Chapter Nine: First Date

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Harry Potter. I only own my OC's and the plot of this fanfic.

Author's Note: I've been meaning to update sooner, but this chapter took longer than I thought! It's longer than usual, but I hope you guys enjoy it nevertheless. On with the story!

Anna P.O.V.

Classes that Friday seemed to whiz by. It almost felt like the day came and went. Perhaps it was because my date with Bryan was the next day. I was so excited I don't think I even slept two hours the night before. Cedric, on the other hand, wasn't as excited. It was just another ordinary date with Cho. But for me, I felt like I was on Cloud 9. Yes, I was still pissed about having to "share" Bryan with Cedric and Cho, but I promised myself that I'd try my best to avoid them, no matter how rude that may sound. Cedric and Cho are my friends, but this was my date. I was still going to act like it was just Bryan and I nevertheless.

I woke up bright and early on Saturday morning. I took a quick shower and spent about half an hour trying to figure out what to wear, trying clothes on and tossing them on my bed. There was a huge pile of discarded clothes on my bed, which earned me laughs from Cho. Hey, I cared about what I looked like in front of the most gorgeous guy in school. Plus, it was my first date. Well, maybe not the first, but technically, that "first date" didn't even count.

"Come on, Anna. Don't be sad. Just because he doesn't see what I do, don't blame yourself." Cedric tried comforting me after I got rejected by the captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, Roger Davies.

Through sobs and tears, I was able to speak. "Easy for you to say, Ced. Girls claw each other's eyes out just to have you look their way. Don't tell me you don't notice."

He frowned but laid a hand on my back. "Look, Anna, you're a special person. If Roger Davies can't see that, he doesn't know what he's missing. So what if you don't have a date for the Hogsmeade trip this weekend?"

"Everybody has a date, Cedric! I don't want to be a loner."

"Well, I don't, so I wouldn't say everybody. But hey, I have an idea! Why don't we go together? You know, as friends, of course. It'd be fun and we wouldn't have to worry about acting all polite around each other." He teased and I shoved him slightly.

"I'd love to, but if the only reason you're going with me is because you're intimidated by my appetite, then you can forget about it, Diggory." I teased back.

"I've dealt with it for three years now. What's one day?" I pushed him back and we both started laughing.

The day of the Hogsmeade trip came fast. Many girls were devastated that Cedric Diggory already had a date, mostly because that date was me. I was shot glares from almost the entire female population of Hogwarts, save for Cho, for the whole week wherever I went. I could only chuckle to myself and shake my head at their level of desperation to land a guy.

Cedric picked me up from the Ravenclaw Tower at exactly noon. We walked, hand in hand, to Hogsmeade with the rest of the group. First, we stopped by Honeydukes to pick up some cauldron cakes and Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. They were mine and Cedric's favourite snacks to munch on when we did homework or studied together. After our trip to the candy store, we went to Tomes and Scrolls. I needed to buy a new book to complete my paper on Astronomy.

While we were in the bookstore, I noticed Cedric looking at a particular book. He didn't put it down for some time, and I could see him smiling to himself while flipping through the pages. It was clear that he liked the book, whatever it was. To my surprise, he put the book back on the shelf. He came over to where I was standing and said, "I've already looked around, but I know you have some stuff to get. There's going to be a lot of students at The Three Broomsticks, so I'll head over there right now to reserve us a table, if that's okay with you."

"Yeah, sure, I'll meet you in about ten minutes." Cedric smiled at me before leaving the book shop. I walked over the shelf he was at before, and noticed the book he was looking at before sitting at the very top of the shelf. He didn't put it back properly. I normally would've chided him, but the displacement of the book helped me hatch my plan of buying it for him. It was clearly something he wanted, but he probably had an internal debate with himself of "Do I really need it?". I read the title which was "Romeo and Juliet: The Book Version". So, he's a fan of Shakespeare. I, myself, greatly admired Shakespeare's works. Cedric had some good taste!

I wasted no time in purchasing the book along with the other books I needed. I met Cedric at The Three Broomsticks in ten minutes, just like I told him. He already had two fresh glasses of butterbeer waiting at our table.

