Chapter Thirteen: Empty Promises and Loud Parties

Disclaimer: I do not own any of J.K. Rowling's wonderful creations.

Author's Note: I am SO sorry I haven't updated in such a long time. School's been busy what with exam time and all of my extra-curricular activities are finally done as summer begins. Wishing you all a great start to summer vacation! Without further ado, here's Chapter 13!

Cedric P.O.V.

"I promise." Those are probably the two words I regret saying the most, now more than ever. The part that feels the most regretful is the fact that I said those two words to the one person I have not, and should not, ever keep an empty promise to… Adrianna Summers. Perhaps it was something I said in the heat of the moment or maybe it was the pressure that was eating me away inside. Either way, it's something I shouldn't have even thought of saying.

"I am proud to announce that this year, Hogwarts will be hosting the Tri-Wizard Tournament." Dumbledore's words still rang in my head. Even as I lay in bed, hours after dinner, I still can't get my thoughts to take another path. It was literally all I could think about—the glory, the fame, the pride of being a Tri-Wizard Champion. It seemed like the ultimate dream. If only it could become a reality. I don't mean to sound arrogant, cocky, any other word synonymous to those, but I think I could have a real shot at becoming the Champion of Hogwarts. I think I've proved myself well enough over these past seven years. I like to think that I've left my mark on this school. I've worked hard to do so.

Ever since my first year, I've done my absolute best to put a person worthy enough to my name. My father always told me, "A name is just a name, Ced. It's the person behind that name that's the real spectacular thing." Since he told me that when I was six years old, I've stayed true to that. Building a good person has been something I've worked towards. My whole life has basically been about making a good show, impressing people. Those people being my parents, especially my father, all of my professors, my friends, Cho, Anna… then again, Anna was one person I never really had to put any effort into impressing. She was probably the only one that believed I was already a good person. It's nice to have someone that thinks it's a waste of time to go through the trouble of becoming better.

Anyway, if it weren't for my quick tongue and special place in my heart for Anna, I wouldn't have promised her I wouldn't enter my name. I wish I could more than anything, but I gave her my word. Making an empty promise, it just didn't sit well with me, especially if that promise was to my best friend. I guess she'd support me though no matter what, and maybe she won't be as mad when she sees how worthy I am of being Champion…After all, it's something I truly and deeply desire. Anna is a considerate person and would only want me to be happy. After a very long while of debating with myself, I came to the decision that I, Cedric Diggory, would put forth my name in the Goblet of Fire.

"I'm thinking of putting my name in," I said to Cho as we were sitting by the fireplace together after dinner in the Ravenclaw Common Room.

"Really? That's great, Cedric! I have no doubts that you'll be chosen." She leaned over and gave me a light kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks Cho, but the thing is, I sort of promised Anna I wouldn't." Her face turned into a slight frown as she pulled back.

"Oh, I see… well, I think you should just go with your gut instinct. I mean, if Anna cares about you as much as I think she does, she'll be supportive of whatever your decision, right?"

"That's exactly what I thought. I don't know though. Cho, I promised her I wouldn't. I can't break a promise, especially if that promise was to Anna."

Cho remained silent for a bit. Why, I wasn't so sure. But she did look deep in thought. After a while, she spoke up again.

"Look Cedric, the way I see it, Anna should be happy for you in either case."

"Yeah, but what happens if she isn't? What happens if when she finds out the truth, she never wants to talk to me again?"

Cho chuckled. "You're blowing things out of proportion! Anna's your best friend. She'll be happy for you."

"Yeah, I guess. I'm sorry for having to bring it up." I felt bad about always having to vent, complain, and ask Cho for help with these things. But she is my girlfriend, so I guess it's part of being in a relationship.

"Don't even worry about it. I know how much your friendship with Anna means to you. And if it makes you feel better, I won't mention it to her. Entering your name, I mean."

"Thank you so much Cho." I leaned over and kissed her. She placed her hands at the sides of my face and deepened the kiss. We carried on through the rest of the night until we fell asleep right there on the couch in the Common Room.

