God, finally an upate to one of my stories! I'm grateful to those of you who have been patient and kind! I own nothing and make no money. Just an FYI: I don't know anything about teas either, so forgive any mistakes I've made. Also, this is not beta'd.

If Harry was surprised to see Diggory, he seemed no less surprised to see Harry. His handsome head reared back, and the pleased heart-pounding smile he'd greeted Hermione with was swiftly transformed into a neutral expression. Hermione seemed oblivious to the change as she urged him farther into the room.

Harry noted with embarrassment that there was none of the silly gawking in which he, had himself, indulged in when he'd entered the room. But why should there be? Cedric had been Head Boy in his day and was more than likely well acquainted with the sumptuous surroundings. Still, his easy acceptance of it all had Harry feeling like a gauche school boy in comparison. And, that right there went a long way to increasing his already uncharitable feelings toward Cedric Diggory.

"Potter," Diggory greeted Harry in a clipped, but still polite manner. Harry couldn't help but compare this Diggory with the one who had invited him into his own home not that long ago. That Diggory had been agreeable and welcoming: sweet even. He'd been a rather good host too. Harry found himself missing that particular Diggory.

Harry settled for a brief nod of his head as a way of acknowledging Diggory's unenthusiastic greeting and left it at that.

Cedric placed his hands in the front pockets of his navy blue trousers before stating in a relaxed, casual way, "I didn't realize that students were permitted to enter the school grounds early."

Harry's reply was made in a barely civil tone. "And I didn't realize that former students were permitted to enter the school grounds at all."

Diggory, who seemed completely unfazed by Harry's animosity, stated with a smirk, "They aren't, not really."

And that was all. He offered no reason, nor excuse for his unsanctioned presence on the grounds, and no legitimate reason as to why he was calling on Hermione in her personal chambers. Alone. At least they would have been alone if he hadn't decided to drop by unexpectedly.

Turning his broad back on Harry – and didn't that just make him feel distinctly like a third wheel – Cedric leaned forward and teasingly inquired, "So tell me my newly installed Head Girl, are you happy with your humble accommodations for the year?"

Harry was a bit put out by the way in which the older boy was turning on the infamous Diggory charm. It was lethal; Harry knew it to be true. Hadn't Cho withered and wilted right before all of Hogwarts eyes when Diggory had dumped her? And, after the break-up hadn't she warned anybody who would listen not to fall for his slick charm? It appeared as if Hermione either hadn't gotten the memo, or chose to ignore Cho's dire warning. Because Hermione seemed ready - eager almost - to be charmed by the former Hufflepuff.

"More than," was her enthusiastic reply. Turning to look at him once more she added, "Harry was just joining me for a spot of tea. Weren't you, Harry?"

"Uh, yeah," Harry replied, picking up his delicate cup and draining the last dregs of liquid that was left of the luke-warm liquid.

Then, he placed the cup on the small table, and settled in for a nice long stay. All thoughts of escape had vanished from Harry's mind. There was no way he was going anywhere now. Especially since Hermione was dressed in such a provocative manner. It wouldn't be right leaving her alone with Diggory. For all he knew, Diggory made a habit of seducing innocent, unsuspecting witches. They didn't come more unsuspecting than Hermione no matter how smart she was.

There was a huge difference between book smart and boy smart. Not that Diggory was a boy or anything. He was definitely a man, a really good looking one. Perhaps if Diggory'd been sporting a wart, a zit or, anything gross Harry would have been less alarmed at the prospect of leaving Hermione. But, the reality was that Diggory didn't have a zit, or a wart. His features were as perfect now as they had been when he had attended Hogwarts.

Glancing at Harry's empty tea cup, Diggory grinned in satisfaction before saying, "Looks like you're about finished, Potter."

"Not really," Harry refuted Diggory's claim with asperity. "We haven't even had our biscuits yet." In a gesture filled with defiance, Harry snatched up a biscuit and took a hearty bite out of it.

