Shipping C5 - College/University
Fall A3 - Mashed Potatoes
Setting E2 - Synagogue
Stacked With: SoC; PP; LL; NC; ToS; BAON; FPC; Cluster; MLG; AV; ER; Shower; Fence; Star; SHoE; O3; SN; T3; Mea; TY; Ship War; Ship Bingo; Fall Bingo; Settings Bingo
Individual Challenges: Worth Two Quid (Y); The Real MC; Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Chef MC; Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Magical MC x3 (Yx1); Neurodivergent x2 (Yx2); Rian-Russo Inversion (Y); Ethnic & Present (Y); Disabled (Y); Small Fry (Y); Human Companion; Setting Sail (Y); Hold the Mayo (Y); Zed Era (Y); Old Shoes (Y); Green Acres; Culturally Inclined; Tastebuds; Tell My Story (Y); Go Fluff Yourself; Colors Galore; Adult Activities (Y); Kidder (Y)
Primary & Secondary Challenges: Jet Fuel; Soul-Like; Second Verse (Dog Star; Hot Apple; Corvid Brain; Rock of Ages; Deadliest Catch; Spinning Plates; Unwanted Advice; Sneeze Weasel; Nontraditional; Found Family; Not a Lamp; Ladylike); Chorus (Some Beach; Vid Tangent; Tomorrow's Shade; Mouth of Babes; Machismo)
Tertiary & Generic Challenges: SHoE (Onus); O3 (Orator; Olivine); SN (Rail; Ameliorate); T3 (Terrarium); Mea (Ennui); TY (Enfant)
Warnings:
~o0o~
Cedric nearly forgot where he was. He was lying half-awake in the dark when an alarm went off. Yesterday came flooding back. That's right. He was sleeping on Hermione Granger's couch. She gave him a job. He rubbed his face and sat up. The hideaway bed was fine. It was more comfortable than most beds he'd been sleeping in these years. He pulled himself to the edge and climbed into his wheelchair. His clothes were definitely dry by now.
He maneuvered around toys and squeezed through the doorway only to find himself stuck. The lightweight chair had wheels at a sort of angle and they had gotten wedged in the frame.
He sighed heavily.
Etta, the poodle, came in from the dog door set up in the door leading to the backyard and wagged her tail. She plunked her head in his lap and he scritched behind her ears. Not the worst situation.
The living room light switched on.
"Diggory? What are you doing?"
"Er…" he tried to look over his shoulder but couldn't quite manage it. "I was going to get my laundry. I got stuck in the door."
"Oh, I'm so sorry," she said. "Here, let me help you."
She leaned around him and gave one of the wheels a sharp tug. The momentum sent her falling back, but he was no longer stuck. Feeling embarrassed, Cedric backed into the living room and offered his hand to help her up.
"Sorry," she said again. "I didn't… developers don't really consider these things, do they?"
"Guess not," he said. "Been a while since I've been in a real house."
Hermione went into the kitchen while Etta trotted to Rose's room. Hermione returned with a laundry basket, his clothes in it folded neatly.
"Oh, you didn't have to do that," he said. "I didn't want to create more work for you."
"It's alright," she said. "I've gotten good at household spells, it wasn't any trouble at all."
He set the basket in his lap and brought it over to his backpack. He set out a fresh change of clothes and put the rest away before attaching his legs. He was able to get ready in the bathroom and when he was done, a sleepy-eyed Rose was waiting her turn. She was already dressed, she just seemed to be waiting to brush her teeth.
He went to the kitchen to find Hermione scrambling eggs. She wasn't in her uniform, but she was dressed and ready for the day. Her curly hair was held back with a thick headband. He realized he didn't really know that much about her. Maybe he should make small talk? Get to know her. Even if he was leaving in a month or two, he didn't have to be a stranger the whole time.
"Thank you for tidying up the kitchen last night," she said. "I really appreciate it."
"Er, it was no problem," he said. "Really. Thank you for putting me up."
Very small talk.
"Coffee?" she asked.
"Please."
After breakfast of toast and eggs, Hermione ushered everyone out of the house to the jeep. She drove Rose to school and Cedric to the restaurant.
"My dad is inside," she said. "He'll tell you what to do. I've got classes today, but I'll be by later."
"Er, yeah, no problem," he said. "Before I forget, could you submit this wand permit for me?"
"Yes." She took it and placed it in her purse. "I'll be here around one."
