Cedric woke up feeling a warm body in his arms. He smiled as he remembered who it was and wrapped his arms a little tighter, buring his face into Mimi's soft caramel tendrils.

"Cedric?" Hermione whispered tiredly.

"I'm here." Cedric answered softly.

Hermione lightly grasped his arms and wrapped them around her even tighter.

"Stay here with me. I don't want you to go to the third task…" Hermione said leaning back and looking up at him.

Cedric kissed her forehead. "Meems, I'll be fine. Anyway I need to be there to protect Harry in your place." Cedric joked.

Hermione gave a small laugh. "I know, but."

"But I'll be fine. I've just found you. The last thing I want to do now is die and lose you."

"Cedric don't talk about dying that casually." Hermione groaned turning around then buried her face into his chest.

"Seriously mate she's right. Talk about dying again I may just knock you out until after the third task starts. I don't give a damn about glory to Hufflepuff. You already are a legend in your own right. And are every mother's dream. I mean mate you have Gryffindor's golden girl in your arms and bed. Then guess what you guys do. Sleep. Like the literal verb sleep, snore here, snore there. I mean come on there's got to be some kind of glory in th-" Ian didn't get to finish because someone had thrown a pillow at him.

"Hey! Who did that?" Ian asked sitting up with the pillow ready to aim.

"It's six o'clock in the morning you idiot, I don't need to be reminded that Cedric's the one with a girl in his bed and not mine." Brice said.

"Yeah seriously, too early for you to profess your love to Cedric." Robbie said.

"I was not!" Ian said as he threw the pillow at Robbie.

"Yes mate you were. You are already a legend Cedric." Brice mimicked in a very dramatic voice.

Ian threw a pillow at him too. Brice threw one back but Ian ducked just in time so that instead it hit Hermione.

Hermione in turn threw it back at him hitting him spot on.

"Whoa, Meems you have god aim. How about you dump Cedric and get with me?" Robbie asked alternating raising his eyebrows.

Cedric threw a pillow at him.

Soon a pillow fight broke out.

Feathers and laughter surrounded the room.

"Okay as much fun as that was, we seriously need to get Mimi back into the Grffyndor's girl's dormitory." Cedric said.

"Oh, oh, I wanna go too!" Brice said.

Ian and Hermione threw one more pillow at him.

Hermione and Cedric sneaked down to the Hufflepuff common room with the help from the guys.

"Come back anytime Meems." Robbie whispered loudly as he waved to them.

Hermione laughed as she waved back.

"Thanks for staying with me the night Meems." Cedric whispered into her ear.

"You're welcome and Cedric."

"Hmmm?"

Hermione stood on her tippy toes and kissed him square on the lips. "I think I love you." She said as she laid her head on his chest.

Cedric lightly took her chin and made her look up at him. "I know I love you." He said before closing the distance between them.

There were cheers and hollers from all corners of the room.

They both pulled away and turned to look at their surroundings. Many of their peers stood there clapping, whistling, and cheering.

"About time." Ernie Macmillan said.

Hermione blushed a bright red. "Oh my god." Hermione said burrowing herself into Cedric's chest.

Cedric didn't really know what to do so his first reaction was just to laugh.

"Okay you guys go back to bed, the show's over." Cedric said at last.

"Ahh." The crowd said.

Hemione was still red when they left the Hufflepuff dorms.

"Sorry about that Meems. I guess we didn't do a very good job of keeping you quiet."

"it's okay." Hermione sighed leaning into him as they walked.

"Mimi, my parents are coming later to watch the last task. I want you to meet them."

Hermione looked up at him. "Are you sure?" She asked uncertainly.

Cedric looked at her like as if she was crazy. "Of course I'm sure. I would want my parents to meet the girl that I'm in love with. And vice versa."

"But what if they, you know believed the Rita Skeeter articles?" Hermione asked genuinely worried as Mrs. Weasley had believed them even though she actually knew her unlike Cedric's parents.

Cedric paled for a millisecond. "They may but once they meet you, they'll know the truth." He said thoughtfully.

Hermione flushed but not in embarrassment this time. "Yes Cedric, I would love to meet your parents."

Cedric couldn't help but grin widely.

___

Hermione got back into her dorm at 6:49. She had eleven minutes to get ready before the other girls in her dorm woke up. She took a quick shower and began to debate whether or not she should tame her hair. It was going to be her first impression, well for Mrs. Diggory. Even so she decided to tame her hair a bit so that her hair was in soft curls instead of the bush it normally was. Then she grabbed a dress that her mom had bought for her for Christmas. It was an off the shoulder dress that showed her shoulders and ended three inches before her knees.

"Is that Hermione Granger all dressed up?" Lavender asked shocked and somewhat snidely when she saw Hermione put on some light lip gloss.

Hermione looked at her. "No it's Professor Twelaney." Hermione said before exciting the dorm but she didn't miss when Parvarti gave a laugh.

___

Cedric and Ian met his parents down at the Great Hall.