Brow furrowed, Hermione admonished him, "Harry for goodness sake, don't stuff your face like that!" To his horror, she continued, sounding just like a mum. "You could choke or something."

Harry's face filled with hot color. Why did Hermione have to persist in treating him like a little boy, and a manner-less one at that? He wasn't a little boy. Okay, he could admit that he was young, but so was she. All right, so she was a year older. Still, it was one lousy year and not the three that separated him from Diggory. Even more disturbing was that fact that a mere two years separated Diggory from Hermione. Not exactly the age gap from hell.

Harry grimaced in new–found annoyance when Diggory sat next to him on the couch. He had no other choice really as the only other chair sitting close enough to chat comfortably was Hermione's. The feminine cut of the cast–off robes was a dead give-away as to where she had been seated. Diggory, being no idiot, figured that one out without having to be told.

The couch could have comfortably seated three people if you were of small to medium breadth and width. Diggory was neither. So, here he sat with Diggory's thigh pressed against his own. Harry could feel the heat coming off of him. His actual body heat. It made Harry extremely uncomfortably. He squirmed, doing his best to try to become one with his arm of the couch.

"Is there as problem, Potter?"

Harry had tried to be discreet in his movements, but it looked as if he hadn't done a great job of it. Another wave of mortifying color crept over his cheeks at being caught out. "No," he mumbled, taking another bite of his biscuit. He chewed on it absently. He wasn't enjoying it in the least; it tasted like sawdust in his mouth.

He found himself choking on the few granules he'd managed to force half-way down his throat when Hermione leaned forward exposing a dangerous amount of creamy cleavage. A wave of fresh sweat broke out over his upper lip, and Harry quickly averted his eyes. She was his friend dammit! And, as such, he owed her his respect not this… this unheard of reaction to her near naked form.

Diggory didn't seem to be having a problem with the view. He wasn't ogling, Harry had to give him his due, but he didn't exactly look away either. Harry had to confess that the man would have to be absolutely blind to miss all of that skin. Considering that Harry had never seen hide-nor-hair of spectacles in Diggory's possession, he guessed that Diggory wasn't blind.

Harry was sure, almost positive, that Hermione hadn't intended to flaunt her assets in such a way. Still, he had to confess that he really couldn't lay the blame totally at Diggory's feet. Hadn't he seen Hermione take her wand in hand and change her modest school uniform into a siren's call? Nope, he couldn't blame Diggory too much.

After taking a sip of his tea, Diggory proclaimed it 'perfect.' Hermione positively beamed. Harry rolled his eyes. Taking another sip, Diggory said, "I can't quite place it though. It's not Darjeeling, nor Earl Grey."

Hermione's eyes sparkled with a playful mischievousness. "No, it isn't," she agreed, looking quite pleased with her self. "Finally, a tea that you can't name after the first taste or two."

"Now, hold on there," he proclaimed, his own grey eyes alight with laughter. "Give me a moment to roll it around on my tongue."

Hermione blushed crimson, and Harry couldn't help but wonder if she was thinking of Diggory's tongue as more than just an instrument of a tea connoisseur. Harry pulled at the tie which seemed to be far too tight around his neck. Perhaps he should have let Remus help him with it instead of Sirius. Sirius put great stock in a refined appearance and that included a smartly tied tie. Harry'd never noticed before how constricting Sirius' well-formed knots could be.

Another thought struck Harry. Hadn't Hermione said that it was finally a tea that Diggory couldn't name? That being the case, it sure sounded as if the two had shared more than just this tea setting. This wasn't a one off! That was a tad disturbing in Harry's view.

Yet, Hermione had never once mentioned taking tea with Diggory before. Why? Was she ashamed of mentioning that she'd been hanging out with Diggory? Doubtful. Watching the two interact with so much ease put paid to that notion, and they're body language spoke volumes. They were each leaning toward the other smiling and chatting away forgetting about his existence all together. That, alone, was putting his nose out of joint, and was really quite rude of Hermione considering he was her guest too.

