Shipping C1 -Dinner & A Show
Spring D1 - Fish
Stacked With: FPC; BAON; ToS; 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); Bi Bi Bi (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 (Nontraditional; Teat Juice; Ladylike; Not a Lamp); Chorus (Machismo; Fizzy Lemonade; Odd Feathers; Wabi Sabi)
Tertiary & Generic: T3 (Thimble); SN (Ameliorate); Cabaret (Once)
Warnings: Sex; Swearing; Discussions of Past Abuse
Word Count: 5520
~o0o~
Was she stupid or desperate? Probably a mixture of both. She wanted to be held, to be kissed until she couldn't breathe. Hermione knew she wouldn't be happy as friends with benefits or even just a holiday fling, but she had set that line anyway. Perhaps it was easier. Easier to pretend. It wasn't fair to Cedric, it almost felt like tricking them, but once they started kissing her she didn't want to back out. It was okay. They agreed to this. To deal with the tension. Once they were back in England, she would compartmentalize.
They were being careful. Her birth control, plus a protection charm.
It was fine… it was…
Hermione gasped noisily. She pressed her lips to the crook of Cedric's neck and clung to them.
Hold me tighter, she thought. Make me feel wanted.
They tensed as one and relaxed, panting heavily. Hermione closed her eyes as she felt Cedric's lips brush her shoulder.
Pity they were only friends.
"What time are we leaving for Verona?" they asked.
She glanced at the clock. "Eight, but I have an alarm that's going to go off shortly."
"No point in going back to sleep then," they said and got up.
"So that's it?" said Hermione. "Seven or eight quick ones and you're off to tell your friends?"
They grinned at her Young Frankenstein reference and winked at her as they entered the bathroom. She heard the shower switch on. Dropping her head back into her pillow, she stared up at the ceiling. She didn't regret it, but she just knew she was setting herself up to be hurt again.
She must've dozed off. Her alarm startled her and Cedric was beside her when she didn't recall them coming back.
"If you need a couple more minutes, I'll make sure you're up in time," they said.
Hermione yawned and stretched.
"No, I'd better get up," she said. "We'll just grab an espresso or five with breakfast."
They chuckled. "Sounds good."
They were in Verona by lunchtime and had explored a bit of the city, including Juliet's House, which Hermione was excited about. She grew up on Shakespeare.
"Hey, go up on Juliet's balcony," said Cedric.
"Alright, but if you think I'm dead, wait for the coroner's report before stabbing yourself," she said.
They chuckled. "You've got a deal."
Hermione gathered up her skirt and hurried inside to pay the fee. There was no line. It had been raining hard all morning up until a couple minutes ago, so people were likely still hiding away in museums and restaurants.
Hermione sprawled dramatically against the balcony.
"Romeo, Romeo, where the fuck are you Romeo!"
Cedric laughed loudly. The attendant for the balcony giggled behind her.
"Wherefore art thou means 'why,'" Cedric corrected. "She's asking why he must be a Montague."
"Gotcha." She cleared her throat. "Romeo, Romeo, why the fuck are you Romeo? The first guy I want to smush with and you have to be the spawn of my father's enemy?"
"That mouth! Have you always sworn like a sailor?"
"Only for comedic purposes," she replied. "Do you have a response?"
"Oh, right." They cleared their throat and sang like a corny 80s ballad. "But soft what light through yonder window breaks? Thank you. It is the east and Juliet is the sun! Arise fair sun and kill the envious moon!" They flipped their hair. "Oh! The moon!"
They ended the monologue on a high, lingering note.
Hermione giggled like a schoolboy and clapped.
"Bravo, bravo, bravissimo!" she called.
"Sorry, time's up," said the attendant.
"Time's up!" Hermione relayed.
"Just two more," said Cedric, raising their camera. "Make it count."
She thought a moment and made a "serious" pose on the first one, hand on her chest and arm outstretched as if she were questioning everything she understood about love. On the second, she rested her arms on the rail and smiled down at the person she was in love with.
