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Cedric frowned down at the Christmas jumper that lay innocently in the box below him, freshly unwrapped on Christmas morning. There had been no note, the wrapping paper generic. He hadn't even seen the present delivered, so he had no idea who it came from.
"Hey Ced, what do you have there?" Asked Geoff McClery, the only other Hufflepuff from his year that stayed at Hogwarts during Christmas break.
"Some sort of Christmas jumper," Cedric said, lifting it up to look at it. "It's from Twilfitt and Tattings ."
"They just released a new line of Christmas clothing, didn't they?" Geoff said, lifting a sleeve of the jumper. "Some play music when you're in a good mood, others light up. What does this one do?"
"I'm not sure," Cedric said. "I don't even know who gave it to me."
"Well, try it on then!" Geoff said, patting Cedric on the back. "I want to see what it does!"
Cedric obliged, pulling the jumper over his head. The jumper adjusted to fit him perfectly, hugging his biceps and clinging to his waist.
"Merlin, I wish I could afford Twilfitt and Tattings clothes," Geoff said enviously. "Their self-tailoring charm is amazing."
"Still not sure what it does, though." Cedric said, moving to a mirror to see the jumper. It was a red and green jumper, with tasteful reindeer silhouettes gracing the edges. "Huh, maybe it's a non magical jumper?"
"Doubtful. Did you check the box?" Geoff asked, taking a peak in the wrappings. "Ah! Here we are. A Christmas soulmate jumper!"
"What does that involve?" Cedric asked with a frown.
"I'm reading, give me a second," Geoff replied, eyes scanning the card. "Okay, so what it says is that when you wear the jumper on Christmas day, you will be able to hear your soulmate's thoughts."
"I wonder who they are," Cedric mused.
"What if they're not at Hogwarts?" Geoff replied. "The world is huge."
"Hopefully they think hard about where they are, then." Cedric laughed.
Presents
"Oh, they're awake!" Cedric said, blinking at the voice. "I think it's a bloke?"
"Do you recognize the voice?" Geoff asked
"It's not exactly a voice, just more...an impression?" Cedric frowned. "It's hard to describe."
Broom Kit
"And....they...he...I'm not sure. They got a broom kit. So at least it's a wizard!"
"Or a muggle obsessed with cleaning supplies?" Geoff suggested. The pair left the seventh year Hufflepuff dormitory, making their way out of the common room.
"You're terrible." Cedric rolled his eyes.
Jumper?
"Oh, I think he's getting one too!" Cedric said, excitement flaring through him and burning out quickly. "Oh no, I think he's getting one too. What if he figures out who I am?"
"Isn't that the point?" Geoff raised an eyebrow.
"I don't know, what if he doesn't like me?" Cedric panicked momentarily.
"Cedric, he's your soulmate." Geoff said.
"It's not a guarantee that they like you," Cedric replied.
Hello?
Cedric froze. 'Hi...can you hear me?'
Yes, you're thinking rather loudly...and quickly . The voice sounded amused.
"He's talking to me," Cedric told Geoff, entering the Great Hall, which was decked out in Christmas decor.
'Sorry about that', Cedric thought. 'I realized you were getting a jumper too and sort of...panicked.'
So was this from you? The voice asked. Did you really get us matching Christmas jumpers?
'Not me, no. I'm not sure who you are, to be honest.' Cedric thought.
I don't know who you are either. The voice responded. How do I know that this isn't some sort of trick?
'I suppose you don't.' Cedric replied honestly. 'Do you go to Hogwarts?'
...I do. The voice said, seemingly hesitant. Why?
'Oh, just wondering, I do too.' Cedric thought.
"Cedric!" Geoff sounded like he had called Cedric's name several times. "Your food has appeared."
"Thank you Geoff," Cedric said. "Sorry, I was...distracted."
"So distracted that you didn't notice Harry Potter walk in?" Cho Chang said as she sat next to Cedric, a knowing smile on her face. "Nice jumper."
"Thanks," Cedric said, distracted now. "Sorry where is..."
"It's a soul mate jumper," Geoff told Cho. "He can hear his soulmate's thoughts, and I guess his soulmate got one too, so they've been...er...chatting."
"What a kind and thoughtful gift," Cho said, patting Cedric's shoulder lovingly. "An amazing friend must have gotten it for you."
"Wait...Cho?" Cedric blinked. "This was from you?"
Cho?
'Sorry,' Cedric apologized. 'Didn't mean to...shout it at you.'
What about Cho? The voice asked him.
"It was, yes." Cho replied. "It was two for the price of one, so I sent it to who I thought your soul mate would be. Glad I was right."
"Who is it?" Cedric asked.
"I'm not telling you," Cho smiled serenely. "By the way, Harry is sitting by the fireplace. I saw you looking for him."
Cedric turned to look, his heart doing an odd little flutter seeing Harry sandwiched between Hermione and Ron. He seemed a bit distracted though.
What about Cho? The voice asked again.
'Sorry, she's the one who sent us these sweaters' , Cedric said. 'Just found out for myself.'
So if I find her, I find you? The voice asked.
Cedric looked over to see that Cho had already flitted off. ' Sorry about that, it looks like she had the same idea you did.'
Hmm... The voice hummed. Who could you be?
' Who do you want me to be?' Cedric asked.
At that moment, Harry’s eyes met Cedric’s before they both glanced away, Cedric’s heart racing.
Handsome
‘ Who’s handsome?’ Cedric asked.
Cedric Diggory the voice thought at once.
‘ Me?’ Cedric thought, before he could stop himself.
Wait…you? The voice seemed shocked. No.
‘ Is that…a bad thing?’ Cedric asked the voice.
No! It’s a good thing . The voice rushed to say. Almost…too good? I don’t have good luck like this .
‘ And who am I talking to? ’ Cedric asked.
The voice hesitated.
“Have you figured out who it is?” Geoff said, startling Cedric from his concentration.
“No, but he knows who I am.” Cedric pouted.
“Alright, I’ll give you a hint,” Geoff said, a smirk on his face. “Who do you have a crush on?”
“Er…Harry.” Cedric said. “But he likes Cho.”
“Nah,” Geoff said. “Take a look at what he’s wearing.”
Cedric glanced over, meeting Harry’s eyes at once. Glancing down, he noticed a Christmas jumper identical to his own. He met Harry’s eyes again, a smile spreading over his face.
Hi the voice said.
‘ Hi there, Soulmate.’ Cedric responded, and Harry’s answering smile was brighter than the sun.