HP fic: Momentary Lunacy (Cedric/Hermione) (G)
Title: Momentary Lunacy (G), Stand-alone fic.
Characters: Cedric/Hermione
Disclaimer: None because they're useless
Notes: My Cedric/Hermione muse has been a bit dead lately - for a number of different reasons but today dbil said that some behind the scenes footage from the Harry Potter Goblet of Fire DVD reminded her of my Robert/Emma RPF An Unlikely Friendship.
I went and watched the clip and it's so cute - Robert all scratched and wounded in Emma's dressing room while they're both being interviewed. Then hazy-crazy posted some icons here. There are Tim Tam icons (hee!) but also some really lovely Cedric/Hermione icons.
Anyway, just a teeny tiny little scribble that popped into my head after I saw today's posts by dbil and hazy-crazy.
Set during Goblet of Fire. Unbeta'd. As usual
"Oh honestly Hermione, leave a fellow alone would you! He knows his Four-Point Spell forwards, backwards and bloody upside down. If you don't let up with quizzing him on his Shield Charms I'll put a Jelly-Legs Jinx on you myself!" Ron exclaimed irritably. Harry shot his friend a look of profound gratitude at his timely intervention.
"No gratitude," Hermione muttered to herself as she stomped crossly through the darkness. The moonlight should have soothed her but her mood was too dark and anxious to be so easily allayed. Her thoughts far away, she did not pay attention to where she was going and as a consequence, tripped over something, or rather someone who was sitting on the grass.
"Steady on!" a familiar voice exclaimed and hands reached out to grab her before she could topple over. There was a tangle of arms, hair clothes and legs. "Classes are out for the day, Granger - no need to be in such a hurry," the voice said in amusement and as the clouds moved away from the face of the enigmatic moon, she stared down into Cedric Diggory's face. He was looking up at her with curiosity.
"Communing with nature are we?" she asked him, grabbing at something to say.
"Yes well I'm clearly more at one with the universe right now than you are," he said, quizzically. "What's wrong with you? You look positively livid," he said bluntly, his dark hair falling over his pale face carelessly. He pushed the hair out of his eyes as Hermione scowled a little. "I thought you'd be with Potter giving him some last minute coaching before tomorrow," he said, gesturing towards the maze which stood tall and mysterious in the Quidditch pitch. The dark shadows cast by the thick and high hedges were ominous and Hermione shuddered despite herself.
"That's just it. He told me to go away - he said that my nagging was making him nervous," she said, looking very offended. "He and Ron are off doing whatever it is they think is fun instead of preparing for the last task".
Cedric gave a wry laugh. "How very ungrateful of him .... but to be fair it's probably very easy to make him nervous right now".
"Are you scared?" Hermione demanded directly, staring down at him. It didn't seem possible that Cedric Diggory would be afraid. He was always such a confident young man, a golden, talented and light-hearted youth whose abilities and strength made everything look easy.
"Well scared is probably putting it a bit strong ...." Cedric protested. "How about ... somewhat apprehensive about what the day may bring?" he suggested.
Hermione raised a quizzical eyebrow.
Cedric sighed. "All right, I'm bloody terrified," he confessed in a startling admission. "Seen the size of that maze? At first I thought it sounded like a bit of fun but I've heard some pretty awful noises coming out of that thing," he told her gloomily. At that point, yet another unearthly noise could be heard from the maze and Hermione shivered again.
"It's a crime what they've done to the Quidditch pitch," he muttered darkly and that made her laugh despite herself.
"Sorry to intrude, hope I didn't injure you," Hermione said, turning to return to the castle but as she turned, Cedric's next words shocked her into immobility.
"Don't go," Cedric said abruptly.
Hermione turned around slowly and stared at him questioningly, her head tilted to one side. He unfolded his long limbs slightly to turn to look at her.
"Sorry - I didn't mean that as an order ... " he said apologetically. "What I meant was - please don't go," he corrected himself. "That is - unless you're busy and have places you need to be...."
"I don't have any place I need to be," she said shyly, still staring at him, trying to read his expression in the darkness. The moonlight cast shadows over his face and it was hard to know what he was thinking.
