Author's Note: Please note that my personal definition of this ship is not a pedophilic relationship. I appreciate their friendship, especially when Cedric shows his soft side to Sofia, but I don't want their relationship to be anything more. (Not for now, at least). I am well aware of pedophilia, and since some people tend to get offended by this fandom, I want to let any potential readers know that there will be no pedophilia in this work of fanfiction. Only cute Cedfia feels!

Credit: Credit to sofia-the-worst (on Tumblr) for the cover image art.

Sofia yawned sleepily at Cedric's desk. She had decided to visit him late that night because of the nightmares that had been haunting her, though she also just felt lonely in the dark. Everything seemed too wide and vast for her little person to handle, and she thought visiting Cedric would ease some of her doubts.

In truth, she did have a little fun irritating him, especially by calling him "Mr. Ceedric," but she also admired him immensely and was happy to admit it.

When she had climbed up to his workshop and knocked on the door, it had immediately opened afterwards. He looked down at her with a half-lidded stare of irritation, his beady, amber eyes sunken with exhaustion, and then beckoned her in, asking her to tidy up the workshop since she had decided to "disrupt my plans for the evening."

It had become habit, even though Sofia learned quickly afterwards that Cedric was not a night person. Or a morning person. He was almost always annoyed by her and her constant efforts to see him, though she wouldn't give up. Someday, she wanted him to acknowledge her as his friend.

At first, Cedric had internally screamed at Sofia's constant visits to him at night. Night was when he schemed the most, though in the morning, he'd always realize how silly his plans had been, even if they had seemed ingenious the night before.

Either way, he eventually became fond of her visits, especially since she did help tidy up the workshop. He never asked her why she visited, he just assumed she did it out of loneliness. For such a small person, she radiated warmth and energy, and since he was so unused to having such a happy companion in his cold, dark workshop, he appreciated it.

He noticed her yawn as she was poring herself into one of the books on his desk, and he walked over, leaning over her to glance at the book that she was reading.

"Shouldn't you be heading off to bed now, Princess Sofia?" he asked sweetly, though his annoyance was clear in his voice. Sofia looked at him innocently with her brilliant, blue eyes, shaking her head.

"Oh, no, I'm not tired at all," she replied, smiling.

"Hmm, I see," Cedric replied sarcastically, and then walked smoothly back to the shelves, searching through them for a list of ingredients to make another potion yet again. Wormwood cawed at him in response, his golden eyes gleaming.

"Now don't you make fun of me, Wormy. You're the one who will have to deal with me in the morning," Cedric growled, and jumped in surprise when he felt Sofia's small hand tugging on the corner of his sleeve insistently.

"What is it, Princess Sofia?" Cedric asked, rolling his eyes, greeting her with his traditional sunken stare.

"I want you to look at one of the books I'm reading with me. Please, Mr. Cedric?" Sofia asked, looking up at him pleadingly. He refused to let her manipulate him so.

"No. I'm a royal sorcerer, not a royal babysitter. It's getting late, and you should go to bed," he replied, his hands hovering at her back. He gently pushed her to the door, though she refused to move.

"Please?" Sofia asked again. He watched her suspiciously, narrowing his eyes at her blue ones, and then sighed in clear frustration.

"Oh, alright, but after this, you need to leave," he groaned, and a bright smile bloomed across her face. She was clearly pleased that he had consented. He let her take his hand and lead him to the room, pointing at the book she had been reading.

"Look!"

He saw, to his surprise, that the book was open to a conjuring page. He watched in mild amusement as she hurried around the room, sifting through his bucket of wands to pick out a pale blue one. Then, she drew up beside him and pointed her wand toward the middle of the room, saying confidently with a flick of her wand,

"Flower mastosis!"

He pretended to look disinterested, glancing at his fingernails in distaste, but he quickly looked up again to be distracted by the single, green vine that she had conjured, quickly expanding into several others with curling leaves and deep, crimson flowers. The vines widened to a square, layering themselves into a frame as Sofia carefully moved them into place. She had done a good job of conjuring, he admitted grudgingly, but he disliked how messy his workshop looked now.

"You made a mess, Sofia," he muttered.

Sofia, who hadn't heard him, raised her wand up and conjured a flurry of feathers, allowing them to settle in a fluffy mattress atop the vine framework that now appeared to look like a bed. In shock, his mouth fell open, and she turned around, giggling.

"Tada!"

His eyes widened even further.

"What—"

"This is where I'll be sleeping tonight!"

Sofia ran gleefully to the bed, collapsing gratefully on top of its soft, downy mattress. She closed her eyes immediately, even before Cedric could begin protesting, attempting to drag her off of the bed she had made. She stubbornly evaded him.

"What!? No! I never agreed to this! This is outrageous!" Cedric sputtered, and Wormwood cawed in response, rolling his eyes at the princess. Sofia refused to respond, her eyes closed, a sneaky smile plastered on her face.

After many attempts, he sighed, meeting Wormy's eyes with a half-lidded stare.

"Alright, you win," he grimaced, and then walked back to the shelf, expecting the princess to respond. When she didn't, he turned around again, noting her still-closed eyes, the smallest of smiles on her face. Her little eyelashes fluttered in comfortable sleep, though she made the tiniest of shivers from the cold.

He glanced at her for a little longer, then, sighing, he shed off his long, purple robe, realizing how cold it was in his workshop. He carefully laid it across her shoulders, the length of it running over the small bed she had made. He looked at her smiling face, and couldn't help but smile as well, fondly patting the top of her head.

She had him wrapped around his finger, that manipulative princess. Though he found he didn't mind it that much. He walked away once again, searching through his bookshelf for that one book, and he heard Sofia shifting, snuggling her face into his robe.

"...Warm. Good night, Mr. Cedric," she murmured, her eyes still closed.

He smiled again, his soft affection for her rounding out the pointed, narrow features of his face.

"Good night, Princess Sofia."

Edit: Big thanks to Royal Detective for providing a better title idea! Thank you for reading. :)