Disclaimer: Genevieve Harrington is mine, Harry Potter is not.

Last time…

Then Genevieve had to come in and take her dream away. She took –

Hermione jumped up. She had to make sure. She needed reassurance. She needed to know she still mattered. She needed Harry and Ron.

With that thought, she quickly ran back to the castle.

Chapter 5

When Hermione arrived at the Entrance Hall, she was surprised to find it quiet and empty. The huge clock struck 9.

I must've been outside longer than I thought.

With more urgency, she walked faster towards Gryffindor tower.

A few minutes later, as she neared the tower, she heard Ron's voice farther down the corridor and around the corner.

"There's my Head Girl," came Ron's voice.

Hermione's heart lightened. He had waited for her, no doubt knowing she would be upset. He was on her side and thought that she deserved the position. She still mattered to someone. Hermione brightened a little bit. As long as she mattered to Ron, Harry, and the other people she cared about, it didn't matter as much what other people think. Hermione quickened her steps.

"I knew you would get it," Ron said, making Hermione stop in her tracks as she reached the corner. "I think this is a bad idea though. What if someone sees us? Hermione's coming back any minute. We should move somewhere else."

"Why does it matter?" Genevieve's voice was unmistakable. It made Hermione furious but she was rooted to her spot in shock and she couldn't move even if she wanted to. "You said you were going to dump her tomorrow anyway," Genevieve continued. "What was that you said? Oh right, that you only went out with her because she was there but she's such a bore."

"It's such a turn on when you're malicious," Ron stated with a grin.

What a sick bastard, Hermione thought still rooted to the spot behind the corner. She could now see Ron as he backed up closer to the wall.

"You're words not mine babe," purred Genevieve now walking up to Ron and in Hermione's field of view.

"But Hermione's still my friend and I'd like to keep it that way. It wouldn't be good for my reputation – or yours for that matter – if she or anyone else knew that we've been doing this for a few weeks behind her back."

"You weren't so worried about that last night," Genevieve laughed lightly. "Or the night before that." With that, she pressed Ron against the wall and put her lips to his.

Despite what he said, Ron didn't make a move to stop her and kissed the girl with equal fervor. Hermione on her part was still in so much shock, all she could do was watch. Ron's moans broke her out of her reverie causing her to gasp. Genevieve stilled and Ron looked up. Hermione met his eyes for a brief second and ran down the corridor, with tears once again blurring her eyes.

oOoOoOoOoOo

Without thinking, Hermione ran to the Astronomy Tower. She climbed the steps higher and higher, with a million thoughts running through her head. She could see now that she had been so blind. Ron had never liked her. He simply used her. Tired of being the third wheel when Harry started going out with Ginny, Ron needed to find a girlfriend and had asked Hermione because, as he so eloquently put it, "she was there". Ron had always been resentful of the attention Harry received. Hermione was sure that Ron was also happy with the attention he got once he went out with Hermione and had completed the picturesque scene everyone had always predicted for the Trio. Now she could see why he never bothered to take her out on real dates. She finally saw that he only held her hand in the corridor when there were others present and that he did it to get attention. She saw, looking back, that his "mini study dates" weren't a way for them to get time alone at all. It was merely his way of using her to help him with his homework. Even their friendship was a sham. Wasn't he, after all, the one who never liked her in the first place? He only helped save her from the troll in the bathroom because Harry felt guilty and pulled him along. Since then, they had always clashed – staying friends simply because they were both attached to Harry. She was so stupid! Of course, that fact didn't come as a shock now. She was definitely stupid enough to not get the Head Girl position after all she did. She thought her world had fallen apart earlier tonight? She thought life couldn't get any worse. She was wrong. Now her world crashed and burned right before her eyes. All had worked for, all she thought she had, rained down before her in a fiery shower of sparks. Her last shred of hope – that she might still matter to someone no matter what the rest of the wizarding world thought – was taken away from her. Ron obviously couldn't care less if she never existed. Harry… Harry had Ginny now and he was too burdened with his own demons to care about her insecurities and failures. And he shouldn't. Why he should he care about someone who didn't belong in the world he was trying to save? Besides, he was also (although not at the same level as Ron) captivated by Genevieve and he had her to help him now. Genevieve Harrington. The girl who took everything away from her in one fell swoop. She should've known better. Who was she to compete with a Pureblood? Head Girl did mean "the best of the best" and she was nothing but a Mudblood.