I woke up to the sun shining in my face. I could feel Cho's light breathing on my chest. She was still sound asleep. Thankfully, nobody was in the Common Room at that time. It seemed pretty early because I didn't hear any hustle and bustle yet. I was able to get up off the couch while still managing to not wake up Cho from her sleeping position. I was ready to leave when I heard someone call my name.

"Cedric?" It was Anna. When I turned to face her, I was quite taken aback. Anna's long brown hair was dripping wet and the only thing she had on her body were a black bra and underwear.

"Merlin Anna! What, what are you, um, doing here?" I cleared my throat trying to avoid awkwardness. Sure, I'd seen Anna wearing a bathing suit plenty of times, but this was different. I tried focusing my gaze on the floor, the paintings on the walls, even Cho who was still sleeping, but I found myself not being able to look away from my best friend.

"What am I doing here?" She laughed. "Last time I checked, this was the Ravenclaw Common Room. That is, for Ravenclaws only. But," she quickly glanced at Cho, "it appears that you had a good enough reason to spend the night." She placed her hand on her hips and looked me over. She seemed to be taking in my appearance which I could imagine didn't exactly look innocent.

"Yes, well, you see…" Before I could even finish, Anna cut me off.

"I don't need the details!" she said abruptly.

I chuckled but still found myself not being able to look away from Anna whose hair was still soaked and whose body was only covered in so much clothing. I did my best to avoid looking at her perfectly tanned skin, her long slender legs, and her tiny waist. After sharing a laugh, we locked eyes, green clashing with grey again, and it seemed like forever that we just stood there, gazing at the other. I took note of the blush that crept into her cheeks. I cleared my throat and we both looked away.

"Care to explain yourself?"

"Me? Are you actually being serious? I come downstairs to find you getting up from your long night with your girlfriend!"

"Yeah, but you come down nearly naked for Merlin's sake!"

"So? I was just took a shower if you didn't notice."

"You could've at least gotten fully changed! Why'd you come downstairs anyway?"

"I heard footsteps and it was too early for anyone to be awake, especially on a weekend morning. So I decided to check if things were alright."

"In only your undergarments?" I raised my eyebrows at her knowingly and grinned.

"That's beside the point. At least now I know there's not a frickin' mass murderer on the loose in my Common Room."

I laughed and she joined in. Soon, we were both laughing, not even caring if Cho was still asleep.

I began chasing Anna around as if I was a mass murderer. It felt like we were little kids again, still innocent without a care in the world. As we were running around, I tried my best to keep my footsteps light because of Cho, but I couldn't help it. I was able to catch up to Anna and I wrapped my arms around her waist to keep her from running again. I was unaware that my foot has accidentally caught on the rug underneath. Before I knew it, I landed right on the floor and had managed to drag down Anna with me. She fell right on my chest. My hands subconsciously went to her waist and it was as if time stopped.

Words cannot describe how I felt right then and there. Sure, our position was inappropriate, especially with what Anna was wearing and the fact that my girlfriend was within ten feet of us sleeping. But does it make sense that having Anna so close to me, in this state, felt right? Like I'd be happy if the world ended then? No, it couldn't be. I have a beautiful girlfriend that loves and cares about me just as much as I do her. Anna was just my best friend. Nothing more and nothing less. But every time I looked in her eyes, I just got a weird feeling inside. Those gorgeous, breathtaking green eyes that seemed to sparkle even more every time I saw her. Her long brown hair, though still dripping wet, cascaded in damp waves down her back, and her lips, so full and exquisite, were slightly parted. It was like all those memories from third year were coming back.

Anna herself looked to be as confused and at a loss for words as I was. We simply stared at each other for an eternity of time, not saying anything, just staring. What she was thinking, I had no clue. It was like we both knew we should get up, but neither of us could bring ourselves to do it. That is, until we heard a slight cough.

