Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter; just this tiny plot.

A/N: Another Cedric/Hermione, folks! Hehe, what can you say? I'm in love with this ship! This was more… depressing than You Promised or In Loving Memory, but that could just be me. I'm so glad that many people are starting to like this ship as well! There might be a few mistakes on grammar and such, so I'll be editing whenever I find those mistakes. Please read and review!

Bitter Reunion

Walking down the quiet corridor alone, she halted in front of the wall that was beside the History of Magic's classroom. After making sure that nobody was around, she bent down to the floor and finally saw a piece of paper barely visible crammed between a small crack. Carefully pulling it out so that it would not tear, Hermione placed it in her pocket and walked away to the Gryffindor common room.

Finally sitting on her bed, she began reading the parchment.

"All my life I've wanted to be someone; I guess I should have been more specific." - Jane Wagner/Lily Tomlin.

My life is like this rule; as a kid, I had always wanted to be a 'somebody'… somebody who was looked up to, respected for a good reason. I got that wish, but for all the wrong reasons. They only see the face, ignoring the fact that I have brains to match up with it. I have no real friends that I can talk to (guys need to have their talks too), and the girls only want me because I am popular. I do not want this life… I wanted to be accepted because of my actions, not because of how I look.

Talking about looks, I often wonder how you look like. Not that looks matter, of course, but I am curious. If you describe to me about your appearance, then I can finally figure out who you are. Day after day, whenever you reply to my small letters wedged between the crack of the walls (I am still grateful that you replied to my first one, though at that time I believed that some random person was going to find it and throw it away; it is to my good fortune that a smart, insightful person like you had found it) I want to talk to you; face-to-face. Meet me as soon as the Triwizard Tournament is over by the Great Lake.

Think about it, at least, my Lioness? I will be waiting for your reply, as usual.

Yours truly,
Badger

A soft smile tugged at her lips as she took out her quill and a small piece of parchment. Glancing out at the starry night outside her window, she began writing, oblivious to the quiet snores of the girls around her.

She was very tired from all the stress she had on her shoulders; worrying about Harry and his Final Task, teaching Harry more spells, jinxes, and curses for the maze, trying to free more House Elves (who obviously wanted freedom but did not realize it yet), trying to find out how that Skeeter cow was finding out things she was not supposed to know about, trying to tell Viktor that she thought of him as a dear friend only, trying to balance out her homework, and trying to find out who the mysterious 'Badger' was. So many tries, but so far, only one try was going smoothly, and that was her homework. Still, she continued scribbling on the parchment.

When she finished her reply, she placed both letters away, putting her reply in the robes that she would wear tomorrow, and the other in the bottom of her trunk which was filling up with the secret letters. Crawling back to her four poster bed, she fell into a deep slumber.

It was all too confusing. There was a swirl of colors that danced around her like a breeze, making her whole body tingle in uncontrollable joy. She was happy, but she did not know why. All she knew was that something good happened. The colors finally settled down, and she could see the scenery around her. The Great Lake stood before her, glittering in the sunshine, sparkling like diamonds. She sat on the lush grass, barely able to sit in one place without bursting with anticipation. She was waiting for somebody… but for whom?

As if answering her unspoken question, she heard footsteps in the distance, getting closer and closer, yet she did not feel alarmed. Her body knew that it was the person she had been waiting for. So she continued to stare at the magnificent lake as the figure was sitting down next to her. The nerves calmed immediately, feeling peaceful. Without even having to look at each other, they had a silent exchange of greetings.

After a moment of unbroken silence, she leaned against his body, looking up to see his face. To her surprise, he was wearing a mask that concealed half of his face. She reached up and stroked the mask, admiring how simple yet elegant it was. "Why are you wearing this?" she asked, smiling slightly. He grinned back, making her heart escalate wildly. He touched her face lovingly, his touch so gentle that she felt like a precious treasure.

"The same reason you're wearing this," he said. Her hand flew up to her cheeks, and sure enough, she was wearing a mask as well. The bright feathers tickled her, causing her to giggle. Slowly but surely, her hand fluttered back to his face, peeling off the mask…

"Wake up, wake up, wake up!" A false cheery voice sang, as her bed bounced up and down.

Groaning, she shielded her eyes from the sun, glaring at the cause of her awake from her intriguing dream. Lavender was on her bed, smiling widely. Hermione wanted to yell at her in frustration for waking her up at the worst possible moment, but she held herself back. "Why in the name of Merlin did you wake me up at… ten o'clock on a Saturday morning?" She grunted, pushing the laughing girl off her bed, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

She made a face, tossing her hair out of her face. "Just for fun," she said, dashing away before Hermione's pillow hit her. She could hear Lavender laughing outside. Hermione smiled, despite herself, at Lavender's delighted childishness.

