Title: Flying Lessons (PG)
Author: koalathebear
Rating: PG
Pairing: Cedric / Hermione
Word Count: 5,936 approximately
Disclaimer: None because they're useless
Notes: Another take on how Cedric and Hermione might have got to know one another. Although it has nothing to do with The Boy Who Died or Mirrored Hopes, like those two stories, it is set during the events of Goblet of Fire - a non-canon pairing but constrained by canon events.

Important note: This story is FINISHED but I have only posted the first chapter here. To read the whole story please click on my USER NAME, this will take you to a link to my livejournal where you can read the complete story. A lot of people have not realised that the fragment on fanfiction is just a fragment - the complete story is at my livejournal.

"No!" Hermione exclaimed loudly in protest and denial, extremely upset.

Professor McGonagall looked at her severely. "Miss Granger, I really had no idea that your flying skills were so very bad. Most students have mastered the skill of flying in their first year," her face very disapproving.

"That's just the point, professor," Hermione exclaimed looking embarrassed. "It's a first year class! Please don't make me take additional lessons," she pleaded. "If the news gets out I'll never live it down!"

"You may be top of all your classes young lady, but when you graduate from Hogwarts, you will be able to fly a broom competently like all other students. We would be failing in our obligations if I allowed you to continue ... as I saw you flying today," Professor McGonagall said, giving a delicate little shudder. The expression on her face was as though she had eaten something that had gone bad.

"But professor," Hermione protested.

Professor McGonagall held up a hand, forestalling Hermione from continuing in her protests. "Furthermore, you are bringing shame to the ancient name of Gryffindor house," she said hurrying off. "In particular at this time, the honour of Hogwarts is at stake ..." she said referring to the presence of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang for the Tournament. She cut herself off, her face getting a very pinched look as she quivered in outrage which she could scarcely contain. "I will be speaking with Madam Hooch about remedial classes for you - starting immediately!"

Hermione flinched at the word "remedial" and managed to stop herself stamping her foot on the ground, but only just. In their first year Madam Hooch had taken all the first years in flying lessons. Neville had been injured in the first lesson and it was during that lesson that Harry's skills as a Quidditch player had been discovered. Through the years though, Hermione had admittedly kept her flying time to an absolute minimum. For her, flying was a means of getting from A to B. Technique was unimportant as far as she was concerned.

That afternoon, Hermione made her way slowly to the grounds for her lesson. Shame made her steps heavy and slow. Even Neville appeared to have mastered the basics of flying whereas she was forced to take classes with the "R" word. She walked down the sloping lawns towards a smooth lawn on the opposite side of the grounds to the Forbidden Forest, whose trees were swaying darkly in the distance. Even the trees appeared to be mocking her with their swaying, she thought darkly.

As she didn't own her own broom, she had been given one of the school brooms for practice. Like most students she didn't really like the school brooms, some of them started to vibrate if you flew too high, or always flew slightly to the left. The broom she had been given was positively ancient, the twigs sticking out at odd angles and it looked as though it was going to fall apart at any moment.

She had toyed with the idea of asking Harry to borrow his Firebolt but that would have led to questions about what she was doing and the embarrassment of confessing to Harry and Ron that she was having remedial flying lessons was just beyond humiliating. Ron in particular would have just been insufferable.

She sat on the grass looking mournful, broom in hand, staring out into the distance.

"Granger?" A voice called out and Hermione turned and wanted to die or at least be swallowed up by the ground. It was Cedric Diggory, captain and Seeker of the Hufflepuff Quidditch Team, prefect and top student of his year. Furthermore, he was one of the champions of the Triwizard Tournament. She wasn't sure if her sense of humiliation could have been any worse.

"Oh, it's you," she said looking pained.

She noticed that the burn on his cheek which he had received several days ago from the first task was almost completely healed. As always, Madam Pomfrey had done her work well.

"Quidditch World Cup, right?" he asked her pleasantly and she nodded.

"Yeah, I was with the Weasleys and Harry Potter," she told him.

