20 CH20 - A Date Between Rivals

The moment had come. The moment Edmund had been anticipating since he first gained his new body and opened a potions textbook.

'Finally, I'll be rid of these horrible things,' Edmund said with disgust, as he stared into a mirror. Poking at the big pimples that riddled his face, he grimaced with pain, resisting the urge to pop one.

Opening the cork from the boils cure he had brewed the day before, Edmund poured the contents of the vial into a cauldron of water large enough for him to dunk his face into. The mixture bubbled and boiled, hissingly menacingly and uninvitingly.

"This... is going to hurt," he murmured, wincing.

Initially, Edmund had been hoping the potion he used for pain relief after his sessions at the range in the Room of Requirement would also handle this problem for him. Unfortunately, he wasn't so lucky.

Potions were indeed miraculous, but they were highly specific. No panacea had been invented yet, and none likely ever would be. The elixir of life was the closest to such a thing, but even it only prevented death from old age, nothing else. That was why watching a medi-witch force dozens of potions down the throats of highly injured individuals wasn't an unusual sight.

The potion Edmund used in his bath every day mended broken blood vessels and provided a mild muscle relaxant. It was relatively inexpensive to gather ingredients for, but one of the more difficult ones to brew.

The boils cure on the other hand targeted pus underlying the skin, removing both the painful substance and the bacteria responsible for causing it. Without any numbing properties present, the process was just as painful as it sounded. The boils cure was simple to brew, which was why it was one of the first potions taught in class. The ingredients required, however, were expensive to collect and store.

Over the course of the past several lessons with Professor Snape, Edmund had successfully managed to lift the necessary ingredients one at a time. Once he had them, preparation was no hassle, and the concoction was soon ready.

*Hoo, hoo, hoo,* he rapidly exhaled, psyching himself up for what was to come.

'Come on now, can't be much worse than my regular training, right? Man up you little bitch,' he slapped himself before shaking his head.

Without giving himself time to back out, Edmund closed his eyes and plunged his head into the cauldron. He was immediately assaulted with eye-watering pain poking all over his face. The sensation was accompanied by the uncomfortable yet pleasurable feeling of something being drawn from his pores, leaving him feeling relieved.

By the time the necessary ten seconds for the potion to take effect had gone by, all the pain of the process had gone, and all Edmund was left with was stinging eyes.

'On second thought,' he smiled as he wiped his eyes and looked at the mirror in front of him, 'I'm also left with a clean face.'

Now that he was smooth-skinned, he savagely clawed at his face, finally free to scratch his face without agitating his acne. Once he had satisfied his urges, he quickly washed his face and drained the cauldron he had been using.

Apparently, pain was an appetite-creating process, or so his belly informed him with a loud rumble. It was a weekend, and the time was the awkward period between a late breakfast and lunch that still left him feeling hungry.

Deciding he couldn't wait another two hours for sustenance, Edmund began making his way to the kitchens.

Whistling loudly, he looked outside the windows to check the weather. Frost-covered grass filled the fields in front of him, slowly melting due to the overhead sun. The day was cold, but pleasant.

'Maybe some time outside with the others will be nice,' he mused, coincidentally running into the objects of his thoughts.

Cecilia, Ben, and Jeremy were holding onto the arms of a hyperventilating Cedric who looked like he had just run a marathon. His face was pale, missing all its colour, and his eyes were wide.

"What happened to you?" Edmund asked worriedly, giving him a look over.

*Mumble,* Cedric replied, still in a daze.

Cecilia rolled her eyes in response, clearly tired of Cedric's antics.

"He asked the Ravenclaw seeker on a date," she smirked before adding with her eyebrows arched. "Actually, he practically demanded it."

Ben and Jeremy started snickering as Edmund relaxed.

"It's not funny!" Cedric snapped, his worry momentarily superseded by his indignation at being mocked.

It didn't last long though, as a frown returned to his face before he continued muttering.

"It was pretty funny," Ben said unashamedly.

"She thought you were trying to distract her before the Hufflepuff vs Ravenclaw game, you know? You don't exactly have great timing lover boy," Jeremy added with a laugh.

"I know, I know," Cedric groaned, using his palms to cover his face in embarrassment.

"Oh don't feel so bad. At least when you managed to convince her that you were serious she looked happy enough," Cecilia consoled. "Besides, she was blushing and stuttering just as much, and she only had to say 'yes' to you."

Cedric ignored her comforting expertly like the professional virgin that he was, before turning to look at Edmund.

"Where the hell do I take her?! She asked when and I just blurted 'today' like an idiot," he scolded himself.

"Relax, dude," Edmund tried to calm him with his hands up. "You're lucky. The weather's good today. Take her out on a picnic by the lake. It's cold enough to be pretty empty but not so much that it'll be uncomfortable."

Cedric's eyes lit up with happiness as he turned to look out the windows with excitement.

Seeing his puppy-like dopiness, everyone chuckled.

"C'mon, I'll help you out," Edmund decided.

Leading them back to the Hufflepuff dorms, Edmund stopped before the giant portrait of the bowl of fruit. Signalling his companions to pay attention, he tickled the pear near the centre-right of the painting. The fruit transformed into a three-dimensional green handle, which Edmund used to swing open the painting.