Cedric snapped the photo and lowered their camera, grinning up at her. They were the sun and she was the envious moon. She went inside and hurried back down to the ground level. They met her inside so she could buy a postcard from the gift shop.
"Okay, we did the thing I wanted to do most," she said, tucking her souvenir away. "Your turn."
"Shopping!" they said, clapping their hands.
They had gone with the brown leather jacket today rather than their black decorated one. Hermione looped her arm with theirs and rested her cheek against their shoulder.
The rain cleared entirely and the sun decided to show its face. Hermione exchanged her umbrella for a parasol and put on her sunglasses.
Cedric chuckled.
"What?" she demanded.
"Nothing, just… vampires don't hate the sun as much as you do," they said.
"Yes, cause it's awful," she said. "I get a maximum amount of thirty minutes a day."
They chuckled again, but it didn't sound mean, so she didn't get upset about it.
"So," they said, "is Romeo & Juliet your favorite Shakespeare play?"
"No, I'd have to say my favorite is Hamlet," she said. "But my sister and I were named after two characters in A Winter's Tale. Mother and Papá met at a production of the play. My sister's name is Paulina. She doesn't have magic, but she can see what Muggles can't."
"Mm. A squib," said Cedric. "If she has children they'll probably be magic. Are you… anything like your sister?"
"Not really," said Hermione. "She's everything I'm not."
"What does she do?"
"She's a computer engineer," said Hermione. "Hardware and software. We email a lot but I haven't seen her in a few years."
"Why not?"
"Mm… life? She lives in California and international portkeys are so expensive at that distance. As expensive as plane tickets. Still, I love her to bits. She took my side when—"
She stopped herself.
"When…?" Cedric pressed.
"Not here," she said. "I'll tell you tonight."
They let it go. Hermione pushed all thoughts from her mind as they reached Via Mazzini. Cedric was a really fun shopping partner. Most of Hermione's clothes were couture courtesy of her cousin, which she told Cedric.
"Is she some super famous designer?" asked Cedric.
"Yes, actually," said Hermione, scanning the shops. "Here."
She grabbed their hand and tugged them into one of the shops. She scanned the big names and brought them over to a section near the back. She stood next to the mannequin and posed.
"Look familiar?" she asked.
They were both wearing the same lace blouse, though the model wore yellow while Hermione wore white. There was also a difference with the buttons, Hermione's were pearlescent while the mannequin's had satin buttons the same shade of yellow as the shirt.
"Oh!" Cedric gasped and started browsing the racks. "Wow, so she designs gothic inspired outfits?"
"When the mood suits her," she said. "When we were young and visited Santo Domingo every New Years, she would take the things she sewed and put on a fashion show. I was the only cousin who would be her model and she sends me pieces to this day. You know, I bet if I asked nicely, she'd let you interview her for your fashion column."
"Yeah?" they said. "I would love that."
"I'll send her a letter. Anyway, most of my clothes come from her. The rest are from vintage shops and boutiques. She does a lot of high-end things, but she also has lines at more affordable shops. Mostly, she deals in plus-size fashion."
"She's got taste," said Cedric, taking down a skirt and turning toward a mirror. It was a black miniskirt with a floor-length chiffon overlay.
"That would look amazing on you," said Hermione. "Hold on, let me…"
She scanned the racks and found the lace blouse similar to her own except it was a delicate shade of pink.
"Try this on," she said, pushing them towards the changing room.
She waited outside while they changed.
"Should I leave my boots on?" they asked. "It seems a bit off, I think I oughta wear hose with it."
"Let me be the judge of that," said Hermione. "I want to see you!"
The door opened and Cedric stepped out. They looked utterly enchanting. The skirt really made their legs look long and she could imagine how well they would look in hose and heeled boots, though it also looked good with their rose embroidered Docs.
"I look ridiculous, don't I?" they said self-consciously.
Hermione stomped her foot on the ground like Thumper the Rabbit.
"AWOOGA!" she said loudly, startling a few shoppers.
Cedric threw their head back and laughed.
"So you're saying I should buy it?" they asked.
"Yes, absolutely," she said. "But if the price makes you flinch, I'll buy it for you. We'll call it a late birthday gift."
