Shipping B2 - Quiet Night In
Spring C2 - Sweet
Trope E5 - Fade to Black
Stacked With: FPC; BAON; Star; Fence; T3; SN; Ship; SpB; TrB; IC Once
Challenges: Old Shoes (Y); Small Book (Y); The Real MC (Y); Two Cakes (Y); Eating Cake (Y); Zed Era (Y); Hold the Mayo (Y); Setting Sail (Y); Saucy Oven (Y); Disabled (Y); Ethnic & Present (Y); Rian-Russo Inversion (Y); Rowl in her Grave; Neurodivergent (Y); Gryffindor MC; Hufflepuff MC; Ravenclaw MC; Magical MC; Red Lights; Red Wave (Y); Red Bull (x2); Missing Rainbow
Primary & Secondary: Spinning Plates; Delicious Lie; Second Verse (Ladylike; Not a Lamp; Nontraditional; Teat Juice) Chorus (Odd Feathers; Wabi Sabi; Machismo)
Tertiary & Generic: T3 (Thimble); SN (Ameliorate)
Warnings: Discussions of death and family problems
Word Count: 6615
~o0o~
On the twenty-fifth, Hermione completely took over the kitchen. The day before she had prepped the meat along with a challah loaf and left a bowl of beans soaking. She woke up early so she could bake the bread after it slow proofed overnight. Cedric was awoken by the smell and their heart ached. They remembered lovingly cooked meals. They hadn't had one made with them in mind since they were a teenager.
At first, they tried to keep out of her way and go for a walk in the city, but the cheery 'Christmas Spirit' was shoved in their face. The whole pageantry and false show of kindness and peace just pissed them off. If a month was easy, why not present this façade year round? Even if you didn't mean it, the world would be better for it, right? A good deed done for the wrong reasons was still a good deed.
Fake it 'til you make it was their motto in school and they hated that reminder.
Cedric returned to the hotel and was greeted by the heavenly smell of cooking meat and the sound of big band jazz. Hermione danced in place and scat along as she prepped the side dishes. She looked over her shoulder and tensed a moment.
Was she going to bail on it? Return to that mechanical politeness she was infamous for? She had been acting different just in the past couple days. More relaxed. More like when they ate dinner and watched tv together a while back.
Instead, she smiled. "Hey, you're back. How was your walk?"
Their heart beat faster.
"Eh," they shrugged.
"Are you hungry?" she asked, gesturing to a tray. "The sufganiyot is done, it just needs to be topped with sugar."
Cedric eagerly dusted the pastries using the tea strainer sitting in a bowl of confectioner's sugar and scarfed down a couple. The spiced red plum jam danced on their tongue. Wow! They should just propose to her now.
"It smells great in here," they said. "Do you need any help?"
"I do! Can you grate those potatoes for me?" she asked. "I might be going overboard with the food, but I'd rather have too much than not enough."
"I agree," they said.
Hermione moved around the kitchen like a bee, doing multiple things at a time. She kept her hair back with a wide bandana, her curls seeming to frizz and move on their own, reacting to the steam from the cooking food.
Cedric wanted to twist their fingers into her hair. Waking up in her arms had felt like the most natural thing in the world. One of them (or both) had destroyed the pillow wall in their sleep last night, seeking warmth in a chilly room.
Cooking with her like this felt right. It was mundane. Grating potatoes and chopping up greens should have been a dull chore, but they were happy to do it with her.
"Why are we having rice and bread?" they asked, noting the soaking rice.
"You can't put habichuelas on bread," she said, giving the stewing beans a stir. "I have Tupperware, we can have them for breakfast with some eggs."
The air grew thick with so many scents. Sweet, spicy, savory. It was heady, but it all smelled wonderful. Cedric knew if they ever smelled Amortentia again, it would smell exactly like this kitchen. Sweet sufganiyot and applesauce, warm bread and latkes, sharp and savory brisket, and garlic-y pungent greens. And in the center of it all, Hermione's woodsy, vanilla perfume, like old books.
All of it combined was intoxicating.
"Dinner's almost ready," said Hermione, turning off the burners. "Get your drink and your plate."