"My dear boys." His father cried then hugged them.

"Hi dad." Cedric said as he hugged him back then kissed his mother's cheek.

"Hello darling." Mrs. Diggory said patting his cheeks.

"Hello Ms. Cara." Ian said also kissing her cheek.

"Now don't you two boys looks handsome. Hope you two haven't been breaking any girl's hearts."

Ian coughed as he elbowed Cedric's rib. "I can't speak for myself. But…"

"Cedric?" His mother asked.

"Ian's just joking mum." Cedric elbowed Ian back but harder this time.

Mrs. Diggory raised her eyebrows at them. "Oh really Cedric."

"Mum it was just… um…"

"A girl has a crush on him but he likes Meems." Ian shrugged. "Oh and I'm dating the best friend of the girl he rejected."

Mrs. Diggory blinked then laughed. "Oh dear how complicated. So who's this Meems that Cedric likes now."

"Well Mum you might have heard of her." Cedric said cautiously.

"Oh really."

"Yeah just not by Mimi, does Hermione Granger ring a bell?"

"Hermione Granger? Wait that wouldn't happen to be Rita Skeeter's latest victim would it?"

Ian grinned. "Actually yes!"

"You don't believe in the rubbish that Skeeter published?" Cedric asked.

"Of course not when we were younger, I apparently stole her boyfriend when I hadn't even known what in the world his name was. She did everything to make me seem like a tramp and all sorts." Mrs. Diggory shook her head.

"That's great." Cedric grinned. "I mean not that Skeeter defamed your name but I mean…"

"I understand. So when will I get to meet this Hermione Granger or Mimi?"

Cedric looked around. "Um actually now." He said smiling when he saw her coming through the doors. All three turned around so that they could see her.

Ian and Cedric waved wildly so that she couldn't miss them not that it was possible.

"Hey." Cedric said as he looked down at her.

"Hey." Hermione looked up at him smiling.

"Meems, I would like you to meet my parents…"

___

Hermione, Ian, and Cedric hung out all morning with Cedric's parents.

Mrs. Diggory and Hermione clicked right away while Mr. Diggory was a bit more distanced, cautious for his son since the girl was still Harry Potter's best friend.

"I'm just glad we didn't have the OWLS this year." Ian said. "You get to take them next year though Meems." Ian poked.

"I know!" Hermione exclaimed. "I can't wait." Hermione clasped her hands.

Ian hit his palm to his forehead. "I forgot that you're the one that thrives on tests and school work."

Cedric and his parents both laughed.

"Hey look isn't that the Harry Potter?" Mrs. Diggory asked.

All of them turned and indeed it was at the same time Harry and the Weasley's caught sight of them.

Hermione and the Diggorys plus Ian went to approach them.

Hermione noted that as she got near, Mrs. Weasley stiffened. Cedric and Ian noticed this too. Cedric stood right behind her and grabbed a hand.

All the older Weasley boys raised an eyebrow at that.

"Harry, Ron." Hermione said hugging them with one hand as Cedric still hadn't let go of her one hand.

"Mione." Harry said.

"Hey Mione." Ron said gruffly noticing that Cedric still had yet to let go of Hermione.

Cedric flushed when his father provoked Harry and immediately told Harry to just ignore him but it was a bit late, the Weasley boys all had stiffened up and their easy going demeanor had changed.

Cedric let out a sigh of relief when they left.

"Sheesh I'm sorry but that woman really didn't seem to like you at all for a moment there Mimi." Ian whispered.

"Yeah, but Mrs. Weasley is just protective. You know she considers Harry a son of hers."

"But shouldn't she consider you her daughter I mean you three have been friends for the same number of years."

Hermione just gave a small smile. "Ian just let it go. It's nothing really."

"Her-my-own-ninny!"

Hermione whirled around and saw Krum.

"Oh bloody hell." Cedric muttered underneath his breath.

Mrs. Diggory raised her eyebrows unsure of what to make of the scene in front of her. Her and her husband exchanged looks.

"Diggory." Viktor said not quite smiling.

"Krum." Cedric sighed.

"Hey Viktor." Hermione said elbowing Cedric as she smiled up at the other champion.

"When is he going to leave you alone." Cedric asked exasperated as he leaned on Hermione.

"I wish you wouldn't be so prejudiced against him." Hermione sighed.

"I'm not, I just plain don't like the guy."

Hermione wrapped her arms around Cedric's waist after he came out of the tent all dressed for the third task.

"I'll be fine Meems."

"I know, I just worry you know that."

"Yep."

Both held each other's hands as they made their way to the pitch. It was creepily dark and eerie.

"Harry!" Hermione ran to him and  threw herself at him. She wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Mione." He said hugging her back. Squeexzing tightly.

"Be safe." She whispered before letting him go.

He just grimaced back at her.

Hermione, Ian, and the rest all left the area as they waited for the task to start.

Hermione had Ian's hand in a death grip when the horn blew and the champions were off. Even though his hand was losing blood flow he didn't say anything because he was nervous too.