"Oh, there's no price tag," they said. "I imagine if you have to ask, you can't afford it. Luckily, I was prepared to buy at least one ridiculously priced outfit. And this is so comfy and it fits so well."
Hermione waved them close and dropped her voice.
"Magic is woven in the textiles," she said. "So when you get your closest size, it automatically shapes to fit well."
"No way!"
"Yeah, she's amazing with textiles," said Hermione.
Cedric ducked back into the changing room. They stepped back out, the outfit back on the hangers.
After making their purchase, the pair continued flitting in and out of shops, mostly making fun of what was deemed to be high fashion or things that were ridiculously overpriced and just talking about everything and nothing.
Then they wandered the museums and churches, talking about everything and nothing.
And they ate dinner and got gelato while talking about everything and nothing.
Cedric was insistent on taking lots of pictures, which Hermione indulged. She usually liked to live the moment for what it was, but that was because she was terrible at taking pictures.
"Okay," said Cedric. "So you've been secretly dating people for twelve years and haven't told your best friends in the whole world about it?"
"Well when you put it like that it sounds awful," said Hermione.
"No, just, trying to wrap my head around why," they said. "Who all have you dated?"
"Oh, you want my history now?" she said, slightly defensive. "You first."
"Fair enough. Well, Cho was my first girlfriend, but we broke up a few months after the tournament," they said. "I had dates here and there, but for a few years I had a chip on my shoulder and subsequently there was always some sort of turn-off. I'm still called 'the Failed Champion' by wixen and with Muggles you have to lie about a part of yourself, which never sat well with me. But I've had casual relationships with men and women."
"I don't think I've ever done anything casual in my life," said Hermione. "I can name every person I ever dated."
"Really?"
"Yes. Viktor, Ron, Charlene, Carla, Chadwick, Chaka, and Cho-Hee," she rattled off. "And most of them dumped me to be with someone else. Like immediately, they had someone lined up."
Cedric gave her a look. "That is… really sad."
"I sure know how to pick them, right?" she said drily. "In all fairness, Ron just happened to start seeing Mandy shortly after we broke up. Cho-Hee…" She sighed heavily. "I was going to tell her about magic. I was making plans to propose to her. You know, two years being in a relationship, I wanted to introduce her to everyone. And… she broke up with me shortly after I took her to meet my family. That wasn't the cause, but it didn't help."
She fidgeted and decided to keep going.
"She asked me to move in with her, but I hesitated because then she might figure out the magic thing. And that caused some friction. And things just fell apart from there. She accused me of being embarrassed of her. Of using presents to placate her when I avoided talking about myself. And she accused me of cheating on her when she caught me in a lie about where I worked. A big chunk of our fall out is on me. At the family reunion, I got into a huge fight with my parents."
Her voice trembled. She never talked about this with anyone. Paulina and Esperanza just said they'd be there if she wanted to talk about it, but she never did. She stepped off to the side and faced the wall to collect herself.
Cedric wrapped their arms around her and held her tight.
"If it hurts you, we don't have to talk about it right now," they said. "Listen, Milan is really close, why don't we pop over there and hit a couple night clubs? Go dancing? Sound fun?"
"Yeah, it does."
Cedric kissed her cheek and she felt a little better.
~o0o~
"Have I mentioned how much I love your tattoos?" Hermione asked, tracing the designs on Cedric's chest.
"Perhaps once or twice," they said, absently stroking her shoulder with their thumb. "I like yours, too."
"Mother went ballistic when Paulina and I got our first ones," she said, propping herself up. "It's against our religion to tattoo the body, but you know sometimes I also eat shrimp. In fairness, a lot of those old rules were to protect you. Shellfish and pork can make you sick really easily and tattoos can get infected. The mixing two fabrics thing was more common sense. If you weave linen with wool, you have a stiff, impractical garment that's impossible to wash properly."
Cedric ran their thumb across her bottom lip. Oh, she was rambling, wasn't she?
"What was your first tattoo?" they asked.
