Title: Not the best way 

Pairing: Cedric Diggory x Gryffindor!Female!Reader

Word count: 3.2k 

Published: 31 December, 2020

Author: Heloise Daphne Brightmore

Notes: This is my last fic for 2020 so with this, happy New Year my lovelies <3 See you next year!

Cedric Diggory was known to be a handsome young man, captain of the Hufflepuff quidditch team, prefect of his house, popular with many Hogwarts students. Though he never used his good looks to get closer to people, he maintained his fame by being witty and kind. Most of the time.

You did not like Cedric. Not because he was everywhere you went, not because everyone seemed to want to talk about him, not because he was indeed dashingly handsome. You didn't like the boy because he seemed to be kind to everyone, having a good laugh with whoever he could, except you.

You didn't know how you deserved it, it's been ongoing for 3 years. You weren't particularly rude to each other, but certainly tried to overpower one another. You both had a competitive side, both of you had your strength and weaknesses and you weren't afraid of showing it.

You sat in the library, working on your charms essay, flipping through the pages you have already written, when someone flopped down in the chair across you, loudly dropping their heavy books on the wooden table, which earned a deadly glare from Madam Pince.

You looked up with an annoyed expression, meeting Cedric Diggory himself. You scoffed at the sight of him and rolled your eyes, wordlessly, but very obviously letting him know that you were anything but happy about his arrival.

"Nice to see you too." He grinned happily, but his enthusiasm irritated you even more.

"What do you want?" You asked as you propped your elbow on the table and placed your chin in your palm.

"What would I want to do in a library? Study, of course." He replied in a matter-of-fact tone. You didn't believe a word he said, you knew he was there to get on your nerves. You could clearly read his facial expression and his body language. He enjoyed irritating you and if anything, it pissed you off even more, making him win over you most of the time.

"Sod off, Diggory. I have to study." You groaned as you leaned back over your essay, trying to ignore the boy's presence.

"So do I." He shrugged and flipped through the pages of his book, earning a frown from you.

"Can't you do that at another table?" You questioned.

"Why would I? I enjoy your company." He smirked. You wanted to point your finger in his face and swear like a trooper, letting all your frustration out on him, but your parents raised you better. You heaved a deep sigh and stopped yourself, counting numbers in your head.

You had a temper, it wasn't a secret. Everyone knew not to mess with you when you bit your tongue and kept silent. The quiet before the storm, that's what they associated with your behaviour.

But there was one person who didn't know when to stop.

Cedric knew about your temper, he even experienced it when you purposely ruined his potion in 4th year, causing it to explode right in his face. He was certainly unhappy about your behaviour, it could have been dangerous, but he put on a phony smile and brushed it off, which made you even more frustrated.

That was when he started pushing the boundaries, making you angry, frustrated, irritated, whatever it was, he wanted to piss you off. He didn't mind if you cursed him, screamed at him or even swore on occasions. He found it funny.

"Do you not enjoy my company?" He asked out of the blue, after a few minutes of silence.

You frowned in confusion, knowing you have not had the best relationship, the question surprising you. "Have you forgotten about the past three years?" You asked with a sceptical look.

"I've had fun." He stated casually.

"I'm glad you have." You scoffed at his answer. You certainly didn't enjoy his presence, his advances to anger you.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad. It has been a friendly banter." He grinned happily, confusing you even more. You weren't sure if he has been talking about the same 3 years you have, because you certainly didn't remember it being a friendly banter.

"Has it?" You raised your brows questioningly. "As far as I remember, you have been nothing but a pain in my backside. You tried to sabotage my potions-"

"-which you did first." He cut you off.

"Whatever. You tried to make me look bad in front of the professors, you almost threw me off my broom when we had matches against each other and you always try to get on my nerves." You scoffed in disbelief.

He leaned against the table, his complete attention on you. "I didn't try to make you look bad in front of the professors, I simply pranked you, just like you did to me in potions. I didn't want to hurt you when you almost fell off your broom, I would have caught you if that happened. In no way I ever wanted to hurt you, I simply wanted to win. And I certainly don't try to get on your nerves, I'm just being competitive, because you inspire me to do better. You are a brilliant witch and if I can be better than you, if I can compete against you, it makes me feel like I can aim higher."

"Then why are you trying to piss me off all the time? It's like a life mission of yours to make my days miserable." You hissed, clearly worked up. You knew he was right, but it still didn't add up. It was not a friendly banter to you.

"I am not trying to make your life miserable. I simply enjoy when you are worked up, because it's cute." He confessed nonchalantly, making you frown at his revelation.

"What?" You asked in disbelief.

"I think it's cute when you get angry and your cheeks turn red. It's adorable how you try to hold back from swearing, but under your breath you mumble all the curse words you can find. I think it's sweet how you are trying to refrain yourself, always keeping a gap between your sentences and rethinking what you want to say, not to hurt anyone." He reached across the table, getting hold of your hand, his touch foreign to you, but certainly not uncomfortable.

