Chapter Seven – It Is You I Have Loved
They were making love on the ground somewhere in the Forbidden Forest – or at least they thought that was where they were. They were surrounded by thick trees and foliage and from her back, looking up, she could see that the moon was full, providing more than enough light for them. She didn't know why they were there or how they had gotten there but that was not what was important at the moment. They were both naked but neither were cold and the ground she laid on did not hurt her back. Cedric was above her, careful so his weight didn't crush her, but she kept pulling him down on top of her, wanting to feel all of him. She could feel every inch of him as he slid in and out of her, filling her to the brink over and over again, driving her mad with pleasure. Their skin was sticky with sweat and his lips were on her neck, tasting the saltiness. Her moans seemed to grown louder with each thrust he made and her fingers clung to his back, desperate to hold onto something as she felt her body begin to fall.
"Cedric…" she moaned softly into his ear, biting down on her bottom lip.
She had never felt something like this before and she had no idea that feeling like this even existed for one to experience. It felt like she couldn't breathe but she knew that she would die if he stopped what he was doing to her. She never wanted this to end. This was her heaven. Being there with him, locked together in the most intimate of ways, she knew that this was a dance they had done together countless times before. Their bodies moved in perfect unison, each able to anticipate one another's moves even before the other made it. Cedric trailed a hand down the side of her body, her hand igniting fires on her already burning skin and he cupped one of her thighs, hitching it higher against his hip, diving deeper inside of her and she shuddered in pure delight.
"They will come looking for us," Cedric whispered, breathless, and lifted his head from the crook of her neck to look down at her. Neither made a move to stop though – no matter who was coming to find them.
He placed one hand to her cheek and stared down into her chocolate brown eyes, now bright with arousal and desire. She looked absolutely gorgeous and he leaned down to press his lips to hers in a kiss. His hips never faltered and continued with the same speed, moving in and out of her sweet accepting body. She was always ready for him, always wanting him. And his need and want for her never was extinguished and never satisfied. She was the love of his life – the only love his body and heart would ever know. He knew that what they had, it transcended all previous definitions of love though. What they had was something so much more than anything anyone else in the world had ever felt or experienced. This, right here, making love to Hermione, this was what every step in his life had led him to. This was why he was born and given life. He was alive so he could be with her.
Hermione lifted a hand to his forehead to wipe at a bead of sweat slowly trickling down the side of his temple and he smiled faintly at her, matching her own spreading across her lips. Giving her a thrust harder than the previous ones, his hips knocking against hers, her body jerked upwards, her breasts bouncing and a long moan breaking out from her throat. She arched her back off the ground, her fingers gripping his back tighter, her body squeezing even more around him and he gave her another equally hard thrust, earning the same reaction. He loved watching her when they were like this and he was the only one who had ever, and would ever, see her like this – sweaty and flushed and moaning as his body plowed into hers over and over again, claiming her as his own. He wished that they could do this forever.
Something happened suddenly though. Hermione began to cough. She was coughing as if something was lodged in her throat and she was trying to clear it. Cedric stopped his movements, hovering over her, watching her. She coughed and choked, her eyes watering as breathing became a luxury to her as she continued trying to clear up whatever was in her throat. Cedric didn't know what to do. He watched, feeling absolutely helpless and she tried to squirm away from him as if that would help. She put both of her hands to her throat, clawing at it, desperate to breathe again but Cedric watched in horror as her face slowly began turning blue.
And then the water came. Cedric watched as she started coughing up water but it was no use. She kept choking and the water began filling her lungs. She was drowning. She was dying. And Cedric watched, completely powerless to stop it. He couldn't save her. He could never save her. And he watched as she slowly died.
"Hermione!"
Cedric woke with a start, gasping for air and coughing as if he had been the one that had just been drowning in that horrible nightmare of his. He quickly looked around, trying to get his bearings and he sighed almost in relief upon seeing that he hadn't woken up in the forest. Instead, he was on the ground underneath the stands at the Quidditch field and Hermione was lying asleep next to him. She had come to him at the end of practice earlier that evening and she had been so distraught as she showed him the parchment she had written completely in Latin. Neither knew what to make of it but Cedric had done his best to try and console her. Both knew that they would get in trouble if they were caught but neither had wanted to return to the castle. They needed to be with one another and they needed to be completely alone.
A light wind was blowing and he could hear crickets chirp in the grass nearby. He didn't have any kind of idea of what time it was but judging by the darkness, he knew it was late. Hermione laid next to him, her back to him, and Cedric looked down at her as she slept. He instantly scooted as close to her as he possibly could, lying down again, wrapping his arms around her, pressing their bodies together. She was breathing. He could feel it with each inhale and exhale of breath she took and he seemed to finally breathe himself since he woke up. He was too afraid to close his eyes – afraid that if he did so, she would stop breathing right there in his arms. He squeezed them a bit more tightly around her, not prepared to ever let her go.
