Chapter 34: The one where Apple becomes Cedric.

Disclaimer: I am just a mere visitor in the sublime world constructed by J.K Rowling. Anything that rings a bell is hers.

Chapter 33

I hid behind a suit of armour, waiting for the two prefects to move. Why did I feel like I was walking to the gallows, how ridiculously dramatic of me. I need to pull a Moody and start drinking from a personal flask - Bobby and Parvati aren't above slipping me a Character Changing potion or two for revenge about the whole Brad-Pitt-under-bed debacle.

I know Bobby saw me leave with George that night, I could smell that suffocating perfume anywhere. I also know that the only reason why they weren't telling the whole school was because I had walked in on them waxing their butt cheeks the other day. Seriously…there are some things once seen that cannot be unseen!

Mi's voice was still ringing in my head, in all its bossy wonder. But I couldn't get that sincere look Harry had given me out of my head…I reached the basement and muttered the password.

Anyway, this whole thing is hypothetical; maybe Apple kisses all his female friends on the forehead. And maybe he didn't want to go to the ball with me. Maybe he liked having a casual no-labelled relationship. All these maybes flew out of my head when I walked into the small room.

Bobby and Parvati may be insipid sycophants, but they had a point; Apple was a work of art. I watched him adjusting the pillows on the floor, his handsome face deep in concentration and his long body bent over. He looked up and I caught his charcoal grey eyes, and I must have blushed because he smirked. He straightened up and I saw that he wore light blue jeans and a grey tee that made his eyes pop. Did I just say eyes pop? I hovered at the door, and he walked forward,

"You're early."

I smirked, "Don't tell anybody. I have a reputation to uphold."

He chuckled, "I wouldn't dare. Stop that…"

He tugged at my chin, and I stopped biting my bottom lip, a nervous habit I had. He left his hand on my chin for a few seconds and stared deep into my face…he dropped his hand and turned around. "There's hot chocolate and chocolate sundaes…I didn't know whether you were feeling hot or cold."

I dropped down into the pillow and realised he was waiting for a response, "Surprise me."

He smirked and started busying himself, "My mother always said that food and drink should be as handmade as possible. Said magic sometimes takes away the personality of the dish. Her one exception is potatoes; she says no woman should cut her own potatoes."

"Smart woman your mother." I took the hot chocolate that he passed me; he put little marshmallows and topped it with cream. I gulped down the first half and he smiled at me, and I shrugged. I realised that I had a milk moustache and instead of licking it away I started fidgeting with it.

"What on earth are you doing?"

I stopped adjusting it and faked a man's voice, "There is a stick. A long thin stick. It is up my arse. Come Weatherby…help me remove it." He laughed at me,

"Is that Crouch you're doing? You're horrible at impersonations you know that."

"Everybody is a critic. It's your turn now."

I expected him to protest but I think he knew better than that. He picked up a pillow from the floor and shoved it under his shirt. He stood up with his chest sticking out and started speaking in a horrible French accent.

"Ze wallz ar' so ugleee. Ze food iz so bland. Ze boyz are too manleee. Ze girlz ar 'too fet." I laughed at him,

"I didn't know you had a problem with Fleur Delacour."

He pulled the pillow out from under his shirt and lightly tossed it on my head. "I don't…I was doing Madam Maxime. I guess they're not far off."

He lay across the pillows, and he practically stretched the breadth of the room. He propped his head up on one hand and grabbed a few strands of my hair with the other. He ran the strands between his thumb and index finger. I sat quietly fidgeting with the hem of my tee.

"Ky?"

"Apple?"

He didn't flinch like he usually did at the unusual nickname. He caught my gaze and held it there. That look he gave me did weird things to my skin, and my blood. It heated it and sent it to all the wrong areas; I was trying to do the impossible and stop my blood flow north and hide a blush.

He traced my cheek bone with his index finger and then cupped my whole cheek; it was like instinct moving into his action. My throat was dry, and I was sure if I opened my mouth I would croak. He moved closer and adjusted himself so that his face was almost touching mine. Almost. I licked my lips, another involuntary action, one that didn't go unnoticed by him. He moved his hand from my cheek and traced my lower lip and my breath literally caught in my throat. It came back with a vengeance, and my breathing rate had my chest rising and falling quickly in anticipation. Suddenly the only thing I wanted was for Apple to put his lips on mine, I tried conveying the message in my eyes, a stare we did not break for minutes.

