After the war, Hermione finds that she had drifted apart from Harry and Ron, as their lives head in different directions. As new opportunities come to her and she makes new friends, will the Golden Trio ever reconnect? Cedric lives. HG/CD.

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Disclaimer: Not mine, don't own it – I wish! Unfortunately, Harry Potter belongs to JKR and not to me; I'm just playing in her sandbox.

Author's Notes:

» Sorry for the delay in posting this chapter but real life, for both my beta and myself, got in the way of my updating. Hopefully, I'm now back to my approximately once-a-month update schedule. However, I do intend to finish this story, no matter how long it may take.

» Thank you to my beta, the wonderful StrongHermione, for all her help and support.

» Thank you for all the reviews, alerts and follows; they're all appreciated.

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Chapter 4

The next day, Hermione and Cedric were both up early and Cedric was made to feel part of the family as he was given his first lesson in muggle kitchens when Hermione delegated the making of tea, coffee and toast to him, while she cooked breakfast. After breakfast, they all gathered on the comfortable sofas in the living room, with Hermione once again wedged tightly between her parents, as she told them of her adventures since she had seen them last. The story was not easy to tell and to Hermione's great relief, Cedric chimed in to support her whenever her voice faltered.

She debated whether or not to tell them about being tortured, not wanting to upset her parents. However, when she had been trying to persuade them to go into hiding she had had no other choice but to be fully open and honest with them. When she had finally told her parents for the first time what was really happening in the magical world and about all her adventures in Hogwarts, they had been utterly appalled and they had made her promise never to hide such serious matters from them again. So, very reluctantly, Hermione told them the full story of what had happened to her at Malfoy Manor. Until now she had never been able to speak about it except in the very broadest terms, in part because she had not had the opportunity to do so, but mostly because she simply had not been able to give words to the terrifying and horrific experience which, together with her memories of the battle that had taken place at Hogwarts shortly afterwards, now haunted her nightmares. However, sitting safely in the loving embrace of her parents, she was finally able to give voice to what had happened to her. It was a harrowing experience for them all as Hermione recounted her tale, but Cedric was a tower of strength to the traumatised Grangers, providing moral support, boxes of tissues and endless cups of warm, comforting tea.

Over the next few days, despite the horror of Hermione's account of the recent wizarding war, the three Grangers gradually relaxed as they truly began to believe they were safe and would not be parted again. As Helen and John got to know Cedric better, their good opinion of him kept growing and they wholeheartedly supported his fledgling relationship with their daughter. Cedric was unfailingly polite and never treated them as inferior or even as feeble-minded simpletons the way Arthur Weasley tended to regard muggles, an attitude which had always annoyed them immensely. He was also unquestionably devoted to their daughter, a sentiment which was always going to get their approval.

Cedric was eagerly immersing himself in muggle life – he had made a promise to himself that at the very least, he was going to master the muggle kitchen while he was staying with the Grangers! – and was enthusiastically planning sightseeing excursions with Hermione. Cedric had been the one to insist that he and Hermione would only take day-trips, unless John and Helen could join them, as he did not want to take Hermione away from her parents, and John and Helen had been truly grateful for his thoughtfulness and consideration. Fortunately there was more than enough in the Melbourne area to keep Cedric and Hermione busy and happy for a few weeks, until John and Helen were able to take some vacation time and join them on a trip further afield.

Cedric and Hermione spent the next three weeks thoroughly exploring muggle Melbourne, having deliberately chosen to avoid the magical district until they would be informed by Kingsley Shacklebolt that the restrictions on magical travel had been lifted, and Cedric was stunned by the richness and variety of the muggle culture and the vibrant way of life. He had never believed muggleborns to be inferior to purebloods, however, he had not taken Muggle Studies at school – which course, Hermione informed him, was extremely out-of-date and misinformed in any case – and he had not really considered how muggles lived without magic. Those three weeks opened up a whole new world to him and he finally understood the culture shock experienced by muggleborns when they first joined the magical world at age eleven.

Cedric and Hermione went to art galleries, museums, concerts, the theatre and to many beautiful nature and wildlife attractions. Even the shopping malls and department stores were a revelation to the young pureblood, as he explored this alternative lifestyle for the first time. However, as much as Cedric enjoyed the urban entertainments, he particularly appreciated the outdoor activities and he revelled in the Luna Park, which was Melbourne's amusement park, and the like of which he had never before imagined. Remembering all the teasing she had received for her fear of flying, Hermione could not resist teasing Cedric in turn when she hired a couple of bikes for her and Cedric's use during their three weeks of sightseeing, so that they would not need to rely solely on public transport. However, despite his initial lack of coordination, he was soon as comfortable on his bike as he was on his broom and beat Hermione every time they raced each other.