"Anna? Cedric?" Perfect timing for Cho to wake up. In lightning speed, Anna shot up to a standing position, myself not far behind.

"Cho, you're awake!" Anna stuttered out a short laugh, making things even more awkward.

"Yeah, I heard some laughing and running around," she said quietly.

"Oh, um sorry about that," Anna apologized. She turned to face me, as if expecting me to say something. It was about time I stepped in anyway.

"Anna and I were goofing around as usual. We're both sincerely sorry for waking you from your sleep." Cho gave a small smile after I finished talking, but she still held a look of doubt. I don't really blame her though, seeing that Anna was half-dressed.

Cho couldn't seem to divert her eyes from Anna's not-so conservative appearance. She would occasionally glance at me, too. I knew she wasn't stupid. She obviously suspected something happened between Anna and I while she was asleep.

"It really wasn't anything, Cho. I promise." I tried reassuring her.

"For sure, Ced. It's okay. I trust you both. I know nothing happened," Cho said sweetly. I know she tried her hardest to make her argument convincing. I looked over at Anna whose gaze was focused solely on the ground.

I decided to take Cho in my arms, wrapping mine around her petite frame. She looked up at me with loving eyes and placed her hands on my chest. I bent down and closed the distance between us. Cho kissed back deeply and I thought for a second we would have round two of last night. Anna coughed uncomfortably and Cho and I immediately broke apart from our snogging.

"I should probably head back upstairs. I guess I'll see you guys at breakfast later." As Anna was on her way up the stairs, she quickly glanced at me. She seemed to be contemplating something before shaking her head and continuing to make her way up the stairs.

"Well, that was certainly interesting," Cho chuckled.

"Indeed. Oh, I almost forgot, Derrick and the other guys are throwing a party in a couple weeks. They're practically proclaiming it to the whole world. You and Anna should come. I'm sure it'll be a blast."

"For sure! I'll run it by Anna later. She'll probably be up for it though."

"Sounds good. But I should go. I'll see you at breakfast." I walked up to her and gave her a light kiss on the cheek before exiting the Common Room.

October 30th, the day those from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were coming, arrived quicker than anyone could've imagined. The ladies from Beauxbatons came in a flying carriage with Pegasuses. The men from Durmstrang emerged from a pirate-like ship out of the Black Lake. All in all, the students at Hogwarts were pretty impressed with their presentation.

The food at the feast that night was exceptional as always. Dumbledore welcomed the students from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, and they came in when their names were called. Of course, the entire male population, minus myself for the most part, got ten times more excited when the girls from Beauxbatons entered the room. They must be part Veela because girls cannot be that perfect. I thought about this for a moment and looked to the Ravenclaw table, and came to the conclusion that perfection is really in the eye of the beholder.

When the lads from Durmstrang came in, every girl practically fainted, especially when Viktor Krum strode confidently in. I saw Anna from where I was sitting with a huge smile on her face the whole while. I knew how much she adored the Bulgarian Quidditch player and couldn't help but smile myself.

After the feast, I was able to meet up with Anna outside the Great Hall. She was still wearing that big, beautiful smile on her face.

"Did you see him, Ced?! Merlin I was ten feet away from the Viktor Krum!"

I chuckled to myself. "Yes, yes I saw you Anna."

"Those girls from Beauxbatons are pretty attractive. You better keep your eyes on your own girlfriend while they're here," she said and winked at me.

"Oh of course. But it can't hurt if I sneak a peek every once in a while," I joked which only earned me a slap on the arm.

"Your girlfriend," she emphasized the word, "told me about Derrick's party next week. Count us in," she said with a grin.

"Great! It'll be a good time."

"I'm sure. But I should get back to the Common Room. It's getting pretty late and we don't want a repeat of what happened in second year with Percy Weasley when we snuck out past curfew."

I smiled at the memory. "Never. Lucky that you get to sleep soon though. I have Prefect duties to attend to."