"I could use the company," he told her softly. "And besides, judging by Harry's performance so far, you seem to be a good luck token of sorts .... I could also use any luck you have to spare," he said and she could tell he was smiling even though his firm mouth wasn't curved into a smile. It was the smile in his grey eyes that convinced her.
"What about Cho?" she asked him.
He didn't answer at first then he said slowly. "Do you know whether Potter asked Cho to the Yule Ball?" he asked her unexpectedly.
Hermione stared at him in astonishment but didn't answer. "It's pretty obvious he fancies her," he continued. "What's not so clear is, how she feels about him .... and even more unclear is why the fact that she might fancy him .... doesn't seem to bother me," he told her.
"Lovely moon we're having tonight," she said conversationally, changing the topic very blatantly and Cedric laughed.
"Tops," he said. "Here, take a seat Granger - this patch of grass has got your name on it," he said patting the ground next to him in a welcoming fashion. She cleared her throat awkwardly and after a moment's hesitation, she gingerly sat down beside him on the grass, stealing shy and hesitant glances at him.
"I won't bite," he promised. "Well not until we're better acquainted anyway," he said with a wicked smile that did curve his mouth and she settled herself down beside him. The air was cool and crisp, she could smell the grass and feel the breeze across her skin. More unsettling was the fact that she could smell Cedric's clean, masculine scent ... he was old enough to shave although in the darkness she couldn't make out if his jaw was stubbled or not. She couldn't believe she was even trying to look.
The first few minutes were small talk, questions, answers, digressions and mild arguments that never threatened to become heated. He knew more about her than she imagined and it surprised her.
"Are you holding my hand?" she demanded in shock, staring down in disbelief at their suddenly clasped hands.
"Smart as a whip," he said with cheerful mockery. "No wonder you're top of your class - straight to Ravenclaw for you!"
"Very funny," she said and her fingers twitched slightly in his. His hand tightened.
"D'you mind?" he asked her suddenly.
"That you're holding my hand?" she asked him stupidly.
"Yeah," his eyes were questioning.
Hermione found herself flushing slightly.
"So what made you enter the Tournament in the first place? Seems like a pretty stupid thing to do ...." she said changing the subject again and he smiled at her, clearly pleased that she did not pull her hand away from his.
He had been staring at her steadily the whole time they had been talking. She looked away now and then, disconcerted by his steady, unwavering gaze but he seemed to like looking at her. Even when she stared out into the darkness, she was aware that his light grey eyes were watching her closely.
"I heard that you were a blunt thing," he commented calmly.
"Does that bother you?" she asked him, a slightly challenging note in her voice.
"Not a bit," he said with a grin. "Why would you think it would?"
"I don't know .... used to all those girls fawning over you. Your loyal group of followers," she said with a shrug.
"You think I like that sort of thing, do you?" he asked her, looking a bit irritated.
"It's got to be nice ...or not," she said slowly as she looked at the expression on his face.
"Why did I put my name in the cup?" he repeated, his expression thoughtful. He took his free hand and without thinking began to trace his finger down her cheek as he thought about his answer. "To be honest, I don't really have a sensible explanation for you .... momentary lunacy?" he suggested.
"I know how that feels," she muttered beneath her breath as she tried to stop herself from trembling as his cool fingers smoothed across her skin lightly.
"What was that? I didn't catch that," he said, an inquiring look in his dark eyes, leaning closer towards her.
His lips were very close to hers and if she leaned forward slightly, their mouths would be touching.
"Nothing, just talking rubbish," she told him breathlessly, her dark eyes looking into his and he smiled.
"Want to blame the moon?" he asked her with a smile.
"Well, there are those Muggles who do believe in the lunar effect .... ummm ...." He wasn't moving back and it was difficult to concentrate with him so close.
"Yes?" he asked her, urging her to continue.
"....being the supposed influence of the moon and its phases on human behaviour...." she told him. "In fact ..."
"Yes?" he said and there was a disconcertingly tender smile on his mouth.
