Chapter 20 - Caught

The next day, Hermione was quite happy, though she had to hide it from Harry and Ron because she didn't want to say anything to anyone just yet. For both her and Cedric's sakes. For her because she didn't need more guys on her list, there was already Harry and Viktor and many were beginning to suspect Ron now. She also didn't want to say anything because she was sure that Cedric was still dating Cho.

"Not for long," Hermione giggled as she climbed out of bed. She was still sleepy, but she was too happy to care. She and Cedric hadn't gotten back to their common rooms until four o'clock that morning. Hermione had insisted on walking under the Invisibility Cloak while Cedric walked her to the Gryffindor Tower.

He, on the other hand, could not get in trouble because he was a prefect. He was supposed to be out patrolling the halls, though his patrol ended two hours before that. He had bid her goodnight with a kiss on the cheek and then left somewhat reluctantly with a smile on his face.

She smiled now as she got in the closet and pulled out a pair of blue jeans, a tank top, and a sweater. She grinned broadly as she got dressed, went to the bathroom and brushed her teeth and pulled her hair up into a high ponytail. She went bounding down the stairs to the common room and plopped down into a chair beside Harry and Ron.

"What are you so happy about this morning?"

"Nothing," Hermione replied to Harry as she sat there grinning at the two.

"Probably out late last night with Vicky," Ron grumbled as he rolled his eyes at her happy mood.

"So, is anyone hungry? Let's go to breakfast," Hermione breathed excitedly as she jumped up from her chair with great enthusiasm and started off for the portrait hole while Harry and Ron stood up slowly from their chairs and exchanged looks.

At breakfast, Hermione sat there eating happily, her eyes scanning the sea of students for Cedric, but he wasn't there. Viktor had came in and waved to her, but she didn't wave back as she just nodded and looked back to the Great Hall doors. Cedric entered about halfway through breakfast looking a bit tired, but happy nonetheless.

Upon entering, he looked straight at the Gryffindor table and smiled his handsome smile at Hermione and continued over to the Hufflepuff table. Hermione blushed and sighed, but something was a miss with this whole situation. Cho had been watching from the Ravenclaw table and she had saw him smile, though she wasn't sure who he was smiling at because her friend's head was in her line of vision, but she had saw him smile all the same.

Across the hall, someone else had witnessed this exchange. Viktor. He had been watching Hermione, and when he saw her blush, he looked around and saw Cedric walking over to the Hufflepuff table. Viktor was sure that it was something Cedric had done to make her blush like this because she was staring in that direction, and Cedric was the only one walking into the Great Hall at the time.

Hermione's blushing and smiling disappeared though as she saw Cho Chang stand up and storm over to Cedric. She wasn't sure what she was saying, but Cho didn't look happy. In fact, Hermione could have swore that she would explode in any moment if Cedric didn't drop to the floor and grovel at her feet. Cedric, though, was not about to do this as he began to speak with Cho.

"Good morning, Cho," Cedric greeted after Cho walked up and said a very angered hello as well as demanding that they talk in private. "Where would you like to go to talk?"

"Outside... by the lake would be nice," Cho grumbled.

"Very well, then," Cedric replied as he stood up, grabbed a couple pieces of toast and began to follow her. Just as he got to the door, Hermione, Harry, and Ron were on their way up to the Owlery to send Percy a letter about Mr. Crouch.

Cedric nodded to Harry and Ron who passed by with a return nod, and then Hermione stopped and smiled at him. He grinned and nodded politely to her as well as she mumbled a hello and then walked past. Cho was looking three times angrier now than she had before as she watched their friendly exchange.

Cedric looked at her in an innocent way and watched her stalk past him toward the front doors as he followed slowly. His sights were on Hermione as she climbed the staircase, looking back at him over her shoulder every few minutes until they were out of sight of each other.

Cedric continued to follow Cho out onto the grounds and down to the lake where she angrily picked up a rock and threw it. It bounced off the Durmstrang ship and landed in the water with a loud splash. Cedric said nothing as he watched the ripples from the rock growing large and large as they made their way toward the shore. They disappeared before they ever reached the sandy land though.

For some reason, this made Cedric think of his and Cho's relationship. It had grown from a small splash when they had met while hanging out with friends in Hogsmeade. In fact, it had grown so much, that it was now to the point, just like the ripples, where it was disappearing. There was no more love.

Cho always seemed to be angry at him for something or other, or she ignored him while he followed her and her friends around, playing the part of their lackey. He had been nothing but nice to her and she was starting to take advantage of that. The end of the relationship was not his fault, it wasn't because he was involved with Hermione, it had been over long ago. It was just that neither had noticed it until just now.

"Are you listening to me!" Cho's angry voice burst in his ears as though he were hearing it for the first time in surround sound.

"What?"

"See, that's just what I'm talking about," Cho hissed. "You're always ignoring me now that you're Hogwarts champion. I makes me so angry." Cedric said nothing to this as he stood there looking at her in astonishment. She was blaming this all on him. Wasn't a relationship between two people, wouldn't that mean that the blame should be divided fifty-fifty?

