Chapter two

And so the lion followed the lamb


The days after the big event in the great hall which could basically be summed up as yet another falling out between Hermione Granger and her short tempered friend Ronald Weasley were dull.

Cerdic had kept his further musings about the fact that out of everyone in Hogwarts he couldn't read Hermione's thoughts to himself, Scott fringed disinterest stating that there was hope for the boy yet.

Said girl became elusive at least to the vampire, she spent most of her time spent in the common room, classes or library and on the rare occasions she was anywhere else she was surrounded it seems by her two best friends or other people from Gryffindor.

If Cerdic was half inclined to try he would have found a moment to get her all by herself but it wasn't just the fact that he couldn't read her mind that worried him. The moments in which he passed her in the corridors a scent that had been classed as Hermione's alone drifted towards him he found himself floored.

The reason he fringed breathing was just so he could pass as normal but he tended only to do it while in the company of others who could watch him closely, most of the time the scents of other students just seem to disgust him. It wasn't just the cover smell everyone used like soap, perfumes and aftershaves but he could smell what they were covering up and he often recoiled at the smell looking forward to the few hours alone when he could stop breathing.

Hermione didn't smell that much different from the others, the soap she used was an old mix of cinnamon, vanilla and pinewood. Lingering rather close to that was the dusty smell that rose from the books in library.

But it was the human smell that got him most of all, it wasn't like any of the others, it was intoxicating to him.

Forgoing making an appearance at the feast that Cerdic decided that time spent away from all the students was in order, Hermione had been clouding his mind and it was making his restless and more snappy then usual with his fellow house mates.

Heading to the library he guessed his chances of bumping into any one at this time, they would all be chatting away and eating.

Slumping into his spot away from the attention of Madame Pince and any students who happened to enter here after the feast Cedric did what he did best pretend to be normal.

It had taken a good few months last year to get the rest of his fellow house mates to leave him alone, he understood how much of an attraction he must be to them, it wasn't heard of that any student transferred to Hogwarts so late in their studying but Cedric was the expectation.

Ten minutes ticked past, Cedric didn't want to raise suspicious nor a scolding look from the librarian for just sitting there. He had books spread out before him and parchments half written on, his home work proved no challenge for him and it often led to smirking on his count when Snape found nothing to grumble about.

Professor Snape hated having him there of that much he was sure no matter how much the teacher attempted to hide his thoughts, but Dumbledore had given his word that nothing would happen and Cedric had no intention to disappoint his headmaster.

It was in his musing that he heard it, the shuffling of someone carrying something too heavy. It was slow and calculated steps. Cocking his head to one side Cedric could hear Madame Pince rumbling on in her thoughts about how the students didn't have any respect for the books.

Standing he moved silently and quickly, he smirked for a half a second on how Amos and Clara would react to the way he was 'stalking' this hidden person.

They never touched a human… at least not in the sense to drink from them and Cedric being grateful to them for so many years didn't drink anything from a living person. He hunted every few months just to keep his beast side appeased.

Cedric froze the moment he saw whom he was 'stalking', his greying eyes scanning as Hermione walked back to the bookcase with a look of determination on her face. Slinking back a few paces Cedric allowed her scent to wash over him and his brain attempting to understand why she smelt so different from everyone else.

He also tried to probe her mind… to hear at least one stray thought but found it impossible, she was impossible because up until this moment there had never been one person - living person at least- who could hide their thoughts from him not even Dumbledore and the only reason the head master even let Cedric in with his power was because Cedric had made a blood promise to never use his powers to hurt, embarrass or endanger the students or teachers.

With no idea how to know what she was thinking and not risking breathing her in Cedric opted to simply watch her. She wasn't as beautiful as the vampires Cedric had come to know… his mother for one was breath taking beautiful. But Hermione held this undeclared beauty, the way her eyes swum with passion and loyalty… the way her pink lips would endure endless hours of chewing when something worked through her mind and she held her peace.

She wasn't tall by his standards but she wasn't short, for her age and there fore for the boys the same age as her self she was average height. Her hair wasn't as smooth up close but it wasn't as frizzy as many had described it during her early years, in fact no it sat in messy ringlets and seemed almost as stubborn as her as it refused to stay out of her cinnamon eyes.

