Before this, she had always kept her heart hidden down in the lowest depths of her body, unwilling to let it interfere with what was truly important to her. Sure, like every other girl, Hermione Granger swooned at the thought of a happy ending; like every other girl, she was insecure with herself and wanted a handsome boy to sweep her off of her feet and call her beautiful.There were just more important things to worry about when you were the best friend of the Boy-Who-Lived.
It was with surprise that she accepted Viktor Krum's proposal to accompany her to the Yule Ball. It was with indignation that she stormed away from Ron when he accused Viktor of using her to get to Harry. And it was with complete awe that she saw Cedric Diggory swirling around the Great Hall with Cho Chang on his arm.
Hermione had more sense than to become lovestruck by the first handsome boy who came her way; if she was attracted to a man by looks alone, then she would have fallen for Draco Malfoy or Harry Potter or someone equally ridiculous. But as she watched him covertly, swinging his date around the floor with a grace that she had never seen before, she realized that Cedric Diggory was more than good looks. After all, he was a Triwizard competitor. And in advanced N.E.W.T. classes, as far as she knew. And in the running for Head Boy next year. Those things had to count for something. But as Hermione shook her head and returned her attention to the Bulgarian in front of her, she knew that she wasn't suddenly in love with Diggory or anything. She would just keep an eye on him for now. That was all it was supposed to be.
It wasn't until mid-April where Hermione transformed into an insomniac. She had so many things to keep up with, that she had to work well into the night to get it done. Her mornings were filled with classes, and after classes she would help Harry prepare for the third task by learning more spells and such. Ron would sometimes tag along, but because he was still so jealous of Krum and angry with Hermione, there was more arguing than studying. Her evenings were spent with Viktor, to Ron's dismay, and by curfew, she would be in her common room doing all the homework she neglected in the afternoon. Procrastinating was out of character for Hermione, but she was so busy with everything else that she couldn't help but save her assignments for last. After all, Harry's safety was her first priority, and Viktor was only in Britain for a few more months.
Not to mention the fact that she had to make time to watch Cedric, too.
Soon, even Harry seemed to notice the dark clouds under her eyes, and Hermione made a very courageous, Gryffindor decision. She would tell Cedric that she was beginning to harbor feelings for him. It wasn't as though she expected him to feel anything back, but she honestly didn't care. After all, Viktor was there. And Ron was there, because his affections really weren't very hard to decipher. Just knowing that she would tell Cedric – though he probably had no idea who she was – and get the interfering feelings off of her chest was enough for her.
She would do it tomorrow.
Unfortunately, tomorrow became yesterday, which became two months ago, and Hermione was still so busy with Harry and the impending third task to worry about anything else, especially something as trivial as a crush on some older boy. Besides, he wasn't graduating until next year. There was loads of time, if her futile affections didn't die off before then. As days progressed, each 'tomorrow' eventually led into the day of the third task, and as Hermione walked out into the stands to watch the task, she felt mixed emotions take over her. Obviously, she was worried for Harry and Viktor, as well as Cedric and Fleur, but she was also worried about how serious her feelings for Cedric had become.
Of course she didn't love him; love took two people, and she didn't even know that much about him. But she was starting to believe that this was more than a crush, that it could develop into something much more real than a one-sided affection. She watched as the last of the four champions entered the maze, and she smiled softly to herself. She felt, for the first time, that there was real hope of something developing between herself and Cedric. Perhaps it could eventually evolve into love, where the handsome boy falls in love with the girl and does all of those cute, corny things that girls secretly love.
And with such a thought, Hermione felt more determined than ever, and she was going to make sure she finally did what she had wanted to do for months.
She would tell him tomorrow.
Man, I love tragedies, even if mine suck. xP Review!