Disclaimer: Clearly, all this happened in a fanfic because I don't own the rights to the brilliant original storyline.


There's The Insults, and Those Lessons We Learn

Cedric Diggory looked up upon hearing the footsteps of a mumbling girl coming into the room. Her face was hidden by the pile of clothes in her arms and her words were muffled by the layers of fabric. Cedric smiled in amusement and closed his book as he leaned forward with interest. He watched as she dumped the clothes onto an armchair with a sharp exhale before tucking her hair behind her ears and started to sort the pile. On her left were those that required the iron and on her right, the ones that would be fine without the Muggle invention.

"Are you planning on helping or are you just going to sit there and watch me?" Hermione suddenly said without looking around at Cedric.

"Well, you seem to be handling the task at hand pretty well so I reckon my help isn't necessary." A blue shirt came soaring towards him and Cedric caught it with a grin. Hermione shot him a mock glare to which he replied with an innocent smile. She rolled her eyes and turned away to continue her sorting. Cedric muffled his laughter and placed his book on the coffee table. "I'll help." He offered. Hermione's eyebrow arched in question. "You are awfully fickle, you know that? You asked if I would help and now that I am, you are questioning my intentions."

"That's because you are never quite serious."

"Well, I am." Cedric showed her the most solemn face he could muster to which Hermione burst out laughing at the sight.

"Oh stop it, Cedric. You look like an old man with that look."

"Old?" A horrified look crossed the eighteen year old's features.

Hermione sat herself down on the tan carpet, looking up with a grin at Cedric. "I was only joking. You'd think I had just insulted your family name with that look of yours." She said as she pulled a t-shirt onto her lap and began to fold it, sleeves first.

"Being told that I could be mistaken for a grandfather is rather disheartening, Granger."

"You exaggerate too much." Hermione answered. "Go back to reading your book, Cedric."

"And miss out on this?" Cedric gestured to the pile of clothes. "Certainly not. Lest you be buried under this mess of laundry." Hermione laughed. Cedric grinned and picked up a pair of jeans before carefully smoothing the creases and folding it thrice. He reached for a t-shirt the same time Hermione reached for it. Cedric's eyebrows shot up with an expectant look. Hermione tilted her head to the right by a fraction with her left eyebrow arched. The older boy tugged on the item of clothing. Hermione's lips pursed as she tugged the other end. Cedric tugged harder. Hermione responded with another tug. A defiant look crossed her features. Determined, Hermione pulled harder and this time, Cedric's hand shot out with the tee but he quickly pulled back – hard, causing Hermione to jerk forward. She steadied herself with her other hand and wordlessly glared at Cedric. A satisfactory smile appeared on his lips. "Stubborn little thing aren't you?"

"I would say the same for you."

"This could end up ugly." Cedric warned.

Hermione snorted and answered with a forceful pull. Cedric almost fell forward at the sudden unexpected pull but he quickly recovered and yanked back with a swift move causing Hermione to tumble forward and fall face first onto the pile of clothes between them. The Hufflepuff howled with laughter. Hermione groaned and rolled herself away from the pile of clothes. Still laughing, Cedric got up a little and hovered over Hermione's head with a grin, "I did tell you it could end up ugly." Hermione reached her hand up and swatted Cedric's face away. He laughed again and offered his hand to the scowling witch. Mr. and Mrs. Granger were at work, leaving the home to the pair with an instruction to do the laundry. Hermione had single-handedly done the laundry when Cedric almost caused a flood in the Grangers' quaint laundry room. Naturally, the young wizard had been utterly fascinated with the Muggle machine that he curiously pressed every button to see what function each did. Only when Hermione heard a rumbling sound from her location in the kitchen, trying to locate the bottle of fabric softener, did she came walking in with a suspicious look. Seeing Cedric with the sheepish look on his face as water came pouring out of the machine, Hermione immediately ran for the switch and pulled the plug with an exasperated breath. She had whirled around and barked a sharp word of "Out!" and Cedric responded with a quick apology, and a very amused smile, before fleeing the scene.