"Right." Cedric poured them each a glass of wine and got out two plates.
"And you're alright with the movies I selected?" she asked. "I didn't know anyone else would be here, so all my games are in storage."
"I'm not up to games anyway," they said.
She nodded in understanding and she started holding her plate up while she struggled to get a movie in with one hand.
"Why not set it down?" Cedric asked.
"Oh, right, no cats." She placed the plate on the table. "I think the Holiday first."
Once the trailers were rolling, she took a seat and picked up her wine glass. She glanced at Cedric and raised it up.
"L'chaim."
They repeated the sentiment and tapped their glass to hers.
She sat straight with her meal on her lap.
They remembered seeing trailers for this movie and thinking it looked dumb. But if she liked it, then it probably wasn't all bad.
"Oh, Jack Black," they said as the opening monologue was narrated.
"Yeah."
Cedric saved the brisket for last. It smelled really good, but they weren't easily impressed when it came to brisket. They glanced at Hermione who was focused on the movie. If it wasn't good, they could hide it in their napkin and spare her feelings. They took a bite.
Oh.
They took another bite. They wanted to savor it, but only ended up scarfing it all down. It was perfect. Tender. A bit of spice.
"Are you alright?" Hermione asked, pausing the movie. "What's wrong?"
"I… All these tears just came out of nowhere," they said, scrubbing their cheek. "Er, the brisket. It tastes just like my mum's."
"Oh." She hesitated. She was flattered, but she also felt guilty making them cry.
"It's a good thing," they sniffled. "Sorry. It's just… it's been so long but it still hurts."
Hermione summoned a fresh napkin and offered it to them. "Can I ask what happened?"
Cedric wiped their face. "I had come in from my chores. My mum was cooking a big Christmas Eve dinner for the family. Grand-père and Grand-maman were visiting, so were Uncle Bastien and Aunt Apolline. Grand-père loved Christmas too."
The whole thing was fresh in their mind as if it had happened yesterday.
"She smiled at me and kissed my cheek. She asked me to get out the good glasses before I showered and changed and then she got this look on her face and said she needed to sit down." They gripped onto the napkin. "And she was gone. There was nothing I could do. My dad made me go back to school after the holiday and that's when I started to see the Thestrals."
Hermione rested a hand on their arm. "I'm sorry."
"The worst bit was that I spent most of my time that summer and winter holiday ignoring her and my dad." The words couldn't stop tumbling out. She didn't need to hear all this, but they couldn't stop. "Dad was furious I came last in the Tournament and Mum was annoyingly supportive, which meant that it bothered her but she didn't want me to feel bad about it. That stupid tournament didn't matter. She was the one who mattered and I wasted all the time we had left. Blowing off backgammon games, one word answers to questions, refusing to eat the meals she made me or play her favorite song on the piano!"
They buried their face into their knees. The guilt was still crushing.
"Anyway, things with my dad got worse after that," they said. "He blamed me for not saving her. We were okay when I used the money we got from selling the house and farm to go to university. I was barely home, you know? Made it easy to avoid fights. And then I came out and we crashed and burned. Actually, he found some patches I bought after attending a pride parade and confronted me about them and that's when I came out. We duelled about it and then he kicked me out and told me to not come back until I knew how to be a man again."
Hermione crashed in against their side and pressed her cheek into their shoulder. They turned towards her warmth. She sniffled and held them tightly.
"I—I didn't mean to make you cry," they said, sitting up in alarm.
"I'm fine," she said and wiped their face before dabbing her own cheeks. "Would you like a bit more brisket?"
"Please."
Hermione got up and refilled both of their plates. Cedric used that as a chance to clean their face. How embarrassing, breaking down like that. They hadn't cried about their mum in years.
After sitting back down, Hermione played the movie. Cedric said nothing else and ate what was on their plate. When the Holiday ended, Hermione lit the candles in her menorah and sang the prayer before setting up the next movie. Her presence alone was calming to them. When had that started?
Cedric wasn't really into the movie, so once their food settled, they got up and cleaned the kitchen.
"Oh, you don't have to do that," said Hermione.
