HP ficlet: Cheat [Cedric/Harry, general]
Title: Cheat Author: celandineb Fandom: HP Pairing: Cedric/Harry (preslash) Rating: general Length: 620 words Summary: Harry doesn't know why Cedric wants to talk to him, in private. Note: For quill_it, 100.3, prompt 33, "false". For elfflame, who wanted Cedric with this prompt.
"Harry, wait up, do you have a minute?"
"Er... not really. I have to be at Herbology in about four minutes," said Harry.
"Oh, right. Could you meet me after dinner tonight then, in the Charms classroom? By yourself," Cedric asked.
"I suppose so. Look, I'm going to be late. I'll see you then."
Harry hurried out to the greenhouses, puzzled as to why Cedric wanted to meet with him in private.
After dinner he waited as promised in Professor Flitwick's classroom. The moments ticked past and he was just beginning to wonder if Cedric had played him false, or if he had somehow misunderstood, when Cedric finally arrived.
"Sorry, Harry. Professor Sprout wanted to talk to me and I couldn't get away. I hope you haven't been waiting too long."
"That's okay." Harry shrugged. "Why did you want to talk to me?"
"I wanted to thank you again for warning me that the first task was dragons," said Cedric. "If I hadn't known ahead of time... well, let's just say that I'm not sure I would have made it through alive, all right? I was really impressed with how you handled yours, by the way."
"Thanks," said Harry. He was still confused as to why Cedric had felt the need to be so secretive about this. Perhaps it was because knowing about the dragons ahead of time had technically been cheating; even though all of the competitors knew about it, the rest of the school hadn't, and still didn't. "Um. Have you started trying to figure out the egg clue yet?"
Cedric shook his head. "I thought I'd take a little break, maybe begin trying over the holidays or at the beginning of next term. You?"
"Same here. My egg made a horrible noise when I opened it, so I thought maybe when fewer people were around would be good plan."
"Yeah." Cedric stepped a little nearer. "Although with the Yule Ball this year I don't know that there will be a lot fewer people around over the holiday."
"That's true." Harry made a face. "The Yule Ball. I still have to find someone to go with."
"Me, too." Cedric was very close to Harry now. "Harry..."
Harry had to tilt his head back to meet Cedric's eyes. "What?"
"I wish I could go with you," said Cedric softly, and kissed him.
Harry was too surprised to do anything for a moment, but then he found himself kissing Cedric back.
Cedric's arms around him were warm and strong and somehow reassuring, telling Harry that it was not wrong to be kissing Cedric here in the deserted Charms classroom. When the kiss ended, Harry gave Cedric a somewhat shaky smile.
"I wish I could go with you to the Ball, too."
Cedric smiled back. "Let's just see what happens at the Ball, then, whoever we each officially take as a date."
"One thing," said Harry. He felt awkward bringing it up, but it mattered a lot that Cedric not think him a liar. "I really didn't put my name in the Goblet. Do you believe me?"
"Yeah, I do. I know what happened to the Weasley twins, those beards sprouting. I don't see how you could have done it... and you'd have had to be crazy to want to, anyhow. I have three years of school on you and I don't think I know enough to make it through all the tasks, not if the next two are anything like the first. So yes, I believe you."
"All right then," said Harry, and shyly kissed Cedric once more. "I'd better go now or my friends will wonder where I am. I'll see you."