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Hermione lay there staring at the ceiling. The warm sheet strewn across her and her lover was welcome against her naked flesh. Hazy golden light streaming in through their bedroom window ignited dust motes as the sun slowly made its appearance for the day. Looking at the clock on her bedside table, she read 6:38 a.m. She huffed. Even on weekends, her internal alarm clock never failed to wake her — she was supposed to be having a lie in. No doubt, it was almost welcome to be wide awake after nightmares filled her head with horrors of her past, insecurities in the present, and uncertainty for the future.
Cedric must have felt her awake. Slowly turning over to face her, he draped one arm over her middle, moving her closer. He placed a kiss on her temple and nuzzled his face into her hair before falling back onto his pillow.
“What is it, love?” Cedric murmured, his breath tickling her ear.
Hermione shook her head. “Just cursing my internal alarm clock for waking me up so early on a Saturday is all,” she whispered, not wanting to wake him fully when she knew he could so easily fall back to sleep.
He nodded and yawned. “A sign you should stay in bed and sleep in longer on the weekdays, Granger.”
She smiled at his humour, but the smile was short-lived. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see his dark, grey eyes watching her curiously as he frowned. Cedric always could see right through her.
Hermione sighed and turned toward him, intent on telling him what was bothering her.
“Am I it for you? Like really it?” she whispered, willing her eyes to keep the tears in, but failing spectacularly. Before she could stop them, the tears fell from the corner of her eyes and onto the bed below. She didn’t bother to wipe them away, knowing if she did, she would have to continue to do so.
Cedric immediately eliminated the small space between them and wrapped his arms around her, his fingers lightly brushing her exposed back. He rested his forehead against hers and just lay silent for several moments, her tears silently streaming down her face. She took a shuddering breath, trying to gain control of her emotions. Being wrapped in the arms of her boyfriend helped.
Hermione hiccupped. “I’m sorry. I —” Cedric silenced her with a soft kiss, his lips barely pressed against her own. When he pulled away, he moved his hands away from her back to her cheeks, cupping her face. Using his thumbs, Cedric wiped away the final remnants of her tears.
“You are mine, Hermione. I love you, don’t you see?” Cedric’s eyes bore into hers, unblinking, almost daring her to challenge the feelings he so carefully laid out for her to see. He bared his heart to her, again, like he had done so many times before, daring her to rip it from his chest.
She did see how much he loved her as she loved him just as much, if not more. But that’s what scared her. There was always those what-ifs lurking in the back of her mind. What if he really didn’t love her? What if she wasn’t enough for him? What if — no. Hermione shook her head, willing herself to not think of such things. With those insecurities bubbling to the surface once more, Hermione gathered all the mental strength she had and quickly suppressed them knowing they had no place in her life now, or in the future she planned with Cedric.
“I do see,” Hermione whispered, a lump appearing in her throat. She swallowed, pushing it down before continuing. “I love you too, Cedric. I love you so much it scares me.”
At her admission, Cedric quickly moved so he was above her, his lips desperately seeking out her own. No more words were spoken; the couple let their touches do the talking. They welcomed the dawn wrapped in each other’s arms, showing the love they had verbally expressed only moments before.
As the couple lay wrapped in each other’s arms once more, Hermione felt her eyelids fluttering, sleep threatening to take over once more. Before she could succumb to the pull of Morpheus, she heard Cedric whispering words of love in her ear.
Drifting in and out of consciousness, Hermione caught part of what he was saying. “I will spend the rest of my life shouting my love for you from the rooftops. You are mine and I am yours.” She smiled as she felt his lips once more against her temple. Unable to respond to his declarations as she drifted further into unconsciousness, she had but one more coherent thought flit across her mind.
Hermione knew in that moment without question, without calculation, and without reason that Cedric was wholly and irrevocably hers.