♙CHAPTER SEVEN ♙

( LYDIA BLAKE )

TWO: UNUSUAL ACTIONS

"i'll support him till the end"

15th and 16th october 1994

lydia had been avoiding cedric as though he were the plague. however, she knew she'd have to eventually face him considering it was his birthday the next day. she currently sat by the black lake as she let her mind wander. she had cedric's present sorted and wrapped. she had bought him a appleby arrows jumper. it was pale blue and had a silver arrow on the chest area.

the girls time alone was interrupted by a jumping body. daniel grey ran as close to the girl bouncing on his heels impatiently as he tried to hold back a smile. lydia looked up at the boy well shielding her eyes from the sun.

"yes?" she asked considering it looked like he wasn't going to be starting the conversation any time soon.

"guess who i just recieved a letter from to visit?" the answer he was about to give her was far from what she expected. the girl tilted her head confused as she waited for him to answer.

"your parents!" he nearly yelled as he watched her eyes widen in horror. the boy was over the moon and she felt herself sinking.

there was nothing wrong with daniel visiting her parents. he had visited many times before since she joined. but it always did end in one part of her home being set aflame. her father, noah, always found daniel to be the son he never had. and that meant they always got up to the most boyish tasks known to man.

"you better stay out of my room" she threatened as she stood up, slightly wiping the dirt off her robe. the boys smile didn't drop as he grabbed her arm and began dragging her in the direction of the school.

"and they invited the others" he said quickly not turning to see her expression. maybe it was best he didn't considering she was ready to kill him.

"what?!"

――――

the six teenagers now all sat in the hufflepuff common room as daniel informed them on the plan for the upcoming weekend. lydia sat besides tyler and elena on a chair, sharon and cedric on another as daniel stood in the middle.

"wait why'd they invite us?" tyler asked as he switched his gaze from daniel and lydia. cedric kept his eyes on the girl even though she avoided his gaze.

"maybe because i write about you guys" lydia shrugged as she kept her eyes trained on her shoes. cedric felt something stir inside of him as he began to feel upset how she tried so hard to not speak to him.

"i cannot wait!" elena exclaimed as she clapped her hands together before jumping up, making lydia jump slightly as she looked at her bestfriend.

"will dumbeldore allow it?" cedric asked as he finally moved his eyes from the girl to everyone else in the room.

"he always let's us. and if her parents have called it'll be alright" sharon explained as she thought back to the many weekends the three girls would spend in her garden whenever they got sick of hogwarts.

"we'll use floo powder. just make sure you guys are packed" daniel said as he looked between everyone to have them agree. sharon rolled her eyes playfully, which made the boy grin.

"so todd, gonna let me win this time?" daniel asked as elena and lydia smiled knowing what they were referring too.

it was a sort of tradition for daniel and sharon to have a baking contest. since lydia's second year the two would visit every easter and her birthday. and every time they'd have a baking contest in her kitchen. her mum would be the judge and make sure they didn't kill eachother.

"are you actually going to try?" she asked as she crossed her arms and let her body rest back on the chair.

"i always try!" daniel complained as his face turned to one of mock hurt. the raven haired beauty frowned before throwing a pillow at the boy which he caught.

"you two look confused. they're talking about their baking contest" elena informed cedric and tyler as they looked between the two with confused faces.

the boys let out sounds of understanding before a silence took over. they all knew it was because of cedric and lydia, it would happen at lunch, in class. anywhere the two resided together.

"me and daniel are going to study potions" sharon said after a while as she looked between everyone, the boy nodded in agreement before letting her push his shoulders out of the room and towards her room.

"and me and elena are going to eat" tyler said softly as he tried to escape the awkward situation. elena didn't need to be told twice before grabbing the boys wrist and dragging him out of the room.

it was now lydia and cedric. both across from eachother. lydia avoiding his intense gaze and cedric refusing to look away. both wanting to apologise, but both being too stubborn to try. and both utterly in love with the other, without understanding or realising it.

"you're seventeen tomorrow" lydia mumbled under her breath as she kept her eyes focused on her shoes. cedric felt his eyes widen slightly that she spoke to him first.

"listen" he started as he sat forward and rested his hands on his knees "i'm sorry for calling you a brat. you're the farthest thing from it lyds" the boy was now kneeling in front of her. "and if you don't want me to enter i won't"

the girl now snapped her head to face him as she noticed how sincere and honest he was being with her right now. now she felt bad. she didn't know what to say or do. she wasn't good at telling people to not do something they wanted for her benefit. maybe if she was, cedric would've survived.

