Disclaimer: Did you hear that?
Fantabulous note from the authoress:
Good day, my lovelies! Yes, another chapter. Good news for you! I've outlined this story until the end and it's around thirty chapters. Might be more, might be less. But keep reading:3 Please review!
Sorry this update took so long. I am using a friend's laptop because my darned normal computer is making it impossible to edit my stories. But I can do it on this one. Unfortunately, I may only be able to access this computer once a week. Fortunately, this may me two or three chapters will come at once. Or if my computer decides to cooperate again, we can stop worrying. Now, on with the story!
The Thanks To has been moved to the end of the chapter.
This chapter is dedicated to Grady, aka G-rad. X3 We are so cool. I will never forget the time we played SMB3 for like 20 hours straight. At least we finally won:3 We are such nerds. Twenty-two years old and we spend a whole day at home playing Nintendo. -glomp-
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Someone Like You
Chapter Eleven - The Study
"We can only learn to love by loving." -Iris Murdoch
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Kate was well and back to her normal temperature the following day. She had slept a good fifteen hours straight, and finally made her way out of the hospital wing at noon.
She reached the Gryffindor common room, changed into her robes, and decided she might as well just wait there until lunch. It was only in a half hour, and she didn't want to waste time going to the last ten minutes of Potions. It was definitely not worth it.
So after a half hour of reading Pride and Prejudice, unable to rid the image of her as Elizabeth and Cedric as Darcy, Kate left for lunch.
There was a cheery welcome when Kate reached the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall. She sat down between Angelina and George.
"You chose a good day to miss Potions," George told her. "We had to concoct rash-healing mixtures."
"Ours turned out giving rashes." Fred added in.
Kate laughed as she took a bite out a tuna fish sandwich. She noticed that Harry was unusually silent. She didn't take much notice of it.
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Angelina and Kate were drawing Quidditch matches on their notebooks in Transfiguration class. It was near time to be out. Then Professor McGonagall said, "Now, I have an announcement."
Kate half-way tuned in as she drew a stick-figure beater hitting a bludger down the sketched pitch.
"There is a tradition that always comes with the Triwizard Tournament, called the Yule Ball." Professor McGonagall told them.
Kate only heard those last words, but it was all she needed to hear. Her head shot.
Professor McGonagall explained the ball. It would take place on Christmas evening. The boys were to ask the girls. And she requested that no one embarrassed the house of Gryffindor.
Kate bit her lip. A dance? Who would ask her? That all seemed very nerve-racking. She exchanged apprehensive glances with Angelina.
The class let out, and they left for Defense Against the Dark Arts.
"I can't believe it. A dance! How...intriguing." Kate finished. "I've never really been to a ball before. It sounds so elegant, though."
Angelina nodded in agreement as she and Kate made their way down the stairs towards the Defense Against the Dark Arts class.
"Oi, Kate," she heard. Her head snapped around and she saw Cedric coming towards them. Angelina turned on her flirting detector to further prove her hypothesis.
"Oh, hi, Ced," Kate responded, smiling nervously.
"It's good to see you out of bed. How are you feeling?" he asked with a chuckle.
"A lot better, surprisingly. Well, I did sleep for fifteen hours straight, but still." she reasoned.
"Well, good then. I 'spose you heard about the ball?" he asked.
Kate nodded apprehensively. "Er, yeah. I did."
"Yes. Apparently, the champions have to enter the dance first. I'm really not looking forward to that."
"Why? I'm sure the fangirls will love it." Kate teased.
Cedric laughed. "Well, I guess, but I think some of your, er, ungracefulness rubbed off on me. I may just trip and fall."
"That was harsh, Golden Boy." Kate pouted sarcastically, rolling her eyes.
Angelina, feeling ignored, said finally, "Well, who are you going to ask?" loudly to Cedric, and Kate felt her ears burning.
Cedric went suddenly red as he answered quietly, "Er, I dunno yet."
Bollocks he doesn't, Angelina thought.
"Er, Kate, I was wondering, since you were so helpful for the last task, d'you think you could help me with the next one? You see, we've got this egg..." Cedric trailed off.
