Here's the next chapter! Enjoy. :)

Cedric wanted to talk to Anna about why she had been crying, but he didn't know how to bring it up. He decided to wait for her in her favorite spot at the library one day after classes. He had just started reading "Journey to the Center of the Earth" by Jules Verne when someone he wasn't expecting showed up.

"Hey Cedric, congratulations on becoming a Champion," a feminine voice said.

It was Cho Chang.

"Oh, thanks, Cho," he said politely. He wondered why she just started to talk to him. Was it because he was a Champion?

"Mind if I sit here?" she asked shyly.

"No, not at all," he gestured towards the seat across from him.

"I hope this doesn't take long," Cedric thought.

"What book are you reading? I've never heard of it," the Ravenclaw said.

"Oh, it's by Jules Verne. He's a muggle author," he said.

Her nose slightly scrunched up in distaste.

"I don't like reading Muggle literature. Half the time I don't even know what they're talking about," she replied.

Cedric was going to make a comment about how he would go ask Mins if he didn't understand something, but he decided against it.

The conversation continued and for the next ten minutes Cedric reprimanded himself for being too damn nice.

It was also during this time that Anna walked in and out of the library, unnoticed by Cedric.

xxx

"It was nice talking to you, Cedric," Cho said as she stood up.

"Yeah, it was. I'll you later," he said.

She smiled shyly and nodded. He watched her walk towards a group of Ravenclaw girls and decided to subtly watch them for awhile. They kept giggling.

Cedric groaned. Cho was nice and pretty enough, but it appeared that she just wanted to talk to him because he was a Champion.

He tried to leave the library as fast as he could in a dignified manner.

xxx

"Hey Ced, do you have any idea what the first task is?" Travis asked him on their way to Transfiguration.

"Not a clue," he replied. It was coming up faster than he liked and he still had no idea what he was up against.

"Nervous?" Max asked.

Cedric shrugged, "Only a little."

Travis snorted, not believing him. The Champion pointedly ignored him.

xxx

"Hey Mins, are you alright?" Cedric asked when he finally got a chance to talk to Anna.

"Hi Ced. I'm fine, why do you ask?" she readjusted the two textbooks she had in her arms.

"Here, let me," Cedric said as he grabbed them out of her hands.

"Oh you don't have to," she said sincerely.

"But I want to," he said simply.

Not being able to argue with him, the two walked on in silence.

"I saw you crying the other day," he finally blurted out.

Anna stopped walking with a look of shock on her face.

"What happened, Mins? Why were you crying?" Cedric asked as he took a step closer to her.

"And I thought no one had seen..." she thought sadly. Knowing she could trust him, she told Cedric the unpleasant encounter with Brady and the realization that came with it.

Knowing he needed to do something, he placed Anna's textbooks onto the window ledge and then gently removed her shoulder bag, placing it on the floor. Ignoring anna's confused looks, he pulled her into a hug.

"He didn't deserve you, Anna," he said in firm, yet gentle tone. He was ready to beat the rake to a bloody pulp.

For months her friends had been telling her this, but it hadn't truly sunk in. It wasn't until she started to cry in Cedric's arms did it truly sink in. On her own she realized Brady was absolutely terrible, but she realized she really did deserve better.

She deserved better.

xxx

Anna walked into the Common Room late that night, remembering she forgot the latest book she was reading on the coffee table. She found Cedric asleep in an arm chair with "Journey to the Center of the Earth" in his lap.

Smiling, she closed the book remembering to mark his page and set it on the end table next to him. Moving over to the coffee table, she grabbed her book. Turning back, she debated whether or not she should wake him up.

She realized he looked even more adorable when he was sleeping. Not having the heart to wake him up, she conjured a blanket for him. Acting on impulse, she brushed a stray lock of hair off of his forehead and replaced it with a kiss.

She blinked and quickly pulled back, not knowing what had come over her.

"Bloody hell," she uttered as she returned to her dormitory.

A few minutes after she left, Cedric opened his eyes and touched his forehead in confusion. Had she really just kissed him?

The more he thought about it, the less confused he became. Cedric closed his eyes and fell back asleep with a small yet content smile on his face.

xxx

"So, let me get this straight. She kissed you on the forehead, but then said 'bloody hell' and fled?" Max said at breakfast the next morning.

"Yeah."

"Girls are crazy," he said.

"No wonder you haven't got a bird, you pillock," said Travis, rolling his eyes. Max punched him in the arm. "I think she's just confused about her feelings toward you."

Cedric just pushed his scrambled eggs around his plate, not really in the mood for their antics.

"Do you even know what your feelings are concerning her?" Max asked finally.

Cedric paused and blinked in confusion. He wasn't really sure, if he was going to be honest. He knew he was interested in her. He also thought she was a great and funny witch he wanted to be around. But did he want to take the plunge and have a relationship with her?

While thinking this over, he looked over at Anna who was sitting a couple seats down from them.

Max and Travis witnessed Cedric's confused face transform into a goofy grin.

"Yes, yes I do," Cedric said aloud in response to Max's question and the one inside his head.

A.N: As always, feedback is appreciated!