Always a Bridesmaid

There was an ethereal quality to Luna Weasley that Hermione always seemed to notice whenever she paid much attention to her former boyfriend’s wife. She would like to consider her just Luna, but a slight nagging voice always seemed to add that tag, as if reminding her she could have been Ron’s wife even though they both knew such a situation would never have worked out.

First love, first boyfriend, first time having sex---Ron was so many of her firsts that she rather thought that mental label might remain until they both died. She didn’t really mind, though, and he seemed to have the same mental label to her so it was something they laughed about and could tease about. Luna understood and accepted their close relationship, thankfully, and knew Hermione wasn’t a threat at all.

When she and Cedric made it up the little hill beside the inn, Hermione was distracted from her covert looks at Cedric’s face, which was far too close when he carried her for her to actually ignore, by the sight of the tiny blonde at the edge of the path. Pansy had chosen a soft butter yellow for Luna’s dress that complimented her pale features and blonde hair beautifully. It was further proof, to Hermione, that Ginny’s awful pink dress was entirely deliberate. Luna was staring at the sky, her long blonde hair neatly arranged in a plait that made Hermione rather envious, and it appeared she was holding apples in both hands.

“What’s that all about?” Cedric whispered against her face, his breath warm as it touched her skin. She couldn’t stop the slightly shiver she felt from the closeness.

“I’ve no idea,” she whispered back, turning her head slightly to look at him. Her eyes widened when she found that he’d not yet raised his face and that it would just take one slight movement forward for their lips to tou---

“The sky is a lovely shade of blue,” Luna’s dreamy voice interrupted Hermione’s very inappropriate thoughts and Cedric nearly dropped her when he startled at hearing Luna.

She was thankful that Cedric had pretty good reflexes as she really didn’t want to end up on her arse on the ground before the ceremony. Hermione looked at Luna and then looked at the sky, trying to get her mindset into Luna-Speak, which was difficult even when her mind was clear and she could focus. Today, she didn’t have a chance of following Luna-Logic since she was preoccupied with the strong arms currently holding her and the scent of Cedric that seemed determined to tempt her to lick his neck to see if he tasted of lemons. Stop it, she scolded.

“Yes, it is quite nice,” she finally said.

“They say that a sky this shade means a long and prosperous marriage,” Luna confided in the tone that could almost lure one to sleep if they listened for too long. Hermione wasn’t really sure how Ron managed to stay away when Luna spoke in that pretty melodious tone.

“Who is they?” Cedric asked curiously, obviously not aware that you don’t ask those sorts of questions. Hermione tried to give him a warning pinch on the arm but that only caused him to smirk down at her and wink rather saucily.

Could one’s wink be saucy? Hermione was learning something new constantly this afternoon, it seemed.

“They,” Luna said simply as if it was the answer to all the questions ever asked, not looking away from the sky to give him the ‘you’re not really bright, are you?’ look that Hermione knew Luna would probably have on her face at what she considered a silly question.

“Oh,” Cedric replied and Hermione gave him a pitying look as she patted his shoulder. Poor guy just didn’t know any better. Then he went and smiled mischievously, which was actually rather disturbingly sexy she couldn’t fail to notice, and carried her closer. “And what do they say that shade means if a bloke is trying to impress a girl he likes?”

Hermione gaped at him, not entirely certain if he was simply humoring Luna, which was rather sweet, or if he might mean, well, no, she couldn’t consider that if she wanted to make it through today without becoming even more flustered and awkward.

Luna laughed, a soft twinkling sound that used to grate on Hermione’s nerves when they’d first met and she’d failed to understand the appeal of Luna and her oddness but now was somewhat calming to Hermione’s racing heartbeat and curious stare at Cedric’s scarred chin. “They say that the timing is perfect but those darker shades just right there,” Luna pointed near the clouds, “mean that he’d better be sincere or there will be much pain in his future.”

“Pain isn’t good,” Cedric said seriously as he stared at the sky with a slight smile on his lips. Even his throat was rather sexy, Hermione realized in disgust.

“Neither is insincerity,” Luna pointed out as she moved her hand above her head and seemed to trace a design in the sky. “Fortunately, the clouds seem to accept the shading so it’s a wonderful day for impressing stubborn objects of affection. I imagine the bride will be a mother by this time next year. They say the fluffy clouds predict a fertile union.”

“Luna, why are we out here staring at the clouds?” she asked as she tried to get some sort of control of the conversation before she actually started to believe the nonsense Luna was discussing.

“Because you can’t see the sky inside,” Luna told her in a ‘you’re so silly’ tone. Luna’s smirk was obvious even as her head remained tilted back. “Why are you being carried? Did you hurt yourself or did you just get lazy?”