"Sorry you had to wait, Ced." I took off my coat and made sure to hide the bag with the books underneath the table.

"No worries, Anna. It felt like nothing, really." He smiled at me and I couldn't help but smile back.

"It's a good thing, though. You were right. There are a lot of people in here!"

"Aren't you glad you came with such a great date?"

I laughed. "Yes, yes I am."

The rest of the "date" consisted of mainly laughter. I was almost positive that everyone else in The Three Broomsticks was more than annoyed with our insane giggling and laughing. One of the best parts of our friendship was that we practically laughed at anything, whether it was pointless and stupid or not.

We also engaged in a friendly drinking game. We each start off with a glass full of butterbeer. Basically, we ask each other a question and if it applies to you, you take a drink. Cedric and I asked each other basic questions, some of which we already knew the answers to because of how well we know each other. Others came as interesting surprises. After about twenty minutes, we started asking each other serious questions.

"Have you ever cheated on a test?" Cedric asked me. I took a drink, much to his surprise.

"Are you serious?! Goody-two-shoes Adrianna Summers cheated on a test before?" He chuckled as he said this. I blushed slightly in embarrassment.

"Look Ced, it was in sixth grade and I was never good in algebra, so I cheated off of Eunice Fields, the nerd that sat next to me." Cedric was laughing so much I was scared he was going to fall off his chair.

I crossed my arms in front of my chest. "Well, have you ever cheated on a test?" Of course he didn't take a drink. I scoffed in disbelief. "Yeah right."

"I'm dead serious!" Cedric raised his hands up. "I'm completely innocent, unlike some of us…" he winked and I kicked his leg from under the table.

"Ow! What was that for?"

"That was for being annoying!" I smirked triumphantly at him. He could only shake his head and laugh.

"Next question," I said. "Have you ever kissed anybody?" To my GREAT surprise, Cedric didn't take a drink. My jaw dropped at seeing his response. "No way! You're telling me THE Cedric Diggory hasn't had his first kiss yet?!"

He blushed. "Look, I'm just waiting for the right girl, alright? There's no shame in believing in a little thing called fate."

"Aw, I never knew you were such a man of words. And trust me Ced, there are tons of girls that are just waiting for you to be theirs. Your first kiss is gonna come before you know it."

"I just want the time to be right, you know? I don't want that moment to mean absolutely nothing." I looked deep into his blue-grey eyes, and I knew he meant every word he said. After what seemed to be forever of getting lost in each other's eyes, Cedric's next question brought me back to the real world.

"Have you ever been in love?" I furrowed my brows at him in confusion.

"In love? I don't think I'm old enough to even love anybody else outside of my parents and Garrett."

"Come on, Anna. Maybe not to the extent of love, but perhaps a crush?" I pondered this for a moment. Sure, I'd had crushes back in like fourth and fifth grade, but did I have one now? I couldn't, considering the only boy I associated with in school was Cedric. And I certainly didn't have a crush on him, right? Somewhere deep, deep down inside me, there seemed to be a fringe of doubt.

I still took a drink. Cedric grinned and then asked, "So, you wanna tell me who he is?"

I nearly choked on my drink, but caught myself in the act. "I really don't think that necessary. Plus, I'm not even sure if I consider him like that." He raised an eyebrow at me, not totally convinced with my argument.

"You'll tell me who this guy is eventually though, right?"

I bit my lip before nodding. "Of course, Ced." We sat in silence, but after some time, I asked him a question that didn't require taking a drink or not. "What are your thoughts on love?"

He looked up at me and our eyes locked again, but he looked back down. He focussed hard on the table for a long time before looking up at me again. He sighed heavily before answering. "I think it's both the best and the worst thing that can ever happen to a person. The best because it brings out the realness in people, their true selves. But the worst because it can make a person weak. Love can make a person do things they would normally never do."

I laughed. "So what you're saying is that love is a good thing because it lets people be themselves, but it's a bad thing because it causes people to not be themselves?"

"Well, yes and no."

"Stop trying to be a smart-ass and just tell me what you really think." He smiled at me.

