Cedric ran through the labyrinth. This time, though, there was no sky to escape through. Instead, he was in a cavern. No way out except the correct path. Monsters roaring and screams echoed throughout. He didn't want to be here. He wanted out! But where was it? That stupid trophy!
Where was his wand? He could easily forfeit.
"Our Champions will have to duck and dodge through the maze!" shouted a jovial voice not unlike Ludo Bagman's but this one was crueler. More mocking. "But it isn't that easy. First, they have to find their wands which are hidden somewhere inside!"
"NO!" Cedric shouted.
Why were they doing this?
He had to get his wand.
But where was it?
"And one more thing! If they don't complete this fast enough, then they lose the person they cherish most!"
Hermione had nothing to do with this! He chose to enter the tournament.
A giant hourglass formed over the maze and sand swirled around at different speeds. Cedric felt like he was facing everything at once and only a minute passed, but when he looked up, the hourglass was halfway empty.
Finally, he saw her to the right. Hermione was standing in the center of the maze waiting for him. A section of the maze fell away to his left, he turned and saw his mum down another long pathway. She smiled and held her arms out for a hug.
They were going to make him choose.
He looked both ways and then up at the hourglass which was now nearly empty.
A dark shadow loomed over his mother and her smile faded.
"Mum!" he shouted, taking off towards her.
Hermione screamed causing him to skid on the ground as he stopped in his tracks. He looked over his shoulder and saw the gold fog creep in around her.
"Mimi! No!"
"Help me!" Mum cried.
"Cedric!" Hermione shrieked.
And then he was glued to his spot. His legs sank into the ground, somehow he was able to watch what was happening to his mum and girlfriend at the same time. The fog engulfed Hermione. She clutched at her throat as all of her veins turned black and raised from her skin. Her eyes turned a milky white and a screech was ripped from her throat. His mum was dragged back by the Thing, her tormented screams echoing through his ears.
The ground swallowed him up and he couldn't breathe as the soil pressed down on him.
Cedric sat up with a short shout. He was covered with a layer of cold sweat, his heart thudded wildly in his chest, a pit of fear opened in his stomach at the shadows casted around his room. He tried to get up, but his blankets twisted around his legs and waist. He rolled over the guard rail of his bed and dropped to the floor, his blankets falling too. He didn't stop and ran down the stairs, out the front door, and to the beach.
Falling to his knees, Cedric gulped down the night air, jumping when a wave surged over his legs, the sand giving away just a little. He stared up at the waning moon and took several deep breaths as the cool wind caressed his cheeks and ruffled his hair. His palm stung from when he hit the floor, but amazingly he wasn't injured. His phantom limb prickled, but he couldn't really focus on that. The nightmare was still fresh in his mind and he couldn't push it away.
The staircase leading up to the house creaked as someone walked down. Light footsteps, barely audible from someone who was used to living in a multi-story home.
Hermione stood next to him and rested a hand on his head. Cedric could hear her thoughts from here. She heard him. The whole house probably heard him, but she wasn't going to prod… oh, of course she read a book about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.
"You're up early," she said then thought, Ugh! Stupid thing to say!
"What time is it?" he asked.
"4:30 in the morning," she replied. I think.
"Ah, it's time to milk the cows," he said, forcing a light laugh.
"There aren't any cows on the island that I know of," she said awkwardly. "Um, perhaps we can do something else instead."
"Hermione, it's alright," he said. "You can go back to bed."
"Nope, I'm already up," she replied and sat down. "I wouldn't mind sitting with you to watch the sunrise."
"When is sunrise?"
"Six."
"That leaves an hour and thirty minutes," he said. "That's a long time to sit."
"Well, we would begin to see it in an hour," she reasoned.
Cedric leaned his head against her and sighed, shifting so that he was no longer sitting on his legs but had them out in front of him. The tide wasn't reaching as far, he noticed, and he was getting sand in his shorts, but the steady push and pull of the water, along with Hermione's fingers gently massaging his scalp, was soothing.
They remained like this until the sky started lightening and turned pink.
His eyelids drooped and a yawn rose.
When he opened his eyes, he was lying in the hammock with a towel draped over his legs like a blanket and a pillow tucked under his head. He could tell it was still morning, but sunrise was long gone. He hadn't even realized he fell asleep. How did he get into the hammock anyway? Certainly, he would have woken up if he was dragged there. No, Hermione probably got Tavi to help her.
Cedric rolled onto his side, comfortable and grasping for a little more sleep, but it was already beyond his reach. Even so, he closed his eyes and curled up. It seemed the longer he was here, the more at home he was. And the more at home he was, the more the anxiety set in. He wasn't just Cedric in a different place. People were getting to know him and that just terrified him now. For so long, he'd wanted people to try and get to know the real him and, now, he was afraid of that. Would they like what they saw or would they hate it, too?
"Good morning," said a soft voice.
He opened his eyes and saw Hermione's face close to his.
"How was second sleep?" she asked.
"It was good," he said.
"Good." Hermione leaned in to kiss him.
"I haven't brushed my teeth yet," he warned.
"I'll have to face your morning breath eventually, won't I?" she said and her ears went red. "I mean, because we're living in the same house."
Cedric chuckled and kissed her, cupping her cheek. Her brain always went like a fizzing whizzbee every time they kissed. She always thought: Whee! Which was adorable. In his mind, it was like fireworks. Every single time.