Hermione was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she didn't even notice that her legs had carried her to the far wall of the tower. She now looked out into the night sky with tears streaming down her face as she thought of the one person who saw something valuable in her.

Her thoughts drifted back to that fateful summer between 3rd and 4th year.

Hermione went out for a walk after feeling particularly upset one morning. She decided to go to the library and escape into a story. It was a nice, sunny day and Hermione instantly felt a bit better as she walked inside her local library. She headed for the shelves and within minutes she was lost in a different world.

Some time later she was pulled out of her reading when she felt someone approach and sit on the couch across from her. Looking up she saw someone who looked vaguely familiar but she couldn't place his face. The young man was, for lack of a better word, handsome. He had brown hair, stunning grey eyes, and chiseled cheek bones. He was dressed in a blue polo shirt with the collar up and jeans. Aside from his good looks, he was quite ordinary and Hermione thought he looked Muggle. However, she knew that though she didn't exactly know who he was, he wasn't an acquaintance from the muggle world. She watched him read The Outsiders trying to figure out who he was.

The boy must have felt her gaze because a few moments later, he looked up and smiled at her. His smile made his face light up and made him even more handsome, if that was possible. Hermione blushed at being caught staring.

"Hermione Granger, right?" The boy asked her still with a pleasant smile on his face.

"Um yes," Hermione confirmed shyly. "I'm sorry, but I don't seem to – "

"Cedric Diggory," he said offering her his hand. Hermione shook it. "It's alright. We've never been properly introduced but I do know who you are." He laughed. "You'd have to be living underneath a boulder not to know who you are." He lowered his voice. "I go to Hogwarts too. I'm in Hufflepuff but two years ahead of you."

"Oh, now I remember," Hermione replied. While he was talking she realized that he was the Cedric Diggory. The one every girl talked about in Hogwarts. Hermione thought he looked like a nice enough boy when Lavender pointed him out and had heard only good things about him. Of course, the other girls didn't care about his grades or personality, all they talked about was how good of a kisser he must be. Obviously, Hermione didn't tell him this. She merely added, "Yes, I've seen you around school a few times. I'm sorry for not recognizing you. Everyone looks different in muggle clothing. Which reminds me, I don't remember seeing you around here before. You're not muggleborn, are you?"

"No," Cedric replied. "I just needed a break from the wizarding world for a bit. Umm, it's okay if you want to finish reading your book but I was thinking, the library isn't exactly the best place to talk. Would you be interested in getting some ice cream with me?"

"Sure," Hermione replied glad to have some company.

They walked to an ice cream shop down the road. Hermione ordered Rocky Road ice cream while Cedric ordered Espresso Flake. They walked to a nearby park and sat down on the grass. At first they were both silent, enjoying the feel of the sun's rays on them. Surprisingly it wasn't an awkward silence at all. Both felt that the other needed some time to simply be. Hermione's curiosity however, soon got the better of her and she broke the silence.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, why exactly were you in a muggle library reading a muggle book?"

Cedric leaned back on his arm. "Like I said, I just needed to get out. I've always been fascinated by muggle books after reading one in my first year. One of my friends is muggleborn and he lent it to me. Your authors have quite the imagination – some are certainly better than the wizard books I've read. So whenever I need to escape or just relax, I read muggle books. Since they aren't exactly freely available in our world I have to apparate to a muggle library. It's nice to be able to apparate. Before, I had to walk or take the bus to one which wasn't exactly convenient. However, I didn't know of any specific libraries so when I went to apparate, I just thought 'muggle library' and for some reason it brought me to yours." Cedric turned to Hermione. "Funny how that happened, huh?"

