Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.
He Can Only Hold Her
Cedric woke up earlier than he had expected to the following day. He was actually surprised that he managed to wake up at eight in the morning after all that had happened. He had after all gone to bed at three in the morning only to find that the big fat orange cushion that was laid in the middle of his bed was actually Hermione's cat. In addition, the damn creature was as stubborn as its mistress was too, it just would not budge. He had tried to lift it and make it move and the hellish creature still did not go. It would have even deeply clawed his hand if he had not good reflexes honed from his long hours of quidditch training. He had quickly come to the conclusion that the orange nightmare would not let itself be easily convinced by his calls of "Hey kitty, kitty go catch the mousy. Go, shoo. Go catch the big fat mouse there in the corridor!" Yep, he had tried that also but evidently without any measure of success. 'That is unquestionably pathetic, Cedric!' he told himself.
He had not realised that his bed was already occupied when he'd entered the guest room. He had other things on his mind and the big bad mangy orange beast did not make it in his mental shortlist. He realised that like the two preceding conversations he'd had with Hermione Granger, even though he had answers to questions that he'd been asking himself about her, his mind was not entirely satisfied and formulated new questions for which he almost instantly decided the answers were of vital importance. They had talked for quite a long time and he knew that Hermione knew exactly what kind of game he was playing with the glass of milk and the fact that she just went along with it, made him realise that she was willing to answer his questions.
"I know that you might be asking yourself why I did what I did for you. Why I felt so compelled by your death that I should try to do all I could to bring you back from where you were, be it in limbo or the heavens or whatever place it is wizards and witches are sent to after death?" She had been gazing at their yard through the kitchen window bathed by the light of the half-moon and the stars but had slowly turned to him during her question. He had of course been asking himself the same questions but had until she brought forward the subject, restrained from doing so. Who was he anyway to demand to know why she did what she did when the end result was that he was alive again? He was not ungrateful, in fact he was most definitely appreciative that Hermione Granger had that fateful day believed that he was worthy of a second chance that the Fates would accept her plea in his favour.
"I realised when I saw you lying there on the field Cedric, how much a felony it was that your life was cut so short. Cedric, I've witnessed this past year how much you've already become a wizard of extraordinary talent. Your mastery and control of your magic was impressive during the tournament and was awe-inspiring. You are what one can only call a wizard of your own accord. You've showed so much ability in that damn tournament and it was a shame that you would not be able to put into practice all you've shown us into adult life. I don't know what you want to do once you graduate but I for one, do not doubt that you'll most absolutely excel in it."
He was more than pleased by her praise. After all, it was one thing to be told that you are a formidable wizard but another when the same praise was issued by someone who was already a phenomenally powerful, outstandingly brilliant, and extraordinarily gifted witch herself.
"There's just so much you would not have been able to do because of the lunatic madman plaguing our world," she continued. "And that's why I cried, why I felt the cruel loss that your murder was as strongly as I experienced it. I really had no idea that I had this power but when I sensed my magic building inside and outside of me, I only focused on it willing it to do the impossible by bringing you back. And here you are …"
No words could describe exactly how much Claire Diggory was thankful that Hermione had felt this way for her son, other than gratitude. Honest and most sincere Gratitude from Amos and her. She had single-handedly brought back her son from that horrendous place. Cedric had not yet shared to them how it felt there, how he felt there and it pained her greatly that her son had not talked to them about how he felt. She'll have to get him to talk to them, it simply would not do if he kept all this to himself for too long, but she reasoned that the fact that he was sharing his experience with Hermione was positively doing him some good. She was certain that this talk with the Gryffindor witch was relieving him of the great weight he must be feeling. Had they ever spoken to each other before? To the best of her knowledge, Hermione and Cedric had never ever spoken to each other before but she might just be mistaken. Cedric had never written home about a Gryffindor witch with whom he could easily share his secrets. Other than that Ravenclaw bitch correction witch, Cedric had not written about any other girl he might have interest in. Pity that he had not talked to the witch before, maybe he would have seen the jewel that had been right before his eyes before a certain Bulgarian international seeker did. The following information however disabused her of that notion.
"So why did you say that you would not have entered the tournament had you had the chance? You know in the tent after the first task?" He reminded her when she turned a bland look at him.
"Oh, that! I had almost forgotten that with all that has happened since then." She smiled at him. He hadn't forgotten that and he wanted to know why she would not have entered. "As I said then, contrary to what I've shared with you tonight, I do not willingly put myself in harms' way when I can avoid it. I do have self-preservation instincts, you know, even for a Gryffindor? And I believed the tournament though it's goal being extremely good and all, was extremely dangerous, as you've experienced first-hand. I would not have entered the tournament, had I had the opportunity, as I think it would have been a waste of time and energy for something as trivial as Eternal Glory. I mean no offence, Cedric." She added when she looked horrified at him.
"None taken," he said chuckling.
