I clung onto Cedric's arm as he guided me through the mob of sweaty, mostly drunken Hufflepuffs in their common room. The music was blasting so loudly, I could feel the vibrations from the bass pounding in my chest and rising up to my ears, feeling like they would pop at any given moment.

My grasp on his forearm was tight as he was weaving his way through the crowd, saying a quick "hello" to anyone giving him a passing congratulations on catching the snitch. I kept my eyes glued to the back of his head, the honey-brown highlights of his hair that I loved being hidden by the dimmed light of the party.

I noticed a few familiar faces either out dancing or huddled up in a corner that certainly weren't from Hufflepuff. Mostly the outsiders were Gryffindor, but there were a healthy amount of Ravenclaws and a sprinkling of Slytherins scattered about.

We had just spent some time in a corner with his best friends chatting away (as much as we could, anyway) and laughing together over things in our lives. It felt natural, like old times, just inserting myself into their group since Cedric wanted me there. But after a long while, he pulled me away and dragged me from the group.

"Fancy a dance?" Cedric's head was lowered so that his lips were close to my ear. Under any other circumstances, I'd be putty in his hands, but seeing as he was almost shouting it to be heard, I was mostly unaffected.

"Anything you want, seeker," I smiled up, earning a pleased grin from him.

I probably should have noticed, but the whole time he had been leading us to the center of the common room, wedged right between sweaty bodies of dancing Hufflepuffs. I tried to keep a slight distance from him to start, but nondescript students bumped into me from every which way, causing Cedric and I to be pressed up against each other in no time.

Us being so close felt tensely awkward at first, but the combination of his familiar touch and everyone else's proximity keeping us together made it all seem natural in just a short while. The warmth of his body was radiating onto me and it heated me up even more than I already was.

Cedric was completely unlike any other person at the party. He seemed happy and content by just being there, acknowledging a few of his friends as they passed by, but otherwise keeping his focus entirely on me. Apart from intervals of just a few seconds to see his housemates, his gaze didn't stray from mine once. Like although we were swarmed by masses of people, I was the only person he saw.

The lighting was dark, but his eyes bore into mine. Small rays of light bounced off his blue eyes and made him appear all the more mysterious and handsome as I saw myself reflected in his widened pupils. The dim lighting and our bodies pressed together made it so that although I couldn't see everything, I could feel his every thought. When I wrapped my arms around his neck and his breath hitched, or when his arms around my waist made his fingertips tremble. I could sense how I made him react physically, which I could only assume equated to how he was emotionally.

The only caveat to that being he could do the same to me; he could tell what I was feeling without me having to say it. There was no doubt he knew that my hands sliding down from his shoulders to arms meant I was reveling in how good he felt, or pressing my nose into the crook of his neck meant I was trying to further consume myself in his scent.

There was something comforting about his scent; it was the same sensation as coming home to a warm dinner or snuggling up on the couch reading a book. In fact, there was something comforting just about him. He never failed to settle my nerves, and although he made me flush or teased me romantically, I felt safe in his presence. The type of safe that you never want to leave, and if I let go of him, I'd be giving up that feeling.

That was why even when he pulled away and asked me to follow him for a break from dancing, I clung to his arm like my life depended on it. I'd been without his feeling of security for so long since we broke up that I needed to make up for lost time somehow, unfortunately still with him.

He brought me over to a far corner away from the party which I remembered well from the times I'd snuck in here before in the past two years. Cedric came upon a shelf fastened with Hufflepuff memorabilia and whispered some revealing spell, which cast aside the shelf and appeared a secret room behind the shelf.

There were plenty of other students in here, as well. Some were drinking or making out with their partners, doing Merlin knows what else. But for the most part, it was much quieter. The muffled pounding of the sound from the main room was audible, and I could still feel the, lessened but still present, vibrations in my chest from the noise. Like in the main room, there were a variety of other students, all from different houses.

My grasp on Cedric's forearm slipped down to his fingers as he led me over to a couch on the right side of the room. "This one fine?" he asked at a normal volume, motioning to the couch which I remembered all too well from years past. My fingers lightly tangled with his until we sat down, pulling away.

"It's perfect," I took a seat beside him, this time making sure to put some space between us. It wasn't an uncomfortable amount, but there were a few inches between each other's bodies which we did not account for while dancing.

My cheeks were hot and red, but I couldn't tell if that was from the dancing or the way I felt being with Cedric again tonight.

I think he noticed I was feeling a bit flushed, since he used wandless magic to fill up some cups and brought them over to us. He was showing off his skills a little, but I didn't mind. It was actually sort of cute that he was doing anything just to get my attention, as if he didn't already have it.