"I'm more surprised you know what a bus is."

Cedric laughed. "I like to learn as much as I can about muggles. Not only are they interesting but your world also has a lot to offer." His tone turned pensive. "The wizarding world could certainly learn a thing or two from it."

"Like what?" Hermione asked, genuinely interested in both his tone and what he was saying. Aside from Mr. Weasley, she had never heard a wizard express interest in the muggle world.

"Like cars," he chuckled breaking the mood. "I like the really fast ones! Brooms are great and all but they're not exactly the most comfortable places to sit on. Plus, they all look the same."

Hermione sensed the change in subject and didn't want to push him. He did, however, turn the mood serious again.

"I hope you don't think I'm stalking you or anything but I did see you walk to the library." Hermione's eyebrow rose but before she could say anything he continued. "I apparated just in front of the library when I saw you coming. I didn't know it was you at the time and I was afraid a muggle might have seen me appear out of thin air so I hid behind a tree. I looked around to see if you were gone and I recognized you as you came nearer. You looked really upset and you were muttering to yourself. I'm not trying to pry or anything but do you want to talk about it? If you don't, that's ok too. I mean, you did just meet me and stuff. It's just, while getting lost in a book is a good way to calm down, at some point you have to have an outlet to let the stuff out too."

Hermione wasn't the most open person in the world, in fact quite the opposite, but for some reason she felt like she could talk to Cedric. So she told him about her morning.

Hermione heard her mom talking on the phone as she walked down the stairs.

"Good for her…Yes, well I'm sure she'll have no problems…Hahahaha…Yes, she's doing very well in school…Her father and I always argue as to where she gets her brains from – I always say she inherited mine of course hahahaha… Well, hopefully you know she'll keep up with it. You never know with kids these days…Hmm yes, discipline goes a long way. A lot of the kids these days…that's cause they were never spanked…hahaha, I know, in my day…Yes…She wants to become a dentist…Exactly. What else could she possibly want? The practice is all set up for her. All she has to do is take over the clinic…Yes, of course… Well tell her congratulations for me. Bye now." Hermione's mother hung up the phone.

"Oh good, you're up," she said turning to Hermione. "Well, after breakfast, I need you to clean your room and your bathroom. It's filthy."

Filthy? Hermione thought. I've only been back for 2 days.

"So I was just talking to Mrs. West on the phone. You remember Mrs. West, of course."

Who could ever forget her? Mrs. West and Mrs. Granger had known each other for years, back when they were still Susan and Eleanor, respectively. They went to the same school throughout elementary, high school, and university. The two had always been rivals, always competing with each other for grades, friends, clothes, boyfriends, just about everything though on the outside they appeared to everyone as friends and treated each other so. In university, Susan won a round by marrying the guy Eleanor had a crush on for years. In the end though, Eleanor had the last laugh when she married Mr. Granger who went on to become a successful dentist while Susan's husband flunked out of medical school and became a librarian. While most people, including the author of this story, think that it is as good a profession as any, it was not good enough for Susan, whose outlook on the world, like Eleanor, depended solely on outward appearances and measured achievements by their monetary value. Though their divorce papers say, "Irreconcilable differences", many would not be surprised if she had left him out of shame. Susan went on to marry Mr. West, a successful surgeon, who was always out doing who knows what but could always be counted on to increase his wife's credit card limit. Naturally, the competition between the two 'friends' extended to their offspring. Mrs. West had a daughter who was a few years older than Hermione and is Mrs. Granger's current subject of discussion.

"Well her daughter Helena, just received her GCSE marks. She got 5 As and 1 A! Math had always been that girl's weakness. Anyway, can you imagine? Such high marks. Good for her." To both Susan and Eleanor, appearances were everything to the point that they would always let everyone think they were happy for someone even though they might be feeling something else inside.

