After their first date, it progressed into a second, then a third. Suddenly they were officially dating after a month of study sessions, teaching Eric how to fly without the fear of falling (which was successful she might add), and a few dates, where he had been nothing less of a flirtatious gent. Of course everyone had their faults, like he was sometimes overly confident and she had no problem taking him down a peg or two, or the times where he would do something stupid that'd earn him a detention. But still, she very much liked Cormac McLaggen.

Even Hermione seemed to be alright with his presence around her. Which to Akane, was a huge success. The month of September passed without a hitch, well except quidditch practices with her team captain. Don't get her wrong, she liked Cormac McLaggen, a lot. But there was something about Cedric being the first to ever take interest in her at this school which left her with a bittersweet taste. Especially after the multiple times she refused to spend time with him after anything but practice and class.

The first time it happened was when they were in potions, and he had asked her if he could walk her to her next class. Surprising him with a 'no' she simply left him in her wake. This continued of course, because Cedric was just as stubborn about things as he was about anything else. Yet, Akane was simply done with him. She was tired of looking back at the past, because it reminded her of how she didn't belong and he was simply the trigger.

She had done her best thought, to remain civil with him. During practice she spoke when needed to, same with class because she couldn't outright ignore him. That was above her. The strange part is that she confided in Cormac about almost everything that happened with Cedric. She didn't know why but for some reason it felt right to tell him about these things. Things that only Daphne and Ginny may or may not know. Thus, it was one of the many reasons Akane started to date Cormac officially.

He simply understood her, and she him.

"Is this right?" Professor Borkan asked as he played the music piece for the fifth time. Still not understanding the way that the hulusi was supposed to be played. Yet she couldn't blame him, it took her years. He only had a few days worth of hulusi training, and he was doing really well. She even told him herself, but he of course hated that he hadn't perfected the instrument yet.

"You're trying too hard," she told him as she held her own hulusi.

"What do you mean?" He gripped his slightly.

"It sounds forced, painfully so." Akane replied while playing a portion of the piece he botched up the most. "That's what it's supposed to sound like. Calm, sweet, nothing painful or dreading. Does that make sense?"

"How am I supposed to do that?" The young professor was clearly frustrated. Not only had he found over fifteen spying spells in his room the past week; he had also been working as much as possible for the girls in his club to understand that he wasn't there to shag them but to teach them muggle music. But the absolute worst part had to be, that the only girl who wasn't obsessed with him was dating a boy named Cormac McLaggen, and Borkan just so happened to like the girl in a way that was extending beyond friendship. This of course was forbidden, but he couldn't help it.

He finally understood why Diggory was enchanted with her from the beginning. Akane Mikoshiba was surely something else. She wasn't like Hermione Granger, the young witch who could outsmart practically every student. She wasn't like Cho Chang, who relied on her cute ways to keep a man by her side- which she seemed to always desperately need one. She was definitely not like Pansy Parkinson or Lavender Brown who obtained their popularity through ways that would most certainly make their parents disapprove.

She was different.

She was Akane Mikoshiba. The witch who was one of the reasons that the Tengu did so well during their last season. The quidditch player who hated potions but joined Slug Club for the sake of Hermione. The Slug Club member who didn't do anything to steal his attention, but it just happened.

Like the quill. How was he supposed to know that there was a matching pair, and that she had to just own it? He had to remain conscious every time he wrote with that one too. It wasn't like he could tell her that her professor was writing to her as a friend who was secretly learning as much about her as he possibly could in hopes that he'd be able to snatch her out of McLaggen's hands.

"Here," she moved out of her chair to position his hands on the hulusi. "Keep your movements light. Airy almost."

"Right." He watched as her somewhat calloused hands leave his and tried again. Hopefully not making a fool out of himself once more. After he was finished he was congratulated with a smile adorning her face, he almost wished he had a photograph of this smile that was given just to him. Yet, she had to realise the time. Claiming something along the lines of being almost late if she didn't now for the quidditch match against Gryffindor, she bid her adieu and he almost wished he'd gotten the piece wrong so that she could stay a moment longer.