"I'm glad I'm not Hogwarts Golden Boy. It's just too much work," she said with a silly smile as she walked away, to which I could only chuckle and shake my head as I headed in the opposite direction.

"Come on, Ced! Put it in already!" Derrick and the other guys were cheering me on to put my name in the goblet. I crossed the age line Dumbledore set. I closed my eyes for a moment. This is it Cedric. There's no backing out after this. It's your time. I opened my eyes and placed my name in, and the goblet swallowed it with a sharp hiss. The guys all started yelling and screaming, and I caught sight of Cho who gave me a big smile. My thoughts suddenly went to what Anna's reaction would be like. It's okay, Cedric. She'll support your decision. She always does. My conscience was right. Anna would be happy for me.

Derrick's party came pretty fast, too. Even though I was Head Boy and a Prefect, I didn't mind bending the rules a little. After all, it's not like us Hufflepuffs threw outrageous parties every week.

By eight o'clock, the party was in full-swing. The music was blaring, the place was packed with people dancing (some of the more "out there" girls in provocative ways), and the distinct smell of firewhisky was laced in the air. Personally, I didn't like the thought of alcohol. I never tried the stuff in my life, and I didn't plan on it anytime soon. Half these people were drunk and I wanted to be part of the still sober half.

"Great party eh mate?" Derrick roughly patted my back and I could tell he had a few drinks from a mile away.

"Sure is. Promise me you'll lay off the firewhisky though. You can barely stand up!"

"Yeah, course." His voice was slurred, and before I could say anything else, he went off to dance with some girls from Slytherin.

I was able to spot Cho from across the room. She seemed to be alone, which was weird because usually she'd be with Anna. I took the opportunity to keep her company.

"Hey." It turned out to be more of a shout because of the loud atmosphere.

"Hey." Her voice was just as loud. It proved to be quite a challenge though, especially for a usually quiet person like Cho.

"Why are you alone? Where's Anna?"

"I'm not one for loud parties like this. And I lost Anna a while ago. I have no clue where she went. But she's probably around here somewhere."

"Yeah you're right. But I should probably go look for her. I don't trust some people around here. I mean, I could stay with you if you want…" I felt bad about ditching my own girlfriend to look for Anna, but what I said was true. I really didn't trust some of the blokes at this party.

"No, no. Go ahead. She is your best friend of course," Cho said with a sweet smile.

"Thanks," I said as I gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

I pushed my way through the crowd, frequently bumping into sweaty bodies that were so engrossed in dancing and very, very frequently passing by two people that were heartily snogging. Merlin, who knew Hufflepuff parties could get so out of control. I kept an eye out for Anna, but finding her was impossible in such a place.

After about fifteen minutes of doing laps around the room, I finally caught sight of Anna's long brown hair, which tonight, had been curled. She was surrounded by a group of guys, the kind of guys that I didn't trust and that I knew would take advantage of her if given the chance. Among these guys were Marcus Flint and Roger Davies. I could only see Anna from behind. She was wearing a short, and I mean short, denim skirt with a black strapless top. She may be my best friend, but what she was wearing was practically an invitation for those boys, if you know what I mean. I already started making my way towards her, but seeing Marcus Flint place his hand on her lower back made me almost break into a sprint.

"Anna, what are you doing?" I gave the other boys hard glares.

"What does it look like? I'm enjoying the party!" She screamed and threw her hands in the air like a maniac. It was then that I smelled the firewhisky. I knew she had been drinking.

"You've been drinking. How many have you had?"

She giggled and I noticed that her voice became about two octaves higher. "Just three."

The alcohol had definitely taken over. I cared deeply for the well-being of my best friend. And right now, her being wasn't so well. She wasn't herself. But I guess that's what several bottles of firewhisky does to you.

"Anna, let's go. We need to get you out of this place."

"Oh shove off, Diggory," I turned to face Marcus Flint who now had a mischievous smile on his face. "She just wants to have a little fun." I noticed his hand slid down that much further on her back.

"She's drunk! Of course she wants to have fun. She doesn't know what the hell she's even doing!"

