Title: Lately...
Pairings: Cedric/Hermione
Summary: Holding her tightly, he began to hum...
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I can only dream it's mine but we all know it belongs to JK Rowling.
Warning: I think I might need AUs Anonymous...nah!
He eyed the picture frames that lined the walls and the living room of the small cottage, each one nicely polished and gleaming with memories of old and new. They were all neatly organized according to year and themes, if any, with meticulous care. The frames that the photos have been placed in were so much like her and their life. Moving along the room, Cedric stopped at the more recent pictures, picking up a certain wooden frame with love. Her smile was so wide that it made him smile warmly at the muggle photo. She was sitting on a checkered blanket in her summer dress with a book in her lap while her left hand held onto the wide brimmed hat, which threatened to fly away. Although the picture was in sepia, closing his eyes he could distinctly remember the day, the smell, the pale red dress she was wearing, and the carefree feeling that was slowly coming back after Voldemort's fall.
Standing there, he didn't realize that someone else was in the room until he felt her presence. Opening his eyes, he looked at the woman who had made life all that much better. She was sleepily rubbing her eyes, which he found endearing and adorable. He almost laughed when he saw the familiar faint trail of drool on her corner of her mouth. Not letting go of the frame, he turned towards her and gently wiped away the drool.
Hermione scowled at his gesture but smiled slightly anyways. She never thought he was right in the head for saying her drools were cute but then again it has been awhile since he'd seen her drool. Lately, he's been getting up early for work and coming home late at night. Not that she wasn't busy but they rarely had time for each other anymore. The only times she had felt even remotely close to him was when he came home and slept in the same bed. She can't deny that there were doubts in her mind though. She never told him her fears because she didn't want to seem clingy and annoying.
Keeping everything inside, she went to work and came home to an empty house, fearing the darkening sky. The times when dreams would taunt and mock her self-esteem, her self-worth. She revered his touches and his smiles, never letting them fade from her mind but the wounds were still there, her fear of being abandoned. It was during these times that her thoughts became clouded, with it whispering dark truths into her ears.
He'll leave you one day.
Those nights that you wait up, he's out there with someone else.
Face it Hun, you're an ugly weed no one wants to see at night let alone during the day.
Feeling the tears running down her cheeks, Cedric placed the picture down before wiping them away with his thumbs. No matter how much Hermione refused to cry, the tears kept on coming as she clung to him becoming selfish in that one moment of weakness. She didn't want to hear them anymore; she wanted them to go away.
Holding her tightly, he began to hum a tuneless song while breathing in her scent. It was faint but homey and loving. Smiling into her hair, he began to tell her about how he was going to whisk her away to the countryside where they'll idle away their time and do nothing but have fun. How when they come back, he'll tell his boss that he'll work fewer hours because he can't afford to leave one of the few good things in his life. No more working late. No more quick dinners at a pub but meals with his wife.
The picture frames all lined the walls and the mantel, each one taking up every inch of space except for a single corner. It's bare now but sooner or later it will be filled with new photos of the family they've been wanting.