"But I'd really prefer to be remembered by my counterparts for something more inspiring. It's not that you would not have inspired wizards or witches for generations to come but I believe that it's not the purpose of a school. It would have been more fitting for sports team to compete against each other. Like wizarding Olympic Games. Though when you think about it, some of the Olympic competitors are still old to be in high school." It was apparent to him, that she was going on a tangent and he had no idea what she was talking about. "Like the Quidditch World Cup for the wizards, muggles have international competitions for all their sports. If I remember correctly," Cedric somehow knew she remembered correctly, "in the last summer Olympic Games there were competitors for twenty-eight different sports. We also have Olympic Games for only winter sports. I'd once contemplated representing the country in swimming for the games that will be held next year in Atlanta. It's just a pity that wizards only focus on some sports and tend to ignore all others." At this she pointedly looked at him and he had the grace to bow his head. It was true indeed that the Wizarding world only had eyes for Quidditch and he could not help but be flummoxed by the fact that muggles could have such a multitude of sports. They were geniuses when he thought about it to group all-important sports and let all nations compete. It was utterly brilliant.
"So, if I wanted to have Eternal Glory I would have preferred that it be a really international competition between students of age from all around the world. Then if I were to be a Champion then it would not only have inspired my counterparts but I would have been able to make friends with other wizards and witches. Our example would not only be limited to our schools but to many nations as a whole. We should never let ourselves think that only Europe matters, it just some stupid old Pureblood thinking. Again I mean no offence. There are many other countries out there and so many ways that different cultures view, use and approach their magic and it would have really been better to be able to approach, share and learn from them. I believe that such an international competition would have made a much greater impact that the Triwizard competition. I'm not saying that to diminish your merit or anything but the Ministry could have better looked at it. But as you know, the ministry is currently run by a bunch of good-for-nothing bureaucrats who would not be able to distinguish their wands end and their handle if it wasn't made obvious by the wand-makers."
Both mother and son could not help but agree to the wise insight of one Hermione Granger. It was apparent to both of them that the muggle world held more recipes for a better wizarding world than anybody thought.
Cedric had thought that entering the Triwizard tournament would have brought him fame and recognition among his peers but now, when he thought about it after Hermione's insight, it appeared to him that he had been only a pawn in some petty ministry game. Although he had won the tournament, it was apparent that it had only been a Pyrrhic victory, one that came with a terrible cost to him. He promised himself then that he would never ever be made a pawn for whatever greater picture someone might have. His mind then formulated a question that he had not thought of before and before he could censure himself he found himself asking her.
"Have you ever regretted your decision of coming in the wizarding world to be a witch?"
"I might have regretted my decision at one point or another during the last few years but I know I don't regret it now. I can't regret this decision as I've made myself extraordinary friends and made new ones this year. I know that if I were to return to the muggle world now, I would sincerely regret it. I could never leave the wizarding world now knowing what deep shit I'll be leaving it in. I can't leave Harry now more than ever, he needs all the support he can get."
'That is very good to know,' Claire told herself.
"However, I believe that if the looming war should degenerate exponentially, I might have to extract myself from the wizarding world and again live as a muggle. I might even have to move to a foreign country, as I'll surely be a primary target for the mad lunatics. During last week, I've devised a contingency plan should things really get out of control too quickly. I've thought of sending my parents away, I might even have to erase their memory should it be absolutely necessary. I'll need to make sure they'll be out of harms' way before I involve myself directly with the war. I'll do whatever needs to be done to get out alive of this and should I fail, I know that my parents will still be alright although they might never remember... my existence." She choked on her last words and it was Cedric's turn to grab her hand to remind her that he'd always be there for her.
Claire was shocked to hear that she had already looked so far into the future and had the foresight to make emergency plans. Such a sweet girl as Hermione Granger should never have to think of erasing her parents' memories to ensure their safety. So she told herself that if there was any plan B that was made available at the time she'd waste no time to share it with her.
So when Cedric had entered the guest room to get some rest he did not notice the big fat orange pincushion laying in the middle of the bed. He already took out his shirt and jeans and pulled on only his pyjama pants when he finally noticed the orange nightmare. He had been debating whether he should call her mistress to take away that monster or sending it away by magic when someone knocked at the door. He had only turned his head in direction of the door when it was opened and Hermione stepped in.
She was wearing a very beautiful nightdress. It was made of a black silky material that hugged her breasts up and flowed downwards to above knee-level. Her hair was flowing along her shoulders enticingly and when she tilted her head, Cedric felt an urge to nuzzle his head at her neck, to breathe in the scent of her hair and taste her pearly smooth skin. It happened again! Like when he'd gone fetch to Hermione by the poolside that after-noon, Cedric had another massive reminder of just how randy and horny male teenagers could be, they were just always ready. It simply would not do if every opportunity he got to see Hermione in any sexy attire, his only desire would be to pounce on her just like right now. Did muggles really wear that kind of clothes for sleeping?