“I needed a bit of exercise,” Cedric told her smoothly. “I saw all those delicious desserts instead and knew I’d not be able to eat just one and I certainly can’t eat a half dozen and let them all go to my hips and arse, can I? Carrying Hermione is much more enjoyable an exercise than doing a bit of jogging.”

“Do you know what they say the most enjoyable exercise is? Ronald and I follow that exercise regime rather closely, actually. They say that se---”

“Oh, look,” Hermione suddenly interrupted as quickly as possible as her cheeks turned bright red and she promised to spoil Ron’s children to a point that they were never off a sugar high, “the, uh, sun is pretty like that. Right, the sun.”

“She’s not very good at changing the subject, is she?” Cedric asked in a loud whisper as he winked at Hermione.

“Well, she can’t be good at everything or she’d not be our Hermione,” Luna decided after a moment of sky contemplation. “The sun actually does look lovely there. Do you know this area of Divination, Hermione? It’s fascinating, isn’t it?”

“I’m very good at changing the subject, Diggory,” Hermione grumbled as she ‘accidentally’ let her elbow make contact with his chest. “Luna, you know my thoughts on all forms of Divination.”

“Just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there,” Luna reminded her. “You, more than others, have such a problem not seeing what is right there in front of your face. Ronald often says you are the most stubborn person he’s ever met and I believe he’s accurate in that description.”

“I don’t think that’s stubbornness,” Cedric said thoughtfully. “I think it’s just an inability to trust or believe things based on emotions and feelings, which is common for those who thrive on logic and tangible proof.”

Luna looked away from the sky and stared at Cedric for a moment before she smiled. She raised her hand and ruffled his hair, patting his cheek as she laughed. “I do believe you’re one to keep, Cedric Diggory.”

“Somehow I doubt Ronald would appreciate you keeping him,” Hermione pointed out without any hint of jealousy. No, of course she wasn’t jealous. Luna was married, after all, and Cedric had been flirting with her all day. It was just her annoyance at trying to understand Luna that made her words slightly sharp.

“Oh, he’s not meant for me, Hermione,” Luna said with an airy smile. She motioned to the sky. “They say good things come to those who wait and that patience may finally be rewarded.”

“And here I thought it was just a Muggle cliché that said those things,” Hermione muttered just as Cedric interrupted Luna’s latest ramblings.

“While it is a very pretty day, maybe there has been enough looking at the sky,” Cedric said smoothly, his cheeks slightly pink as he gave Luna a look that caught Hermione’s interest.

“You don’t want to go inside,” Luna confided as she blinked at them both. “He’s trying to steal all the apples. I saved these two, but, alas, I was too late to save the majority.”

“What?” Hermione frowned as she shifted in Cedric’s arms. When she felt his bare hand against her thigh, she realized that he was still holding her. She nudged him and ignored her reluctance as she whispered, “You can put me down now.”

“No,” he whispered back as he almost tightened his grip, his finger lightly stroking her leg in a way that was very much to blame for her sudden racing heart, flushed cheeks, and inability to breathe without reminding herself to take a breath. He smirked slightly without even looking down at her, keeping his attention on Luna. “Who is stealing apples?”

“That man,” Luna told them. “He’s got some sort of apple fetish, I believe. It’s really quite disturbing. What did the poor apples ever do to him?”

“Luna, what man?” Hermione focused and spoke clearly and distinctly.

“The round one with the sweaty face,” Luna replied as she turned her pale gaze to Hermione and blinked several times. “He’s meant to marry them but I don’t see how when he smells of liquor and keeps stealing the apples.”

“The justice of the peace?” Hermione cursed under her breath and didn’t even think about it when she rested her head against Cedric’s surprisingly strong shoulder and sighed. “I warned Pansy that he didn’t seem fit but she thought his white hair would look nice with the color scheme.”

“She chose the justice based on how well he fit into the color scheme?” Cedric asked in a slightly awed and somewhat frightened voice. “Poor Potter. I always knew he was a bit daft but this proves it.”

“Hey, she’s not that bad,” Hermione defended as she smacked his arm in the same place she had several times today. If he kept on, she’d bruise him with the amount of times he deserved a nice playful smack. She squealed and wiggled when he suddenly shifted his hand to pinch her bum, again. “Stop that, Diggory!”

“You started it,” he pointed out cheekily as he moved his hand back to a relatively safe position on her leg. The idea that she considered him touching her leg as safe was enough to make her almost get distracted from the current dilemma and analyze why he seemed to have such a fondness for her bum and when ‘safe’ meant Cedric’s bare hand on a part of her leg she rarely let anyone see much less touch.

Luna cleared her throat and looked as if she were trying not to laugh when Hermione stopped staring at Cedric’s lips and glanced at her. “Do you suppose he’ll be able to complete the ceremony if he’s distracted by the apples?”

