By popular demand this now is more than a one shot. Thanks for all the lovely reviews everyone! My internet and also my access to fanfiction seems to be having a problem so I can't reply to everyone... sorry!

This Chapter is dedicated to CaricatureofIntimacy. Thanks for all the wonderful reviews!


Hermione Granger was once again in the library, this time for the purpose of checking out a book. The first task was over and done with, and it was getting towards the end of November. She frowned slightly; she had only finished six of the ten sections of books in the library, not counting the Restricted Section. At this pace she would never finish every single book in the Hogwarts library. The particular book she was searching for, Great Muggle-born Wizards and Witches of the 18th Century, was up on the eleventh shelf, too high for her to reach and so tightly wedged that when she had tried the Accio spell she had nearly brought the whole bookcase down on herself. A rather tight situation, to be certain.

She was determined to have this book, as not only had she not read it yet she needed it for an essay. She knew the witch Elizabeth Smith had done extra research in charms and that some of the subjects covered in their class had to do with the ancient witch's studies. It was merely for double-checking her essay, really.

She snorted at how falsely innocent her thoughts were. In reality nothing would stop her from reading every book in this library, not even this stupid bookcase. Hermione snarled at the case and then set her foot on the protruding ledge of the second shelf, testing her weight before hauling herself up to stand on it. So far so good. But she still wasn't tall enough.

The fourth shelf should put her high enough to reach it. The fifth shelf would give her better leverage though. She clambered up three more shelves and then stared up at the book that was so obstinately stuck in its position. "Oh you are worse than Ron!" She growled at the book as she let go of one of her holds to tug at it. It still would not budge.

She removed her other hand carefully, leaning forward to make sure she didn't fall off backwards and proceeded to tug harder. The book moved a bit this time, and Hermione grinned in triumph. One more good tug should do as long as she pushed the book crowding it a bit.

She pushed the other book as far as she could and firmly gripped the book she wanted. Taking a deep breath, she quickly yanked the book out, causing her to totter unsteadily and waver as her instincts warred between dropping the book and saving herself or protecting the book at any cost.

Suddenly a voice startled her. "What do you think you're doing?"

Hermione squeaked in surprise and spun to face Cedric Diggory, her squeak quickly becoming a scream as her hip collided with a shelf and she wavered too far backwards. Then gravity overtook her, and she began to fall.

He was shouting something and running toward her and everything seemed to speed up for her as the bookcase flew away from her. She reached out one hand trying to make one final desperate attempt to grab it, clutching the book in her other hand as she fell. Her hand never even came close to the bookcase and a quick thought flashed through her head. "This is going to hurt."

Then she thudded into a pair of strong arms that seemed to be falling as well, and she found herself being held by Cedric Diggory as he collapsed onto the floor, breathing hard. "You idiot!" he hissed at her, gasping for air like a wounded fish. "You could have broken your neck!"

She was staring up at him, so wide-eyed and still shaking in fear. He was right. She could have been seriously injured… in fact had her head impacted with the sparsely carpeted stone floor she might even have died. Her brain coldly calculated how much force it would have taken to kill her and where she would have had to hit, and she knew she was lucky that he had caught her. Of course, had he not been there she wouldn't have fallen.

"Well I wouldn't have been startled if you hadn't distracted me!" she retorted, fear making her words come out sharper than she intended. Cedric glared at her, eyes narrowed at the girl still in his arms.

"So it's my fault, eh? So I made you clamber up a bookshelf like a monkey?"

Hermione glared at him as well, acutely aware that he was still holding her close and that she was practically sitting in his lap. "You didn't have to come and shout at me!"

His hold tightened on her slightly. "And you could have just asked for help or gotten a ladder!"

She flushed slightly. She had forgotten that there were a few ladders for the exceptionally tall bookcases. "So I didn't think of that! Not all of us are perfect you know! Not all of us are as perfect and handsome and amazing as Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts Champion!" She realized what she had just called him and flushed an even darker shade of red, hoping he hadn't caught it.

He raised an eyebrow at her, and she flushed even more if it was physically possible. By now she looked like a tomato, and he suddenly remembered had just occurred and the near miss it had all been. "I didn't mean to shout at you… it's just… you surprised me as well and I spoke without thinking and then you fell and…" he stopped, gray eyes screaming out his sincerity. "I was so worried. I'm sorry." Her hair, wafting with the different drafts in the room, tickled his face slightly and he brushed it away with a trembling hand. It had been such a near miss... had he reacted a second too late she would have been laying on the floor injured or worse...

She calmed down as well, her face paling slightly to return to more of its normal pallor. "I'm sorry too. Thank you for saving me." They both looked down, and suddenly realized what position they were in, she perched in his lap and he holding her so close to him. Cedric let go of her as if he had been holding a hot brick and she quickly jumped away from him, Hermione dusting off her robes and trying to stop her hands from shaking while Cedric rubbed the back of his neck and looked away, cheeks tinged slightly red. "Merlin, Cedric looks so good when he's embarrassed.Then again he looks good all the time..." The Gryffindor 4th year kicked herself mentally at such thoughts. "And I'm the one whose only love is supposedly something with two covers and lots of paper and ink. If only they knew..."

"So… you got your book." Cedric's voice cut through the silence that was quickly becoming awkward, and Hermione smiled.

"So I did."

"Well, umm, I guess I'll see you later." The Hufflepuff turned and walked briskly to the end of the row, only stopping as Hermione's voice called out to him.

"Cedric?"

"Yeah, Granger?"

"Thank you for saving me and all that."

"No problem. I'll catch you any time." Cedric's eyes widened at the realization of what he'd just suggested. He did not want Hermione Granger in his arms again… did he? The Prefect banished the question from his mind and quickly exited, while Hermione leaned against the bookcase and smiled.

Outside the library, Cedric Diggory leaned against the cold stone wall, tipping his head back to look up at the ceiling. What the hell had just happened in there?

He'd been holding Hermione Granger… and yet he was dating Cho Chang. He loved Cho… didn't he? He certainly liked her and he certainly considered her in a selfless way, but sometimes he wondered if he was really happy with her. The girl was so cold and analytical sometimes that he couldn't help but wonder what he really meant to her.

Suddenly the visage of a young woman with wild, untamable hair popped into his mind, and he shook his head to clear it but found himself unable to. Hermione Granger had been so small… her attitude had always made her seem so strong but when he'd caught her he'd suddenly realized how frail she really was. And she was so warm…

He shook his head to clear the thoughts of the young girl from his head. She was so young…

"Only a year younger than Cho," a part of his brain seemed to whisper. "And much more mature than her, that's for certain."

Cedric Diggory grimaced. It seemed like everything was ganging up on him, even his own brain. He really needed to go do something, anything to take his mind off of things.

The young man set off for his common room, desperately looking for something to distract him from these new thoughts that had suddenly decided to make themselves known.