"Remind me again why are you here for the summer?"

"Because you needed to see me?"

"Wrong. Try again."

"Because I wanted to spend more time with you."

"Well if you keep this up, you will be spending less time than you had expected." Hermione said pointedly as she allowed Cedric to pull her up. She brushed her hair over her shoulder and settled at her task once more.

"Oh come on, Granger. I said I was sorry for the flood." A frown. "Right, I shouldn't mention that." Cedric grinned, "Honestly, I think I rather like it when you are angry." Another frown. "Because there's this adorable crease in between your nose and your eyes gets wider with this challenging light as if you are anticipating for an answer which you already have a rebuttal to with a definite aim at the opposition's words, effectively shutting him or her up."

Hermione couldn't resist the smile forming on her lips, "Is that a compliment?"

"Definitely." Cedric casually walked over and placed a kiss on the crown of her head before settling back into the armchair with his book once more. Lifting his legs over the armrest, Cedric slid himself in a relaxed position as he flipped his book open and fixed his attention upon it. The sixteen year old witch smiled and watched her boyfriend for a moment. She took in the way in he drew his lips in a thin line as his fingers aimlessly tapped the hardcover's spine as his other hand held onto the book. He flicked the page with his thumb and index finger before said fingers joined the others at his lips. As if realizing her stare, Cedric's gaze averted from the page in his book and turned to her. Hermione simply smiled and looked away. Amused and curious, Cedric snorted a laughter and returned to his book.

With the comfortable silence, the pair immersed themselves in their respective task, concentrating so wholeheartedly that when they heard the sudden howl of the wind, both jumped with a start. Cedric turned to Hermione with a concern look and the latter breathed in deeply before giving him a reassuring look. The wind howled again, accompanied by the rustling of the trees and a loud clang as they heard metal hitting metal. The drapes that cover the patio doors parted grandly with a loud flapping noise as the wind swept in. Bits of leaves and pieces of little branches flew in. Hermione hurried to the patio as Cedric sat up.

"It's a blustering wind out here. It looks like an incoming storm."

"In the middle of summer?" Cedric answered doubtfully.

"Summer storm." Hermione answered without looking at Cedric. She shivered as another gust of wind blew past. "The cumulonimbus clouds are up in the sky. And I think there's –" She didn't get to finish as a bright light cut across the skies and ended almost right in the Grangers' garden, causing an inevitable shriek from Hermione. Cedric dropped his book and ran up to Hermione to pull her back into the safety of home.

"What were you thinking?" Hermione could familiarly detect the irate tone in his voice. "That was absolutely foolish of you to be standing there just as the lightning appeared."

"I'm sorry. Really." Hermione wiggled away from Cedric, not wanting to be too close to a livid wizard. She shot him a reassuring smile, "I'm alright, don't worry about it." Cedric eyed her suspiciously. Hermione kept her smile on her face, crossing her fingers behind her back as she hoped his annoyance would quickly fade away. Cedric's face softened and she sighed inwardly in relief.

"Just be careful, alright?"

"Yes, mother." Hermione teased. She turned around to the patio again, taking another step out much to Cedric's surprise.

"Granger."

"Come on out here, Cedric." Hermione said as her hand beckoned him to her. "You have to see this yourself."

Curious, Cedric stepped out and looked up. Above them, the clouds moved at a steady pace, slowly enveloping the summer day with darkness as the winds swept past and howled at their ears. He watched as the day's brightness eventually duly faded to give in to the impending storm. The trees seem to hold tight to their roots as they swayed to the right and their leaves rustled loudly. Steel grey orbs remained fixed on the sky as he saw rain began to fall on earth's grounds of the other end of the housing estate, and slowly made its way towards them as if in a domino effect –the pitter-patter sounds came closer as the droplets of water eventually got nearer to them. "Planning to spend time under the rain again, Granger?" Cedric grinned.

