A Fluke of Sorts

In All Honesty

Despite what their friends thought of them, Cedric and Hermione always kept to the same statement – they were really good friends, and weren't going out romantically. Cedric never claimed Hermione to be his girl, although he did frequently bring up her name in almost every conversation with just about anyone. Hermione never felt a need to be jealous of anyone who openly gushed about Cedric, although she would often look up in interest but never participated.

"Ron thinks we are delusional." Hermione said as she looked over her textbook to another large tome.

"What was it that you told me again about being delusional? Talking to myself, wasn't it?" Cedric mused. "I know I talk to myself, but surely you don't, do you?"

"Don't classify me in the same psychosis as yours."

Cedric scribbled a line in his parchment, "Well, it's a debatable statement. I often hear you muttering under your breath." He pointed out as he reached for his ink bottle.

"I'm just a mutterer." Hermione answered as she bit on the end of her quill with her wrinkled nose, attempting to understand the rune inscriptions before her.

"And I'm not?"

"It varies on a case-by-case basis. In my case, it's pretty positive I simply have an affinity for muttering." Cedric shook his head with a smile but said nothing and focused on his essay instead. They were at the library, sitting opposite one another with various books of all sizes and thickness on the table, piled high and some scattered, effectively hiding both of them from each other. Despite Cedric's height, he still couldn't see Hermione, who was bending low over her books and parchments, unless he straightened his back and lifted his neck up – so he simply didn't. Hermione, being on the shorter side, didn't even bother to try looking up at him. They sat there with tomes in between them, occasionally conversing as they worked on their respective homework.

"James reckons we are in denial."

Hermione snorted lightly as she wrote in her parchment, "We are not in Egypt."

"That didn't stop him from constantly using the word to describe us."

"Are they really just waiting for us to declare to whole of Hogwarts that we are going out?"

Cedric chuckled lightly. "That's quite an announcement we would have to make."

"I'm not making that announcement. It's preposterous to know such a statement being broadcasted like a public service announcement over the radio." Hermione said as she placed her chin on her hand, her eyes scanning what she had just written.

"Not a fan of attention I take it?"

"No."

"But with all that running around with Harry and Ron against Voldemort, it's quite a contradiction."

"I can't help it if the newspapers love me." Hermione replied absent-mindedly. She gasped as she realized the words that came out of her lips and hastily slapped a hand to her mouth. Cedric guffawed but quickly stopped when Madam Pince directed a stern glare at his direction. "Being around you has such dreadful consequences." Hermione hissed, glaring at the stacked books in front of her, as if her glare could go beyond them and over to him. "I can't believe I had just spoken in such a pompous manner."

"Always believe in the impossible." Cedric grinned as he grabbed a book from one of the stacks, conveniently moving to his left. A thick wad of parchment fell right where he had his head bended in attention to his own parchment seconds ago. A satisfied smirk appeared on his lips, "Cutting down the forest, Granger?"

"It's been used as a draft for my rune translation and recycled by tossing it at that thick head of yours." Hermione answered dryly.

"Just to let you know, you missed my head, so the recycling part went in vain." Cedric said as he started writing again. He was answered with another wadded parchment hitting him squarely in the head before it bounced off and onto the table. "How many drafts are you exactly doing for your Ancient Runes?"