"I really think tha-"

"I don't care what you think right now, Cedric Diggory... I'm too angry to care about anything that has to do with you! Why don't you just go sneak off to the library and snog Hermione Granger in the Restricted Section! I'm sure you'd like that," Cho snarled. "You always seem to be staring at her lately, or talking to her. Is it because of what's in all the papers about her?"

"What's in all the papers about her?" Cedric was very curious as to what Cho knew and he didn't. Was something wrong? Why was Hermione mentioned in the paper and what would it have to do with him anyways?

"See, that's all you care about. If there were something in the paper about me," Cho snapped, "you wouldn't even give two shakes of a phoenix tail feather about it!"

"What is in the paper about her, Cho? And what's it got to do with me?" Had someone seen them that night in the Astronomy Tower and reported them? Cedric had seen the articles about Krum and Harry, were they out for all the champions?

Cho began to shake with fury now as she gave a screaming noise from deep in her throat before turning on her heel and stalking off toward the castle. Cedric could no longer stand this, he didn't care anymore. She could end it however she wanted, but he wanted out and to be with Hermione.

Later that night, after dinner, Hermione sat in the common room working on her homework. She was irritated. She and Ron had been in another one of their rows over how Hermione had badgered the house-elves today about asking for wages and clothes.

Hermione had scared the elves so bad that they had made the Golden Trio leave the kitchen. Ron had been on Hermione's case ever since. They had apparently gotten on Harry's nerves as well, because he left to take Sirius's food up to the Owlery and send it to him.

Hermione, fed up with Ron's glares and infuriated mumbles, closed up her books, packed them away, and left the common room herself. She was sure that Cedric would be out in the halls somewhere patrolling for his prefect duties.

Sure enough, he was. She found him about a half hour after leaving the common room. He was heading up the sixth floor staircase just as she was getting ready to go down it.

"Well, if you aren't a sight for sore eyes," Cedric laughed as Hermione stood at the top of the stairs smiling. "What's wrong? You look bothered by something."

"It's nothing, really," Hermione assured him as he stopped next to her. "In fact, you look just as bothered, what's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Cedric replied.

"This will never work if we keep secrets from each other," Hermione laughed as Cedric grabbed her hand and held it tightly in his.

"I guess not," he sighed in agreement. "You tell me what's wrong and I'll tell you what's wrong. Deal?"

"Deal," Hermione beamed as Cedric began to pull her to an empty classroom. He shut the door as Hermione walked over and pulled out a chair to sit upon. She sat down and sighed as he joined her, taking a seat upon the desktop in front of her.

"So, what's bothering you?"

"It's just all this junk that's in the papers. It's nothing that's really putting stress on me or anything, it's just that those things seem to be harming the friends around me. For instance, you saw what happened to Hagrid," Hermione explained.

"Yes, I saw... don't worry, though," Cedric cooed. "Things will get better. Just ignore things and go about what you do all the time like nothing ever happened."

"I wish I could do that," Hermione sighed. "But it's so hard with the Slytherins always badgering you about it and rubbing magazine articles in your face."

"That's the Slytherin way... they don't care what's going on, as long as they can make fun of someone about it," Cedric muttered. "Things will get better, I promise you."

"How can you promise me that? You seem to be having your own troubles," Hermione pointed out. "I don't want to stack my problems on top of you."

"Your problems are my problems," Cedric whispered as he grabbed her hands and squeezed them tightly for a few seconds before pulling her up out of her chair and closer to him.

"And what are your problems? You never told me," Hermione said while playfully raising her brow.

"It's Cho," Cedric sighed. He really didn't want to tell Hermione about this."She's been really moody lately and she's starting to suspect things."

"Suspect things?" There was curiosity written all over Hermione's voice.

"Yes, suspect things. She'll see me smiling at you or saying hello and she gets mad. She thinks I like you-"

"Well, you do... don't you?"

"Of course I do," Cedric exclaimed. "I just don't know how to get rid of her without making things too bad... you know?"

"Yeah... that's all I would need is a bad break up to happen over me," Hermione laughed half-heartedly.

"I'm kind of hoping that she'll get mad enough to dump me," Cedric planned. "But I don't foresee that happening so I think I might have to take her somewhere private and break it to her easily."

"At least you're being nice about it," Hermione joked. "But keep in mind she's been horrible to you."

"That's true," he lamented. "I just don't want any trouble." They sat in silence for a few minutes after this, Hermione finally leaning forward and resting her head upon Cedric's shoulder and breathing in the smell of his cologne.

It was the same smell as the night before. That sweet scent that tingled her nose, warmed her to the core, and made her feel as though she could melt in his arms. Cedric felt her shoulders rise against his arm as she took in deep breathes of his scent and he smiled. She was the very intimacy that he and Cho lacked. The perfect girl for him really.

"So, I know what I'm going to tell Cho, what about Viktor?"

"Viktor?" Hermione had completely forgotten about him.

"Yes, Viktor," Cedric laughed. "You know... Mr. Durmstrang Champion?"

"Oh... yeah," Hermione sighed. "Well, he knows that we're just friends-"

"Doesn't seem that way," Cedric said.

