Belle of the Year, Chapter 4
Author's Note: Hey guys! Here's Chapter 4, hot off the presses! And I just want to say a BIG thanks to luvseanfarris, who has written some great reviews and has been faithfully reviewing for all of my chapters. Thanks again! By the way, I've been trying to make the chapters longer, but there's only so much you can put into a chapter before you say too much, you know? And to all the Cedric Diggory/Robert Pattinson fans who have seen the movie: Apparently, hot guys do fall from the sky. If you've seen the movie, you'll know what I mean.
Oh, and by the way, S.P.E.W. doesn't exist in this story. Just thought you'd want to know that.
Chapter 4: The Library and Questions
As the whole school went to the Great Hall for lunch, Hermione was anxiously waiting to get to the table. She made sure to get a seat that was facing the direction Cedric was. As he sat down and looked at her, he mouthed, "Can I come over now?" She couldn't help giggling as she motioned for him to come over. He smiled as he walked over to the Gryffindor table.
Harry looked up as he heard someone else come to the table. "Cedric? What are you doing here?" he asked. "Yeah." Ron said. "Shouldn't you be over at the Hufflepuff table?" Cedric laughed. "Don't worry, I won't be long. I just had to ask Hermione some questions." Harry shrugged. "Okay." he said, before starting to eat. "So, Cedric." Hermione asked. "What did you want to ask me about? I can't imagine that it's about Ancient Runes, since we're meeting tomorrow about it." Cedric laughed. "Actually, it is about Ancient Runes." "What? But we're meeting tomorrow! Can you not make it?" Hermione said, surprised. "What?" Cedric said. "Oh, no. I can make it. I was just wondering if we could meet every night. So it will take less time for it to sink in. And, since the Quidditch Cup isn't happening this year, I won't be busy with that. I mean, I think I can hold off patrolling the halls at night like the 'good little prefect I am'. I don't care about that right now. I really need to get this class right."
"Really?" Hermione said. "What do you want to do? Once you graduate, I mean." Cedric frowned. "I don't really know. I was thinking of maybe being an Auror, but, you know, that's a really hard career to get into. But, you never know. I might make it." Hermione laughed and smiled. "You know, that's really good of you to want to be an Auror. No one's been taken on in the last couple of years, or so I've read. I hope you make it." Cedric smiled and said, "Thanks, Hermione." He looked at his watch. "Well, I'd better get going." "Oh! Why?" Hermione asked. "Oh, nothing. It's just that my friends are probably wondering if I want to be a Gryffindor instead of a Hufflepuff." Cedric joked. "Well, then, Cedric. I'll see you tonight at 7, then?" He nodded as he got up. "Same time, same place." Hermione laughed. "Oh, go on then. See you tonight." she said, as Cedric walked away.
Unfortunately, Ron heard the last part of the conversation. "Oi! What's this about you meeting Cedric tonight at 7? I knew it! You two really are going out, aren't you! Why didn't you tell me? Do you think that I wouldn't support that? Some friend you are!" Hermione looked at Ron angrily. "For the last time, WE AREN'T GOING OUT! Do I have to spell it out for you? Geez! You can be so stupid sometimes, Ronald!" Ron looked like he'd jut been slapped in the face. "But...But...he said..." Hermione sighed. "We have Ancient Runes together, and he needed some help with that class. He knows that I'm really good in that class, so he asked me if I could tutor him a little bit every night in the library, so that he can finally understand it! Geez, Ron! You are a moron sometimes!" With that, she began to eat furiously. Ron looked at her weirdly and went back to eating.