"Oh Cedric, I'm awfully sorry to bother you but I was looking for my cat. And I can see that his royal madness has been giving you a rough time!" It was definitely not the cat that was giving him a rough time right now, only the mistress. "So, Crookshanks get your fat arse out of this bed right now!" She ordered pointing the cat the door. The cat even had the nerve to take it's time by stretching itself before bouncing off the bed, rub itself multiple times on her mistress' legs before exiting the room. "I'm awfully sorry but my cat's got a mind of it's own sometimes. Good night Cedric." She beckoned him with one of her trademark smiles before stepping out and closing the door. Cedric had not uttered a word since she'd entered in fear of losing his dignity. Once her cat had exited the room, he'd contemplated having his wicked way with her just right there as there were no more witness to his insanity. Against the door. He gave himself a few slaps to snap himself out of his trance-like state before locating his shirt and finally climbing into bed.
Cedric had exited the bathroom having finished his nightly routine and was merrily making his way to the bed when the door of room squeaked open. He had not properly closed it and Hermione's cat had again slipped in. It was apparent in Cedric's opinion that the cat and himself had a very serious and litigious territorial dispute, the territory in dispute being Hermione. The cat just eyed him for a few seconds as though searching through his soul for any ill intentions on his part. Sure he'd contemplated having the cat placed in various very gruesome situations in which it would have surely been scared to death but he wasn't going to act on any of these, only for Hermione's sake. At least not yet anyway. The cat only meowed at him, looked pointedly at him before quickly exiting the room.
'Perfect, just perfect. Now the damn cat has gone mental!' Cedric sighed before following it out but still keeping out of claws' way. The cat had waited in the corridor for him and when it saw him coming it darted inside his bedroom. 'What is this now? What the hell is it playing at? Cat and mice? And your just his big fat mouse Cedric!' A snide voice commented somewhere in his mind.
He nonetheless followed it inside his bedroom and found the reason of the cat's strange behaviour quickly. Hermione was trashing around on the bed in absolute distress. It was apparent that whatever dream she was having was not at all to her taste. She was most certainly having a horrible nightmare and she was murmuring some words while trashing around in one of her beautiful nightdress. That night it was a Hufflepuff yellow nightdress. The way she was trashing around in her flimsy nightdress, the material had inched upwards and was revealing to his eyes, her black panties. Before IT happened again, Cedric snapped himself out of his trance-like state and rushed to Hermione's side. He tried to grab her but her frantic moving in the med made it nearly impossible to pin her down.
He resorted to drastic measures and snaked his arm around her naked smooth belly as she'd nearly slid out of her nightdress and instantly pulled her to him. She renewed her frantic trashing and now that she was in his arm, he was able to hear what she was murmuring.
"I need to find him. I need to get to him. Please give me back... You can't take him away from me. From us. Please I need him. We need him. We love him. Please..." Her tone was one of urgent desperation. It was apparent that whatever nightmare she was having right now, was also causing her an incredible amount of distress. He did not want to know what kind of nightmare she was having, all he needed right now was to make sure that she was alright.
So gently but surely like his mother had done when he was a small boy, he gently rocked her and whispered in her ear some kind words of comfort. He slowly hummed an old lullaby that he remembered his mother singing to him when he had nightmares or had trouble sleeping. And just like that, Hermione stopped trashing around but only held him firmly to her as if this time, he was her lifeline. She sniffed and groaned before he could hear a slow rhythmic breathing that meant that she was finally peacefully asleep.
Claire had gone to see if her son was already in bed but seeing only the orange cat of Hermione laying on the bed and no trace of Cedric, she peered in Hermione's room as the door had been left ajar. She was downright giddy by the sight that met her eyes as she watched her son tenderly holding Hermione and watching her peaceful sleep. She carefully closed the door on the lovely scene she'd just witnessed and almost skipped to her bedroom.
Cedric had slept well that night. Well, to tell the truth actually Cedric hadn't slept as well since that fateful night in late June. He could not immediately point out the reason why, maybe he was just too tired from yesterday's events and his body needed the much-needed rest. Today was Hermione's last day of her week's stay at the Diggory's and though the visit was short, it had been quite an eventful week. Nevertheless, right now, Cedric did not want to dwell on that, he preferred drowning in the blissful state that he was right now.
He had repeatedly been having nightmares that dragged him back to that strange desperate place where he was sent after being murdered and each time he was filled with the same anguish he felt there when he woke up. However, today surprisingly it was not the case? It could not be attributed to the perfect weather that shown outside through the open window. It was not due to the fact that he was actually back in his room sleeping on his bed. The bed was still as comfortable and the sheets were as perfect as ever. He did not really know why he was in such a state but he did not really care right now with Hermione currently comfortably snuggled in his arms, he reasoned they could today have part two of their flying lesson and they could...
HOLD IT! What, when, how and most importantly why was he sleeping with Hermione Granger in his arms?