"That is what I really think, though, Anna. I guess I just worded it wrong. Here: I think love's a great thing, but I guess the underlying danger of loving is not being loved back."

I tilted my head a bit. "But, if the only reason you love is to be loved back, then it's really not loving at all."

"Well sometimes, you're in love with somebody, but they don't love you back. It's still loving, but you're vulnerable. You're vulnerable to rejection."

"Sounds like someone's in love." I raised my eyebrows at him and smiled slyly. "Why didn't I see this before? Of course you're in love! That's why you're so into this conversation! It's because it applies to you!"

Cedric turned red and I knew I had him. "What? Are…are you serious? Me…in love? That's…that's just crazy, Anna."

"Okay then, fine, don't tell me her name."

"I'm obviously not going to tell you her name…" Cedric's hand immediately shot up to cover his mouth and I started laughing like a maniac.

"Ha! You just admitted it. I knew it!" I exclaimed and he ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Don't worry though, Cedric. You don't have to tell me who she is. But whoever she is, I doubt she isn't head over heels for you. Ced, EVERY girl at Hogwarts is in love with you!"

"Not EVERY girl, Anna." He then muttered something under his breath, but I chose to ignore it. We had already gone through two glasses of butterbeer, and decided to put the game to rest. It was only half past one. We chose to spend the rest of the time talking, or rather sitting in silence. After our little love-struck conversation, the atmosphere became pretty awkward. I spoke up after a while, but something about Cedric being in love with a girl stirred something inside me. "What's she like, Ced?"

"Hmm?"

"The girl you're in love with. What's she like?"

"Where do I start? Well, she's got a great personality. She's funny, super intelligent, caring, compassionate, and always puts others before herself. She's also beautiful, very beautiful. I feel like I could spend hours just looking into her eyes. Sometimes, I feel like the two of us have conversations with just our eyes, like the world around us doesn't exist. I probably sound like a fool right now…"

"No, I think it's…beautiful. I've never heard you talk like this before. But if this girl, whoever she is, can get you to act this tame and shy, perhaps I should start hanging out with her." I teased and he chuckled.

"Anna, Anna, Anna, you'll never learn, will you?"

"Perhaps not." I smiled widely at him and he gladly returned it.

We stayed at The Three Broomsticks for another half hour or so before heading back to the castle. The walk back was mostly silent. Both of us were still thinking about the conversation we had that afternoon. I was deep in thought about it, and I could tell just by looking at Cedric's face that he, too, was thinking deeply about it.

He walked me back to the Ravenclaw Tower. He said that it was "part of the date". When we got to the entrance, I stopped to face him. "Cedric, I really had a great time. Thank you so much. You truly are my best friend." I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around him. It didn't take long for his arms to engulf me in their usual tight embrace. We stayed like this for what seemed like an eternity. He pulled away, yet there was a part of me that wanted his touch to linger for a little longer. I pushed these thoughts to the back of my mind.

"Don't even say that Anna. It was my pleasure. I had a great time, as well." It was then that a piece of my hair had gotten loose from the plait it was in. Cedric noticed and tucked it gently behind my ear. I looked up and saw how close we were. I don't know what came over me, but I began to lean in. I saw that Cedric did, too. Our noses were touching and his lips were about to brush mine when I heard a loud BANG. I jumped back and so did Cedric. I looked down to see the bag of books from Tomes and Scrolls on the stone floor of the castle. Thankfully, none of the books fell out so he couldn't get a sneak-peek at the "Romeo and Juliet" book. I bent down to pick up the bag. When I got up, I noticed Cedric staring at me. As soon as I started looking at him, his gaze averted quickly to the floor. We've never felt this awkward around each other before! After an eternity of silence and trying to avoid each other's gaze, I cleared my throat and Cedric's eyes snapped back to me. "Well, I should go inside now. Lots of homework to do. I'll um, see you later, Cedric." I stuttered, something I normally never do in front of anyone.

He didn't respond, but instead just watched me enter the common room after saying the answer to the riddle I was given. I found it ironic how the answer to the riddle I was given was a kiss. Ha ha, very funny.

