Evidence of Things Not Seen

v.

"Goodnight," said Cho. "I had a lovely time."

"Same here." Cedric watched as she mounted the stairs toward Ravenclaw Tower. He waited until she was out of sight before heading back to his own common room. The evening had gone better than he could have hoped. He and Cho had danced almost every dance, and he hadn't stepped on her toes once. They'd spent most of the rest of the evening discussing Quidditch and how much they both missed playing it. Cho had been funny and charming, and he had had a good time. There hadn't exactly been fireworks; really, he hadn't been expecting there to be.

To his surprise, someone had beaten him back to the entrance to the Hufflepuff common room. Luna sat with her back against a nearby wall. She wore pajamas emblazoned with the Ravenclaw crest and looked half-asleep. When he approached, she stood up and stretched. "Good evening, Cedric. Happy Christmas. Although, I suppose that it's Boxing Day by now, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Happy Boxing Day. What are you doing here? Did you want to hear about the ball?" He had seen Ron Weasley with a pretty Indian girl, so he assumed that Luna hadn't got to go after all. From the way Ron had spent most of the night skulking in a corner with Harry instead of attending to his date, he thought she might have been better off. "I can tell you about it, if you like."

"Later, perhaps. I came down here to give you this." She pressed a small piece of parchment into his hand. "I didn't really have anything better to do, so I spent the evening compiling a list of ways that you could breathe underwater."

"You what? On Christmas? Luna, it's a holiday. You're allowed to take the day off."

She shrugged. "Oh, it's quite all right. As I said, I didn't have anything better to do. All anyone could talk about was how horrible it was that they didn't have dates. It got rather tiresome after a while. Working on this was almost a relief."

"I can imagine." He scanned the parchment quickly. Some of her suggestions were outlandish or impractical, but some -- transfiguring himself into a fish, for instance -- might actually work. He pointed at one item toward the bottom of the list. "The Bubble-Head Charm? I've never heard of it."

"Daddy uses it when he has to investigate sightings of aquatic beasts. He found a whole colony of Norwegian Nilforns once. The incantation is Respiro."

Cedric thought for a moment. If the Bubble-Head Charm actually existed -- and it seemed far too prosaic to be a mere Quibbler invention -- then Luna had just saved him untold hours of research. He still had to master the spell, of course, but Charms had always been one of his best subjects. "Thank you. You've really outdone yourself."

She gave him a small, pleased smile. The other Hufflepuffs who had gone to the ball were coming back in earnest now. He stepped to one side to let them pass. Most of them were laughing. He overheard several of them say that they wished that there were a Yule Ball every year. Luna watched them too, her expression wistful. He couldn't blame her; she would never get a chance to attend the Yule Ball. Even if there were another tournament in five years, she would have left school by then. He revised his earlier opinion. Going with Weasley would have been better than not going at all. "Are you sure that you don't want to hear about the ball?"

She watched as the last of the revelers climbed through the portrait hole. After a long moment she said, "I suppose it might be nice to hear a little about what it was like."

He grinned. "We didn't start dancing right away. They fed us first. There was more food than I'd ever seen in my life. Then the Weird Sisters showed up..."

He spent the next few minutes answering her questions. Luna wanted to hear about everything -- the music, the decorations, even the punch. Her last question surprised him, though. "Did you have a good time with Cho?"

Cedric hadn't thought Luna the type to be interested in how his dates went; he added it to his mental list of faulty assumptions about her. "Yeah. It wasn't true love or anything, but I wouldn't mind talking Quidditch or sharing a pint of butterbeer with her."

"I'm glad. Being able to talk to someone is almost as good as being in love, I think." She yawned. "I'm off to bed. Thank you for telling me about the ball. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

When he got back to the dorm, Clive was still up. His hair was in disarray, and there was a spot of red that might have been lipstick on his neck. "Someone had fun tonight, I see," Cedric said.

Clive grinned. "Just showing a lady a good time. Speaking of ladies, I saw you with Loony Lovegood."

"Her name's Luna."

Clive held up his hands. "All right, all right. What were you and Luna up to?"

"Just talking about the tournament."

"Right. Talking."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. I'm just surprised she didn't try to tell you all about the Crumple-Horned Snorkle."

"She hasn't mentioned those in ages. They're called Snorkacks, by the way."

Clive shook his head and muttered something that sounded suspiciously like "bloody mental" under his breath. Cedric let that pass. So Clive thought he was a bit mad for hanging around with Luna. There were worse fates. In any case, he had more important things to worry about. He and Luna had a spell to master.

vi.

Life was good for Cedric. He had come in first in the second task. He was now tied for first place overall with Harry. Barring a spectacular performance from Krum or a miraculous one from Fleur, it seemed likely that the Triwizard champion would be from Hogwarts. Cedric still wanted to win-- wanted it more than anything he had ever wanted in his life -- but a victory for Harry was still a victory for Hogwarts, and Cedric could take a certain amount of comfort in that. To top it off, this was a Hogsmeade weekend. Cedric had made plans to celebrate his victory with Clive, Sarah Fawcett, Cho, and Marietta.