"Great match but the after match entertainment was ... pretty bad," he said grimacing, setting his own broom down on the grass beside hers.

He looked at her. "They told me they had a remedial flying student for me. Aren't you a fourth year?" he asked her curiously, sitting beside her on the grass, his expression kind and not judgmental in the slightest.

"Do you know how embarrassing this is?" she asked him gloomily. "It being a first year subject and all. Why are you teaching it?"

"Madam Hooch is out teaching first years to fly ..." Cedric began and Hermione cringed again. He laughed, his grey eyes looking amused. "Well you have a choice - you either get remedial flying lessons with yours truly, or you have to go and join the first years. The choice is yours".

To be honest, Hermione didn't know which was more embarrassing.

"Well let's see your moves," he said. "You're not going to learn how to fly sitting on the grass, you know," he encouraged her, setting her broom on the ground with a flourish.

Hermione rolled her eyes. She stuck her right hand over her broom. "Up," she told her broom and the broom jumped up into her hand at once. Cedric walked around her. Her posture and position were perfect as was her grip. She had studied the textbooks in great detail, unfortunately the textbooks couldn't teach you to actually fly well.

At his signal she kicked off from the ground hard, trying to keep her broom steady. She moved extremely slowly as usual and her path was wavering and more than a little unsteady.

After a few moments of observing her silently, Cedric waved her back down to the ground again. His face was very curious. "How on earth did you manage to um ... hide ..."

"The fact that I'm so rubbish at it for so long?" Hermione demanded shortly, glaring at him. "We can't all be Quidditch champions you know, some of us had more important things to do like study," she said scathingly. She knew she was being unfair. He was a good student, studying for his NEWTs, he wasn't just a pretty face although his face was undeniably pretty.

He merely laughed. "We'll make a Quidditch player of you yet, Granger," Cedric said getting on his own broom. "Your parents are Muggles right?" he asked her as he flew into the air.

"Yeah, what of it?" she asked, feeling the wind billowing through her hair and wishing she could be as effortless as Cedric on her broom.

"Well I'm guessing that on the hols you don't practise much - you'd live in a Muggle area, chances are it wouldn't be the wisest thing to be flying around on a broom," he said indicating that she should follow him on his maneuvers.

She followed at a much slower pace. "You know, my grandmother flies considerably faster than you," Cedric couldn't stop himself saying and Hermione turned around and flew back down to the ground without another word, her face mulish and annoyed.

"Granger, I'm just joking," he called out after he as he followed her down. "Don't get so narky about things - you should learn to relax!"

"How is it that you got stuck with this - shouldn't you be preparing for the challenges?" she asked him.

"I guess they're making sure that I don't get too big for my boots. I think Madam Hooch's words were: 'Champion or no, you still have an obligation to make a contribution to the school'. Besides, it's still only the end of November - the next task isn't until February," he said with a shrug.

"Are there any other students taking remedial flying classes?" she asked him hesitantly and he smiled encouragingly at her.

"There are".

"Wouldn't it be easier for you to make us all fly in one class? It's less time consuming for you after all."

He smiled. "I was given that choice, yes but I thought this way - separately - was less ... embarrassing for you all ... given that none of you are first years anymore ..."

"But it's a lot of extra time and effort for you," Hermione pointed out.

"You're the most troublesome of the lot," Cedric teased her and Hermione laughed, acknowledging that what he said was probably true.

He got back on his broom again and took off into the sky. His arms were spread out wide as he soared through the air. "Come on Granger - you're never going to learn to fly if you're afraid to fall," he called out encouragingly.

The sun was behind him, shining brightly and his dark hair was tousled, his face laughing and he was the happiest and most appealing boy she had seen in her life.

With a wry smile she got on her broom, took a deep breath and followed suit.

Recap note: As mentioned - this story is FINISHED, to read the rest please click on my USER NAME, this will take you to a link to my livejournal where you can read the complete story. A lot of people have not realised that the fragment on fanfiction is just a fragment - the complete story is at my livejournal.