"Nonsense." Hermione laughed. "Come on. Let's get in before we get wet." She grabbed his hand and pulled him in as the strong wind blew the rain onto their direction. Once they were within the safety of home, Hermione pulled the French doors to a shut. The wind howled again. "The weather looks angry." She thoughtfully said.

"Maybe it's having a bad mood."

"I wonder why."

Cedric laughed. "Well, that's one of Mother Nature's many questions. Perhaps we have used her resources too much without a word of thanks and an appreciation with a tree in return."

"Possibly." Hermione smiled. Another lightning flashed and lit the darkened room with a momentary bright light before the thunder rang after. Hermione looked out from the French door into the heavy rain. "Looks like it's going to be a long afternoon."

"Are you indicating something?" Hermione turned to see a wolfish grin on the features of the eighteen year old wizard. The latter took a step forward and Hermione unconsciously took a step back. Clearly tickled by her reaction, Cedric took another forward and watched as she took a step back in response. He kept coming closer, step by step, and Hermione kept moving backwards – until her back made contact with the solid French door. "No where to run, Granger?" Cedric teased.

Hermione bit her lower lip to keep herself from smiling, "What are you trying to do, Diggory."

"Whatever you had in mind." Cedric replied nonchalantly as he closed the distance between them within two quick steps. His breath touched her in the most warmest of manner that Hermione felt herself flushing, and his hand reached for hers – gently entwining their fingers together with a smile tugging at Cedric's pale lips. She watched as those very lips inched closer and directed upwards to her forehead before shifting down to her nose and with a mischievous glint in those steel grey orbs, the pair of lips landed softly on her own. With a gentle nudge from Cedric, Hermione felt herself placing equal pressure on Cedric's lips, fondly tasting the mint dark chocolate he had barely half an hour ago.

A delighted shot of warmth ran through Cedric's body as he felt Hermione's smile against his lips and the sweetness of chocolate fudge lingering in scent and taste that was so distinctly Hermione's. He felt himself tugging on her hands, his fingers clasping hers firmly. Seconds passed before Cedric gently pulled away. He looked at the girl before him who was flushed in the cheeks but smiling as she gazed up at him. "You tasted amazing."

Hermione's jaw dropped and Cedric laughed. "That does not comply with my standards of a compliment." Hermione grumbled.

"I said you tasted amazing, how is that not a compliment?"

"I am not a meal."

"But you provide as much satisfaction as beautiful five course meal."

"I hope you know that doesn't really earn points on your attempt to win a girl's heart."

"Well, I ought to dispose it from my book of pick up lines then." Cedric humored. He leaned closer again, intending to continue the kiss but Hermione swiftly slid away from him. "Oy."

Hermione snorted with laughter, "This is not what I had in mind when I said it's going to be a long afternoon. Take your mind out of the realm of adult films and magazines."

"I do not read or watch such materials."

"Really?"

"Really." Cedric answered warily.

"Then I suppose your gender is questionable then." Hermione laughed. "Or perhaps, it's the sexual preference?" Cedric launched himself at the laughing witch, effectively tumbling them over on the soft carpeting. Hermione kept laughing.

"I am perfectly straight."

"Oh, I know." Cedric raised an eyebrow. "You do have an image to uphold after all. Imagine the devastated hearts of the girls at Hogwarts who gave your countless Valentine chocolates."

Cedric groaned and rolled himself off the Gryffindor witch. "Why is that I got myself a girlfriend who questions my sexual preference, of all things?"

"As a decoy?" Hermione wheezed in between her laughter. A whizzing cushion greeted Hermione in the head. It did nothing to smother the girl's laughter but simply encouraged it even more so. Cedric groaned and walked off into the kitchen. When he came out a minute later with a glass of water in hand, Hermione was seated in his armchair with a grin on her face. "I'm sorry." She offered.

"That doesn't quite heal the bruise my pride had to take back there."

"What bruise?"

"The sharp stab at my apparent sexual preference."

"Ouch. I don't have a band aid for that, care for a hug instead?" Hermione held out her arms in a motherly manner, "I hear it does wonders for little boys and their little temperamental selves."