Admittedly, his friendship with Cho had suffered an unforeseen complication since the second task. Most of Hogwarts seemed to think that they were dating. He had lost track of the number of times someone had slapped him on the back and congratulated him on a fine catch, as if Cho were a salmon or a Snitch instead of a person. Clive had teased him about "fraternizing with the enemy" and reminded Cedric that Hufflepuff would still have to play Ravenclaw next year. Then he had winked at him and headed off to the lake to snog Sarah. Cedric had bitten back a quip about pots and kettles.

He supposed speculation was only natural. According to the Triwizard judges, Cho was what he would "sorely miss." The obvious conclusion was that Cedric was desperately in love with her. He thought it more likely that the judges had seen them having a reasonably good time at the ball and occasionally meeting afterwards to talk Quidditch. They had put two and two together and come up with five. He wondered if Cho was having to deal with as many rumors as he was. He supposed he would find out shortly; he was supposed to meet Cho and Marietta in the Great Hall in twenty minutes.

When he got there, however, Cho was alone. She alternated between staring at the floor as if fascinated by the stonework and shifting from foot to foot. Her lips were drawn in a tight line, and her brow was furrowed. When she noticed him, she smiled shyly. The tense lines around her eyes remained. "Cedric!" she said. Beneath her cheerful tone, he detected a note of anxiety that was unlike her.

"Where's Marietta? Is something wrong?"

"There was an accident in Potions. One of the Gryffindors botched a Strengthening Solution and blew up his cauldron. Marietta was at the next table and got some nasty burns. Madame Pomfrey says she'll be fine in a day or two, but she wants to keep her under observation today."

"That's awful. If you'd rather stay with her than go with me, I understand."

Cho laughed. "You don't know Marietta that well, do you? There's nothing she hates worse than being around other people when she's sick. She'd chase me out of the hospital wing herself."

Cedric laughed, too. "Well, we wouldn't want that, now would we? Shall we be off?"

Cho bit her lip, and Cedric wondered if she was nervous for some reason besides Marietta's accident. "Actually, I was wondering if you might want to go with me to Madame Puddifoot's."

"Madame Puddifoot's?" It was all right if you liked that sort of place, but Cedric had always avoided it if he could. It was impossible to enjoy tea when you were surrounded by couples kissing and whispering nonsense into each other's ears. "What did Clive and Sarah say? I know Clive loves Madame Rosmerta's butterbeer."

"I thought we could go by ourselves." Cedric gaped at her, and she rushed on. "If you're worried about Clive and Sarah, don't be. Sarah seemed thrilled when I suggested that she and Clive spend some time alone. Maybe we should, too."

It took a moment for Cedric to process what she had said. "Are you asking me on a date?"

"Y-yes, yes. I suppose I am. I really like you, Cedric."

Cedric ran his hands through his hair. He was at a loss for words. She had never said anything, given the slightest sign that she valued him as anything more than a friend. Or had she? He recalled the adoring look she'd given him after the second task. At the time, he had chalked it up to her being grateful for being out of the water and being pleased that he was tied for first place. Sometimes, when they passed each other in the corridor, Cho held eye contact for half a moment too long. He hadn't thought much of that either. Luna stared at him so often that he was beginning to think that it was normal Ravenclaw behavior. Obviously not.

The best thing to do was to be completely honest. "I like you, too. A lot. But as a friend."

"A friend? I... I... but after the lake, I thought..." She trembled, though whether from rage or grief Cedric couldn't say. He stood helplessly. Embracing her would send the wrong message. Patting her on the arm felt condescending. Saying "I hope we can still be friends?" Well, he deserved to be hexed if he used that line while she was still in the throes of emotion. So, in the end, he could only watch as she willed control over her body and schooled her face into a tight, brittle smile that didn't suit her. "Friends," she said dully. "Yes, we are friends. Thank you, I suppose, for not leading me on. I'd like to be alone right now, please." With that, she turned on her heel and marched through the doors of the Great Hall.

Cedric trudged down the path to Hogsmeade. He met no one on his trek and was glad of it. If he'd seen a happy, snogging couple, he might have been forced to hit something. So, Cho had not only endured speculation that they were a couple, she had believed it herself. He had been a fool for not seeing this coming. He had been a regular Sir Lancelot, rescuing Cho from the sea monsters. He could say that they were just friends all he liked. Everyone knew that the brave knight was never just friends with the damsel in distress. The fact that what everyone knew was wrong hardly mattered. Grand romances could not let little things like the truth stand in the way.

The Three Broomsticks was as crowded as always. Cedric moved toward a far corner in hopes of finding an empty table and a place to nurse a glass of Firewhiskey in peace. He was stopped by the sight of Luna sitting alone in front of what looked to be a half-finished game of wizard chess. Several pieces, both white and black, lay unconscious to one side. He wondered who she was playing against and where her opponent had gone. She considered the pieces carefully before telling her queen to capture black's rook. A few moments passed. No one came to order black to move.

