I don't own Harry Potter.
Hermione hated the fact that you had to use candles in Hogwarts for one simple reason: you couldn't read under the covers with a candle. It would just set your sheets on fire, not to mention the smoke that got stuck under the covers. You felt like you were being suffocated.
So, she had to make due with just regular reading by candlelight, which seriously annoyed Lavender and Pavarti and the rest of her roommates. The said that it made it hard for them to get to sleep, but Hermione knew that was a lie. She never read while they were trying to get to sleep; she always waited until they were fast asleep before she lit the candle. If she really wanted to read before they fell asleep she just went into the common room.
Hermione sighed as the candle went out again. She really wished that someone would figure out a way for them to use electricity at Hogwarts. Candles were always going out. Maybe there was a spell to keep candled from going out? She decided there probably was. People couldn't have gone this long without inventing one. She'd look it up tomorrow, she decided.
Tap! Hermione jumped. Tap! There it was again. Hermione got up from the bed, pulling her robe over her nightgown. She re-lit the candle with a flick of her wand, internally celebrating at the non-verbal magic, and held it out in front of her. She slowly walked over to the window. Tap!
Hermione opened the window and stuck her head out. The wind caused her hair whip around, blowing into her eyes and tangling it even more than it already was. "Hello?" She called out to the empty, midnight sky, "Is anyone here?"
Someone came down from above her. They were riding a broom, which made sense. What else would they be doing? Hermione asked herself as she hit herself on the forehead. "Should I be worried?" The person on the broom asked as they came into view.
"Cedric," Hermione gasped, "You should be asleep. You have a big day tomorrow."
Cedric grinned uneasily at the reminder. "I can't sleep." He admitted, "And I wanted some company."
"And you decided to bother me why?" Hermione asked not unkindly.
"I knew you'd be up." Cedric replied with a shrug, but if she wasn't mistaken, Hermione thought there was a hint of red in his cheeks. Cedric flew up to the window ledge. "Hop on."
Hermione looked at him in disbelief. "You expect me to get up on that death trap."
"Come on, Hermione," Cedric said, "It's just a broom."
"It is a broom that it is at least 300 yards up in the air." Hermione replied, "What if I fall off?"
"I won't let you fall." He answered. He put on puppy dog eyes. "Please, Hermione."
Hermione relented. "Fine, but let me change first."
"Why?" Cedric asked clueless.
Hermione once again looked at him in disbelief. "You expect me to go up on that flying death trap of a thing wearing my nightgown." Cedric blushed as he realized she was indeed wearing a nightgown, a rather small one at that. Hermione pulled her head back in the window, muttering, "Boys,"
She quickly pulled off her nightgown and changed into a pair of regular muggle clothing. It was more comfortable than robes, and it was also more maneuverable for when you were going outside. She went back to the window. Cedric was still hovering outside. He looked at her in disbelief this time.
"What?" Hermione questioned.
"That took like two minutes." He said, still disbelieving.
"And?" She asked.
"It takes Cho at least twenty minutes to get ready." He told her.
"Well, I don't have to make myself so pretty, now do I?" Hermione replied.
Cedric couldn't think of a reply that wouldn't end up with him a big pile of goo on the ground, so he changed the subject. "Hop on."
Hermione sighed. "And I was hoping you would forget about that."
"While I'm still on the broom?" He asked her amusedly, helping her onto the broom.
"A girl can hope." Hermione answered. She slid all the way onto the broom and took no time at all wrapping her arms around Cedric in a death grip. She willed herself not to look down and felt her heart beating sporadically in her chest. She closed her eyes and willed her fear to go away. It didn't, but it lessen a small amount.
Cedric felt guilty for making Hermione get up on the broom when he knew she was afraid of heights, but he really did need some company, and it was the only way he could get to her without setting off dozens of alarms. He made sure he flew lower to the ground than he normally would, and kept the broom at what he thought was a moderately slow pace.
Hermione felt them land. She slowly cracked open one eye, then opened the other wide as she realized they were indeed on the ground. Her fear evaporated at the feel of sturdy earth underneath them. She gasped as she took in the scene before her. They were in a small clearing overlooking the Black Lake. The edge dropped off a cliff. There was a cluster of rocks that were appropriate for sitting on, and the grass was soft and green.