You quickly removed your hand from his hold, placing it between your legs, the tiny tingles his touch left still lingering on your skin. "Is this some kind of a joke?" You asked with a sceptical look.

"No." He replied simply.

"Well, whatever it is, don't ever do that again. I prefer you irritating me." You folded your arms in front of your chest, his presence now making you uncomfortable.

"I'm not joking with you. At first you were infuriating, but somehow it just changed. I don't know when I started liking you, but it happened and it's not something I can just ignore." His grey eyes were watching every move of yours and for the first time, you weren't sure if he meant it or if it was some kind of a humorous act of his.

You let out a single laughter, before you became serious once again. "Good one, Diggory." You scoffed, before you stood up and started collecting your books.

"I'm being serious." He replied as he followed you and stood up, throwing his stuff in his bag. "I meant it." He raised his voice as he got hold of your wrist, but you shook it off as you heard Madam Pince's scolding words from the background.

"All this time, you have been getting on my nerves and now you want me to believe you? You are a piece of work, Diggory." You shook your head as you walked away from him, leaving the dumbfounded boy behind.

You were angry that he thought he could joke around with something like this. Yes, you got worked up over his annoying behaviour before, but feelings are different, and you weren't happy that he stooped so low this time.

You rushed back to the Gryffindor common room and up to your dormitory and threw your bag beside the bed, before you flopped down on the mattress, screaming into the soft duvet out of frustration.

-

Days passed by and Cedric didn't try to get close to you. He didn't confess his feelings again, he didn't try to irritate you on purpose, he didn't try to sabotage your work. The next couple of days went quietly and whilst it was hard to swallow, you did miss him a tad.

It was strange to not feel frustrated, not to see his smug smile as you got worked up because of him. You weren't used to this calmness, your days looking grey and boring.

You caught yourself staring at the boy as he dotted his notes down on his parchment on the lessons, you watched as he ate his food at the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall.

You wanted to believe what he said was true, as much as he annoyed you, the lack of his presence made you miss him. It was a foreign feeling towards the only person who you thought made your life miserable, but in the end, you couldn't shake off the feeling. You missed him.

But he didn't seem to miss you. For someone who just confessed his feelings and got rejected he seemed perfectly content, laughing around with his friends.

"Can you stop staring? It's honestly painfully obvious." Alicia groaned with a grimace. "You said you missed him, why don't you just tell him? He confessed to you, didn't he?" She asked with a sceptical look. She was the only person you talked to about that particular day and she made it very obvious that she saw it coming.

"As if." You scoffed at the ridiculous idea.

"Then stop staring. Whether you tell him or not, it's up to you, but just because you are being a creep, nothing will change." She stated as she bit into her sandwich.

"I love your support." You retorted sarcastically, which earned you a shrug from her.

"Happy to help." She grinned with her mouth full.

-

As you walked out to the quidditch pitch, you saw the Hufflepuff team already practicing. You frowned at their sight as you nudged Angelina, the captain of your team.

"What are they doing out there?" You asked as you walked towards the pitch with the Gryffindor quidditch team.

"That's a very good question." She replied with a frown.

As you stood beside the entrance, Angelina called Cedric down, who flew towards you, gracefully landing right in front of your team.

"What's up?" He asked nonchalantly, making you scoff. His eyes immediately landed on you, frowning at your behaviour. This time his ignorance pissed you off. He looked like he didn't even know why you were infuriated this time. Of course, it wasn't just about quidditch, his team using the pitch when it was clearly your time to be out there practicing, but also the fact that he was so casual when he was supposed to feel down after a rejection.

"Can I help you?" He asked, the question clearly directed at you as he kept his gaze firm on you.

"Oh, you've done enough." You hissed. He tilted his head innocently, confusion overtaking him.

"What did I do now?" He snapped, for the first time he didn't try to cover that he didn't like your behaviour, he didn't try to act as if it didn't matter, he didn't try to piss you off on purpose.

"Whatever." You shrugged and turned away from his stern look, your eyes fixed on the first object you could find, which in this case was the wooden box the quidditch balls were kept.

Angelina cleared her voice, taking Cedric's attention away from you. "Diggory, this was supposed to be our time to practice today. We booked the pitch." She concluded, but he shook his head in a response.

"We got permission from Professor Sprout to practice." He reached inside his robe, taking out a rolled up parchment from his inner pocket and handing it to Angelina. She took it from the boy and carefully read through the lines. There were a couple of swear words mumbled under her breath, but in the end, she gave it back to Cedric and nodded in agreement.

"Fine, next time then." Angelina said in a firm tone, sending the rest of the team back to the changing room. You stayed still watching Cedric with a grimace across your face. He didn't seem to mind though, he stayed emotionless.

"I hope you are proud of yourself." You spit in anger, before you turned around and followed your team, which was already out of sight.

However, before you could have taken more than a couple of steps, Cedric got hold of your wrist and stopped you. "What is your problem with me?" He asked with a frown as you turned around. You shook his hands off you with gritted teeth.