She raised her arm. On her forearm was a thin crescent moon and a star.
"My sister has a similar one except hers is the sun and a cloud," she said. "Opposite placement of mine so we mirror each other."
Cedric stroked it, then touched the scar near it.
Mudblood.
"I've wanted to cover it," she said. "But you can't tattoo scar tissue."
"Bellatrix Lestrange left this, didn't she?"
"Yes. And another on my neck. I think she came very close to killing me."
Cedric kissed the words, then rolled her over to kiss her neck. She inhaled softly and embraced them, pressing her cheek into their hair.
"What flowers are these?" they asked, kissing her shoulder. "Forget-me-nots?"
"Yes, I got them five years ago," she said. "All of my tattoos have significance to me. The Little Prince tattoo is for my Papá. He used to read the story to me all the time. It was my favorite. One time, when I was about eight, some kids at school were bullying me really bad and they ripped up my copy. I was so upset. Dad—Roger, not Manuia—consoled me and he took me to see a stage performance at the park."
"That was nice of him."
"Yes. He really tried when I was younger, that's why I feel comfortable calling him my Dad. Anyway, this tattoo on my shoulder… The last time I saw Abuela, she squeezed my shoulder and said I would never be forgotten. See… I erased myself from my family's minds during the war. Sent them away. I worried Voldemort would go after them."
"That sounds reasonable," said Cedric.
"And I returned their memories after the war ended," she said. "My parents stayed in Australia. But…" It was still so hard to talk about. "I think… I think if I were just two of these things she would deal, but Mother hates that I am goth and queer and a witch. If I just had two out of three, I think she would manage. When I brought Cho-Hee… and made it clear that she was my girlfriend, Mother said, 'You should have stayed forgotten.' And Dad just… said nothing. Didn't defend me, didn't agree… he just stood there."
It had hurt so much and yet it confirmed all her fears she had growing up. That her parents' love had conditions.
Cedric sat up and looked at her. "So that's what you meant that day…"
She nodded and sighed heavily. "Others have it worse. They weren't anywhere close to being like Harry's relatives. And sure, I think they went the wrong way about my autism and other things, but their hearts were in the right place. The world wouldn't change for me, so I had to change."
"I don't think that makes it okay," said Cedric. Their hair brushed her cheek and ear. "I don't think it worked, all it did was make you neurotic."
"It wasn't until I was about fifteen that they started ignoring me and excluding me," she said and furrowed her brow. "I don't know what I was doing wrong then, but if my own family doesn't like who I am…"
"Hey, hey, none of it is your fault," said Cedric, cupping her cheek. "Not a bloody thing is your fault and it's on them for making you feel that way."
"Still, Ron broke up with me because I scared him with the goth stuff…" she stressed. "I'm better off hiding pieces of myself. If the family I have with Harry, Ron, Luna, Ginny, and others reject me because of who I really am… I don't think I could survive it."
"I don't think they will," said Cedric. "Maybe Ron freaked out a bit at first, but they all love you."
"Can I really risk that?" she asked.
"Mimi, I've spent the past week seeing the real you," said Cedric, pressing their forehead to hers. "I think you're someone worth knowing and that you should trust your family wants to know you too."
She sighed softly. "I don't know…"
"I'll be in your corner," they said. "I promise. On the off chance they get weird about it, I'll take your side."
No one has ever taken her side. She did what she had always done and assumed the worst.
"You're just saying that because I'm sleeping with you."
"Well, it helps," they teased, running a hand up her thigh.
She huffed in amusement and shook her head.
"Really though, I've been in your corner a long time," they said. "Even when we were at each other's throats, I still supported and admired you. And, I don't want to go back to how we used to be."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. I mean, I'll respect your wishes and maintain a professional relationship at work, but I want us to hang out," they said. "Be friends."
Friends.
"I know," she said. "I do, too."
The fan kicked on, sending a blast of cold air into the room despite being set for heat. Hermione shivered slightly.
"I know dawn is in a few hours," she said, walking her fingers up their chest. "But why don't we warm up?"
"Skeeter was right about you," said Cedric. "Temptress! You're just doing this so we can stop talking about your feelings."