He tried conjuring the reasons behind the situation in which he now was. When he remembered Hermione had been having a horrible nightmare and trashing around he calmed himself down.
He then lowered his eyes to the witch who was tightly wrapped in his arms and breathed in the smell of her luscious curls. The wonderful intoxicating fragrance reminded him of their flying lesson that they'd had on her second day at his home. She'd told him while she had been extremely busy writing a very long letter that she did not care to go flying as she had acrophobia. He'd never heard of that word and he did not really care to know what that barbaric term meant. So he pestered her until exasperated she informed that the Great and Mighty Hermione Granger had an irrational fear of heights and preferred to stay grounded. It was an irrational fear to him as he could not conjure one better feeling than the freedom being in the air did him. So his snigger grew into a chuckle, which then morphed into a full-blown hysterical guffaw. He could not believe that she would fear flying and it was not until Hermione informed him that she needed to finish her letter to Victor Krum that he sobered up completely.
When she'd finished, he grabbed her hands and pulled her to his quidditch field. When he had his broom in hands she began to panic and yelled at him to release her. Of course, he would have none of that as he was on a mission right now. He would make Hermione Granger know and feel what it really felt like being in the air. He pulled her to him and took hold of his broom. The manic grip she had on his arms were numbing them but he assured her he would not fly high. In fact he hovered with Hermione seated in front of him only one or two feet above the ground to get her used to not being grounded before step by step climbing higher. Each time he flew higher, Hermione placed a death grip on his arms before slowly loosening it. When they'd finally flown above the willow trees canopy that formed his childhood playground, she gasped. It had been a beautiful day and they were able to have a very clear view of Ottery St Catchpole. He'd purposely flown them in the direction of the Burrow so that it was the first thing she saw once they had emerged above the canopy. Sure the Weasley house was a strange sight but it was a familiar sight to her that managed to calm her down. She'd then slowly looked around and Cedric knew that she was then enough in confidence that he could fly higher and so he slowly pulled his broom up. They'd turn around on the broom to look at the county scenery.
They were met by a very unfamiliar sight, well to Hermione it was an unfamiliar sight. A most strange-looking house rose vertically against the sky, a great black cylinder planted on a small hill like someone had dropped it from the sky. Hermione had turned to him with a raised eyebrow and he informed her that it was the Lovegoods' house. He heard her mutter "I really should have known." The Fawcetts' house was by popular vote the less weird of the three wizarding homes in the vicinity. It was a simple one storeyed cottage laid on the hillside, though it looked as if it had been carved out of the hill's side rather than built on it. This was where he had grown and where he wanted to have his children growing up. It was a simple life, he had plenty of space on the grounds of the Willow Grove for either building a small house for his family or anything like that. He did not know why but it was important to him to share this with Hermione as he told her up there in the air of his plans for the future.
"Let me guess! You wish to have at least four children but if you're lucky enough you'll have seven. Is that right?" She asked him while she continued looking around.
"How did you know that?" He could not help but ask himself if the witch in his arms knew everything about anything.
"Your mother told me actually," she informed him smugly before laughing.
He should have known that his mother would spill one of his secrets to her.
"I actually agree."
She agreed? To what, did she agree actually?
"Having grown as a unique child, I also want to have a large family. Actually, though you must never tell a soul this, I am quite jealous of Ronald's family. Although he himself would deny it, he loves every one of them even, his pompous Highness Percy. Ron's words, not mine! I don't think I could handle seven children though. Nappies, sibling banter and seven adolescent crises to boot. That's one big deterrent for any girl, Cedric. Maybe you should aim lower?" She said.
"Why would I aim lower when you already know my secret. Maybe I should ask you to be my wife? Just think about it, we could have that magical number of children together, seven. And I'd know that whatever teen crisis, the kids would be too scared of their mother to voice their angst!" He teased.
"Are you saying that I would make a horrible mother, Cedric? I'll have you know that I intend to be an excellent and perfect mother, neither too strict or too lax!" She informed her in a dignified tone before laughing. He somehow could not help but agree that she'd a wonderful mother. She had not even denied that she could maybe one day be his wife.
"So does that mean you're going to marry me and have seven kids with me?" He pressed on, he needed to know the answer to that.
"Sure, Cedric. You'll have to work on the proposal first though because I'm never going to say yes to someone who asks me first thing to marry him and have seven kids from the beginning!" She added in a playful tone.
"Why not? It's always good to know a bloke's true intentions from the start, isn't it?" He rather enjoyed the direction where this conversation was going for no apparent reason.
"Sure, but as I said it's not always good to lay down all your cards for the other party to see right from the start." She reminded him.
They flew around for one more hour before landing smoothly on the quidditch ground. Cedric was very pleased with himself as he'd managed to make Hermione forget her fear of heights.
When they'd walked in, his mother had asked them how the flight went.
"Actually it was wonderful. I really enjoyed it Cedric, thank you. But I'll get you back for that." The radiant smile that Hermione sent his way pleased him enormously.