He got out and went inside, looking back to see her drive away.
He found Manny in the back of the restaurant.
"Er, hello," he said.
"Ced! Good to see you," said Manny, bright-eyed despite the early hour. "I'll have some uniform shirts for you tomorrow. Let me show you what we need to do at the beginning of the day."
"Er, yeah, sure."
He was given a notepad and a pen for his apron and was once again warned that he'd be a jack-of-all-trades.
"I grew up on a farm," said Cedric, helping roll utensils into napkins. "This is nothing compared to that."
"'oia kā? And what did you do on this farm?"
"Well, I started when I was about two," he said. "It was just a few things at first, gathering eggs, brushing the horses, picking up large rocks along the paths. And then by the time I was fourteen I was waking up at four in the morning to feed the animals, bottle feed the baby animals, water the garden, sweep the patio, weed the garden, pick ready vegetables, milk the cows and then herd them and the sheep into the fields, trim hooves, care for the magical creatures. You think a customer is bitchy? You never had a horse spit water into your boots because she was mad that you greeted the foal first instead of her. On top of that I'd shear the sheep, sanitize the equipment, deliver milk and eggs into town, and then after my mum, may her memory be a blessing, died, I'd cook meals for me and my father. He'd hire people when I was in school, but during the summer and winter holidays the work would be left for me. You know, to build character. On top of that I had to maintain my studies. Languages, though sheep aren't the best conversationalists, history, maths, arts. If I was lucky enough to be taken to a party, I had to be able to play the piano at the drop of a hat. So washing dishes and clearing tables? It's a walk in the park."
Manny whistled. "That's a lot for a kid."
"Really?" Cedric chuckled drily. "It wasn't enough for my family. And after I lost my legs, no one trusted me to do anything."
"Is that why you left?"
"Yeah." Cedric touched his ears and realized he was still wearing the earrings. "Er, earrings don't bother you, do they?"
"Nah, why would they?" said Manny.
"No reason. Just checking about the, er, dress code for the restaurant."
"Jeans, red shirt, long hair tied back, work appropriate shoes," he listed. "That's it. Colored hair, tattoos, piercings, that just shows me that you have patience. Can you set the tables, please?"
"Yes, sir. No problem."
Clarence came in and requested the Game Show Network again. Manny had his breakfast ready and spoke to him just as kindly as Hermione had the previous day. As the day progressed, Cedric worked hard and made sure he did everything right.
When the breakfast crowd dwindled, Manny waved Cedric over to the counter.
"Did I do something wrong?" he asked.
"No, of course not," said Manny. "You're doing a really good job, kid. It's just been a hectic morning and you should sit down and eat something. I had lunch made up for you."
He slid over the basket containing a hot sandwich and crisps.
"You earned it," he said. "When that wahini screamed about there being a speck on her glass, you held your ground. I'm proud of you."
Cedric felt his throat tighten. Has anyone ever been proud of him before?
"Thank you," he whispered and took the basket over to the employee break table.
Rose was dropped off at the restaurant around two, but Hermione hadn't shown up yet. Just as Manny was starting to get worried, she ran in.
"Sorry I'm late," she panted. "Class ran long and then I had to go to the library and then I stopped by the house and before I realized it, I was late."
"Don't sweat it, precious," said Manny. "I'm just glad you're alright."
"Make sure Rose gets her homework completed," said Hermione, tying her apron around her waist. She dug into her pocket and handed Cedric a key. "If you're tired, you can go home, my dad has Rose for the evening."
"Oh, er, if you're sure," he said.
"Yeah, I don't want to keep you trapped here," she said. "If you were going to do something, it would have been last night."
"Well… thank you." He took the key and she handed him a slip telling him his wand permit was approved.
Rather than go to her place, he wandered around the town to see where everything was. The store, the beach, the road leading to the mountain. He picked up pamphlets advertising caves and volcanoes and hang-gliding lessons. If he was going to stay here, then he would see what he could. That was the benefit to moving around so much. It was after sunset by the time he actually went back and let himself in.
Nobody was home, but it seemed different. Furrowing his brow, Cedric approached the kitchen doorway and pressed his hands against the sides. Hardly believing it, he got his wheelchair and set it up, finding it rolled easily in and out with enough space for his arms. The bathroom door was given the same treatment, the ground was clear, and the furniture had been rearranged so he could move around in his chair. So that's why she was late. She was making it so he didn't have to struggle while he was here.