He didn't understand these nightmares that seemed to plague his mind every night. He couldn't remember the last good night's sleep he had actually gotten. He thought that maybe it was before he had ever met her that year. Now, every day, his mind was consumed with thoughts of her and every night, he saw her die in his dreams. He didn't know how much more he could take. He didn't know if he could watch her drown night after night and not be able to do anything about it. No matter what situation they were in and Hermione began to drown, Cedric could never save her. He didn't know what that meant. The dreams were telling to tell him something but what? He had already saved her from the lake once before. Was she going to be put in danger again? What was going to happen to her and why couldn't he ever save her in time? Why did she always drown? Cedric would kill himself before he ever let something harmful ever happen to Hermione.
Hermione shifted in his arms, her eyes still closed, her breath still deep and steady as she slept, and Cedric realized that one of his hands was resting right over her breast. The mound of flesh soft under his fingertips and he shifted slightly, his trousers growing suddenly much tighter. His hand remained on its resting spot but it was itching to feel the bare flesh without her clothing blocking his path. He squeezed her breast ever so gently and he was shocked into stillness when she moaned softly. Lifting his head and peering over her shoulder, he saw that her eyes were closed but she was biting her lip to keep from moaning too loudly – just like she had done in his dream. His lips brushed across her cheek and she pressed her bottom into his crotch, his erection no longer something he could hide from her. She felt it against her and she shifted slightly, making him moan softly in her ear. He squeezed her breast again and it was as if someone had lit a fire underneath them, sparking an ignition.
Cedric was very glad that she was awake now as she rolled over onto her back suddenly and lifting her head up, she fused their mouths together in a desperate hungry kiss, pulling him down on top of her. He didn't know if he was dreaming again but he didn't seem to be. Hermione reacted to each of his kisses, each of his touches. In the dream, everything moved at a much slower pace but right now, they seemed to be in a race with one another of who could touch more of the other. Cedric watched with slightly widened eyes as Hermione pulled her sweater up over her head, tossing it to the side and displaying herself for him in a plain simple white bra. It was the sexiest thing he had ever seen and she smiled up at him, showing him just how completely relaxed she was in case he was worried about her being uncertain with anything regarding the situation they suddenly found themselves in.
"Cedric," she gasped softly just like she had in his dream when he slowly pulled the front of her bra down, revealing her small perfect breasts to him. It was cool out and even though the permanent heat bubble that seemed to always be around them had appeared with their first kiss since both woke up, her nipples hardened into dusty rose peaks. Cedric found his mouth practically salivating at the sight before him. Hermione watched him as he stared down at her, his eyes dark with lust and want. He resembled a starving animal who had just laid eyes upon a piece of meat after going months without eating. No one had ever looked at her the way Cedric was staring at her and she felt the throbbing ache between her legs intensify.
She wasn't afraid like she thought she would be. She had known that this would happen the instant his nightmare had stirred her from a deep sleep. This had been building between them since the first time they brushed arms at the Quidditch World Cup. Both had known that this moment was inevitable for them and would be useless to fight – not that either of them even fathomed the idea of trying to stop this. Why would they not want to do this? Their entire beings felt as if they would fall apart if they didn't touch one another at all times. They would be separated for hours each day due to their own classes and when they finally were able to spend a short time together, they both touched and kissed one another as if it was keeping them from going insane.
They needed one another more than anything – more than eating, more than sleeping. More than breathing. More than life.
The instant Cedric licked her breast and then sucked the nipple gently into his mouth, the light from both of their scars shot out in an almost blinding red light, projecting upwards towards the night sky. Neither paid attention however. They were more than used to the bright sparks produced from their scars. Hermione moaned a bit louder, her back arching off the ground, her fingers tangling in Cedric's hair, as he lavished his mouth and all of his attention on her bare breasts. Her hands, working as if they had a mind of their own, went to his pants, struggling for a moment with the button and the zipper before she was able to get both loose and lowered. Cedric managed to help her without lifting his head in pushing his pants and yellow boxers past his hips and kicked them off from his legs. He gasped when her small slightly cold hands wrapped around his erection and began stroking him slowly. He felt as if he was melting into her but her hands touching him like that only fueled his desire for her even more.
He lifted his head and covered her body with his, both breathing heavily, both of them staring deeply at the other. He leaned down, kissing her hard on the lips, drinking her in, growing increasingly intoxicated off of her taste. The way Hermione tasted was the most recognizable thing to him in the world. He had tasted her thousands of times before over thousands of years and each time he kissed her, it felt as if it was the first time and he got drunk all over again.
He tried to remember the first time – the very first time – his lips had ever touched hers but that had been so long ago, it was nearly impossible for him to imagine the first time he had ever seen her. He wondered when it was, how long ago, where they were. He had read the chapter in Hermione's book on what being Bound meant over and over again and Cedric wondered if he had known Hermione and had been connected to her since the beginning of time. It seemed like such an impossible experience and yet, every single time Cedric kissed Hermione, he believed whole-heartedly in it.
"This is your first time," Cedric whispered, his hands slowly pushing her skirt up around her waist.
Hermione smiled faintly, lifting her hips slightly off the ground. "It always is."
