rebecca laughs. "That he would think I would ever like him back. I mean, how ridiculous is that?"

Charlette giggles. "Poor little Cedric. Out of his league, as always."

Tears burn Cedric's vision and his lip trembles fiercely. Anger surges within him and plummets into despair. He surges forward and flees the house out the backdoor. His throat tightens and sobs choke him. The tear stream down his face and wet his shirt. His heart pounds in his ears but it is no longer a pleasant feeling. It drowns out all else, even the soothing sounds of nature.

He only stops as his chest tightens and his breathing grows labored. His vision blurs not just from tears but the lack of air and he stumbles. He catches himself on a tree, throwing his whole weight into it, hugging the tree. He presses his face into the bark, the splintered surface scrapping against his skin and leaving red scratches up the side of her face.

His sobs grow harder and slowly he sinks down along the tree and to his knees. He releases the tree then and wraps his arms around himself. He should have known. He should have known it could only end in rejection. But not just that. She had to make fun of him – mock his feelings. Charlette too. They were all heartless monsters.

Not too far away a girl walks along the grass. She looks from side to side, trying to pinpoint exactly where she is. More precisely when she is. "Silly Mr. Cedric," She says to herself. She giggles. "I guess the spell didn't work." She frowns. "Hm, I wonder when he'll come and get me." She twists a yellow ribbon around her fingers as she mules it over. It is a nice distraction from the seriousness of the situation. As she continues to fiddle with it, a sound catches her attention. She perks and her hands instantly still around the ribbon. "What's that?" She wanders off her course and follows the soft sound. "Sounds like…crying…"

She comes up on an old oak tree. She grabs onto it and leans to the side, peering around the trunk. She gasps as she sees a boy about her age sitting up against it. He looks rather distraught, tears rolling down his cheeks. She touches a finger to her lip and chews on the inside of her cheek. Should she say something? He hasn't noticed her yet.

She makes a face and mentally kicks herself. What is she saying!? Of course she has to do something. She may startle him, but she is sure in the long run she can help. She makes her way around the tree and bends down next to the boy. "Hey there."

Cedric sucks in a sharp breath and jerks upright. He slams his head against the tree and flinches. A wave of pain vibrates out from his head, adding insult to all this injury.

Sofia gasps. "Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you." She leans forward and reaches around him to run her fingers over the afflicted area.

Cedric smacks her hand away. He scowls through tear filled eyes at her. "Leave me alone."

Sofia frowns. Her brows knit together. "What's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Cedric hastily wipes at his face. "Am not."

Sofia smiles to herself. "You sound just like my friend. You know, if you tell people it will make you feel better." She grins. "I promise."

Cedric draws his knees up to his chest and lets his chin sink down atop them. "Nothing will make me feel better." He hiccups. "I'll never be ok."

Sofia sticks her lips out and crosses her arms. "Come on now. Don't be like that." Her expression softens just as suddenly as it soured. "There's always something that makes someone happy. Like my friend," She motions behind her, as if he is standing right there. "He messed a spell up so I agreed to help him and he stopped sulking."

Cedric jerks his head up. His eyes widen. "Spell?"

Sofia bows her head and curls a finger around her chin. "Dunno about now though…since I'm pretty sure he didn't mean to send me here."

Cedric takes in her appearance for the first time. His mouth gapes as he sees just how lavish her outfit is. It is nothing like the kids in his world. In fact, it is much more like something he'd find in the Enchancia castle. Only he hasn't seen her there before. "Who are you?"

Sofia perks. "Huh? Oh, I can't say." She giggles. "That'd be breaking the rules."

Cedric blinks. "…Rules…?" He frowns and eyes her warily.

Sofia shrugs. "Sorry." She smiles apologetically.

Cedric sighs and turns his head away from her. "Whatever." He rests his elbow on his knees and lets his head slump into the palm.

Sofia frowns. "Come on," She touches his shoulder. "Don't be mad."

Cedric groans. He snaps his head around to fix her with a glare. "What do you want with me? Can't you see I want to be alone? I'm upset, ok?" His voice cracks and fresh tears well in his eyes. "I can't deal with cryptic people right now."

Sofia's heart sinks. "I just want you to be ok. To smile."

"Why?" He sniffles. "You don't know me."

"No one deserves to be sad." She reaches over and lays her hand over his. And you're just a kid. Kids shouldn't have a lot of serious junk to deal with."