Feeling tears well up in his eyes, he plunked down onto the couch. It was just pity. He was born an empath and true, he couldn't sense their pity yet, but perhaps they were just good at hiding it. Nobody had really done anything for him just to be kind in his life. He'd done it plenty of times, but hadn't really been afforded it himself.
Taking a deep breath, he removed his legs and settled into his wheelchair to let his skin breathe. He made his way into the kitchen and found Etta sulking by her empty food bowl.
"Aw, poor thing," he said and found the food container. He scooped some into the bowl and received a sloppy kiss in return. "Yeah, yeah, alright."
There wasn't a lot in the pantry or fridge, but he did knock down a frozen entrée from the freezer, which he heated up in the oven. He brought it to the living room and selected a book to read while he ate. The mashed potatoes were an odd, almost grainy texture, the gravy was much too sweet, the meat didn't quite taste real, and the corn was the only edible part of the meal.
The front door unlocked and Manny ushered Rose inside.
"Come on," he said. "Your mama will be very upset if I don't get you into bed on time."
"I know," Rose sighed. "Hi, Cedric!"
"Hello, Rose," he replied, trying to appear more at ease than awkward. He didn't want her to think he didn't like her or wasn't happy being there.
"I've got her wrangled," said Manny. "But think you can make sure she stays in her room until Mimi gets home?"
"Yeah, sure," he said. "No problem."
"Thanks."
Rose was quiet after Manny left and Cedric assumed she was asleep. He grew tired and readied for bed himself. He didn't have the energy to unfold the couch and settled on it as it was.
The front door creaked waking him. He lifted his head groggily, but couldn't see anything in the dark house. He heard Hermione sigh heavily and shuffle along the floor. At first, he thought she was going to bed until he heard her say goodnight to Rose. A long day and she still tucked her daughter in and kissed her goodnight.
Not wanting to startle her, he closed his eyes and pretended to sleep as she entered the living room. He sensed the kitchen light switch turn on and then something warm settled over him. He lifted his head to see she had placed a blanket over him and entered the kitchen, no doubt to work on her homework. If she didn't have to work full time and care for a child, she'd probably already be done with it.
It didn't seem right, but maybe today was an outlier.
…
It wasn't.
Cedric's schedule remained relatively the same in that it was a bit all over the place. Occasionally he would have to close one night and open the next morning, but he wasn't complaining. Hermione worked the most out of all of them and yet she still doted on and spent time with Rose as if she had all the time and energy in the world to do so. She ended up scheduling one of his shifts to be the same as hers so they could go to temple together. She was very insistent to have most of Shabbat off. Friday evenings just weren't possible with how busy the restaurant got even in the off season, but most of Saturday was free game. Though for Yom Kippur, the restaurant was closed so he, Hermione, and Manny could observe and fast without putting the other employees short.
Cedric liked the temple. It was in Lihu'e and it was small, but after services they served a meal for everyone to eat together. Cedric was Mr. Popular when he first showed up and it was actually assumed that he was Hermione's boyfriend (an odd concept for him after ten years without a single genuine date) but she rolled with it and assured them that he was just an old friend. An easier explanation than him being some guy she was vaguely aware of. During service, Rose would have shul with some other children since they were a bit too young yet to really sit through the whole thing.
And he was becoming friendly with people from that temple. Kai (who was an old friend of Hermione's), Mila, Elijah, and Rachel to name a few. It was great to celebrate the High Holidays and Sukkot with a group of people. These past seven or eight years, he'd been entirely by himself and now he didn't have to be. Luna often invited him back home for these, but he worried if he did, he wouldn't leave and would just spend the rest of his life patronized, pitied, and entirely unhappy.
"You're such a nice girl, Hermione," said old woman Josie over a dessert of peach pie. "I know a nice young man who would be perfect for you!"
"He better not be sixty-two," Hermione muttered, then smiled. "Thanks, Josie, but I don't have the time to date anyone at the moment. School full-time, work full-time, and if I'm going to be spending time with anyone it'll be Rosie."
"You won't be busy forever," said Josie. "You could stand to have a man around the house."
"If you say so." Hermione looked over to the playground. "Rosie! Come on, time to go."
"Okay!"
Cedric had been thinking since then. Maybe Hermione didn't need a husband, but she definitely needed some sort of help. More than her dad could afford her anyway. On top of working at the restaurant he also taught at the hula school. Cedric wasn't doing anything with his life. He had no great goal and here was someone who just wanted to get an education so she could get a well-paying 9-5 to support her daughter and have more time for her.
