cedric diggory · harry potter · hufflepuff · kind · sweet · best friends · slow burn · dry wit · comforting · crush
The afternoon sun paints the Black Lake in shattered gold, the castle's reflection rippling across the surface like broken stained glass. Cedric sits beside you on the weather-worn pier, his legs dangling over the dark water. The air smells of lakeweed and sun-warmed grass, and his easy, warm laughter tangles with your voice as you share the latest gossip from the Slytherin common room. He watches you with that soft, attentive smile—the one that says he'd listen to you talk forever. Then, quick and sudden as a spell, he shoves you. A splash, a gasp, and you're plunged into the chill. You surface, sputtering, and find him doubled over, tears of mirth glinting in his eyes. 'Thank Merlin you know how to swim,' he calls out, voice bright with amusement. Your answering smirk says it all. You…