"Thanks, Ced," I sipped from the cup, trying to hydrate a little. The drink felt cool and relaxing as it flowed down my throat.

When I lowered the cup from my lips, I took the opportunity to gaze around the room. I hadn't been there in some time, but places like that never change, save for the people coming and going.

I noticed some of Cedric's Hufflepuff friends, some Ravenclaws and Gryffindors fraternizing, however my high came tumbling down when I saw Draco and Blaise huddled closely in one of the corners, opposite where Cedric and I were sat.

They weren't wearing any green or anything that would necessarily give away that they were Slytherins. Combined with the fact that most of the students here were in a hazed state, they probably slipped in unnoticed. They wore dark colors, which probably aided in being incognito.

Cedric followed my eyes and noticed them sitting there, essentially facing us since we were in opposite sides of the room. "Didn't expect to see them here," he drank from his cup.

"They have more nerve than I thought if they'd show up here after losing like that... after what he did to you."

He grinned playfully. "A little inter-house rivalry is always fun."

"I was invited, is the difference. Malfoy could've seriously hurt you with knocking you off your broom like that."

"With a scrawny figure like that? Malfoy couldn't hurt a fly."

I laughed. "Even so, it was a terrible thing to do. I don't know why he'd bother to come here and not cause some commotion. Not that he's in any position to do so, but..."

"Don't let him get under your skin. I know how much you hate him."

"You have no idea."

He shrugged, clearly not understanding my real meaning (which I was happy about). After another glance over at Draco and Blaise, I realized he was staring back at us, only more intensely.

His eyes shifted between Cedric and I rapidly, then whispered something to Blaise before repeating the process. It looked like they were gossiping about us, but there was nothing necessarily scandalous about the way we were together. Unless they saw us dancing together...

"We can go somewhere else?" Cedric suggested. "I don't want you uncomfortable with them being here. Malfoy can never just keep to himself..."

For a moment I wanted to, just to escape being in his line of sight. The way he was staring with the unnerving grimace on his lips made me want to go back in the main room just to avoid him altogether.

However, that would be accepting defeat. He'd know that he succeeded in making me uneasy, and I wouldn't have that.

"He can stare all he wants," I told Cedric, leaning back into the couch and getting comfortable. I took note of how Draco stiffened up and sneered at this.

"Of course," he grinned, mimicking my actions. He tapped the cup in his hands and traced the rim of it with his index finger, like he was nervous or trying to take his mind off something. The way he avoided my gaze affirmed this suspicion I had.

Right then, I should only be focusing on Cedric. Forget Draco across the room; he doesn't deserve anyone's attention after what he pulled today.

"Penny for your thoughts?" I mused.

He took a deep breath in, then exhaled accordingly. He shook his head lightly and looked up to make eye contact with me. The lighting in this room was slightly brighter than in the main room, so we could have a more decent conversation.

"It just feels a bit strange," he dryly chuckled, to alleviate some tension. "Us, being here together."

"I know what you mean. Things are different now, after all."

"Are they really, though?"

At first, I was tempted to ask what he meant by that. Of course, we were broken up, and unbeknownst to him, I was actually married... and to the boy who was sitting in the same room as us. But to him, all he saw was two teenagers who were shamelessly flirting with each other as they danced ever so closely to one another. I couldn't blame him for whatever thoughts were running through his head.

"One thing is, anyway."

We're not together.

He seemingly picked up on what I was insinuating and dropped it. He continued tracing the rim of his cup like he was lost in thought. I decided to break the silence by asking something more light-hearted.

"Is this party everything you thought it'd be? It's in your honor, after all."

A grin tugged on his lips, seemingly cheering him up a tad.

"It's been fine. I've been to plenty of these before, they're all the same. Drunken students just doing whatever they want for a few hours... I could take it or leave it."

"What would you rather be doing then?"

He scanned me up and down with a smirk playing on his lips. "Us talking is perfect enough."

The same blush from before took its place on my cheeks again, but this time I was sure it was from how Cedric was making me feel.

"You're extra flirty tonight, Ced," I lightly shoved his arm.

"You asked what I'd rather be doing and this is it," he smiled, before a look of concern came over him. "I apologize if I'm making you uncomfortable?"

I shook my head, "No, you're not. I'm just getting used to us being so close again."

"After our dance in there, I thought that's what you wanted? At least... in the moment you did."

Poor Cedric. For a second, I feared that I was leading him on.