"Yes, Harry's got one, too. But really, I'm not some fountain of knowledge, you know. How do you know I can help?" Kate asked skeptically.
"Well, I don't, but I just...you really helped me out last time. Will you please help?" he asked again.
"Okay..." Kate answered unsurely.
"Great. So, could I meet you in the library? Tonight?" he asked.
"Okay." Kate answered again.
"Alright then. It's a date–I mean, you know, a plan. On this date. Er...you know what I mean." Cedric trailed off.
"Just drop the shovel and walk away from the grave." Kate teased, laughing.
"Thanks for the advice." Cedric remarked sarcastically.
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Kate, as usual, was late to her meeting with Cedric in the library. She tried hard to be there on time, but there was some sort of irreplaceable gene inside of her that made her late for everything important. And yes, Kate did consider this important.
"Sorry I'm late," Kate said in a rushed tone of voice as she sat down next to Cedric on the couch he was lounging on, the golden egg cradled in his hands. In front of him was a short table with a few books on it. As she reached him, he looked up and smiled fondly, glad to see her. He just seemed so comfortable in her presence. He could quite explain it, but it was...nice.
"It's okay." Cedric replied honestly. Kate returned his smile, feeling in higher spirits since she had arrived.
"So this egg." Kate began. "Any leads?" She settled back against the couch, getting comfortable. After all, she had no idea how long she would be there. Frankly, she didn't mind how long it was.
Cedric frowned and shook his head. "No, I'm quite stumped."
"Well, I'll try and do my best to help you out." Kate said with a friendly smile.
"Thanks. Do you have any ideas?" Cedric asked somewhat hopefully.
Kate leaned over, thinking hard. "Well, it sounds like wailing. So maybe we should start with wailing things. I bet their something in this book." She pointed to a book on the table labeled Loud and Unusual Noises: A Dictionary of Things You Don't Like to Hear.
"That's what I was thinking." Cedric agreed. "How about I look through that one, and you see if this one about magical creatures has anything to clue you in."
Kate nodded. She grabbed the ancient book off of the table and opened it, emitting a rancid smell. Kate cringed, causing Cedric to chuckle.
"Oh, shut it. It stinks!" Kate said with a laugh as she pushed Cedric's head softly.
"Girls." Cedric laughed.
"Whatever." Kate began looking through the pages of the book, trying to see if she could find anything. As soon as she started reading those pages, she realized how tired she truly was. A wave of exhaustion came over her, and her temple started to throb. Her eyelids even started to droop.
She yawned widely and loudly as she flipped the pages. She found it so hard to stay awake...it was so quiet and she was so comfortable...what was there to lose?
She didn't know exact when it happened, but she fell asleep soon, very comfortable, in a blissful state of ignorance as the light around her closed eyes dimmed and she slipped into unconsciousness...
It seemed as hours later when she opened her eyes again, but when she did, she saw grey eyes filling with laughter as she heard Cedric say, "You snore."
Kate came to a full awareness now, realizing she was nestled quite comfortably against Cedric's arm, her head on his shoulder. He was still awake, reading out of the book.
Kate sat up straight, cupping her hand over her mouth and turning madly red. "Oh, dear God!"
"Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. Besides, its really dull and quiet, like your wheezing. Your snoring, I mean." Cedric commented, chuckling.
"I can't believe you didn't wake me up!" Kate stuttered exasperatedly. She couldn't believe herself.
"I'm sorry." Cedric said in a somewhat mocking tone of voice. Kate looked at him cock-eyed, glaring momentarily.
Then she told herself, petty yelling won't get you anywhere.
So she said, "Er...never mind. Did you find anything out?"
A smile spread across his lips as he said, "Yes, I did."
Saying nothing more, Kate said frustratedly, "Well, what?"
Cedric explained that the voices of merpeople were indistinguishable from wails to humans above water, but beneath the water their voices were lyrical and soothing. He believed the sound from the egg was the voice of a merperson, and he needed to listen to it underwater to understand what it meant.
