Disclaimer: I don't own any of these wonderful characters...

AN: Once more I want to thank all those who reviewed! All your encouragement has been so amazing. Sorry about the delay in the update my computer has been acting up lately. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy the chapter! Reviews are love!


Hermione sat at the Gryffindor Table almost crying with relief. The potion Madame Pomfrey had given her last night kept her nightmare away and she slept soundly for the first time in well over a month. Though she had wanted to sleep in, her body seemed to have other ideas. She was so used to being up at ungodly hours in the morning that her internal clock seemed to be permanently stuck.

"Maybe it's a side effect of the Time Turner as well…" She thought as she poured herself a hot cup of tea.

"Morning, Sunshine!" Came a loud Scottish voice in front of her.

Hermione rolled her eyes as Oliver Wood plunked himself down on the bench and began heaping a terrifying amount of eggs onto his plate.

"Planning on leave anything for the rest of the Gryffindor's?" She asked mildly.

"Ya snooze ya loose, Buttercup."

Hermione snorted at the name. "Your nicknames are becoming more and more outrageous, Oliver."

He grinned at her. "What can I say? I'm determined to find one for you, Mouse."

"Mouse?! Mouse?! You can't be serious?" She exclaimed.

Oliver feinted removing blockage from his ears. "Definitely not mouse. Bloody hell, have you ever considered that your voice could be used for good and not the evil that you utilize it for now?"

Hermione huffed and returned to her meal.

Her friendship with the Gryffindor captain was a strange one that many people did not understand. Hermione barely understood it herself but she was thankful for Oliver's companionship. He was like the older brother that she never had. They met one night in her first year as Oliver was trying to plan out a Quidditch game. Hermione had surprised him when she pointed out a flaw in one of his Chaser manoeuvres and confessed herself to be a rabid Quidditch fan.

"But for Merlin's sake, don't tell a soul!" Hermione demanded of him. "Harry and Ron talk about it enough and if they knew I liked it as much as they did, I'd never hear the end of it!"

Oliver had sworn himself to secrecy and the two had become substitute siblings ever since.

"Excited for your first Hogsmeade trip?" Oliver asked her, bringing her out of her memories.

"Absolutely." Hermione told him animatedly. "All the history there is fascinating."

It was Oliver's turn to roll his eyes. "Really, munchkin, there's more to Hogsmeade than history."

"I know that." Hermione said heatedly. "I'm looking forward to both aspects. The history and what's there in the present. I'm curious to try Butterbeer. Cedric said it was delicious and that it will warn you up on the coldest of days."

Oliver looked at her strangely. "Diggory is right…but since when do you talk to him?"

Hermione blushed. "Since the beginning of term." She admitted. "He's very nice, you know. Smart as well. He helps me with homework and always seems so…alive…" She trailed off as her eyes became stormy orbs of emotion.

Oliver watched her, concerned. He'd noticed a change in his young friend over the past month or so and for some reason it troubled him. Though, he amended, she seemed happier today than she had been in a long time.

He ended up smiling at her. "Fancy him a bit then, do you?" He teased.

She blushed a deeper red and nodded but refused to meet his gaze. Instead she glanced over to the doors of the Great Hall where the Hufflepuff in question had just entered from.

"OI! DIGGORY!" Oliver yelled waving a hand for him to join them. "OVER HERE!"

"Oh God, no. Don't even think about it."

"The names Oliver, Lilypad. But I can see how you could confuse me and the Big Man." He told her with a roguish wink.

"You called?" Cedric said smirking at his Quidditch rival.

"I sure did, Diggory. Have a seat, yeah? Breakfast's getting cold." Oliver informed him as Cedric sat beside Hermione.

"Do I even want to know what this is about?" Cedric asked, knowing of the strange relationship between the athlete and the bookworm.

"Ollie's just being his usual annoying self, Cedric." Hermione told him.

Oliver scowled at her. "I hate that name, Freckles."

"Oh like you can complain about the things I call you." She said.

Oliver grinned at her. "Too true, Pumpkin Pie, too true. So, Diggory." He said now, turning towards the Hufflepuff. "What exactly are your intentions with my girl here?"

Hermione's eyes widened threateningly as she paled from mortification.

"Is this about us going to Hogsmeade together?" Cedric asked her, amusedly.

"Oh you're taking her to Hogsmeade are you?" Oliver demanded at full volume. "Well this changes everything!"