A throat cleared, startling them both. Hermione tucked her hair behind her ear and bit her lips. Hana crossed her arms but smiled.
"Go on and get ready to go, Cedric," she said. "We're going to Kilokilo today."
"That's right," said Hermione. "I thought we could get you a new wand. I know it won't be the same as your old one, but the materials are different here, so it might be a bit easier than trying to find one close enough to your old wand at Ollivander's."
"Okay," he said. "What did you do with my old one?"
"It's still in its case," she said. "I didn't want to throw it away; it was your first wand after all. It's still special even if it no longer works."
"Yeah, I suppose," he said and struggled to get out of the hammock.
"Do you need help?" Hermione asked.
"No, it's fine," he said.
It was so much harder to do things one-handed. He never realized how difficult doing something as simple as brushing your teeth or putting on a shirt could be without both hands. He hated looking at the stump—no— residual limb as Hermione and her help books insisted on calling it. It was less offensive that way. Perhaps it was just a word for those who had all their appendages to use.
Cedric shifted his body and did a short jump so he was perpendicular with the hammock, then grabbed onto the edge and hauled himself up. He still fell out, but it was onto both knees and not his face, so that was a win.
Hermione smiled at him and dusted sand from her legs before going up to the house.
Within an hour, Cedric, Hermione, Amalea, and Hana were on their way to Kilokilo. Hermione was wearing an eyepatch today since there was so much magic going on it would make her nauseated to see it all. She also cuddled up to him in the boat which he totally did not mind.
"You're going to love Kilokilo," said Amalea. "It's the biggest and greatest Magical Center in the world."
"It's better than Diagon Alley," said Hermione.
Amalea snorted. "Diagonally."
"Don't hate," said Cedric. "Diagon Alley is great!"
"You'll see," said Hermione. "It's amazing and I've seen three magical centers so… I have better judgement."
"Oh, yeah, sure," said Cedric, coughing out, "Bias!"
"It's not bias," she said, crossing her arms and scooting an inch away so she could look at him. "It's research."
"Bias," he sang. "You are biased because you don't like Britain and weren't born there so you have no loyalty to it."
"If I were biased based on where I was born then I would think Luesma is the greatest," she said. "And in five minutes you will see I'm right."
"We'll see," he said, scooting an inch closer. He thought about making a bet on it but he really didn't want to risk losing. Besides, what would he bet? He didn't have anything except her, his cat, and his backpack. All very good things to have and nothing he wanted to risk even as a joke.
Hermione watched his reaction as they came upon jagged rocks, went through the tunnel, and entered the inactive volcano.
"Whoa…" he breathed, taking in the city.
"Must be a slow market day," Hana commented.
"Slow?!" he squawked. "There must be hundreds of people up there."
"It is midday," said Hermione. "Most of them are probably at lunch."
Hana parked the boat amongst the others and they crowded out onto the docks. Hermione held onto Cedric tightly until they were on solid ground and then she just walked behind him with her hand on his shoulder so they weren't blocking the way. The spaces were narrow, taken up by stalls of people selling their wares.
"Nia, if you and Cedric want to explore, Lea and I can just go ahead and go up to the shop," said Hana. "I'll put you to work later."
"Okay," said Hermione. "Sounds good."
Cedric and Hermione slowed down to peruse while Hana and Amalea took the closest stairs to the next level. Hermione looked back with a grin.
"Do I have to say it?" he asked.
She thought for a minute. "Mm… no. Knowing is enough."
She took his hand and they moved along, exploring the wares. A dozen people sold jewelry, a dozen more sold clothes. There were people selling anything and everything. People who spoke five languages as they negotiated prices and people who spoke ten as they conversed with customers. People calling out, beckoning for others to see what they were selling.
"Got a pretty girl there," said one man to Cedric. "You know what every pretty girl needs? Some nice jewelry. Come and see the best jewelry in Kilokilo. You're a handsome guy. Earrings for men are all the rage."
"Don't speak to them, they'll pull you in," Hermione warned. "We look, but don't talk. Everyone here is good at selling."
"I believe it," he said, noticing full shopping bags from passersby. He paused and heard something. Music. Furrowing his brow, he followed it to a stall selling baskets.
A woman was sitting on a stool, her nimble fingers weaving as she talked to a customer about prices. Sitting at her feet was a bright orange boombox with white designs and white speakers. Some rock song was blaring from the speakers.
"It's one of my radios!" he said happily and looked at Hermione.
"Your radio?" said the woman in the stall. "Nuh-uh. This is mine. I paid for it and I'm not selling."
"No, no, no, you misunderstand," said Cedric. "I made it. On the bottom it says C.D. Products."
Raising an eyebrow, the woman stopped her weaving and turned the boombox over to see Cedric's stamp.
"Oh!" she said. "Shit, man, you did make it! I love this thing. I ordered it at the Quidditch World Cup last year. A few of my friends started ordering."
"Yeah, I think I filled about twelve for this side of the world," said Cedric. "I didn't realize you all worked in Kilokilo."
"You make the radios?" A guy two stalls down shouted.
"Sure did!" said Cedric cheerfully.
The guy left his booth and stormed towards him, Hermione got between them and drew her wand. This shop owner was almost as tall as her, but his anger was bigger.
