Before You Change (Harry Potter x Twilight)

2 - Why Are You Blushing?

Summer break. My escape from education. My escape from tests, homework, and all those pointless things.

"I'm going to be a Hufflepuff. I just know it!" my younger brother says. "We'll see," I say. He glares at me. "I wonder how you got into Hufflepuff with that negative attitude of yours," he sneers. "You're very annoying. You know that?" I say, temper flaring. "Both of you stop. Ernie go clean your room. Brooke, put something nice on. We'll have guests over soon," my father says while flipping through the Daily Prophet. "Ugh. Again?" I ask with a groan. "Yes. Dinner party. A few people from the Ministry and their families," my father says. I let out another groan as I head to my room. I take off my top and denim shorts. I put on a dress. Stupid work with the Ministry. How many friggin dinner parties can a person have during the Summer. Answer: A lot.

I head downstairs as the doorbell rings. "Brooke! Would you be a darling and get the door?" My mother calls from the kitchen. I fix my hair as I head towards the door. I open it. "You!" I gasp. "You?" the boy answers. He chuckles. "I have a name you know?" "That's awesome," I grumble. This night could not get any worse.

After dinner, my dad and some of the other people are talking in his office. I'm on the couch reading a book. The sofa shifts beside me. I look up. Diggory was there. "I'm Cedric," he says shyly. "Brooklyn," I say, not bothering to tell him I go by Brooke. "Why do I feel like you hate me?" he asks. "I don't hate you. I just don't like you," I say simply. "Why's that?" he asks, genuinely curious. "I don't know. My friends talk about you all the time. Guess I just got tired of hearing about you," I say truthfully. "You're very interesting," he says. "And I also happen to be 12," I say. "You don't seem twelve. You're too... mature," he points out. "Mm. Nice to know," I say, turning my attention back to my book. "What does being twelve have to do with anything. I'm thirteen," he says. "Twelve in my book is too young to date. In case you wanted to hit me up or something, I'm not looking for a relationship," I say without looking up from my book. He chuckles. "Who said I was looking for a relationship. Did I seem flirty?" he asks. "Yeah," I say bluntly. "Well, I didn't mean to sound flirty. Sorry," he apologizes. "You're apologizing for being flirty?" I ask. He nods. "Hm. Weird," I say. I put my book down and I turn to him.

I look him in the eye and his cheeks start to turn pink. "You're blushing," I point out. "I mean. Getting all this sudden attention from you is... overwhelming," he admits. I break eye contact with him. "How so?" I ask. "You've never given me any attention. Didn't even bother to glance in my direction in school," he says. I scoff. "That is not true," I say. "I've always found you interesting. A lot of girls, ahem, swoon over me. But you didn't pay any attention to me. Your two friends seem to like me very much," he says. "How'd you know that the two of them are head over heels for you?" I ask. "One, you told me earlier that I'm all they talk about. Two, it's all over their faces," he says. "What do you mean... all over their faces?" I ask. "I would say I'm pretty good at reading people," he says. "Reading people?" I ask, confused. "I'm good at guessing what people are thinking," he says. This should be interesting. "Hm. What am I thinking about right now?" I ask.

He looks at me in the eyes and I feel my cheeks burn. "You're wondering why you're blushing," he says. "That's not fair," I say. He raises an eyebrow. "You can clearly see I'm blushing," I whine. Then he leans in. His face is so close to mine that and his scent is so strong. Warm Butterbeer, fresh cooking, and fireplace. "The question is, why are you blushing?" he breathes. "Twelve," I manage to say. He snaps out of it and mumbles an apology. "Sorry. I kind of got carried away for a second," he says. "It's alright. I'm sure you didn't mean... any harm," I say. I pick up my book again and start reading.