His voice got dangerously low as he leaned in close just so that I would be the only one to hear what he was saying. "Makes it all the more easier to get what I want." When he pulled away, I saw a certain look in his eye. What was it? Lust.

He began pulling Anna with him in the opposite direction, away from myself and the other boys. Actually, when I took the chance to look around, the other boys had scattered into separate parts of the party, including Roger Davies, who was now snogging Harriet Cartwright on one of the couches. Remembering what the important matter was, I grabbed Anna's hand and pulled her back. Flint didn't look too happy.

"Oy, Diggory! What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Don't do this to her Flint. She deserves better than that." I pulled, no yanked, Anna towards me. She stumbled and needed my arm around her waist to help her stand up. When I looked into her usually beautiful eyes, I saw that they had been clouded by the alcohol. She seemed to be in a daze, and she'd been wearing a silly smile since I saw her.

"Bet you just want this one all to yourself huh? Don't think people don't know about your little row with Bryan Chase. News gets around."

I let go of Anna's hand and I stepped up to him. I stood a couple inches taller than him. "You need to leave Flint. Nobody wants you here. Now go, before things get worse," I said darkly.

He narrowed his eyes at me, and for a second, I thought he was going to throw a punch. To my surprise, he stepped back. "Fine Diggory. This party was boring me to tears actually. And Pansy's a willing participant anyway," he said as he walked away and out of the Common Room.

I turned back around to face Anna, still with that same innocent look on her face. I took her hand and began leading her up the stairs. "You need to get some rest. Come on, we're going upstairs."

"Ooh, upstairs! I love upstairs! Where's upstairs? I hope there are nice people in upstairs," she said as she giggled uncontrollably. She could barely make it up the first few steps, so I ended up carrying her all the way up. All the while, she'd play with the collar of my shirt or draw circles on my chest. I have to admit, I felt a little uncomfortable considering it was my best friend. But she was hardly stable and she needed help.

I set her down gently on my bed. For the next half hour or so, she started pouncing around like a lion, pretending to fly occasionally. She'd ask me such random questions about unicorns and rainbows. Merlin, I couldn't stand another drunk Anna. Never again would she have three bottles firewhisky. At least, not on my watch.

She finally stood up off the bed and managed to stumble her way to the door. I was quick enough to catch up to her before she could go anywhere. She was able to open the door the slightest crack.

"No Anna. You're staying here. I'm not letting you go back out there," I said as I picked her up and slung her over my shoulders. I placed her back on my bed.

She giggled while playfully tapping my back. Was she trying to act flirtatious? "Ceedrriic," her voice was still slurred, "put me down!"

When I put her back on my bed, I plopped down beside her out of pure exhaust. Keeping the party under control was one thing, but keeping Anna who was drunk was another thing. I really was tired. It had been a long day and recent events weren't exactly proving to be relaxing. My thoughts were interrupted when, out of nowhere, Anna rolls on top of me and begins drawing circles again on my chest. My eyes widened to the point where I felt like they were going to fall out of my head.

"You're very handsome, you know that?" She said with a sly smile on her face.

I coughed uncomfortably. This was my best friend for crying out loud! "Yes, um, thank you I suppose."

"Do you like having fun? I like having fun. We can have fun together." She still had that mischievous look on her face. I knew she would remember nothing of this in the morning.

"That's not such a good idea, you see. I…uh…" It was hard not to stutter in this kind of awkward situation.

She stuck her lips out in a pout, which I found annoyingly adorable. "Come on Cedric. Is it because I'm not pretty enough like Cho?"

What the hell? She can't possibly think she's ugly. Then again, she can't really think because she's so drunk. Everything that's come out of her mouth has been complete rubbish. And comparing herself to Cho… I have enough moral sense to not even put so much thought into that. "Anna, you're beautiful. But this is all just wrong. I mean, I know you're drunk and you probably won't remember any of this by tomorrow, but we're best friends, not lovers."