"Are you sure you want to do this?" He asked her and she laughed softly.
"You always ask me that."
He paused for a moment then smirked. "I do, don't I?" He asked, laughing along with her, his fingers now slowly pulling her panties down her legs. She helped him by kicking them away and he settled on top of her, his lower body now cradled in the apex of her thighs. "I don't want to hurt you."
She smiled again, shaking her head slightly. "You never do," she whispered. Her thumb brushed across his slightly pouted lips and she stared into his grey eyes. "I wonder how many times we've done this before."
He smiled. "Feels like a lot." He paused. "Are you nervous?"
"No," she said without hesitation and then laughed softly again. "Who would have thought that Hermione Granger would be doing such a thing underneath the Quidditch stands, breaking nearly every school rule in the process?"
Cedric grinned, almost laughing, and aided her when she reached for his shirt, trying to pull it off over his head. They both sighed happily as their naked chests finally made contact. The only clothing between them was Hermione's Hogwarts skirt pushed around her waist and it felt oddly arousing to her that she was still wearing it considering what they were about to do. As he continued staring at her however, his grin slowly faded and Hermione stared at him, knowing exactly what his thoughts were. She lifted a hand to his cheek, her thumb brushing soothingly across his skin.
"I'm going to be alright, Cedric."
He shook his head slightly, closing his eyes. "They are so real when I dream them."
Hermione lifted her head and pressed a kiss to his forehead, between his eyebrows. She slipped her arms around his neck and he lowered his head, fusing their lips together in a kiss that seemed to make their scars grow even brighter. With their mouths still connected, Cedric moved his hips back and thrust fully inside of her, breaking through her thin barrier, causing her to cry out. He stilled completely, placing soft kisses on her lips and her face. She clung to him tightly, her body stiff with the new intrusion though in the back of her mind, she knew that she had felt this before though it seemed so long ago, it almost made her think that it had been in nothing more than a dream. She knew that she had been here before in this position – Cedric above her, their bodies connected to one another, being as close as to one another as humanly possible. They have done this many times before.
It wasn't like her to act like this – to just throw caution to the wind and make love underneath the bleachers hours past curfew. But whenever Hermione was with Cedric, she cared about nothing else but him and being with him. Nothing else existed in her world except for him. She felt him begin to move, sliding in and out of her and she moaned softly, clinging to him tightly, feeling him kiss her gently over and over again. She felt as if she had died and had just reawakened again.
Both were too caught up in each other to notice their heart beats speed up at the same time and then slow down again until they were beating at the exact same rate. And neither noticed as the red glow from their scars grew even brighter.
Albus Dumbledore had fallen asleep at his desk as he seemed to do most nights now, surrounded by piles of books as he tried to research as much as he could about the Bound magic that had taken over two of his very own students. He had been on the chapter of Antony and Cleopatra – one of the two other cases of recorded and known bound couples in history – when he had drifted off.
But now, something had woken him and he didn't know what it was. He took of his half-moon spectacles and rubbed at the bridge of his nose, refraining from yawning again. He stood up from the hard wood chair at his desk and scratching his jaw line where his beard itched his face, he closed all of his books and stacked them into more organized stacks. Glancing at one of the clocks ticking on the wall, he said that it was just a few minutes after two o'clock. He had not been getting much rest and he didn't know when he would. Every day, at least one professor or another member of the staff, would come to him to report on something they had seen between Cedric and Hermione, whether it be a kiss or a fleeting touch or a whispered conversation. Professor Flitwick had reported just that day of the two laughing over something even though they had not exchanged any words. If they were able to read one another's minds then Dumbledore feared that their Bounding was already far more serious than he had originally thought.
He studied the pensieve daily, watching their past memories play out for him – memories of Cedric and Hermione from past lives that neither truly remembered. At the present moment, the two merely thought of them as dreams and nothing more. But they were so much more than that. They weren't dreams but they were past lives instead, past experiences that the two had gone through together. So far, he had counted fourteen separate lives that the two had met during and lived together. Different time periods, different people and yet, always Cedric and Hermione. It was incredible to watch and yet, also quite unnerving at the same time. Dumbledore didn't know what to make of any of it. Cedric and Hermione would meet, fall instantly in love, and would spend the remainder of that life together. Every life ended the same though and that was what Dumbledore was trying to make sense of.
He had to find a way to make sure that history did not repeat itself for the fifteenth time for the couple.
He slowly made his way up the circular cobble staircase to one of his bedchambers but passing by one of the small alcove windows, he stopped suddenly when he glanced out and his eyes suddenly were wide with alertness. Looking out over the grounds of Hogwarts, staring at the Quidditch field off in the distance, he saw a single ray of red light shooting from the ground up towards the sky. It seemed to be coming out from underneath the stands and Dumbledore leaned closer to look out the window, the breath catching in his throat.
The red light. The marking of a Bound spell. Seeing that light with such intensity and brightness could only mean one thing. The spell was finalized. The magic between them had just gained its maximum strength.
And because of that, Cedric and Hermione had just, unknowingly, doomed themselves.