I'll Take My Chances

Somehow I managed to survive the next couple days of classes, but just barely. Professor Trelawney was still furious with me after what happened early in the week, but I didn’t really care. I still thought everything she said was a load of dragon dung. Now I was just tired and lazy, but tonight was the first night I was supposed to attend my Advanced Astronomy class. And I was willing to do anything to get out of it, curl up in my bed and go right to sleep.

" But can't I just skip tonight, you guys? I mean, it's already really late and I'm sleepy." I whined, collapsing backwards onto a common room couch.

Hermione gave a tut of disapproval. " You already fell asleep in Potions for the entire class. I think you'll live." She said matter of factly.

I glared at her. " I still can't believe you all left me there asleep in the classroom! Someone could have hexed me and dragged my body of somewhere and then dumped it into the lake!" I exclaimed, gesturing wildly with my hands.

Ron snorted with laughter, while narrowly avoiding being hit in the head by me. " Another person Hex YOU? Yeaaah...right! You would tear them to pieces before they even uttered a spell!"

I smacked him in the head with a rolled up piece of parchment, grinning lightly. " Yeah, yeah...whatever! We all know how violent I am!"

" Yeah! We do!" Harry put in with a smirk.

I rolled my eyes and heaved myself off the couch. " Well, I guess I'll be off to Astronomy then. All by myself...in a lonesome tower...in the dark...at midnight..." I trailed off, slowly backing out of the common room.

Emily waved a good bye at me without looking up from her book.

" Maybe Cedric, or your "Handsome Stranger" according to Trelawney, will be there to keep you company." Harry said with an evil grin. The rest of my friends burst out laughing while I shrieked angrily.

" How many times do I have to remind you all? I. Hate. Cedric. Diggory!" I said, carefully annunciating each word. " And I don't see how none of you got into my Advanced Astronomy class! When do you all have it?" I asked, placing my hands on my hips.

" Tomorrow night. Now go before you're late!" Hermione ordered, sighing with exasperation as she flipped a page in her book.

" Alright, alright! I'm going!" I defended. I gave my friends one, last solemn wave and exited the common room.

The corridors were chilly and dimly lit by torches, casting eerie shadows along the rough, stone walls. The corridors seemed almost dead without the usual loud hustle and bustle of the thousands of other students. I was glad of this, though. It made it so much easier to navigate through the halls without being pushed and shoved by entire groups of people.

I sighed tiredly and ran a hand through my long hair, beginning to climb the steep steps leading to the Astronomy class. I knew Harry was kidding when he said it, but I hoped desperately that this would be the one class that was Diggory free. All my other Advanced classes would have been fine....except for Diggory....always smiling that charming little smile and taking the empty seats next to me....trying to start casual conversations.…Did he honestly think I would fall for him just like that? Not a chance. I knew better than to fall for Cedric Diggory. The "Heart-Throb" of Hogwarts as he was being called nowadays.

Give me a break.

I finally reached the landing just outside the Astronomy Tower and pushed open the door just a crack and peeked inside. I was already ten minutes late and Professor Sinistra was strict about being tardy.

Every student was placed by a telescope, all turned and listening as Sinistra lectured, her back turned to me. Another look assured me that Diggory was no where in sight. I crouched down onto my hands and knees and carefully crawled inside the tower room, being careful to not slam the heavy, wooden door behind me. A couple of students smirked, noticing my discreet entrance, but none said a word. At least up until that moment.

" Lexi Arison. What the hell are you doing?“ I heard someone whisper in an amused tone.

I glanced up to see none other than Cedric Diggory smirking at me from his telescope. It had been just my luck to crawl right past him. Another student had set up their telescoped just in front of him, which explained why I hadn’t seen Cedric from the doorway.

I placed a finger to my lips and glared, signaling him to keep quiet. Cedric smirked at me before quickly nodding. I rolled my eyes and continued crawling. I had almost made it to an open telescope, when my leg caught on something and sent it crashing to the ground. I couldn't move out of the way in time as Cedric’s telescope went crashing on top of me.

" Bloody hell!" Prof. Sinistra cried, rushing towards the scene. She spotted the fallen telescope immediately before her eyes slid to me, lying helplessly underneath it.

She rolled her eyes. " Miss Arison....I'm not even going to ask....Detention for being tardy, disrupting my class, and destruction of another student's property." She said simply. " Now get up and get to that telescope."

I groaned loudly. " But Professor-"

Professor Sinistra glared at me. " I don't want to hear another word or it will be three detentions instead of one! Understood, Miss. Arison?" She asked in a dangerous tone, her violet colored eyes glinting. This was not someone to mess with.

I sighed in defeat. " Yes, Ma'am." I mumbled, struggling to stand.

The professor nodded. " Now on your feet! We have much work to do! Mr Diggory, help her up please? She doesn't seem to be doing any good on her own." She said, eyeing me with amusement as I once again tried and failed to push the heavy telescope off my body and stand.

" Yes, Professor." Cedric replied. He knelt down and carefully moved the instrument from on top of me and easily pulled me back onto my feet. I glared at him, dusting off my jeans.

" I could have handled it alone, thank you!" I said spitefully.

Cedric just grinned and shrugged before setting to work on reassembling his own telescope.

I shook my head and leaned against the stone wall, vaguely listening to the Professor.