"I don't mind at all," they said. "I can still hear the telly."
"Alright. Thank you."
They nodded and put the food away and cleaned until you couldn't tell she had spent all day cooking. When done, they changed into their pajamas and rejoined her on the couch.
"Oh, you'll have the next two days by yourself," she said when the movie ended. "I'm going to a spa."
Right… well, maybe a couple days apart from her would be a good way to get their feelings in check.
"Sure. I hope you enjoy yourself," they said. "Where's the spa at?"
"Tuscany, about two hours away. It's not far, but I paid to stay the night at a bed and breakfast. Use the Saturnia hot springs and do a wine tour. Want to join me?"
"I-In the hot springs?"
"I meant the wine tasting," she said. "The hot springs are free though, so if you want to meet there first, I'm alright with it. I'm sure you have other things you'd rather do, though. The entire place is sulfur based, but I hear it's great for aching muscles."
"Well, I didn't bring my swimsuit," they said. "Er, sorry."
"What for?"
"I don't know."
She brushed it off. "Anyway, if it's a good experience I'll probably apparate back for another dip before we head home. You're staying until the eighth, too, right?"
"That's right."
"Good, I'm glad." She got to her feet and swapped out the DVDs.
She probably didn't mean anything by it.
While the trailers played, she changed into her pajamas and came out bundled up in her bathrobe and toting the blanket.
"It's so cold in here," she commented. "I bumped up the heat and it did nothing."
"I thought you liked the cold," they teased.
"I do," she said, putting the kettle on. "Tea?"
"Please."
Turned out the third movie was the Nightmare Before Christmas.
"Oh, classic!" said Cedric happily. "I saw this one in the theater."
"Yeah? What was your first movie?"
"Hm…" they thought about it. "Creature of the Black Lagoon. The movie theater in town had Creature Feature Fridays. They always showed a classic horror film, so I saw them all. Mum would give me money to go into town. I think she expected me to buy sweets or junk with it, but I always went to the movies. I went so much they started giving me small popcorns and a drink for free."
"That's nice of them," said Hermione. "When I was a child I watched the Addams Family TV show all the time, but my abuelo let me watch movies he probably shouldn't have. Though it was a grainy old telly and a VHS player that barely worked. My first actual horror movie was The Haunting. The 1963 one, not the mediocre remake. I only watch that one because I have a thing for Catherine Zeta Jones. The second one I saw was El Vampiro, but only the first half. The tape broke partway through and I haven't been able to find a copy since."
She was speaking differently. Her tone… it wasn't mechanical and she was being animated as she spoke. Was this… the self she was hiding from everyone? Was she letting them see? Why? Was this a sign of trust?
"Stop me if I'm rambling," she said.
Don't betray that trust.
"What would I want to do that for?" they asked.
"So I don't annoy you."
"I want to hear what you have to say," they said. "I'll interject where I see fit."
She looked surprised and quickly turned to take the shrieking kettle off the burner. She carried the tea tray over and set it down. She fixed them both cups.
"You take two sugars in yours, right?" she asked. "Splash of milk?"
"That's right," they said, touched she remembered.
She handed them their mug.
"Oh and by the way, Diggory," she slouched back against the couch. "See? No stick."
She made a face and adjusted so she was sitting up a bit more properly.
They laughed and resisted the itch to put an arm around her.
"I think we have time for one more movie," she said, noting that it was barely eight o'clock. "Want to see what I packed?"
Her anxiety about it was like needles on Cedric's skin. Whatever she had, they refused to make fun of it. They'd literally bite their tongue if they had to. They nodded and she picked up a zippered case. Cedric saw them at the music store advertised to hold CDs in the car. They opened it to see each slot filled with DVDs.
She seemed to have organized them by genre. At the front were comedies like Legally Blonde, Miss Congeniality, Undercover Blues, and My Cousin Vinny. She had two pages dedicated to rom-coms, two of which were the movies they had just watched. She had a cluster of cartoons and a couple of documentaries. The rest were all horror, whether they were straight up thrillers or mixed with other genres like the Mummy with Brendan Frasier or Pirates of the Caribbean.