But was I really? Leading him on? No, not really. I liked him. I wasn't just stringing along his emotions for my own entertainment; if anything, I was suffering more than he was. I actually knew that I couldn't have him, but he must have been under the assumption that we might get back together. He held out some hope. I had none since I knew better.

"Ced," I started, looking up at his eyes which were curiously staring back at me. "I think we should get something straight about tonight."

"Go on..." he sipped his drink.

"I don't know if I've given you the wrong impression, but this isn't a date. I thought our talk in my dorm the other day would have cleared that up; we're just friends."

I could see that hope he was holding out dissolve as I spoke. Deep down he must have known it to be true, but I'm sure that didn't mean it hurt any less when I said it.

"Right... friends. Friends who dance like that together. I... can live with that," he grimaced.

It was very obvious that he most certainly wasn't alright with it, but Cedric was too much of a gentleman to protest any further. If he argued, it would mean he didn't respect my decision, which wasn't in his nature to do so.

I brought my hand up to run my fingers through his hair. It was slightly damp with sweat, but there was no doubt mine was, too. I brushed a few strands off his forehead.

"I'm sorry, Ced. I probably shouldn't have done that. I mean, I wanted to dance with you, but I should've... restrained myself more."

"Restrained?" his eyes perked up. "So you do feel something?"

I dropped my hand immediately, pulling it back to my lap. "Let's not worry about it, okay? I'm a little tired, I think I'm going back to my dorm."

"This early?" he inquired skeptically, earning a nod from me. He hummed. "At least let me walk you back, then."

I wanted to protest, but he stood up and swiftly grabbed my hands to pull me up flush against him once more. I coughed and moved a few inches back from him, putting some distance between us which he definitely noticed.

Unlike before, I didn't hold onto Cedric's arm as we weaved through the hoards of people, I just remained a close distance behind him where we wouldn't be separated. He seemed less jovial than before, for obvious reasons. Now, when someone tried to grab his attention, his responses were shorter and less interactive than before.

We walked in silence back to the Slytherin common room. Luckily the Hufflepuff and Slytherin rooms are both on the same basement level which meant the walk over wasn't excruciatingly far. The only issue was the tension between us, growing with each step we took or breath exhaled.

"Listen, I wanted to thank you for coming," Cedric voiced, when we neared the blank wall which guards the common room. "I know things may not have ended the best, but until then, the night was very fun," he smiled.

What pained me the most was how through it all, Cedric was still as gentlemanly as ever. I'd just flirted with him and arguably toyed with his emotions before telling him we're just friends, and he still had the decency to walk me back to my house to make sure I was safe and sound, all with a smile on his face. Albeit, the smile may have been fake just to appear happier than he actually was, but his efforts did not go unnoticed.

I looked up at him with a smile parallel to his. "Of course, thank you for inviting me. I actually had a very good time... probably the best I've had in a long time."

"It was very nostalgic, almost. Of all the good times we used to have, and still have, clearly."

"Maybe next time you absolutely crush my house in a quidditch match we can do something else. Something more... calm," I mused. He seemed happy I suggested a next time would even be happening.

"As much as I'm looking forward to the next time, I have something for you now."

Oh, no. My mind scrambled of whatever it could be while he reached into his pocket and rummaged around. I prayed it was nothing overly romantic, not a necklace, or God forbid: a ring. I wouldn't know how to react if he offered me something so romantic and I would have to refuse it—

The snitch.

In the midst of my worrying, he had reached for my hand, opened up my fingers and dropped the small ball right in my palm.

"This?" I inquired, looking up at him.

I raised it up to get a better look at it. I'd never actually touched one before, just seen it at games. I'd never played quidditch and it was always so fascinating to me. Such a small little thing, yet so fast when activated. The way it flitted its wings across the pitch was so interesting; it could travel at such fast speeds and toy with the players whenever it wanted. Not to mention how gorgeous it was: the gold with silver accents made it look like a tiny trophy.

"I remember how you said you always wanted one. I was too stupid to give it to you then; I shouldn't have been collecting them like they were coins..." he shook his head, voice trailing off before he cleared his throat. "Anyway, after today's win, I insisted Hooch let me keep it. It's yours now."

I grabbed his hand and tried desperately to shove the snitch back into his palm. "No way, Cedric. You won, this is rightfully yours—"

"And I'm giving it to you. Please, don't think of it as anything more than it is."

"What is it, exactly?"

"A gift. From... a friend."

—

A/N: Howdy, y'all! I'm excited for you all to see the next couple chapters... HEAVY Draco content, including an assignment AND a special event pushing them closer together. I've already written them ahead of time and they're my favorites so far!

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Thank you, lovely readers! Xoxo