(no subject)
TITLE : I Knew I Loved You
Chapter : 5: For Now
Rating : PG
Parings : Cedric/Hermione
Disclaimer : The Harry Potter series and everything related to it is copyrighted to JK Rowling, Warner Bros.,Bloomsbury and their associates. No profits are made through the creation of this story. Thanks.
Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay, y'all. Real life has finally caught up with me.
Once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin. It was people like the Malfoys that gave the Wizarding world a bad name. Sometimes, there was a need to be flexible and get in touch with the times, so to speak. But, those of the "old blood" were stuck in their ways. Like his father, Cedric suspected that the Malfoys were into the Dark Arts. And, like his father, he knew that one must be careful towards people like them.
Cedric, hidden amongst the small crowd within Flourish and Blotts watched the Malfoys and the Weasleys warily. With the prestige of the Malfoys came arrogance and slight hypocrisy. Their wily actions- as his father had described- were purely for their own gain. The Weasleys on the other hand were the complete opposite. Despite their slightly impoverished status, they were as trustworthy as families came. That, and their infamous tempers, which sometimes got the better of them. Particularly this generation of Weasleys, who also descended from the Prewetts, from Molly Weasley's side of the family.
As he waited for Lockhart's appearance, a feeling of cautious expectancy came over him. Unlike the deluded attraction of the women who flanked either side of him in the small crowd, who like his mother had become quite enthralled by the exploits of Gilderoy Lockhart, he felt no such inclination to admire the wizard whom he and his father suspected of being a fraud. On the contrary, he was expecting the vocal fireworks to erupt between these two prominent families. It was the stark contrast between these two families that made one expect such a thing. At any minute, it could strike, as firey and as bitter as any argument could come.
Blinking, he snapped himself out of his own little world conjured up by the unsettled feeling he had with regard to the inevitable Weasley-Malfoy showdown. As his gray eyes surveyed the bookshop, his gaze fell on Hermione, hoping that she and her friends would not fall under further Malfoy scrutiny and derision. Lockhart's appearance neither assisted Cedric's small, vaguely insignificant hopes. Nor did it dissipate the sombre atmosphere that suddenly found its way into the bookshop. Lockhart, true to Cedric's suspicions harboured an attraction to fame- what better way to gain recognition than to use the prestige and infamy that was possessed by a certain Mr. Potter who tried rather unsuccessfully to blend into the background. It had been the offer of free, autographed copies of Lockhart's books that caused the growing tension between the two clans to erupy. Pretty violently, in Cedric's opinion. Cedric had been too focused on this, that he, like everyone else in the room, had neglected to notice the old leather diary that Malfoy senior had slipped into the cauldron of the youngest Weasley. Cedric's suspicions over the flambuoyant author were strengthened by the fact that Lockhart had been conversing with a reporter whilst the heads of the Malfoy and the Weasley families argued, probably advocating the reporter to include the argument in the article that would definitely find its way into the Daily Prophet or in Witch Weekly.
Thankfully, the fight had not lasted long, had only been between the fathers and had only involved words and fists. Had the younger generation of Weasleys gotten involved, with the use of magic, despite the fact that they were not allowed to practice it outside school walls, it would surely have been more bloody.
Unlike the past year, wherein Cedric had caught sight of Hermione on the Hogwarts Express, the beginning of his fourth year was rather different. There were no missing toads from a boy named Neville Longbottom. Nor were there any cinammon-eyed girls knocking on his carriage door to ask him about it. Cho had teased him about being lovesick. He had given her a disgusted look in reply, despite the fact that this was slightly true, pathetic it may have seemed. Harry and Ron had surprised him by coming to school on the Weasleys' enchanted blue automobile. It provided something fairly dramatic to the beginning of the year.
The next time that he had caught sight of his favorite wayward-curled Gryffindor was when she walked down to the Great Hall to have lunch, wherein she was showing Harry and Ron the perfect coat buttons she had produced in Transfiguration. He did not mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, but it was slightly impossible, considering he had been walking behind them. Although she did not see it, Cedric gave Hermione a proud smile. His euphoria at the academic excellence displayed by the girl he considered "his" witch dropped slightly when Ron exclaimed, "Why? Have you outlined all Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?" Although he knew that Hermione was more intelligent than most witches and would probably suspect Lockhart's fraudulence like he did, there was a small nagging feeling in his gut that suspected that she, like his own mother and many other witches possessed an infatuation with Lockhart. Shaking off the nagging feeling, he had walked to the Hufflepuff table silently and slightly dejectedly, although he would never admit it.
