Thirty-One:

Cedric isn't quite sure how exactly he managed to forget about the Yule Ball, but when Professor Sprout announced the upcoming event to her students he found himself blindsided somehow.

Thankfully he didn't seem to be the only one surprised by this news as he looked around the room he found several gobsmacked expressions.

"Are you excited?" Asked Jona boredly as they made their way to potions a bit later.

"I'm... not sure." Cedric replied honestly. "It will be a good opportunity to er..." he trailed off, not entirely sure how to phrase what he was thinking without coming off like a git.

Jona rolled his eyes. "You can just say 'show off', you're not fooling me."

"Rude." Cedric shoved him a bit before continuing. "I don't really like social functions though, honestly. They're draining."

"Yes, I supposed keeping up that facade for so long would be rather taxing." Jona deadpanned, shoving Cedric back. "I, personally, am excited."

Cedric was rather surprised by this. Though Jona greatly enjoyed reading and writing about romance he'd never been particularly interested in actually participating himself. "Are you? I thought you weren't interested in... all that."

"Oh, I'm not." Jona agreed briskly. "Aromantic and asexual I indeed am, but I'd like the opportunity to dance and eat good food." He grins mischievously. "Not to mention I get to watch all of you romantically inclined folks make fools of yourselves as you all try to find dates."

"Mmm, yeah I suppose I will have to get a date, won't I?"

Like sharks drawn to a drop of blood, the moment Cedric uttered the word "date" seemingly every female student in a 200 meter radius zeroed in on him. Their eyes watched him fixedly as they giggled and whispered among themselves.

Cedric felt a shiver run down his spine at the sight; he felt like a piece of raw meat dangling in front of a pack of hungry wolves. Jona however, seemed to find it quite funny.

"Hah! See?" He snickered as they passed by a gaggle of girls who followed his movement with beady, unwavering eyes. "Comedy gold. The look on your face is a treasure to behold, mate."

Cedric rolled his eyes, irritated by his friend's amusement. "So you're going to go stag then?"

The shorter boy hummed at this before sighing. "Well, I wouldn't mind going stag, but I'll probably end up going with Cesaria when she's inevitably unable to work up the courage to ask any of the girls she's interested in." A dark little smile curled across his face. "But, who cares about who I'm taking? I wanna know who the Hogwarts Heartthrob, Puff Prince, Cedric Diggory himself is gonna be asking to the ball!"

That was a good question, one that Cedric should've allocated time to awhile ago. Honestly with all the ruckus the First Task had caused he'd been too preoccupied to decide on a date. Rather silly of him.

After an extended amount of silence Jona leaned even closer, grinning conspiratorially. "Who do you want to be your date, mm?" He asked in a sing-song voice.

There was no one that Cedric could think of. He'd not really had a crush on anyone in... well... ever.

"Maybe I'm like you." Cedric said eventually. At Jona's uncomprehending look he elaborated, "Maybe I'm not interested in, y'know romance and stuff."

Jona's subsequent guffaw was a bit offensive; these sorts of admissions should be taken seriously. Cedric certainly never laughed when Jona shared his proclivities (or lack thereof) with him. His offense must have been apparent as the amused grin slipped from his friend's face, an apologetic look taking its place.

"I'm sorry, Ced' I don't mean to make fun. But, I'm fairly certain you aren't 'like me' as you put it. I think you just may not be very in tune with your emotions, or rather, I think you sometimes misinterpret them."

Cedric wasn't quite sure what to say to that. This was also a rather offensive statement. Did Jona think he was stupid or something? What sort of idiot doesn't understand their own emotions? This required elaboration.

"The Hell is that supposed to mean?"

Jona seemed to be getting a bit irritated, which Cedric thought was rather unfair considering he wasn't the one being insulted right now.

"Exactly what it sounds like, Cedric. You're bad at interpreting your emotions most especially when it comes to people who you're attracted to."

"Who're these supposed people I'm attracted to? I just said there's no one I'm interested in!"

Jona threw his hands up in the air and let out a frustrated "Augh! Fine then! Do your usual sociopathic bullshit then and take the most "strategic" person or whatever!" With that he stomped off, leaving Cedric in the dust as he angrily pushed past the students ahead of him.

"I will!" Cedric called back and then added after a moment, "And I'm not a sociopath, you prat!" he growled under his breath.

Despite saying that he would pick the most strategic person, Cedric had a hard time determining who exactly that person would be. He'd spent the rest of the week contemplating this and still hadn't come up with a good answer.

