Cedric was used to attention. As he walked through the Hogwarts corridors on Valentine's Day, his arms were already full of enchanted roses and neatly wrapped chocolates. Valentine's Day decorations, floating pink roses, shimmering heart-shaped confetti, and tiny cupids darting above the students.

It had turned the castle into a flurry of love notes and confessions, but he hadn’t expected to be stopped just before reaching the Hufflepuff common room.

A nervous voice called out his name.

He turned, surprised to find you standing there, clutching a small, neatly wrapped gift. You weren’t someone who usually sought the spotlight, and the way you fidgeted with the ribbon suggested you had debated giving this to him for a while.

“I-I know you probably don’t know me,” you started, avoiding his gaze. “But I just wanted to give you this. Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Cedric blinked. Didn’t know you? Of course, he did. He remembered the way you always sat at the far end of the library, lost in books. He’d seen you in the Great Hall, sometimes stealing glances at him but looking away just as quickly. He even recalled the time you’d helped a younger student who had dropped their parchment, thinking no one was watching.

He smiled, taking the gift gently from your hands. “Thank you,” he said warmly. “And for the record, I do know you.”