Over at the Hufflepuff table, Cedric had barely sat down before his friends started firing questions at him. "What were you doing at the Gryffindor table?" "Why were you sitting with Potter and his friends?" "Why were you talking to Hermione Granger?" "Yeah, why? Are you two going out or something?" Cedric couldn't help laughing at that last statement. "To answer all of your questions, I was at the Gryffindor table because I had some questions about Ancient Runes." "But why were you talking to Granger?" Hannah Abbott asked. "Hang on, hang on. I'm getting there. Hermione is in my Ancient Runes class. In fact, she's the only person I know in that class. She's friends with Harry, so I sat and talked to her for a bit about Ancient Runes. We're meeting every night in the library to help me understand the class more. And, to answer your question, Ernie, we're not going out. We're just friends, and that's it." They all looked at each other and shrugged. "Okay, Cedric, whatever you say." Hannah said, giggling. "What? We're not!" Cedric said, annoyed. By now, the whole population of girls in Hufflepuff were giggling at him. After a few minutes of this, Cedric got fed up and walked out of the Great Hall. "Cedric, where are you going?" Ernie asked. "To the library." he replied curtly. "But...but...but...aw, c'mon, Ced! We were only joking!" Cedric just ignored them as he walked out of the Hall.
Hermione watched as Cedric walked out of the Great Hall. What's going on with him? she thought. Well, I'll just ask him tonight.
That night, Hermione sat watching Ron and Harry play a fierce game of Wizard Chess. She laughed as Harry egged on one of his bishops. "Squash him, squash him, he's only a pawn, you idiot!" She checked her watch. It was 6:55. Aw, crap!she thought. "I've got to go." she told Harry and Ron. "Why?" Harry asked. "Because I only have 5 minutes to get to the library! I promised Cedric that I would be there at 7!" She grabbed her Ancient Runes book and ran out of the portrait hole and down to the library.
As HErmioenwandered the aisles in the huge Hogwarts library, she realized, crap! I never set a place for us to meet! As she was walking past the Flobberworms section, a hand reached out and grabbed her. She let out a yelp of fear that was quickly stopped when she realized who it was that had grabbed her. She breathed a sigh of relief, but had a hard time doing so, as she was still panting from all that running. "Cedric...than-thank goodness it's you." she said, panting. He smiled. "Hey, what's wrong? Why are you panting? Are you okay?" Hermione, who had finally caught her breath, laughed. "Oh, no. I'm fine." "Really?" Cedric said, skeptically (sp?). "Really! It's just that when I checked my watch, I had 5 minutes to get here, so I had to run the whole way here. I almost got caught by Filch, too!" She said, amused. "Oh! I'm sorry if I caused you to almost get into trouble. I can go, if you want..." Cedric said. "Oh, no! Don't go! I promised you that I would tutor you in Ancient Runes, and I intend to keep my promise."
She paused and looked around. "Cedric, why exactly are we in the Flobberworms section? No one comes near here." "Exactly. That way we have less of a chance of getting disturbed. So, therefore, it's easier for us to concentrate." Hermione laughed, and they sat down. "Before we get started, why did you walk out of the Great Hall during lunch? Didn't you want to eat anything?" Cedric laughed. "Oh, that. No, my friends were just saying some stuff that made me mad." Hermione looked at him, concerned. "What were they saying? I can hex them, if you'd like." Cedric laughed again. Oh, you don't have to do that for me! I can do that any old time! But, if you must know, they were making fun of me having to get tutored by you. They thought that I'm going out with you!" Hermione couldn't help laughing at that. "Funny. That's the same thing Ron kept accusing me of. Harry knows not to, but Ron won't get off my case about it! I wish I knew why. It's like ever since I told him that I ran into you on the platform, he's been hassling me about it, saying stuff like, 'Are you guys going out!' It's like every little thing I do makes him think I'm going out with you! It's driving me crazy!"