As everyone walked in, their jaws dropped as they watched hundreds of house-elves scurrying around in a massive room the same size as the Great Hall.

"Welcome to the kitchens," Edmund said with a smile.

*-*-*-*

- (Scene Break) -

*-*-*-*

Half an hour later, Cedric had managed to acquire a large picnic basket with all of Cho's favourite foods. Both the knowledge and the food were courtesy of the house-elves, who Cedric ensured to profusely thank for their services.

With their floppy ears and squeaky voices, it was funny seeing the creatures jump about in excitement, infected by Cedric's own.

In another half hour, Patricia Stimpson helped Cedric pick out his clothes, proclaiming the boy was helpless at doing so for himself.

Cedric had acted offended at her declaration, but he kept looking at his reflection in disbelief when he was finally ready. Although he hadn't explicitly said 'thank you,' still miffed by Patricia's pushiness, his gratitude was apparent. It was enough for Patricia, who stood staring at him gloatingly, her arms crossed across her chest.

Walking to the Great Hall, they all pushed Cedric toward the approaching Cho coming from the side of the castle. As they looked on, the pair greeted each other, before entwining their arms and heading out the double doors.

"We can head outside now too if you want?" Edmund asked his friends, all of whom eagerly nodded.

Laying out a big blanket, the four of them sprawled out on it lazily, looking up at the sky. Opening their own picnic basket, they unpacked their lunches happily, chatting all the while.

After a while, Edmund left the group and headed to a small shed by the Quidditch pitch. Now that he had become qualified to fly on his own, the school allowed him to borrow the shared brooms. Inspecting the supply available, Edmund chose the broom with the least frayed ends that didn't look like it would collapse under his weight.

Mounting the seat, he hovered slightly in the air, testing the balance and stability. Pleased with what he found, he signed out the broom under his name, before taking off into the sky.

He first flew over where Cedric was sitting with Cho under a small copse by the Black Lake. The two were talking quietly, giggling as they held hands. Catching Cedric's eyes, Edmund gave him a big thumbs up, feeling irrationally proud about his much older housemate.

'Man's got game,' Edmund thought with a smile, before zooming towards Hagrid's hut.

Just like almost every other Saturday, he found Luna sitting with him. Today, the two were roasting food over the large fire in Hagrid's hut, creating an enticing smell.

"Heyo!" he hollered from outside the window.

Hagrid ducked his head, and Luna jumped on the table, both of them peering out the window to look at him. Once they recognized him, they gave a happy wave.

"Planning on joining us, Edmund?" Hagrid asked with a smile. Luna said nothing, looking inquisitively at the package in his hand.

"Not today, I'm afraid! But I have got a delivery for the two of you," he said, leaning to the side and sticking his left hand outwards.

Luna opened the well-secured box right away, unveiling the large bowl of pudding within. She looked at him with happiness, tears almost pouring out of her eyes.

Looking inside more closely, Edmund caught sight of the rock cakes sitting on the table. Barely preventing his lips from quirking upwards, he gave the girl an understanding nod of welcome.

"Ahh, you didn't have to Edmund! Good man you are," Hagrid said in his usual booming tone.

Luna's enthusiastic devouring of the dessert contradicted his words, and the big man could only scratch his head with an awkward chuckle at her reaction.

"What are friends for?" Edmund said with a shrug and muffled laugh before returning to his original spot.

Rather than landing on the ground, he decided to test out his flying prowess over the lake. Casting a softening charm on himself to further prevent any injury, he began streaking through an imaginary circuit.

He began with a near ninety-degree incline, elevating himself well off the ground. When he reached his desired height, he instantly shot in the opposite direction, nosediving to the water. He performed various corkscrews and barrel rolls during his descent, whooping with excitement at the thrill of it. Pulling up early, he continued in a straight line, dodging imaginary enemies left and right as he went.

His routine evidently tickled the giant squid, who decided to get involved. Using its massive tentacles, the creature created a big moving obstacle course for him, implicitly challenging him.

Edmund accepted the invitation with a holler, evading the slowly moving arms coming towards him.

From the shore, his friends cheered for him, joined by a slowly growing crowd of people intent on enjoying the good conditions.

Eventually, his journey forced him to climb upwards once more, where the giant squid gave him one final challenge. A massive wall of appendages stood before him, boxing him in from all sides and at the top. The only means of escape was a tiny opening near the very bottom of the fleshy cage, just above the water.

Not bothering to wait, Edmund began his first attempt at a Wronski Feint.

As the water grew closer, he tried to judge the best moment to make the perpendicular turn, determined not to stop too early.

He accomplished that quite easily... stopping too late rather than too early.

With a massive splash, Edmund faceplanted into the lake.

Everyone's voices stopped suddenly, replaced by anxiousness.

*Burble, gurgle*

With a gasp, a sputtering Edmund emerged from the water. Righting himself, he continued coughing up the contents of the Black Lake, laughing all the while.

People crowded around him, patting him on the back and clapping for him loudly. From behind, Cedric thumped him in the back, joined by Cho.

"Well, you're not becoming a seeker anytime soon," Cedric teased, poking Edmund in the ribs.

"You're probably right," Edmund wheezed, grinning widely from ear to ear.