"Many people believe that human sanity is affected by the phases of the moon".
"Hence the word 'lunatic'," he said helpfully.
"Precisely," she told him and her eyes closed as she felt his lips brush across her cheek lingeringly.
"So I could do all number of mad things and .... we could blame the moon," he whispered.
Her eyes still closed, she felt his lips sliding down her throat. "Well no one's proved any co-relation between the moon and irrational behaviour ... Muggle scientists certainly haven't proven anything ...." she gave a little gasp as she felt his cool lips pressing against the pulse in her throat.
He drew back and his eyes held hers for a very long moment. "What do your Muggle scientists have to say about magic and witchcraft, Granger?" he asked her.
She cleared her throat. "You have a point ..." she conceded and he grinned.
"I rest my case," he told her and he leaned over kissing her jaw.
"Not all lunacy is momentary," she couldn't help pointing out. "Some of it stays around for a long time - sometimes it's even permanent," she told him, aware that she herself was babbling like a lunatic.
"Let's make a wish .... on the moon," he urged her.
"You don't wish on the moon, you wish on a star," she pointed out.
"Says who? Is that a hard and fast rule?"
"Well it's not a rule per se .... it's more of a convention as it were...."
"I say we flout convention. Come on Granger - be a rebel," he urged her.
She closed her eyes and made a wish as did he, their hands tightly clasped.
"What did you wish?" he asked her.
"I can't tell you that," she protested. "If I tell you, it won't come true!"
"You're being conventional again," he said reprovingly. She rolled her eyes.
"All right ...if you must know .... I wished that you and Harry made it through tomorrow safe and sound .... What about you?"
His hand tightened around hers. "I wished that this momentary lunacy could last forever and that even after tomorrow, the two of us can be like this .... exactly like this ...." he said, glancing up at the moon and then down at their clasped hands.
Hermione found herself blushing furiously and Cedric looked intrigued. "What?" he wanted to know.
"That was my second wish," she said falteringly.
"Second wish? You don't get two wishes!"
"Now who's being conventional," she teased him and he laughed.
"Fine - tomorrow night, after the tournament's over - you, me, moonlight, sitting here, bring your own lunacy .... don't be late, Granger" he ordered her. It didn't seem as though this could really be happening. It felt like a dream. Perhaps she could blame the moon as Cedric had suggested.
She would have said yes to him but his mouth was already on hers and her kiss in reply was all the response he needed.
***
It was all over. Everything was over.
Hermione sat on the grass in the darkness. The moon was covered by heavy clouds, the air was chilly but it was not the cold that made her shiver.
The tournament was over. Although she had not witnessed the horrors for herself, it was almost as though she had been there. Waiting outside the maze had been a form of torture, the strange and eerie sounds would probably haunt her nightmares forever.
She closed her eyes, her hands clasped tightly together. She swallowed hard, trying not to remember the feel of Cedric's lips against her skin, against her mouth. She tried not to remember the sound of laughter in his voice, her name on his lips. Their lunacy had indeed been momentary. She knew that now and it had been foolish for her to have believed in the moon's bewitching persuasiveness. The boy that was Cedric Diggory would not come. She knew that and yet here she was, sitting in the moonlight at the preappointed time .... waiting for the boy whom she knew would never come.
"Bloody hell I was hoping to get here first!" a voice exclaimed behind her and Hermione's heart felt as though it skipped a beat. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Your hordes of adoring fans wouldn't let you escape?" she asked him tartly, turning to look up at Cedric who stood a short distance from her. As usual, his unmanageable hair fell over his brow.
"You should be nice to me, I'm injured and all," he protested. It was true, she'd never seen such a battered, bruised and bloody individual in her life.... well Harry had been in only slightly better condition when the two champions had materialised out of the air clutching the Cup between them, nightmarish stories of Voldemort spilling from their lips as they spoke in terrified and almost delirious voices.
