A/N- finally! Some Cedric/Angelina! This is what the whole story is about, people, and I didn't get around to it until chapter nine! *Smacks herself* Thanks to the FIVE people who reviewed! I love all FIVE of you!!! *Cough* I want more reviews *cough*

~*Chapter Nine*~

The Kiss   

            Angelina entered the Three Broomsticks, touching her hair nervously. She had spent extra time on it this morning. She had used half a bottle of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion on it.

            She stood by the door and looked around the pub, tapping her foot. Madam Rosmerta hurried past, carrying a tray of mugs filled with butterbeer to an important looking man sitting in the corner. Then, Angelina saw Cedric sitting way in the back, looking around curiously with two mugs of butterbeer in front of him. She smiled and walked over.

            "Hi, Cedric," she said, sitting down in the chair across from him. Cedric smiled and pushed one of the mugs over. Angelina sipped it gratefully.

            "Hi, Angelina," Cedric answered. He wrapped his hands around the mug in front of him and smiled at her over it. Angelina set her own mug down, the butterbeer sloshing against the sides and foaming at the surface. She couldn't think of anything to say, besides, 'nice weather we're having.' She grinned uneasily.

            "That must have been so scary for you, with the whole Sirius Black thing," Cedric said, shaking his head and looking into his drink, and then back up at her. "What happened? To you, I mean."

            "Well, I heard lots of noise outside, so I got up and ran downstairs. First person I saw was Oliver"-

            "Oliver?" Cedric asked.

            "Wood, you know, Oliver Wood, our captain," Angelina explained.

            "Oh," Cedric said.

            "Anyway, I went to Oliver and asked him what was going on. He didn't know. Then Ron Weasley came downstairs and said that Sirius Black had come into their room with a knife. Then Professor McGonagall came in and started yelling at us because she thought we were continuing the party- you know, we had a party after we won the match- and then Ron told her the story. Then she went outside and asked Sir Cadogan if he had let a man in."

            "What happened?"

            "Some stupid third year named Neville Longbottom had written down the passwords and left them lying around," Angelina answered. Cedric shook his head.

            "I'd like to know what that madman is after," Cedric said, referring to Sirius Black. "None of you Gryffindors are safe, then. I'm worried about you," Cedric said, looking into Angelina's eyes. Angelina shifted in her seat but held his gaze. She smiled awkwardly.

            "Thanks," she said. Her voice sounded pathetic and small. She cursed herself.

            "I don't know," Cedric said. "All that stuff with the Chamber of Secrets last year, and now this…" Cedric's voice trailed off and the two sat in silence for a little while.

            "Hogwarts is the worst place to date," Cedric said after a long pause. "There's nowhere that you can be…alone." Cedric met her eyes then. Angelina's eyes widened. What was he suggesting? She laughed nervously.

            "Yeah," she said. The door swung open and the place suddenly got noisier- Fred, George, and Oliver had arrived. Angelina turned her head towards the wall so that they wouldn't see her.

            "What's wrong?" Cedric asked, looking curiously towards the three rascals standing in the front of the room.

            "If they see me with you"- Angelina began. But it was too late.

            "Hey, there's Angelina!" Fred yelled. Heads wheeled around all through the restaurant, looking for this mysterious Angelina. Angelina sighed and resigned herself to a night of torture.

            "Hi guys," she said, exasperated. Fred and George trooped across the restaurant and pulled up chairs, cramming themselves into the secluded corner. Oliver followed slowly behind them, his eyes passing from Angelina to Cedric and then back.

            "Fred, George," Oliver said quietly, tapping the twins on the shoulder. "Maybe we should go."

            "Why, Oliver?" George asked, looking at Angelina.

            "Because," Oliver said, his voice tense, "just…because. Come on."

            "But, Oliver"-

            "COME ON." Oliver made his way back around the tables and through the pub, slamming the door open. Fred shrugged and followed him, leaving George to put back the chairs.

            "Maybe we should go, too," Cedric suggested. "I have some things to post."

            "What happened to your owl?" Angelina asked, recalling the snowy owl that had dropped mail at Cedric's place many times.

