It Meant Everything
The war had just begun. Harry Potter came out of the maze alone. And Cedric Diggory was dead. Everyone was in tears about it. Everyone but her. He had always told her that tears would not bring back the dead. He was gone now, and tears were yet to fall from her eyes. 'Be strong." she told herself repeatedly as she choked back the tears that were fighting to escape her eyes. 'Do it for Cedric. It's what he would have wanted.' Cedric would live forever, only in her memories.
They had known each other well, and had spent undescribable amounts of time together. No one knew about them of course. Why would they? Two of Hogwarts' top students spending time alone together didn't mean anything at all. But it did.
It meant everything.
They did not meet in the library like many would suspect, but in Madam Puddifoot's while they were getting in line to place their orders. It was a cold winter day in Hogsmeade, and everyone rushed between shops to stay warm. Madam Puddifoot's was the ideal place to meet that Saturday. Warm tea and coffee were a good way to cheer up on such a gloomy day.
He was with his girlfriend then, and she was alone. They had both gotten to the line at the same time, and stopped to let the other go ahead.
"You go." he said, waving her forward. But she refused to move, being as stubborn as she was.
"You were here first." she said stepping behind him. It wasn't like anyone was waiting for her anyway. Her two friends had ditched her for the quidditch supply shop.
"Why don't we place our orders together? I'll pay for whatever you're ordering." he offered. She looked at him strangely. He then stuck out his hand. "I'm Cedric by the way. Cedric Diggory." She knew who he was. Harry and Ron had told her much about him. Well, about his quidditch abilities. They were continually complaining about Hufflepuff beating them at quidditch. 'It's all because of that Diggory fellow.' Ron would whine. But she knew that he was kindhearted and intelligent. She also knew that he had been dating Cho Chang for a few months. Rumors travel fast in the stony hallways of Hogwarts.
"I'm Hermione Granger." she said shaking his hand. "You don't have to buy anything for me. I've got all afternoon to do whatever I want." she added, the strange look gone from her face.
"You want to spend the afternoon here?" he asked looking around the room and then at her queerly.
"Not really. But I've got nothing else to do. After I leave here I might go back to school and study a bit." she said with a shrug. Maybe she'd stop at the book shop on the way back. There was that new book by Wilbert Slinkhard that she wanted.
"That's what I was going to do, but Cho wanted me to come here with her. I don't mind this place, but today was the perfect day to get some studying in." he said longingly. She was surprised at this. She had never really talked to a boy that enjoyed studying. Well, she had never really talked to a lot of boys outside of Gryffindor, and everyone knows that not many of those boys like to study.
"Why'd you come up here alone?" he asked. 'Because my friends are heartless assholes.' she thought to herself. But she couldn't say that out loud. Perfect prefect Hermione Granger does not swear.
"My friends wanted to check out the quidditch supply shop. Wanted to see if there was anything new." she responded in a nonchalant tone that masked the hurt that she was feeling.
"Oh. That's not very nice of them to leave you alone." he said with real feeling. "If you ever need company, or a study buddy, come find me. Alright?" he said, smiling warmly at her.
"That's really nice of you, Cedric. We'll have to do that sometime." she replied, returning his smile as her mood brightened.
"What can I get you, dear?" Asked Madame Puddifoot from behind the counter. She was a very stout woman with a shiny black bun on the top of her head.
"I need a tea, a coffee, and...What are you ordering, Hermione?" he asked, turning back to her.
"It's okay. I'll get it myself, Cedric." she said briskly.
"I'm pretty sure that she'll be having a coffee also." he said to Madame Puddifoot with a smirk. Madame Puddifoot nodded and gave one of the passing workers the order.
"Cedric, where are you?" came a whiny voice from behind them. It was Cho, his girlfriend.
"I'm up here... getting our drinks. Why don't you go sit back down." he said to her over his shoulder.
"Hurry up please, I'm getting lonely." she said in her whiny voice again as she sat back down.
Hermione hated girls like her. Girls that could whine until they got whatever they wanted. And their boyfriends only dealt with it because the girls were halfway decent looking. She doubted that Cedric was like those boys. He must have seen something in her that Hermione could not find.
"Here's your coffee." said Cedric, breaking her out of her reverie as he handed her the steaming cup.
"Thank you, Cedric. How much was it?" she asked as she began to pull out her coin purse from her pocket. Cedric placed his hand on hers, halting her from taking the purse out completely.
"It was nothing." he said reassuringly.
"If I don't pay you back I'm going to go insane." she said. Cedric got a gleeful look in his eyes.