"Is it working?" she asked, running her foot up their calf.
"Yes, but I have tons more probing, personal questions to ask you."
"Fine." She cupped their cheeks and kissed them. "Just ask me tomorrow."
"Deal."
They kissed down her sternum and stomach, making her giggle. She bit her lip and looked up at the ceiling. She could pretend they could be more. She had a little longer before she had to face reality.
She closed her eyes, relishing in their gentle touch.
~o0o~
Hermione hummed the song "Pretty Woman" to herself as she finished readying for the evening out. The Opera House was in Venice and Cedric had invited her out to dinner before the show. She wrapped her hair up with an elegant triple twist, keeping with a black, purple, and gold color scheme and securing it with a pearl and cubic zirconia pin.
She stood up and smoothed her dress. She had been excited to wear this dress out when Esperanza sent it. It was modest, but still made her feel sexy when she was wearing it. The base was a deep, plum color with a black lace overlay; the lace created an illusion neckline and the sleeves were long, covering the backs of her hands and remaining fast with a loop she slid over her middle fingers. She particularly loved how the skirt danced around her as she walked.
It was funny, she hated lace as a child yet adored it as an adult.
"Ready to go?" she called out to Cedric.
"Just finished putting my shoes on!" they called back.
She looked at herself in the mirror and turned around, checking that everything was properly done in the back. Yeah, she looked good.
Stepping out into the living room, Cedric stood up from the couch. Her breath left her. They looked absolutely dashing in their tuxedo. The shade of purple nearly looked black unless the light caught the beautiful jacquard designs just right. They had a jewel tone pocket square and she noticed they had their pocket watch. It must've been a common gift when wizards came of age. They had done their makeup subtle enough to make people wonder if they really were wearing any and their hair was left loose but had clearly been styled.
"Wow," they breathed. "You look stunning."
She smiled and twirled around so they could get the full effect of the dress.
"My cousin designed it," she said. "You look gorgeous."
They preened and tugged on their jacket.
"Thank you."
Hermione put on the fur coat she got from Grandmother, Roger's mother. She had enough furs to compete with Cruella de Vil, so all the cousins got their pick. Hermione had three fur coats.
"Is that real fur?" Cedric asked.
"Yes."
"Huh. I had you pegged as the fur is murder type."
She huffed a laugh. "Actually I think ethically sourced or recycled fur and leather is better for the environment than faux fur and leather, which are just plastic and don't last nearly as long. This coat is seventy years old."
"Really? It looks like new. What type is it?"
"Otter fur, durable and warm. I had Esperanza use a permanent charm to make it black." She snuggled up in it. "So, what's this restaurant you've got in mind for dinner?"
They smiled and offered their arm. They apparated together, but she made sure to let them lead. They stepped out along the canal and walked briskly.
Cedric led the way to a place that was obviously fine dining just by looking at it.
"Reservation under Diggory," they said to the host.
The man looked at the chart and nodded. "This way. Would you like to check in your coats?"
"Please."
At their table, Cedric pulled out Hermione's chair for her. They both accepted their menus.
"You know this place is fancy," said Hermione. "They only have a price on the steak dishes."
"Order whatever you wish," said Cedric. "My treat."
"Are you sure?"
"Positive. I wouldn't offer if I didn't want to."
"Alright," she said and studied the menu. "Well, we have to get a dessert."
"Or two," they agreed.
After placing their order and getting their drinks, Hermione scooted her chair a bit closer and rested her chin on top of her clasped hands. This almost felt like a date.
"So, why did you decide to go into journalism?" she asked. "You are an excellent writer, but I always thought you'd be a Quidditch Player or something. Perhaps a model. But you quit Quidditch."
"I didn't know you were so invested in my life," they teased.
"Not obsessed, just observant," she said.
They shrugged. "Well, when I was young one of the ways my mum would have me practice languages is by writing short stories. And I would compile them all in a little book and sometimes I would add drawings and things to make it interesting."
How adorable.