Cedric scowled. "Keep it up, Granger."

"Oh come on now, Cedric. I'm really sorry."

"I am ignoring you now."

"Cedric!"

Cedric looked over to Hermione and the latter frowned. With a teasing grin, Cedric walked over to her. "I have to say, I'm awfully charmed by the fact of my ignorance of you would cause you such distress to your poor little heart." He said as he flicked the switch for the large lantern reading light by the armchair.

"Berk."

"My presence is of undeniable importance to you." Cedric continued. Hermione rolled her eyes as Cedric nonchalantly edged her aside and nudged her from the armchair. He settled himself in just as Hermione steadied herself from almost falling off. She shot him a mock glare to which Cedric responded with an innocent look. "Something wrong?"

"I was sitting here."

"Wrong. I was sitting here. You just decided to monopolize it simply because."

"Getting territorial aren't we?"

"Shall we draw a line in a peaceful treaty, or would you prefer a full out war and we could decide who takes where and what."

"Very funny." Hermione slapped Cedric's hand, which had been playing with her hair in a tease, away as she settled herself comfortably next to him.

"You are terribly physical."

"Physically abusive?"

"Exactly." Cedric grimaced. "Unless your behave yourself, I am afraid I would have to ask you to leave this armchair."

Hermione responded with a defiant look before simply snuggling closer to Cedric. An eyebrow shot up at her behavior but the older boy knew better than to contend with the defiance of one Hermione Granger. Cedric picked up his book and settled on the page he had been reading. Wordlessly, Hermione placed her chin on his shoulder, reading from said position. Cedric snaked his arm around her as his fingers aimlessly fiddled with lock of her hair.

Hermione smiled from her position, enjoying the closeness as she could distinctly make out the heartbeat of her boyfriend, despite the heavy rain pouring outside and the occasional thunder. A hand ran up to his chest, where his heart was, and her fingers curled around the soft fabric of his white printed tee.

"Aren't you going to continue with the laundry?" Cedric curiously asked as he flipped a page over.

"It can wait for a bit."

"And what exactly are you –" His words were drowned out with a sudden and deafening clap of thunder. Their sole light in the room went off and a loud click was heard. Cedric's arm instinctively went around Hermione while the other reached for the reading light switch. "The lightning must have affected the electrical fuse. I'm guessing it's the consumer unit."

"We've got candles somewhere about the house." Hermione offered.

"Right. Well, we'll go get that and check out what else has been shut off by the lightning. Got a torchlight in handy, Granger?"

"Wherever did you learn about torchlight and electrical wirings and such?" Hermione asked in amazement.

"I read my books Granger, I don't scan through them." Hermione laughed. "Come on. Let's look for that torchlight first." Hermione stood up and Cedric's hand clasped around her own as they made their way into the study room. Hermione felt around her father's desk, sorting through papers and charts as Cedric looked in the shelves.

"Found it." Hermione announced. With a soft clicking noise, the torchlight was turned on. The pair carefully felt their way into the kitchen to locate the candles before lighting them and placed the candles at random spots in the lower storey of the home. They then made their way to the consumer unit which Mr. Granger had it encased in a box of its own for electrical safety. Hermione lifted the torchlight as Cedric opened the box and examined their cause of power outage.

"It looks like it's a short circuit of the consumer unit. Probably an overheating with the sudden excessive electric current seeing as the MCB would have only switched off if the circuit is overloaded." Cedric stated as he carefully tinkered around the rectangle shaped unit.

"Are you intending to be an electrician?"

"What's that?"

"Someone who handles these electrical situations."

"Oh." Cedric shook his head amusedly, "No."

"At the rate you are going, I was pretty sure you could be aspiring to be one."

"Well, if it something that amazes you so and takes up that much of your admiration, I don't see why not." Cedric teased.

"I am not fascinated by the fact that you know about wirings and whatnots."

"You think it's attractive." He stated.

"Certainly not. Now come on and let's get back to the sitting room so we can finish that book." As she turned around, a loud clank was heard on the front door. Hermione froze and swallowed hard.