I am just two and two
I am warm, I am cold
I am lawful, unlawful
A duty, A fault
I am often sold dear
Good for nothing when bought
An extraordinary boon
And a matter of course
and yielding with pleasure
When taken by force.

I felt like dying right then and there. I couldn't even look back at Cedric because of how embarrassed I was. It was completely inappropriate of me to even think, let alone try, kissing him. He was my best friend. That's it…right?

I couldn't sleep that night. I didn't even go to dinner because I couldn't face Cedric, not after my act of stupidity. I tossed and turned all through the night, just thinking about the day we spent together, but most of all, the almost-kiss. I scolded myself over and over again. He probably thinks I fancy him now…but the thing that puzzled me the most was the fact that he, too, was leaning in to kiss me. What the hell was that about? Was he just trying to be a good friend and "play along"? Or was there more to it? No, it couldn't be. He only thought of me as a friend. Even if he did like me in that way, I wouldn't care. It's not like I thought of him like that. I debated this for a while. I thought about Cedric, his ups and his downs. But, come to think of it, he didn't really have any downs. He was smart, kind, athletic, funny, not to mention handsome…it took me a while to admit what I think I've known for some time now: I was in love with my best friend.

I laughed to myself as I remembered my momentary crush on Cedric. Things have definitely changed, I thought. I spent another ten minutes or so trying clothes on. Finally, I decided on an outfit that perfectly suited the cool, autumn weather: a white denim skirt that ended mid-thigh, a purple lace tank top, an olive green jacket, and brown leather boots that stopped just before the knee.

I dried my hair and chose to curl it. My hair was long enough that even when it was curled, it still reached below my chest. I had to look my best in front of Bryan. Once I finished using the curling charm, I started putting on makeup. I opted for a shiny, pink lip gloss, and used black eye-liner and mascara for my eyes. I stood in front of the mirror and was very satisfied with what I saw. Cho, who was too hungry to wait, returned from breakfast and saw me instantly.

"Merlin, Anna! You look beautiful! Wait till Bryan sees you!" she squealed.

"You really think so? I can't wait for the date!"

"It'll be fun! Just pretend like Cedric and I aren't even there." She winked.

"I'll try. But first, I should probably clean up a little bit…" I motioned to my bed and the floor, which were scattered with piles of clothes. Cho laughed.

"I agree. Just be quick because it's already ten to eleven."

"Of course, I wouldn't want to be late, especially when he's waiting for me." Cho and I giggled together in excitement. I spent the ten minutes cleaning the room like my life depended on it.

At exactly eleven o'clock, Cho and I went downstairs to the common and exited through the portrait. We saw both Cedric and Bryan patiently waiting. I smiled at the both of them, and Bryan was quick to greet me.

"You look absolutely beautiful, Anna." He kissed my cheek. It sent shivers down my spine. It was a good thing I chose to wear a jacket. "I can't wait for today." He smiled that gorgeous smile of his.

I blushed. "Same here, and thank you."

"Shall we?" He asked, holding out his hand.

I laughed at his charm. "Yes, we shall." I gladly took his hand and left it there until we got to Hogsmeade.

The whole journey there, I couldn't even tell Cho and Cedric were with us. Either they were really quiet or I was just really into whatever I was talking about with Bryan. Correction, I was just really into Bryan. He was such a great conversationalist; he told jokes, asked me my opinions, brought up unique topics, and always kept me interested. Not once did I turn around to look at Cho or Cedric, who were walking behind me and Bryan. Looks like everything is going according to plan, I thought.

We stopped by Honeydukes for a little bit to pick up some sweets. Afterwards, we headed to Tomes and Scrolls because Bryan said he needed to buy a new book to finish his Charms essay. Icould see how annoyed Cedric was, but Cho reassured him that it was alright after seeing the look in his eyes.

We didn't stay at the book shop long, though I noticed Cedric looking at book while I waited for Bryan to purchase his book. I walked over to where Cedric and Cho were standing.

As I neared them, Cedric looked up and smiled. "Remember this?" He held out a copy of "Romeo and Juliet". Instantly, I smiled widely at him.

