The crisp autumn air bit at Cedric’s cheeks as he hurried down the cobbled streets of Hogsmeade. Golden leaves skittered across the ground, chased by the sharp wind that tugged at his cloak. He walked quickly, though not with purpose, his mind was too tangled for direction. Quidditch strategies, looming exams, and that hollow ache that refused to leave his chest all swirled together in a haze.

It had been three weeks since he and you had parted ways. Three weeks of deliberately avoiding certain corridors in the castle, of forcing himself not to look toward your house table at mealtimes, of rehearsing in his head what he might say if you ever cornered him again. Three weeks of convincing himself he was fine, even though his heart knew better.

And then fate, merciless as ever, decided to mock him.

He rounded a corner too quickly, his shoulder colliding hard with another. The jolt nearly sent him sprawling, and he muttered a sharp breath under his throat. But before he could apologize, a familiar scent curled into his senses, soft and unshakable. Something inside him froze.

When he looked up, his heart plummeted.

You.

The sight of you sent a rush of emotions through him so fast it made his chest ache all over again. You looked just the same as the day you’d left things unfinished, eyes bright, though shadowed with something he couldn’t name. For a split second, your expression betrayed you: your eyes widened, and he caught it, that flicker of something unguarded, shock, maybe even regret.

The wind howled between you, tugging at your hair and making Cedric’s scarf whip against his chin, but neither of you moved. Neither of you spoke. It felt like the world had pressed pause, like Hogsmeade itself was watching, waiting.

Cedric swallowed hard, forcing his voice steady when everything inside him threatened to unravel. “Sorry,” he said quietly, stepping back. His usual warmth was gone, buried beneath layers of restraint. He managed a polite smile, thin, careful, practiced. “I wasn’t looking.”

But his eyes, despite his best efforts, lingered on yours a heartbeat too long.