"What –" Hermione whirled around with a finger at her lips. She listened in again and a few seconds passed before the clank was heard again. Her eyes widened. The noise resembled very much like a metal bar hitting against the front door. "Hermione?" Cedric's voice was low and inquisitive.

The sixteen year old witch reached for Cedric, "There's someone at the door." She whispered.

"Someone trying to break in?"

"Possibly."

"Stay here and wait." Cedric whispered as he moved ahead, gently pushing Hermione to stay behind. "Do you have your wand with you?"

"No, it's in my desk drawer. We are not supposed to use magic, Cedric."

"I am not underage anymore." Cedric reminded with an amused smirk. "Look, I don't want you going out there when we don't know whatever it is that we are facing."

"I am not going to let you go out there by yourself." Hermione hissed.

"Whoever and whatever it is, I'm pretty sure I'll be alright." Cedric pulled his wand out from the pocket of his jeans.

"What if he has the Muggle weapon, a gun?" Hermione pleaded.

"Then he'll shoot at me." Cedric shrugged.

Hermione slapped Cedric by the shoulder as he chuckled silently. "That is not funny."

"I couldn't think of any other comeback in such dire moments." Cedric answered. "I'll get your wand with the summoning charm and I want you to use it if need arises. Keep yourself safe and forget about the Ministry with its rubbish rule on underage magic usage."

"Cedric." Hermione pulled the young wizard with a jerk. When he looked back at her with a frown, Hermione said with a determined look, "I am coming with you. You can summon for my wand and I'll stay by your side."

Cedric sighed and nodded. "I should have known."

"What?"

"You little adrenaline-junkie."

His answer earned him another smack on the arm before they heard the metal clank again. Cedric stopped at in the midst of his silent laughter. His hand reached for Hermione's and together, they stepped out and into the hallway. The metal clank sounded again. "Accio wand." Cedric hissed up the stairs. Hermione's wand came whizzing within seconds and its owner easily caught hold of it. "Ready?" Hermione nodded. With silent steps, they made their way closer to the front door. Cedric wordlessly nudged Hermione aside as he boldly stepped forward with his wand in front of him. The clank sounded again. Hermione resisted her urge to simply burst open the door and confront the intruder. A few steps ahead from her, Cedric crept to the door and crouched low, sneaking under the window that was next to it to sneak a glance out. What he saw produced an astonished look on his face that Hermione couldn't resist asking him about. His hand beckoned Hermione and she cautiously went over.

A man, looking in his mid 60s, with a dark and moldy-looking overcoat and a dirty bucket hat over his unshaven features, stood at the Grangers' front door. In his shivering hand was a metal tin can, clanking against the door's wooden panels. Cedric exchanged a quick look with Hermione before jumping to his feet and quickly unlocking the door, much to the surprise of the man. "Are you alright, sir?" Cedric asked as he tugged the old man in by the arm.

Hermione hurried over with a quilt she had grabbed from the sitting room. "Here." She said as she wrapped the soft and warm material around the man's shaking shoulders.

"I'm s-sorry to have bo – bothered y-you."

"You are shivering to your bones." Hermione exclaimed. "I'll run the hot water for you."

Cedric closed the door behind the old man before gently taking the quilt off the elderly man. "Here, take off your coat before wrapping this around you. You could catch a cold wearing that any much longer." The elderly man wordlessly, and gratefully, obliged by Cedric's request. Upon wrapping the quilt around the man once more, Cedric led the latter to the kitchen where he quickly set about on fixing a cup of hot chocolate. "Here, drink this while Granger gets the bath ready. Are you alright? Do you need anything else?" Cedric said as he placed the mug of hot chocolate on the island.

"No. Th-thank you."

The Hufflepuff watched with a quiet gaze as the elderly man drank his hot chocolate, almost within a single gulp. Realizing the latter's action could indicate hunger, Cedric got up from his seat and pulled a loaf of bread from the shelf before carefully slicing it into three large pieces. He placed the slices on a plate and carried it over to the island with a bottle of marmalade. Adeptly grabbing the jam knife with one hand, the young lad took to neatly smearing the marmalade over the slices of bread. He was done within seconds and the elderly man was more than happy to have the bread and marmalade.