His lips gave an involuntary tug at the corners as she propped her hands on her hips and glared at a book that teased her finger tips. Jumping she made an attempt to grab the book but simply brushed aside the one beside it.

After a few more times she landed with a thump before losing her footing the book she was clutching twisted and knocked two more down all of them landing in a heap on the floor.

Snorting a little too loudly he watched as the witch stiffened and lifted her head, the pain etched on her face. It took only of a half second for her to be reminded of the pain in her ankle not even bothering to notice that the book she had been so intent of attaining was now threatening to hit her on the head.

With reflexes not even the worlds best seeker could hold Cedric darted forward snatching the book from the air as it began it's topple and was bending down beside Hermione who gasped and stared at him.

The shock on her face was replaced shortly by confusion as her eyes snapped from Cerdic's face to the book he clutched in his hands then to the spot where the book had once resided.

"How" Hermione whispered as Cedric dropped the book before her clenching his jaw as her sweet scent began to assault his nose. Up closer she couldn't hide her subtle beauty any more, her hair had now more or less broke free from her hair tie.

Her cheeks held the slightest of tinges while the rest of her face was chalky white the pain still throbbing at her ankle.

"Your hurt" his brittle voice declared rather then questioned his eyes never straying from her face, he already knew her small delicate fingers wrapping around her ankle.

"It was not- it's twisted is all" Hermione couldn't for the life of her understand where her stubbornness went but those grey eyes still to drawn the truth out of her.

"Can you stand" Cedric questioned his finger gripping the book tightly in his hands, not relenting his attempts to read her mind. With a shaking nod Hermione braced her hands beside her determination returning to her face as she prepared for the pain but in a flash a white hand thrust out before her. Gasping and flinching back Hermione shot her eyes up to find Cedric already on his feet his grey eyes never leaving her.

With confusion she simply allowed Cedric to grip her hand and in one fluid movement she was dragged to her feet and leaning on Cedric who showed no sigh of discomfort or exhaustion.

However Hermione could just about focus on breathing that and the fact that the hand wrapped around hers was stone cold. Not the chill sort but it was as though his hand was nothing more then ice sculptures.

Without another word Cerdic steered Hermione to her table and sat her down gracefully before she even had the time to process what was happening. Glancing up she caught her breath in her throat when she found Cedric studying her once more with only two breaths away from her.

"How did you" Hermione trailed off not because she was giving into the fact that even up close he was attractive but because in her scurrying mind process she was still trying to understand how someone could move so fast.

"I just stopped a book from hitting you" Cedric offered stepping back at a thought out speed, not to alarm her any more.

"But…but you moved" "your in pain" Cedric offered the lame excuse already feeling the panic rise in him. Anyone else it would be simply as reading their mind and trying to calm their fears but without knowing where he was treading he didn't have a chance to think out his escape.

"But you caught that book and then you was crouching in mere seconds… and your hands" Hermione felt her eyes widen at the new puzzle before her.

Looking her in the eyes ready to use his less developed power of charming wordlessly but the arrival of two new people that made him stiffen. They were far enough away from him to explain and get her to more or less forget but he couldn't count on his skills nor her resistance.

"Please… don't say anything" he whispered stepping back from her, watching with interest as she weighed up his plead before her eyes snapped away from him when the hushed voices of her two best friend filtered through the stacks. By the time she looked back to where Cedric had been standing but was shocked to find him no where.

She was still sitting their shocked oblivious of the fact that her ankle hurt, confusion was running rampant through her mind at what just happened.

"Hermione we've been looking for you everywhere" Ron declared as he and Harry approached the table causing Hermione to look at him a daze.

"Hermione are you ok… you look a little" Harry started waving a hand before Hermione shook her head before snapping her hand to her ankle scowling at the pain now making it's self known.

"I tripped… I think I twisted my ankle" Hermione admitted before both rushed to her side in a more slower pace then Cedric had moved. After assuring them she could at least walk on her own and making them wait until she collected her books she chanced a glance to the few books that had fell with her only to be shocked to find the books had been replaced even the one that threatened to hit her on the head.