"You know, I've never seen the Exorcist," said Cedric. "I always meant to but, they wouldn't let me into the reshowing at the theater and after that I've just never been able to find a copy that didn't seem ridiculously overpriced. The library never had it nor did the video store."
Hermione gasped. "Oh, my God, you have to see it! It's such a quintessential horror film! You wouldn't believe all the references made to it."
"Yeah?"
"Yep, I've seen it about a hundred and sixty-seven times and it keeps getting funnier every time I watch it!"
It clicked. "Beetlejuice!"
"That's right," she said, beaming. "Good catch!"
"I watched it recently," they admitted. "That dress you were wearing put it in my head."
She smiled wanly and set the movie up. "I never should have worn that dress, it was a dumb idea."
"No it wasn't!"
If she hadn't worn it, Cedric never would have approached her. And yeah, perhaps the evening resulted in an argument, but they had hated seeing and feeling her despair. What was more, they were frustrated that she would only kiss them like that if she was drunk. Even so… Hermione seemed to be the girl they had been dreaming of finding their entire life. Someone who matched their energy and they could have long conversations with and laugh with and enjoy doing chores with.
And she didn't want them like that, did she?
Part of them wondered if she was Michael. It would make sense, wouldn't it?
"Hermione?"
"Hm?"
They hesitated. If she was and they called her out, she might get scared away. If she was Michael, then it would make sense why she left without waking them. If she wasn't, there'd be no consequence. Was the risk of asking worth it?
Just let them have a little longer. Don't chase her away over a one night stand.
"Just… do we have… ginger ale or something?" they asked.
"Stomach upset?" she asked sympathetically. "I did just feed you a bunch of fried foods and beans. The kombu I boiled the rice with should've prevented that, but perhaps I didn't use enough. One moment."
She went to the bedroom and they heard the bathroom cabinet open and close. She got them some water and handed them a little green pill.
"Try that," she said, popping a second one into her mouth. "If your stomach is still upset, I have ginger candy."
It was no big deal to her. She didn't even act like what they said was potentially embarrassing. They took the pill even though they felt fine. Hermione curled up next to them, reminding them of a cat. If that was her natural state, it made sense she would have to wear corsets all the time for her back.
Michael didn't wear a corset. She was much taller than Hermione anyway, they were sure.
And what were they doing comparing the two anyway?
Soon enough, the movie distracted them from their thoughts. Despite its tense and attention-grabbing nature, Hermione fell asleep halfway through. How she managed that, Cedric didn't know. They weren't complaining of course, she cuddled up to them with her head on their shoulder and her breath steadily brushing their collar. They put an arm around her and rested their cheek in her hair.
She woke up around the end and got up to brush her teeth. She returned and did little stretches for her knees while she watched the end, then put the DVD away.
"What'd you think?" she asked.
"Hm? Oh! It was brilliant," they said. "Thank you for sharing it with me."
"Of course. And you're welcome to borrow my movies anytime," she said.
"Or we could watch them together," they said.
She smiled and they felt warm.
"I'd like that." She set the case down on the table. "I'd better get to bed. I've got a nine a.m. train to Orbetello."
"Yeah, I'm going to want to sight see tomorrow," said Cedric. "Er, if I wanted to meet you in Saturnia…"
"I'll write down the name of the bed and breakfast I'm staying at," she said. "I intend to watch the sunrise at the hot springs, change back at my room, and then see how to get to a vineyard from there. I'll wait for you until nine in the morning."
That was fair.
Hermione went ahead and laid down while Cedric brushed and flossed. When they stepped out, they found she had reconstructed the pillow wall. They laid down and folded their hands over their stomach and stared at the ceiling while their eyes adjusted to the moonlight streaming in through the window. The pillow moved out of the way. They glanced over at Hermione, but were only able to see the dim outline of her face.
"I lost my papí," she said. "I barely remember him, he died when I was almost five. A few months later, Mother met Roger and we moved to England. I never held it against her, moving on so quickly. And Roger was kind. Paulina is the Daddy's Girl, but he was usually able to convince Mother to give on one topic or another where I was concerned. Like letting me read gothic horror or to stop pushing me to be a beauty queen like she was."