She called after her, getting onto her feet and stretching. "I hate you!"

Lavender's face peeked back in again, sticking out her tongue. "Come down for breakfast, lazy bones!" Her head disappeared quickly. Sighing deeply, she walked to the bathroom and cleaned herself up, tying her hair back into a neat ponytail. Throwing her school robes on, she reminded herself that she had to put her letter into the little crack in the wall before she would forget.

Breakfast with Harry and Ron was normal, with Ron stuffing his face with food, and Harry chatting with her about anything. After she finished her pancakes, she told the boys that she would meet them back in the common room later. They did not ask why, automatically assuming that she was off to the library. Saying goodbye, she strolled along the familiar corridors and hallways amongst some students, finally halted at her destination.

Swiftly, she dropped her wand and bent down, artfully managing to stuff the letter into the cracks while picking up her wand. Satisfied, she turned around- and collided into Cedric Diggory. His hand grabbed her arm, steadying her on her feet. A couple of nearby girls looked jealously at her, but kept on walking their way.

Her face turned red, pulling her arm away from his grasp. "Sorry," she murmured, staring at her shoes. His easy chuckle made her wrench her eyes from the ground to give him a sheepish smile. He looked unfazed, his warm, dancing grey eyes crinkling slightly as he smiled back.

"No problem," he said, his hand brushing away a lock of hair away from his face. "Hermione Granger, right?"

Her eyes widened. "Yes, we met during the Quidditch World Cup if I remember correctly?"

Cedric nodded, his attention darting to the wall on her side. "Well, I'm going to have to ask Binns a few questions, so I'll have to get going," he said, giving her a friendly gaze. "Try not to bump into anyone else, Granger," he winked at her. She shrugged.

"I'll try," she rolled her eyes, but her tone was joking. "Good luck in the Third Task!"

He started walking away, waving at her. "Thanks! Tell Pot- err, Harry, that I wish him luck too!" She waved back, her way of telling him that she would. Trying to tie her hair back into a ponytail again, she was too busy to notice that Cedric did not go into the History of Magic classroom, nor was Professor Binns in the classroom.

She was back in the dream again, continuing where she had left off. Her hands trembling, the mystery man was finally unmasked. She gasped in surprise, seeing a pair of strong grey eyes smiling at her.

Cedric Diggory.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She felt numb.

It was not because she was standing in the pouring rain for the last hour, but because nothing made sense anymore.

The Third Task was over. Harry had come out of the dark maze, clutching Cedric Diggory's body. That was when half of her brain shut down as the people around her screamed and yelled. All she could do then was stare blankly at his lifeless form, replaying the conversation that they had only a few days ago.

The second reason was because 'Badger' never showed up. Ignoring Ron's protests, she had flung herself away from his reach and ran out of the castle, never stopping until she reached the lake. Panting, that was where she stood, never moving from the spot even when the rain drops started to fall. It was finally dark when she decided to go back to the castle. But she still clung on to the foolish hope, rushing back out to the lake again the next day. That's why she was still standing here, at the same spot, drowning in the rain yet again like she did yesterday.

Now it was her heart that suddenly stopped working as she realized that he was not going to appear. Pain rippled through her, making her slump onto the wet ground, sobbing. She knew that she had fallen in love with this stranger that was probably one of the many nameless faces in the school. And now he was not showing up. Why?

Somebody touched her shoulders, supporting her weight as they lifted her from the ground. She gazed wearily at her helper, seeing that it was Ron with a worried look on his face. She stumbled to her feet, holding her balance with much difficulty. "What, Ronald?" She asked sharply, wincing as soon as the words came out. Instead of making a fit, he brushed it off, speaking seriously.

"Dumbledore is having a funeral to send regards to Cedric right now… Nearly everyone is attending, so I was thinking that we should, too. He seemed like a great guy, even if his dad liked to boast about him and stuff."

Nodding dumbly, she followed him, ignoring the chill she felt. They were walking in a hallway that would lead them outside to the other side of the castle. Stopping at the door, Ron picked up two white roses, giving one to Hermione. She clutched it, not caring that the thorns were digging into her palm.

Ron went outside first, and came back in sooner than she expected. It was her turn now. Breathing in deeply, she shot him a reassuring look before she stepped outside. Taking one look at the suddenly clear sky, which was raining heavily when she was standing outside minutes ago, she knew that Dumbledore must have put a spell on this place to keep it cool and dry from the pelting rain. The body of Cedric Diggory lay inside a white tomb, already filled with flowers and cards. He was still wearing the clothes he wore for the final task.

She fell onto her knees in front of the casket, placing the white rose next to his cheek. "Cedric…" she began, sudden tears forming in her eyes. She felt so much sympathy for the man in front of her that did not get to live his life.