"Oliver stop!" Hermione moaned. "You and I both know that Cedric's a good bloke, so enough with the over protective big brother act all ready!"

"I'm just looking out for you, My-My." He said in a mock serious voice. "Who knows what wicked things he might have planned for you."

Hermione hid her face in her hands as Oliver laughed boisterously and Cedric tried in vain to suppress his amusement.

"I can assure you that I have nothing wicked planned for your precious, er…My-My, did you call her?" Cedric told him adopting a sober face. " Fiendish, perhaps. Scandalous even, but most definitely not wicked." He said with a mischievous smile on his face that made Hermione's heart race.

"Well, as long as there is no wickedness involved, I have no objections." Oliver said. "But all joking aside, Diggory, if you hurt her you'll have me and the Gryffindor Quidditch team to answer to."

Cedric nodded at him. "Don't worry. I'd hurt myself before I'd hurt her."

Hermione meanwhile had hid her face in her hands again to hide her burning face. "Are you two finished yet?" She demanded in a furious whisper.

The boys laughed at her embarrassment.

"We're done, Granger." Cedric said putting a hand on her back. "You can come out now."

Hermione lifted her head and found herself staring into eyes soft grey eyes.

"Hello." He said.

She smiled. "Hello."

Oliver coughed. "Well, I'll leave the two of you to get all mushy. If I have to watch I might do myself a serious injury." He told them as he stood. "Behave, Chipmunk." He said to Hermione. "Same goes for you Diggory." Oliver said with a mock glare." See you kiddies later."

"Goodbye Oliver." Hermione said pointedly.

He grinned at her. "Gone, babe." And he left with a wink that made Hermione blush again.

"Well," Cedric said turning to her. "That was interesting."

"I am so sorry, Cedric. Ollie's just…"

"He cares about you, Hermione." Cedric said. "He's just looking out for you."

Hermione smiled. "I know. But really, asking you what your intentions are…he must think we're…you know…together." She finished in a mumble.

"Would…would that be such a bad thing?" He asked. "If people thought we were together?"

Hermione bit her lip shyly. "No…I don't think it would be a bad thing." She said softly as Cedric took her hand.

"Good." He said.

"So…so does this mean…that is to say, when someone asks me…" Hermione trailed off, embarrassed.

"When someone asks you what, Granger?" He said pushing her hair out of her face.

"If someone asks…do I tell them that you're…my…boyfriend?" She said the latter to quietly that Cedric had to lean in close to hear.

He chuckled at her nervousness. "Only if I can tell people that you are my girlfriend." He told her.

She grinned. "Deal."

Cedric sighed with relief. "Thank Merlin. I've been trying to get the courage to ask you out for a month now."

"What?" She asked laughingly. "Why on Earth would you be afraid of me?"

He shrugged. "You're pretty intimidating, Granger. I was afraid you'd say no, too."

She shook her head. "Never. I wanted to be with you too, but I didn't know how you felt."

'Well, I'm glad it's all sorted then." He said happily.

"Me too." Hermione said brushing away the hair that always seemed to be in his face.

"What in the name of Merlin's Pants?!" Demanded an angry male voice.

Hermione and Cedric both looked up to see Ron standing over them, livid and Harry peering down at them questioningly.

Hermione sighed. "Good morning to you as well, Ronald."

"What…what the bloody hell?!" He asked.

"Honestly, Ron. Sit down." Hermione snapped. "You're making an idiot out of yourself.

Ron sat down across from them his face twisted in a furious scowl as Harry took his seat beside him still looking curious.

"Something wrong, Weasley?" Cedric asked mildly, as Ron continued to stare at them.

"What…what…why are you sitting here?" He asked hotly. "You're not a Gryffindor!"

"Clever observation, Weasley." Cedric said with a smirk. "I'm just here having breakfast with, Hermione."

"But…but…WHY?!"

"Because, Ronald, I wanted him too. Honestly, you're the biggest prat sometimes."

Ron glared at her. "Since when to you even know him?" He asked harshly nodding his head at the somewhat annoyed Hufflepuff.

"Since the beginning of term, if you must know." Hermione said frostily.

Ron was about to say something else when Cedric over road him. "As lovely as this conversation is," Cedric said, shooting a cold look at Ron, "I actually have to go." He turned to Hermione and his expression soften instantly as their eyes met. "I have a Prefects meeting in five minutes." He explained as he got to his feet.