"Nothing." You replied, but the amount of anger your tone harboured was visible even for Cedric.

"Is it still because I told you that I liked you?" He tried to get you to talk. "I told you I wasn't joking. I meant every word. I might have not approached the situation in the best way possible, not just in the library, perhaps even before, but it doesn't make my feelings any less real." He replied slightly agitated.

You scoffed at his words, still not believing a word he said. "Right. You seem awfully happy compared to someone who just got rejected." You groaned in anger. He shook his head as he heaved a deep sigh, massaging his temple to calm himself down, before his lips slowly started to curve into a small smile which began to grow wider.

"Why do you even care?" He asked, smirking.

"I don't." You replied quickly as you took a step back, swallowing hard under his intense gaze.

"Well, you clearly have been watching me. Even if I didn't realise it, many told me that you forgot your eyes on me." He snickered, making your blood boil.

"No, I didn't." You tried to save yourself from a giant embarrassment.

"Are you sure? You seem unexpectedly nervous." He let out a single laughter as he stepped closer to you, forcing you to back away from him.

"Stop!" You pointed at his chest, your finger digging into his quidditch jersey. "Stop moving." You said as he kept stepping closer, making you back away.

"Why? Does it bother you to be close to me?" He asked with a confident, playful grin across his face.

"Of course, it is. I hate being around you." You replied quickly, your pitch jumping higher.

"Do you?" He asked with a sceptical look. "Do you really?" He kept taunting you, before you felt the cold wall of the castle hitting your back. He didn't move any closer, although his chest almost touching yours was more than close enough for you. You felt your heart throbbing in your throat, your lungs not giving you enough oxygen. You tried to organise your breathing, but instead they came out shaky and uncertain.

"Oh my god, did you finally tell him?" You heard Alicia's voice. Your head snapped towards the girl, who stood beside the castle entrance, a couple of feet away from you. Your eyes grew wide in surprise, your mouth agape as you processed her words. She could probably read your facial expression as she hunched her back and offered you an apologetic look. "Sorry." She pulled her mouth. "I think I will just leave." She stepped away with an awkward chuckle.

"Did you tell me what?" He asked with a suspicious look.

You tried to clear your throat, the lack of words coming to you making you feel useless. "Nothing." You breathed, your gaze wandering around, carefully ignoring Cedric. He tilted his head right in front of your eyes to obstruct your view and catch your attention.

"Can you be honest with me just this once?" He asked in the sweetest way he ever talked to you. You let out a shaky sigh as you turned away from him your gaze attached to his yellow jersey.

"Why would I, if you are not?" Your tone was weaker, Cedric clearly understood that this time you didn't want to pick a fight.

"I was honest with you." He replied, placing his finger under your chin and lifting your head to be able to look into your eyes.

"You didn't seem affected." You retorted.

"I have been. You just walked out on me, not even giving it a thought. But I have liked you for a while, I got used to pretending to be okay with not being able to be around you." He shrugged at his words, but it wasn't a nonchalant movement, more of a defeated one. "Now, can you please tell me what Alicia meant?"

You heaved a shaky sigh and interlocked your index and middle finger, hoping for the best. "It's complicated." You started nervously. "I don't really know how I feel." You bit into your lower lip, your feelings confusing you. "I find you handsome and funny, when you are not being an annoying brat." A happy smile started growing across Cedric's face. "And since you have been distant, I kind of missed your presence, the interactions, even if I mostly just want to wrap my fingers around your neck and suffocate you." You scoffed.

Cedric chuckled at your use of words. "That's still a good start."

You rolled your eyes and continued. "But we have been bickering for so long, that obviously it's not easy to forget. I was very angry with you so many times and those feelings are still with me, vividly." You explained.

"We can replace those if you give me a chance." He replied quickly, his gaze full of hope. "Maybe we could go to Hogsmeade this weekend?" He asked with a cheerful smile.

"I guess, that could be a starting point." You giggled lightly at the happy expression spreading across his face.

"Lover boy, come back already." You heard one of Cedric's team members shout from the distance. You chuckled at the nickname, before you turned back to him.

"You should go back. They are waiting for you." He nodded in agreement, but he didn't move. "Like now, lover boy." You chuckled sweetly.

"You won't take it back, will you? You won't cancel it." He asked seriously this time and the genuine reaction he was wearing reassured you that he meant every word he said to you. You stood on your tiptoes and hinted a small kiss on his cheek, watching as the boy took on a darker shade of red.

"No, I will not." You chuckled as you quickly headed towards the castle entrance.

"Saturday, 11 am in front of your common room." He shouted after you. You turned back and nodded in agreement.

"We will still see each other until then though." You giggled lightly.

"Just making sure." He returned your happy expression as he started running towards the quidditch pitch, looking back at the entrance to catch a last glimpse of you, before you disappeared. 

Notes: If you enjoyed reading this little piece, please don't forget to leave a like and/or comment. Thank you :)