"All right," Diggory gave in. "What type of tea is it?"

Harry almost had a heart attack when Hermione placed her hand on Diggory's knee before saying, "It's a special brew of my own."

What the hell was going on here? First, Hermione charms her clothes into something that, in the past, she'd made disapproving comments on when other girls had done the same. And now… now she was touching, actually touching, Diggory! And not just touching him, oh no… she was touching him on the knee! This was far too much for Harry to process logically.

"You clever girl," Diggory exclaimed while placing his own hand over Hermione's where it still rested on his leg. "It's amazingly flavorful as well as being gloriously full bodied."

Harry gritted his teeth. Was that a sly reference to Hermione's curves? It had better not be, or he might have to duel the bastard!

"Its tea, Diggory," snapped Harry. "Not wine."

Cedric's head swiveled in Harry's direction. "I do know the difference, Potter."

"Harry," Hermione said with a frown, "you don't know a thing about tea so don't go giving Cedric a hard time. He knows what's he's talking about."

"Oh really," Harry queried, clearly not believing Hermione. "How so?"

A perplexed Hermione stated sharply, "For your information, Cedric has taken ownership of Madame Puddifoot's Tea Shop." Harry couldn't have been more surprised than if a cloud of flobber worms had dropped from the sky. "He hasn't changed the name because it's been a popular hang out for the students for years. Cedric thinks, and rightfully so, that if you've got a good thing why mess it up."

"Oh," was all Harry said. Was there really a need for more than that?

Apparently Hermione thought so because a second later she asked him, sounding once again like someone's mum, "Now don't you think you owe Cedric an apology?"

At first, it looked as if Harry would refuse, but the dagger like glare shooting out of Hermione's eyes changed his mind pretty swiftly. "I apologize, Diggory." It sounded forced, but at least it was an apology of sorts.

The grim set of Diggory's features told its own story. Clearly, Harry's rather lame apology wasn't sitting too well with him. He answered accordingly all the same. "Don't worry about it, Potter. Most people don't know what I do now."

Personally, Harry was thinking it was a weird way to make a living. Owning a tea shop? Cedric Diggory? Golden Boy of the age; who many thought, for sure, would go on to do something spectacular? Wow, what a fall from grace. Suddenly, Harry felt a bit better about him self. He'd bet his last galleon that Amos Diggory wouldn't be walking around any time too soon boasting about what his 'perfect boy' was doing with his life. And, that thought made Harry feel even better!

"Cedric travels extensively buying and selling all sorts of teas," Hermione gushed. Harry's confidence level took a nose dive at how impressed Hermione sounded. "He's been to the States, Guatemala, China, Japan, Haiti; absolutely everywhere!"

"Hermione," Cedric interrupted, looking embarrassed. Not that Harry thought he really was, mind you. He'd seen Diggory do his Mr. Humble act before. "It's really not that big of a deal"

At last! Something Diggory'd said that Harry could agree with!

"Now, Cedric," Hermione playfully rebuked him while giving his knee a squeeze, "you're just being your usual modest self. What Cedric isn't telling you is that he not only buys and sells, but he creates teas too. Isn't that marvelous?"

"Yeah, marvelous," Harry muttered under his breath.

"In fact, Cedric's creations have just gone world wide, and they've been well received by the public, not to mention the experts. Cedric will most likely be ranked right up at the top of the tea chain!"

To Harry's dismay, Hermione was managing to extol Diggory's accomplishments in much the same manner as the other bloke's dad!

As if reading Harry's mind, Cedric said with a small laugh, "Next to my father, Hermione's become my biggest fan. What she isn't telling you, Potter is that over the last few months she's been instrumental in helping me perfect the quality of my teas." Bringing Hermione's hand to his lips, Diggory placed a small kiss on it before adding, "Without her skillful tongue and palate I'd still be searching for some of the correct combinations of teas. She's an absolute marvel."