They furrowed their brow and wished they could see her face. This sounded like something she had locked away. It was difficult for her to talk about, they could tell.
"Do you remember him?" they asked.
"Some. I have a picture of him. Mostly, I remember his laugh. Tutu said I laugh like he did. He was from Hawaii, but he moved to D.R. for my mum. They met in university. He was a master chef for an international hotel chain. I was so picky when I was young. The textures, see. So he would sit me on the counter and make things for me to try until he found what I would eat."
He could picture that.
"Yeah?"
"His best friend's bao recipe was my favorite," she said. "After the war, I visited Hawaii once where he grew up. I met Nana and I met Amalea, his best friend. She made me the buns and I cried like you did."
"What else do you remember?"
"Papí used to sing to us. He'd hold Paulina's hand against his chest so she could feel the vibrations." She hummed a measure of a song. "And… when I got overstimulated, Mother would shout at me to calm down, but he just placed his hands over my ears and pressed his forehead to mine until I calmed down."
She sighed heavily. "And that's all. Mother never liked looking back and she felt as if it was a betrayal to Roger if we visited Papí's family, so we only went to Hawaii once for the funeral. All subsequent visits I took on my own. I send money to Nana so she doesn't have to move out of her home. Haole come in all the time to muscle out people who have lived there all their lives for their own slice of 'paradise.'"
Cedric found her hand and squeezed it gently.
"How did he die?"
"His insulin," she said. "It… it's used for diabetes. The factory that made his medication sent out a defective batch. I'm told they killed or nearly killed about a thousand people. There was a class-action lawsuit and they made a huge payout, but the people who approved the batch, who knew it was bad and sent it out anyway… nothing happened to them. No jobs lost, just a slap on the wrist. He used his insulin like he always did and he went into a coma and then he died. My sister and I were at dance class when it happened. We saw him in the hospital, he had all these tubes attached to him. I can see that clearly. And then alarms went off and we were pushed out."
"I'm sorry."
She moved closer and pressed her forehead into their shoulder. Cedric rolled onto their side and pulled her into a hug. She accepted it, burrowing closer and pushing her body pillow aside.
"Is it awful that I'm glad my last memories of him are that he loved me more than anything?" she asked. "I can pretend that he wouldn't have rejected me for being who I am."
"I know what you mean…" they murmured. "For what it's worth… if the person you've been presenting to me these past couple days is the real you, I think she's someone worth knowing."
Hermione didn't respond to that and Cedric realized she fell asleep. They kissed the top of her head, though she probably wouldn't have felt it through her bonnet if she were awake, and closed their eyes.
~o0o~
Cedric had danced around the idea of going to meet Hermione. They got a pair of swim trunks on sale at a store and then wondered if she really wanted them to meet her or if she was just being polite. Then they realized she never offered anything she wasn't willing to follow through on.
Which was how they ended up in Saturnia at six in the morning. It was nearly freezing outside. They went to the place she was staying at first, but either she wasn't there or the lady at the front desk lied thinking he was a stalker.
Which… fair enough.
So they went to the hot spring instead. It was still dark, though the sky was lightening to grey. They walked down a dirt, wooded path to a big, stone building. They heard and smelled the falls before they even saw them. It wasn't that bad. The Potion Dungeon always smelled worse.
The pools were huge. Cedric was glad they brought their camera. They noticed a bag sitting on the shore and recognized it as Hermione's. She was here!
They couldn't see her yet, but still they stripped down to their swim shorts and set everything aside. It was freezing. They left their camera around their neck, but cast a bubble charm around it not really trusting the waterproofing charm to protect it from a full submerging.
"Hermione?" Their voice was drowned out in the roar.
They quickly got into the water and shuddered as their body adjusted to the temperature change. They searched the pools and then felt a jolt of fear. She'd been feeling dizzy lately, did she faint and hit her head? Was she kidnapped?
A white-blue bauble of light appeared and bounced around in front of them. They followed it up to the pool closest to the gushing waterfall. In the steamy mist, they finally recognized Hermione and they sighed in relief.