"She wants to be a surgeon like her father. Now there's a good job. You can never go wrong with health care. No matter what, there will always be sick people and there will always be a demand for health care professionals. She wants to study medicine at Oxford," Mrs. Granger scoffed. "Mighty difficult to get into that program." "But," she continued in a brighter tone. "I wish her all the luck. I'm sure she'll try her very best."

"How about you Hermione? What do you want to do? I mean, GCSE's for your age are coming up in a couple of years. You should start preparing, especially if you want to get into the dental program at King's College. Did you know it was recently included in one of the top 25 schools in the world? It'd be great for you to go there. Maybe we should be looking at schools for you this September."

"Mom," Hermione interrupted. "I go to Hogwarts remember?"

"Oh, of course," Mrs. Granger said snidely. "But honestly, Hermione haven't you outgrown it yet? We've indulged you long enough now. I mean, what would you be doing after 7th year? Magic is nice and all, but it won't feed you. You can't possibly expect to go on living the rest of your life waving around a wooden stick. What opportunities could you possibly have? Work in that ministry of yours? Pretty soon you'll be babbling about how wonderful batteries are and calling the phone a "fellytone" like the Weasleys. Don't tell me you envision yourself manning one of the shops in Diagon Alley selling robes to children. Honestly, Hermione, I'm sure you want more than that. I mean, what will you say to people when they ask you what you do? What will I say to people when they ask me how many As you received or what your plans are? Take Helena for example, now there's a focused girl – Oxford to become a surgeon – she knows what she wants! Which one would you rather say when people ask you what you do? 'I work at a shop in a strange place in London' or 'I'm a dentist with a successful practice in Cambridge.' You had so many dreams before Hogwarts. We had this all planned out since you could talk! Don't become like one of the many young people these days. So unfocused. They spend years in school for what? To end up working retail because they chose History or English Lit as their major because it made them happy. Then what? Now they're miserable because they can't pay off their credit cards. Happiness isn't practical Hermione. Get a good job – a stable, high paying job like dentistry, then you can do what you want. Then you can go ahead and do what you want to make yourself happy. Anyway, it's all up to you. I'm off to work. I'll see you later!"

Argh! Hermione wanted to scream in frustration after her mother left. Of course, that would achieve nothing. She wanted to tell her mother that there were lots of opportunities in the wizarding world and list the wonderful careers she could pursue like becoming an auror or a healer or a professor or a journalist – ok maybe not that one. Working with the Daily Prophet and people like Rita Skeeter everyday would be horrid. Nonetheless, the wizarding world was Hermione's world now. She couldn't imagine going back to living a mundane life in the muggle world. Granted, the wizarding world hadn't always been the safest place for Hermione, especially with Voldemort still alive and her connection to Harry, but that's exactly why she had to stay there. That is where her life was now. Where the people she cared about were. Where she was needed. But of course she didn't say any of this to her parents. It wouldn't have made a difference anyway. Hermione had tried to talk to them before and the discussion escalated into an argument faster than you could say 'Squib'. Well, a one-sided argument really with her parents doing all the yelling, saying things like: 'Since when did you learn to talk back to us? Is that what they're teaching you at that school? How to disrespect your parents? Where would you be without us? Maybe we should pull you out…" and other off subject rants.

"It wouldn't make a difference if I talked to them. They would just come up with a stupid argument that makes no sense logically – but makes perfect sense in their twisted minds – and not listen to me at all. If people think I'm stubborn, they haven't met my parents. It's easier for me not to talk to them about anything and just speak when I'm spoken to and pretend that everything's fine. It's all about appearances with them anyway. Do you know I'm not even allowed to sulk in my room? I'm not allowed to be upset. If I show even a hint that I might be upset, my dad explodes and says 'Upset?! I'll give you something to be upset about…' etc. They like pretending that we're always a happy little family so I have to be happy all the time too. Ugh! I mean don't get me wrong. I am grateful to my parents and all and they are good to me and stuff but a it'd be nice for them to back off a little bit and stop controlling everything in my life including how I feel. Anyway, so after cleaning my room and bathroom, I went for a walk to let out some steam, and well, you know the rest." Hermione looked at Cedric waiting for his reaction. He had been silent the whole time she talked but he looked at her like he really was interested in what she had to say that she kept going.