"Anyway, my original plan was to go into Quidditch because it's what would make my dad happy and I felt if I had to do what he wanted I might as well enjoy it, but in that Graveyard…" They shivered and looked down into their Aperol spritz. "I'm nearly blind in my left eye. It made it really hard to do Quidditch, so I quit before anyone had anymore fodder against me."
"I didn't know that," she said.
"Yeah and I suppose the scar wouldn't really get me a modeling career."
Frankly, she hardly thought about the scar. She doubted she would even think to include it when asked to give a description of him. It split his eyebrow and ran over the bridge of his nose and a bit of his right cheek. When he and Harry came back from the Portkey, his face was covered in so much blood there had been a rumor that it was torn clean off.
"What, a little scratch and suddenly you aren't the most handsome man in the room?" she scoffed.
They chuckled, then sobered.
"I tried to fight," they said, "and got thrown against a headstone. Pettigrew thought I was dead, but I just laid still until Harry got to me and summoned the Portkey. A bit cowardly isn't it?"
"No," she said firmly. "If you tried to get back into the fight, they would have made sure you were dead. And a real coward would have abandoned Harry and taken the Portkey for themselves. And if you had died, then you wouldn't have been there to save Fred from that wall, or Collin from that curse, and Greyback surely would have killed Lavender."
She reached across the table and took their hand.
"I think you did the wisest thing to do when faced with mass murderers."
They squeezed her hand gently. "Thanks. Well, after we sold the farm, I decided to use the money to further my education. Hogwarts has a way to transfer credits to match up to A-Levels, so I did that and used my half of the money to pay for university. So, I double-majored in journalism and fashion merchandising. I really didn't want to be in the house, so I fulfilled a lot of credits, but see, I just kept taking courses that I found interesting and then I talked with my advisor about my major. During the war, I helped where I could. I wasn't exactly on anyone's list either as an asset or a threat, so I helped Uncle Phil at the Quibbler in between classes. Dumped propaganda pamphlets where I could. Hung around in magical pubs to collect info for the Order."
Hermione nodded. "I went to uni as well. I did at home study for my N.E.W.T.s and completed University in three years. Kingsley paid my way, actually."
"What made you decide to be a journalist?" asked Cedric. "Knowing you, I would've thought you'd be a lawyer."
"That was initially my path," she said. "But then I realized, we can't push permanent change until we change public perception. People didn't disagree with Voldemort on his ideas about Muggles or Magical Beings, they just disagreed with his methods. If he had used his former good looks and charisma to become a politician, he would have removed what little rights there were for minorities right out from everyone's noses. So, we talked about it and decided the best way to change minds was to basically tell them what to think."
It was weird admitting the conversation she and Kingsley had ten years ago out loud.
"Well, aside from at home, the media is the place people learn biases," said Cedric.
She nodded. "So, I got my major in journalism and a minor in political science. And then I was placed in Social Watch with Ask Sophie being my side column. I don't know why there's a sudden attitude change. Maybe because I won't sleep with Cormac? And if that is the case, then what am I doing at a job that exploits its workers?"
"Maybe they feel threatened by you," said Cedric. "You're changing things and that scares them, so they try to create a place to put you where you can't make waves."
"Maybe."
The waiter came by with their appetizers.
"Huh!" said Cedric. "If I had known the risotto was goth I might have ordered it."
Hermione chuckled softly and stirred her risotto al nero.
"Things have changed," she said. "Whenever I publish an article calling for equal treatment of werewolves or vampires, I no longer get death threats."
"You got what?!"
"Don't worry about it, I don't get them anymore," she said. "Mr. McLaggen is an asshole, but he was outwardly against Voldemort. I just… I think he's interested in keeping things stagnant rather than making sure these things can't happen again. We've done all we could to make a better society with the Right to Conquest, but unless people change their minds, we'll be in the same boat in fifty years and all the laws we put into place will be overturned."
"Yeah, fair enough," Cedric sighed. "And look, I'm in your corner no matter what."
She smiled and brushed her ankle against theirs.
"Let's talk about nicer things," said Cedric.
"Agreed."