Cedric laughed. "Well, as much as I'd like to continue this conversation, don't you think we ought to get started tutoring? Not that I don't like talking to you, but, you know, I do need to learn Ancient Runes." Hermione smiled. "Why are you taking a subject that you don't understand?" Cedric's smile faded. "Well, I took it in my fourth year, and did really bad in it, so I thought that I would take it again my fifth year, but I still didn't understand it, so I kept taking it, and now, in my third year of being in that class, I still don't understand it, so I figured I might need to get some extra help on it. So, here I am." Hermione smiled. "Good for you for trying the class over and over, Cedric! But now," she looked around. "Aw crap!" Cedric looked at her. "What is it? What's wrong?" Hermione laughed. "It's really stupid, I can't believe I forgot it! Um..." she turned to look at him. "Do you have any spare parchment and a quill with you?" Cedric laughed. "Yep! I took some, just in case I needed to take some notes." Hermione looked at him and said gratefully, "Can I use it for a second?"
Cedric handied them to her. As she reached for them, their hands brushed for the slightest second. She felt a tingle go thru her. She wondered why. Could it be that I have a crush on Cedric Diggory? I wonder...does he like me, too? She started to go thru what each rune stood for, the basic stuff. Then she showed him a blank chart and asked him to tell her what each rune stood for. He got half of them right, so she took away the correct ones. She could tell he was frustrated, so she patiently went thru the correct names with him again. He smiled when he got them all right. "Now I got it!" he said excitedly.
Hermione couldn't help smiling. "Now, Cedric, we don't have to leave just yet, but I do have some homework for you. It's rather easy, really. All you have to do is make a chart telling me what each rune stands for, just like I did. Isn't that easy?" Cedric smiled. "More homework? Bring it on!" he joked. At that moment, Madame Pince came by and said, "It's time to go! The library is closing!" Hermione and Cedric looked at each other and shrugged. "Apparently I was wrongabout the time." Hermione said. Cedric laughed as they walked out of the library.
As they walked towards the hallway that would take them to their houses, Cedric said, "Hermione?" She stopped and looked at him. "I was wondering..." he continued. Hermione sighed and looked down. "You were wondering if you could skip tomorrow's session?" Cedric laughed and lifted her chin up with his hand. "Chin up, Hermione. I wasn't wondering that at all." Hermione looked at him confused. "If you weren't asking about that, then what were you...?" He laughed and said, "I was wondering if...you wanted to go out with me tomorrow instead." Hermione looked at him. "You mean...I..you...go out...together?" she couldn't seem to string a sentence together. Cedric laughed again. "Well, yes, I guess that's another way of putting it." Hermione laughed. "Well, then, my answer is yes. But...why are you asking me? I'm just a lowly fourth year, and you're a seventh year. And, you could have any girl you wanted. Why me?" He smiled. "Because you treat me like I'm a normal human being. All those other girls only like me because I'm so good at Quidditch and for my good looks. I'd rather be with someone who likes me for me, if you can figure that. But, since you said yes, meet me by the Quidditch pitch at 6 tomorrow." Hermione laughed and said, "Okay, but please tell me that you're not obsessed with Quidditch." Cedric looked at her weirdly and said, "Um...no, I'm not. Why?" Hermione laughed again. "Just so I know that we'd talk about more than just Quidditch the whole time. Alicia Spinnet told me about how when she went out with Oliver Wood. All he talked about was Quidditch. And, no offense, but she said that those dates were really boring." Cedric laughed and smiled. "Well, you don't have to worry about that. I won't talk about Quidditch the whole time, I assure you." Hermione smiled. "All right, then. I guess I'll see you tomorrow." "See you tomorrow, Hermione." Cedric said.
As Hermione walked up to the Fat Lady, she said, "Fairy Lights". As the portrait swung open, she walked in dreamily. I can't believe I have a date with Cedric Diggory, the resident hottie at Hogwarts! she thought. She walked over to where Ron and Harry were still vigorously playing Wizard Chess, or maybe this was a new game of it. Harry looked up as Hermione sat down to watch. "So," he said, "how did it go?" Hermione couldn't help smiling. "It went...well." Ron looked at her. "Okay, spill." he said. "He asked me out." "WHAT!" Ron and Harry said. "We have a date for tomorrow. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to go to bed and get a good night's sleep. Big day tomorrorw."
TBC...
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chrispaigelover