Harry'd had about enough of this Mutual Admiration Society, and thrust the plate of biscuits at Diggory. "How about a biscuit to go along with your tea?"

Harry was relieved to note that Diggory was forced to relinquish Hermione's hand when he'd shoved the plate at him. Which, of course, had been Harry's intent all along. Harry and Cedric exchanged a silent stare filled with unspoken meaning. Cedric knew perfectly well what Potter had done and why even if the whole incident had completely escaped Hermione.

Pushing the plate back at Harry, Cedric said stiffly, "You're too kind, but no thank you."

"Why?" Harry demanded. "Aren't Hermione's biscuits good enough for you?"

"Harry," Hermione gasped, determined to have a talk with him regarding his rudeness later on when they would be alone.

"On the contrary," Cedric interjected smoothly. "Hermione's biscuits, as I've reason to know, are mouthwateringly fresh and moist. They're perfectly rounded while being warm and soft to the touch." Harry's hand tightened on the plate. "They carry an infinitely divine scent of vanilla, and when offered, I can't wait to wrap my lips around them and suck and pull on their delectable creaminess." Pausing slightly, he added with a libidinous gleam in his eyes, "It's a treat not to be missed."

"Oh, Harry's never had those particular biscuits," Hermione informed the older boy.

Cedric grinned wickedly before stating with firm conviction, "I thought not."

It took all Harry had in him to not fling the plate at Diggory's head. The berk was just begging for some sort of confrontation, and if he didn't stop trying to bait him he was damn well going to get it! And, Hermione's wrath be hanged!

"Harry's only ever had the hard ones, although he doesn't really care for those. His timing is awful." Hermione laughed. "He only ever seems to show up whenever I've made a batch of those."

"I'm not picky," Cedric commented to Hermione, while once again flashing his to die for smile. "Soft or hard, I like them either way."

"That's because you're easy to please," Hermione playfully replied.

"On the contrary," Cedric amiably disagreed. "I'm remarkably difficult to please. You're just very adept at coming across with the goods. You ease my appetite while at the same time leave me aching for more. A wonderfully, addicting combination."

Harry dropped the plate he'd been holding. It fell on the table with a dull, deafening clatter jolting Hermione out of her disgusting drooling and pandering to the ego of that jack ass. Harry could have cared less that a small portion of china had splintered off and slid in Diggory's direction.

Hermione gasped, and then jumped to her feet exclaiming anxiously, "Oh no! Harry, what have you done?" Her eyes filled with tears making Harry feel like the biggest heel this side of Britain. "That's part of a set that belonged to my great grandmother!"

"It's all right, Hermione," Diggory assured her before picking up the shard as well as the plate. "Don't worry, it's fixable."

Wiping a hand across her face, Hermione asked in a tremulous voice, "Really?"

Smiling softly, Cedric declared, "Really." With that, he twisted his wrist in what looked to be a complicated maneuver while whispering, "Repairo."

Harry was shocked when the sliver merged with the plate. He supposed he shouldn't have been because he'd witnessed Diggory using wandless magic quite recently. Regardless, he was impressed. The fact that Hermione had mended his glasses all through their school days hadn't diminished his reluctant admiration of Diggory's skill. Hermione seemed equally impressed by Diggory's display of magic.

Diggory presented the, once again, completely healed treasure to Hermione who avidly examined it. Brown eyes wide, she exclaimed, "It's perfect! There's no seam whatsoever, it looks exactly like it did before Harry broke it." Harry winced. "Cedric, you've mastered wandless magic!"

Obviously, Harry thought derisively. And, it wasn't like Hermione to state the obvious. This had to be Diggory's influence. He was turning the brightest witch of their age into a dunce. It was practically criminal!

"I can't tell you how grateful I am, Cedric," Hermione enthused, clasping the heirloom to her chest.