"You like it, huh?" Cedric said from behind her.
"Cedric, it's beautiful." She replied in amazement. "However did you find it?"
He sat down on a blanket that Hermione didn't notice before. "I was flying around one day in my second year and came across this little clearing. I thought it would be a good place to be alone, so I cleaned it up. You can only get to it by broom without having to go through about ten miles of the Forbidden Forest, or scaling the cliffs."
"And why is the blanket here?" She asked as she too sat down.
"I come here a lot." Cedric answered with a shrug.
"The view must be wonderful during the day." Hermione remarked as she looked out over the cliff.
"I prefer it during the night." Cedric replied. "You can see the stars that way."
"Cedric, look!" Hermione exclaimed, pointing up to the sky. Cedric looked up. "The Northern Lights,"
"Amazing." Cedric said as he watched the lights dancing across the sky. They watched the lights as the colors twisted and twirled across the night sky. "You know," Cedric remarked after a while, "There's an old wizarding myth about the Northern Lights. Of course, they were just called the Lights back then."
"Really?" Hermione asked curiously, "What is it?"
"Hold on a minute," Cedric said. He got up from the blanket and walked over to the rocks. He disappeared into them for a few seconds, then came back holding a book.
"I hope you had a charm on that book." Hermione told him as he sat down next to her.
"I did. Who do you think I am, anyways? Some book defiling miscreant." He replied mockingly.
"So, what is this myth again?" Hermione asked, ignoring his theatrics.
Cedric opened the book and began searching for something. "Ah-ha, here we go." Cedric cleared his throat. "There was once a beautiful and powerful witch. Her soul was bright and pure, and she was known throughout the country for being passionate and kind. She was to be married to the man she loved, the most powerful wizard in the land.
But there was another witch, who while as beautiful as the first, had a black and twisted soul. She was kind to no one other than herself, and used her magic to better only herself. She too wished to marry the wizard so that she could use him to further her own power.
But the wizard was in love with his witch and her kindness and her caring. He paid no heed to the other witch, despite her constant attempts to seduce him. Finally, on the night before the wizard's wedding, the evil witch gave the wizard a potion to make him sleep soundly through the night. When the wizard was asleep, the evil witch slipped into the bed next to him, and made a noise.
The good witch, hearing the noise, went to check on the wizard. Upon seeing the wizard in bed with the evil witch, she took her wand out and cast a spell upon herself. Her soul, being so good and pure, was sent up into the sky above. The wizard, having been roused from his sleep by the sound of the witch's entrance, saw what the witch had done, and took the wand upon himself as well. Thinking of only his love for the witch, he too sent his soul into the sky.
From the sky, the witch saw what had really happened, and mourned for the loss of her love. When the wizard's soul came into the sky, she rejoiced. Together, the witch and the wizard were welcomed at the gates of welkin, and were married on the steps of the stars.
Their souls will come down to Earth, lighting up the sky with the beauty of their love, only when they find lovers with a love as pure and beautiful their own." Cedric closed the book and put it down next to him.
"Wow, Cedric," Hermione said. They sat in silence for a bit, watching the lights.
"Do you reckon it's true?" Cedric asked.
"Of course not," Hermione replied, "It's just a story someone made up to explain the mysterious colors in the sky."
"Not the part about the witch and the wizard and their souls being the lights." Cedric answered. He twisted around to meet her eyes. "The bit about how the lights only show up if you're in love."
"It can't be." Hermione answered. "If it was, then you would be up here with Cho, not me."
"No, I wouldn't be." Cedric answered. He moved closer to her, and Hermione surprised herself by letting him. "So, do you think it's true?" He continued to move closer to her. Cedric leaned in toward her. She leaned in toward him.
Their lips met. Hermione felt sparks in every inch of her body. She wrapped her arms around his neck, moving while never breaking contact. The need for air won out, and they separated by the most factional amount of space. "Yes Cedric," Hermione answered. "I think it's true."