I Hope the Person Standing Beside Me Is You

The moment their palms touched, Clara was struck by a sudden, unreal daze.

It was the first time she had touched his palm directly, rather than through the fabric of his clothes.

Cedric's palm was warm and dry, just as she had imagined.

His hand enclosed her cool fingertips steadily, his grip just right, neither too stiff nor overly intimate.

It caused her no discomfort, and at the same time held every frantic beat of her heart firmly in its grasp.

The group stepped out of the Hufflepuff Common Room side by side. The evening breeze swept through the carved window frames of the castle corridor, carrying the crisp scent of the snow outside and dispersing the cloying smell of gingerbread around them.

The wall lamps in the corridor lit up, casting a warm yellow glow over the smooth stone floor and drawing out their shadows until they seemed to be nestled close together.

Clara kept her eyes slightly lowered the whole way, almost afraid to look at the boy beside her.

Nervousness spread thick and fast through her heart.

She wasn't good at dancing. Even though she had learned the basic steps beforehand, she was so nervous now that she had forgotten every last one.

Whenever she thought about dancing the opening dance with Cedric before everyone, her fingertips couldn't help trembling slightly.

What made her even more anxious was how beautiful the scene before her was.

The boy in his black dress robes wore the Gabriel petal pin he had polished himself on his chest, echoing the silver ornament at her collarbone from afar. It was an understanding that belonged to the two of them alone, known to no one else.

The feelings she had once only dared to keep hidden in her heart had become the reality of walking side by side, their fingers interlaced. It was beautiful, yet like a fragile dream.

She even lowered her head and secretly pinched the fingertips clutching her skirt, genuinely wondering whether she was dreaming.

Rowle and Dennis walked behind them. Rowle chattered all the way about amusing things at the ball and how she was going to grab some of the newest flavors of cake in the Great Hall later. Dennis listened attentively, occasionally nodding in response to her.

Cedric keenly noticed her unease and deliberately slowed his pace to match hers. His low voice sounded softly by her ear. "Hey, Clara, don't be nervous. You did very well last time."

Was he serious?

Clara was no longer nervous. She shot him a somewhat angry glare, and Cedric's eyes curved with the pleasure of a little scheme succeeding.

"Last time I stepped on Harry at least ten times. If you don't mind, I can step on you even more."

"I won't give you the chance."

Clara turned her head away and stopped looking at him, but the tips of her ears burned, and even the fingertips he held in his palm gradually grew warmer.

Cedric didn't call her out, though the smile at the corners of his mouth deepened.

"Hey, don't you think the atmosphere between those two is very, very..."

Behind them, Rowle deliberately lowered her voice and began sharing this thrilling piece of gossip with her dance partner.

"I heard Ernie say Ced spent two hours getting ready."

"Oh, Merlin! Don't they really like each other?"

"Have Ernie ask tonight. Something's definitely going on with Ced acting like this."

The corridor was short, yet to Clara it felt both long and fleeting.

Long, because her heart thundered with every passing second; fleeting, because before she had time to lose herself in it, the dazzling lights of the castle's Entrance Hall had already come into view.

Crystal lamps conjured by magic filled the air, slowly circling overhead.

The Entrance Hall buzzed with voices, and dress robes of every kind shimmered in the light. The Triwizard Tournament Champions had to gather here for the opening dance.

Rowle and Dennis said goodbye to them and slipped off somewhere. Clara figured Rowle probably wanted to find some different gossip to enjoy.

The Yule Ball was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for gossip, after all.

"Clara! Cedric!"

Harry stood in the Entrance Hall and waved at them.

Beside him stood a very pretty Indian girl, apparently named Parvati, a Gryffindor student.

But the two of them didn't seem to know each other very well.

Clara quickened her steps, a faint blush still lingering on her face, and gave Harry a small smile. "Good evening, Harry! Nice robes!"

Cedric followed beside her, holding a hand near her as though to keep her from twisting her ankle on the stairs.

Quite a few boys cast curious glances at Clara, but quickly looked away when they saw Cedric.

"Mrs. Weasley gave them to me. She said green suited my eyes better."

Harry scratched his head, a little embarrassed.

As he spoke, though, his gaze had already darted back and forth between Clara and Cedric.

"Mrs. Weasley has very good taste." Clara held out her hand to the girl. "Hi! I'm Clara Albert."

The girl was a little reserved, but shook her hand in return.

"Who's that girl?"

Someone beside them asked, and Clara turned to see Krum coming down the stairs with his dance partner.

"Hermione."

"Who?" This time it was Harry's turn to be surprised. Then he looked again. "Hermione?"

Hermione had clearly seen them and smiled as she greeted them. Then she and Krum stood in front of them.

Harry was left standing there alone, utterly bewildered.

Oh, and Ron wasn't far away either. His mouth was open wide enough to fit an entire pumpkin pie.

"Ced! There you are at last."

Ernie came over from the other side with his dance partner, a hearty smile on his face. He reached out to shake Cedric's hand, his gaze moving meaningfully back and forth between Cedric and Clara.