His fourth year had been progressing smoothly enough, however, it was the growing workload that Cedric was starting to adjust to. His time was divided between the library, the Quidditch Pitch, his Common Room and the Great Hall for meals. It was this rather hectic schedule that did not permit him to see Hermione as often as he wanted to. Although he knew that she spent a vast majority of her time in the library, his need to focus on his studies meant that he could not converse with her as often as he wanted to. Regardless of this, one little incident in the Quidditch Pitch made him rethink his stance and strengthened his resolve to protect her.
He had woken up fairly early one morning. Although it had been slightly chilly, he was determined to make the most of the beautiful weather, as he wasn't sure how long it was going to last. Even though the Daily Prophet predicted beautiful weather all week, there were instances when these were wrong. He wanted to take a walk before having breakfast, to clear his thoughts without being accompanied by several admiring girls from his house. Without warning, as though they had minds of their own, his feet had taken him in the direction of the Pitch.
What he discovered astounded him. Although the members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team was there in their brilliant scarlet robes, the unmistakable flash of brilliant forest green worn by the Slytherins made him raise an eyebrow in confusion. He knew from memory that the Gryffindors had been scheduled to practice that morning. Instead of moving forward to discover what the commotion had been all about, he walked to the stands, remaining a respectable distance away where he could still see and hear everything clearly.
The Slytherins, he noticed, were taunting the Gryffindors. He realised that Malfoy had been made Seeker, replacing Terrence Higgs that year. The sheen of their broomsticks caught his eye. Lucius Malfoy, he discovered had replaced the brooms of the entire team with brand new Nimbus 2001's. Cedric frowned. He suspected that the younger Malfoy, not to be outdone by his Gryffindor rival had asked his father to make a generous contribution to the team in order for him to be made Seeker. It also seemed as though he had not been the only one who suspected it.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent."
He looked at the direction of the soft voice that said it, albeit sharpness had accompanied her soft tone. Hermione was not pleased with the way her housemates were being taunted. He had to admit, he was rather impressed with her. Of course, his subconscious noted how alluring her eyes looked when she was angry. What followed her declaration shocked him.
"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood."
Anger and disgust immediately sparked within Cedric. He was tempted to approach Malfoy and punch his irritating smirk off his face. But, looking on, he noticed that the Weasleys were displaying their infamous tempers over Malfoy's racist comment. Looking at Hermione, he was surprised that she did not look appalled. Neither did Harry. In fact, both of them looked purely confused. It was like, they've never heard that word before. It was then that he remembered that both had grown up without any prior knowledge of the Wizarding world.
He left before anything could happen. Instead of going to breakfast, he ignored the hunger in his belly to find Professor McGonagall and report the misdeeds that occurred in the Pitch. In his mind, he was thankful that he left when he did. Had he not, he knew that he would not easily have controlled his temper. The strength of his loyalty to Hermione was a testament to the ideals of Helga Hufflepuff.
Slytherin had lost several points that day, but Cedric knew that it would not be the last time that Hermione would be targetted by people from that house. It seemed though, with the current situation involved with the so-called Heir of Slytherin, all the Houses, with the exception of Gryffindor, had another target in mind. It surprised him that they would think so, considering he had been sorted in the house that opposed Salazar Slytherin's ideals, but most people, particularly those from his own house believed that Harry Potter was the heir. Cedric thought that they had gone absolutely barmy!
Ignoring that train of thought, he had concentrated on doing his work in the library. It was during one of his study sessions in the hidden alcoves, where he heard a couple of sniffles. He stopped working and walked to the direction of the soft sound. To his surprise, he found Hermione in tears, the little droplets of water smudging the ink on the parchment she had been writing on. He walked up to her and sat on the adjacent seat, wiping her tears with the back of his hand.
"Why the tears?" he asked her softly.
She looked up at him. "I don't know," she replied, her voice shaky. "I just didn't realise how much it hurt."
He looked at her curiously, and empathically placed his hand over hers. "What hurt?" Cedric asked her. When she avoided his gaze, he understood. "Look, Granger, like in the muggle world, there are certain individuals that try to make life absolutely impossible. The best thing to do with situations like this is to ignore them. What they called you is only a word. It may hurt, but remember that you are above that. You're better than they are. Much better."
Hermione smiled a little. "Thank you." His words comforted her. "That meant a lot, coming from you."
"Anytime Hermione. I'll always be here for you." His words, although she didn't realise it, was a part of his vow to himself.
The rest of the time was spent in silence that was both welcomed and comfortable. She needed comfort and security. He provided it for her. He may not have noticed it, but it was also something that he needed. It was all he needed, for now.
previous chapter
next chapter
Chapter : 5: For Now
Rating : PG
Parings : Cedric/Hermione
Disclaimer : The Harry Potter series and everything related to it is copyrighted to JK Rowling, Warner Bros.,Bloomsbury and their associates. No profits are made through the creation of this story. Thanks.
Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay, y'all. Real life has finally caught up with me.
Once a Slytherin, always a Slytherin. It was people like the Malfoys that gave the Wizarding world a bad name. Sometimes, there was a need to be flexible and get in touch with the times, so to speak. But, those of the "old blood" were stuck in their ways. Like his father, Cedric suspected that the Malfoys were into the Dark Arts. And, like his father, he knew that one must be careful towards people like them.
Cedric, hidden amongst the small crowd within Flourish and Blotts watched the Malfoys and the Weasleys warily. With the prestige of the Malfoys came arrogance and slight hypocrisy. Their wily actions- as his father had described- were purely for their own gain. The Weasleys on the other hand were the complete opposite. Despite their slightly impoverished status, they were as trustworthy as families came. That, and their infamous tempers, which sometimes got the better of them. Particularly this generation of Weasleys, who also descended from the Prewetts, from Molly Weasley's side of the family.
As he waited for Lockhart's appearance, a feeling of cautious expectancy came over him. Unlike the deluded attraction of the women who flanked either side of him in the small crowd, who like his mother had become quite enthralled by the exploits of Gilderoy Lockhart, he felt no such inclination to admire the wizard whom he and his father suspected of being a fraud. On the contrary, he was expecting the vocal fireworks to erupt between these two prominent families. It was the stark contrast between these two families that made one expect such a thing. At any minute, it could strike, as firey and as bitter as any argument could come.
Blinking, he snapped himself out of his own little world conjured up by the unsettled feeling he had with regard to the inevitable Weasley-Malfoy showdown. As his gray eyes surveyed the bookshop, his gaze fell on Hermione, hoping that she and her friends would not fall under further Malfoy scrutiny and derision. Lockhart's appearance neither assisted Cedric's small, vaguely insignificant hopes. Nor did it dissipate the sombre atmosphere that suddenly found its way into the bookshop. Lockhart, true to Cedric's suspicions harboured an attraction to fame- what better way to gain recognition than to use the prestige and infamy that was possessed by a certain Mr. Potter who tried rather unsuccessfully to blend into the background. It had been the offer of free, autographed copies of Lockhart's books that caused the growing tension between the two clans to erupy. Pretty violently, in Cedric's opinion. Cedric had been too focused on this, that he, like everyone else in the room, had neglected to notice the old leather diary that Malfoy senior had slipped into the cauldron of the youngest Weasley. Cedric's suspicions over the flambuoyant author were strengthened by the fact that Lockhart had been conversing with a reporter whilst the heads of the Malfoy and the Weasley families argued, probably advocating the reporter to include the argument in the article that would definitely find its way into the Daily Prophet or in Witch Weekly.
Thankfully, the fight had not lasted long, had only been between the fathers and had only involved words and fists. Had the younger generation of Weasleys gotten involved, with the use of magic, despite the fact that they were not allowed to practice it outside school walls, it would surely have been more bloody.
Unlike the past year, wherein Cedric had caught sight of Hermione on the Hogwarts Express, the beginning of his fourth year was rather different. There were no missing toads from a boy named Neville Longbottom. Nor were there any cinammon-eyed girls knocking on his carriage door to ask him about it. Cho had teased him about being lovesick. He had given her a disgusted look in reply, despite the fact that this was slightly true, pathetic it may have seemed. Harry and Ron had surprised him by coming to school on the Weasleys' enchanted blue automobile. It provided something fairly dramatic to the beginning of the year.
The next time that he had caught sight of his favorite wayward-curled Gryffindor was when she walked down to the Great Hall to have lunch, wherein she was showing Harry and Ron the perfect coat buttons she had produced in Transfiguration. He did not mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, but it was slightly impossible, considering he had been walking behind them. Although she did not see it, Cedric gave Hermione a proud smile. His euphoria at the academic excellence displayed by the girl he considered "his" witch dropped slightly when Ron exclaimed, "Why? Have you outlined all Lockhart's lessons in little hearts?" Although he knew that Hermione was more intelligent than most witches and would probably suspect Lockhart's fraudulence like he did, there was a small nagging feeling in his gut that suspected that she, like his own mother and many other witches possessed an infatuation with Lockhart. Shaking off the nagging feeling, he had walked to the Hufflepuff table silently and slightly dejectedly, although he would never admit it.