"Very manly and all," she said sardonically, slowly rising to her feet and turning to face him. He didn't move from where he stood. The girls had been all over him when he returned ... almost all of them anyway. Cho and Hermione had held themselves back a little. When Cho had gone to Harry's side to congratulate him and kiss him on the cheek Hermione hadn't been the slightest bit surprised - although Harry had been shocked into babbling incoherence. If he hadn't been so shocked, he might not have allowed Professor Moody or rather Barty Crouch Jr to spirit him away as he had. Fortunately Professor Dumbledore had come to his rescue just in time, although Harry was still more preoccupied with his kiss from Cho than his near escape from death.
"Lucky thing we wished on the moon, yeah? Seems to have given me that bit of extra luck I needed," he said with a wry smile. "If we'd done the ordinary thing and wished on a star, I might have been a goner today," he joked.
"Please don't joke about things like that," Hermione blurted out abruptly and the smile faded from Cedric's face.
"I didn't know you cared, Granger," he said cautiously, taking a step towards her.
"I didn't think you'd come tonight," she whispered, taking a step towards him.
"I seem to remember we had a date," he said, taking another step towards her.
"I thought maybe last night's lunacy was momentary after all," she said as she took another step towards him and he grinned and pulled her up into his arms. The clouds obligingly drifted across the sky and the brightness of the moon shone through the darkness, illuminating their smiling faces.
"Hey Hermione," he said, calling her by her name for the first time.
"Yes Diggory?" she asked him and he grinned at the appellation.
"Moon's out".
"I know".
"I can feel my lunacy returning," he told her soberly even though his grey eyes were dancing with humour.
"So can I ..."
"There's no telling what I might do while under the influence," he told her, his lips brushing across hers.
"Which is why I'm humouring you," she whispered, her lips clinging to his as her arms slid around his neck to pull him closer. "Lunatics can be dangerous ... I woudn't want you to turn violent ... or anything...."
"Yes, I might do all number of things.... ... trash the library ....flush Malfoy's head down the toilet "
"Absolutely not to the first, be my guest as to the second," she told him. Their mouths clung, tasting and savouring, lingering over the sweetness of the moment as his strong hands slid down over her body to pull her tighter.
"Want to be insane with me forever?" he asked her.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," she whispered.
The End
Characters: Cedric/Hermione
Disclaimer: None because they're useless
Notes: My Cedric/Hermione muse has been a bit dead lately - for a number of different reasons but today dbil said that some behind the scenes footage from the Harry Potter Goblet of Fire DVD reminded her of my Robert/Emma RPF An Unlikely Friendship.
I went and watched the clip and it's so cute - Robert all scratched and wounded in Emma's dressing room while they're both being interviewed. Then hazy-crazy posted some icons here. There are Tim Tam icons (hee!) but also some really lovely Cedric/Hermione icons.
Anyway, just a teeny tiny little scribble that popped into my head after I saw today's posts by dbil and hazy-crazy.
Set during Goblet of Fire. Unbeta'd. As usual
"Oh honestly Hermione, leave a fellow alone would you! He knows his Four-Point Spell forwards, backwards and bloody upside down. If you don't let up with quizzing him on his Shield Charms I'll put a Jelly-Legs Jinx on you myself!" Ron exclaimed irritably. Harry shot his friend a look of profound gratitude at his timely intervention.
"No gratitude," Hermione muttered to herself as she stomped crossly through the darkness. The moonlight should have soothed her but her mood was too dark and anxious to be so easily allayed. Her thoughts far away, she did not pay attention to where she was going and as a consequence, tripped over something, or rather someone who was sitting on the grass.
"Steady on!" a familiar voice exclaimed and hands reached out to grab her before she could topple over. There was a tangle of arms, hair clothes and legs. "Classes are out for the day, Granger - no need to be in such a hurry," the voice said in amusement and as the clouds moved away from the face of the enigmatic moon, she stared down into Cedric Diggory's face. He was looking up at her with curiosity.
"Communing with nature are we?" she asked him, grabbing at something to say.
