A/N: I am flattered by the reviews I have been getting for this story and thank you for everyone's kind words and suggestions. Several have reminded me of Hermione's age being 15 and not 14 and actually, one reviewer hit it right on the head. This is mostly from Cedric's POV so he wouldn't know how old she was and would just be assuming. But I was going to get into that later so just be patient. I hope to explain all things in this very AU world I am in the midst of creating. Thank you to GoGothGirl, Rhymes with Shady, Molly, lyn18, doornumberthree, Right or Ryn, The Puce Olive, san01, elenamindollin, ginsensu, slightlybizzare10, -jellyacy-, Luuuda, Kelly, Ker-smexy, JainaSolo18, Chelsiemarie, choksantos and darkphoenix52

Chapter Three – Tonight is When it Will All Change

Cedric felt completely ridiculous. Here he was, standing outside the Fat Lady's portrait, as nervous as a kid awaiting his first train ride to school. He was Cedric Diggory. There was no need to be nervous. He knew how to act around girls. He could go through all of the motions in his sleep. They were all the same. Give them compliments, stare into their eyes, hold their hand, make them feel special. Cho ate all of that up when he did it for her so honestly, Cedric had no reason to be nervous. It was five until nine and Cedric had paced the length of the hall countless times already, taking deep breaths and trying to ignore the knot in his stomach. This wasn't Cho or some other girl though. This was Hermione. For some reason, Cedric already knew that he couldn't act around her like he would any other girl. Hermione was different, better. He knew this. For some reason, he already knew this.

He took a deep breath then rested on the wall next to the portrait, waiting rather impatiently. He wanted to see her. Desperately. Since he saw her in the hallway earlier, she had been the only thing on his mind – not that that really surprised him. She had been the only thing he seemed to be able to think about for some time now. He rested the back of his head on the wall he was leaning against and closed his eyes. He wished he knew what was happening to him. He had never felt anything like this before, anything this intense before. Just thinking about Hermione made Cedric's entire being experience an ache he hadn't thought possible when thinking of a girl. He wanted to be around her all of the time. His fingers itched to touch her and his lips burned to taste her. He wasn't sure how or why but he was becoming completely consumed in his thoughts and want for her.

He was having dreams about her every night as well. At first, after the World Cup, it had only happened once, sometimes twice a week. But after the Yule Ball, and then the second task, the dreams seemed to become a nightly occurrence. And these weren't normal dreams – or maybe they were for a boy his age to be having. Dreams of Hermione's body, naked and lying next to him in his bed. Her skin was so soft, it felt like silk as he ran his fingertips over it, memorizing every freckle, mole and scar on her body. In his dreams, he knew just where to kiss her, where on her body that made her moan and say his name in a breathless whisper. In those dreams, she was no longer shy around him. She ran her fingers through his hair, pressed her body against his, kissed him with just as much want and hunger, matching his desire touch for touch. Cedric was finding it harder and harder to wake up from those dreams when morning came.

"Mr. Diggory?"

Cedric opened his eyes and instantly pushed himself off the wall, standing up straight. Professor McGonagall stood in front of him, staring at him, her pointed hat slightly askew on her head. He swallowed, glancing over at the portrait, seeing if Hermione was there. For some reason, standing outside of the Gryffindor tower, waiting for its smartest witch, and with the head of that house staring at him as if he was committing some horrible offense, Cedric felt nervous. He felt as if he was doing something wrong. He shifted slightly on his feet.

"Good evening, professor," he said politely with a short nod of his head.

Her lips formed a thin straight line as she looked him over carefully. "Have you completed your prefect duties for the evening, Mr. Diggory?"

"Yes ma'm," Cedric answered with another nod of his head. "I'm just waiting for…"

The portrait of the Fat Lady swung open slowly and Hermione stepped out. Cedric's words trailed off as he looked at her and when their eyes met, she stilled as well. For a moment, neither seemed to remember that Professor McGonagall was there as well, watching each of them closely. Cedric smiled, taking a step towards Hermione and the faintest of smiles crossed her lips as she stared at him. He had the most powerful urge to reach out to her, to hold her, to find out whether or not she smelled as good as she did in his dreams. When he dreamt of her, she smelled like vanilla.

They moved to one another as if they were magnetically drawn to one another. The distance between them closed and they stood so close together that Hermione had to tilt her head back in order to look into his eyes. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail with a few wavy tendrils falling loose and Cedric tucked those behind her ears, his hands moving down, brushing against either side of her neck. She shivered slightly but her eyes never left his. She lifted her hands and covered his with hers and both stared at one another in shock when they felt a bolt of electricity passing through their bodies.

Hermione dropped his hands and took a fearful step away from him, her mouth hanging open slightly, not able to believe what she had just felt. It was as if a current had been coursing through her veins, making her heart beat faster and her body tingle. Looking at Cedric, she could see that he was experiencing the same thing. Her body was still humming and covered in goose bumps. They continued staring at one another, neither knowing what was happening to them. All they knew was that this was not a normal occurrence for either of them to be feeling when around the other.

Professor McGonagall, having seen the whole thing, cleared her throat, making both students finally break their eye contact and look at her. She was staring at them, her eyes slightly widened but other than that, her face was completely void of any type of expression. Hermione blushed that her professor had just witnessed that display and cast her eyes downward, finding a spot on the floor suddenly quite interesting. But she looked up again when the professor spoke. "You two cannot be alone together," she said sternly.

"Hermione and I were just going to go for a walk… to talk about some things that we're concerned about, professor" Cedric said, his eyebrows furrowed slightly with confusion. It wasn't past curfew. If he and Hermione wanted to go for a walk, they should be able to. They were a couple of first-years anymore. And though he understood a professor's concern about a boy and a girl walking around the castle since that could lead to certain things, the way Professor McGonagall had spoken, that was exactly what he expected to happen between Cedric and Hermione.

