Fic Post
Here's a fic written for
skwidfan challenge/request. It's very late but better late than never.
Title: Fallen Like a Leaf
Pairings: Cedric/Hermione
Summary: A noteworthy encounter between Cedric and Hermione
Rating: PG
Warning: Slight AU, happens before the Yule Ball
Note: This is for a request/challenge from
skwidfan. Thanks to Danii for the beta!!
Disclaimer: The lovely characters in this story are not mine. Harry Potter and characters belongs to JK Rowling.
Title: Fallen Like a Leaf
Pairings: Cedric/Hermione
Summary: A noteworthy encounter between Cedric and Hermione
Rating: PG
Warning: Slight AU, happens before the Yule Ball
Note: This is for a request/challenge from
skwidfan. Thanks to Danii for the beta!!
Disclaimer: The lovely characters in this story are not mine. Harry Potter and characters belongs to JK Rowling.
It was a beautiful fall day outside, with leaves of gold and red covering the ground. In places where the ground sloped down, the leaves were so thick that one had to wonder if there was even a ground under all those fallen leaves. At least, that was what a certain Gryffindor was thinking as she wandered into the halls of Hogwarts. She had just come in from the outdoors with a book she was trying to finish. However, her housemates were not always compliant with her wishes, so she needed a quiet spot to finish her book.
Feeling as though she had nothing but time this afternoon, Hermione walked down the long corridor to the library. As she turned the corner, she felt as if someone was watching her. She looked up, down, right and left, but not a soul could be seen. The library and the book would have to wait until she found the culprit.
Hermione turned around and went back the way she had come. She had taken exactly six steps when she noticed a four by four piece of parchment falling two feet in front of her. It appeared to be falling from the ceiling. The paper reminded her of the gold and red leaves falling outside right at this very moment.
Half afraid to snatch it from the air, Hermione watched it float down to the ground. When it finally reached the floor, she smiled with relief when it didn’t disappear. Looking around once more for any sign of another, Hermione weighted her options. There wasn’t any harm in that piece of paper. Or was there?
Picking up the paper, Hermione stared at the words.
Please answer the following question:
If Cedric can wax the floor in four hours, and Hermione can wax it in nine, how long will it take for them to get it done together?
What a strange query. It specifically mentioned her name. Was someone playing some sort of joke on her? She couldn’t shake that feeling of someone watching her. Looking around, she could see the safety of the library. Maybe the library couldn’t wait after all. She tucked the paper safely into the book, heading for the library, and that’s when she heard his voice behind her.
“You’re the first one to do that.” The voice sounded puzzled and intrigued like no girl would dare ignore him. She knew the voice, even though she never spoke to him directly. It was the voice of a prefect. A prefect definitely had more than one meaning for him, especially with those beautiful grey eyes of his.
“Do what?” Hermione asked innocently, as she turned around to see his handsome face. Her suspicions were confirmed. Someone had been watching her. And she couldn’t decide if she was relieved or excited that it turned out to be none other than Cedric Diggory.
“Not give me an answer,” he replied. He was standing rather close to her. His being so close unnerved Hermione in a way she had never experienced before. Not to mention, where did he come from? Hermione was too distracted to think of any possibilities. “Most write an answer faster than I can stand,” he continued.
“So this wasn’t the first time,” Hermione replied. Hermione’s mind was in turmoil. Why would this popular Hufflepuff send her a note he sent to most? The resident bookworm of Gryffindor, even of all of Hogwarts.
From his lack of an answer, Hermione could only assume this was not the first time a note had indeed fallen from the sky. She supposed it wasn’t the first, and probably wouldn’t be the last. She wondered where she would stack up against the other lucky girls. She wanted to ask but was almost afraid to know. Unfortunately, her curiosity got the best of her. Or rather, it was her interest in keeping up the conversation. “How many?”
“Oh, about fifty,” he said in a matter of fact way. So smooth that he made fifty seem like one.
Was that laughter in his eyes? Hermione didn’t know the sixth year well enough to determine that. She found herself wishing she knew him better. At least enough to know if he was joking with her or not. But somehow, Hermione knew he simply wasn’t. Most girls would jump at the chance to do anything with Cedric, even if it meant waxing floors.
“Fifty?” she repeated. Maybe she had heard him wrong. Or maybe it was her hoping she had heard wrong. However, the number didn’t entirely surprise her.
“Fifty,” he repeated for her. “What’s that Muggle saying? You have to eat a lot of toads….”
“I think you mean you have to kiss a lot of frogs.” It was nice knowing something he didn’t, for some reason.
“Yes, that’s it. Well, I’ve decided I’m going to wax a lot of floors,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. It felt like more than a twinkle, but, once again Hermione was unsure. How she wished she knew more about this tall, handsome boy.
“Oh.” It was all Hermione could manage. She had never been at a loss for words like this. Twice in one day was a first for poor Hermione, but she wasn’t the only girl Cedric had this effect on.
“I’ll be seeing you around, Hermione.”
All she could manage was a nod. She decided it was his teeth that took her voice, which were far too white, but then again, he was perfect. Hermione watched as Cedric walked down the corridor she had come from earlier. What had just happened? The whole interaction seemed like a dream. Something in the pit of her stomach told her she definitely didn’t want to wake up. She remembered the paper and began to fish it out of her book without looking down.
“You forgot this.”
Her fingers stopped trying to fish out the paper with his words.
“You keep it, I don’t think I need it anymore.” His words felt like a promise. A sweet promise of things to come.
“Oh. You’re also the first, and only, girl to keep it,” he added. And with that, he turned around and left, leaving Hermione to watch his form disappear into the distance.
Smiling, Hermione followed in the same direction Cedric’s form disappeared to. The library had been forgotten, but the leaves would always be remembered.
Outside the leaves kept falling and Hermione took notice. The leaves swirled about just as that paper had. Leaves would come to take on a new meaning for Hermione. Leaves would forever remind her of that silly note from a brave and wonderful boy that stole her heart. The boy that planned to wax a lot of floors to find his princess. A boy who left her with a promise of things to come.