"You're exquisite."

Nobody ever said anything like that to me before. I was told I was pretty by Linus and Len, and I knew I wasn't ugly because boys did look. But exquisite…and the way he said it. He smirked at me and ran his thumb against my cheeks, "For someone so feisty, you blush like a pretty little princess."

I rolled my eyes at that; I was far from a princess. Made brave by thoughts unknown I reached forward and touched his face. He had very defined chiselled features and I didn't know what I wanted to touch first. Prominent cheek bones, thin but soft long lips…I adjusted myself, so I was sitting with my legs tucked underneath me, observing him like a specimen. I decided to run my hand across his cheek and the most exhilarating feeling ran up my arm. He had a 5 'o clock shadow that left him looking slightly rugged and the texture enticed my smooth skin in weird ways. I ran my hand up and down his cheek and he smiled at me, showing his white teeth and at this close proximity I could smell his toothpaste mingled with that cologne he wore and his aftershave. I wondered what I smelt like to him.

He changed positions again, grabbing both my hands to steady me and leaning flat down on the pillow and pulling me down with him. He placed my hands on either side of him, preventing me from falling right on him. I hovered above him, my hair cascading down, falling on his face…his chest. I finally broke eye contact to stare at his chest, which I could practically see through the thin shirt. The sudden urge to rip the shirt came over me and I was shocked at myself, and my face became heated. When I looked back to his face, there was no sign of a smile, and his eyes were on fire. I gulped, my mouth feeling like sandpaper.

Suddenly with agility I didn't know he possessed he swapped positions. I lay on my back, breathing heavy, and eyes wide in shock set against the red canvas which must have been my face. He didn't hold eye contact for long and stared at the powerful rise and fall of my chest, a stare that did weird things to said area. He slowly let go of my hands and placed his fingers on the space between my tee and sweatpants and I gasped at the contact. He looked up at me and found my gaze and held it firmly as he ran feather light touches across my tummy. I didn't even realise I did it until I felt the softness of his hair between my fingers, and he let out a soft groan and I pulled his face towards me. I practically squirmed to make up the space between our two bodies as his face slowly descended towards mine. My heart stopped and my brain was in a haze.

There was no touchdown though and I was about to move my face to his when I felt his lip at my right ear. He pecked at the lobe quickly and the weird sensation increased the temperature by five degrees. He spoke in a husky voice that dripped with what I could only label as hunger…as need…

"Ky…be mine." It wasn't a question. A simple statement that tore me at the seams. He looked me in the eye, and I could feel the pillow move beneath my head as I nodded fervently. He smiled and moved closer, his dark grey eyes holding me there….and suddenly the grey eyes were not there anymore, they were green and sincere.

"Stop."

I didn't say it loudly, a soft whisper that escaped my lips. His reaction was so quick that you would have thought I screeched it at him, in a matter of moments he was off me and standing, breathing heavily.

"Fuck…I'm so sorry. I wasn't supposed…I was just supposed to…and then you looks so fucking…. fuck Ky I'm so sorry that I scared you. I forget that you-"

I scrambled to my feet feeling like the world's biggest idiot. I shushed him with my hand,

"I didn't mean stop. I meant pause. I want to kiss you. I'm going to kiss you, probably for the next hour or so. I just think we should sort some stuff out before we…get preoccupied."

He looked slightly less stressed at that, "Of course. I mean that was my whole intention from the beginning before the…. well. I like you."

I looked at him as he stared at me with honesty, "I like you." I replied. He smirked,

"What I mean to say is…I like you like in a way that made me realise that I haven't truly liked a girl before. You do things to me that I didn't even know could be done. I think about you in class and laugh to myself at the odd things you say and let's not start with the dreams…"He shook his head, a chuckle falling off his lips, "In all my years in Hogwarts I don't ever remember feeling as free and comfortable as I do than when I am with you. So, what I'm saying Ky is that I like you, and I want you."