She kept playing with my collar. Eventually, her hands began moving down my shirt and I noticed then that she had started undoing the buttons. "But I want to be both." And with that she pressed her lips to mine.

I could feel my eyes opening even wider with every second, every millisecond of the kiss. Anna stopped undoing the buttons of my shirt and instead, moved her hands to rest on the sides of my face. This is so freaking weird, I thought. The weirdest part about it though, was that no matter how wrong or inappropriate the entire situation was, I couldn't bring myself to pull away or break the kiss. Anna was soon deepening the kiss, my eyes closing, and our lips moving in perfect sync with each other. My hands found their way to her hips. I lost track of time, of how long this was all lasting. My mind had been clouded by the feeling, the taste of Anna's lips. Her lips tasted like vanilla.

The kiss had now become more rough and passionate as our tongues battled for dominance. Anna's hands moved to my neck and mine moved up her back to tangle in her long, silky brown hair. My mind had officially become overthrown. I literally couldn't think or process anything. I was having a full-out snog session with my best friend. My best friend. What was I doing? I had a girlfriend that I hardly even got this from. Oh Cho… I couldn't do this. It wasn't right, no matter how right it might've felt at the time.

I unwillingly (which I thought was incredibly odd) broke the snogging and Anna looked at me with confused eyes. "Anna, we… we can't do this. It's not right. I have a girlfriend who happens to be a very close friend of yours. We just can't do this." I gently pushed her off of me to which she surprisingly complied, though I saw the look of disappointment on her face.

"It's fine. You're too good of a person." Her serious tone made me wonder if the alcohol had worn off already. I looked in her eyes and saw that some of the realness was coming back. But I was surely mistaken. She wouldn't have kept kissing me if she wasn't still drunk right?

After an awkward few minutes of silence, I felt her get up from the bed. "Anna, lie back down. You need to rest. You're not going back downstairs," I said firmly.

"No, I'm not-" but before she could finish what she was saying, she grabbed the waste basket next to my bed and emptied her stomach. It pained me to see her like this. I took the liberty of kneeling down next to her and holding her hair back. I noticed she had a hair tie on her wrist, so I took it and tied her hair back in a ponytail.

For the next hour, I kept rubbing her back and trying to calm her down. Somewhere in my mind though, I couldn't rid myself of the thought of us kissing. It was definitely wrong, but deep down, it felt… good. And even though I know she was drunk for all of it, I was sure she felt it too. My thoughts were stirred when I heard Anna speak.

"Cedric?" She croaked weakly.

"Yes Anna?"

"I think I'm better now. I need to freshen up."

"Alright, well you can use the bathroom. I'm sure no one's in there."

"Okay, I'll be back."

She was gone for about fifteen minutes and when she came back, she immediately smelled and looked better, though you could tell she'd been drinking. I noticed her hair was still tied back in the ponytail I did. She plopped down on the bed as soon as she came in.

"I'm exhausted. My head's killing me," she groaned.

"Same here. And this music isn't helping either."

"I'm gonna sleep. Thanks though for everything," she said, but her words were still loosely laced together.

"No problem. Just rest," I said. She moved closer to me, leaning her back against the headboard of my bed. She then rested her head on my shoulder before closing her eyes and drifting to sleep.

I looked to the sleeping girl that was resting on my shoulder and realized how beautiful she looked even when she wasn't awake. Her long, full eyelashes fluttered every so often when she'd breathe in and out softly. Even though the music was still playing insanely loud, it felt quiet in my room because Anna was with me. I carefully reached my arm around her to take out the hair tie to let her hair fall loose. It cascaded whimsically around her shoulders. I kept my arm around her shoulder and leaned my head against hers, breathing in her scent. Strawberry cream, she hasn't changed her perfume since the first time I met her. I smiled to myself, thinking of how far we've come in our friendship this year. Now, with me entering the tournament, what would happen if I was actually chosen? It made me realize how much I'd need her, and in turn, how much she'd need me.

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