There were certainly a few women who came to mind, Fleur Delacour, namely. But, it would be very risky to ask someone so obviously desirable as she would be one of the few women who would consider rejecting him. He also did not want to come off as if he were fraternizing with the competition. People would think him pathetic if it seemed like he'd abandoned school pride for a pretty face.

Not to mention if he went with Fleur she would surely take the spotlight. He was handsome, sure, but certainly not as attractive as a part-veela. He needed to attend with someone who was just slightly less attractive than he was.

The majority of the other popular girls around his age were already in committed relationships. There were likely a few that would abandon their plain boyfriends for a chance to date Cedric, but he didn't want people to think he was some sort of homewrecker.

"You still haven't decided who you're taking?" Cesaria asked at lunch that Saturday. She was situated across from Cedric, picking away at a salad that she clearly didn't want, while Jona sat silently beside her, flipping through yet another trashy romance novel.

Things had seemingly gone back to normal after the small argument they'd had earlier that week, the only difference in the shorter boy's behavior was his refusal to talk about the upcoming ball with Cedric.

"You're one to talk." Cedric responded. "You've not asked anyone yet either."

She rolled her eyes, abandoning her unwanted plate entirely. "Yes, but I'm not the one with women constantly throwing themselves at me." He detected the tiniest hint of jealousy in her tone. "I certainly would've found someone by now if I had the luck you have with women."

Cedric had to resist the urge to say that it was not, in fact, luck and that he'd worked very hard to achieve the level of popularity he currently had. "Well, who would you have picked then?"

She blinked at him as if he'd just asked something extremely stupid. "Uh, Delacour, you know the fecking Veela?!"

"Quarter Veela." He couldn't help but correct.

"Oh whatever, you daft git. How on earth did you even manage to say no to her? She must've been using her allure or something when she asked you, cause I vividly remember thinking I'd happily hop off the Astronomy Tower if she asked me to at that moment."

Cedric had to fight to keep his face from crumpling in disdain. He'd certainly not found Delacour alluring when she approached him the previous evening. The heavy cloying scent that stuck to her had left him irritable and in no way interested in entertaining any of her requests. If it weren't for how everyone else had reacted to the woman Cedric would've questioned her supposed Veela status.

"Perhaps the same way he can somewhat resist the Imperius." Jona finally said. "Through sheer stubbornness."

Cesaria laughed as Cedric rolled his eyes in response.

"Anyway," Jona continued, fixing Cedric with an unwavering look. "Do you know who the other champions are taking?"

Cedric blinked, eyes narrowing at Jona's tone. "Something about your intonation tells me you already know."

"I do." Jona agreed. "Well, I'm not sure about Krum, though he has confirmed that he's got a date." he amended. "But, Roger somehow managed to bag Delacour."

"Roger?!" Cedric and Cesaria both exclaimed in unison. "As in your twin brother?"

"The very same." Jona nodded sagely. "I suspect foul-play is involved, but I haven't any evidence."

"Lucky duck..." sighed Cesaria wistfully.

"And what about H- Potter?" Cedric asked after finally recovering from the surprise. He presumed it would likely be the mousey little muggleborn that was always following him around. She was hardly worth Harry's time, but Cedric decided that she was at least reasonably loyal.

"He doesn't technically have a date yet, but the rumor is that he'll be asking Chang any day now, and we all know that she's gonna say yes."

Cedric froze, distracted by the distant buzzing that suddenly began to sound in his ears.

Chang as in Cho Chang?

He could hardly formulate a coherent thought beyond a general sense of confusion. Surely there was no way to respond to such a ridiculous statement. Cedric wanted to be incredulous, to laugh off this nonsensical claim and yet-

He looked up from where he'd been staring at his food, his eyes finding the Gryffindor table immediately. He searched, but Harry was nowhere to be seen.

Where was he? What was he doing? Could he be asking that stupid whore out at this very moment?

He turned to look at the Ravenclaw table and nearly let out a sigh of relief when he found Chang sitting there, surrounded by her usual posse.

She looked as monstrous as ever, a truly repellant sight to behold. Cedric simply couldn't understand why anyone would want to subject themselves to someone as ugly both inside and out as Cho Chang. Why did so many people like her? Why is it that from the very beginning of her time at Hogwarts she was blessed with the popularity that Cedric had to so carefully, so painstakingly cultivate? What has she done to deserve such regard?

Why does Harry like her? Why does he want her? What could she ever possibly have to offer one such as him?

What does she have that Cedric doesn't?

Her eyes caught his, pulling him from his musings.

She smiled.

He could fix this.

He smiled back.