"I ordered my radio months ago!" he said, pointing his finger in Cedric's face. "I got a notice back saying wait time was three months. It's been four!"
"I sent out more notices apologizing for future delays," said Cedric calmly. "Production has been a little… slow."
"Slow? Why?"
"My staff size has reduced by half."
"So how many people you got?" he demanded.
"Well, I got this hand," said Cedric, holding up his left hand. "But not this one." He gestured to his right. "So you can imagine the amount of pressure I'm under."
Hermione snorted and leaned against the counter trying not to laugh. The man paled.
"Uhh… it's only you?"
"Yeah," said Cedric. "I have the patent, but that means no one else will pay me so they can produce them for me, and I don't have any employees. However, I can offer a full refund." He dug his coin bag out of the side pocket of his backpack. "May I have your order number please?"
"Uhh… know what?" he said and clapped his hands together awkwardly as he backed away to his stall. "Take your time. I'll just strain to hear Tia's music even though she has crappy taste."
Tia gave him the finger and picked up her weaving.
Cedric sensed the pity from those who saw the exchange and felt a little sick from it. Hermione noticed his expression and wrapped an arm around him, moving on to where the food was. They had all sorts of things and he was able to forget about what happened. Many people were gathering various dishes and taking them to an eating area full of tables. Tourists in Hawaiian shirts, men in business suits, and wixen in work robes were eating the fare, some taking their time and others scarfing down their food.
One person selling roasted veggies on a stick had a radio playing music from a local station. Cedric was about to comment then became distracted by the more… interesting selection of food. A man was selling scorpions on a stick. A woman was standing beside it and plucking off pieces of the creature, examining it before eating it. He liked to think of himself as someone willing to try anything, but this was too much.
"You okay?" Hermione asked, following his gaze. "Oh. Ew."
"That woman is just thoroughly enjoying that," he said, fascinated. "Is she just at home and she sees a spider and goes, 'you know I have this lovely croissant, but I'll save that for later and have this now.'"
"Cedric, that's rude," Hermione said, trying to look stern before bursting into giggles. "Are you hungry?"
"Surprisingly, yes. Cereal didn't quite cut it."
Hermione smiled and his knees felt weak. "You get us a seat, I'll get the food. Are you willing to compromise your aversion to Khinzer for this?"
"I'm not entirely against pork," said Cedric. "I just don't eat it often and jidha doesn't eat it for religious reasons. If whatever you think is good, or sounds good, contains pork, I'll eat it."
"Okay, good," she said, kissing his cheek.
He made his way over to the tables and took a seat, looking up at the clear blue sky. Birds flocked around the opening of the volcano and really showed how big the space was. Up where the house-like buildings were, he could see gardens and plants spilling out over the roofs. On the water, the rocks slid open allowing a large ship to leave and a fishing boat to enter.
Hermione returned arms laden with containers and two fizzy bottles with the name of the drink printed in Japanese tucked under her arm.
"What did you get?" he asked, mouth watering at the smell.
"Dim sum," she said, opening one of the containers to show him a selection of dumplings. "As well as fire-roasted veggies and kushikatsu. It looks like zucchini, peppers, some type of root, mushroom, and I'm certain that's onion, and the kushikatsu is fried meat. Ooh, and you haven't lived until you've tried Tom Yum. And, as a treat, jajan pasar , which is Indonesian. This one is a rice thing covered with this insanely good Javanese syrup and I also got some Japanese mochi. I've never had mochi, but I hear it's the number one treat in Japan. At least, that's what the cart said."
Even split between them it was enough to sate his appetite.
"I can pay for half," he offered, stuffing the last deep-fried potsticker in his mouth, enjoying the crunch of the wonton and the burst of juicy flavor from the filling.
"Hey, it's the nineties," she said, waving the peach mochi in the air. "Who says I can't pay for a date?"
"True," he replied with a shrug and chased his food down with the blue raspberry fizzy.
After depositing their trash in a bin, where it was immediately obliterated in a burst of flames, they moved on to the permanent shops. Clothing stores, book shops, shops advertising early Back-to-School sales, things like that. Hermione led him into the wand shop which was painted a beautiful shade of turquoise. A fresh coat if the smell was anything to go by. The inside couldn't have been more different from Ollivander's with tidy floors, cases filled with wand holsters and ornate handles as well as canes to put a wand in. The neat rows of wands behind the counter were stacked high to the ceiling in cerulean boxes.
A young witch with rich brown skin carved wand handles while she managed the counter.
"G'day, I'm Alkina," she said without looking up. "Wand permits?"
"Yes," said Hermione. "My boyfriend here also needs to replace his wand."
"Shit happens," she replied. "What was your previous wand?"
"12 1/4 inches, Ash, Unicorn hair," Cedric recited.
She hummed and eyed him up and down. "Ollivander wand?"
He nodded.
"Our materials are a little different here," she said. "But we'll find you something. Ancestry?"
"British, Algerian, and Sudanese?"
"Sure about that?"
"Not entirely, but it's what I was told."
"Fair enough. May I see your hands?"
Confused, Cedric held it out, palm up. Without batting an eye Alkina ran her fingers over it. She stared him in the eyes for a long moment and then flicked his forehead.
"Don't read my mind," she said sharply.
"I— I wasn't trying to," he stammered. "Can't help it, but I'll try."