"Yes well I'm clearly more at one with the universe right now than you are," he said, quizzically. "What's wrong with you? You look positively livid," he said bluntly, his dark hair falling over his pale face carelessly. He pushed the hair out of his eyes as Hermione scowled a little. "I thought you'd be with Potter giving him some last minute coaching before tomorrow," he said, gesturing towards the maze which stood tall and mysterious in the Quidditch pitch. The dark shadows cast by the thick and high hedges were ominous and Hermione shuddered despite herself.
"That's just it. He told me to go away - he said that my nagging was making him nervous," she said, looking very offended. "He and Ron are off doing whatever it is they think is fun instead of preparing for the last task".
Cedric gave a wry laugh. "How very ungrateful of him .... but to be fair it's probably very easy to make him nervous right now".
"Are you scared?" Hermione demanded directly, staring down at him. It didn't seem possible that Cedric Diggory would be afraid. He was always such a confident young man, a golden, talented and light-hearted youth whose abilities and strength made everything look easy.
"Well scared is probably putting it a bit strong ...." Cedric protested. "How about ... somewhat apprehensive about what the day may bring?" he suggested.
Hermione raised a quizzical eyebrow.
Cedric sighed. "All right, I'm bloody terrified," he confessed in a startling admission. "Seen the size of that maze? At first I thought it sounded like a bit of fun but I've heard some pretty awful noises coming out of that thing," he told her gloomily. At that point, yet another unearthly noise could be heard from the maze and Hermione shivered again.
"It's a crime what they've done to the Quidditch pitch," he muttered darkly and that made her laugh despite herself.
"Sorry to intrude, hope I didn't injure you," Hermione said, turning to return to the castle but as she turned, Cedric's next words shocked her into immobility.
"Don't go," Cedric said abruptly.
Hermione turned around slowly and stared at him questioningly, her head tilted to one side. He unfolded his long limbs slightly to turn to look at her.
"Sorry - I didn't mean that as an order ... " he said apologetically. "What I meant was - please don't go," he corrected himself. "That is - unless you're busy and have places you need to be...."
"I don't have any place I need to be," she said shyly, still staring at him, trying to read his expression in the darkness. The moonlight cast shadows over his face and it was hard to know what he was thinking.
"I could use the company," he told her softly. "And besides, judging by Harry's performance so far, you seem to be a good luck token of sorts .... I could also use any luck you have to spare," he said and she could tell he was smiling even though his firm mouth wasn't curved into a smile. It was the smile in his grey eyes that convinced her.
"What about Cho?" she asked him.
He didn't answer at first then he said slowly. "Do you know whether Potter asked Cho to the Yule Ball?" he asked her unexpectedly.
Hermione stared at him in astonishment but didn't answer. "It's pretty obvious he fancies her," he continued. "What's not so clear is, how she feels about him .... and even more unclear is why the fact that she might fancy him .... doesn't seem to bother me," he told her.
"Lovely moon we're having tonight," she said conversationally, changing the topic very blatantly and Cedric laughed.
"Tops," he said. "Here, take a seat Granger - this patch of grass has got your name on it," he said patting the ground next to him in a welcoming fashion. She cleared her throat awkwardly and after a moment's hesitation, she gingerly sat down beside him on the grass, stealing shy and hesitant glances at him.
"I won't bite," he promised. "Well not until we're better acquainted anyway," he said with a wicked smile that did curve his mouth and she settled herself down beside him. The air was cool and crisp, she could smell the grass and feel the breeze across her skin. More unsettling was the fact that she could smell Cedric's clean, masculine scent ... he was old enough to shave although in the darkness she couldn't make out if his jaw was stubbled or not. She couldn't believe she was even trying to look.
The first few minutes were small talk, questions, answers, digressions and mild arguments that never threatened to become heated. He knew more about her than she imagined and it surprised her.
"Are you holding my hand?" she demanded in shock, staring down in disbelief at their suddenly clasped hands.
"Smart as a whip," he said with cheerful mockery. "No wonder you're top of your class - straight to Ravenclaw for you!"
"Very funny," she said and her fingers twitched slightly in his. His hand tightened.
"D'you mind?" he asked her suddenly.
"That you're holding my hand?" she asked him stupidly.
"Yeah," his eyes were questioning.