" Alright! So I gave you your instructions before Miss. Arison decided to give us some entertainment-" She stopped here and gave me a small smile "-Meaning you can all get to work! How's the telescope working, Cedric? Did Lexi bang it up badly?" She called out to him.

" It works just fine!" He called back, leaning over and looking through the tunneled end.

The Professor nodded and moved on to the next student.

I glared at Cedric. It took him a moment to notice me staring at him. He stood up and leaned next to me on the wall.

" Yes?" He asked, giving me a crooked smile.

" You got me caught, Diggory." I growled.

Cedric grinned widely. " I wasn't the one who made the telescope fall. That was you, Lex. Plus, maybe if you got here on time..." He finished, his grin broadening as he went back to his stargazing.

" Psh, whatever...." I muttered, rolling my eyes. I watched him for another moment, wondering how any girl could ever fall for someone so stuck up and perfect. Cedric glanced over at me.

" Can I help you? " He asked, now scribbling down some notes on a piece of parchment.

" What are you doing? I mean, what exactly am I supposed to be doing?" I asked, gesturing around at the other students.

" Well.....we're actually just taking notes on constellations is all, writing down their meaning and who named them....stuff like that." He said casually, still hard at work at his note taking.

" Oh." I said lamely. I turned back to my own telescope and squinted one eye, looking through it. Nothing. Completely black. " Uh....I think mine's broken..." I said, twisting one of the knobs on the sides.

I heard foot steps as Cedric walked over and I suddenly felt him standing directly behind me, resting his chin on my shoulder as he looked over my telescope. I felt sudden chills run down my spine at the feeling of him being so close. I desperately tried to shake them off.

He reached over and gently turned a dial on the telescope. " Can you see anything now?" He asked, his voice soft and his breath blowing gently into my ear, giving me even more chills.

" I...Um..I-I....Kinda." I finally answered, steadying my voice. I had no idea why I suddenly felt so nervous, but my stomach felt like it was doing gymnastics.

Cedric turned the dial more. " How about now?" He asked again.

I continued to gaze into the telescope and gradually the starry, night sky came into clear focus. " Yeah....thanks." I said quietly. I moved my eye away from the telescope to look at Cedric. He was close to me, I could feel his warm breath hitting my skin. I felt my cheeks tinge pink and I quickly looked back into my telescope. Something was wrong with me. Maybe I was getting sick, some sort of unknown virus that made you feel all loopy and goofy and twisted your stomach in and out of tight knots.

" Good. You're welcome." He said with smile. He turned slowly and headed back to his own telescope.

I mentally shook myself, ridding myself of the odd feelings that had come out of nowhere. It must have been the chilly, night wind giving me shivers. That must have been it. Or like I had I just been thinking, some weird, unknown virus. Either one would be fine with me.

I took one last look at Cedric, shaking my head a bit. He was fighting a losing battle if he ever thought he could get on my good side and stay there. I went back to my work, silently, for the rest of the class.

" Alright everyone! Listen up, please!" Professor Sinistra called loudly.

I looked up from my telescope and turned to look at the Professor.

" Leave the telescopes as they are! I have a late night Seventh Year class coming in! You
may hand me your paper on the way out! Good night and thank-you all for a good class!" She called over the loud noise of everyone hurriedly packing up their things, eager to leave.

I sighed deeply, rubbing my eyes. Finally. The class was finally over. I shouldered my messenger bag and trudged after the rest of the students. " Here, Prof-Prof-Professor." I said, stifling a yawn as I handed her my assignment. I took a step to leave but she placed a firm hand on my shoulder, pulling me back.

" Don't think I forgot about that detention, Lexi." She said with a small smile. I groaned loudly. " I was thinking tomorrow night at eight o’clock would be fine. In my class room on the fifth floor. Don't be late this time." She said with a hint of sarcasm. She smiled again before nodding me out.

" Sure." I said dully. I forced a smile and started down the long flight down the stairs.

" So....when's your detention?"

I glanced to my right to see that Cedric had fallen into pace with me. I internally groaned. “How is that you always end up wherever I am at the exact same time?” I demanded. “Are you stalking me or something?”

Cedric let out a loud laugh. “No, I have no idea how that happens.” He grinned. “How do I know you’re not the one stalking me?” He teased.

I snorted. “You wish, Diggory.”

He rolled his eyes playfully and ignored me. “Anyways, what time is the detention?” He asked again after a few moments.

" Eight o’clock tomorrow. In Sinistra's room." I said through gritted teeth.

Cedric's started chuckling and I cocked an eyebrow at him curiously.

" Tomorrow I have prefect duty around then. And Sinistra asked me yesterday if I would help her hold detention. Looks like I'll be seeing you tomorrow." He grinned, his grey eyes twinkling.

I stopped and glared at him. " Liar!"

He stopped too and shook his head, a smile playing across his lips. “Maybe it’s fate.” He suggested shrugging his shoulders, although his tone was merely one of playful joking.

I groaned loudly and stormed off, turning my back on Cedric and heading for Gryffindor tower.

" Night, Lexi! I'll see you tomorrow night! Can't wait!" Cedric yelled behind me, using a teasing tone. I whirled around and stuck my tongue out at him before continuing to stomp off towards the common room.