Alkina hummed again and tapped her nails against the counter top then drew her own wand and tapped it on Cedric's head. A clear sound, like a bell rang out and she nodded. Then, she measured his arm and his height and his hand.
"You have large hands," she said. "You know what they say about men with large hands."
"They wear large gloves," said Hermione, examining a wand holster made out of coconut hair fiber.
Cedric flushed while Alkina laughed.
"I have… three options for you." She disappeared in the back and returned with three wand boxes, one was bright blue, one was shocking pink, and the last was sleek black. It was an incredibly different process than Ollivander's. "This first one is Banksia, thirty-three centimeters, Granian hair core. Unyielding. The middle one is Willow Bottlebrush, twenty-nine centimeters, Pele-Pele heartstring. Bendable. This one on the end is very special. I try it for many witches and so far only five have one like it. This one is a mix of Illawarra and the horn of an Antipodean Opaleye. The core is an occamy feather."
He took the Banksia and studied it, feeling the weight in his hand. It was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, straight and simple with a tiny stamp on the bottom telling him who the maker was. He cast a small levitation spell and the wooden paperweight lifted up, but he could still feel it pushing back against him.
"Do you have one wandmaker for all of these?" he asked, placing the wand back in the box.
"No. There's actually about twenty masters and their wands are distributed into shops in every country," she explained. "This is the main shop, but the smaller magical centers in the surrounding countries have stores, too. And the masters oversee three apprentices each, if they even take them on anymore. All of us take turns minding the store fronts so we can meet customers and get a feel for wand matching, but I hear those gifted with the ability to see magic don't need to practice at all."
"I can see magic," said Hermione. She had removed her eyepatch and was looking at the wands on the desk. "Have him try the third one."
Alkina handed him the last wand. It was twelve-and-a-half inches and absolutely beautiful. The shaft was white, entwined with the opalescent horn of the New Zealand dragon, making it sparkle in the light. The curved handle was painted a startling red and fit perfectly into his hand. He ran a thumb over the grooves making up the runes. Something just felt right about it.
"It's perfect for you," said Hermione.
"I think you were made for each other," said Alkina, whisking away the other wands and putting them back in their proper places. "That will be seven galleons. Ten more sickles and we'll throw in a basic wand holster."
Cedric dug into his backpack side pocket and retrieved the velvet bag that held his money. It had three compartments for galleons, sickles, and knuts. He set it on the counter, fished out the galleons, and paused.
"Instead of the ten sickles for the basic holster how about a trade for a better one?" he suggested.
"What do you have that I want?" Alkina asked.
Cedric produced a bright yellow portable radio (the order had been cancelled) and adjusted the knob before switching it on. When music played from a local station, the witch's eyes brightened up.
"Deal!" she said, taking it from him and swiping the galleons into a register. "I saw several of these and I wanted one. Pick any holster you like."
Smiling, he perused the wall.
"I'd get one that disappears on your person," Alkina recommended. "Rather easy to wear in front of No-Majs."
He nodded and picked one, Hermione strapped it to his arm; he watched as it seemed to melt into his tan skin. He eased his wand into it, handle first. The directions said to summon it all he had to do was flick his wrist. He tried it out and the wand slid perfectly into his hand. Another flick and it was back in.
"That's brilliant," said Hermione. "I think I'll get one too. Don't get me wrong, I like the one you got me but this one disappears."
"No charge," said Alkina, playing with the stations on her new radio.
"Mahalo plenty," Hermione replied.
After filling out their wand permits, Cedric had difficulty getting the paper to stop shifting as he wrote. They then headed to Hana's shop.
"Oh, before we lose the chance," said Cedric. "There's something I want to do."
"Sure, anything," said Hermione.
He rested his hand on her cheek and kissed her. She linked her fingers behind his neck as she kissed him back, her shyness about PDA dissipating. They pulled away at the same time. Hermione smiled and took his hand in hers.
Hana and Amalea were waiting for them, expectantly.
"Cedric, a letter came in for you," she said, plucking the envelope off the counter.
"Really?" He took it and found only his name on the front and a gold seal on the back with the imprint of a bird with characters on the belly. Each line looked to be a different language. Perhaps a translation of the same phrase.
Perplexed, he placed it on the counter and worked his forefinger into the space of the flap, pinching it between his finger and his thumb, and, pushing up with his middle finger, tore the seal. He worked the letter out and paled when he saw the stamp of the Ministry of East Asia and Polynesia on the bottom. Shaking slightly, he read the letter out loud.
Dear Mr. Diggory,
We heard you were visiting Kilokilo and decided to send this letter to you right away. Last year, at the Quidditch World Cup, one of our Department Heads noticed that you had adapted a portable radio for use around wizards without worry of its combustion due to large quantities of magic. This has not gone unnoticed and we would like to conduct an interview with you this coming Friday at 1100 (HST) should you still be in town. We are interested in your work and will be opening a new department specifically for people like you with your ideas of modernizing the wizarding world. We are reaching out all over the world for witches such as you.
We understand if you have already been hired by your Ministry, but would like to conduct the interview regardless.
Included in this letter is what you will need to bring to this interview as well as the address of where your interview will be conducted. Should you fail to meet these requirements, you may be turned away.
Sincerely,
Takenaka Rio
Co-Director of the Department of the Adaptation of Non-Magical Artifacts
Cedric's jaw dropped.