Harry was kind of grateful too, with Hermione holding the plate close to her heart it had, in effect, covered up several inches of bare flesh.

Taking the plate from Hermione, Cedric picked up the biscuits that had tumbled onto the table and with graceful, slender fingers nimbly replaced them to their original place.

This time it was Diggory who shoved the plate at Harry before saying, "If you must know, Potter I have plans for dinner and I don't want to ruin my appetite."

Harry exhaled in relief. The blasted berk was going to be leaving soon. Brilliant! But, Harry's relief was short lived when Diggory casually asked, "Where would you like to go this evening, Hermione?"

"Oh," Hermione exclaimed quietly and then, sounding disappointed said, "I suppose I should stay here and organize my belongings. You know, get lesson plans started and draw up some ideas for the first Prefects meeting. Those sorts of things."

Harry grinned and nodded his head enthusiastically at her response. Now there was his Hermione! Ever dutiful and diligent to her studies. She was bound to be a dutiful and diligent Head Girl as well. Diggory was in for one hell of a let down.

"That's wonderfully diligent of you, Hermione," Cedric proclaimed, echoing Harry's thoughts almost to a tee.

Harry's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Was this arse using some sort of Legilimency? The very idea set Harry's blood boiling. Well, he knew a thing or two about Legilimency as well. But, I'm a gentleman, Harry thought smugly, and above using such vile tactics! Harry had the strongest urge to stick his tongue out at Diggory and say, "So there!"

"Don't you think that once you officially begin the semester that you'll be far too busy to take tea with on a regular basis? It might be a good idea to take advantage of the scant amount of free time you have at your disposal." Diggory reached for Hermione's hand giving it a small shake before finishing up with a devastating smile that had even Harry's heart thumping hard.

Hermione would have to have been a plank of solid oak to withstand that kind of devastating persuasion. Come on, Hermione, Harry silently urged. You can do it! Turn the arse down! Remember who you are! The smartest witch of our age! Now's the time to draw on those smarts and put this Pretty Boy in his place! Show him you mean business and take your responsibilities seriously!

"I really should stay here," she mumbled, looking down at her feet. Clearly she was going through a massive internal struggle.

"Okay, Hermione," Cedric reluctantly agreed.

Yes! I won! The thrill of victory coursed through Harry at lightening speed. This was almost as good as winning a Quidditch match! He felt like bolting out of his chair and thumbing his nose at Diggory while doing a wild victory dance; that's how awesome he felt. The thrill dwindled with Diggory's next words.

"Why don't we compromise," Diggory suggested. "I'll go over notes with you on ideas for your Prefects meeting and afterward you dine with me at a place of your choice. Muggle or Wizarding, it's completely up to you."

"Diggory," Harry interjected, "you don't know Hermione very well if you think she'll let someone else come up with, or write out her notes." Sounding triumphant, Harry finished, "Hermione isn't the sort to cheat in any way, shape, or form."

"Harry James Potter!" Hermione spat out angrily through tightly clenched teeth. "I most certainly do not cheat! And Cedric certainly wasn't suggesting that I do so! He merely offered to help me with my notes! He was a Prefect and Head Boy after all! He probably has some wonderful ideas on how to handle my position!"

"I have some wonderful ideas on how to handle your positions, Hermione," Diggory added over Hermione's shoulder while smirking wickedly at Harry.

Harry was livid! How dare Diggory continue making sexual comments about Hermione! Positions indeed! The scum! Harry shoved his hand into his robe. Diggory's quicksilver gaze did not miss the movement. His eyes snapped up to Harry's and the meaning was clear: Go for it and I'll blast you into next week before you even have a chance to pull your wand. Harry's hand clutched the smooth wood, but taking Diggory's unspoken threat seriously, he didn't attempt to remove it from his pocket.

Spinning on her heels, Hermione shot Diggory a dazzling smile before saying, "I accept your generous offer, Cedric. It sounds like a lovely compromise."