"It wouldn't take long, professor. Cedric and I were just going to walk around the grounds," Hermione spoke up, adding to Cedric's reasoning. Hermione rarely spoke against a professor's orders, especially McGonagall's, but in that moment, she cared more about going on a walk with Cedric than pleasing her professors. Hermione nearly gasped at that. Since when did Hermione care about anything other than pleasing her teachers and doing well in school? Since when did walking with a boy take precedence over everything else? This was not her. She had not just said that. She was Hermione Granger. School and succeeding at it was who she was. An accomplished student such as herself did not have time for boys and having secret meetings with them. And yet, right then, she wanted nothing more than to take Cedric's hand and tug him away from there so they could be alone. The desire she had to be alone with Cedric was so overwhelming, she felt as if she was about to jump from her skin, she was so anxious.

"No, Ms. Granger. You and Mr. Diggory are not to be alone together at any time. Professor Dumbledore has already informed all the staff of his decision," McGonagall said, moving herself so she stood in between Cedric and Hermione, keeping them thusly separated. Even with another person between them though, Cedric was able to feel the confusion rolling off of Hermione in waves for he felt the same.

"Why is it any of Professor Dumbledore's concern whether Cedric and I spend time together or not?" Hermione questioned, staring right into Cedric's gray eyes.

This didn't make any sense. It wasn't right. Hermione needed to be around Cedric. This went far beyond want or desire. She needed to be around him for whenever she was not, she felt cold and as empty as a hollow cave. When they weren't near, she was constantly thinking of him and at night, she dreamt of him. At first, the dreams hadn't made much sense. They had seemed to be nothing more than flashes – of his smile, her fingers through his hair, his lips on her naked thigh. But then they became far more vivid. She was able to feel his weight on top of her, pressing her onto the bed. His skin gliding against hers, her fingers running over his body, hard with muscles. Sometimes, she was on top of him, her body rocking against his as his hands ran everywhere on her body that he could reach. His fingers would wrap around locks of her wavy curls, pulling her down, his lips seeking hers out. The dreams were so vivid and detailed, they felt as if they were real. Each morning, it was getting more and more difficult for her to wake up.

"He came to this decision after the second task," McGonagall explained curtly and both Hermione and Cedric could see that she was getting agitated but she almost seemed to be nervous about something. "Now, Ms. Granger, return to your room and the same for you, Mr. Diggory. I must go speak to Professor Dumbledore about this."

"But Professor," Cedric began to say but McGonagall cut him off, pointing her finger down the hallway away from Gryffindor Tower. He sighed then looked at Hermione. Their eyes remained locked together for an eternal moment and silently, both nodded their heads. Drastic times called for drastic measures. They weren't going to be kept apart like this. Things were so confusing and neither Cedric nor Hermione had any idea as to what was happening. But clearly, Dumbledore did if he was giving the staff orders in regards to the two of them. It only fed their curiosity. They had to find out what was happening to them.

The clock struck midnight as Hermione raced down the outdoor cobble steps that led to the Whomping Willow. It was a cold night, her breath appearing in front of her in short sharp bursts of cloud, the frigid air cutting at her lungs, but she continued running. She could feel him. He was already there, waiting for her. She had to hurry. They didn't know how much time they had. Cedric stood there, a safe distance away from the swaying tree branches, his hands stuffed deep within his coat pockets but the instant he saw her, he pulled them out. When she was within distance, he grabbed her and pulled her close, hugging her tightly to his body. Hermione slipped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly in return. Neither spoke. Neither moved. Hermione shivered and he squeezed his arms around her.

Hermione tilted her head up to look at him and Cedric looked down at her. They felt that pull between them, that invisible force that didn't have a name and which could not be explained. Whatever it was though, it was powerful. Too powerful to fight or resist it. She moved first, pushing herself up on her toes, her arms moving around his neck, tugging him down closer to her height. Cedric met her halfway, his lips colliding with hers, drawing her as close to him as possible. The instant their lips touched, it was as if someone had charmed a heat bubble around them. They no longer felt the cold wind howling around them. They kissed over and over, their lips caressing together in perfect movements. It was as if they had been kissing one another for their entire lives and this was just one of a million kisses instead of their first one shared.

Cedric lifted his hands to her head, cupping her face, kissing her a bit harder. Hermione moaned, pressing more into his body, the electricity flowing through every nerve in her body. They still did not speak. There was so much to talk about but at the moment, all they could do was kiss one another. Cedric felt that he would lose his mind if they pried their lips apart. He needed to keep kissing her. Nothing was more important to him. Not school, not the tournament or the next task, not his family or friends. The only thing in his life that he remotely cared about was Hermione and her lips moving against his.

Dumbledore wanted to keep them apart. Both Hermione and Cedric both knew now as their mouths opened and their tongues met in a tangle that being apart was impossible. There was something that could not be ignored. They refused to be apart. They refused to end whatever this was that was between them. It was too strong. Too strong to sever. Both had the feeling that if this connection between them was to be cut, neither would be able to go on. Cedric already felt as if he died each hour he spent away from her. He could only imagine how it would be if Dumbledore did get his way and kept Cedric and Hermione apart. Neither would be able to survive.

"We have to find out what this is," Hermione whispered breathlessly as Cedric moved his lips down to her neck, kissing the delicate flesh on the side of her throat. "Promise me, Cedric, that we will start to research. We have to research. We have to know what this is," she said, moaning softly as his lips nipped at her skin. He nodded his head, unable to answer as he continue kissing her and inhaling her scent. She was right, of course. Being Hermione, she was always right. They would start to research even though neither had the faintest idea of where to even begin.