"You really look striking tonight. Those two hours weren't wasted, it seems."

That was obviously meant for Clara to hear. She turned away and pretended she hadn't heard a thing.

The Hufflepuff boys following Ernie laughed and came forward one after another to greet Cedric, patting him on the shoulder and teasing him.

The crowd gathered around them, and passing students kept glancing over.

Cedric still held Clara's hand lightly in one of his, while he calmly dealt with his friends' greetings with the other. He also shifted slightly to the side without drawing attention to it, half shielding her behind him from the surging flow of people so no one would step on her dress.

Protected like this, Clara felt that sense of unreality quietly rise again.

The laughter and conversation around them, the shifting light of the crystal lamps, and the faint strains of orchestral music drifting from afar all mingled together.

Several Ravenclaw girls came over to greet Clara, Cho among them.

Though they weren't particularly close, Cho still offered her high praise and greetings.

Shifting patches of crystal lamplight fell on Cho's long black hair. The girl said goodbye to Clara, then walked over to Michael, who stood outside the crowd. The two talked, and Cho's eyes shone with excitement and joy.

Fragments belonging to another timeline came rushing back in an instant, stirring her emotions into turmoil.

Everything before her was clearly happening at this very moment, yet Clara still couldn't help asking herself, Should I really be the one standing here now, receiving Cedric's tenderness?

Cedric had just finished answering Ernie's question, which had carried a hint of gossip.

He turned and saw Clara watching Cho and Michael talking. He could sense that something was off about the atmosphere around her.

"Hey, Clara." Cedric's voice sounded amid the noise, drawing her wandering thoughts back to reality.

He didn't press her. He merely tightened the fingers of the hand holding hers a little.

He knew what she was thinking.

Clara lowered her eyes and forced a faint smile.

"You don't have to feel guilty. You've never done anything wrong. I'm the one who changed, and if anything is wrong, it's my fault. But I want to tell you that this time, from beginning to end, I've wanted the person standing beside me to be you."

Cedric looked at her, his words earnest.

"Now, whatever you're thinking about, leave tonight to the Yule Ball first, all right?"

Clara looked up and saw all of herself reflected in his gray-blue eyes.

"Champions, please enter with your dance partners." Professor McGonagall's voice interrupted them.

Cedric raised his arm and placed Clara's hand in the crook of it.

The Great Hall's two heavy doors slowly opened inward, revealing breathtaking lights and the brilliant ceiling above, fashioned to resemble the night sky. Stars drifted slowly overhead, and snowflakes floated down.

The gazes of every student around them turned toward the slowly advancing procession.

Phoebe walked at the front in a silver-white dress, its fabric shimmering; Krum held himself a little more reservedly, protecting Hermione at his side; close behind them came an uneasy Harry, with Parvati holding his arm gracefully, both of them walking a little stiffly.

Clara stepped forward with Cedric, her arm against the fabric of his black dress robes, able to feel his steady, unhurried pace.

Everyone's eyes fell on them, and quiet gasps and whispers sounded around her. When many of the Hufflepuff students saw Cedric, they couldn't hold back their hushed cheers.

She could just make out Rowle, Dennis, and Ernie in a corner somewhere, watching them and chatting happily.

"Don't be afraid, Clara." He lowered his voice so only she could hear, his breath brushing her ear. "Just dance. Don't worry about stepping on me."

The procession reached the center of the dance floor. The orchestra's conductor raised his baton, and the melodious, stately music of the opening dance suddenly flowed out.

The Champions separated and found their places. Cedric gently placed one hand at her waist and held her hand steadily with the other.

Clara held her breath, her mind completely blank. She had forgotten even more thoroughly than she had imagined.

She stiffened her back, her gaze falling instinctively to their joined hands. Her eyes passed over the Gabriel petal pin he had polished himself on his chest, then fell to the mark on her wrist, the two petals echoing each other beneath the lights.

The surrounding noise seemed to recede into the distance, until it felt as though the two of them were alone on the vast dance floor.

Cedric moved very slowly, deliberately accommodating her and leaving plenty of room with every turn.

But Clara was still somewhat flustered and nearly stepped on him several times.

He was, however, clearly much better at dancing than Harry.

Each time, he subtly adjusted their direction and deftly avoided her feet, without showing the slightest sign of difficulty.

"Clara." He looked at her tense expression, a faint smile appearing at the corners of his mouth. "Relax, and enjoy yourself. Dancing can't be harder than Defence Against Dark Magic Class, can it?"

Shifting starlight fell on his eyelashes. The boy was calm and gentle, and though hundreds of eyes were watching them, his held only her.

Her tense shoulders gradually relaxed, and her frantic heartbeat slowly settled. Following his lead, she turned and stepped.

The silver-white skirt rippled out in a soft arc as she turned, like a Gabriel flower blooming on the dance floor.

Beside the stands, Rowle leaned over the railing, her eyes round as she tugged hard on Dennis's arm, so excited she nearly cried out.

Ernie stood beside them, the corners of his mouth raised high.

He now understood why the corners of Rowle's mouth had been raised high enough to hang a Butterbeer from that day.