"And Mum, I'll have you know that I asked Hermione to marry me and help me build my personal quidditch team. Guess what Ma, she said yes!" He had said this in a very serious tone, a wide grin however plastered to his face. A beautiful burst of laughter was heard from the top of the stairs where Hermione was and Cedric cherished it. He really loved to hear her laugh.
Cedric smiled in remembrance at that particular memory. He had grown to care more than deeply for the witch he held in his arms. He had admitted to himself that he was physically attracted to her. Her touch was intoxicating to his body. He knew he had a fetish for her hands but if appeared to him that his body also craved her touch. What had happened earlier today under the willow tree was proof enough of that.
The week had passed rather quickly. Hermione had teased him the night before at dinner about a certain discovery when she had been looking around for his schoolbooks.
"So Cedric," he turned to look at her and panicked at her mischievous smile, "I found your magazine very interesting!" She informed with a playful smirk.
What magazine was she talking about? Damn, she'd rummaged through his trunk. That would teach him to never underestimate a bookworm on her quest to knowledge. She'd certainly browsed through it to see if there were no other books in there.
"What magazine are you talking about." He was not going down without putting up a fight.
"A very playful magazine actually!" Yep, the girl was one big ball of surprise.
"Ah! That one's Scott's. Thanks for finding it. I forgot to return it to him during the year and it stayed in my trunk. I'll send it by owl to him, tomorrow morning. Thanks for reminding me." Now if he could only get his hands on that before his mother, he'd be safe for the rest of the holidays. "Did you enjoy reading it, by the way?"
"Not very much. It really holds some out-dated views on some gender issues but it makes an interesting read anyway!" She chuckled when his mother inquired about what magazine they were talking about. "Just an old magazine on muggle issues," she answered her while looking at him with playful smirk plastered on her face.
"Witch!" he whispered. No wonder the Sorting Hat wanted to send her to Slytherin. She could get an innocent soul to Hell just by opening her mouth.
Unluckily for him and unsurprisingly his mother had got her hands on the magazine before him. She did not say outright that she'd found it but she'd dropped some not so subtle hints that Cedric found himself grudgingly de-gnoming the garden the next day. It was a very hot day and Cedric had pulled off his shirt to be more confortable. He had been working swiftly through the garden and had been looking under one of the oldest willow trees for any gnome holes when a feather touch on his back alerted him to the presence of the witch responsible for his situation.
She had brought him one large jug of cold juice with some sandwiches on a tray that she'd laid on the bench that had been placed under the willow tree's branches. It was his family's favourite tree, it was most probably the oldest tree on the grounds but it also had the most abundant foliage of all.
"You're not mad at me?" She asked him with an anxious expression.
"I could never be mad at you but I have to admit that you play dirty." He informed her while he finally noticed that she was standing very close to him and had been gazing at his torso glistening with sweat. Her left hand slowly reached his body before planting itself firmly across his chest. It slowly glided across his chest to his shoulder before her right hand reached for his neck and Hermione pulled him towards her. She stood on her tiptoes to meet his lips while locking her caramel coloured eyes firmly with his stormy grey eyes.
The feeling of her lips on his ignited a raging fire inside his body. He'd never felt something like that. No other girl could compare to that. He'd had girls come to him at random for some stupid dares and whatnot and none had elicited such a reaction to his system. Not even his girlfriend, what was her name again? Oh never-mind that now, Hermione Granger was THE girl! Before he knew it, he was returning her kiss with equal passion. It seemed to him that it was a battle of wills to who could convey the greatest passion in the kiss and neither wished to lose. They returned each other's kiss with renewed passion and hunger. It seemed to Cedric that he could not get enough of her and when she broke the kiss to breathe, he buried his head in her neck to plant kiss after kiss from her neck to her bare shoulder before he decided that her mouth was what he needed most right now.
Meanwhile Hermione's hands were igniting a a raging fever on his body as they glided along his back. Her hands then moved upwards to lock themselves in his hair and caressed his hair and massaged his scalp. Like the rest of his body, he felt the temperature rise in his head but he did not care. This type of fever was definitely welcome. Her hands to his dismay left his hair but to his pleasure moved their attention back to his back. Her hands like before slowly glided along his sweaty back before stopping at his waistband. He did not have time to be disappointed at this, as slowly her hands slid further down ignoring his low hanging jeans. The feeling of her hands cupping his butt cheeks elicited one pleasured moan after the other. His hands had somehow slid under her tank top and were cupping her breasts through her bra. When he decided that was not enough, he slid his hands under the hindering material to cup her perfect breasts. They fitted perfectly in his hands. Hermione' hand cupping his ass and himself cupping her breast had somehow sent him in frenzy. Something he'd never felt before but would without a second thought dive right into. He rubbed his rock-hard erection between her legs. She had on a pair of blue jeans that he'd decided he absolutely hated because of the obstacle they represented right now.