"They want to hire you!" Hermione exclaimed. She clapped her hands then hugged Cedric. "Ooh! I knew someone would have to see your ingenuity! I just knew it!"
"I… I wonder if they know of my lycanthropy," he said dumbly. "What should I bring? What should I wear?"
Hermione looked at the accompanying page.
"Please wear business attire appropriate for your country," she read, "Please bring a resumé and a sample of your work. Written study is acceptable but a physical representation is preferred. Etcetera, etcetera, etcetera."
"That's amazing news, Cedric," said Hana. "Don't you worry, we'll get you a business suit." She grabbed a scrap of paper out of the front desk drawer and scribbled out an address. "Go on and get your measurements taken. I know the owner. Unless… you already have a business suit?"
Cedric shook his head and took the paper.
"I'll go with you," Hermione volunteered. "And I can help you write a resumé."
"You should also get a haircut," Hana added. "There's a place back home you can get that done."
Cedric nodded and let himself be dragged along by Hermione. He could just hardly believe it. Someone wanted to hire him! If he was hired, he wouldn't have to worry about finding a job after school. He felt a small weight lift off his shoulders before immediately being replaced by the fear that they wouldn't want to hire him if they found out about his lycanthropy. Still, he didn't voice these concerns and let Hermione fuss over him as they picked a suit that Hana bartered a few potions for. Apparently it was some type of linen-wool blend so it was lightweight for warm climates but didn't wrinkle. He'd never had a fully linen suit so he wasn't sure why wrinkles were a problem.
The tailor suggested the cool gray color which Hermione said brought out his eyes. There was slight pause over his arm but the man talked about adding a button to the shoulder so the sleeve wouldn't flop around awkwardly, but he could still wear the suit whenever he got a new prosthetic.
The suit would be ready by Thursday and delivered to Hermione's house.
~o0o~
Friday approached quickly and Cedric was wholly nervous. Hermione quizzed him on potential interview questions she'd read about in a magazine along with questions he would ask the interviewer. They went over his resumé which was more about listing his achievements since the only job he'd had was the farm. Hermione put it down as retail since he dealt with sales of the eggs, milk, and wool. Hana told him about proper protocol with the East Asian Ministry.
"So, what's up with the Ministry?" he asked. "Why is there one government for all these countries?"
"Well, it's different from the Ministry you got," said Hana. "See, instead of one Minister, there's a council with elected officials from each country or independent district in this area. Like, Kilokilo counts as an independent district and has a represented official due to the high population and amount of traffic that goes through it. While each country and district will have its own government buildings, China, Taiwan, the Koreas, Japan, Kilokilo, and several islands within Polynesia, they all have government buildings and departments and elected officials who make laws, but the entire Ministry itself works together to standardize currency, regulations, major laws, and even progression in magic, science, and technology. Several countries in Southeast Asia have even joined like Singapore, Thailand, and Indonesia. A lot of the employees you'll be interacting with today will likely be from Japan because their government offices have a direct link to Kilokilo similar to how my shop in Kilokilo has a door that leads to my shop on the Big Island. If you get hired, you would be meeting people from all over."
"I see, thank you for explaining."
Tavi combed his newly cut hair into a neat 'do.
"I am so proud of you," she said, patting his cheek. "I am cooking your favorite meal tonight. Shakshouka. I can get the ingredients at the Kilokilo market."
"What if I don't get the job?" he fretted.
"Then it will be a sympathy meal," she reasoned.
"Do you want me to go with you?" Hermione asked.
"No, I'm fine," he said and dug the mirror out of his pocket. "I'll call you if I need you."
"Okay," she said and placed a hand on his knee. "Stop shaking. You'll be brilliant. You have your papers, you have a boombox, you look super hot. Lea and I are baking cookies so you can have some when it's over. You got this!"
She put her headphones over his ears and pressed play. He chuckled at the selection.
"Is it Enya again?" she sighed.
He nodded and clipped the Walkman to his belt without changing the song choice.
"You got this," she repeated, kissing him and giving him two thumbs up.
Cedric smiled, feeling more confident and drew his wand, apparating to Kilokilo with barely a sound. He appeared on a special dock where other people apparated and followed the directions to the building where his interview was going to be conducted.
Kilokilo was as bustling as ever. He hurried up the sturdy wooden stairs past the vendors and shops to a level he hadn't been to. In the steep, arena-like city, whenever he looked over the railing he felt a wave of nausea and the shaky feeling of standing too close to the edge of a cliff. He arrived at a building that was still made of wood like all the others but had a more modern style to it. When he entered, the inside was definitely more modern considering the speckled teal vinyl floors, the uncomfortable scratchy cushioned, navy blue, brown wood chairs all attached in three rows of four; a low, wooden table was stacked with magazines. The receptionist sat behind a white desk that seemed to be molded out of the same stuff as the floor and had the logo of the company stuck on it in steel. Ten little gold chutes lined up on her left and memos would run out in the shapes of animals. It seemed each one held a specific type of memo.
Cedric took a few deep breaths and approached the receptionist. She held up a finger before he could speak and finished typing something on her typewriter.
"How can I help you?" she asked, removing her reading glasses.
"I'm Cedric Diggory," he said. "I'm here to see— well, I wasn't told who exactly I was meeting with, but it was from a Takenaka Rio." He dug into his pocket and produced the letter.