Cedric covers his face with a hand. "It's not fair." He whimpers. "Everyone's s-so mean. Greylock picks on me every day and he even…he stole my gloves. And dad thinks I'm a terrible sorcerer and-and-" Sobs choke him.

"Greylock…?" Sofia says so softly she knows Cedric won't hear. Her eyes widen and realization lights in her face. This is little Cedric. "Hey, don't cry." She pets his head. "Right now things may be bad, but it'll get better."

Cedric lowers his hand and peers at her.

"I promise." She smiles gently.

"You can't know that." Despite his words Cedric smiles. His heart lifts a little.

"You'll see." She hugs him. "All it takes is time and faith. So never stop believing. It will be your greatest strength – you'll see."

Cedric blinks. He stares blankly at the space behind her for the longest time. Then he wraps his arms around her and hugs back.

"You're so nice. The nicest person I've ever met."

Sofia's face lights with a sudden thought. She pulls away from him. "Oh, hey, you said you lost your gloves." She grimaces. "I know it's not the same, but…" She picks the yellow ribbon up from her lap and shows him.

Cedric tilts his head as he looks at it. "What…um…" He licks his lips. "I mean, I don't…"

Sofia giggles. "It's just a ribbon right now. But, if I do this…" She wrap it around his neck and ties it off into a bow at the front. "Then it's a bow." She smiles in self-satisfaction and gives a single firm nod. "And it suits you just right."

Cedric fingers the bow. He frowns. It's a bit girly if you ask him. But… "Y-You think?" He holds his breath as he looks up at her. A tentative smile curls his lips.

Sofia bobs her head up and down. "Definitely." She grins from ear to ear. "Perfect."

Cedric's cheeks tinge pink. "Thanks."

Sofia beams. "It's nothing." She gasps and a sharp pain hits her in the gut. She pitches forward and clutches at her stomach.

Cedric jumps in his skin. "W-What's wrong? What is it?" His hands move back in forth in indecision. What is he supposed to do!?

Sofia breathes in deeply. She sits up straight and collects herself. The stab of pain subsides and she puts on a smile. "It's ok. I'm alright." She holds out her hands and notices them flickering in and out of visibility. "It's just, it's time to go. He found me."

Cedric's eyes bulge as he witnesses her flickering in and out of existence. "W-What are you talking about? Time to go where? How!?" His heart beats double time.

Sofia smiles softly. "Magic."

Cedric gapes. "M-Magic? Like teleportation?" He is caught between crippling fear and awe. His father has used it many times on all of them, but never could it be used to call a person back from a faraway place. The user and the receiver had to practically be on top of each other.

Sofia averts her eyes. She bites her lip. She wishes she could tell the truth, but Mr. Cedric would kill her. "Yes, like teleportation." It isn't the kind he is thinking of, of course. It isn't of place, but of time.

"Your friend must be incredible." Cedric gushes.

Sofia giggles. "Yes, the most powerful sorcerer in the world." The flickering increases in frequency and she knows it will only be a moment more, a little more concentration on Mr. Cedric's part. So she waves. "Bye now."

Cedric starts. "Wait!" He clenches his fists around the grass as he leans forward. "Will you come back?" He stares wide eyed.

Sofia drops her gaze. She hates to say it. Still she opens her mouth to deliver the unfortunate news. "I-" She flickers one last time and it is final. Before she can say another word she vanishes from Cedric's sight and leaves the past behind.

Cedric stares blankly at the space she once occupied. For what feels like forever he doesn't move, he doesn't even blink. He even begins to question his sanity. Had it happened? Had any of it been real – had she been real? She must have been. Her touch was solid and her words filled him with hope. And illusion could never have done those things.

He glances down at the yellow ribbon around his neck. And if it was an illusion then this certainly wouldn't still be here. He touches the bow fondly. A tender smile stretches across his face. He looks up once more and imagines her there, her face shining as she smiles at him. He won't ever forget her, even if she never returns. She will forever be his savior.

Ok, so I struggled over this idea for FOREVER. I wasn't sure if it would make sense or mess up the continuity of the show. In the end I decided that as long as Sofia didn't reveal her name or that she had traveled from the future then it wouldn't mess things up. Cedric would simply think she had telported and was his age so when he finally did meet her as an adult it wouldn't click that she was the girl he met as a kid because logically the girl he met should have grown up and been his age at that point. I hope you all agree and liked it. Please review!