"Brilliant," Cedric exclaimed, sounding extremely self-satisfied. "Let's get down to it, shall we?" Placing both hands on Hermione's shoulders, he once more glanced over at a glowering Harry. "You best be on your way, Potter. We have work to do."

"I could help too," Harry quickly volunteered.

Turning, Hermione pulled away from Cedric and cast a confused look at her friend before saying, "Are you serious, Harry?"

"Well," he grumbled nastily, "it's not totally out of the realms of possibility, you know."

Sounding exasperated, Hermione enumerated the various reasons as to why it was beyond the realms of possibility. "For one thing, you have your own studies to focus on. For another, what in the world would you know about being a Prefect or Head?" Harry felt a hot flush wash up his neck. Did she have to make him sound like a complete moron in front of Diggory?

The agony continued. "And if I know you, and I do, you haven't even packed for school and by the looks of your robes you need to visit the shop to purchase a few new ones." Shaking her head from side to side, she clicked her tongue. "And just look at that hair! You really should have let Mrs. Weasley have a go at it. You're too stubborn for your own good!" Throwing her hands up in the air, she cried in despair, "What am I going to do with you? You have about as much common sense as a dung beetle."

Cedric had to put a hand over his mouth to keep from laughing out loud. Hermione was really giving it to Potter but good. He might have been inclined to feel sorry for the mortified looking bloke if he hadn't been trying to sabotage all of his attempts to get Hermione alone. As it was, Potter had done just about everything other than encase Hermione in an impenetrable chastity belt. Seeing the back of Potter was definitely going to make his day. Maybe then, he could get down to the business of wooing Miss Hermione Granger into his arms for a real good snog or two.

Up until this point, he and Hermione had shared a basically platonic relationship. Once in awhile he'd briefly graze her hand with his lips, and then just casually hold it across the table. Or he'd throw an arm across her shoulders and pull her close to his side. Occasionally, he'd press a kiss to her forehead. Nothing too serious because he could tell that she wasn't as experienced with men as the other witches he tended to date.

She'd gotten comfortable enough with him within the past few weeks to make her own subtle advances. Fleetingly touching him on the arm, patting him on the knee, slipping her hand in the crook of his arm as they walked through the halls of the Ministry of Magic, and just recently she'd shyly pulled his head down to her level and playfully placed a quick peck on his nose.

If he was catching onto her signals correctly, it seemed as if she was ready to move onto something less platonic, and that was just fine with him. He'd been ready since day one. He could still clearly recall how soft her breast had felt against his knuckles, and the lovely, rose-petal hue which had blossomed across her freckle splattered cheeks at his inadvertent caress. He felt a slight twitch in his trousers, and forcefully willed it away.

He'd been thrilled when Hermione had invited him to tea in the Head Girl quarters. He knew that at this time of year the school would be relatively empty and he had hoped to take advantage of that fact to press his case from friend into potential lover status. Not that he'd intended to pressure her into sex. Not only wasn't that his style, but he was of the firm opinion that men who pressured women ought to have their balls hexed off. No, he'd never force a witch, but he had planned on making it perfectly clear to Hermione that he was more than willing to take their relationship up a notch. And then what happens? Harry-bloody-Potter, that's what!

Cedric had been in no way prepared to find Potter seated comfortably and cozily on a couch in Hermione's rooms. His presence had ruined any romantic notions Cedric might have been looking forward to when he'd been invited to this little tête-à-tête. Still, he'd made an effort to be somewhat polite. Not too much though, because after their last meeting he didn't think that Potter deserved politeness from him. For someone who'd come calling for advice; Potter had been one hell of an ungrateful, idiotic bastard.