The fish for their main course was excellent and they shared a single dessert. Then ordered a second dessert and split that, too. When the check was brought, Cedric paid.
They furrowed their brow as they looked at the receipt. "Do you tip here?"
"The waiter has to deal with us," she said. "There's no line for a tip, but we can leave a few euros cash."
"That's what I thought."
They walked to the opera house. Hermione had double-checked that she had the tickets in her clutch before leaving the restaurant.
"You know," she said. "I'm glad I'm not alone here. I mean, I'm sure I would have had a nice time, but…"
"I know what you mean," they agreed. "I've never had this much fun with anyone."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah. Fun and… fun." They waggled their eyebrows suggestively.
Hermione rolled her eyes and smacked their arm.
"I haven't had this much fun with anyone since Cho-Hee," she said, trying not to sound wistful. "Sorry, I shouldn't compare just… I thought she was the one and things ended so badly."
"I understand," they said. "Am I at least a good second?"
"You aren't a replacement," she said.
They would never replace anyone. They were a new chapter in her life, not a rewrite of an old one. Oof, if she said that out loud they'd probably laugh.
Soon they arrived at the opera house and handed over their tickets. They had gotten box seats. Not because they were better, but because Hermione liked the seclusion more. She didn't have to hear people chit chatting behind her. No one to kick her seat or walk in front and block her view. They could see most of the stage and the orchestra pit, and unlike the front row, there was no splash zone when the actors got really passionate.
An usher led them up to the third level and then to their area and took their order for drinks and snacks during the production since it would be about three hours long, even before the New Years Eve party being held after the show.
Thankfully, the box only had two seats. It was a smaller space, and if she leaned over, she could look into the boxes on either side for conversation, but it was private enough that unless someone was being obnoxious, the experience wouldn't be ruined.
Hermione settled in her seat and read through her playbill.
"What are we seeing again?" Cedric asked and peered at the playbill. "La Traviata?"
"Yes, it's based off a play by Alexandre Dumas, I really admire him. He wrote the Count of Monte Cristo, the Three Musketeers, super famous and a hell of a history."
"Oh yeah?"
"Yeah, he was a really cool bloke."
Cedric nodded and looked at their watch. "I'll be right back."
"Sure, take your time. We still have fifteen minutes til curtain." She had used the loo upon arrival and would be fine until the first interval. She breathed deeply and looked down to watch the orchestra warm up and see people fill the seats before opening up her playbill to see who was playing who.
She heard a click and looked over to see Cedric taking some pictures.
"Am I in your way?" she asked.
"Not at all." They put their camera away in their bag and sat down beside her. "You just look so lovely. And this place…"
She smiled.
Soon the orchestra began the overture. Hermione scooted her chair forward and rested her arms on the railing to watch.
It was beautiful. Moving. The third act… oh, why was she crying? She never could go through a tragedy without tears, could she?
Cedric rested a hand on top of hers, transfixed with the final scene.
The curtain fell and the audience breathed. Hermione dabbed her cheeks and sniffled.
"So she died when they finally reunited?" Cedric asked.
"Yes. Of course, the movie has a happy ending, but many operas are tragedies." She rose to her feet and immediately plunked down.
"Are you alright? You didn't have any alcohol."
"I'm fine. I stood up too quickly."
They frowned. "I'm worried about these dizzy spells you've been having. Maybe we should take you to a healer."
"I probably just need more iron," she said. "I've had this issue before when I was young. Mother made us all go vegan for a while until my sister and I got sick and had to reincorporate meat. I live alone and I'm a workaholic, I pretty much survive off rabbit food, and I've been ordering vegetarian and fish here so I don't have to worry about finding Kosher certified places. Don't worry, okay?"
They pursed their lips, but let it go. "Do you still want to attend the party?"
"Of course, we both look amazing, we need to be witnessed."
Cedric laughed. "Alright."
She looped her arm with his and rested her cheek on his shoulder. Even if it was just for the holiday, it was nice to be in some sort of relationship again and she was getting an amazing friend in Cedric. She wished they had worked out their issues with each other sooner, but better late than never.