"Glad I found you!" they shouted.
She let the bauble hover over them. Her hair was piled into a bun on top of her head.
"Did you find this place alright?" she signed.
Michael…
Cedric bit their tongue and nodded. Halloween didn't matter. What did matter is if she wanted them around now. If she was happy to see them now. If they had a chance to really fall in love instead of a couple bad choices and an over-excitement of finding someone they matched with.
"How was the S-P-A?" they asked, spelling out the word since they didn't know the sign for it.
She kissed the back of her fist and pushed it out. She loved it. She turned off the light so they could just experience the springs and dawn.
They smiled and settled back, relishing in the warmth and the fall beating down on their neck to work out a bit of the tension.
The sun rose, turning the sky soft shades of pink. It was a beautiful view. Cedric glanced over at Hermione. The sun was already catching her hair. It almost looked like blue flames. She noticed them looking and tipped her head.
They held up their camera as a question and she nodded, giving permission. They didn't take too many, just enough so they'd remember this moment even when they were old.
When a couple more people brave enough to strip down in the cold weather showed up, Hermione decided it was time to go.
They duck walked in the pools until they couldn't anymore. Hermione took a deep breath and stood up first. Cedric tried not to gawk. It was just a black one-piece, yet everything she did or wore just seemed sexy to them these days. It must've been the rose tint. Well, they weren't going to let it drive them into making her feel uncomfortable for just existing.
Cedric climbed out next and grabbed their towel. They chanced another look to see her staring. Her cheeks flushed slightly and she turned around.
Was she checking them out? That thought was enough to make them feel like an overconfident teenager again. Like when they were training for Quidditch and girls would gather to watch them work out and giggle over them.
Hermione subtly cast a few drying and warming charms.
"Let's go change back at the hotel," she said, leading the way.
Cedric wrapped up in their towel and kept the warming charms cast as they walked.
Back at her room, they took turns using the shower and getting dressed for the day.
Get a grip, Ced, they thought. You may be in love, but she's probably just interested in friendship. You can't crush someone with your feelings.
They had to play it cool. Test the waters. If she wasn't interested, it could be disastrous.
"I was hoping you'd join," said Hermione. "I went ahead and bought you a ticket for the tour just in case you showed up. It's got wine-tasting, olive oil, and cheese! I don't think there will be a lot of people on the tour, probably not much to see in the winter, but the tickets were on sale."
She was hoping they'd come.
"It sounds great," they said.
As it turned out there were only ten others taking the tour. It was an all day thing, but Cedric didn't care if it was going to be boring or not.
"How did your sightseeing go yesterday?" she asked.
"Well, you were right about the Sistine Chapel," they said. "Absolutely beautiful, but a gross display of wealth and corruption. Worth seeing once in my opinion."
They talked about their day and she listened.
"What about you?"
"I definitely needed the massage," she said. "My knots had knots and then I got this seaweed wrap and a salt scrub. Feel my skin!"
They rubbed the inside of her arm.
"Smooth," they said.
"Right? I usually try to keep moisturized, because I don't want ashy elbows or knees, but sometimes you just need to have someone scrape away the dead stuff."
The tour guide stepped onto the bus.
"Bonjourno! How is everyone feeling today?"
Hermione folded her hands in her lap and listened intently to the tour. She would occasionally take out her journal to write some notes in it. She twitched when some of the studs on Cedric's jacket poked her arm for the fifth time.
"Heaven's sake," she muttered, and moved their arm so it was around her.
They felt their face flush.
The tour guide circled around to everyone and finally stopped on them.
"And what about you two?" he asked. "Honeymoon trip? Anniversary?"
"Er…"
"Just a holiday," said Hermione.
"How long have you been together?"
"Er…" Cedric glanced at her.
Nobody would believe they were just friends. The complicated relationship Cedric and Hermione had were not any of their business. It wasn't like they'd ever see any of these people again, they could completely lie about it with no consequences.
"Seven years," said Hermione. "We work at the same newspaper."
"That's right," said Cedric. "They're making updates to the system and we just thought, what better way to spend our time off than a holiday?"
