Just Like Magic (Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger Fan fiction)

Chapter 7: Honesty

I was a bundle of nerves wrapped up in a petite figure. It was a couple of hours before the final task was about to begin and I was waiting in the hallway near the stairwell where Cedric and I shared our first kiss. I thought the place to be quite representational of the conversation. So many revelations were discovered that night.

The only thing I was afraid of was... rejection. With all my knowledge and wits I was still a frightened teenager afraid of getting her heart broken. That's what life came down to, wasn't it? It didn't matter if you were a muggle or a witch love still had the power to break you. Cedric Diggory now had the power to break me.

Footsteps could be heard down the hall and I quickly stood from my position on the stair to stand before him. He appeared around the corner and he was wearing black slacks and a shirt bearing the Hufflepuff colors with his name elegantly placed on his shoulder blades. His hair was disarrayed due to his nerves and my knees almost weakened at the sight of him.

Cedric face broke into a sexy crooked smile. "Hermione, I got your note."

"I was hoping you would." My voice cracked and I saw the alarm on his face. "It's just something I need to get out before..."

I couldn't finish the sentence. Just the thought that something could happen to Cedric in a few hours was enough to send me straight back to the girl's laboratory in tears, and I promised myself I wouldn't do that again. After my talk with Harry I knew I had to voice my feelings more instead of bottling them up to the point of breaking.

His mouth was on mine the second the sentence broke through and this kiss was unlike all the others. My hands seemed to be everywhere but nowhere and his were gripping me as if I was his only lifeline. Cedric parted my lips with his tongue and searched mine as they met together in tangled mess of bliss.

We stayed like that pressed against the wall for I don't know how long. His mouth never left mine until he pulled away to grant us each a deserved breath. Our foreheads met and his hands gripped my own.

"I can't do this anymore." He breathed and my heart sank.

Cedric was ending this and I couldn't believe it. Wasn't this the very thing I feared the most? I hadn't even gotten out what I had wanted to say and he was already rejecting me. Earlier I had promised myself that if this was what he wanted I wouldn't begrudge him it.

I nodded. "Okay."

"I can't pretend that this is all you are to me, Hermione." My eyes shot up and he was looking at me. He released a nervous laugh. "That first night when I said I was waiting for the right girl, it was you. No other girl makes me feel like you do. I know I'm breaking our agreement but I can't be just this to you. I want... more."

My voice was unsure. "You do?"

"I want to be your boyfriend, Hermione. I want to take you on dates and get to know your family and kiss you anytime I want. I've wanted this since the World Cup."

"Why didn't you tell me this?"

Cedric's hand's reached down and gripped mine. His eyes stared at me and I couldn't believe this was all happening after all that happened the day before. If yesterday was hell today was certainly heaven. Even though I knew the answer to the question I didn't understand what made him break the rules today. Was he as concerned for his well-being as I was? Or was he just sick of the in between.

"I didn't want to lose you, obviously." He shook his head in disbelief. "So, what do you say? Do you want to give us a real shot?"

I knew I should be questioning his motive. I knew I should've asked about his past and about Cho. I even knew that we should get to know each other a little better before jumping into this. But, I couldn't get over the surreal fact that Cedric wanted more from me than just sex.