"How could I forget?" I smiled genuinely at him. We both knew the memories behind that book. It made me wonder if he even still had it. It made me wonder if he kept the card I wrote him, the card that took me hours to write. I was about to ask him, but seeing Cho standing there made me feel guilty about not including her in our conversation.

"What's so special about this book though?" Cho asked sweetly. I mentally contemplated whether or not I should tell her. Yes, she is Cedric's girlfriend, and I gave it to him years ago, but the book was something important to the two of us. It was one of those things that deserved to stay "a secret". It was a reminder of our friendship.

After agreeing to explain the story to Cho, I opened my mouth but Bryan's arrival interrupted. "Hey, sorry for keeping you guys waiting. I really appreciate it." Cedric rolled his eyes but offered a smirk. Cho smiled sweetly, as per usual. Bryan wrapped an arm around me, and I couldn't be mad at him.

"Don't even apologize. I would've done the same for you." I don't know what came over me, but I placed a kiss on his left cheek. I left my lips there for a couple seconds before pulling away. When I did, he looked stunned but then smiled. I tried to avoid the look Cedric was giving him. Cho, on the other hand, looked happy for me. Before Bryan and I could go any further, Cedric spoke up.

"How about we go to the Three Broomsticks? I could really have myself a butterbeer right now. What about you guys?"

"Sounds good!" Bryan exclaimed. He took my hand gently. "I'm sure Anna, here, would love one as well."
I giggled and blushed. "I would."

"Great then. Let's go before the place gets too busy." Cedric was quick to cut me off.

We walked to The Three Broomsticks and got a table. I sat next to Cedric and across from Bryan, and Cho across from Cedric. It was Bryan that chose the seating arrangement. But by the look on Cedric's face, he didn't look too annoyed. Perhaps it was because it was more romantic to sit across from your date. Or maybe it was because he was happy that he got to sit next to a good friend. Either of the two seemed to work fine. After we ordered our drinks, the table got pretty quiet. It wasn't that there wasn't anything to talk about. It's just that I felt there were things I couldn't say in front of Bryan with Cho and Cedric, and vice versa. I thought about this for a bit, and realized that in fact, there were things I could only say in front of Cedric. Things that Cho and Bryan probably wouldn't understand. This was why I hated double dates. They were so…awkward.

After what seemed to be an eternity of silence, Bryan finally spoke up. "So, Anna, how's life?" Really? You're gorgeous, athletic, and I presume decent in the classroom, but the only question you can think of is "How's life?"

"It's okay, I guess. I dunno, how's yours?" Cedric saw how I was stumbling for words, and laughed at my hopelessness. Pretty soon, the two of us started engaging in a full-out laughing session. It was the usual whenever we would hang out. It got to the point where we weren't only laughing at me, but at Bryan, too. This surprised me a lot, but I kept going with it.

Cho and Bryan looked at us like we were maniacs, complete zoo animals. Cho kept looking around to see if anybody else was agitated by our insane laughter, and Bryan looked almost disgusted with me, as if he expected me to be better-behaved. First of all, Cedric and I never cared about what we looked or sounded like when we're together in public. Secondly, me? Well-behaved? Yeah, right. Everybody knows that Cedric's the well-behaved, polite one.

After a very long time of laughing, and even crying for me, Cedric and I settled down. I thought I even heard Bryan release a sigh of relief. I also heard him mutter something under his breath. This caught my attention. "I'm sorry, what was that?" I tried to sound innocent, but I'm positive I still had an edge to my voice.

"Oh nothing, don't worry about it, Anna." Bryan tried to reassure me, and covered my hand with his across the table. I gently pulled away.

"No, tell me. If it's stupid, then I'm sure you can spare telling me, right?" I asked sweetly. Cedric snorted next to me, laughing at Bryan's airiness.

"It's just that yours and Cedric's laughing was a little bit more than outrageous. If you guys didn't stop, we would've gotten kicked out for sure. I'm not trying to be an arse, I'm just saying that, well, Anna, I expected you to be more classy than that." I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I was completely fooled by this bloke! I thought he was perfect?! Merlin, he was far from it! And when I turned to look at Cedric, we seemed to be thinking the exact same thing.