            "Died. Got sick," Cedric answered, taking out a couple Knuts and a Sickle and leaving them on the table next to the half-empty mugs of butterbeer. They made their way out of the pub and down the street towards the post office. Angelina walked around the great circular room, the owls looking down at her with their big eyes. A Scop owl flew down from its ceiling perch and sat on her shoulder. Angelina scooped it into her hand as Cedric walked over to her. The thick wad of letters was gone and he had his hands shoved deep into his pockets.

            "Look at this owl," Angelina said, taking one of Cedric's hands out of his pockets and setting the bird down in the middle of his palm. Angelina let her hand rest there for a moment, in his. The tips of her fingers tingled where they brushed Cedric's skin. The owl flew back up to its perch, looping in the air and then setting itself down to preen. Angelina removed her hand from Cedric's as they walked out of the post office. They headed towards the hill that the Shrieking Shack was set on, and they sat in the grass. Angelina picked up a daisy and began to pick off the petals.             "I loved coming to this place when I was a kid," Cedric said, looking at the abandoned shack. "When I came here on a full moon, there would be these unearthly shrieks. But then I came back one 'moon, and there was no sound."

            "I heard the weirdest legend about this place," Angelina said. Cedric lied back on the grass and put his hands behind his head.

            "What was it?"

            "I forget," Angelina tried to remember. "Something about a widow, something like that…"

            "Oh, I remember that one!" Cedric said. "My mother would tell it to me all the time. The legend was that there was a woman. Her parents made her marry a powerful man, a Count, I think, but the woman was in love with a different man, a commoner. They would come here at the full moon to 'celebrate their love,' I suppose. Then the man was killed but the woman's husband. She came up here, to the shack, and stabbed herself to death. That's what I heard, anyway," Cedric said.

            "That's so sad," Angelina murmured, lying back on the grass beside Cedric. "I'm sorry about Fred and George and Oliver," she said after a moment. "The twins can be dense sometimes, but Cedric notices lots of stuff about things"- she broke off. She was going to say, 'things that he cares about.' Oliver doesn't care about me, not that way, Angelina told herself. That's impossible.

            "It's okay," Cedric said quietly. Then he sat up quickly. "It's time to go," he said regretfully. Then he helped Angelina up and held her hand all the way down to the carriages. Her hand fit in his perfectly. His touch was smooth and warm.

            Suddenly, Cedric pulled her behind Zonko's. "What are you doing?" Angelina asked, smiling. Cedric smiled back.

            "Unless you don't usually kiss on a first date…I'd like to say goodbye," Cedric said.

            "Okay," Angelina said. Her heart pounded wildly, doing some kind of wild African dance around her chest. Cedric slowly slid his arms around her waist, slowly pulling her towards him. Then his lips were on hers. Angelina almost laughed out loud. Of course she had kissed boys before, but this was different. It was…special.

            His lips were as warm as his hands, which were caressing the small of her back at the moment. Finally he pulled away reluctantly.

            "We do have to go now," he said.

            "Yeah," Angelina agreed. She followed Cedric down to the carriages. "Bye," she whispered. Cedric gave her another quick kiss before she climbed into her usual carriage. George whistled as she climbed in and sat next to him.

            "Finally I don't have to sit on anyone else's lap," Angelina joked.

            "You kissed Cedric!" Alicia squealed.  

            "What?" Oliver asked as he climbed in.

            "All you boys, go find your own carriage," Katie ordered. "We have to talk to Angelina." The boys marched away, scowling, to the end of the line. Alicia squealed again.

            "You kissed Cedric!" she repeated.

            "Is he good?" Katie asked.

            "Katie!" Angelina said, scandalized.

            "Well, is he?"

            "Yes," Angelina admitted.

            "Ooh!" Alicia said. "You're going out with Cedric!"

            "You're an item."
            "An item!"

            "Calm down, Alicia!" Angelina said. "Yes, I kissed Cedric, and yes, it was good, but really, relax!"

            "But you kissed Cedric. That's great!" Alicia sighed and leaned back against her seat, dreamily staring into space. Angelina smiled. It was great.