He had her pressed against the old willow tree and he had at some point in time lifted her up. Cedric did not care really to know when that happened only that for the first time in his life, he wanted sex. He just needed to get the both of them out of their jeans so that he could bury himself inside of her. He had never felt such sexual urgency but right now, all he knew was that it was of utmost importance to him to make Hermione Granger his. There was nothing more to add to this. He again grinded his erection to her core. He urgently had to get the both of them out of their jeans.
He was in such a frantic state that he did not even notice that Hermione had stop caressing him or had stopped responding to his passionate kisses. When he finally opened his eyes he was looking directly in Hermione's horrified gaze, his hands stilled on her breasts and slowly withdrew them from under her bra and then on her top. He slowly lowered her until her legs touched the ground again. He lowered his eyes to look at her and when she raised hers, she opened her mouth to tell him something but no sound came out.
Hermione again lowered her eyes and he also looked down to see that she was not looking at the huge bulge that was struggling against the restrains of the cloth but at his open fly. She'd somehow managed without his knowledge to unfasten his fly before him. She again lifted her head to look into his eyes and only whispered, "I'm sorry!" before swiftly moving away from him.
Cedric watched her move away from him and enter the house. He then leaned his head against the old willow tree trunk. He could still smell her unmistakable perfume mixed the tree's smell. What the hell had he done then?
She'd explained to him later that evening after dinner the reason why they should not have done this.
They did not talk that much during dinner and it was apparent to Cedric that his mother had guessed there was something not right. He'd decided to go outside before turning in and as always he found himself on his quidditch pitch. He just lay down on the grass and stared at the night sky and the stars. She had followed him out and although he did not mind her being there, she asked if he wouldn't to which he only nodded. He only stared at the stars and they both stayed silent for a while contending themselves of the peaceful atmosphere.
"I've always loved star-gazing. When I was a small boy my father would take me to the quidditch pitch and share some Astronomy tips with me. Now that I've grown up, I like coming here after a long day to clear my mind…" He had slowly turned to look at her before turning around again.
"Cedric," she began shakily, "what happened today under that willow tree should never have happened. Cedric what we have felt for each other today, is only some Fates' induced attraction. I've been too weak and I've felt my resolve weaken too much today. I've been feeling these intense bouts of physical attraction for some time now but until today I've managed to resist these. This should never have happened between us. I think it will be for the best that we keep some distance between us at school." She informed him before sitting up.
Why was it so wrong to be attracted to him?
"Why it so wrong to be attracted to me when I feel the same thing for you?" He asked her slightly indignantly having himself sat up.
"Because that's just it?" What was it? "The attraction we feel for each other is wrong because it's not a natural one but only magically influenced. You already have a girlfriend Cedric. A gorgeous one at that. I could never be a Cho Chang!" He did not want her to be like Cho. "If we start something together right now, I would never pardon myself because I would get in the way of someone else. And I refuse to be known as the Other woman, Cedric. This past year had been a most horrible one for me and I don't need a repeat of that for my OWL year. I don't think I could deal with another year of insults, slurs, name-callings or slights like I've had this year. You are a wonderful young man and I believe that you just have to follow your heart and you'll see that it's never been me that you desire but Cho! I hope we can at least stay good friends however?" The last sentence was said with a slightly anxious tone as though she was afraid that he'd deny her his friendship. He never could deny and never would deny her something.
Cedric had been silently contemplating his thoughts while he held the witch in his arms. Did his heart really desire Cho or Hermione? Well if it did he only had to say that his heart had very bad taste as deep in his mind, he knew that his brain had already made the best choice.
The witch in his arms.
Having had this epiphany he knew what he had to do. He had to get rid of the other girl as Hermione could never ever be known as the other woman. She could, shold and would be the only one. He had to leave Hermione sleep soundly for her last night on his bed. He peered other the side to look at the clock that showed that it was already five and a half and his parents would be getting up very soon. He slowly slid his arms out from under Hermione and carefully wrapped her back in his blanket. It was her last night at his home for now!
He slowly exited the bedroom and closed the door and opened the opposite door.
"Not you again!" He cried when he saw that Hermione's cat had again made itself comfortable on the bed. The said cat however surprised him by getting up, stretching itself before bounding down and rubbed itself against his legs and wrapped its tail also. Before exiting the room and coming to sit in front of the now closed door of his room. He gingerly opened the door again to let the cat in before closing it silently.
When he'd finally closed the guest bedroom's door and laid down in bed thinking, he realised that he had most probably just now made himself one very precious ally.
"You like him Hermione!" It was more a statement than a question, Hermione noted, but she could not help but agree with Claire Diggory's statement.
Today was her last day with the Diggorys and Claire Diggory had decided that they could spend their last day in the heart of wizarding London for the occasion. So there she was at the terrace of Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour enjoying one delicious sundae while the Diggorys waited for Cedric. He had wandered off to look at any new items on sale at Quality Quidditch Supplies.