"You don't think I'm classy enough for you?" I did my best to control my anger.

"Anna, I didn't mean it like that. I just meant that you should be more reserved than that. I mean, I've seen you at meals…you're a complete pig! Someone with a face like yours should consider revising their eating habits." Cedric's jaw literally dropped. Cho's mouth opened in shock. Yes, I was more than surprised that this came out of the mouth of who I thought was my Prince Charming. But I wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of knowing that he made me feel like shit. So, instead, I smiled.

"Thank you Bryan, for that…helpful piece of advice. But, since you felt that helping me was necessary, do you think it's alright if I give you some help, too?" I smiled so sweetly and even touched his hand. What really got him was when I started rubbing his leg from under the table with mine. I could see Cedric out of the corner of my eye, who looked more than confused. Cho looked confused, as well.

Bryan blushed at my somewhat sensual behaviour, but he regained his composure. "Sure, anything for you, babe." I fumed inwardly. I hated being called "babe". It made me feel like an object, like I wasn't even a person. I was about to retort when I reminded myself of my plan.

"Well, I think…" I leaned a little closer to him.

"Yes…" he leaned closer, too, smiling suggestively.

"That you're a total asshole!" I shouted in his face. He jumped back at my sudden outburst, shock evident on his face. "You decide to ask me out on a date, and you know I'm obviously going to say yes, which unfortunately, I did. Then, you have the nerve to insult me on our 'date'? I don't think so! Who do you think you are?! Honestly! You think you're the hottest guy in school, which I was stupid enough to think you were! You think you can get any girl. And now, I feel so stupid, so, so stupid, because I am just another one of those girls! I mean, do you even like me?"

Bryan still looked shocked from my shouting and yelling, and reddened visibly. Somehow, he found his voice, but surprisingly, his voice came out pretty loud. "I don't know, Anna. I really don't. I just wanted to see how things would go on this date. But it's clear that things didn't go as anticipated." It didn't take a Hermoine Granger to detect the sarcasm in his voice. Wait a second, he was angry with me? What the hell did I even do?! I didn't dare look at Cedric who was probably just as angry with Bryan as me. Cho looked frightened because of the raised voices. It was typical of her to get freaked out because of something like this.

"Don't you go blaming this shit on me! It's your fault your pompous ass had to go insulting me, telling me not to be myself just because you're with me. I have enough respect for myself and enough dignity to not put up with somebody who doesn't even care about me. I need a genuine person. I need somebody who will love me more than he loves looking in the mirror. "

"You're something else, you know that? You go around Hogwarts winking at boys and flirting aimlessly. Don't even talk about 'a genuine person'. You wouldn't know what a genuine person was if they slapped you right in the face!" He laughed cockily. "You're just what everyone else says you are. You're a slut." Now I felt the fire burning inside of me. I felt like flipping over the table completely. However, it wouldn't have made much of a difference, considering that there wasn't anything on it.

Before I could even do anything, the waiter came by with our butterbeers. Great timing. I stood up a grabbed one of the glasses off of the waiter's tray. I chugged the butterbeer, every last bit of it. I slammed the empty mug down on the table, hard. Cedric jumped back and Cho flinched. Cho looked somewhat mortified, but Cedric looked to be enjoying himself. He was chuckling. I could tell he was happy I finally came to my senses about Bryan Chase. Bryan himself looked startled, and paled. I then took another glass of butterbeer from the waiter's tray, smiled right at Bryan, and then dumped the whole thing on him. He stood up immediately, even as I continued to pour the drink on him. I smiled widely at him, making sure it was a real pearly one. Some people who were watching clapped, some howled and 'oooh'ed, others just laughed. What made things all the more amusing was that, to end my little show, I kissed him full on the lips. I smiled throughout the entire five-second long kiss, satisfied with the work I did. When I broke free, I turned on my heel and headed for the door. Before leaving though, I turned around and smirked at Bryan. "By the way, it's Adrianna. You don't deserve to call me Anna." With that, I left.