And Hermione had been so kind to him since he arrived. She rearranged her freaking house with magic so he could move around more easily. Nearly two months he'd been living here and he realized he could be doing more.
On Halloween morning, he came to a decision. Rose begged him to dress up like Howl from her favorite movie, so he found a poet shirt at a Spirit Halloween that appeared out of nowhere and Hermione had earrings similar to the ones from the movie for him to wear. The way that little girl lit up when she saw him just made his heart melt. The girl herself was dressed up like Markl (Michael in the book) including the little blue cape. He never expected Hermione to be the type to dress up for Halloween and yet there she was dressed as Sophie Hatter in a blue dress, white apron, and brown hair wrangled into a thick plait. She had stayed up the night before to put together a treat for the Halloween party at the school.
In true Child-of-Dentists form, she had made a healthier snack by turning pretzel sticks and string cheese into little brooms.
"And you're taking me trick-or-treating and to the festival at the park, right?" said Rose. "Promise?"
"Promise," said Hermione.
"Cedric's coming, too."
No room for argument, and really, why wouldn't he? He'd never been trick-or-treating in his life, though when he was a boy he saw kids in costumes playing games in the field.
"Of course," he said. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
Hermione didn't have class that day and so worked with him at the restaurant. She typically worked at the bar so she could oversee the restaurant and into the kitchen and direct from there. She didn't show it, but he knew how exhausted she was.
The place was decorated for Halloween and a special playlist was going. No doubt Halloween partiers would gather here when the festival at the park ended, but thankfully he had Tuesdays off and wouldn't have to worry about going in tonight or tomorrow.
That afternoon, Rose was dropped off looking very excited about trick-or-treating. After picking up Etta, they would be hitting a neighborhood that was all decorated, and at the center in the park was a festival with a band, carnival games, and the like.
That evening Hermione took lots of pictures, making sure to include Cedric in them. He was surprised at this, but didn't decline. It felt like being included in a family.
"I predict a massive sugar crash," said Hermione. "I do not envy her teacher tomorrow."
"Well, she's magic, isn't she?" said Cedric.
"Yes. She has bouts of accidental magic, I'm sure you've noticed them during her tantrums and I had her tested at Kilokilo. She's got the gland, but unlike my Dad, hers actually creates magic."
"I didn't know your dad…"
"Squib," she said. "My Nana is a witch, but I didn't know until I was thirteen because Professor McGonagall asked us to keep my magic a secret from him. I was furious when I found out."
"That's not right," he said. "Er, anyway, what I'm getting at is sugar doesn't affect magic people like it does Muggles. In fact, we actually need it when we use up large amounts of magic because it helps our systems replenish it faster. Professional duelling leagues have special treat trolleys for people to snack on between matches. Before sugar became widely available, wixen would eat a lot of fruits and honey and foods with naturally occurring sugars."
"Oh!" she breathed. "So that's why I never saw any bad sugar crashes after Halloween."
"Exactly," he said. "We're not prone to cavities, either. As long as we keep our teeth brushed and flossed. Though plenty think they can go without and soon find they're mistaken."
"Well… I have to tell my parents that they owe me sixteen years worth of sweets," she said.
Cedric laughed. "I will concede, however, that it is probably better for Rose that she gets her sugar from things like fruit, carrots, beets, and the like." He suddenly felt shy. "Sorry, I probably bored you with that little lesson."
"Not at all," she said. "I used to info-dump like that all the time until I couldn't stand being called annoying for it anymore."
"Well, you can info-dump to me anytime," he said. "I like learning new things, and if you're passionate or even just excited about something, then you should get to talk about it. That's my opinion."
She smiled and her attention was called away to another game. Cedric ignored the little butterflies that formed in his stomach and followed, toting Etta and the overflowing candy bucket.
"It is now eight o'clock!" said the emcee manning the music. "I know those of you with little boys and ghouls need to be getting home before the witching hour, but we're announcing the winners of the costume contest!"
Cedric didn't really listen to who won, but his ears pricked up as the emcee said, "For best family costume we have Howl, Sophie, and Markl by the Granger family!"
"We won! We won!" Rose cheered, taking off to get the prize.
"Slow down, Rose!" Hermione called, chasing after her.