Instead of saying something like 'Well, I'm sure your parents only want what's best for you' or something equally condescending, Cedric surprised her by merely saying, "I can see why you were upset. Do you feel better now?"

"Yes," Hermione answered honestly. It did feel good to get it off her chest. Then she remembered something. "Cedric?"

"Hmm?"

"You said earlier you left because you wanted to escape. Do you want to talk about it?"

Cedric lay down on the grass and watched the clouds. "Let's just say, I know exactly how you feel. Like you, my parents are good people too but sometimes, they just get so controlling you know?" He sighed. "I guess, I get sick of all the expectations and all the pressure. My mother would be happy with whatever I did but my father is a different story. He wants me to always get the best marks in school, be popular – 'make connections' he calls it, and be a great quidditch player. He tells people he's proud of me but it's hard to believe. If I go home with high marks he simply nods but if I brought home one B he demands to know what went wrong. The same thing goes with quidditch. I could win hundreds of games and he wouldn't bat an eye but if I lose one, he starts criticizing how I fly, the team's strategy, and anything he could think of. All of it for his master plan. He wants me to work for the Ministry after graduation and someday become Minister of Magic."

Hermione understood where he was coming from. She was no stranger to pressure. "What do you really want to do?"

Cedric turned his head to her. "You'd laugh at me if I told you."

"I won't," Hermione promised.

"I want to become a Healer."

"Why would I have laughed at that? I think you'd make a great Healer."

"Thanks. But that's not all. I'm really interested in muggle medicine. I think it'd be great to try and integrate the two," Cedric looked away and blushed.

"Well, I think that's a great idea."

"Really? You don't think it's stupid?"

"No. I may be biased but while muggles don't have magic, we have the imagination and innovation to make up for it. Some of our techniques and equipment could be really useful for healers."

"That's what I thought."

The rest of the day went by quickly as the two discussed anything and everything about themselves. Finally, it was time for both of them to go home as their respective parents would soon arrive. Hermione and Cedric agreed to owl each other to keep in touch and also to set up times to meet with each other.

The rest of the summer continued but it was more bearable now that Hermione had someone to talk to. She didn't want to write to Harry as he was too busy worrying about Sirius and he would simply worry about Hermione too – worry without really listening to her. Ron wouldn't understand as he had agreeable parents, and well, frankly, he's got the emotional range of a teaspoon. Cedric understood her without judging her and she, in turn, understood him. They were able to talk to each other about anything, both good and bad, and soon they became fast friends.

During the Quidditch World Cup, Hermione had to pretend to be introduced to Cedric for the first time as his father did not know about his son's muggle side trips.

Hermione sobbed as she remembered how he had knowingly smiled at her when Mr. Diggory and Mr. Weasley introduced everybody. She remembered how he always knew the right thing to say, how he seemed to know how she felt even if she didn't say anything, how his arms felt around her when he hugged her, how he plotted various ways to kill Rita Skeeter with her after that awful article came out. Wave after wave of Cedric related memories finally broke free and assaulted her.

Fourth year and the Triwizard Tournament was nerve-wracking for Hermione. Not only was she looking out for Harry, she was worried about Cedric too. They continued to talk to each other throughout the school year and Hermione was there for him when he worried about the upcoming tasks. She was not happy, however, when she heard that he was taking Cho to the Yule Ball.

"Why did you choose Cho the Ho?"

"Whoah Hermione," Cedric chuckled. "Don't you think that's a bit harsh?"

"C'mon Cedric," Hermione insisted. "We both know she's only interested because of your newfound fame. Her reputation certainly doesn't help her case."

"That may be the case but her father is my father's boss so naturally he wanted me to ask her. Besides, who else would I have asked? Krum already asked you."

Hermione blushed.

oOoOoO

After dropping Cho off at her tower, Cedric was walking back to his room when he noticed someone crying on the stairs.

