Mwahaha, as promised, I've disobeyed my hiatus and I'm back!! This time I got super inspired to write a random Hermione/Cedric fic. Random, but this idea was bugging me and I thought, 'hmm, maybe my readers will like it' thus, this was born. Enjoy! It's super-short, and I'll only write a sequel if people like it 3
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It was a bleak, overcast day that rolled in over night. There were no patches of sun on the grounds, and the birds didn't sing as animatedly. However, Cedric didn't much mind; in truth, he preferred the warm, overcast weather more than the sunshine anyway.
Plus, no one else was out and about that afternoon except or him. Nobody else at Hogwarts really liked this weather, so they chose to stay indoors while he roamed free around the castle walls. Breathing in, he could smell the significant scent of the grass and the rain-threatening clouds above. All was well.
The thing about Cedric Diggory was that he enjoyed being outside. It sounded nerdy at first, but he liked these little nature walks. Strolling through the outside of the castle was a past-time, and one of his favorites. For him, the sheer beauty of this place was taken for granted by those who remained behind closed doors, and he pitied them with a smile on his handsome face. He was having a perfect time being on his own.
It was when his foot stubbed on some foreign object that he lost the pleasurable nature of his surroundings. When he said he liked outdoors, he didn't mean that he liked being face-to-face with the muddy dirt on the ground, which is where he ended up. It took him a moment or two to realize how ridiculous that must have looked as he replayed it over in his mind and cringed. Yeah, very smooth Ced.
"Oh, I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" A soft, feminine voice breached his years and he plucked his head up from the ground to hear more of it. Mud clouded his vision, and he couldn't find the source of the noise so, he began to wave his head around to hear well.
"How stupid of me. Honestly, I didn't hear you coming. I guess I was so engrossed in my book that…well, never mind. Time flied when I'm reading. Do you need help up?" The voice was concerned, and Cedric could hear the self-annoyance trimming its lovely edges. He would've laughed, but a bunch of dirt was still splattered on his face. He was about to risk asking for help on clearing the mud away from his eyes, but he was too late.
Fingers, soft, small and warm, gently brushed away the junk around his eyes, taking care not to poke him or press to hard. He waited to see who the person who was helping him was, but he had to blink a few times to fully clear everything.
She came into focus almost immediately. Loving, soft chocolate eyes, rosy cheeks, and a smile with wavy brown hair pulled back into a pony-tail. She brightened when she saw his face clearly too.
"Are you alright Cedric?" She asked, placing a hand on his arm. Cedric didn't speak for a moment, but regained his confidence in a matter of seconds.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." He said, trying to sound indifferent. The girl smiled and nodded before standing to her full height. He noticed her jeans were a bit bluer than his own as he stood up as well.
"I really am sorry. Honestly, I didn't see you coming." The girl said swiftly, brushing off his front with her now-dirty hands as well. Cedric kept him eyes on her as she cleaned him up a bit more and he tried to recall where he'd seen her face before.
"You're friends with Potter, right?" He asked slowly, watching her reaction. She looked at him and her smile faltered for a moment.
"Yes. I'm Hermione, his other best friend." She replied, and Cedric could tell that by 'best friend' she really meant 'side-kick'.
"I see you alone in the library a lot though." He tried again, and succeeded. Hermione beamed at him like a star as she nodded.
"You could call me the bookworm of Gryffindor. Or of the entire school." She laughed, and Cedric couldn't help but chuckle too. Hermione took a breath and bent down to pick up her book. Glancing at her wrist, she scoffed.
"Oh, I have to get to my next class. But, I'll see you around…right?" She turned to him with an unmistakable look of hope decorating her features, and Cedric smiled and nodded.
"Count on it." He replied happily, and his heart soared when she waved joyfully and turned away, walking slowly back to the castle.
There still was an overcast look to the day, but Cedric had a feeling he had found a new ray of sunshine.