"And Italy was easier to book on such short notice," said Hermione. "We have to be out of the house anyway while they're updating the plumbing and the boiler."
Despite being the dead of winter, it was easy to see the leftover summer beauty of the Italian Countryside. Though, Cedric often felt that farmland looked the same no matter where you went. Still, it was neat to see how the wine and olive oil were made. Production wasn't at its peak, but there was still something slightly different in the bottles here than the ones purchased at the market.
"You know, if I had to pick between meat or cheese, I would have to go with cheese," said Hermione. "Can't go wrong with a good cheese."
"Ah, is that the way to your heart?" Cedric teased. "A good cheese?"
"Sure is. If you had brought me a cheese tray at any point, I would have kissed you square on the mouth."
"Promise?"
"Here is a selection of Chianti," said the vineyard employee.
Cedric made a slurping noise. Hermione threw her head back and laughed. She had the greatest laugh.
Everyone around them started pretending they knew how a wine tasting worked. Hermione gave Cedric a look that said, "Watch this!"
She made a big show of smelling the wine, swirling it around the glass, then she held the lip to her ear and flicked the glass with her nail. She made a confirming nod.
Two other couples saw this and did the exact same thing.
Cedric turned away so they couldn't see them cracking up. Hermione grinned and sipped the wine. She didn't really have more than a couple sips except for a rosé she really enjoyed.
"I'll buy a couple bottles," she said. "Definitely want some of that cheese and olive oil. Though I doubt I'll be able to really go grocery shopping until I get that house cleaned."
"Why not just pay to have it professionally done?" Cedric asked. "I mean, aren't you always saying; 'If they offer it as a service why not pay for it?'"
"Sure and I'm certain that I will have it professionally done after the renovations," she conceded. "But it's a good way to explore the house. They've definitely had magic users there, so aside from making sure I'm not going to get electrocuted or lose my stuff in a flood, I want to clean it myself."
"Fair enough. Let me know if you need a helping hand," they said. "Mum hated cleaning with magic, so I know my way around a broom and feather duster."
"Magic doesn't keep it permanently clean anyway," said Hermione. She smiled. She had a beautiful smile. They would never grow tired of that true smile. "I'd appreciate the help."
"Just give me a ring," they said. "Er, on the phone."
"I knew what you meant. I'm Muggle-Born."
The bus took them back to where they started. Hermione and Cedric found a private area.
"See you back home?" she asked.
Cedric nodded.
They both appeared back in the flat. Hermione stumbled and pressed her hand to her mouth. Cedric hovered their hands over her.
"Are you alright?" they asked, feeling anxious.
She nodded and put her shopping bag away.
"So… what would you like for dinner?" she asked. "We could eat out somewhere or bring something back here."
"There's a place on the corner that sounds pretty good," said Cedric. "Want to check it out?"
"I'd love to."
Dinner was excellent and the pair walked around, taking in the city and talking about the things they wanted to do while they were there.
Cedric had plenty of time to think. It would be better to clear the air sooner than later. Better to get anything else out of the way before one of them ended up hurt. They knew they could get along now, so even if a romantic relationship wasn't in the cards, Cedric wanted to be Hermione's friend. They wanted to keep hanging out with her.
"A band!" she said, touching their arm and trotting over towards the sound of the music.
A band played in the middle of a plaza to passersby. An accordion, a guitar, a violin, and a mix of percussion instruments. Hermione dug money out of her wallet and tossed it into the open guitar case. The accordion player tipped his hat to her and the band kept playing that romantic, almost haunting, melody.
Hermione delicately lifted the hem of her skirt out of the way of her feet and began to dance. She didn't care how it would look, she didn't care who was watching. This was a glimpse of the person she would be if the world hadn't made her so scared.
Even from a little ways away, Cedric could sense how the music affected her. She was a beautiful dancer. She didn't think about her next step, it just came to her. They started to raise their camera for a picture.
No…
This was something to experience in the moment.
As the guitar player began to sing, Cedric closed the distance and took Hermione's hand. She paused only a moment, gauging if she should stop or not. When they began to dance with her, she broke into a smile so dazzling they almost tripped over their own feet.