“What exactly is he doing with the apples?” Hermione asked hesitantly, not at all sure she wanted to know.

“He’s eating them, of course,” Luna said as she rolled her eyes. “What did you think he was doing with them?”

“Nevermind,” Hermione replied quickly. “So he’s stolen the apples and is eating them?”

“That’s what I said!” Luna shook her head. “Really, Hermione, you need to pay more attention. The round man smells of liquor and he stole the apples. He’s now seated in the sitting room eating the apples and looked rather sleepy when I decided to check the sky for advice.”

“If it’s not the food, it’s intoxicated justices,” she murmured as she reluctantly moved out of Cedric’s arms to stand on her own. He seemed unwilling to release her but finally did before he moved behind her and rested his chin on the top of her head. She hated when Ron did that and was pleased that Harry and Neville weren’t tall enough to follow Ron’s example.

When Cedric did it, though, she felt rather conflicted. One on level, she was annoyed that he was nearly a head taller than her as she wasn’t very small or petite by any means, but, on another, it made her feel rather feminine for some odd reason. He wasn’t tall and stocky like Greg, or short and hugely muscular like Vince, but he was tall and slender with just enough muscle to make her hands itch to caress his arms and shoulders.

“Luna, would you take these bags to the kitchen?” Cedric interrupted her thoughts of his body, which were not what she needed to be thinking about at the moment at all, and leaned forward to hand Luna the bags with the bread. “Find Ginny and see if she can get rid of the justice. We don’t need anyone else noticing that he’s pissed off his arse and fondling apples.”

“I can do that,” Luna said with an easy smile. “I like bread. Do I need to warm it, too? I love smelling it heat.”

“Sure, go ahead,” Cedric said after a moment of hesitancy while he probably wondered if it was smart to let Luna near an oven.

“Wait,” Hermione spoke up as she moved forward so she could get away from his distracting Cedric-ness and focus. “What are we going to do?”

“We’re going to find another justice, of course,” he said matter-of-factly.

“Oh, you think it’s going to be that easy?” she asked as she put her hands on her hips after another tug to the pretty but dangerous for possible cleavage baring dress. “I can go back to town and see if they have anyone suitable, I guess.”

“You know, you really need to let someone else help occasionally,” he told her as their gazes met. “You don’t have to do everything yourself, Granger. Besides, how can I possibly impress you when you won’t let me play hero some time?”

“You don’t have to play hero to impress me, Diggory,” she pointed out a bit more quietly and not nearly as firmly as she’d intended.

“Maybe I like playing your hero,” he said with a crooked smile before his face took on a serious expression. “Trust me, Granger.”

She looked at his outstretched hand and suddenly found a need to fiddle with the flower on her dress as the moment became far less about teasing and more about something she didn’t really understand fully. She finally straightened her shoulders, got in touch with the Gryffindor within, and did something very unlike her.

She took a chance.

Hermione put her hand in his and saw him visibly let out a breath she’d not realized he’d been holding as his fingers entwined with hers. She glanced at Luna, who was now looking at them in a similar way to how she’d been studying the sky. “Luna, we’re going to go find a new justice and we’ll be back soon. Just heat the bread and let Ginny get rid of the apple-fetisher. Don’t tell Pansy or Harry, okay? We‘ll find someone and be back before they even have to realize there‘s a problem.”

“All right, Hermione,” Luna said as she smiled, the look in her eyes sharp and aware instead of dazed and dreamy even though her smile was still light and airy. “I’ll take care of things here. You and your Cedric go take care of the justice.”

Cedric grinned but didn’t say a word about Luna’s use of the possessive, showing that he was, at least, learning not to deliberately provoke her. “Come on, Granger. We’ll go get the justice and be back in time to make sure the food is arriving when they said.”

“Your optimism is rather annoying,” she told him with a slight smile. “Where, oh wise one, do you think we should go find a justice? The one Pansy hired was a squib so we could avoid any possible alarming moments, and I don’t foresee many of them placing adverts in the Daily Prophet. So that means we have to---”

“What did I tell you?” Cedric asked as placed his finger over her lips to get her to stop talking. Hermione’s voice trailed off as he dragged his finger down and traced her lips lightly before he suddenly cleared his throat and looked at the inn to see Luna safely making her way inside with the bags of bread.

“You’ve told me a lot of things,” she pointed out in a voice that was actually breathless. Her, breathless? Oh God, Cedric Diggory was not good for her. Not good at all.

He looked back at her and she saw his gaze look at her lips as he ran his fingers through his hair in a gesture that was becoming somewhat familiar. Then he smirked and arched a brow. “Are you actually listening to me, then?”

