Characters: Cedric Diggory and Cho Chang Setting: Flying Club, backdated to Saturday 15/12 Summary: Cedric asks Cho to the Yule Ball. I wonder what she'll say... Status: Complete
--
There seemed to be more people than usual at flying club. As far as Cedric could tell, some of them didn’t even make much of effort to take to the air. He’d gotten used to having a crowd when he walked the hallways, but this was something else entirely.
It must be because of the Yule Ball. Cedric thanked his lucky stars that boys still did the asking - not that he’d mind if a certain girl asked him to the Ball - or else he’d be letting people down constantly. He wondered how Fleur coped.
He spotted Cho up ahead, and suddenly he was wondering how she coped. Was he too late again? She did go to Hogsmeade with Seb, after all. The Ball could be a natural progression.
He zipped closer to her side. No time to waste. “Hey, Cho.”
Flying Club was a nice break from Cho’s recent attempts at matchmaking. Scheming didn’t come naturally to her, and it was actually proving to be a lot of work! But when she was in the air, she wasn’t thinking about any of that. She was just... flying.
To be more specific, she was flying in wide laps around the pitch, trying to find the optimal speed to keep her blood pumping but to avoid wind chill. Winter in Scotland was a serious affair, and though she’d played matches in these conditions, there was always the helpful addition of adrenaline.
Though, she thought she felt a little spike of adrenaline when she saw who was flying beside her. “Hi Cedric,” she replied, flashing him a small smile.
“Three Seekers in the tournament and only Harry thought of flying,” he said with a wry smile. “Still, would have made it a bit less interesting for spectators, eh?”
“Well, I wouldn’t have minded seeing Krum fly,” Cho admitted before conceding, “but I’m sure other spectators appreciated the variety. That was a good bit of transfiguration, with the dog.”
Cedric shrugged off the compliment. “Wasn’t my best, but thank you.”
He opened the distance between them slightly, so if the answer was no he could make a dignified exit. “Cho, I was thinking...well, what I would like is...are you going to the ball?”
“Of course I’m going to the ball,” Cho replied, turning her head to fully look at Cedric. Was he asking what she thought he was asking? Should she tell him that she doesn’t have a date yet, or would that seem desperate? Should she ask him if he was going, too? But of course he was going; all the champions were going. She didn’t know what else to say, so she didn’t say anything else.
“Oh. Who are you going with?”
“I... I’m not going with anybody.” Cho was flustered. So he wasn’t going to ask her, then? “I suppose I’ll go with friends, or...”
From despair to hope. “How about with me?”
For a moment Cho feared she would fall off her broom.
“I’d love to go to the ball with you.”
Cedric beamed. “Really? I mean, that’s brilliant. That’s bloody awesome, actually. I don’t know what to say now.” He laughed. “Shall I head up to Ravenclaw Tower on the night, pick you up, escort you down, the whole works? Or do you want to keep it casual?”
Cho could feel her cheeks flushing. “Yeah, you could pick me up from Ravenclaw Tower if you want.” It sounded so romantic! She’d been on dates before, of course, but they were always more casual.