His fourth year had been progressing smoothly enough, however, it was the growing workload that Cedric was starting to adjust to. His time was divided between the library, the Quidditch Pitch, his Common Room and the Great Hall for meals. It was this rather hectic schedule that did not permit him to see Hermione as often as he wanted to. Although he knew that she spent a vast majority of her time in the library, his need to focus on his studies meant that he could not converse with her as often as he wanted to. Regardless of this, one little incident in the Quidditch Pitch made him rethink his stance and strengthened his resolve to protect her.
He had woken up fairly early one morning. Although it had been slightly chilly, he was determined to make the most of the beautiful weather, as he wasn't sure how long it was going to last. Even though the Daily Prophet predicted beautiful weather all week, there were instances when these were wrong. He wanted to take a walk before having breakfast, to clear his thoughts without being accompanied by several admiring girls from his house. Without warning, as though they had minds of their own, his feet had taken him in the direction of the Pitch.
What he discovered astounded him. Although the members of the Gryffindor Quidditch team was there in their brilliant scarlet robes, the unmistakable flash of brilliant forest green worn by the Slytherins made him raise an eyebrow in confusion. He knew from memory that the Gryffindors had been scheduled to practice that morning. Instead of moving forward to discover what the commotion had been all about, he walked to the stands, remaining a respectable distance away where he could still see and hear everything clearly.
The Slytherins, he noticed, were taunting the Gryffindors. He realised that Malfoy had been made Seeker, replacing Terrence Higgs that year. The sheen of their broomsticks caught his eye. Lucius Malfoy, he discovered had replaced the brooms of the entire team with brand new Nimbus 2001's. Cedric frowned. He suspected that the younger Malfoy, not to be outdone by his Gryffindor rival had asked his father to make a generous contribution to the team in order for him to be made Seeker. It also seemed as though he had not been the only one who suspected it.
"At least no one on the Gryffindor team had to buy their way in. They got in on pure talent."
He looked at the direction of the soft voice that said it, albeit sharpness had accompanied her soft tone. Hermione was not pleased with the way her housemates were being taunted. He had to admit, he was rather impressed with her. Of course, his subconscious noted how alluring her eyes looked when she was angry. What followed her declaration shocked him.
"No one asked your opinion, you filthy little Mudblood."
Anger and disgust immediately sparked within Cedric. He was tempted to approach Malfoy and punch his irritating smirk off his face. But, looking on, he noticed that the Weasleys were displaying their infamous tempers over Malfoy's racist comment. Looking at Hermione, he was surprised that she did not look appalled. Neither did Harry. In fact, both of them looked purely confused. It was like, they've never heard that word before. It was then that he remembered that both had grown up without any prior knowledge of the Wizarding world.
He left before anything could happen. Instead of going to breakfast, he ignored the hunger in his belly to find Professor McGonagall and report the misdeeds that occurred in the Pitch. In his mind, he was thankful that he left when he did. Had he not, he knew that he would not easily have controlled his temper. The strength of his loyalty to Hermione was a testament to the ideals of Helga Hufflepuff.
Slytherin had lost several points that day, but Cedric knew that it would not be the last time that Hermione would be targetted by people from that house. It seemed though, with the current situation involved with the so-called Heir of Slytherin, all the Houses, with the exception of Gryffindor, had another target in mind. It surprised him that they would think so, considering he had been sorted in the house that opposed Salazar Slytherin's ideals, but most people, particularly those from his own house believed that Harry Potter was the heir. Cedric thought that they had gone absolutely barmy!
Ignoring that train of thought, he had concentrated on doing his work in the library. It was during one of his study sessions in the hidden alcoves, where he heard a couple of sniffles. He stopped working and walked to the direction of the soft sound. To his surprise, he found Hermione in tears, the little droplets of water smudging the ink on the parchment she had been writing on. He walked up to her and sat on the adjacent seat, wiping her tears with the back of his hand.
"Why the tears?" he asked her softly.
She looked up at him. "I don't know," she replied, her voice shaky. "I just didn't realise how much it hurt."
He looked at her curiously, and empathically placed his hand over hers. "What hurt?" Cedric asked her. When she avoided his gaze, he understood. "Look, Granger, like in the muggle world, there are certain individuals that try to make life absolutely impossible. The best thing to do with situations like this is to ignore them. What they called you is only a word. It may hurt, but remember that you are above that. You're better than they are. Much better."
Hermione smiled a little. "Thank you." His words comforted her. "That meant a lot, coming from you."
"Anytime Hermione. I'll always be here for you." His words, although she didn't realise it, was a part of his vow to himself.
The rest of the time was spent in silence that was both welcomed and comfortable. She needed comfort and security. He provided it for her. He may not have noticed it, but it was also something that he needed. It was all he needed, for now.
previous chapter
next chapter