"You can pay me back by meeting me in the library tomorrow, after classes. We can study together for a bit, or just talk if you'd like. But right now, I've got to go." he said, heading to the table that he and Cho were sharing. Hermione looked at them with envy. She had always wanted to be the girl in the coffee shop with her boyfriend at her side. She wanted to feel like she was part of something. Watching Cedric and Cho made her feel awkward, so she gathered her things and left the shop. When she stepped outside, she was greeted by a cold blast of winter air. Quickly, she wrapped her scarf around her neck, and pulled on her hat. Somehow she managed to trek her way back to Hogwarts, completely forgetting about the book that she had wanted to get.
The next few hours went by in a blur. Hermione had quickly gotten started on her studying when she arrived in the common room. She was alone, until later in the afternoon when the students were arriving back from Hogsmeade. She waited patiently for Ron and Harry to come back so that she could ask them about their day, but they didn't come back in time for her to speak to them before she went to sleep.
The next day Hermione attempted to go through her classes like a normal day, but somewhere in the back of her mind there was a nagging voice. It continually reminded her that she would be meeting him after classes in the library. She had told Harry and Ron that she had to study for a little while. They both smiled and said that they had quidditch practice. That got them off of her back. What would she do about other students in the library? She'd have to wait until then to find out. It's not like she and Cedric would be doing anything inappropriate in there, so why did it matter what they thought? Oh, yes. His girlfriend.
As soon as her last class was over, Hermione gathered her things and raced up to the library. She hid herself in a small nook in the back where none of the other students went. While she was waiting for Cedric to come, she took out some of her homework to help pass time by. She was so absorbed in the work that she did not hear the soft footsteps getting closer to her every second. After a few moments of standing there, Cedric finally spoke.
"That looks pretty interesting." he said, taking a seat next to her so that he could get a better look at what she was doing. "What class is that for?" he asked turning the parchment toward him.
"It's for Potions." said Hermione, looking up at him for the first time. "I've got to write another sentence or so, and I'll be finished." she said taking the parchment back.
"You finish that, and I'll finish my Charms." he said, reaching into his bag and taking out a scroll of parchment and his ink and quill. Both worked silently for a few minutes until they finished their papers.
"Do you have any other work?" asked Cedric looking over at Hermione, who was reading over her paper.
"This paper is the only thing that the teacher was willing to give me." she said with a slight smile. "It's not due for another month."
"A month!" he said, looking surprised. "Are you really that far ahead of the rest of your class?" he asked. It hadn't been extremely shocking to him. He had been that far ahead once, too.
"I like to keep ahead of my class." she said with a blush. "It allows me to help some of the other students."
"Well, what would you like to do now?" he asked. Hermione thought for a moment. What would she like to do. She had never really been given a choice. Her life mainly revolved around helping Harry and Ron, and doing homework.
"We could go to Hogsmeade if you wanted to. I heard that there is a new book out by Wilbert Slinkhard. It's probably going to be just as good as his others." suggested Cedric, noticing that Hermione couldn't think of anything.
"Cedric, be reasonable. We aren't allowed to go to Hogsmeade unless it's a scheduled trip." 'Although,' she thought, 'that book does sound pretty interesting. And I was supposed to get it on the last Hogsmeade trip.'
"I am allowed to go whenever I please. I've got special permission from Dumbledore, and I bet he wouldn't mind if I brought a friend." Cedric said with a sly grin. "C'mon, we'll have fun. I'll even buy you an ice-cream." Somehow he knew that he had convinced her when he mentioned that he had Dumbledore's permission.
"You're sure that we won't get in trouble?" she asked hesitantly. In reply Cedric nodded. "Okay, I'll go with you. But only if you promise to buy me that ice-cream. Even if it is the middle of winter." she finished with a smile. Both quickly collected their things and placed them back inside of their bags.
"Let me bring this to my common room, and I'll meet you in the entryway in ten minutes." said Cedric.
"Okay. That will give me just enough time to grab everything that I need." Hermione said.
Both separated and went to their common rooms.
When Hermione arrived in the Gryffindor common room, she quickly ran to her dormitory and dropped her things on her bed. Luckily none of the other girls were in there to question her about where she was going without her bag. She searched through her trunk for her purse, and then went to her closet for a warm cloak. Hermione then left the common room and went down to the entrance hall to wait for Cedric.
Cedric had a more difficult time getting away than Hermione did. When he had arrived at the entrance of the Hufflepuff common room, he was held up by his girlfriend, Cho, who had began to run toward him from another staircase.