"What's there not to like in Cedric?" she murmured to herself but Claire who had been listening intently heard her anyways and was very pleased by the answer and equally very frustrated. She never was a very patient person and the fact that the two of them were still resisting the attraction that they felt towards each other aided by the magical bond they shared between themselves, was annoying her. It was apparent to her that something huge happened the day before between Cedric and Hermione, the slightly tense atmosphere at dinner hinted at that. However, neither the Gryffindor nor her son wished to enlighten Amos and her on what happened, they had all evening subtly changed the subject. She'd find the underlying cause of that in due time anyway.
"It really does not matter if I like him or not," Claire absolutely disagreed with her there, it mattered greatly to her, "as he's not mine but hers' anyway!" Hermione said looking pointedly in one direction .
Claire froze and turned slowly along with Amos to look in the same direction Hermione was looking to and wished she had not actually. Cho 'freaky bitchy' Chang was there talking animatedly to Cedric and making flirtatious advances to her son. She could tell exactly what the harlot was trying to do from where she was; she was working her way back in her son's good graces and it looked like Cedric was having difficulty in resisting her charms. It was grand time for Claire Diggory to put an end to this charade and quickly come up with a timely intervention. Or else...
"What in Merlin's name is he doing? Doesn't he know that we are getting late and that we must get back to your parents this afternoon? I'll go tell him and we'll leave in few minutes okay?" She heard her husband whisper in her ear "Don't be too hard on her, she might be a good girl for all we know!" She was already moving away from the table and did not wait for Hermione's answer and would have loudly snorted if she had not her urgent intervention in mind. She, nevertheless, cast a silencing charm on the table behind her. Just in case...
As she briskly walked to her destination, she quickly ran through a number of scenarios in which Cho Chang would show to Cedric her true colours.
She had to look for the weak link that would be a sore spot for the gorgeous Ravenclaw. Yes, she grudgingly had to admit that, Cho Chang was a gorgeous girl and was so different from Hermione. Moreover, a beautiful girl like that might have lesser insecurities than any normal girl. But she knew there was one thing that would always bring the worst out of any girl, may her be a beauty queen or not. Another girl. Moreover, she already had the girl in hand and on the plus side, she was also residing in her home for the time being. That would most absolutely do the trick. Perfect.
"Cedric dear, there you are!" The latter turned to her sharply eyeing her with a raised eyebrow as if knowing she had not come only to fetch him but also because she had another hidden goal. Damn, she had to play it more subtly. She purposely ignored the witch standing only a few meters beside her son. "We're getting late and your guest will need to get home shortly!" The Ravenclaw looked like she thought she was talking about her. Well, she was more than happy to be the one to put an end to her delusions. The time was right for the fatal strike.
"You know that Hermione has already finished packing, her being in your room and all." She inwardly cheered at the horrified strangle gasp emitted by the witch. "Her parents would be surely anxious if she is late. It sure has been one very quick week, don't you think? I can easily say it true when they say 'Time flies when you're having fun'. Anyway we really must get going and..." She trailed off having already made her point. Bull's eye! Now she only had to wait for the explosion that was bound to happen so she only plastered one sweet smile at her son who was still looking at her with his raised eyebrow. To top it all, Cedric was ignoring the girl. That simply would not do! She surreptitiously cast a notice-me-not charm around the three of them so as to avoid the scene that was surely going to erupt.
"What the hell is going on here? What's that squat little gargoyle doing at your house, CEDRIC?" It was Claire's time to raise an eyebrow. Was this girl for real? Wasn't she a Ravenclaw for Merlin's sake where only the intelligent held court? It might be the case but when she thought that Hermione Granger was sent to the Lions lair instead of the Eagles nest, she could not help but doubt the historic and academic record. Anyway, the way Cedric had slowly turned to her wearing an expression that Claire recognised easily. Cedric had never been prone to have random angry outbursts, he would always try to find a compromise or diffuse a difficult situation. But, that was not the case right now. It looked like Cedric was going to make an exception for Cho. Cho had brought this upon herself and Claire was not even sorry for the witch. If only she had some snacks, she could just sit down and admire her handiwork.
Cedric was positively livid. How dare she talk of his Hermione like this? Who the hell did she think she was to talk of his Hermione like that? It didn't even register on his radar that Cho Chang was his current girlfriend. Was this really the girl with whom he'd been going out? Had he really been that blind? Well, Cedric knew there was only one solution right now. End it all.
"I AM YOUR GIRLFRIEND CEDRIC AND YOU ARE INVITING THAT UGLY BUCK-TOOTHED MUGGLE-BORN TRASH IN YOUR HOUSE! FOR A WEEK! WHILE I'VE BEEN WAITING SINCE THE END OF THE SCHOOL FOR JUST ONE FUCKING LETTER!" Cho raged and glared at Cedric who still stayed deadly calm while Claire saw that he had been clenching and unclenching his hands all the time. 'Isn't she just a sweet lovely girl?' she told herself while still smiling sweetly at her son when the latter glanced her way. "AND WILL YOU PLEASE STOP LOOKING AT YOUR BLOODY MOTHER? AS IF SHE WOULD BE ABLE TO GET YOU OUT OF THIS, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HIDE BEHIND YOUR MUMMY'S BACK NOW, ARE YOU?" Cho was taunting and unknown to her, she was teetering on the edge of a bottomless abyss in which Claire would, with absolute and tremendous pleasure, push her.
