Chapter 3- Game Plan
With Viktor's express permission, Hermione had told Cedric all about their conversation. Instead of seeing the spikes of jealousy she thought would burst his usually controlled demeanour, she saw hints of excitement and a flash of lust in his eyes.
The three had yet to come together but Hermione reckoned that a convergence was not too far away, considering the imminence of the First Task. She had been working with Cedric on his plan for quite a while now and she was adamant that he would succeed. She still was not sure as to what Viktor's approach was, but she had a fairly educated guess in mind. It was quite obvious, once she thought about it a little bit. Viktor Krum was known for his flying abilities. Who would he be if he didn't utilise them? She figured that he would.
Cedric was extremely intrigued by Viktor's attitudes towards both Hermione and himself. Viktor was open to whatever might potentially happen between the tree of them and Cedric was quite happy about that. It certainly helped that Viktor was very upfront about what he wanted, leaving no questions to be asked at the end of it all. Cedric knew what he wanted, of course, but he wasn't completely sure about Hermione.
He knew that she wanted something with both of them, but wasn't sure if she wanted them together. Not sexually, of course, well not yet anyway. But emotionally. Did Hermione want to be dating two guys at the same time? Cedric didn't really know and would leave Hermione to make up her own mind when she saw fit.
Cedric geared up for their designated study period for the First Task as their mentors discussed strategy with them. As there were two Hogwarts champions, both Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall had been enlisted as their assigned mentors. They would take a session with one and refine their game plan with the other. The teachers were not supposed to know that every Champion now knew about the dragons, so everybody kept things hypothetical.
As he walked down to the Transfiguration classroom where they were supposed to account for themselves, he felt somebody walk beside him.
"Hello, Cedric," Viktor Krum's thick accent muttered jovially from next to him. Viktor smiled and stretched out his hand.
Cedric was quite surprised; it had not been that long since Hermione and Viktor had their conversation. Viktor was already speaking to him about it. "Viktor, hello." Cedric shook his proffered hand.
"Hermione informed me that you have only just learned of the dragons."
Cedric nodded. "Unfair politics," he grumbled. He still wasn't over the fact that he had kept purposefully kept in the dark.
"I know what you mean. Maxime and Karkaroff are conversing privately to ensure that Hogwarts has a disadvantage. Apparently, Potter wasn't supposed to know."
"According to Hermione, he has this special relationship with the gamekeeper who showed him the dragons. It's all complicated, apparently. It's best not to dwell on it, so I haven't."
"That's probably the wise choice. Hermione really does have all of the answers doesn't she?" Viktor let out a small laugh.
"She really does. And I'm glad that I'm not alone in my appreciation of her. She doesn't think that people like her."
Viktor snorted. It was a curious sound, to Cedric, and he wondered if it had come naturally. "They don't," the Bulgarian boy said not unkindly. "They're jealous of her and they're terrified by everything that comes with that.
Cedric agreed. "The pure bloods, particularly the Slytherin house, are angry that a Muggle born student is outranking them in the class ranking system each year. Hermione has been first all three years of testing."
Viktor whistled. "I'm not surprised. Frankly, it surprises me that other people are surprised. She's…something special."
"She really is. You are too, you know," Cedric said warmly.
"You don't know me, Cedric," Viktor pointed out. Cedric conceded this.
"I'd like to. Wow, I'm really having this conversation with my teenage sporting hero and crush."
"You crushed on me?"
"As did all of Wizarding Europe. You say that like it's impossible." Cedric scoffed.
Viktor blushed. "Not impossible. It's just rare that I'm liked for more than my Quidditch ability. Yes, there's a group of gaggling girls running around after me when I exercise, but they want the poster boy. Nobody's ever wanted me for me before and that's something else entirely."
Cedric didn't understand, but then suddenly he did. Hermione, Viktor and himself were in the same proverbial boat. They were all appreciated for what they were known for, but nobody ever thought to dig deeper. Hermione had her intelligence, Viktor had his athleticism and Cedric had his generic good looks.
"I understand," he said with a smile. "I really do. And I know that Hermione does as well. That's why I think that we all fit really well together."
Viktor smirked. "You're thinking about that already?" He added a wink at the end.
Cedric let out a laugh. "I would be lying if I said that I wasn't. I'm not actively considering it just yet, I mean we've only just met each other, really. But I'm thinking. I'm a teenage boy confronted with the idea of having two beautiful lovers. What else do you expect?"