-0v0-

Cho had been walking on cloud nine this past week after not just one, but both of her crushes asked her to the ball. This had come as quite the surprise; in truth, she'd only been expecting Harry's invitation as the sweet boy's longing looks that he would occasionally send her made it very clear that he returned her feelings.

However, Cedric's proposal had been quite out of the blue. His clipped and often cold responses to her flirting made it seem as though he was not interested in her in the slightest. Of course, that only made her want him more, Cho always seemed to want the unattainable.

She did feel a bit bad about having to turn Harry down, though. The disheartened look on his adorable little face was quite painful to behold, but alas, Cedric had gotten to her first.

If only she could have them both. She let out a wistful little sigh.

"Chang!" a voice called from behind her. She was currently in a darkened corridor, on her way back from the Library, not long before curfew.

She looked back to see a boy in Hufflepuff robes, as he got closer she recognized him as Cedric's close friend.

"Ah, Davies, hello." she greeted, trying not to sound confused by his approach.

He smiled a bit awkwardly, stopping a few feet away from her. He wasn't about to ask her to the ball too, was he? She certainly hoped not, that would make things with Cedric rather awkward.

"Yeah hi." he said, a little winded after jogging to catch up with her. "Sorry to bother, I know it's weird getting cornered like this."

"It's not a bother." Cho assured him, lying. "What's up?"

He seemed to deliberate for a moment, trying to find his words. "Er, so- Cedric asked you to the ball, yeah?"

"Yep." Cho confirmed, only barely restraining herself from rolling her eyes. Her and Cedric's coupling was common knowledge around the school at this point, there was no way Davies didn't know that.

"Tell him you changed your mind." He blurted out. "Don't go to the ball with him."

She spluttered, taken aback. "E- excuse me? Is this some roundabout way of asking me out?"

Davies seemed amused at this. "Hah, no no. You're lovely, but not my type, sorry." He was speaking more confidently at this point. "This is a warning, of sorts. Stay away from Cedric, he's not going to be any good for you."

Cho honestly wasn't sure what to make of this boy's audacity. Who the Hell did he think he was talking to? And what sort of person talks about their supposed best friend like that?

"I'm not breaking anything off with Cedric! What on earth is wrong with you?"

Davies sighed, looking rather put upon (the nerve of this boy), but then leveled her with a rather grave stare, his mouth in a thin, severe line.

"I need you to think for a moment, Chang. Really think. I know you're a smart girl, you weren't put in Ravenclaw for nothing. Up until he asked you to the ball did Cedric seem like he was at all attracted to you? Did he seem like he liked you in even a platonic sense?"

"Well... no." Cho replied honestly, though she was still unconvinced. "But, Cedric is shy, he didn't know how to talk to me, so he often came across as cold."

Davies scoffed, irritation striking across his face like lightning. "He told you that, did he?" Cedric had but, what did that have to do with anything? "Figures. Look, that wasn't shyness or any such nonsense. He does not like you, Chang. Not in the slightest. One might even go as far as to say that he actively dislikes you." He heaved a long sigh. "I'm not sure exactly why he asked you to this ball, but I've no doubt that the reason doesn't spell anything good for you. You need to get out of this before he hurts you."

Cho was taken aback at the urgency in Davies' tone. This seemed awfully dramatic, it was just a school dance. "What? You think he's going to attack me or something?"

"N- no, of course not!" Davies' voice wavered. "Nothing like that. I- Okay, I honestly don't know what he'll do, but I've no doubt you'll at the very least end up with a broken heart by the end of this."

"A broken- Oh..." It dawned on Cho quite suddenly exactly what was going on here. She should've realized it before, with the way that Davies was always hanging around Cedric, following him around like a lost puppy.

"I see what's going on here." She said aloud.

"You do?" blinked Davies. "Good, I was worried I wouldn't be able to-"

"You want Cedric for yourself."

"-convince you tha- wait what?"

Cho smirked at the dumbfounded look on Davies' face. "I must admit, you have the supportive friend act down to a T, Davies, but no supportive friend would ever try something like this unless they were jealous."

Davies blinked again, slack jawed. "Uh- wow that's just... so far off the mark I'm not ever sure what to say."

"Still denying it, hmm?" Cho sighed. "I get it. Having a crush on your straight best friend must be an uncomfortable situation, but I'm not backing down. Now that I have Cedric I'm not about to give him up. I won't tell him you tried to get between us, but you need to stop this, understand?"

Davies blinked yet again. "Er... right whatever. Sure thing, Chang."

She nodded curtly before turning around, leaving him standing there in the empty corridor.

"Welp," Jona shrugged, turning to make his way back to the Hufflepuff dormitory. "Can't say I didn't try."

A/N: Thanks for reading.