Hermione found herself flushing slightly.
"So what made you enter the Tournament in the first place? Seems like a pretty stupid thing to do ...." she said changing the subject again and he smiled at her, clearly pleased that she did not pull her hand away from his.
He had been staring at her steadily the whole time they had been talking. She looked away now and then, disconcerted by his steady, unwavering gaze but he seemed to like looking at her. Even when she stared out into the darkness, she was aware that his light grey eyes were watching her closely.
"I heard that you were a blunt thing," he commented calmly.
"Does that bother you?" she asked him, a slightly challenging note in her voice.
"Not a bit," he said with a grin. "Why would you think it would?"
"I don't know .... used to all those girls fawning over you. Your loyal group of followers," she said with a shrug.
"You think I like that sort of thing, do you?" he asked her, looking a bit irritated.
"It's got to be nice ...or not," she said slowly as she looked at the expression on his face.
"Why did I put my name in the cup?" he repeated, his expression thoughtful. He took his free hand and without thinking began to trace his finger down her cheek as he thought about his answer. "To be honest, I don't really have a sensible explanation for you .... momentary lunacy?" he suggested.
"I know how that feels," she muttered beneath her breath as she tried to stop herself from trembling as his cool fingers smoothed across her skin lightly.
"What was that? I didn't catch that," he said, an inquiring look in his dark eyes, leaning closer towards her.
His lips were very close to hers and if she leaned forward slightly, their mouths would be touching.
"Nothing, just talking rubbish," she told him breathlessly, her dark eyes looking into his and he smiled.
"Want to blame the moon?" he asked her with a smile.
"Well, there are those Muggles who do believe in the lunar effect .... ummm ...." He wasn't moving back and it was difficult to concentrate with him so close.
"Yes?" he asked her, urging her to continue.
"....being the supposed influence of the moon and its phases on human behaviour...." she told him. "In fact ..."
"Yes?" he said and there was a disconcertingly tender smile on his mouth.
"Many people believe that human sanity is affected by the phases of the moon".
"Hence the word 'lunatic'," he said helpfully.
"Precisely," she told him and her eyes closed as she felt his lips brush across her cheek lingeringly.
"So I could do all number of mad things and .... we could blame the moon," he whispered.
Her eyes still closed, she felt his lips sliding down her throat. "Well no one's proved any co-relation between the moon and irrational behaviour ... Muggle scientists certainly haven't proven anything ...." she gave a little gasp as she felt his cool lips pressing against the pulse in her throat.
He drew back and his eyes held hers for a very long moment. "What do your Muggle scientists have to say about magic and witchcraft, Granger?" he asked her.
She cleared her throat. "You have a point ..." she conceded and he grinned.
"I rest my case," he told her and he leaned over kissing her jaw.
"Not all lunacy is momentary," she couldn't help pointing out. "Some of it stays around for a long time - sometimes it's even permanent," she told him, aware that she herself was babbling like a lunatic.
"Let's make a wish .... on the moon," he urged her.
"You don't wish on the moon, you wish on a star," she pointed out.
"Says who? Is that a hard and fast rule?"
"Well it's not a rule per se .... it's more of a convention as it were...."
"I say we flout convention. Come on Granger - be a rebel," he urged her.
She closed her eyes and made a wish as did he, their hands tightly clasped.
"What did you wish?" he asked her.
"I can't tell you that," she protested. "If I tell you, it won't come true!"
"You're being conventional again," he said reprovingly. She rolled her eyes.
"All right ...if you must know .... I wished that you and Harry made it through tomorrow safe and sound .... What about you?"
His hand tightened around hers. "I wished that this momentary lunacy could last forever and that even after tomorrow, the two of us can be like this .... exactly like this ...." he said, glancing up at the moon and then down at their clasped hands.
Hermione found herself blushing furiously and Cedric looked intrigued. "What?" he wanted to know.
"That was my second wish," she said falteringly.
"Second wish? You don't get two wishes!"
"Now who's being conventional," she teased him and he laughed.