During those three weeks, Hermione flourished. The relief of being reunited with her parents, their unconditional love, her relationship with Cedric and, above all, the lack of stress and the chance to relax with no demands being made of her, had done more to aid Hermione in her recuperation from the hard and taxing year on the run than any amount of medication or potions could have achieved. Even her nightmares were gradually receding in this safe and loving environment.

Before leaving Britain, Hermione and Cedric had set up a muggle means of communication with Bill Weasley and Kingsley. She had rented a post office box in muggle London for a year and had given keys to both men. She had written to let them know that she had found her parents and had successfully restored their memories. Cedric had added his own postscript, relating that he and Hermione were going to take a holiday in Australia and asking that Kingsley write and let them know when it was possible for them to make contact with the Australian magical community. He also asked that Bill keep him apprised of the status of his negotiations with the goblins of Gringotts regarding Hermione. Just before they left to go on holiday with Hermione's parents, they sent a long newsy letter, with stories of their experiences exploring Melbourne and plenty of photographs. Both men and Bill's wife, Fleur, had been relieved to see how much better Hermione looked and sounded. They all wrote back caring letters, telling Hermione how pleased they were for her and that she should take her time coming back and just enjoy her break from stress in the meantime.

In a separate letter to Cedric, for his eyes only, Kingsley informed Cedric that only Minerva McGonagall had asked where Hermione was and that when he had explained that she had gone to Australia to retrieve her parents, Minerva had huffed and dropped the subject, not mentioning Hermione again. Kingsley postulated that Minerva was miffed because Hermione had not chosen to give priority to helping her favourite professor. Cedric sighed in disappointment that so few people seemed to care about her well-being, or even what had become of the brilliant young witch who had been such an integral part in winning the war, but he did not mention this to Hermione, choosing not to ruin her current happiness.

Cedric also wrote to his parents, who replied supporting his decision to remain in Australia for the time being. They both knew how unsettled and dissatisfied he had been in Britain and were pleased to hear him sounding so much happier. Having got to know Hermione well during Cedric's recuperation from the injuries he had received from the confrontation with Voldemort and his Death Eaters at the end of the Triwizard Tournament, they were also pleased to hear about the new relationship between the two youngsters and were privately hoping that a wedding would take place before too long.

Three weeks after finding Helen and John and restoring their memories, the three Grangers and Cedric departed on holiday together. John and Helen were taking some vacation time from their dental practice and the whole family, including Cedric, were heading off to go skiing. John and Helen had taken a half day's leave on Friday and as soon as they came home from work, the family all bundled into the car and they quickly set off to Falls Creek. They were going to stay there until the following Sunday, just over a week, and Cedric was very excited to try the winter sports at the resort.

The days flew past. The Grangers had quickly re-bonded and had happily extended their family to include Cedric. John and Helen were as proud of Cedric's accomplishments with the unfamiliar sports as they would have been were they his real parents. The days were spent outdoors and each evening the family came home with rosy cheeks and laughter on their faces. Cedric took to skiing and snowboarding like a duck to water and he and Hermione had great fun snow-biking together; Hermione even beat him in a snow-bike race between the pair, although Cedric claimed it was only because she was more familiar with winter sports than he was. The whole family also enjoyed a snowshoe hike together around Falls Creek, and as this was more of a group activity, it allowed them to spend more time talking and laughing together while they hiked and enjoyed the spectacular scenery. The evenings were spent relaxing and talking over a bottle of wine in front of an open fire and they finished off the week with some pampering in the spa.

During the evening conversations, Cedric and Hermione's thoughts had gradually turned to what they were going to do next. As much as they had enjoyed their period of recreation since their arrival in Australia, this could not continue indefinitely and they knew that once they returned to Melbourne, it would be time to start exploring their options and make some decisions. One thing they had established was that neither of them was interested in a Ministry career, even in a Ministry under the leadership of Kingsley Shacklebolt, and they were both at a bit of a loss as to what to do next.

"The British magical world is very elitist," Hermione explained to her parents on their last evening in Falls Creek. "Not only are there very few opportunities for half-bloods and especially muggleborns, but other magical races are also looked down upon. You should see how badly wizards treat house elves and goblins, for example. It's crazy – why treat the people who hold your money badly? But then, no one ever said wizards are logical. I was thinking that a law degree would give me the tools I'll need to try and enact change."

"A law degree focusing on equality, I presume?" Helen asked.

"And defamation," Hermione agreed.

"What's defamation?" asked Cedric.