"Okay, Cedric." She said softly. "Will we meet later somewhere?"

"How about the library at lunch?"

"Perfect." She said happily.

"Perfect." He said as he gazed into her eyes. "See you, Granger." And with a soft wink at her, he was gone.

Hermione sighed wistfully at his retreating form and turned towards her boys who were staring at her.

"What?" She demanded.

Harry shook his head speaking for the first time. "Nothing, we just didn't know that you and Diggory were so…close."

Hermione shrugged and returned to her meal and Ron began to talk enthusiastically about Hogsmeade.

"Merlin I can't wait to get into Honeydukes! They have every sweet known to wizards. Seriously, Harry you should try to sneak into Hogsmeade. It's not your fault your relatives are a bunch of sods."

"Ron, no!" Hermione said appalled. "As much as I wish that Harry could go it's against the rules and it's dangerous!"

"What you think Sirius Black is gonna jump out from a dark ally and try to do Harry in with a crowd of people around?" Ron demanded harshly.

"He didn't seem to mind killing a street full of innocents last time, Ronald, or have you forgotten about that?"

Ron was about to retaliate when Harry stopped him. "Give it a rest, Ron. As much as I hate to admit it, Hermione's right. Besides if I got caught I'd be expelled for sure."

Ron said nothing but just grumbled into his bacon.

"So what are we gonna do there then?" Ron asked Hermione a few minutes later.

"Oh…er…well…I'm afraid you'll have to find someone else to go with, Ron. I've all ready made plans."

"What?! With who?!" He asked hotly.

"I'm going with Cedric." She admitted quietly.

"Diggory? You're going to Hogsmeade with Diggory!" Ron asked, incredulous.

"Is it a date?" Harry asked in a much kinder tone and with a knowing smirk on his face.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Well…it is usually customary for one to go to Hogsmeade with their boyfriend is it not?"

Instead of going red, Ron went white. "Boyfriend? Diggory…Diggory is your boyfriend?"

Hermione nodded. "Yes."

"How long?" Harry asked.

"Just since this morning. I was going to tell you but Ron seems to have a problem with him." She said accusingly.

Ron shifted uncomfortably. "I don't have a problem with Diggory." He muttered.

"Well then why are you acting as if someone shoved their wand up your arse?" Hermione demanded, much to the boys shock and amusement.

"Hermione Granger, did you just curse?" Harry asked teasingly.

She blushed. "Sod off, Harry." She mumbled as the boys laughed.

"Seriously, though Ron. What's the matter?"

He shrugged noncommittally. "I dunno, Hermione. He just seems…old is all."

Hermione laughed. "Is that it? Oh, Ron you really surprise me sometimes." She told him with a fond look at her awkward friend. She sighed now and said, "It's only two years. it's not that big of a difference. And anyway, girls mature much faster than blokes do. So I think we're a good fit."

Ron nodded slowly. "I guess so. But if he does anything-"

"I know, I know." She said laughingly. "He's a dead man." Harry and Ron both nodded. "He won't though." She said firmly. "He's not the type."

"You really like him, yeah?" Harry asked.

Hermione nodded. "Very much…and…"She trailed off and got a strange look in her eyes that seemed to be ever-present now-a-days. She shook herself. "Anyway, I have to go or I'll be late for class." She told them getting to her feet.

"What? But Potions doesn't start for another 15 minutes." Ron said.

"Hmm? Oh I know. Bye, boys." She said waving as she left.

"Barking mad." Ron muttered as he returned to his food. "Barking mad."

Out in the corridor Hermione's brain seemed to have finally caught up with what just occurred.

"I can't believe you!" It said severely. "Not only are you going to Hogsmeade with him but you're his girlfriend now? Do you want a broken heart?"

She sighed as she tried to tune it out. " I make him happy for some reason." She muttered. "And I owe it to him to make him happy. It's what he deserves."

Her heart was behind her 100 percent.

"You are right to do this." It told her softly. "You might not have a lot of him left with him, but the time you do have will be wonderful. It's true that I'll be broken when this is all over…but some people are worth a broken heart. Cedric is one of those people."

Hermione smiled at her heart's encouragement but wondered how much it was going to hurt when she lost him.

"If, Granger, if. If you loose him." She told herself.

If…. She suddenly realized how much she hated that word…