I smiled at him and fought the urge to jump on him right there, "I want you too. I didn't even think the things certain parts of me are doing could be done. And you're one of my favourite people. Nobody makes me act the way you do…oh screw all the emotional parts, it's so hot I think I'm going to explode." I really did feel that way and I was fanning myself.

"I can help with that." He took a step forward, but I stopped him again.

"What exactly do you want from me?"

He looked confused for a few seconds and then seemed to have understood something. He gave me a reassuring smile, "Ky, I know you're younger and more inexperienced and I'm never ever going to force you to do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable or awkward."

"Like hell you won't. If all that…touching was making me feel like this, I want more, and you don't shouldn't hold back just because I'm less experienced than you are…something I plan on rectifying soon and with much haste. I didn't mean physically…I mean…emotionally."

"Well obviously this is not going to be one prolonged snogfest. I would never do that to you. I've never had what people consider a proper girlfriend before and I plan on doing everything right by you. I know I'm busy with this tournament but I'm there when you need me, to walk you to classes, to sit with you at lunch…"He looked down, his face slightly red, "You don't know how many times I looked over at you in the Great Hall and just wanted to come over…to be the one that was making you laugh."

I remained silent for a few seconds, "I don't need that…I'm not going to be one of those clingy girlfriends that will want you to spend all your time on her."

"I know you won't be…but I do really want to spend all my time with you."

"And I want to spend time with you."

"Good…now that that's settled." He stepped forward and I stepped back,

"It's just that I can't. At least not right now…" He looked at me, his mouth hanging open in confusion. I continued. "I want to be your…"Ugh I couldn't say girlfriend, it felt like such a weird concept, "person. I want to sit with you at lunch and piggyback on you to classrooms and the whole nine yards. It's just that we can't. Not now at least. Not with this tournament…Harry-"

"Is that what this is about? Did your friends say-"

"No! Nobody said anything. I just know what it would look like if we had to start dating."

His face was red for all the wrong reasons and his nostrils flared, "What would it look like Ky?"

"That I've made a choice about who I believe is the real Hogwarts champion," It sounded just as stupid coming out of my mouth as it did in my head. But Harry's eyes kept replaying in my head.

Apple blinked and shook his head, and I realised what he must have thought that meant. "I believe you're the real Hogwarts Champion. I really do. It's just that I also believe in Harry. He really didn't put his name in the cup, and he had to deal with a lot of crap from the whole school about this and he's got so few people that really support him, I just don't think our friendship can survive this. He is the first friend I made in this world…I don't want to be the person that throws away a friendship for a romantic relationship."

He didn't seem to be listening, shaking his head continuously, his hands in tight fists. My heart literally hurt, I physically hurt looking at him and I was so frustrated that I couldn't make him understand what I meant. "I want to be yours Cedric! I do like you. Why can't we just continue like this for a few more months…the tournament will be over soon and who needs the world to know our business. It's our business. Our feelings wouldn't change."

"EVERYTHING WILL CHANGE KY! Everything! Do you know how I feel about you! Fuck! I want to shout it out in the middle of the Great Hall that you're my girlfriend. That you're mine! That you belong to me…with me. Yet you…you want some hidden relationship. Some sleazy relationship where we meet in little rooms like this, make out and then run off back to our friends and pretend nothing the fuck happened." He started moving for the door and I grabbed his hand, but he threw me of.

"Cedric that's not what it would be like, you're too angry to see it now. It'll be simple and personal-"

"No Ky. It would be convenient. Convenient because you won't lose your little friend over it."

"Cedric I-"

"Shut up!" I flinched at the thunder in his voice. "You obviously made your mind up before you even got here today and I'm a fucking idiot for even telling you half the things I did. I thought you were different…I guess you are…just in the wrong way." He walked away and stopped in the doorway, breathing heavy, "You know most of the school is out there with their support Cedric Diggory badges…yet the only person…the one person that I want…that I need to have one…"

"Cedric-"

But he left. He was gone just like that. I dropped down to the floor…there was no pillow there.

A/N: Well, that was eventful. I think Ky needs to learn you can't get everything you want in life, and you can't please everybody. I think Cedric needs to learn a bit about how to deal with rejection…something I suspect he canonically hasn't dealt with too often. Thoughts on how she handled this?

Kalina