"Ced! I've been looking for you everywhere!" she said as she ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck.
"I've been in the library." he replied nonchalantly as he returned her embrace. He wasn't lying, but he wasn't telling her the complete truth.
"Oh. Well, I was hoping that we could spend a little bit of time together tonight." she said with a suggestive wink when she pulled away from him.
"Cho, I'm sorry, but I'm busy tonight." Cedric said, "Maybe tomorrow night. Okay?"Cedric said.'What was with the wink thing?' he asked himself.
"You never want to spend any time with me." she whined. Cho always whined. It was like she thought that it would help her get her way or something. Cedric himself had found it quite irritating.
"I've got to run to Hogsmeade tonight, Cho." he said, "I've got to go soon before it gets dark."
"Can I come?" she asked, beating her eyelashes rapidly. 'Another horrible trait' he thought.
"I'd rather do this myself." he said, and then noticed a hurt expression on her face. "I'll bring you back something." he added.
"Well," said Cho, making it look like she was thinking hard, "okay. I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked.
"Yeah." Cedric said, trying to turn away.
"You forgot something." Cho said in a husky voice as she stepped closer to him. Quickly, he placed a kiss on her lips.
"I'm sorry, but I'm in a rush. I'll owl you the gift, okay?" he said as he turned and went into the common room. 'I'm probably late now.' he thought to himself as he gathered all of the things he needed. 'I hope she's still down there.'
Hermione was waiting patiently by the door when Cedric came down.
"I'm sorry I took so long." he said apologetically. "I got held up. Let's hurry before it gets too dark." he said as he opened the door for her.
"I didn't wait long." lied Hermione. She had waited an extra ten minutes for him to come down. 'He was probably held up by Cho.' she thought, somewhat jealously.
"You heard that announcement that Dumbledore made the other night, right? The one about the Triwizard Tournament." he asked, looking over at her.
"Yes, I did. It seems pretty dangerous." she responded. "You've heard that people have died in past tournaments right?" she asked.
"Well, yeah. You can't expect the tasks to be easy. I think I'm going to sign up for it." said Cedric, looking directly ahead, imagining the glory that he would bring to the school if he won.
"Would you risk your life for that?" she asked looking at him questioningly.
"Yes. I think I would. It would bring glory to our school and my family name if I won. Besides," he said, "I risk my life every time I play quidditch." He had a point there. The rest of the walk to Hogsmeade was silent, until Cedric stopped and looked at Hermione.
"Cho doesn't want me to do it." he said in a deadpan voice. "She told me that she would be disappointed in me if I did." Wasn't a girlfriend supposed to be supportive of the decisions that their spouse makes? Shouldn't they support them no matter what?
"I wouldn't be disappointed in you, Cedric." said Hermione. "I would be proud. I might not be completely happy, but still, I would be proud."
This was comforting to him because he knew that she wasn't pressuring him to do something that he was undecided about, and she wasn't trying to sway him away from it. Cedric had never had someone like her in his life. His parents were always pressuring him to do 'greater things', and his girlfriend, Cho, was always telling him to 'be careful' because she didn't want to see him hurt.
"That's very nice of you to say, Hermione. I appreciate it." he said with a genuine smile. "The bookshop is just ahead." he pointed out.
"And the ice-cream shop is just down the road." said Hermione grinning. "Let's go for ice-cream first." she said. She was feeling quite rebellious. They hadn't even eaten dinner. Hermione wondered what her parents would say about her having ice-cream before dinner.
"Sure." Cedric replied as he followed her down the road.
When they entered the ice-cream shop both were amazed at the variety of ice-cream that the shop offered.
"Any idea what you're gonna get?" asked Cedric looking at the seven page menu with wide eyes.
"Um... Not really." said Hermione. "This is so confusing. How can you remember all of the flavors?" she asked ridiculously.
"I don't know. But I don't think I could ever work here." he chuckled. "I think I'm going to get the brownie batter sundae." he said as he set the menu down on the table.
"You're going to eat it all?" she said, looking over at a couple who had ordered the same thing. It was huge!
"Um.. No?" he said. "Would you like to share it?" he asked. Well, she couldn't decide on what she wanted on the menu, so why not?
"Sure." she said with a smile.
"Okay. I'll go order it. You wait here." he instructed. A few minutes later Cedric came back carrying a large bowl filled with ice-cream.
"Wow. That's bigger than I expected." Hermione said, eyes wide with amazement.