She took it from him, waved her wand over it, and handed it back. Pushing off with her feet, she rolled her chair back and pulled a receiver off the wall. She said something in Japanese, paused for a response, and hung up.
"Please, wait there," she said, gesturing to the seating area.
Cedric sat down and tried to slow his breathing as he stuffed the Walkman into his backpack. It wasn't formal, but he just felt too anxious without it. Like a security blanket.
Two minutes later, a man who hardly looked older than him, entered through a glass door.
"Diggory?"
"Yes."
"Please, follow me."
Cedric stood up and followed him through the hallways and up a lift. Soon enough they entered a conference room with a long square table seating twelve. Eight of the seats were filled with 5 witches and 3 wizards around his age. He quickly scanned their eyes to pick up the basics about them. The oldest was probably about twenty-three. Four of the candidates seemed to be already associated with the Ministry being Japanese, Korean, Thai, and Chinese respectively, though their nervous energy came off in waves. One witch was Indian and she kept twisting the end of her braid; another was from Zimbabwe, and she dressed in a dark business suit, and a red, boldly patterned dhuku; one wizard was white and seemed to spend a lot of time in the sun, his sandy blonde hair was combed into some semblance of tidiness, and the final wizard was mixed and seemed fixated on his watch or tugging on the sleeves of his black suit. Cedric took the closest empty chair and sat down, hoping desperately that he was not the last to arrive.
"Mr. Matsumoto will be here in a moment," said the man who led Cedric there.
Shit. He was the last to arrive.
They all sat in anxiety-induced silence, thumbing through portfolios or bags containing objects. Ten minutes later, a man with greying hair, dressed in what looked like a cross between a navy pinstriped suit and robes, entered the room.
"Good morning," he said. "I am pleased to have been able to gather all of you here. Please, remind me of your names?"
Running high on anxiety, Cedric abruptly stood up and bowed slightly hoping that his voice wasn't too high pitched as he introduced himself. Mr. Matsumoto bowed in return and offered a smile.
The Australian wizard was Trevor Robertson. Jared Lyndon was an American. The Indian witch was Roshan Nibhanupudi. The Zimbabwean witch was Kayan Ayodele. The other witches were Fan Ming, Takara Fukui, and Ho Chi-Un; the wizard was Satayu Lam.
Mr. Matsumoto sat at the head of the table. He cast a spell with a wave of his wand and began to speak in Japanese. Yet Cedric understood perfectly because the spell created subtitles in English, Hindi, and what was probably Xhosa, though Cedric had only seen the language in passing. He would have to find that spell for Esperanza so she wouldn't have to be so lost at a dinner table.
"All of you were brought here because each of you have shown ingenuity and innovation," he said. "My department's goal is to bridge the gap between the wizard world and the non-wizard world. To start, I would like each of you to show what you have done and we will move on to individual interviews from there."
It was amazing to see that he wasn't the only one who wanted to bring technology to the wizard world so that they could blend in more easily with the Muggle world. Cedric itched to take notes on the various appliances or theoretically possible ideas. On his turn, he pulled out the Walkman.
"Er— I adapted portable radios, communication radios, and Walkmans to work even under high concentrations of magic." Hermione's words. "I have used this particular device at school and on an underground metro in London. Nobody noticed any difference and it works fine in either place so long as I adjust the knob on the back accordingly so the elestial quartz vibrates at different frequencies to compensate for the amount of magic in the air. I've sold several dozen radios, boomboxes, or Walkmans so far and I have a patent for it through the Ministry of Magic in Britain."
Nervously, he held up one of his first radios and switched it on, tuning it to the closest radio station. He decided not to mention the arithmantic spells involved in each quartz to make them refract equally with each other to create energy like an endless battery. Runes could only take him so far and Arithmancy took him the rest of the way.
"Why didn't I think of that?" Trevor muttered.
"Thank you, Mr. Diggory," said Mr. Matsumoto.
Once it was all said and done, Mr. Matsumoto stood up and gestured for Kayan Ayodele to follow him for the individual interview portion.
"Why do you think they're interviewing us?" asked Trevor. "I mean, they need all of us for this kind of thing, yeah?"
"Maybe it's so they know what work environment to put us in," said Roshan. "It doesn't do anyone good if we cannot work together."
"I'm just glad I'm not the only one who wants to do this," said Cedric.
Kayan returned ten minutes later looking rather happy.
"Diggory is next," she said.
Cedric quickly got to his feet and brought his things with him. This one was conducted in Mr. Matsumoto's office. It was small and minimalist, the high windows overlooked KiloKilo and a plant sat nearby. On the desk was a pendulum that swung around and around and around and around…. The man gestured for Cedric to sit, so he did.
"You are currently enrolled at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, yes?"
"Yes, sir," said Cedric trying not to look at the pendulum and failing.
"I have asked for your transcripts," Mr. Matsumoto continued, glancing down at a piece of parchment. "Your Head of House, Professor Sprout, spoke highly of you in her letter of recommendation we requested as well. She said you are a model student."
"I try to be, sir."
"Loyal, honest, hard-working, and a team player is how she described you," he said. "All qualities that I am looking for my team. What are you working on now?"
Feeling a bit more comfortable with the praise, Cedric took out his notebook and opened it up to the proper page.