"I keep thinking about what it would be like. Even with only one of you it would be amazing. But with both of you? That's a feeling I can't even begin to imagine."
"Have you…before?"
"No," Viktor said coolly. "You?"
Cedric shook his head. "It never felt right. There have been…opportunities, but every time it's just felt wrong."
"I know what you mean," Viktor sighed wistfully. "I've had chances in the past. A lot of them, actually. But nothing has ever really tempted me before…"
"Before Hermione?"
"Before you and Hermione."
Cedric smiled modestly. "I appreciate your bluntness, Viktor. I would not be averse to making something happen."
"I think we need to confront the idea in a purely platonic way, first," Viktor said.
"Of course," Cedric acquiesced. "I know Hermione will prefer it that way at the beginning, too. She's nothing if not overly analytic and prudent often to a fault."
"You speak of her like you've known her your whole life," Viktor observed sharply.
"I feel like I have sometimes," Cedric bit his lip. "I've never taken to somebody so quickly. Well, maybe besides you. This is our first proper conversation and we've already pragmatically hinted at things beyond our acquaintanceship level."
Viktor shrugged. "We know what we want and don't want to have to wait for it. That's perfectly acceptable."
Cedric nodded as eyes turned towards them. Fleur and Harry were already stationed at their respective tables. Dumbledore looked over his glasses at them. McGonagall didn't really care for the current situation. Maxime raised a curious eyebrow and her eyes darted to Karkaroff, who looked as stoic as he usually did.
Viktor leaned in. "They think we're fraternising."
"Aren't we?" Cedric grinned. Karkaroff glared at them both.
"Viktor. Time for planning." The Bulgarian Seeker nodded and went to his table, clapping Cedric on the back. Cedric shook his head fondly and went to the seat opposite McGonagall and rubbed his hands together.
"Thank you for your punctuality, Mr. Diggory," McGonagall said sardonically. "I take it you have something to run by me?"
McGonagall cast a privacy charm and Cedric's eyes lighted and he began to talk through the beginning of the strategy that he and Hermione had provisionally conjured. As he spoke, Cedric's eyes flickered to the right, where Viktor sat speaking to Karkaroff. His handsome face was aptly animated as he talked about the Task. Viktor's eyes met his and Cedric felt a wave of heat rush over him. Shaking it off, he continued looking at McGonagall and tried not looking at the other Champion until he needed to. Viktor Krum was a massive distraction whichever way you looked at it.
After Cedric had refined his plan with Dumbledore, who seemed mildly interested at best, he stood up, only just refraining from complaining about the bias that was already present in the Tournament. The First Task had not even begun yet and they were already working against him, however inadvertent it was. He could understand the machinations of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrang mentors; Hogwarts had been given "two bites of the apple" as Madam Maxime had said. Cedric supposed that it was wise to try and overcome that disadvantage by teaming up in a subtle way. Viktor hadn't said anything to him about Fleur but that was irrelevant. The fact that Fleur and Viktor were both clued in on the dragons meant that Cedric's observations were true.
"Diggory," Cedric heard a voice call as he went to leave. He caught Viktor's gaze and rolled his eyes before turning around.
"Potter," Cedric replied somewhat coldly. He wasn't particularly happy with the boy these days, for his treatment of Hermione and for neglecting to mention the dragons. "I'm not entirely sure why you're talking to me, but continue."
Harry scowled. "What's going on with you and Hermione? She hasn't spoken to me since she started hanging around with you."
Cedric sighed. He should have known. "Have you actually attempted to talk to her?"
"Well, no, but she usually talks to me every day, I—."
"So isn't that your problem? I'm sure that if you tried talking to her, she would clear things up for you. I wouldn't want to say anything that Hermione isn't thinking or feeling without consulting her first."
Harry shrugged. That was fair enough, he guessed. "Okay. Thanks, Cedric."
"He's not going to like this," Viktor's low voice pointed out helpfully.
"No," Cedric agreed. "But, frankly, I don't care. Whatever happens will happen and that's about us and nobody else."
Viktor smirked. "I have a feeling that this is going to be one amazing year."
Hermione looked between the two boys opposite her curiously. Just what exactly had transpired while they had spent the afternoon together? Hermione didn't know. Apparently, something had happened. She knew this purely through the weight of the glances between them.
