"Bye Mum!" Anna hugged Mrs. Granger. She was about to spend three weeks with Cedric and his parents before everyone would be going back to school. Cedric and Amos came to pick her up. They had Floo'ed in.
"Now you behave yourself." Mrs. Granger reminded Anna as she tucked a wayward hair behind Anna's ear. "Mum!" Anna swatted her hand away. "You're gonna embarrass me!"
"She's done a good job then." Mr. Granger chuckled, causing Anna to pout playfully. "I swear, it's like everyone here is against me."
Cedric and Amos arrived then, Amos chatting with Mr. Granger for a few minutes. Amos worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, so Anna was looking forward to talking with him about all of the animals that he had come into contact with. Finally he managed to pull himself away, and he and Cedric grabbed Anna's trunk, and the cage containing her owl, Apollo. They were taking all of her things as she would be staying with them until they had to board the Hogwarts Express. Hermione hugged Anna. "Write to me."
"I will." Anna promised, and then they were off.
The Diggorys lived in a modest sized house in the countryside, and Cedric's mother greeted them in the living room. "Hello Anna, I'm Linda."
"Nice to meet you." Anna said with a smile.
"So you're friends with Cedric then? Hopefully he behaves himself when he isn't at home."
"Mum!" Cedric objected, his cheeks going slightly pink, and Linda laughed. "I'm only teasing dear. Now, you and Amos can go and bring Anna's things upstairs while Anna and I prepare dinner."
Dinner that night turned out to be roast beef, mashed potatoes with gravy, and peas.
"I didn't know you were such a good cook." Cedric teased, causing Anna to blush. "Your mum did most of the work, I just helped here and there."
After dinner Anna went outside with Cedric. "Feel like a broomstick ride around the countryside?" He asked with a grin.
"I'm not the biggest fan of heights." Anna said nervously, and Cedric laughed. "Don't worry, just hold on to me and you'll be fine."
He got his broom out of a small shed and he motioned for her to get on behind him. She did so hesitantly, her arms wrapping around his waist. Cedric pushed off, and her grip tightened as they shot off into the sky. Her eyes squeezed shut, and she prayed to God they wouldn't fall.
"Open your eyes!" Cedric laughed. "Come on, it's not so bad."
Slowly Anna slid her eyes open, and she gasped at the sight. They were flying above the clouds, a glorious sunset before them. It would have been almost romantic...if it hadn't been Cedric that she was with. Anna would never see him in that way, they would always remain just really good friends, no matter whoever wanted to believe otherwise.
"It's beautiful isn't it?" Cedric asked, and Anna nodded. "Yeah, it's gorgeous."
"See, aren't you glad that you decided to stop being a wimp and come up here with me?"
Anna rolled her eyes. "Not my fault that I have a fear of heights."
"At least yours is a reasonable fear. For some reason my great uncle is terrified of the color pink."
Anna burst out laughing. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have laughed, it's just...a color? That's what he's afraid of? And pink? I mean, I could understand a color like black, because black can be associated with many fears, like the dark and death, but pink?"
"You should have seen him. One year we took him to a Muggle fair, and we got pink cotton candy. He shrieked and just about fainted."
Anna shook her head. "No offense, but your family is so weird."
"I can't take offense, not when it's true." Cedric chuckled softly. "Every family has that one exceptionally quirky member."
"Mine must be Harry." Anna joked. "Godric knows that it isn't me."
Cedric laughed along with her. "So, no more weird dreams now that Adriana is gone?"
"Nope." Anna replied. "Is it weird that I miss her sometimes?"
"Well you talked for what, two years? You developed a relationship with her, it's only natural that you miss her a bit."
"One thing I don't miss is fighting trolls in the basement of Hogwarts." Anna said, causing Cedric to laugh again. "I don't envy you having to do that. But you have experience with trolls. I mean, you had to deal with Pansy every day."
Anna burst into loud laughter. "That's so mean!"
"Just don't smack me, the last thing we need is for me to lose my balance and have us both go tumbling off."
Anna shrieked and she held onto him even tighter than before. "Cedric Diggory, don't you dare!"
Cedric grinned, a small smirk on his lips, and he acted like he was going to roll the broom over.
"CEDRIC!" Anna screamed, and the older boy laughed loudly. "Relax, you're not going to fall. Mum would kill me if I let that happen."
"Can we just head back down now before you give me a heart attack and actually do kill me?"
After they reached solid ground again, they headed inside to the living room and played a couple rounds of wizards chess, with Anna talking to Amos and Linda in between. She asked Amos about his work, and the different animals he had dealt with over his career.
"I remember once I had to help the Pest Sub-Division." Amos recalled. "They were dealing with a rather nasty infestation of Chizpurfle, it took ages to get it all started. And then there was the time that we had to deal with about a dozen Augurey that escaped from an old witch's house. Wonderful use as a weather forecaster, an Augurey is."
Anna lost interest in the chess game and started talking with Amos about Flobberworms, Grindylows, and just about every other magical creature in between. Amos was impressed by her knowledge. "You would make quite a good magizoologist, wouldn't she Cedric?"
Cedric nodded. "Dare I say she might even rival Newt Scamander in talent."
Anna blushed. "I don't know about that. After all, I didn't write Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
"You never know what the future holds." Amos said. "Have you thought at all about what you want to do when you leave Hogwarts?"
Anna shook her head. "Not yet. But Harry did tell me this summer that he wants to try and be an Auror."
"Dangerous profession, being an Auror." Amos commented. "Only the best of the best thrive at that."
Anna nodded. "He doesn't know for sure yet, but that definitely has his interest." She yawned and Amos chuckled softly. "I think that it's time for bed. Cedric, can you show her where she'll be sleeping?"
Cedric nodded and he led Anna up a small flight of stairs. Anna's room was a good size with a full sized bed and a writing desk. The walls were painted a warm maroon color. "I'll see you tomorrow," Cedric said, and Anna nodded. "Yeah, see you tomorrow Ced."
She quickly changed into her pajamas and got into the bed, snuggling down into the covers and quickly falling asleep.