"I'm… sorry that it ended this way. You deserved to live longer, and I know that you would have done more brilliant things. You were a great leader, a friend to everyone, always fair and loyal. We'll all miss you greatly."

She began to rise, but froze as her hand had brushed over his chest by mistake. There was no heartbeat, but a cackle of paper was heard. With trembling hands, she took out two letters that were in his breast pocket. Her brown eyes swept over the familiar handwriting… the handwriting that was hers.

"How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives." - Annie Dillard

I have to admit that I do not spend my days well; it mainly consists of studying, worrying, trying, learning, and worrying some more. Yes, I do know that it is unhealthy, but that cannot be helped, I suppose. I will start relaxing when the Triwizard Tournament is over, since there will be no more suspense.

Badger… you are still young (even if you are of age), and people will only admire you because of your face because they are also young as well. In the world out there, for adults, they will no longer be looking at how you look, but of your talents, knowledge, and personality. And I am sure you will outshine them all. So do not fret about it, I am sure it will be fine. You will become a great person, I know it.

Yes, well, I do want to meet you too. I will be waiting for you by the Great Lake, like you said in your last letter. But please… do not be disappointed when you see who I am. I do not think I would be able to handle that… because, you see… I am in love with you.

It seems crazy, doesn't it? How can I be in love with somebody that I started to know through writing? But it is possible, and I am truly, deeply, in love with you. Do not be frightened of me because I said this, please… I just wanted you to know. I am much too much of a coward to tell you face-to-face.

I will be waiting for you.

Yours truly,
Lioness

The second letter was a reply to hers, most likely written a few minutes after reading hers. Her fogged up brain started clearing as she finally figured out who Badger was. The tears rolled down her cheeks like a stream as she finished reading his reply, the fat tears never having the intention to stop. She stared at Cedric helplessly as the wracking sobs tore through her lungs, making her breathless. Everything started spinning around her, and she collapsed onto the floor for what felt like the millionth time today.

She held the letters tight to her chest, the words jumbling around in her head. The boy that she loved… the boy that had fallen in love with her as well… was lying in front of her, not knowing that she was in front of him, wanting to die herself. Her eyes sought out his closed ones, fully knowing well that his lively grey eyes would not be lit up any more. They would be dull and empty, a bottomless void without any emotion... something that she could not bear to see.

He had the letters close to him, as if the words could warm him, as if it could protect him… but it did not. It did not help him be safe, nor did it prevent Voldemort from killing him just because Voldemort only wanted Harry. In her letter, she was telling him later on in his life that he would be accepted not only for his looks, but for his wisdom. What use was it now, since he died a few hours after reading her words?

He knew that she loved him, yet did not know who her real identity was. That punctured her heart repeatedly. If only they had met earlier, if only they told each other their true names, if only... if only...

In the midst of her hysteria, she was aware that somebody was watching her. Tearing her eyes away from him, she saw Professor Dumbledore standing in a distance, his blue eyes filled with sorrow as he watched her break apart again and again.

It was not fair. It was simply not fair that she found out that he loved her back this way. It was cruel how life made their reunion so bittersweet. She blindly grabbed onto Badger's cold hand as reality punched her repeatedly, not noticing that the second letter fumbled from her hands, landing onto the ground with the words faced up for the whole world to see.

"Love and life goes on after death" – Unknown

Too much stress can be unhealthy for you! Make sure that you are sleeping, eating, and drinking sufficiently so that your body does not have to suffer too much. I remember there was a girl in my class who fainted from over-work; she was hospitalized for three days. Pretty scary, if you ask me.

Your words have comforted me immensely… thank you for those words. I sometimes wonder how old you are; you sound incredibly wise for a Hogwarts student. I really do hope that once I am out of here, I will be fighting for a spot for smartness, not for a pretty face.

My dear, dear, Lioness… It is funny how you said you were in love with me, because in truth, I am in love with you too. It is different from any emotion that I have ever felt in my life, and it is all because of me sticking a piece of paper into a crack on the wall. Now that I think about it, it was not a half-bad idea.

Do not ever say that I would be disappointed in what I see. I already know that you are a sweet, loving girl who obviously cares about everyone. Since I know who your real self is, I have no need to worry about how you look. Looks are superficial, as I have found out long time ago, and now I am all but oblivious to what a person looks like. I am sure that I will love you more than I do now, which is frankly quite impossible. That is why I put that quote, because this letter is more about my declaration of love to you.

I want to give this letter to you when I meet you, so that I can tell you that I love you as well. I would feel much more comfortable and content knowing how your reaction would be when I tell you. I am looking forward to our soon-to-be encounter.

Yours truly,
Badger