"It happens to be that way for me," Hermione replied seriously. "We're nothing more than friends... Besides, I would much rather be with you." Hermione smiled lovingly at him as he shook his head and snorted with laughter. They seemed to know just what to say to each other at all the right times.

"Would you really now?"

"Yes," Hermione whispered as she leaned forward. She had become so comfortable with him so quickly. It was nothing like her and Viktor or her and Ron. She and Viktor were always up tight and formal with each other, they would never share moments like this. And she and Ron were always fighting, and it had taken him four year to realize she was a girl, how long would it take him to realize he could kiss her or something like that?

She didn't want to wait and find out, and besides, she was very happy with Cedric. So happy that she couldn't imagine being with anyone else. He was beginning to feel the same way, though he had to admit, he wondered how long she had liked him considering she had warmed up to him so fast. Cho had been the same way, he just didn't want to repeat that mistake.

He couldn't quit comparing her to Cho. It was beginning to drive him crazy the way he kept thinking about Hermione and then returning to how Cho would do the same. But Hermione was so much better and there was nothing that could prove that wrong. Maybe it was just the fact that he was still with Cho? Yes, that was it.

"Is something wrong, Cedric?" He had forgotten that Hermione had leaned in for a kiss, and she still seemed to be waiting.

"No, nothing," he whispered deeply as he leaned in toward her and closed his lips over hers. He deepened the kiss only seconds later and cupped her face in his hands as her arms wrapped around his neck. It was then that Hermione realized she wasn't so comfortable with him, that he still gave her butterflies and she became nervous.

Was she kissing him right? Should she do something now? What should she do if so? Where would all this kissing lead? He wouldn't try anything would he?

'No' her mind reasoned. 'He's a gentlemen and a half, he wouldn't try anything that would make you uncomfortable.' He then moved his hands to the small of her back and pulled her closer. His hands were threatening with each passing second to move to her butt and that made her twice as nervous. 'Remember, he wouldn't do that... he wouldn't do that' she kept telling herself.

She tensed up and became like a stiff board in his arms. She was no longer gently pushing her lips against his own, but instead, she had her eyes shut tight and her lips in a frowning but puckered position.

"Is everything all right?" Cedric had pulled back and moved his hands to her elbows when he noticed her sudden stiffness.

"It's just-"

"I'm not making you uncomfortable, am I?" It was like he had read her mind and that relaxed her. Had it been anyone else that had read her mind that like, it would have made matters worse. But she was happy that he could read her like an open book.

"A little," Hermione mumbled in a voice that was a little less than audible, but he understood all the same.

"Hermione, I don't want to make you uncomfortable," Cedric assured her. "Tell me if there's something I'm doing wrong and I won't do it anymore."

"It's not that you're doing anything wrong-"

"Hermione," Cedric said in a pressingly firm yet loving voice.

"Okay, okay... it's just I'm wondering if I'm doing things right," Hermione admitted.

"I'm moving too fast for you, aren't I?"

"Just a bit," Hermione answered.

"Then we can stick to holding hands and talking if it makes you happy," Cedric suggested.

"No," Hermione sighed as she looked into his deep, ocean blue eyes. "Everything's fine... let's just not get too grabby," she added with a laugh.

"All right," he chuckled as he leaned forward and put his forehead upon hers as she smiled up at him. Then, much to both's surprise, the door to the classroom opened and in walked Marietta Edgecombe, Cho Chang's best friend, and a Ravenclaw boy who looked to be in his sixth year at Hogwarts.

"Cedric!" Marietta seemed to be in shock at the sight of her best friend's boyfriend sitting on a desk, arms around Hermione Granger while their foreheads rested upon each other's.

"Marie-"

"What are you doing!" Marietta was in a rage now as she came storming across the classroom toward him. "Aren't you and Cho still dating!"

"Yes we are," Cedric answered with dignity. "And aren't you supposed to be in your common room?"

"What about her?" Marietta thrust a finger at Hermione and looked scandalized and angry.

"She's out on special order," Cedric said with authority. "Now make your way back to the Ravenclaw common room and to your dormitories or I shall have to call upon the Head of Ravenclaw House."

Marietta looked more than angry now as she stamped her foot and stormed off out the door. The sixth year boy rolling his eyes and muttering grumpily as he followed her out.

"I think maybe, it's time that we got you back to your common room," Cedric sighed as he slid down off the desk and grabbed Hermione's hand. "Let's go."

"I'm sor-"

"Don't," Cedric said softly. "Don't be sorry. It was bound to happen. Maybe now that she knows, she'll blab to Cho and Cho will dump me. Then, I can freely be with you and not have to sneak around at night and hide with you."

Hermione smiled at the mere thought of this. Walking hand-in-hand down the corridor in broad daylight with Cedric or sitting peacefully in the library, her head on his shoulder as they read a book together. Hermione sighed happily and giggled as he leaned in and placed a soft kiss upon her forehead and then walked her to her common room.

But what Cedric didn't know was as he continuing his patrol, a conversation with evil intentions was stirring in the fifth year Ravenclaw girls' dormitory.