"So, welcome to the first official Hermione Granger Triwizard Tournament Strategy Meeting."
"Does it have to have a name, Hermione?" Cedric smirked.
Hermione shrugged. "I suppose not. It just made me feel more like a teacher and not the know it all suggesting possible strategies."
Cedric and Viktor went to protest at the same but Hermione held up a hand and shook her head. "I didn't mean it like that. Anyway, shall we just get on. What did you two figure out today?"
Viktor smiled. "Well, my original plan was to summon my broomstick and lead the dragon away and circle back and grab the egg. Simple enough and it plays to my strengths.
"Karkaroff made me realise that the dragon is chained up during the Task so it won't be able to go far anyway. So I'm going to have to think of something different. Flying was a little predictable anyway."
Hermione thought for a moment. "How about doing something that will shock the spectators and the judges. Something that isn't very you. You might get additional points for doing something outside of what you're known for. Maybe rendering the dragon unable to hurt you."
Viktor chuckled. "I'm not exactly powerful enough to put a huge dragon in a full Body-Bind or Stun it. Maybe…the Conjunctivitis Curse?"
Hermione smiled, her eyes lighting with knowledge. "That would definitely work. A dragon's sense of smell isn't exactly stellar and its eyesight is. Blind it and you'll have a clear path. Maybe impede it, too, because there's a chance that its rage levels will increase. You'll need an afterthought."
Viktor scrawled some notes down with a quill and nodded. "Thank you, Hermione. I think I'm going to do that."
Hermione turned to Cedric. "Have you thought about things that you can Transfigure? I know you were speaking with McGonagall today."
Cedric paused before nodding. "She has some ideas. Dumbledore was absolutely no help, whatsoever. He just listened and stalled me by thinking until the time was up. During his talk with Harry, he looked completely animated."
Hermione sighed. "Boy Who Lived bias strikes again. It's a Dumbledore thing, I wouldn't dwell on it. So what did McGonagall say?"
"She suggested that I take the dragon's focus away from me somehow. I said that I would have to look around to see what I could transfigure since we can't see the arena before we emerge during the task. I figure there'll be some kind of spherical object or something. So I was thinking that I would transfigure it into a dog or some kind of distracting animal. The dragon will go for that. Then I had another idea. What if I performed a Disillusionment Charm so that the dragon didn't detect me while I went for the egg? I would be quiet and just snatch the egg."
Hermione beamed at him. "Perfect. You both have really wonderful plans. Fleur and Harry are going to wonder why they didn't think of them. I wonder what their plans are and I wonder how they're going to feel when they lose and you two win and—oh I'm getting ahead of myself."
"You're cute when you ramble," Cedric commented kindly. Hermione blushed.
"You're cute when you blush, too," Viktor added with a wink. Hermione's blush became even deeper.
Hermione exhaled deeply. "Okay, I don't want to skirt around this any longer. What exactly is the plan here?"
Cedric and Viktor looked at each other. Cedric cleared his throat. "Viktor and I were speaking about it before. We figured that it would be better if we went at this purely platonically first and then just…go where our feelings take us in the near future. When we feel something and feel like it's too potent, then we'll act."
Viktor blushed. "Only if you are comfortable with this, Hermione."
Hermione nodded. "I…feel drawn to you both. I don't know quite how to explain it, but I feel like I want both of you in my life."
"Romantically?" Viktor pressed.
"Yes," Hermione said shortly. Cedric and Viktor grinned, blushes staining their faces.
"What do we do about the rest of Hogwarts?" Cedric posited.
Viktor shrugged. "Why do they have to be included in our plans?"
Hermione took up this one. "Because they are going to talk. This is going to create chaos. Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts' very own poster boy for perfection and Viktor Krum, international Quidditch sensation."
Viktor stopped her because her self-deprecating explanation belittled her. "Both them dating Hermione Granger, the brightest witch in Hogwarts, is bound to cause an uprising. But we aren't those people, Hermione. We're more than that. All three of us possess more in our hearts that they see. That's why we have more room to love. And nobody else sees that. Why don't we let them? We do this, we let them see that we're not just who they want us to be. Let's make something worth having."
Cedric and Hermione were surprised at Viktor's passion and loquaciousness. Cedric looked across the girl who smiled.
"Let's do this. When the time is right, we make something happen. And everyone will see us for who we really are."
Hermione nodded. "I'm in."