Cedric followed, feeling his neck warm up. Granger family. Guess they were as good as, weren't they? Oh, who was he kidding. He was just some drifter crashing on their couch. Hermione had taken pity on him, that was all. Still, he accepted a little plastic trophy and smiled when Hermione handed her camera off to get a picture of all of them together with their prizes, the second being a huge peanut butter-filled candy bar.
"Time to go home," said Hermione, collecting her camera.
"But Mama…" Rose whined.
"No buts. You had plenty of festivities for one day and now it's time to get some rest."
She turned her big, pleading eyes to Cedric and stuck out her lower lip.
"Rest sounds good," he said, feigning a yawn. "I'm so tired, I can hardly keep… my… eyes…"
He dropped his head to his chest and snored loudly, making Rose giggle.
"Well, if Cedric is tired then it would be rude to keep him awake," she said.
"Indeed," said Hermione, flashing him a grateful smile when he opened his eyes.
Rose burned energy on the walk home and was looking sleepy as they entered the house. Hermione got her ready for bed while Cedric got a pot of tea going for him and Hermione. While it steeped, he lingered close to the door to listen to the story Hermione told. This time it was from the Tales of Beedle the Bard, though it was slightly different to the Babbity Rabbity tale he grew up hearing.
"Sweet dreams, Rosie."
"Goodnight, Mama." She raised her voice. "Goodnight, Cedric!"
"Goodnight, Rose!" he called back and returned to the kitchen.
Hermione came in not long after in her pajamas and housecoat, hair tucked into a bonnet and looking extremely exhausted. She had an essay due.
Cedric steeled his nerves and sat down in his chair, setting her tea next to her.
"Hermione," he said.
She looked over at him, not hiding her tiredness from him.
"You're working too hard," he said. "You've put a roof over my head and gave me this great job and… well… I want to help. I want to help you. Bills, taking care of Rose, cooking breakfast or dinner, whatever you need. I mean, I swear you're only getting twenty minutes of sleep a night and you'll make yourself sick at this rate."
She hesitated. "I… I can't ask you to do that…"
"You're not asking, I'm offering," he said. "I can't just sit on my arse while you work yourself to death. I won't have it. Starting tomorrow, you're giving me some of your hours at work, a budget, and a chore chart."
Hermione stared at him wide-eyed. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely." He rested his hands on her shoulders. "I want to help."
She didn't look him in the eye, but somehow he knew she was trying to tell if he was being earnest or not. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him. He ignored his heart beating faster.
"Okay," she said. "I'll rearrange the schedule. It's… it's just until the end of the semester. After this one, I still have a year or so left of school, but it should be more manageable."
"What are you studying?" he asked.
"This semester? Statistical and Analytical Arithmancy, a new course in software systems now that wizards are modernizing, Environmental Science, and I needed a humanities course so I chose Spanish."
"Easy A?"
"You would think so." She sighed and brought out a clean sheet of notebook paper. She jotted down her schedule and handed it to him. "This is everything I need to do tomorrow."
He scanned it and nodded. "No problem. Don't you worry about a thing. Just focus on homework and class."
"You talked me into it," she said and stood up. She tipped her head and poked his cheek.
"What are you doing?" he chuckled.
"Just making sure you're real and not a hallucination due to stress."
"I'm real," he said. "Promise."
~o0o~
Hermione's schedule was hectic and Cedric had absolutely no idea how she managed it by herself for so long. It took about a week for him to learn to manage his time well. Children were slightly harder to wrangle than animals. At least on the farm they were used to a schedule, but a child… A child could love something one day and absolutely hate it the next. Empathy powers only marginally helped. If only so when she couldn't articulate her feelings, he could understand what they were.
It wasn't all peaches and cream. There were some days where everything would go wrong, he couldn't get anything he wanted done, Rose would have horrible tantrums that sent books flying off the shelves, and Hermione would be at her wits end. And yet when it all calmed down at the end of the day, Hermione would smile at him and tell him that she was glad he was here.
And he wished this were his life. All of it. The good bits, the messy bits. He wanted to be a part of this family.
He realized this one morning upon waking up. Hermione had finals next week and then, she said, she could take two classes per semester for two more semesters and be done with it. She wouldn't need him anymore, would she?
Cedric rolled onto his stomach and buried his face into his pillow. He'd have to start thinking about where he'd go next. Even with his contributions to rent and groceries, plus the presents he bought to give Hermione, Rose, and Manny across Hanukkah, he'd been able to save quite a bit. He might even be able to choose where he went next. He'd never been paid so much at a restaurant, even before tips.