"It's a muggle concept," Hermione explained to her interested boyfriend. "In the muggle world there are laws about saying or writing or doing things that will put others in a negative light. Admittedly, it's hard to challenge but it is possible to do so, because the person casting aspersions would then have to prove their claims. So, for example, when Rita Skeeter made up lies about me and published them in The Daily Prophet during the Triwizard Tournament, had that been in the muggle world, I could have challenged her in a court of law. Or when The Prophet depicted you and Harry as deluded, attention-seeking liars when you said that Voldemort was back, you could have taken the paper to court and you would have been able to submit pensieve memories as evidence that you were speaking the truth. If any of us had won our claims, not only would The Prophet have been obliged to print retractions stating that they were wrong and we were right, but they would probably also have had to pay financial compensation in damages."

She turned back to her parents and continued, "The problem at present is that there isn't an independent judicial body in the British magical world. Everything is done through the Wizengamot and the Ministry. This means that wealthy purebloods with power and influence can get whatever they want and anyone else, especially muggleborns, are given a very raw deal."

"Hmm, sounds like you have a big task ahead of you," John mused.

"Yes, but it will be worth it," Hermione replied determinedly.

Cedric grabbed Hermione in his arms and hugged her jubilantly. "Not that I'm complaining about being hugged but what was that for?" she asked, confused.

"That's the Hermione Granger I know and love!" he exclaimed. "You've been sounding so defeated since the war ended and it's so unlike you, I was getting worried. I'm glad to hear the fire back in your voice." Suddenly he sobered, "But…" he said hesitantly, before trailing off, not wanting to burst Hermione's bubble of excitement.

"But what? What's wrong, Cedric?" Hermione asked, worry spread all across her face.

"But for you to enact change in Wizarding Britain, you need to be either a member of the Wizengamot or work at the Ministry. Even as an independent advocate, you won't be able to achieve anything. I know how important social change is to you and I love your idealism but you're going to have to find another way to bring it about, if you don't want to join the Ministry. I'm so sorry, Hermione. You know that I believe in you and support you, don't you?"

"Of course I do," she answered dejectedly, "and I'm glad you told me. It's better to know now, so that I can think of alternative career paths, rather than spend four years on a law degree, only to find out it's useless when I go back to Britain. Let's face it, even if I did join the Ministry, I wouldn't get very far. Not only am I a muggleborn but I've made too many enemies. Despite being a member of the Golden Trio…" this was said with as much disdain as she could possibly inject into the dreadful name that she and the boys had been labelled with, "I'll never rise above the most junior of positions at the Ministry, even with Kingsley as the Minister."

Seeing the crestfallen expression on her face and hating that he had been the one to put it there, Cedric asked his girlfriend, "Have you ever thought of becoming a teacher?" Hermione looked at him inquiringly and he smiled at her. "If you can't change society through legislation, then you can change it through education."

Hermione beamed at him. "Thank you for understanding me. For all our years of friendship, I'm not sure that Harry and Ron ever really did. I love you, Cedric Diggory," she announced. She grabbed two fistfuls of his shirt, pulled him towards her and kissed him fiercely. Cedric happily lost himself in her kiss until John loudly cleared his throat and brought them back to reality. Hermione buried her face in Cedric's neck and Helen laughed at her embarrassed daughter's blushes.

"It's definitely an idea to consider, Ced, but I'm not sure it's what I want to do right now. Are muggleborns even allowed to teach at Hogwarts? Even the Muggle Studies Professor was a pureblood who had never spent any time in the muggle world. Besides, after all the years I spent shepherding Harry and Ron through school, I'm not sure I'm ready to take that on again quite so soon!" Hermione said impishly, making Cedric laugh, as she had intended.

Hermione sighed, "I must admit, I'm burned out right now. I've been fighting for acceptance and for my very life ever since I first entered the wizarding world at the age of eleven. I need a break to complete my education and recuperate from the strain of last few years, far away from the stresses and pressures of Britain. I just fought a war for the right to be magical, for the right to live, and if I'm being truly honest, I resent the fact that I'm still going to need to prove I'm worthy of that right. I want a job where I'm going to be able to contribute to the betterment of magical Britain but I'm not sure I want to spend the rest of my life fighting. I'm hoping I can find another way to contribute that will allow me to live my life in peace."

"Like a Healer, perhaps?" Cedric suggested.

"Perhaps," Hermione said morosely. A moment later, she brightened, "I wonder what sort of healing is available to magical creatures, like house elves, goblins or centaurs?"

"I don't know about centaurs but I imagine the goblins have their own Healers and that house elves have their own brand of healing magic. Werewolves probably don't find many Healers willing to treat them, though."

"That's something to consider then," she concluded, cheering up again at the thought that there were still options available to her that would fulfil her desire to help others, even if not the means were not legislative.

On their last day in Falls Creek, the family had a final run on the ski slopes before they regretfully packed up the car and headed back to Melbourne. The whole family had enjoyed the break but they all knew that they could not hide from real life forever. It was time to go home.

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