polaroids (cedric diggory)

nine

Cedric couldn't help but smile at Aria as she shook some hair from her face as she pulled her beanie off.

The Hufflepuff threaded through the noisy crowd a few minutes later, four amber glasses between his hands as he placed them on the wooden table and sat on the chair beside Bella.

"What's your plans for after school?" Bella asked Aria, with a smile.

"Well I have this one crazy dream but that's never going to happen. But realistically, I want to be an Auror."

"That's awesome! I was thinking of becoming a Healer, but my Potions grade isn't great, I'm too scared of Snape."

"I could help you study? I'm nicer than Snape and it's one of my better subjects." Aria suggested.

Cedric smiled at her, "One night when we were patrolling, she said Snape isn't even that bad. So she's basically amazing!" Aria's cheek flushed red at his compliment and she focused her eyes on the table.

"Are you sure?" Bella asked excitedly.

Aria looked up, "If you want to be a Healer, than of course!"

Bella's smile, even it was even possible, grew larger, "Cedric, can we please keep her?"

Aria looked between the three in happy confusion, "I guess?" Cedric answered happily.

Cedric chuckled, taking a sip of his butterbeer, "Bella must really like you."
"Why?" She chuckled, turning to face him, noticing he had now a line of froth just above his lip, "Oh Cedric, you have a... It doesn't matter, I'll get it."

Aria slowly brought her hand up to his face, cleaning the butterbeer of with her thumb, "There you go."

Both of them blushed looking the other way, Bella smiling in delight and Ethan winking to Cedric.

"Hey I was thinking..." Ethan spoke, "in your family everyone is so good at Quidditch... What about you?"

"Well, me and my family always play when we have the time, especially on Easter. We have an annual Quidditch Easter game every year. So you could say that I know some things." She answered with a smile.

"Really, you couldn't tell your prefect buddy that you play Quidditch!" Cedric said, touching his chest, acting hurt.

"Yeah, well I don't like to talk about it." Aria admitted.

"We should play sometimes!" Cedric said excitedly.
"Yeah, we should. Do you guys know how to play?" Aria asked the twins.

"Yeah, I am a part of the Quidditch team." Bella said with a smile.

"And I like Herbology." Ethan said, and everyone started laughing.

After some more talking and slurping the amber liquid, Aria asked, "Hey can I ask you guys for something?" they all nodded, "Can I take a polaroid of us?" she asked, turning to Cedric and smiling at him, him already looking at her with excitement. They agreed, asking Madam Rosmerta to take a picture of them. It actually turned out great, due to bad pub lighting. Aria put her camera and the polaroid back in her rucksack, smiling at the thought she made new friends and new memories

-

An hour later, the four of them had survived the journey back up to the castle. The twins went to their Common Room, and the Birthday boy and the Gryffindor were now warming themselves by one of the fires in the Great Hall. Lunch will soon start, so it was still pretty empty. Aria rubbed her hands together and inched closer to the fire.

"You still freezing?" Cedric asked her, taking her hands in his one of his own and pulling her into his chest, using his spare hand to take off his jacket and place it around her.

"Cedric, you really don't have to," Aria looked at him, "you will get cold."

"I'm already warm enough and I'd get killed by your brothers, if I let you freeze."

Some time passed and Cedric spoke up, "Hey, what's that crazy dream, you think is never going to happen?"

Aria looked at him, "I know this is going to seem a bit pathetic but..." she looked down with a frown, "Well, when I was going through a hard time... Art and creativity helped me a lot. Other people's and mine." She said looking to the roaring fire, Cedric was looking at her with a spark in his eyes, listening to her carefully.

"And I decided, I also want to create. From drawing to poetry to music. So I could help others with it, the way others helped me." Aria finished locking eyes with Cedric, him looking at her with a sad smile.

Aria sat up from his embrace still staring in his soul, "And I know is never going to happen, but I still want to make it somehow happen."

"I think if you want to make it happen, it will!" He finally spoke.
Cedric smiled, "I would love to see your art, can you show me someday?"

"Uhm, I'm not sure... I'm not that
talented..." she said looking down.

"Oh shut up Aria, I already know you have potential, and I haven't seen a thing. Which I would love to! Can that be my real birthday present?" he smiled.

She looked up meeting his eyes, "Oh fine, I will bring my sketchbook! Come to the library once or I'll bring it when we go patrolling." She rolled her eyes with a smile.

After that they sat like that for a while, at least it seemed that way to them, with her back against his chest, just watching the fire roar.

-

Shrugging off her coat, Aria hung it on one of the corners of her bed, changing into some warmer clothes for dinner.

"Aria Weasley," Tayla smirked as she entered the dormitory, "a little birdie told me they saw you go to Hogsmeade with Diggory."

She couldn't contain her smile that broke onto her face, pulling Tayla onto her bed and recounting the details.

"It was his birthday, just a butterbeer with him and his friends."

Tayla gasped, holding the side of Aria's shoulders, "You've met his friends?"

"Yeah, they seem really sweet, actually. I've said I'd help one of them study Potions," she smiled, "Bella Wood. And her twin Ethan, he's quite quiet, but apparently he is always like that. They are younger siblings of Oliver Wood."

Tayla screamed, "This changes everything! You've met his friends, on his birthday, in Hogsmeade and he invited you!" Tayla hugged Aria, the pair of them falling back onto the bed and just lying there, like they had done a lot in first year.

"I don't get why everyone is making such a big deal out of it." Aria confessed, "I mean sure, it's the Cedric Diggory. But he must have hundreds of girls throwing themselves at his feet, so why would he choose me?"

Tayla shot upright, "You have liked that boy for as long as I can remember! You're Aria effing Weasley, show those girls who's boss!"