What was he going to do? Ask to stay? Woo Hermione? What if she just liked him as a good friend? Did you even ask out people you were already living with?
The phone in the kitchen rang, startling him out of his thoughts. It was barely dawn, who would be calling?
Hermione hurried out of her room and answered it.
"This is the Granger residence, who may I ask is calling?" she said politely. "Oh, Julian. It's early, isn't it?"
Who was Julian? Cedric lifted his head, feeling the ugly little monster of jealousy rise in his stomach.
"What part are you having trouble on?" she asked. "Don't you think you should have told me this, I dunno, last week? Okay, stop crying. The library opens in… an hour. I've got to get ready and drop my daughter off at school. I'll be there after and we'll knock it out, okay? I am not failing this group project, and if you're late, I will hunt you for sport."
She hung up and huffed.
"You alright?" Cedric asked.
"We have a group project due at the end of the week and he waits until now to tell me that he doesn't understand a huge portion of the assignment."
He was surprised when she sat down on his bed. His heart beat a little faster as she laid down and curled up. He sensed a need for comfort. She really was at the end of her rope, wasn't she? Hesitating, he patted her back gently.
She sighed wearily and said nothing. In that moment, he wished for nothing more than to wrap her up in his arms and bury the both of them beneath the covers. But he wouldn't dare make a pass at her like this or do anything that might stress her out more.
Barely five minutes passed and she got up to go get Rose up and herself ready.
Cedric took his time getting up. It was his day off from work, so he could have slept in, but he preferred getting up with everyone else. Hermione got a room divider from a friend so he could change in the living room and not have to maneuver around the bathroom. He thought he might stay in his wheelchair today to give his legs a break.
When he emerged from the bathroom after brushing his teeth, he heard Hermione cooking breakfast.
"Could you check on Rose?" she called.
"Sure thing." He turned left and knocked on Rose's door.
"Rosie, you ready?" he called. "Your mum's making breakfast."
Rose opened her door looking close to tears. She was dressed but her hair was in three messy tails as she had tried to do it herself.
"Can you do my hair?" she asked and pointed to a picture in a magazine. "I want this style!"
"What do we say?" Hermione called.
"Please?"
"Yeah, of course," he said. He couldn't say no to those big brown eyes.
"Make sure you use the grease," said Rose, handing him a tub of the stuff Hermione used to slick her hair into a ponytail and sitting down in front of a small vanity.
He followed the instructions, arranging her thick hair into two plaits, then twisted them around into little heart-shaped buns.
"There we go," he said, slicking down the baby hairs with the grease so they wouldn't go wild. "How's that?"
Rose looked at herself in the mirror and screamed.
"Mama! Look!" she shouted, running into the kitchen.
Cedric followed, worried he did something wrong until he saw Rose dancing around to show off her new hairstyle.
"Look! Look! It's princess hair!"
"Oh, how pretty!" Hermione gushed and looked at Cedric, impressed. "You're better at this than I am."
"Just… followed the instructions," he said, feeling his ears warm.
"I want Cedric to do my hair now," said Rose, climbing into her chair for breakfast.
"Well, it's up to him," said Hermione.
"Sure, I don't mind," said Cedric.
Hermione set toast and jam on the table.
"We're out of milk," she said apologetically. "Could you pick some up on your way home? More eggs, too."
"Of course. Will you be home for dinner?"
"I don't know," she said and opened the owl shaped cookie jar that held that week's eating out money. "I might just study at the library. Why don't we just plan on Chinese?"
"Noodles!" said Rose excitedly.
Cedric munched on his toast. This felt… normal. But—no, this was temporary. Right? This wasn't his.
"Rose, Cedric will be picking you up from school at 2:30," said Hermione, making sure he heard the time.
"That's right," said Cedric. "You and me, Princess. We'll have an adventure. Anywhere in particular you'd like to go?"
"Funzo's!"
"Alright, but twenty dollars max on tokens and no fizzies," said Hermione sternly. She looked at the clock. "Come on, finish up, brush your teeth. Can't be late."
"Okay, Mama."
Cedric did spend most of his day resting, though he compulsively checked the clock so he wouldn't be late. He dressed and went to pick up Rose. He was early, so he stood with the parents waiting for their kids.