"no, ced..." she placed a hand on top of his one that rested on the space beside her body. "if you really want to, for whatever stupid reason, then you do it. you do it for yourself" she let out a shaky breath as she felt him squeeze her hand.

a large smile graced his features as he stood up and lifted the girl in his arms at the same time "i promise to win for you" he said as he spun them around. the girl smiling hard as her stomach erupted into butterflies from the way his fingers pushed into her waist.

he suddenly stopped spinning, not putting her down as he looked her dead in the eye "are you sure?" the words rattled her brain.

she wasn't sure. she didn't want him to enter. but she couldn't say that, could she? she couldn't say she was scared he'd die and she'd be left heartbroken for the boy she wasn't even dating. it wasn't her place to stop him. so all she could do was support him and worry from the sidelines.

her eyes crinkled as she let a fake smile cross her lips. she nodded her head slightly as she maintained eye contact with him, admiring his his usually blue eyes were now a grey. a grey that could be so blinding it put in the right light.

cedric could tell it wasn't a sure nod. but the boy wasn't going to continue asking if it was alright with her. because, he did want to enter. and all he needed was lydia's blessing, not willing to lose the girl over something such as a competition. 

"you truly are the greatest" the boy said before smothering the right side of her face with kisses, her nose crinkling as she tried to stop the smile from spreading across her whole face. 

"okay, okay, stop" she laughed as she pushed herself off the boy. she noticed how the tips of his ears were red and his cheeks. was he was nervous? 

"you promise to win, diggory" she said slowly as she sucked in a small breath. the girl ruffled his hair before placing a kiss on his cheek. she felt how hot his skin was under her lips and couldn't stop herself from letting her lips rest on his cheeks for a few seconds.

lydia blake didn't know how to hate people. but in that moment she found herself beginning to hate cedric diggory. for all the wrong reasons. he was taking over her heart and gaining control of it without knowing. it was never meant to happen and it most certainly was not meant to also be happening to his own heart.

because, although lydia blake didn't know she was in love with cedric diggory, cedric diggory knew he was ready to give up his entire being for lydia blake. and maybe that's what destroyed them in the end. a stupid promise, that he wasn't willing to break.

――――

october 16th. cedric diggory's seventeenth birthday. that is how lydia, sharon and elena found themselves in the boys bedroom at six in the morning. cedric, daniel and tyler were fast asleep in their own beds as the girls crept in the room undetected. elena immediately took off to sit on the edge of tyler's bed without waking the boy up and sharon moved to stand in front of daniel's.

"periculum" lydia mumbled softly making sure to not do the spell too loud incase it came out bigger than she expected.

red and white fireworks shot out of the tip of her wand all around the room, loud enough to wake the boys up from their slumber. all three boys shot up before daniel and cedric rolled out of their beds in shock.

"happy birthday!" all three girls yelled out not caring for the others in their house as all they could think about was covering cedric in gifts and presents and love on his birthday.

the brown haired boy who was on the floor looked between the three girls who were smiling widely all in their pyjamas, and all he could do was groan with a small smile before letting his head fall back onto the floor.

"don't be such a downer, ced. you're seventeen now!" sharon cooed as she plopped herself at the edge of daniel's bed making the boy narrow his eyes as she landed on his folded uniform.

"maybe he'd be happier if you didn't wake us up at- what's the time anyway?" tyler asked as he turned to his alarm clock to see it was only five past six. "six!"

"well maybe if you boys woke up early like you should this wouldn't be so shocking" elena scolded as she picked up the pillow that was on cedric's bed and threw it at tyler's head which he missed by ducking.

elena and tyler weren't as close as lydia and cedric or lydia and daniel, hell even daniel and sharon but they were good friends. if they weren't with the others or elena wasn't with malfoy she'd be with tyler and the two would be walking around the school just talking or studying in the library. it was an odd friendship considering she was so responsible and he was considered a class clown, but they were good for eachother. they balanced eachother out.

"happy birthday, cedric" lydia smiled widely as she leaned by the boys side pulling him into a hug by his neck not letting the boy go. he struggled around trying to push her off before rolling his eyes playfully and hugging her back.

"i want a hug" sharon complained as she stood up and joined the two on the floor hugging cedric's other side, elena was soon joining as she hugged the boy from behind.

"love you and everything, but you stink" sharon said after a second as she detached herself from the boy as gave him a grimace noticing how he hadn't showered.

"obviously idiot" daniel muttered not knowing the girl heard before she ripped the blanket off his bed making the boy groan loudly.

"we'll see you guys in the great hall for breakfast" elena said getting up and smoothing out her pyjamas which were getting crinkled before moving to the door to wait for the others. "and daniel we have a meeting with mcgonagall" she reminded the boy.

"what have you done?" lydia asked as she stayed by cedric's side, the girl leaning her head on his shoulder as she muffled a yawn.

"probably because they're smart" tyler said before getting back into his comfortable position he was sleeping in before the girls rudely woke him up.

"we're sorting out going to lydia's, because we're the most responsible here" daniel said as he looked between all the teenagers in the room, knowing they'd all be offended.

"excuse me, you act like five year old half the time" lydia argued in mock hurt before pushing herself off the ground. "anyway, hurry up. all of you" she said as she narrowed her eyes at all the boys before dragging elena and sharon out of the room.

"happy birthday to you" daniel and tyler said simultaneously before all three boys fell back onto their beds.