Kate nodded apprehensively, still half-asleep. Numbly, her mind overflowing with left over dreams, she asked, "Can we...go?"
"Sure." Cedric said politely.
They left together silently, Kate tripping over her own feet as they walked. She couldn't help but look over at his own shoelaces again. Still untied, she noted to herself, and it brought memories trilling back, and they glided in her mind. She had had some good times with him, surprisingly, even when she terribly despised him. It just goes to show you first impressions can turn out to be wrong. Very wrong indeed.
He walked her to the foot of the marble staircase, and then there stopped. "Thanks for your help." He told her encouragingly.
Kate didn't say anything for a moment. Her mind was lost in a dwelling of some strange ray of hope. She couldn't stay focused on any one point. The only thing they had in common was they were all points that had to do with him, for Cedric. And for the first time, she really looked into his face. Humble grey eyes filled with laughter, curving slightly upwards on the outside, soft cheekbones gracefully falling down to his lips, shaped with love and humor. Thick eyebrows, but in the good way, and a centered nose, hardly any imperfection.
Kate wanted to hate herself for thinking like this. It wasn't right for her, it wasn't right for him. But there was something else, that made this different from just simple attraction to some handsome bloke that she just couldn't quite put her finger on.
Influenced by her sleep-deprivation and delirium, she looked earnestly up at him and she heard herself ask, "Who're you going to ask to the Ball?"
Cedric didn't flinch, didn't move a muscle. His lips stayed etched upwards on his cheeks, and he answered simply and calmly, "I have a candidate in mind."
Kate felt somehow satisfied with that answer, and Cedric hoped she was as well.
He didn't bother adding that that candidate, the one he'd want to dance with, spend an evening with, and gaze at for endless hours, was her.
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Turn it inside out so I can see
The part of you that's drifting over me
And when I wake you're, you're never there
But when I sleep you're, you're everywhere
You're everywhere
Just tell me how I got this far
Just tell me why you're here and who you are
'Cause every time I look
You're never there
And every time I sleep
You're always there
'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know
That makes me believe
I'm not alone
I'm not alone
I recognize the way you make me feel
It's hard to think that
You might not be real
I sense it now, the water's getting deep
I try to wash the pain away from me Away from me
'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know
That makes me believe
I'm not alone
I'm not alone
I am not alone
Whoa, oh, oooh, oh
And when I touch your hand
It's then I understand
The beauty that's within
It's now that we begin
You always light my way
I hope there never comes a day
No matter where I go
I always feel you so
'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I close my eyes it's you I see
You're everything I know
That makes me believe
I'm not alone
'Cause you're everywhere to me
And when I catch my breath
It's you I breathe
You're everything I know
That makes me believe
I'm not alone
You're in everyone I see
So tell me
Do you see me?
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Authoress note:
Yay! End of chapter. I'm sorry if it's short again ;x; I really don't like this one, except for the end. That was fun to write, and I was under the influence of liahime's pretty writing (go read it, I say!). So, yeah. Will Ced ask Kate to the ball? Or will someone beat him to the pitch? This and more next chapter. :3 It is halfway done already! Please review, my lovelies!
Thanks to:
i luv Lupin AND Potter: Thanks for the fav!
Sophia: -puts on Shakespearian hat- But kissing isn't the point of romance! -tomatoed- Just keep reading. That time will come. O-o
Mysticdark1: Hehe, thanks:3 Yay for singing that song. 8)
luv sean faris: Haha, thanks! It's okay there is nothing wrong with being caffeine high. I am all the time! -goes bouncing off the walls-
HelloLonely: Thanks! Yes, Pride and Prejudice is a great book, although there are also several movie versions, including an A&E Six-hour version starring Collin Firth. X3 Which, I might add, I own. And watch more than is healthy.
tropicaltoadfly: Thanks for the review:3
Wavy Blue: Thanks, hon! Disney songs are magical in that they have one for nearly every situation...XD
Nicole411: Thanks for reviewing:)
Mizu-Magaru-Sensei: Thanks for the review! 3