"Good luck!" He yelled out the door as he watched her wave back at him with a smile.

As Akane ran to the quidditch pitch because she already had her uniform on. Ready to destroy her boyfriend, Ginny, Harry, and Ron during the match; she watched as Cedric and herself were the first to arrive. Wondering if the clock was wrong or she'd just ran a tad too fast, she did her best to avoid a conversation of any sorts.

"Are you ready?" Cedric asked neutrally.

"Yes."

"Do you think we'll beat them?"

"Of course," she smirked as she convinced her boyfriend to teach her how Gryffindor does a majority of their maneuvers around the field. Specifically himself. Although he wasn't the main keeper this year, he was a beater. Teaching her who he aims for or how he aims in general, then he sometimes went on about how Harry's strong points in being the seeker was and how Ron's defence lacks on the left side.

Which meant that'd be the side she'd aim for.

"Are you excited?" Cedric was pulling straws at how to start a conversation with her.

"I am. Can't wait to see Cormac's face when I keep the scores going," Akane didn't see Cedric's face as she mentioned her boyfriend.

"Why is that?" He was slightly peeved.

"Because we have another bet. And I don't want to lose this one," Akane stretched her limbs while Cedric simply watched.

"What did you wager?"

"When we win, I told him that I wanted him to carry me for the entire day." Akane giggled at the thoughts of Cormac giving her a piggyback ride to each and everyone of her classes. "I wonder if he'll really do it, that's the question though."

Cedric smiled slightly as she giggled, although if she wanted him to carry her to her classes for a day he wouldn't need a bet to do it. But then it dawned on him, what kind did McLaggen want from Akane if they won? The horror was much too real for him, he was almost tempted to ask but she simply told him.

"But if, and only if we lose. Then I'm going to the after party," Akane didn't mention the flurries of kisses that might come along with that territory, but seeing Cedric already on the edge was concerning enough. She didn't want to lose, not because she minded her boyfriend's lips which always tasted of butterscotch, but because her pride would hurt severely. She herself hadn't lost a game with the Tengu, but during practice when the Hufflepuff team split up to practice against each other. Her team lost and, although it was practice, she hated it with a burning passion.

"Really? That's all?" Cedric slightly pried wanting to know what exactly Cormac wanted. Cedric knew that that McLaggen isn't the gent he was, or at least he heard about Cormac's romantic adventures enough. That in his younger years he was having special quidditch lessons with every other quidditch girl, regardless of their house.

"Why does it matter?" Akane watched Cedric's slight glare, "Even if there was more to it, it wouldn't matter to you."

"It would," Cedric came closer to her in which she backed away.

"Why is that any of your business?"

"Because," the captain became flustered. "It does, for the sake of the team."

"What?"

"I don't want despondency from you just because you want to win a bet," Cedric pulled explanations out of his arse.

"Sure Diggory," he flinched in the way she said his name. "Just make sure you keep your head on right and get the damn snitch. Before Harry beats you to it."

Without another word, she noticed the other players conglomerate around them as if they were the main event of the whole show. Akane did her best to not shoot Diggory a scathing look and mounted her broom, ready for their entrance.

As the game started, Akane was naturally faster than any of the chaser's even Ginny, so she was able to steal the quaffle first. As she raced to the right side of the hoops, Ron saw this and immediately prepared for it. But what he didn't see coming was her aiming for the middle loop. Cormac knew something was up when Akane was asking about quidditch routines, so he slipped a small lie to her about Ron's left side being weak, when it really was the middle. She of course, disregarded the information as soon as she saw Ron prepare to block the left hoop although on the right side.

Dodging bludgers coming from her opponent's side, she was able to successfully score the first points in the match, much to Ron's scowl. As she swooped back around ready to steal the quaffle again from her dear friend Ginny, she was surprised to see a bludger narrowly miss her. Looking up to see who was hitting, she noted that the beaters were not even looking at her.