'I must not hit her, curse her or jinx her. I must not hit her, curse her or jinx her. I must not hit her, curse her or jinx her.' Cedric was slowly telling himself mentally repeating this chant as a last resort before he resorted to some form of violence towards his more than ever, ex-girlfriend. He was a gentleman and he would never resort to violence against a girl even though some part of him egged to slap the bitch that dared to insult the witch that saved his life and the one that born him.
"Cho," he was surprised that his voice came out at such a deadly calm tone but he had no time to dwell on that, "I invited Hermione to visit my house because I wanted to. I don't need to give you one fucking damn reason for as of today Cho, we're through. Don't even try to worm your way back because that won't work. I should already have put an end to this farce long ago anyway. I have nothing else to say to you and that's FINAL!" He added the last part loudly when he saw her trying to argue and change his mind like when he had caught her red-handed with Roger Davies. There was nothing more to add and he did not want to waste any more time in the presence of this witch correction bitch. He stuck his hands in his pockets and stalked off to the Ice Cream Parlour leaving Cho fuming in rage.
Claire was however, somewhat disappointed by Cedric's handling of the matter. He had after all, the right to hex the crap for insulting Hermione but she reasoned that Cedric had more self-control than she thought. Anyway, it didn't matter as she was feeling extremely giddy right now. She actually could picture herself kneeling in the middle of Diagon Alley, hands raised high above her head in a V posture yelling 'VICTORY IS MINE' with a maniacal laugh to boot. But she somehow managed to restrain herself, with extreme difficulty. She just contended with another sickly sweet smile sent in direction of the Ravenclaw.
"It was absolutely and positively delightful to see again, Chi!" she added before turning away from the bitch. No correction now.
This was PERFECT.
Cedric felt oddly relieved to be rid of this burden. He could now openly pursue his new objective. The said objective was apparently having a passionate debate with his father.
"So what is the new passionate pet peeve of Miss Hermione Granger?" He asked his father playfully sitting next to the said witch.
"Centaurs!" his father informed him with an exasperated but amused smile. His father had warmed to the girl and had often shared with her some inside information from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures during the last week. His father liked to hear her ideas and said that he'd tried to implement them if possible.
"You're not going to ask us to adopt a centaur now, are you?" He teased her. She'd probably never seen one, let alone talked to one.
"Very funny, Cedric. When I hear there's an abandoned one, I'll be sure to owl you first. Really proud beings they are, the centaurs. I actually met a horde of them in the Forbidden Forrest in first year for my first and hopefully last detention. Harry even rode on one, you know." Cedric was again reminded how much his life was an endless surprise with her in it and somehow, he really did not mind at all being surprised.
Author Note:
The chapter title is inspired by the song He Can Only Hold Her by Amy Winehouse (Back to Black).
The song reflect the particular mood I was in when I started writing the chapters or they simply reflect the general mood of the chapter.
And that's a wrap people. I am as always not satisfied with this chapter and with the time it took my sorry ass to get it done. I know some of the information is so irrelevant here but I won't delete it as somehow this information will be important in time. I know I made Cedric sound like an utter pervert but please don't hate me as it is part of the Fates' induced attraction between Hermione and him. I really had to get rid of Cho as I wanted to stick as much to JK's storyline as possible although it is already an AU with Cedric being alive.
I've been thinking almost endlessly of writing an alternate story to A Second Chance where Hermione manages to keep her gift a secret from all. It had apparated fully formed in my dreams the other night, smut scenes included. What I would not give to have a dream recorder to tape all of it. Since then, I've been unable to write this chapter although I've already started it and planned it carefully. So I decided to write it so as to be able to concentrate on this story. I might be posting this story on Christmas Day if you're all good enough. I really think it was important for me to get it written so I'll know how much I can write smut scenes and when I'll post it, you'll all be able to tell me if I pulled it off successfully. So stay tuned and I'll post for you all.
Review Appreciation Time
Elwynn No Hime: Thank you. Hope you'll like the new chapter then?
Readerforlife: I am absolutely happy to hear that you loved the chapter!
Oceanluvr: You're too sweet. One review per chapter.
Waterflower20: Well, Cho sure freaked out when she found out but that's only in part due to Claire's doing.
Harmonious: The connection to Helga Hufflepuff will also be important in the future and the story I've written for her drops some hints as to what might happen in the future.
Thank you again to all reviewers and to all those that have stopped by and read the story, that have liked, that have made one of their favourites it or put a story alert for it. Love you all!
Ludo