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Hermione looked at the clock in her office panicking. The day had gone so fast. She was nervous, it had been a while since she had been at Hogwarts for any length of time. And she was a professor now, not a student. She figured that she’d have to carry on unpacking later. Right now she had a feast to get ready for before the students arrived.
She had dressed in her favourite robes in order to make herself somewhat calmer; she didn’t want or need everyone to know how she was feeling. She closed her office door and cast a silent locking charm before turning and heading towards The Great Hall.
“Evening, Professor Granger,” a somewhat familiar male voice said behind her. “Heading to The Great Hall?” He asked as he came up beside her.
Smiling at Cedric who appeared beside her, she didn’t realise that he was a professor here, Professor McGonagall had failed to let her know her colleagues, and she had yet to find out for herself. “Indeed I am, Professor Diggory,” she matched her steps to him, trying to make sure her voice didn’t quiver too much. “And please, call me Hermione.” She added.
“McGonagall said there was a new professor this year, but she was keeping it under her hat as to who it was… take it I have discovered her secret?” He asked.
“Indeed you have,” she stopped in her tracks, “I am the new Muggle Studies professor, McGonagall, approached me this summer to ask me if I would come on board. She has been asking for a while to be honest and I wasn’t enjoying it at the ministry so I thought maybe it was time for a change.”
“Well I’m glad to have you onboard,” Cedric smiled, “and call me Cedric.”
The pair headed off to the Great Hall, Hermione glad to have a friendly face with her.
Hermione was in her office, piles of parchment in front of her, she was beginning to regret taking up McGonagall’s offer of a professorship. Marking essays was a horrible thing, she was glad that she was only teaching an elective so she didn’t have seven years worth of essays to mark. She wanted to get there done before the Halloween feast tomorrow, but she wasn’t sure how she would, not without the Time-Turner she was given back in the day. A knock at her door pulled her out of the depths of her despair. “Come in,” she called. Her face lighting up as she saw Cedric opening up the door. A bottle of something in his hand.
He moved into the room, shutting the door after himself and after crossing the room in a couple of strides. “All work and no play will make you a dull professor,” he said with a grin as he flopped down in the vacant chair. He waved his wand and two crystal cut glasses appeared, into each of which he poured a healthy measure of the amber liquid from the bottle. That she could now see was The Three Broomsticks finest fire-whisky. “Come on, take a break,” he told her as he handed her a glass. “Don’t make me drink alone.”
Her eyes flicked between the piles of unmarked essays and the glass in his hand and his eyes. She sighed as she waved her wand at the essays and they flew into one of her desk’s drawers and she took the glass from him. “Cheers,” she said, they clinked glasses before she brought hers up to her lips and took a small sip. Cedric Diggory wasn’t someone that Hermione had much to do with during her time at Hogwarts, but since returning he had been a constant at her side, he had been so kind and welcoming and over the weeks had become her unofficial mentor. “How do you find a balance between everything?” She asked, hoping he had some form of an answer.
“It comes with practice,” Cedric said with a frown. “I remember my first year I burnt the candle at both ends. I ended up in the Hospital Wing myself all too often. It’s easily done,” he nodded gravely, “it’s why I check on you so much. I don’t want to see you get into that boat too.”
Hermione’s eyes filled with shock at his words, had he noticed that enough, and did he honestly care enough about her to check on her? Or was she just reading too much into it all? He had been a Hufflepuff after all so he may just want to keep an eye on her for his peace of mind. No, she would not read too much into this, plus she couldn’t think like that about him, about anyone. She needed to settle into her new job - her new life. Having a boyfriend right now just wouldn’t fit, not even one who knew the stresses that she was under.
They spent the next few hours drinking and talking. Hermione began smiling and laughing more than she had since the summer. It was nice. When the bottle was empty though Cedric called it a night. Leaving her to sleep off the alcohol-fueled haze she was in. It was safe to say she wouldn’t be getting those essays marked before tomorrow’s feast.
It was the last Saturday before the holidays began and it was snowing. Hermione had always loved Hogwarts in the snow, she had decided to take a walk in the grounds. Her head down, hands stuffed into her pockets she didn’t see the snowball coming,
“Hey,” she called, looking around her for the culprit expecting to see a student, she was surprised to see Cedric walking towards her with a grin on his face.
“Sorry,” he whispered as he came up close. Before gently turning her to face him and placing a swift kiss on her forehead.
“What was that for?” She asked, rooted to the spot, unable to move.
“Just felt like it,” he shrugged.