Adrenaline rushing through her veins made her feel just as alive as she played with the Tengu, although their points weren't a significant gap. It was enough to keep her feeling like she was on cloud nine. Especially after stealing the quaffle from her very own boyfriend.

The score was one-twenty to one hundred, with them in the lead. A few more scores and they'd have the game in the bag. That was until she saw the bludger hit down Hannah Abbott right in the gut. She didn't think much about it as she dived for Hannah's falling body, but what she didn't think of was that the bludger that hit Hannah nicked the back of her broom ever so slightly to shake her balance.

Something's not right, Akane caught Hannah right before she hit the dirt. She moved her friends body to one of the stretchers for the medical wing, but before she could get anywhere near the quaffle again, the bludger did a little more than nick her broom. It hit the straws, strongly enough that her enchanted cleaning equipment was no longer useful.

Screaming was not an option because she was too busy flaring her arms out in a moment of mid-panic. She quickly took out her wand but she couldn't remember single spell that'd save her bones from being crushed on impact. Akane watched as the dirt came closer and people cry in shock and gasp in horror.

Suddenly she was suspended in mid-air, looking around she saw that Borkan was the reason she hadn't gone splat on the ground. But she was still fairly high in the air.

"Akane!" Cedric and Cormac came to her floating side while she saw that Jack Sloper had been trying to wrestle down the rogue bludger. Yet the game still continued seeing as the players still fought for the quaffle.

"Take my hand," Cormac reached out to her, unsure of how the spell Borkan used would allow her to simply climb on. She did as she was told but as soon as she touched Cormac's hands, the bludger that was going insane ended up hitting the stands where Borkan stood. Meaning that the concentration on the spell that had kept her afloat was gone.

"Aii," Akane screamed as the grip wasn't strong enough to keep her in his hands. Yet Cedric saw it coming and took the opportunity to save her.

One gallant swoop later, she was being held in Diggory's arms. A place she once thought to be a dream which was now either true or a nightmare. As he landed on the ground along with Cormac McLaggen, he was the first to look her over, seeing if she was injured but then he was pushed aside by Cormac who was just as frantic. Seeing as she was fine, he gave her a crushing hug.

"Cormac," Akane tried to breath with the two vowels.

"Let her go, you're hurting her." Cedric pushed the two apart clearly agitated slightly, but he didn't want her to get hurt any further.

"I'm sorry, are you alright?" Cormac held the two of her arms.

"I'm fine, thanks to-"

"Ms. Mikoshiba!" Borkan ran down to the field, breathless much to the displeasure of the two boys next to her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, it's all thanks to you three." She smiled still a little shaken.

"Are you sure?" Cormac looked into her eyes trying to see if she was lying.

"I'm fine, Cor. Just give me a new broom and I'll be ready to play in no time!"

"No you aren't," Cedric looked at her incredulously.

"What do you mean?"

"You could be injured, Madam Pomfrey should take a look."

"I'm fine," she stressed waving her arms around.

"Still, I don't think you should play." Her team captain rejected her chance of obtaining a victory.

"I agree, Love. I don't think it's safe." Cormac piped in with worry clear as day.

"But I'm thirty points away!" Akane looked at all three of them. "You can't do this, I-"

"I can, and I just might." Diggory gave her a look she's never seen before. To that she wanted to grab the beater's stick and hit him on the head. But before she could grab one the snitch decided to show it's face in front of her. Landing gently into her palm as if belonged there from the start.

"And, what's this? Akane Mikoshiba has caught the golden snitch!" The intercom screamed. "Akane Mikoshiba from Hufflepuff has caught the golden snitch everybody! Hufflepuff wins!"

Turning to see Cormac's dumbstruck face along with Cedric's utter confusion, she couldn't help smile; which almost made Borkan swoon. "Looks like I'll be cashing in on that bet on Monday, Cor."

Which the reply was a grumble.