"Hey, Cedric!" said Bernice, walking up. "I thought Mimi was picking up Rose today."
"She had an emergency meeting for school," he said. "I volunteered. I'm taking Rose to Funzo's."
"Ooh! Fun. You know, I really think you've been good for those two," she said. "They were struggling until you showed up."
"They would have managed, I'm sure," he said.
"Managed? Yeah, but it would've been hard." Bernice looked sideways at him. "You know, I know some single women who would love to go out with a nice man like you."
"Er… I'm not—I don't think so," he said. "Dating hasn't really worked out for me, so I stopped trying."
"Aw, come on, you're a catch. Unless… you and Mimi…"
"No, no. We're just friends," he said. "We knew each other back in school."
"If you say so."
Kids started filing out, some walking home in groups and others hurrying to meet those picking them up.
"Cedric!" Rose ran over to him and hugged him tightly.
"Hello there! How was school?"
"Boring," she said. "I already know maths, but Mama said a little review never hurt."
"And she is absolutely right."
"Everyone loved my hair," she continued. "Olivia was so jealous and she makes fun of me for havin' red hair!"
"You have beautiful hair," he said. "Still up for Funzo's?"
"Yes!" Rose grabbed onto his sleeve so he could push his wheels. "While the other kids were learning the baby math, my teacher gave me sixth grade math workbooks. Mama says I could be a great math-magician! I'm not good at the other stuff though, so I have to stay in first grade."
"There's lots you can do with maths," said Cedric. Hermione had said Rose was a prodigy when it came to math.
"Uh-huh! Mama says when we have the money, she'll get me tutors so I can learn more math." They entered the arcade and she sniffed the air. "Can we get a snack? I mean—may we get a snack?"
"'Can' is also correct if you're using its second modal form of asking for permission," said Cedric.
Rose's eyes glimmered and he knew he just gave her fodder against her teacher.
"Yes, we can get a snack before playing the games," he said.
Funzo's was noisy with games and had frightening animatronic creatures that probably shouldn't have been allowed near children. He knew it would be hell on Hermione who often needed to recuperate after a busy night at the restaurant. Still, Cedric brought Rose to the counter and bought a plate of french fries for them to share. Hermione said no fizzies, so he ordered them both juice.
He picked a table and Rose sat across from him.
"What was Mama like in school?" she asked. "She never talks about it."
"Well, we were in different Houses," he said. "Er, a House is a dorm full of like-minded people. We room together and eat together and have classes together."
"That's dumb. How would you ever meet anyone new?"
"Er, clubs, I suppose," he said. But would they really? He was naturally outgoing but what about those who were the odd duck? Like Luna. She didn't make a single friend aside from him until Dumbledore's Army and that was against the rules. "Er, I'm also two years older, so we were in different grades. Actually, I'd never had a proper conversation with her until I showed up a couple months ago. But I did know about her and I noticed her. She was the smartest kid in her year. Probably the entire school, actually."
Rose's disappointment fell over him.
"What do you really want to know?" he asked.
"If Mama had any friends or if she was always lonely," she said.
"Well, she has friends now, doesn't she?" he said.
"Yeah, but she gets sad sometimes and some of the other mamas think it's bad that she isn't with anyone. They say mean things about her."
"Well, that's very rude," said Cedric. "If it wasn't for your mum, a very horrible man would have taken over the U.K. and probably spread across the world next. True, maybe Harry Potter delivered the final blow, but you think he knew the first thing about research?"
"Who's Harry Potter?"
Cedric was taken aback by that. He had assumed every magic-raised kid would know. Well, then again, why would Hermione talk about an ex-friend? And would he really be world famous or just European famous?
"He was very famous for being the only one to ever survive this one spell," he said. "Er, prophecy child."
"Oh." Rose nodded. "So Mama helped him?"
"That's right, but I guess no one appreciated her. I think she's much happier here anyhow," he said. "She always had a sad way about her in school, but here… She's happy."
"Are you happy here?"
"Very much so," he said. "But, I probably won't overstay my welcome. I'm sure it can get annoying having a stranger sleeping on your couch."
"You're not a stranger," said Rose. "You're Cedric. And I like you."
He smiled. "Thanks. I like you, too. Let's finish our snack so we can play some games."
"Okay!"
