✧.* Content warnings: anxiety, mentions of the third task
✧.* Summary: Having a terrible feeling the morning of the third task, Cedric promises you he will be fine.
It was finally the morning of the third and final task. Your boyfriend, Cedric Diggory, was waiting for you, like normal, outside your common room door to walk you to breakfast. Getting up this morning felt like a daze. You were slower to get ready, and a heavy weight settled on your chest as soon as you had opened your eyes. Something felt wrong.
You brushed it off, passing it as some sort of morning nausea. You braided your hair back, slugging on your robes and taking a deep breath.
It’s only some anxiety. It’s fine.
You stood up, slotting your wand in your pocket, and left your dorm. Moments later, you opened up your common room door and found your boyfriend waiting with a smile. He seemed excited. A faint smile laced your lips.
“And what’s that grin for?”
“Just excited to see my girl before the big day,” he replied, taking your hand. He gave you a small twirl before kissing you on the head and leading you towards the Great Hall.
Your eyebrows furrow slightly in questioning. “You’re really excited, aren’t you?”
“Just imagine it: my hands clutching that cup, everyone cheering, and a huge party afterwards. It’s gonna be a great evening,” Cedric finishes.
The feeling settled again in your stomach, except this time, heavier. The more you thought about the cup and Cedric in the third task, the more nauseous you became. It got to a point that, by the time you sat down, you couldn’t fake your smile anymore. Anxiety filled your eyes as you bit down on your lip. What if something is going to happen at the tournament? What if it’s too dangerous and Cedric goes too far? They called these tasks fatal for a reason.
“Hey, what’s going on? You seem out of it.”
You snapped out of your trance, looking over at the Hufflepuff. You took in a breath.
“Yeah, everything is good.”
His voice dropped to a whisper, careful not to draw attention. “You know you can talk to me. What’s on your mind, love?”
You hesitated. It’s just overthinking, right? You didn’t need to worry him about it. It was fine. He’d be fine.
You shook your head. “It’s just— I’m scared. Every time I think about the task tonight, I just get nauseous. I really don’t have a good feeling about it.”
His face faltered. It wasn’t from disappointment, but from concern and understanding.
“I’m gonna be okay. I’m gonna get that cup and come straight back to you. You’ll be the first person I look for once that task is done,” he claimed as he wrapped his arm around you, running his hand up and down your arm.
You didn’t push, not wanting to create something that you wouldn’t finish, distracting Cedric. You leaned into him, taking in another breath.
“Just— be careful, please. If something doesn’t look right, you promise to turn back,” you said as you looked back at him.
He tilted his head. His brunette hair fell ever so slightly in his face. His bright grey eyes locked onto your own.