“I didn’t say that,” she told him loftily, a playful smile crossing her lips. “I simply said you’d been telling me.”

“Your words are sharp swords that wound my heart,” he declared as he gripped his chest and sighed dramatically as he looked at the sky. “They say you should be nicer to me. The sky knows everything, of course, so I‘d suggest obeying them.”

“Do they?” she drawled as she glanced at the sky and then back at him. “I don’t hear anything.”

“I think you just don’t want to listen or maybe they just like me more,” he told her smugly. “You know, if I wasn’t a complete gentleman, I could use this situation to my advantage.”

“What situation?”

“You need a justice. I happen to know where we might be able to find a justice. You see where I’m going with this?”

“I think even Ron could see where you’re going with this and he can be rather oblivious.”

“I knew there would be a time that my chivalry would turn around and bite me in the arse.”

“I imagine that being bitten on the arse wouldn’t be very pleasant and would make for awkward sitting.”

“Would you like to test that hypothesis? I happen to think you have a very delectable arse, Granger.”

“Diggory,” she squeaked as she stared at him, a bit surprised he’d just had the audacity to compliment her arse right after offering to bite it.

“I was merely offering in the interest of knowledge, of course,” he explained with a very cheeky grin and wink. “As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, I knew my courteous nature would end up one day making me wish I was dishonorable enough to suggest an exchange of a kiss for my knowledge about the justice.”

“If you found us a justice, I might be brazen enough to offer a kiss for the saving of my sanity by quickly solving yet another problem with this wedding,” Hermione teased in a way that wasn’t very common for her but felt rather nice at the moment.

Cedric’s teasing smile faded and he blinked at her for a moment while he bit his lip, making the lower fullness seem even more pouty and puffy. “Y-you would?” he stammered finally, looking very much like a child at Christmas who sees a box shaped like the toy they most want but is a bit scared to open it in case it’s really just socks. That look from Cedric, while he was staring at her, was a bit disconcerting.

“Maybe,” she said softly.

“Right. Uh, well, um,” he babbled briefly before he grinned. “Come on, Granger. Let’s go pay a quick visit to my uncle Rodrick. He’s a justice, you know.”

Before she could reply to that announcement, he pulled her close and Apparated them away from the inn. Hermione was pleased to learn that Uncle Rodrick was free for the afternoon and would be pleased do a favor for his nephew. She ignored the calculating look in his uncle’s gaze as it shifted from her to Cedric and back again repeatedly during their discussion but did notice that Cedric seemed a bit flushed as he kept stealing looks at her. They had a cup of tea while Rodrick got dressed for the ceremony and she listened to Cedric babble in a rather adorable way about his favorite uncle.

When it was time to leave, she again found herself pulled close to Cedric as he Disapparated them back to the inn. Uncle Rodrick went inside to find the loo and left her and Cedric near the garden. Cedric smiled at her and she couldn’t resist returning the smile as the air seemed to crackle around them with, well, things she shouldn’t be thinking about right now.

“Well, we have a justice now. Uncle Rodrick hates apples, by the way, so no worries there,” Cedric told her.

“Yes, we do,” she agreed as her gaze lingered on his lips. “I suppose that has earned you a kiss.”

Cedric shook his head and caught her before she could lean up to finally kiss him. “No, not like this, Granger,” he said softly. “When we kiss the first time, it’s not going to be because of gratitude or some silly wager.”

“Oh,” she whispered, a bit annoyed that she’d actually found the courage to do something as bold as kiss the man who was making her rather crazy and confused right now and he didn’t want to kiss her. Then there was his promise, as that’s sure what it had been, of when we kiss that made her tummy flip in a dozen different directions.

“I’ve mentioned that I hate being a gentleman, huh?” he whispered as he smiled sheepishly. He raised his hand and brushed her wayward lock of hair back behind her ear where it didn’t seem to want to stay and his knuckles lightly touched her cheek.

“Once or twice,” she said with a slight smile. She leaned up and brushed a kiss against his cheek, deciding it wasn’t the time to tell him that she happened to like gentlemen, especially ones with mischievous smiles and pretty eyes. She stepped back and took his hand. “Let’s go check on the food and see if your uncle found everything he needs.”

Cedric grinned and followed her back to the inn. “You know, Granger, there might be something to Luna’s theories and what they say about the sky knowing things, after all.”

“Really?” she asked as she glanced at him curiously, her fingers lightly touching his hand as he stroked the back of hers in a way that was becoming rather comfortable.

“Yeah,” he decided as he winked at her and led her inside. “I have to say that it’s a pretty wonderful day.”

Hermione met his gaze and smiled somewhat shyly. “You’re right, Diggory,” she agreed as she squeezed his hand gently. “It is, indeed, proving to be a very lovely day.”

End Chapter 5