And because Potter had been working on his nerves Cedric felt justified in yanking his chain by making several off color remarks. Sure, it was juvenile of him, and he was thankful that Hermione hadn't picked up on them. She was innocent enough to take those comments at face value. Not so Potter. Although he truly appeared to not know much about girls per se, he'd been privy to enough locker room talk to know exactly what Cedric had been implying. Watching Potter squirm and struggle to control his temper had been highly amusing.

Cedric noticed that Potter had pulled Hermione a small distance away and was whispering feverishly into her ear. Whatever he was saying to her was not going down well at all, and it had to be about him because every now and again Potter's eyes would flit in his direction. Cedric knew things had really taken a downward spiral for Potter when Hermione crossed her arms over her chest and lifted her chin in a determinedly defiant pose.

"Hermione," Potter hissed, "you can't stay here alone with him."

"And why not," Hermione asked, tapping her foot in agitation. "I was here alone with you before he arrived."

"There is a huge difference," he snapped back.

"Oh," she raised a skeptical eyebrow, "do tell."

Instead of answering her direct query, Harry said, "He's not even supposed to be here! You could get in trouble by association! Do you really want to risk your title of Head Girl so that you can flirt with a good looking bloke?

"Flirt?" Hermione's face went as red as Ron's hair. "Now you listen here, Harry Potter," she poked him in the chest so hard that he fell back a step. "For your information Cedric has a legitimate reason for being here, and flirting is not one of them!"

Harry snorted in disbelief. "Yeah, sure… whatever you say."

Whoa! Cedric didn't have to be a mind reader to know that Hermione had reached her limit. The expression on her face was dark enough to put a storm cloud to shame! Potter was either too dense to see that or chose to ignore the glaringly obvious.

"Dammit, Hermione," Potter pressed on, "don't be so daft! He's after one thing and one thing only!

Hermione shouted spitefully, "Well maybe I'll just give him that one thing, Harry seeing as how you have so little faith in my ability to judge a persons character and motivations!"

Harry was tired of trying to reason with her, and yelled back, "What the hell, Hermione! Did shortening your skirt shorten your brains too?"

For a split second there was nothing other than an extremely uncomfortable silence in the room, and then Hermione exploded.

Pointing to the door, Hermione screeched, "Get out you jackass!" When Potter didn't immediately comply, Hermione whipped out her wand. "I said, get out!"

"Hermione…" Potter began.

"Potter," Cedric quietly intervened, "perhaps you should just go." This was totally getting out of hand, and with Hermione practically radiating dangerous magical energy, Cedric was uncertain as to the outcome of this argument.

"Diggory," Harry spat out, "this is none of your business, so why don't you make like horse turds and hit the road!"

Cedric's perfect forehead broke out into a deep frown. "Potter, I'm trying to do you a favor." You damn fool. "I think Hermione needs some time to collect her self."

Harry calmed down enough to be able to see beyond his own ire which dissipated rapidly after taking in Hermione's fierce scowl. Her wand was clutched so tightly that all color had drained from her knuckles. And, if that wasn't disconcerting enough, her wand hand was shaking with barely suppressed rage. Maybe Diggory was right… this time.

"Cedric's right." Motioning with her wand, she tersely added, "There's the door. I suggest you use it, and don't let it hit ya where the good Lord split ya."

Harry's eyes flew to Cedric who was smiling slightly, grey eyes sparkling with mirth. It infuriated Harry when he remarked, "When I told you I learned that phrase from a Muggle friend did I fail to mention that she's also a witch?"

"Yeah, Diggory," Harry muttered angrily, "You left out that little piece of info."

Shrugging his one broad shoulder, Cedric answered airily, "Sorry about that."

Sure you are; Harry fumed to him self as he made his way to the door. Wrenching it open, he remarked to the Hermione who hadn't yet lowered her wand. "You'll see I'm right, Hermione when he uses you and then dumps your arse."

Harry'd had just enough time to pull the door after him before Hermione let out a ferocious growl followed by a massive explosion that made the heavy door shudder beneath the impact.

Reviews are welcome and appreciated!