Words cannot describe how I felt right then and there. Really, I didn't know how I felt. One thing was for sure, I felt more than content about showing up Bryan Chase. I mean, I was probably the first girl that actually did something about his rude behaviour. I should get points for that. But, deep down, I felt played. I felt cheap and desperate. I knew the reputation Bryan had before I even talked to him. I knew how he went through girls, and yet, I still agreed to go out with him. Let's face it. Bryan probably didn't like me for me. I felt stupid for being so desperate to be wanted. That's just it: I wanted to be wanted. And Bryan Chase asking me out was my way of fulfilling my desire. I kicked a rock in frustration as I kept walking. I spent half an hour picking out an outfit for you. I took the time to curl my hair. I took ten minutes putting on makeup for you. Hell, I cleaned my room because of you! I kept internally slapping myself. My dad was right…I should've just stayed away from the boys.

I saw a huge, bare rock overlooking the castle. I decided to sit down for a while. It was only noon. My date hadn't even lasted a good hour. I reached into my bag and pulled out my poetry book. It was times like these when this book came in handy. I just barely opened it when I heard footsteps from behind me. When I turned around quickly, I found the one boy I wouldn't be able to stay away from. Our eyes locked for a second before I turned my back on him.

"Did you come to gloat? To say 'I told you so'? Which by the way you did…" I looked down shamefully. Cedric took a seat on the other rock next to me.

"No, I didn't come to gloat. But I can if you like." He smiled, trying to cheer me up. I smiled slightly, still sad.

"Go ahead. I don't care anymore. I mean, it's not like he cared, so why should I." I could feel my eyes start to water.

Cedric frowned. "Anna, it's not your fault. He's a jerk, that's what he is. So what if he didn't care? I mean, really Anna, did you even care about him?"

Cedric had a point. I didn't care about Bryan. I just cared about feeling wanted. "No…" I said looking down. Cedric was always right. I let a few tears fall.

"You're better than him, Anna. Don't feel like you're not good enough because let me tell you, you're more than good enough." I looked up at him through wet eyes.

"Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I mean that. You're an amazing person, Anna. And one day," he leaned forward and wiped a few of the fallen tears off my face with his thumb, "you're going to find that one person who will love you for you are, who will accept you, cherish you, and want to spend every minute of their life with you." He paused, trying to find the right words to say, words that would make me feel better. "Jerks like him don't come close to deserving girls like you."

I stopped crying and listened to what my best friend said. This was why Cedric was my best friend, even after all we've been through together. I wrapped my arms around him tightly and he was quick to return the embrace. I whispered softly to him. "Thank you, Ced, for you know…being you." We stayed like that for a long time before breaking apart. When he did, he was smiling.

"Anytime, Anna." It was right then that I realized something.

"Wait, where's Cho?" I had completely forgotten all about her up until then.

"Oh, don't worry. Bryan left shortly after you did to get cleaned up and what not. And I was ready to leave, too. Cho saw how eager I was to get out and told me to go find you. She said she'd be able to make it back by herself."

I laughed. "So you decided to leave your girlfriend to wander through Hogsmeade alone just because you wanted to find me?"

"I'm pretty sure she's capable. And plus, you're my best friend. After what just happened, I couldn't trust you on your own." He smirked.

"Oh please. If anything it's the other way around." I joked and we both laughed. After catching our breaths, I thought about something I've been wanting to ask Cedric, something I knew he couldn't refuse.

"Would you like me to read you some poetry?"

His head moved up slowly, and when it did, I saw the big smile on his face. Me asking him this was more than just a question out of pure friendliness. It was a chance to relive a good part of our past together. It was something the two of us held dear, though many other people wouldn't understand.

"How could I say no?" Cedric smiled at me.

"Which one do you want?"

"I think you know the answer to that one." I smiled back at him. Taking my poetry book, I flipped to the one poem I held close to my heart. I took a deep breath before beginning.

"Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I marked the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference."

I read slowly, with expression, making sure to pronounce every word with absolute clarity. I closed my eyes and smiled when I finished reading the poem, dissecting every beautiful word. When I opened my eyes, I saw Cedric's blue-grey eyes looking right into mine, kind and gentle. I closed the book, and put it back in my bag. "Anna?" I looked back up at Cedric.