"The bath is ready." Hermione said as she came into the kitchen. She smiled at the man, "When you are finished, just proceed upstairs to the bathroom on your left. I've left a towel and some clean clothes for you on the white cabinet."

The elderly man smiled his thanks before finishing the bread in his trembling hands. Hermione sat herself beside Cedric, watching the man before them. When he was done, he excused himself to the bathroom and left the pair to themselves. Cedric turned to Hermione. "Are you comfortable with a stranger in your home?"

"I reckon he's harmless. Otherwise, I have a wizard of legal age to protect me." Hermione grinned. Cedric chuckled. He touched the pocket of his jeans again to make sure his wand with him before checking for Hermione's. "It's here," Hermione revealed her wand from the pocket of her pale blue short-sleeved pullover. As they waited for the elderly man, the pair settled into a two-seater, Hermione busied herself with the laundry once more as Cedric continued with his book, as if nothing odd had happened and there wasn't an unknown person in the Grangers' bathroom taking a hot bath to keep himself from the cold storm. A reassuring and comfortable silence befell on them. When they finally heard the soft sounds of footsteps coming down the stairs, the pair looked up and greeted the newcomer with a smile. "Are the clothes alright? Do they fit?"

"Yes, thank you young lady."

"Hermione." The Gryffindor answered. "Please, call me Hermione."

"Hermione." The elderly man repeated her name as if it held a beautiful secret.

"And this is Cedric."

"Cedric."

"Pleasure to meet you sir." Cedric held his hand out and a firm handshake greeted him. "If you don't mind us asking, what were you doing out there in the storm, sir?"

"Please call me Gregory." The old man smiled and the pair noticed he had a crooked smile but a very likeable one at that. "I was," his voice faded off for a brief second, "looking for a shelter."

"I'm sorry – but you don't, have a place to live in?" The man, Gregory, shook his head. Hermione bit her lower lip. "Then where do you," she paused as if thinking of a better manner to phrase her words, "where is 'home' for you?"

"Anywhere my old feet take me to."

"What about your family and friends?" Cedric curiously asked.

"I have never been much of a social person so friends," Gregory chuckled half-heartedly to himself, "were never quite a part of my life. But I had a wife."

"What happened?" Hermione couldn't resist asking.

"She died in the war."

"The World War II? That was almost fifty years ago." The sixteen year old witch said in surprised.

"Indeed. I was a young lad of 16 then." Gregory nodded. "We were schoolmates. She was the pretty lass every boy admired and every girl adored. It was a coincidence that we became friends." He said amusedly. "She took my book by mistake." Hermione turned to Cedric – a quick surprised look were exchanged between the two as a certain memory was refreshed in their minds. "We became friends and before we knew it, we were in love."

"So the both of you decided to get married?"

Gregory smiled fondly at Hermione, "At 16 in our time, true love was never questioned. We knew that what we felt for each other was more than enough to allow us to survive and make it through any odds."

"But it must have been quite a step for the both of you to take."

"Not exactly. When you are in love with someone, you believe whole-heartedly that your heart and the rest of you, including the rest of your life, will be taken care of by that someone with the utmost gentleness and warmth." Gregory smiled.

"But how could you be so sure then that you were in love and the love will last?" Cedric smiled at the dubious nature of his girlfriend but he said nothing as the very same question had been lingering in his mind.

"Who's to say your love is only real and sincere and honest at an older age of 21, or 30, or even 45?" Gregory looked at Hermione in the eye, "Just because you are afraid of falling out of love doesn't mean you should not believe in love, or to keep yourself from falling in love. Why do you question what you feel? Why don't you believe in it and immerse yourself in the beautiful feeling?"

"What if by immersing myself headfirst into it, I find myself getting hurt later?"