"Fine - tomorrow night, after the tournament's over - you, me, moonlight, sitting here, bring your own lunacy .... don't be late, Granger" he ordered her. It didn't seem as though this could really be happening. It felt like a dream. Perhaps she could blame the moon as Cedric had suggested.
She would have said yes to him but his mouth was already on hers and her kiss in reply was all the response he needed.
***
It was all over. Everything was over.
Hermione sat on the grass in the darkness. The moon was covered by heavy clouds, the air was chilly but it was not the cold that made her shiver.
The tournament was over. Although she had not witnessed the horrors for herself, it was almost as though she had been there. Waiting outside the maze had been a form of torture, the strange and eerie sounds would probably haunt her nightmares forever.
She closed her eyes, her hands clasped tightly together. She swallowed hard, trying not to remember the feel of Cedric's lips against her skin, against her mouth. She tried not to remember the sound of laughter in his voice, her name on his lips. Their lunacy had indeed been momentary. She knew that now and it had been foolish for her to have believed in the moon's bewitching persuasiveness. The boy that was Cedric Diggory would not come. She knew that and yet here she was, sitting in the moonlight at the preappointed time .... waiting for the boy whom she knew would never come.
"Bloody hell I was hoping to get here first!" a voice exclaimed behind her and Hermione's heart felt as though it skipped a beat. Her breath caught in her throat.
"Your hordes of adoring fans wouldn't let you escape?" she asked him tartly, turning to look up at Cedric who stood a short distance from her. As usual, his unmanageable hair fell over his brow.
"You should be nice to me, I'm injured and all," he protested. It was true, she'd never seen such a battered, bruised and bloody individual in her life.... well Harry had been in only slightly better condition when the two champions had materialised out of the air clutching the Cup between them, nightmarish stories of Voldemort spilling from their lips as they spoke in terrified and almost delirious voices.
"Very manly and all," she said sardonically, slowly rising to her feet and turning to face him. He didn't move from where he stood. The girls had been all over him when he returned ... almost all of them anyway. Cho and Hermione had held themselves back a little. When Cho had gone to Harry's side to congratulate him and kiss him on the cheek Hermione hadn't been the slightest bit surprised - although Harry had been shocked into babbling incoherence. If he hadn't been so shocked, he might not have allowed Professor Moody or rather Barty Crouch Jr to spirit him away as he had. Fortunately Professor Dumbledore had come to his rescue just in time, although Harry was still more preoccupied with his kiss from Cho than his near escape from death.
"Lucky thing we wished on the moon, yeah? Seems to have given me that bit of extra luck I needed," he said with a wry smile. "If we'd done the ordinary thing and wished on a star, I might have been a goner today," he joked.
"Please don't joke about things like that," Hermione blurted out abruptly and the smile faded from Cedric's face.
"I didn't know you cared, Granger," he said cautiously, taking a step towards her.
"I didn't think you'd come tonight," she whispered, taking a step towards him.
"I seem to remember we had a date," he said, taking another step towards her.
"I thought maybe last night's lunacy was momentary after all," she said as she took another step towards him and he grinned and pulled her up into his arms. The clouds obligingly drifted across the sky and the brightness of the moon shone through the darkness, illuminating their smiling faces.
"Hey Hermione," he said, calling her by her name for the first time.
"Yes Diggory?" she asked him and he grinned at the appellation.
"Moon's out".
"I know".
"I can feel my lunacy returning," he told her soberly even though his grey eyes were dancing with humour.
"So can I ..."
"There's no telling what I might do while under the influence," he told her, his lips brushing across hers.
"Which is why I'm humouring you," she whispered, her lips clinging to his as her arms slid around his neck to pull him closer. "Lunatics can be dangerous ... I woudn't want you to turn violent ... or anything...."
"Yes, I might do all number of things.... ... trash the library ....flush Malfoy's head down the toilet "
"Absolutely not to the first, be my guest as to the second," she told him. Their mouths clung, tasting and savouring, lingering over the sweetness of the moment as his strong hands slid down over her body to pull her tighter.
"Want to be insane with me forever?" he asked her.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," she whispered.
The End