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Hufflepuff versus Slytherin. You never liked those matches. Some Slytherins were skilled players and challenging opponents, and you were more than glad to accept the challenge. Other Slytherins were petty and played dirty.
You hadn’t been looking forward to that match, but there you were: already dressed in your uniform, riding your broom and waiting for the sound of the whistle that would commence the match.
Startled, you nearly jolted up when you felt a hand squeezing your arm. Looking over, you saw Cedric giving you a comforting smile and a reassuring head nod. You exhaled, realizing you had been holding your breath, and managed to smile back.
Just then, the whistle sounded and echoed across the whole Quidditch field. On an instinct, you kicked on the floor and started soaring up into the sky with your broom. The wind whistled in your ears, your eyes traveled quickly studying your surroundings. Your teammates as well as your opponents had become yellow and green blurs against the blue sky. The sound of the audience cheering felt like a distant echo in your ears. Your heart racing overpowered any other noises.
While you were too preoccupied with your nerves and not truly focusing on the game, you felt someone knocking against your broom. The impact brought you back to reality. You looked up to find a Slytherin player smirking at you, though you didn’t have any time to say anything to them. The collision had sent your broom out of control, and you had to tightly hold on to it in order to avoid falling off.
Panicking, you made your absolute best to steer your broom and regain control over it. You absently noticed the Slytherin player flying off while you struggled. You grit your teeth, knuckles turning white with the force you put into the grip. Just when you thought you would surely tumble down to the floor several meters below you, another hand came in your field of vision. You grew startled at first, fearing it could be another Slytherin, but a familiar voice whispered comforting words in your ears.
“I got you” Cedric said, helping you steer the broom. Relieved that he was holding on to the wood too, you let go with one hand and balanced yourself by holding on to his shoulder.
“Ah!” You gasped, shaking from head to toe as the broom finally became stable. “T-Thank you”
When you peered up at him, Cedric was dedicating you that comforting smile once more.
“Don’t worry” He replied, nodding his head quite seriously. You reciprocated the gesture, letting him know you were alright. Understanding this, he still lingered for one second longer before flying away.
You took a few deep breaths to calm yourself, thankful for Cedric. You wondered if he did this because he was the Captain or because of you. Certainly, you were friends and in the same house but you weren’t truly that close for him to worry in such a way. Nonetheless, you deeply appreciated his thoughtfulness. After all, you were starting to believe you shouldn’t have participated in that particular match. You were far too afraid to fall, having experienced that in other matches before, and unfortunately knew that the chances of that happening were quite high against Slytherin.
Despite it all, you looked around searching for Cedric. When you spotted him, your racing heart seemed to slow a bit. His mere presence calmed you. The way the sun illuminated his hair and shone in his eyes calmed you down completely.
Determined, you clung on to the broom and continued to soar, ready to face the rest of the match.
_
Although there had been a few hiccups and scares here and there, the match hadn’t been as awful as you expected it to be. As a reward for your hard work and fair play, Hufflepuff was currently winning. This might have been damaging in the end, because you were starting to grow confident and lower your guard which, as time would prove, was lethal for you.
You had been completely focused in the game, lost in mental counts and thoughts regarding where each player was. Your eyes kept sneaking off to the scoreboard next to Lee Jordan as he excitedly commentated the match. As he talked about Cedric and Draco losing track of the golden snitch, you remembered you hadn’t been paying attention to the balls. You realized your mistake too late.
A speeding bludger hit you in the upper arm and you immediately screamed out in pain. Losing your balance as you also instinctively held on to the injured spot, you fell off the broom and rapidly plunged to the floor.
The world spun around you, the audience let out a collective gasp of horror as you fell. Your teammates worriedly called you, but one voice stood out amongst them all.
“Y/N!” Cedric seemed to be closer and closer, steering his broom toward you.
You hit the floor before he could reach you. The sand slightly broke your fall, but the pain spread across your body nonetheless. Madame Hooch sounded the whistle to stop the match, which was simultaneously a relief as you could rest for the time being, and a burden since all the attention would now be focused on you while all you wanted to do was cry in pain.
“Y/N” Cedric finally made it to your side, climbing off the broom in a rush and kneeling by your side.
“Ced…” You whined, reaching out with your good arm and holding on to his shirt.
A dawning realization settled in your brain, as you realized you might have broken a bone or dislocated your shoulder. The pain was blinding, bringing tears to your eyes and a nasty feeling to the pit of your stomach.
“Is it your arm?” He asked, gently squeezing your good shoulder. “Did you hit your head?”
You only babbled, unable to put together any coherent words. A sob climbed up your throat as the fear grew bigger. All your senses seemed to shut off and your eyes shut tight, only registering that nasty feeling in your shoulder that spread through your whole arm and down to your fingertips.
“It’s alright, I got you” Cedric gingerly scooped you into his arms so your injured arm dangled off to the side instead of pressing against his chest. “I’ll take you to Madame Pomfrey, it’s okay”
His voice shook a little, but his warmth and closeness was comforting as he lifted you off the ground. He moved carefully to hurriedly carry you off the field. He stopped for a moment to exchange a few words with Madame Hooch and then continued walking.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be okay, hang on” He never stopped talking to you, always dedicating you kind words to ease your anxiety. “I won’t leave your side, I got you”
“Thank you, Ced…” You managed to say, nuzzling his neck searching any further comfort.
You felt safe with him, in his arms. Despite your pain and your anguish, you knew he would look after you. It also soothed you to know he would be by your side at all times. You felt like you couldn’t face the infirmary alone, but it wouldn’t be so horrible with him there.
“I got you, Y/N” He repeated, and you knew he meant it. Not just then, not just during Quidditch. Always. You didn’t know Cedric was so protective of you, but you were thankful for it. You were thankful for him.