"My N.E.W.T.s project," he said. "I am working on adapting a television for more immediate news broadcasting than just the paper. I read all about how muggles—No-Majs began reacting to news when it was right there for them to witness rather than just reading about it. For many it was an eye opener to what the world is like. Though … I suppose it would be better to start with transmission wouldn't it? Still, it is the next step to a computer and imagine what wizards could do if we had instant communication beyond floo or… post." Ugh, he was rambling like an idiot.
"That is what this company is about," said Mr. Matsumoto. "Tell me, what drew you to this in the first place?"
"Well, when I was a kid I made friends with a girl who I thought was a muggle— er— she's a witch and now my girlfriend," he said. "Not that that matters at the moment— er— she wasn't allowed to come over to my house because it wouldn't look like a regular household. I got to thinking that if we had some of the things she had as a muggle — No-Maj— then we could keep being friends instead of having to lie about why I can't have a toaster or electric stove in my house or why we don't have modern light fixtures. She was the one who suggested I start with the radios."
"You've done well," said Mr. Matsumoto. "When I hire employees the minimum requirement of education is your N.E.W.T.s in as many subjects as possible. We prefer a complete education over here."
"Yes, sir," said Cedric. Dumbledore was sure to let him back to finish his school year.
"You and your co-workers will be starting with a salary of 2,000 galleons a year, four weeks paid vacation which you can start to accumulate after thirty days, and you will be living in the same apartment complex as your co-workers which is stationed in Japan. Your moving expenses will be paid for by the company. We ask you stay one year before finding new home arrangements. I would suggest learning Japanese and Chinese now, but English is spoken in the departments you will be interacting with."
"I suppose French and Spanish won't be helpful," said Cedric with a weak laugh.
"Perhaps, in the future, but you can find several books and tapes," said Mr. Matsumoto. He opened up a folder and handed Cedric a contract of employment. "Look this over and you can make changes or simply sign it and send it back by post. Once you graduate, we will look over it once more and then you will come to work for us."
"So… I have the job?"
Mr. Matsumoto stared at him a moment and nodded as if it were obvious. "…Yes."
Cedric took the contract and fought the urge to sign it then and there.
"One more thing. Any and all illnesses do not have to be disclosed as per company policy created by our human resources department."
"Thank you, sir." Cedric stood up and bowed.
"Please send in Fan Ming," said Mr. Matsumoto.
"Yes, sir."
After letting Fan Ming know she was up next, Cedric left feeling a lot lighter than he had in awhile. It would seem that he had a future after all. Knowing that in just one year he would be off with a future was comforting. He had hoped it would be in England, but werewolves can't be choosers. Especially when opportunity had knocked down his door with a battering ram.
Cedric left the building and pumped his fist in the air.
"YES!" he shouted. "WHOO!"
Kayan Ayodele was nearby doing a happy dance, she looked over and grinned.
"You too?" she asked.
"Yeah," he said. "Kayan, right?"
"That's right," she said. "Looks like we are co-workers now. Starting in two months."
"Looks like it," said Cedric. "Well, I've still got a year of school left."
"You are still in school?" Kayan asked, looking surprised. "If you are still in school why do you look like you came through a war zone?"
"I got in a fight with a Chimaera and won," he said flatly. "See you 'round, Kayan."
He went down to the apparition dock and went home.
ABBA was blasting in the kitchen and Hermione and Amalea were singing as they baked cookies. Cedric inhaled deeply then put on a neutral expression. He entered the kitchen and tugged on his tie to loosen it.
Hermione noticed him first and beamed.
"Hey," she said, taking his hand and dancing with him. "How did it go? You were gone for a long time."
"Well," said Cedric.
She faltered and furrowed her brow. "What?"
"They gave me this." He slid his backpack onto the chair and pulled out the contract. He gave it to her and Amalea turned down the music.
Hermione skimmed the contract and lit up. "They hired you?!"
He broke into a grin and nodded. "I just have to look over that contract, sign it, and send it back to them. Can you look over it for me?"
"Yes!" she said, throwing her arms around his neck. "I'm so happy for you!"
Cedric laughed and lifted her off her feet. Amalea whooped and turned up Dancing Queen . Hermione gave Tavi the contract to put in a safe place until she could look it over. The four of them danced around the kitchen and finished baking the cookies; chocolate chip macadamia nut cookies, and they were so good.
The teens took a plate of the cookies into the living room and settled onto the couch to watch a movie.
Hermione was radiating joy that someone saw his skill and snatched him up without him having to fight to prove himself.
He was rather relieved himself. He had hope. This time next year, he would be living on this side of the world, doing what he loved, and working with people who thought like him.
That evening, he announced to Hana and Manuia that he got the job and they were thrilled for him.
"Oh, I saw a flyer today that I thought might interest you, Nia," said Hana.
"Yeah?"
"On July 19th and 20th, Kilokilo is hosting the magical community's Heiva and Koloa Plantation Days' festival," she said. "Amalea is competing with Uluru's hula class, but there's also going to be an open dance competition for amateurs. We're planning on going, but I thought you might be interested in competing. I can sign you up tomorrow."
"Oh, Heiva and Plantation Day is great," said Amalea. "There's lots of dancing and food. Too bad you're going to D.R. before the mud slinging festival."
Hermione lit up and looked at Cedric. "We should enter together. The dance contest, not the mud thing."
"What?" He furrowed his brow. "I… no. I can't."