A storm was rolling in by the time they made it home from getting food. Cedric set dinner on the table. Hermione wasn't home yet, but she could always have the Mongolian Beef he got her for lunch tomorrow. Rose set down the plush tiger he got her after hitting the jackpot on one of the games. They got so many tickets, they had their pick of the lot and Rose had begged for the giant semi-realistic tiger.
"Can you check the windows, Rosie?" he asked.
"Okay." She ran around the house, checking that the windows were secure and that Etta went outside.
It was pouring by the time they sat down to watch a few of Rose's Barbie movies for the millionth time. Not that Cedric would admit he enjoyed them, too.
"Scared of the storm?" he asked when Rose flinched from a crack of thunder.
"Just loud," she mumbled, hiding her face in his side. "And Mama isn't home."
True, she wasn't. Cedric hoped she was alright. He didn't know the phone number for the library and cell phones tended to blow up in the hands of wixen.
"I'm sure she's just studying hard," he said. "She's got exams next week you know and those are very important."
"Mama studies all the time. I'll be happy when she doesn't have to anymore."
"Well, she'll get a break for the winter holiday at least."
"But then she'll be busy at the restaurant because all the haole come for their holidays."
"Well, we can at least celebrate Hanukkah together," he said. "It's been a while but I make a mean spinach knish."
At eight o'clock Hermione still wasn't home, so Cedric took it upon himself to get Rose ready for bed.
"Think of how happy your mum will be to see you being so responsible," he said. "And tell you what, you can sit next to me until she comes home."
Rose thought this over and found it reasonable. "Okay."
Hermione came home an hour later, her book bag dropping to the floor with a thunk! She was soaked from the rain and looked exhausted.
"Shh!" Cedric held a finger to his lips.
Rose stirred slightly. Hermione looked over the couch and her eyes softened.
"I'll put her to bed," he whispered.
"Thanks."
While Hermione dried off and changed, Cedric carried Rose to her room. It wasn't a very big room. The walls were painted lilac and she had a white framed day bed. There was a little planetarium on her nightstand and the rest of the room had toys in various stages of play.
Rose burrowed under the covers looking absolutely angelic.
How could Ron have refused this? Cedric thought a number of unkind things about him as he left the room. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts he collided with Hermione. She hissed and jumped away.
"Sorry, sorry!" he whispered. "I didn't roll over your foot did I?"
"It's alright," she said, rubbing her shin. "I appreciate all you've done today. I know it was your day off."
"Hey, anytime with that kid is time well spent," he said. "She's really great."
Hermione smiled. "Yeah, I think I got lucky in the kid department."
"Well, I'm sure a lot of it is because she has an amazing mum."
"I'm not that great."
"You callin' me a liar?"
She blinked, startled at that. "I—no! Of course not!"
"I'm teasing," he said. "I just think you should just recognize when you do well. I don't like seeing you put yourself down."
Red flooded her brown cheeks and she moved around him to tuck Rose in.
Cedric exhaled slowly and took his bed out. He wouldn't be falling asleep for a little while yet but he wanted it ready. He couldn't stay. The longer he did, the more reluctant he would be to leave. And what would he do when Hermione had enough of him and asked him to go?
Hermione stepped out of Rose's room and closed the door. She always opened it before going to bed so Etta could run freely around the house.
"How was your day?" Cedric asked.
She snorted and shook her head, going into the kitchen. He followed.
"Hermione?"
"It was all a trick," she said. "Oh, wah, I don't understand this! I need your help! What is it about men and pretending to be helpless where it really matters? I don't care if you're the beer pong champion, I just want to know if you can unload a dish by yourself! Julian was using this as an opportunity to flirt with me. He plays stupid for six hours and wastes my time and then has the nerve to make a pass at me."
Cedric scowled. "Jerk."
"Right? I told him to go away, but I stayed to study. I didn't want to come home all angry." She sighed heavily.
"Are you hungry? I can heat you up some dinner."
"That would be wonderful, thank you."
Just as he was thinking about how to bring up the fact he wanted to stay, Hermione spoke up.
"I think you should stay through the winter holiday," she said. "I'll need you at the restaurant and, yes, Hanukkah is a minor holiday but I'd still like you to celebrate with us."
"Yeah? I, er, hope you don't mind but I bought some presents to give to you, Rose, and Manny."
She smiled. "I don't mind at all. Anyway, after that I should be able to manage on my own again so you'll be free to go wherever you want."
Oh. Cedric mustered a smile and placed her dinner in front of her. "Well, I'm glad I could help. I've really enjoyed my time here."