When Cedric made this request, the boys didn't think much of it, but the girls suddenly felt that Cedric like this was a bit pitiful.
So the request passed the organization's internal meeting and became the final item of every activity, meant to help deepen everyone's bonds.
However, today the twins were clearly overly excited, and this round of交流 made Cedric regret it somewhat.
"Ced, I hear you're in love?" Fred said, waggling his eyebrows.
As soon as he said that, a blush spread across Cedric's fair face. He stammered, "Not yet, not yet. It's just that there's a girl I have very good feelings for."
All the girls' ears perked up. They wanted to know what kind of girl had caught Cedric's attention. Cedric could no longer be described as just a model student—he was far too well-rounded.
Good grades, good character, good looks—those three alone would already be enough, but the key point was that Cedric was also the Hufflepuff prefect, the captain of the Quidditch team, and might even become Head Boy in the future.
As a student, Cedric was simply too perfect.
In terms of family background, Cedric was no slouch either. His father, Mr. Amos Diggory, was an official at the Ministry of Magic, working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures—a bona fide second-generation Ministry family.
It could be said that Cedric was the white-horse prince in the hearts of Hogwarts girls. With such an outstanding boy falling in love, it was only natural that the girls would be curious.
"Then that is being in love!" George said knowingly. "When did it start?" Even though the twins, like Eda, had been single since birth, they still insisted on putting on an air of expertise.
Cedric felt a little embarrassed. Lowering his head, he said, "At a Quidditch match last year. The way she looked back then was just too heart-stirring." As he spoke, Cedric fiddled with his hair. Though his head was lowered, the tenderness in his brows and eyes was impossible to hide.
"Cho Chang!" Angelina reacted instantly. "Cho Chang from Ravenclaw, right?"
During Quidditch matches, the entire school would go to watch. The stands were packed with people, and it was basically impossible to clearly see a specific person from the stands—so it could only have been a player.
In Gryffindor, aside from Eda, there were three other female players. But if the girl had been from Gryffindor, the twins wouldn't have asked the question in front of them.
That meant the girl had to be a player from Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, or Slytherin. Angelina quickly ran through the rosters of those three teams in her mind and soon locked onto a target.
Just like that, Cho Chang, the Chinese girl, appeared in Angelina's thoughts. Cho Chang had the gentle softness unique to Eastern girls. She spoke in a mild, gentle voice, was tens of thousands of times gentler than Eda, and gave off an overall aura of warmth and harmony.
Cho Chang's Asian features also allowed Hogwarts students to experience the charm of the East, and she had no shortage of admirers as well.
"Not bad, Ced!" Alicia reacted as well. "No wonder during that match against Ravenclaw, your performance beforehand looked like you were sleepwalking." Sure enough, girls tended to be more observant—neither the twins nor Lee Jordan had noticed anything at all.
Angelina's bluntness and Alicia's teasing made Cedric's face flush even more, his head lowering further. Liking someone was never anything to be ashamed of, but right now nothing was certain yet, and Cedric was very afraid that this might just be unrequited love on his part.
Katie and Leanne exchanged a look, then sighed in unison. They were all fourth-years—so how could the gap between people be this big? Someone else had already won the heart of the school's heartthrob, while they were still alone, able only to hold their left hand with their right.
There was nothing more to say—bitter wine slid down the throat, and the heart ached. Gulp gulp gulp gulp gulp…
George punched Cedric on the shoulder and teased him. "Not bad at all—quietly picking someone like that. So when are you planning to confess?"
"So it really is her!" Fred said. "I thought Eda made it up to fool us!"
Everyone turned to look at Eda. They hadn't expected her to be the first to notice—had the kid finally woken up to romance?
"Why are you all looking at me like that? Is it strange that I noticed?" Eda shot back. But the looks in everyone's eyes already said it all—the meaning was: You tell us.
Good grief, this was just too much.
She'd never seen people look down on someone like this. Sure, Eda had never liked anyone before, but she hadn't read all that youth-angst literature for nothing, okay?
Noticing a few hidden details was perfectly normal!
"Ced still hasn't answered George's question," Eda said, pulling a full-on "shift the universe" move to redirect attention. "So tell us—when do you plan to pursue Cho Chang, and how?"
Everyone turned their heads again, refocusing their gaze on Cedric. Cedric once more lowered his head in embarrassment.
He'd thought it was already over for him, but with one sentence from Eda, the ball had been kicked right back to him.
After thinking for a while, Cedric said slowly, "I haven't figured it out yet, and I don't know how to say it. The key is, I don't have any experience either. In the past, it was always other people pursuing me—I really don't know how to chase someone!"
"Tsk!" The twins and Lee Jordan exclaimed in unison. Their movements were perfectly synchronized as well—three internationally recognized friendly gestures jabbed straight toward Cedric's face.
That was really the kind of thing that begged to get beaten up—Cedric was showing off far too effortlessly, all fresh and refined.
"By the way, Eda," George said, "since you were the one who noticed it, don't you have an idea to help Mr. Diggory out?" Never mind calling him Ced—he didn't even call him Cedric anymore. The little skiff of friendship could capsize at any moment.
Eda pointed at herself, her face full of disbelief.
Asking her for ideas—wasn't that madness?
George definitely had no good intentions. Of course, that was only Eda's view.
Everyone else thought George made perfect sense, and even Cedric looked at her with an earnest, eager expression.
"I can give advice, but .. ehm.. do you dare believe it?" Eda asked uncertainly.
When she saw Cedric nod vigorously, Eda inexplicably gained confidence. She patted her chest and said self-assuredly, "I'm not bragging, but leave this to me. No one understands girls better than I do!"
Esmeralda Twist looked so radiant at that moment that it was no longer just the 'know-it-all' spirit possessing her—she looked like she was truly possessed by something. Eda seriously gave Cedric advice, even helping him plan out a confession scheme.
Cedric accepted it humbly, listening even more attentively than he did in class.
Two people who had been single since birth, one advising the other on how to chase a girl—wasn't that ridiculous?
The key question was: Eda dared to speak, and Cedric actually dared to believe her? What kind of tricks could this possibly involve!
(～￣▽￣)～Read 12 Chapters ahead:
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