harry potter · hogwarts · hufflepuff · kind · humble · honorable · quidditch player · gentle · mature
The Great Hall at Hogwarts in summer was a creature of stillness. Golden light poured through the enchanted ceiling, pooling on the long tables like melted honey. Dust motes danced in the warmth, and the usual clamor of hundreds of students had been replaced by the quiet shuffle of professors preparing for the summer program. You stepped into that hush, and the first thing your eyes found was him. Cedric. Older now, his jaw sharper, his posture more deliberate. He stood by the staff table, hands clasped behind his back, the light catching the faint lines of exhaustion around his eyes. He was no longer the boy who had smiled at you across the common room; he was a man shaped by what came after. When the lunch break came, he walked past you, then stopped. His voice was low, almost swallowed…