"As you said, later. Wouldn't the beautiful feelings and memories of now be worth the later, which may or may not happen, worry of a heartache?" Gregory reached across for Hermione's hand from the armchair he was seated in, "Hermione, love, you are afraid of losing the one you love, are you not? Yet here he is – sitting beside you and loving you for all that you are. Isn't that enough?"

A stunned look colored Hermione's features as Cedric looked the elderly man in wonder. "How did you know?" He asked.

"Hermione moves closer to you as if it's the most natural instinctual thing to do, like her rightful place is beside you, where she belongs. And whenever she comes within your sight, your eyes reveal an unspoken warmth and an admiring gaze that never ceases for the girl before you." Gregory chuckled. Hermione flushed at the knowledge of her transparent feelings while Cedric beamed in respect of the old man's observational skills. "Love," he continued as he gazed at Hermione in the eye, "you have his whole heart with you, and you may lose it later – we both wouldn't know, but for this moment in the many other moments of your life, you will always know you were the centre of this boy's world. That, is enough."

Hermione nodded before quickly wiping a single tear that spilled onto her cheek. "You must have loved your wife very much."

"There's no past tense, I still love her very much."

Hermione smiled, "I'm sorry."

"Don't be." The elderly man gazed out into the patio. "The storm isn't so bad now, I should be on my way."

"No, wait." Hermione held on to Gregory's hand. "Where do you plan to go?" He shrugged with a small smile.

"After the war, after your wife's death, what happened?"

Silence. Hermione waited with bated breath. Cedric's question had cast a sudden uneasiness in the air.

"I realize I couldn't quite live without her." Gregory softly answered. "It took me years to figure out what I had just told the both of you, that what I had then still exists in my heart and the time I had with her isn't just a past, but a collection of the most wonderful memories of my life." He paused and looked at the young man opposite him before shifting his gaze to the girl next to the latter, "Which is why I hope the both of you would never make the mistake I made." With that, Gregory stood up and said his thanks before leaving for the door. Cedric and Hermione saw him to the door, not quite knowing what else they could do for him and knowing full well he would refuse their help even if they insisted. Hermione had, at the very least, insisted he kept the clothes he was wearing, alongside a pair of gloves and another overcoat while Cedric scribbled the contact number of the Grangers' household – "for anything at all," Cedric had said and Hermione nodded encouragingly.

"Mr. Gregory?" Hermione timidly said as the elderly man was about to step out the door.

"Yes?"

The sixteen year old walked up to him and wrapped her arms around Gregory. "Please take care of yourself."

"I will, love. Thank you."

"What did you make out of it, Granger?" Cedric asked as he shut the door behind them. The winds were still blowing strong but the rain had significantly lessened to smaller drops, pitter-pattering on the earth's surface.

"Part of what he said was right." Hermione answered thoughtfully. Cedric followed her into the sitting room. "But Cedric, there's one thing that I'm pretty positive I would be a contrary to his words." Cedric waited. "That if you were to leave," Hermione softly continued, "this world permanently, even the memories of you would not be able to keep me alive." A small, vulnerable smile appeared at her lips.

"I won't leave." Cedric promised as he pulled her into a hug. "I promise I won't."

"Don't make promises that you aren't sure if you could keep."

The Hufflepuff boy knew her words were in reference to the inevitable war with Voldermort and his minions. Sooner or later, the wizarding world had to face the music, or rather, the darkness – there was no running away anymore, it was only a question of when. "I love you." He simply said. And Cedric Diggory hoped with everything he could possibly offer, that those simple words that left his lips was a silent promise to last an eternity.


A/N: I'm am absolutely sorry for the delay and I really was trying to get this chapter up as soon as possible, but somehow I couldn't upload anything at all onto my document manager until today...So, here it is, a fresh chapter of the fic which was delayed horribly long. Thank you to everyone who had kindly waited and reviewed and loved it and everything else that I feel a single word of 'thanks' is simply not enough *hugs* I'm sorry I haven't gotten around to replying anyone either - I promise I will begin to do as soon as I get home :)