"I've seen you dance," she said. "We danced together loads of times."
"Well, things are different now," he said.
"You've got two legs and two feet. Your left hand is just fine."
"But what about my right hand?" he said. "That prosthetic doesn't work."
Hermione stared at him, the thought to prove him wrong getting stuck in her mind. He could see all of the moves she knew would work flash in her mind, too fast for him to memorize. She threw down her napkin on her plate and looked at her father.
"Papá, may I move the coffee table?" she asked.
"Go ahead," he said. "Once you prove you're right, you can use the restaurant stage in the mornings for practice. We only get regulars in the mornings."
"Gracias, Papá," she said and stood up to get her music. When she left, Manuia turned to Cedric.
"I'm sure you know that once she gets an idea stuck in her head, she'll see it through," he said.
Cedric nodded.
"Don't fight it, actually try," he continued. "Whether she's right or wrong, she'll accept it, but not if you flake out."
Cedric nodded again and minutes later heard the scraping of the coffee table and the clack of Hermione's dancing shoes. Of course, she brought them with her. She loved those silver dancing shoes.
"Okay," Hermione called. "I'm ready."
Cedric stood up and entered the living room. Manuia, Amalea, and Hana crowded at the breakfast bar to watch. Hermione stood in the center of the room with her arms crossed.
"Do I need my shoes?" he asked.
"No, I won't step on your feet," she said and pressed play. "First position."
He took her right hand in his left and looked at his right arm.
"Just pretend it's on my waist," she said. "Just an extension."
He nodded.
"Five, six, seven, eight," she said, projecting the moves to him and counting them out.
When it came to a lift, she pressed her hands on his shoulders to effortlessly push herself into the air, using a small bit of magic to do so. They spun out and she spun back in.
"And it doesn't have to be salsa," she said, stepping away to pause the music. "It could be samba, mambo, ballroom, rumba, ooh! We should do a hip-hop fusion; you can move, farm boy. You weren't like those other boys where they're all rigid and have a lot of teeth." She demonstrated, making him laugh. "And they thought they were doing their dates a favor. Viktor wasn't too good at dancing but at least he knew it and rolled with it. You can get loose."
"How'd Viktor dance?" Amalea asked.
"Oh, I'm not gonna make fun of him," said Hermione. "He just danced like he never danced to rock music before and didn't know what to do."
"He was great at ballroom though," said Cedric. "That's the trouble with purebloods who are raised traditionally. Never learn how to have fun, not even dancing for fun. And Viktor went to a strict school as I'm sure you could tell."
"Yeah," said Manuia. "You two sure seemed to have fun though. When, you know, your lives weren't in danger."
"I think you two would have been friends sooner if he wasn't so jealous," said Hermione.
"Why would he be jealous of Cedric?" Amalea asked. "He's totally rich and famous."
"He thought Esperanza was dating Cedric," Hermione replied. "Esperanza was teaching Cedric the Castelobruxo dances so he could, quite literally, sweep me off my feet, and Viktor saw them when he was trying to ask her to the ball. So, he asked me because he knew we were just friends and I wasn't cuckoo nutty nuts." She paused. "About male celebrities. I'm cuckoo nutty nuts in other ways. I went bonkers when I met Selena." She sighed and pouted. "Selena…"
"Yes, but it all worked out," said Cedric. "Hermione put Viktor and Esperanza under the mistletoe and I literally swept Mimi off her feet." He wrapped his left arm around her waist and spun her around.
She laughed and looked at her parents. "It wasn't that smooth. We danced, yes, but Viktor and I went to get "punch" which is where he asked if Esperanza was dating Cedric and I told him no and set them up, and then my feet started hurting so I found Harry, Cho, and Ron to sit down. Then, Ron went ballistic and implied that I was snogging and… other things with multiple boys. So I slapped him and stormed into the gardens to cool off. Cedric found me, we eavesdropped on two wizard nazis and two half-giants, then we went back inside and he asked me to be his date for the rest of the evening. Then we danced, then he went to give Harry a hint about the second task."
"When I came back, we decided to sit," Cedric added.
"And when a song was playing, Cedric told me how I felt about him."
"Did you kiss?" Amalea asked, hugging Crookshanks and smiling dreamily as she listened to the story.
"She laughed," said Cedric.
"Herminia!" Manuia gasped. "You don't laugh when a boy tells you he likes you! It makes him feel like an idiot! You are just like your mother."
"I felt like an idiot," Cedric confirmed. "I was ready to run out of there and hide in my dorm for the rest of my life."
"I laughed because I felt stupid," said Hermione. "All of the signs were there that he liked me and I even pointed all of them out one day, but it was in regards to Zaza and Viktor! We'd felt the same about each other for months, we could have gone to the Yule Ball together in the first place, and just…" She threw her hands in the air. "I had convinced myself it wouldn't happen so I didn't see it."
"And you're together now," said Hana, fully entering the living room, taking her husband with her. "Show me those steps again."
Hermione grinned and started the tape over. Cedric didn't mind and actually had fun dancing. Amalea had lost Crookshanks, so she was dancing around with an unamused Belle.
"Will you dance in the contest with me?" Hermione asked. She was making her eyes bigger and doing that little half-smile of hers to try and lure him in.
It worked better than any veela or siren song.
"Yeah," he said. "Okay."