"Yes?"

"You never told me why that poem always meant so much to you."

I looked down sadly, remembering the reason behind its importance. I'd have to tell Cedric eventually, especially because he was part of it. I gathered my thoughts for a moment, and took a deep breath before beginning.

"I loved the poem from the minute I first read it. It sparked great interest in me. When I used to read it to you in our favourite spot, there really was no significance behind it. I just liked it. But after I left in fourth year, things changed. Garrett died, as I told you before. You know how close we were, that doesn't need explaining. But on the day of his funeral, that poem became more than just a poem. It became a goal I had to achieve. I wouldn't let what happened between you and I stop me from living my life. So, I vowed to do everything I could to change myself. I guess you could say that poem was Garrett's way of telling me to keep going, to never give up."

After I finished speaking, Cedric's eyes were still on me. I could tell he was deep in thought, trying to find his way through my answer. We sat in silence for some time. It was a while before he spoke up. But when he did, it was barely audible. "I'm sorry, Anna."

"Pardon me? I didn't hear what you said."

"I said I'm sorry, I truly am. I'm sorry for everything I did." He looked down, ashamed.

I frowned and scooted closer to him. "What's done is done, we can't change what happened. But we can move on." I smiled at him, knowing it would cheer him up.

"You're right." He smiled back.

We enjoyed each other's company as we sat together for another hour. The time was filled with mainly laughter, but also some conversation and poetry-reading, of course. After a while, we decided it was time to head back to the castle. The walk was pretty quiet, as we strolled in a friendly silence. Cedric walked me back to the Ravenclaw Tower. I stood across from him when we reached the entrance, and suddenly, things got a little awkward. I could tell by Cedric's face which mirrored mine. We almost kissed the last time this happened.

I cleared my throat to avoid any more unwanted awkwardness. "Thanks for being there for me today, Ced. It really means a lot." I smiled sweetly at him.

"Anything for you, Anna." He returned the smile and wrapped his arms around me. I hugged him back, happy that things finally cleared up between me and my best friend.

When we broke apart, Cedric asked, "You never did tell me who it was that you had a crush on back in third year." He raised his eyebrows knowingly, a silly smiled plastered on his face.

"Well I guess you'll never know." I flashed him a toothy grin, turned around, and headed for the door. But Cedric's hand around my wrist stopped me.

"Don't be like that, Anna. Come on, just tell me. I mean, it was four years ago! I'm pretty sure we've both matured since then."

I crossed my arms over my chest and smirked at him. "If you're so eager, then why don't you tell me the name of the girl you were in love with." His face reddened instantly. It was obvious he thought I didn't remember. Yeah right! I remember everything, especially when it comes to you, Ced.

"No way! I'm not telling you unless you tell me."

I began laughing. "We're so immature. We don't even have the guts to tell each other about our loves from four years ago!"

He began laughing, as well. "Why don't we keep it a secret?"

"It has been a secret for the past four years!" I chuckled.

"Well then why don't we continue to keep it a secret? It's clear that both of us are too stubborn to tell the other person, so why don't we agree to tell each other…say, by Christmas Eve?" He stretched out his hand. I considered this proposal. If I told Cedric about my crush on him back in third year, would it make things awkward? We just got back to being friends, but could this only make things worse? Of course, being the impulsive person I am, I shook his hand with one of mine. I'd probably feel horrible about this decision within the next few months, but I couldn't take back my word now. I wasn't a coward.

"Deal," I said, with a smirk on my face.
"Great," he let go of my hand and smiled, his blue-grey eyes kind as always. "I guess I should let you go now. I'll see you tonight at dinner. Oh, and don't be too upset over Bryan. Remember what I told you."

"Of course. Thanks again, Cedric." I flashed him a pearly smile of my own before answering the riddle, and entering the common room.

There's Chapter 9! Just a heads up, I'll be introducing the Triwizard Tournament within the next few chapters, so look out for that. I feel that it's about time. Please read and review my lovelies!