"Yeah. I hope we can eat it all." Cedric said with a laugh. Both stuck their spoons in the large ice-cream and took a bite.
"That's really good." said Hermione as she took another bite.
"Mhm." agreed Cedric with a mouth full of brownie. They continued to eat the large ice-cream until both were full. The ice-cream still filled half of the bowl.
"Wow. I'm stuffed." exclaimed Hermione as she rubbed her stomach.
"Are you still up to going to the bookshop?" asked Cedric as he helped Hermione up from her seat.
"You bet." she said with a grin.
When they arrived at the bookshop, both quickly grabbed a copy of the book that they went there to buy, paid for them, and then left. They walked back to Hogwarts discussing Wilbert Slinkhard's other books. When they arrived in the entranceway they both stopped and turned to each other.
"I had fun tonight, Cedric. Thank you for taking me." Hermione said in a soft appreciative voice.
"I had fun too. Although, I do feel rather rebellious for eating that ice-cream before dinner." he smirked. "Imagine what our parents would think." he joked.
"Mine would probably have a heart attack." she joked. "I guess we should be heading to dinner."
"Yeah." said Cedric. They walked toward the door of the great hall, and as Hermione was about to pull it open Cedric stopped her.
"Wait." he said. Hermione turned to him questioningly. It was then that he kissed her. It wasn't full on snogging, or anything too harsh, but a soft sweet kiss on her lips. When he pulled away, she gave him a soft smile, but it soon faded and was replaced with a look of regret.
"What about Cho, Cedric?" she asked, her voice filled with regret. He thought for a moment before replying.
"She doesn't have to know about this. She doesn't have to know about anything that we do together. We can keep this rebellious feeling and meet up again tomorrow." he said. And they did indeed.
For the next couple weeks they continued to meet with each other twice a week in the library at their table. The meetings were peaceful escapes from their everyday lives. They worked on their homework, read, and talked about what they both wanted to do with their lives. Before they left, Cedric would kiss her. It took a couple times for Hermione to respond. But when she did, the kisses were hot and heavy. 'Nothing like Cho.' Cedric would say. Hermione wouldn't know how to reply because she had never been kissed by any other boys. She didn't tell anyone about the meetings with him. Why would she? Cho would be devastated. One night Hermione had gotten the courage to ask Cedric why he was with Cho in the first place.
"It's what my parents expect of me." he shrugged. "I don't necessarily love her, and I doubt that I ever will, but this relationship is expected to last." Hermione respected his honest answers and did not ask about it anymore. They did not talk about Cho or Harry and Ron. The outside world did not matter to them while they were together. Instead, they talked about their families, how their classes were going, and what they wanted to do in life.
The triwizard tournament was approaching, and the other schools were yet to come. Cedric spoke of wanting to enter his name. He had been contemplating his decision for a week or so before he told Hermione that he was going to do it.
"I'm proud of you, Cedric." she said to him from across their table in the library. "If I was old enough to do it, I still don't think that I would be able to. It takes so much courage and wit I would be scared out of my pants!" Cedric let out a chuckle.
"This is one thing that I have chosen to do by my self, with no outside influences." he said proudly.
"That's great, Cedric. It really is." she said beaming.
"Really?" he asked, a grin spread across his face as he leaned over the table and kissed her. Hermione still felt weird about their kisses, and sometimes she regretted allowing them to happen. But still, she responded with as much tenderness or enthusiasm as Cedric. It wasn't that she didn't like him, because she did. It was the fact that he and Cho were still dating, and Cedric refused to tell her. It was their secret, and it always would be.
The day that the other schools came Cedric watched the foreign students hawk eyed, trying to scope out the competition. He reported to Hermione later that night that the only person that he though was sufficient enough competition was Viktor Krum. A few nights later when the Goblet of Fire was placed in the great hall and Cedric had entered his name he met up with Hermione in their spot and told her that he was very confident that he would be the champion for Hogwarts.
"I've got this feeling, Hermione." he said. "My name will be on the piece of paper that announces the champion."
"You are very confident." she replied.
Not a week later were the champions announced. Cedric was right of course. He was the champion for Hogwarts. But he was not the only one. Harry was also chosen. How, no one knew.
A few weeks later, Cedric was dead.
Fin
Author's Note: I've been working on this story whenever I get writer's block from the other one that I'm writing. But... I'm having a really bad case of writer's block and decided that there wasn't really anything else that I can add to this story... If there ever is, I'll make sure to post it. I hope that you enjoyed it! Also, my other story I Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You is pretty much on hold because I have lost the entire plot and am just writing as it comes...
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