Was it really that simple with her? Sharing an interest, sharing good food, and sharing a dance? They hadn't really done all that much today and yet she radiated contented happiness. Cedric lifted her off her feet and spun them around.
She tipped her head back and laughed.
The song trailed into the next one and they set her down. As they stepped away, Cedric realized a red flower had appeared in their clasped hands. Hermione looked at it curiously.
"Never had that happen before," they said and offered the simple carnation to her.
She accepted it, deeply breathing in its scent. Her eyes sparkled—how did she get them to do that?—and a shy grin graced her lips.
"It's getting late," they murmured. "Shall we head back?"
"Okay." She nodded at the band and hooked her arm with Cedric's.
Once back at the hotel, Hermione put together tea for both of them. She hummed to herself. It was the same song the band played.
"Mimi? I mean—Hermione!"
"You can call me Mimi," she said.
"Okay, Mimi. Erm…"
They couldn't… if she wanted to tell them, she would, but why bring it up? Like they told themselves before, Halloween didn't matter, today did. If she could love them…
No. Take it slow.
"Ced?"
"Just… I'm having a lot of fun," they said. "With you."
She smiled. "Yeah, I am, too. Do you want to merge our itineraries?"
"I'd like that," they said.
Hermione sat on the couch and brought out the maps and tickets and everything. Cedric finished fixing their tea and sat next to her. Without much thought, they scooted closer so their thighs were touching.
It would have been easy to just decide to spend some time apart to do the things they wanted, but instead they compromised, giving up something for the other person.
"And we're going to Verona tomorrow," she said. "After the initial train ride, we can just apparate. And we have the opera in Venice on New Year's Eve. But I was thinking we could stop by Burano before then. Lily-Gin and Victoire begged me to buy them lace parasols like mine."
"Oh they'll love that," said Cedric. "We should probably just pack our formalwear and find a place to change there so you don't have to apparate too much."
"Good idea," she said. "It's black tie and I think they're having a little cocktail thing at midnight."
"They are," Cedric confirmed. "I thought it sounded fun and fancy. I never get a chance to be fancy."
"Well, I'll have fun if you're there," she said, bumping her head against their shoulder.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." She downed the rest of her tea and organized everything.
"I'm going to stay up for a little bit," Cedric announced. "Watch some TV."
"I think I'll read in bed," she said and kissed their cheek. She froze and blushed most charmingly. "I—Sorry. I wasn't thinking."
Their cheek was still tingling.
"I… well…" they cleared their throat. Honestly, they were acting like when they were fifteen and Cho Chang kissed their cheek under the mistletoe! "You know the saying. What happens in Rome never sleeps."
She raised an eyebrow and snorted.
"The saying is; 'What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,'" she said. "Are you saying we should act on our instincts while we're here and choose to think our actions more carefully when we're back home?"
"Er… yes, but less eloquently. More like an implication."
"That you want to sleep with me?"
Cedric avoided eye contact. "I don't feel like there's a right answer to that question. But, you know, we can set boundaries. We're both rational, consenting adults."
"Yeah," she said. "What are your boundaries?"
"Non-existent."
"I appreciate your honesty," she said. "So, there doesn't have to be any commitment. When we get back, we'll need to remain professional at work, at least until Mr. Amorian retires and you're named editor."
"I haven't—"
"It's a given." She waved her hand.
"But we don't have to," they said. "I don't want to pressure you into anything."
She raised an eyebrow. "Do you honestly think anyone has been able to pressure me into anything since I was twelve?"
Fair point.
Hermione ran her nails through their hair then walked away. Cedric exhaled slowly. Okay, so she didn't want commitment. That was okay. It was fine. She probably just wanted to find out their feelings for her so she knew how high to construct the pillow wall.
"Cedric?"
"Yeah?"
She poked her head out of the bedroom. "Are you coming?"
"Huh?"
She winced. "Did I talk you out of it?"
Oh!
"Not at all," they said, standing up. "Just… didn't hear explicit consent so…"
"Oh! My bad," she said. "Yes, I consent—"
She shrieked and laughed as they hoisted her over their shoulder and carried her to bed.