Work Text:
By the middle of sixth year, he was beginning to feel a bit like everyone's favorite pony on the merry-go-round. Though the girls in his own year seemed bored with him, the fourth years were not: Susan (Hogsmeade), Hannah (the Common Room when no one was looking), and Megan (right in the middle of a tutoring session). And ever since he had become a Champion, the boys were just as keen on him: Finch-Fletchley (on his bed in broad daylight between classes), Macmillian (the boys' lavaratory just outside the Charms classroom), Hopkins (behind the castle at midnight), and Smith (the now-abandoned Quidditch locker room). He had a pack following him wherever he went, waiting and hoping to be the next one.
Finally, fed up with the attention and begging and notes at lunch, he spotted the pretty Ravenclaw Seeker, perched on top of a stone wall, reading in the snow.
"Cho?" he called.
She looked up and smiled. "Hello, Cedric."
"I--hi." He suddenly found himself at a loss for words. He glanced down at the book in her hands. "Lord of the Rings?" He raised an eyebrow at her.
"Yes," she said, and continued to smile sweetly.
"Cho, I--I know we don't really know each other well, but--you're a damn fine--er, sorry--a fabulous Seeker, and well, I was wondering if--" he looked around quickly, and the coast was clear "--if you would go to the ball with me."
She closed her book and her eyes lit up. "Sure!" she said, and hugged him around the neck.
And for the first time in months, he was left alone at dinner that night.