"Hermione?"

"Where's Cho?" she sniffed.

"I dropped her off at Ravenclaw. That doesn't matter though. What happened?" He sat down beside her and drew her close to him.

"Ron just can't let me be happy," she sobbed into his chest. "I was having a nice time with Viktor when Ron decided to ruin the night. Just because everyone in this school only sees me as the walking encyclopedia doesn't give him a right to be upset when someone else starts to see something else in me."

Cedric held her tighter vowing to kill Ron Weasley one of these days. "He's not worth your tears Hermione." He took her chin and turned her face up. "And not everyone in this school thinks you're a walking encyclopedia."

Hermione looked down.

Cedric gently pulled her face up again. "You are smart, yes. But you're also so much more than that. You're brave, kind, honest, loyal, witty, and a damn good listener. You're the best friend I ever had." His eyes burned with intensity. "You're the strongest person I know, putting up with so much and handling two worlds. And you're beautiful." With that, he lowered his lips and gently kissed her.

oOoOoOoO

Psst!

Cedric turned around to find a brown bush of hair attack him.

"Oof! Hermione," Cedric admonished laughing as he loosened her hold on him.

"I have a bad feeling about this," Hermione whispered looking up into Cedric's eyes.

He gently took her face in his hands. "Don't worry," he said caressing her cheek. "I'm sure Dumbledore wouldn't put anything in there that we can't handle."

Hermione leaned into his touch. "I'm scared for you. You and Harry. I can't handle it if something happened to either one of you." She opened her eyes and gazed fiercely into his. "Let me come with you. I'll use Harry's cloak and help you both out. No one will have to know. I'm coming."

"You know I can't do that Hermione," Cedric laughed softly. "It's against the rules. Besides, I'd be too distracted. I wouldn't be able to handle it if anything happened to you." He rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes reveling in the feeling of her breath mixing with his. Finally, he closed the distance between their lips and kissed Hermione with all he had.

Hermione immediately responded and matched his burning intensity. It was the most desperate kiss Hermione ever had but at the same time, it was the softest. It had the gentleness only Cedric could pull off, as if she was the most fragile thing in the world and he was afraid of hurting or breaking her. Cedric was the one who first broke off. Hermione moaned at the loss of contact.

"You better go," he said giving her the crooked grin she loved so much. "If Rita Skeeter finds you here she'll tell people you're after Fleur next. I'll be fine Hermione, I promise. I'll look out for Potter too." He turned to go.

As Hermione started walking away he spoke again, stopping her in her tracks. "Hermione," he said. Hermione turned around. "If something happens to me in there, promise me you'll keep going. Promise me that you won't give up. I'm not the only one who needs you. People need you Hermione Granger. The world needs you."

Hermione crumpled on the floor of the astronomy tower. Gut-wrenching sobs tore through her throat. The night of the maze was the darkest night of Hermione's life and she wasn't able to grieve for the one person who truly loved her for who she was. After Voldemort came back, she had to be strong for Harry. She threw everything she had into Dumbledore's Army if only to seek revenge for taking Cedric away from her. During the summer, she had to again be there for Harry as his godfather died. She was never able to grieve but she never forgot. Every night he was in her thoughts and dreams and he was always a huge part of the reason why she kept on fighting Voldemort. No one else knew about how close they were because she was always one third of the Golden Trio and he was always Hogwarts' Golden Boy – both roles with their own expectations and demands.

"But who am I now Cedric?" Hermione sobbed in the empty room.

"Who am I?!" she was screaming in anguish now. "I'm no one without you. You were the only one who ever saw anything in me. I'm not even a walking encyclopedia now!"

Hermione walked over to the ledge of the Astronomy Tower. "You told me I had to keep going. I had to help Harry save the fucking world. I'm sick of being strong! Harry doesn't need me anymore. I need you! There's nothing for me here. I need you. I'm coming." With that, Hermione jumped.

A/N: Please, please, please review! Even Genevieve would review – you wouldn't want to be meaner than her would you?