Luna continued studying the board. Finally, she said, "Black king's knight to e5." The piece obeyed her without protest, capturing the white queen in the process. She was playing chess with herself. Just when Cedric thought he had encountered all of Luna's eccentricities, she displayed a fresh one. He had learned that even her most outlandish behavior had some logic and wondered why and how she played alone. He glanced at the bar. He still wanted to nurse a drink and be alone with his thoughts. Curiosity warred with self-pity.

Curiosity won. He approached her table. She looked up from her game and started in surprise. "Cedric? What are you doing here?"

He managed to smile at her. "Nothing in particular. May I join you?"

Surprise flickered across her face. It was gone in a moment, replaced by a small, tentative smile. "If you like."

"I would." He pulled up a chair and sat opposite her. After a moment, he tapped a pawn with one finger. It responded by waving its sword at him angrily. "What are you doing?"

"Playing chess."

"So I see. Why are you playing against yourself, though?"

She shook her head. "Oh, I'm not. Not really. I'm playing against my father."

"Your father? But your father's in Devon, isn't he?"

"Oh, yes. But that doesn't mean I can't play against him." She indicated the chessboard. "I'm playing white as myself and black as my father."

"Come again? How can you play as your father if he's hundreds of miles away?"

"Every chess player has habits. If you play against someone often enough, you can predict what he'll do in a given situation. I've played against Dad since I was eight. I'm doing my best to play exactly as he would have." A corner of her mouth turned up. "Including mistakes. White queen's rook to f4. Checkmate." The rook moved forward and the king handed off his crown. "Poor Dad. He never could resist a queen sacrifice."

"Doesn't the game get boring if you know exactly what moves both sides are going to make? Wouldn't it be more fun to play against an opponent who was actually present?"

She thought for a moment. "Not really. It's a challenge all its own trying to remember or guess how someone would solve any given chess problem. Fun is in the eye of the beholder." Luna cocked her head to one side, studying him. "Of course, if you're offering to play with me, I have no objection."

"Me?" Cedric felt his face grow warm. "You don't want to play with me. I haven't played chess since my grandfather died, and that was ten years ago. I'd be rubbish."

"I won't tell anyone. I doubt they'd believe me anyway. People want the Hogwarts champion to be able to do everything, including be a chess grandmaster." She smiled at him. "Really, Cedric, you should pay more attention to what others say about you. If I believed everything I heard, I'd think you were the one who discovered the twelve uses of dragon's blood. It wasn't you, was it? That would be quite a story."

Cedric bit back a laugh. "No, I'm afraid not."

"Pity. It would have made the front page. So, will you play?"

Why not? Playing with Luna certainly sounded more appealing than nursing a drink and feeling sorry for himself. The worst thing that could happen would be that he suffered a badly bruised ego. "I'd love to."

"As you have less experience, I'll let you be white." She turned the board around and ordered the pieces to return to their starting position. "Let's begin."

Twenty minutes later, Cedric was ready to revise his opinion of his chess skills. He wasn't rubbish; he was abysmal. Luna had captured his queen, both his rooks, and a knight. He'd managed to capture exactly two of her pawns. Cedric supposed he should resign, but he was a Hufflepuff, and Hufflepuffs did not surrender. He resolved to meet the almost inevitable checkmate with good grace.

She moved her bishop, placing him in check. "I saw Cho on my way here. She'd been crying," she said conversationally.

He tensed, and moved his remaining knight to block. "Yeah. I upset her pretty badly earlier today."

Her eyes lost their dreamy expression and her tone grew suddenly serious. "I'm not going to have to hex you, am I?"

"I hope not." He brought a hand to his forehead. "I like Cho, I really do. Why did she have to get the wrong idea? Why couldn't it have been Mum or Dad at the bottom of that lake?"

"I thought you said your parents were at a conference in Majorca."

He could feel his irritation mounting. "They brought Gabrielle from France, didn't they? Why couldn't they have brought my parents, too?"

"Perhaps they couldn't get away."

He shrugged. "Fair enough. Why couldn't they have picked one of my friends? I would have rescued them, gladly."

She thought for a moment. "Because you're a teenage boy, and conventional wisdom holds that there is nothing more important to a teenage boy than the girl he took the ball?"

"It was a rhetorical question." He shook his head. "Maybe we should have gone to the Yule Ball together after all. I would've missed you."

The moment he spoke, Cedric felt the urge to clap his hand over his mouth. He hadn't meant to say that out loud. Luna flushed crimson and seemed to have developed a great deal of interest in the position of her chess pieces. A moment passed, then another. The silence hung thick in the air. Cedric fidgeted. For the second time that day, he did not know what to say. His confession had been sincere, but he was also keenly aware that it was one of those things a person was supposed to keep to himself, not blurt out like a lovesick schoolboy.

"Thank you," she whispered almost inaudibly. "I would miss you too, I think." She looked up at him and beamed. "Oh, Cedric?"

"Yes?"

She moved her queen. "Checkmate."