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The Lioness And The Badgers	By : sawahhaych Category: Harry Potter > Het - Male/Female > Hermione/Cedric Views: 7550 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 2
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter (Although I am British I am unfortunately not the amazing JK Rowling!). I do not make any money from the writing of this fic.

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Being back at Hogwarts is like being home, don’t get me wrong I love my mother and father dearly but I never felt like I fit into the muggle world properly, not like I do here.

“Don't talk to me,” Ron instructs in a quiet voice as he sits down at the dinner table after the first day of classes.

“Why not?” I ask gently wondering what has upset him.

Ron looks at me with a grin. “Because I want to fix that in my memory for ever, Draco Malfoy, the amazing bouncing ferret.”

Harry laughs as do most of the other Gryffindors. “I'm just sorry I missed it.” I admit.

Harry throws me a stunned look. “Hermione!”

“I know it was wrong of Moody to do but since he did it anyway it would have just been nice to see Malfoy get what was coming to him, just once.” I smile at the boys gaping faces. “From what I heard from Lavender McGonagall cracked a smile too, once it was over.”

Once the shock of my admission wears off I start shovelling beef casserole into my mouth only chewing as many times as absolutely necessary, I need to do some more research in the library.

“Don't tell me you're going back to the library this evening?” Harry asks watching me eat almost as horridly as Ron.

“Got to.” I say between bites. “Loads to do.”

“But you told us Professor Vector -” Ron starts

“It's not school work.” I reply before taking a long swig of pumpkin juice and jumping out of my seat. “See you later.”

I rush towards the library, my bag slipping off my shoulder at regular intervals. Turning the final corner whilst again trying to adjust my bag I into something solid, stumbling back I do not fall thanks to the steadying hands on my shoulders.

“In a hurry My Lady?” Looking up with a hot face I meet the steel grey eyes of Cedric Diggory.

His Comment has thrown me off guard, it takes my mind a second to catch up. “Oh, yes, well, I was just going to the library, a lady can never be too accomplished can she Mr Collins?”

“Indeed.” He replies with a grin, my eyes dart down to where he still has hold of my shoulders. “Sorry.” He mutters letting his hands fall away. “I was just heading to the library myself.” He comments gesturing that we should walk.

I fall in step next to Cedric which I would have thought wasn’t possible due to his long legs, but he walks slowly, whether he always does or if this is for my benefit I don’t know. “Why are you going to the library? I didn’t think you would have homework yet?”

Cedric looks down at me as we walk. “No, no homework yet, I just.... The Sett is a little crowded and noisy at the moment, wanted some quiet.”

We stop at the door, I reach out and grab the handle but pause to ask another question. “The Sett, that’s the Hufflepuff common room isn’t it?”

“Yeah.” Cedric replies cocking his head. “They're all just a bit excited about the tournament and my friends seem to think it's their own personal quest to get me to enter.”

The library door pushes open into my hand from the other side, we move out of the way as a second year Ravenclaw squeezes past me and Cedric who are hogging the width of the corridor. “I bet you would be great though.” I say looking down at my shoes which are suddenly the most interesting thing in the whole world. “Not that I’m trying to bully you into it.”

Cedric lets out an amused grunt. “Thanks.” Peeking up I see he is running his hand through his hair not looking at me, his cheeks also look deliciously pink. “Sprout told me I should if I wanted to, she said I have the ability to do it and do it well, but well, she is my head of house, she would say that, it's like your mom saying it.”

I reach out and hold the door handle once again for a quick exit. “Just because she cares about you doesn’t mean it isn't true, and considering people have died before I would think if she really didn't think you could do it she would do the opposite and make sure you didn't enter.” I don’t give myself time to see Cedric's face and barge straight into the library, to my favourite table, tucked away at the back of the room. Way to ramble Granger I think as I slump down in my seat.

My head rests in my hands. He must think I am such an idiot. I’m lost in my own little world of frustration at myself when something bangs down on the table in front of me making my head jerk up with a startled Squeak.

“Sorry.... Again....” Cedric says gesturing to the chair opposite me, asking if he can sit.

I nod my head. “Don’t worry, you just made me jump.”Cedric rests his folded arms on the table and leans forward to rest his head on them. “So, you got the dirt on me hiding out, what are you doing in the library

on the first day back to school?” Cedric asks with a quirk of his eyebrow.

Busying myself I pull out my notes from this afternoon along with the two large tomes I found mentioning house elves. “I'm researching house elves.”

Cedric reaches over and pulls 'Magical Creatures and Where To Find Them' towards his side of the table. “Well this one wont tell you much.”

I sigh heavily. “I know, I could only find these two, both only mention the elves in passing.” Holding up my notes in exasperation I say. “This is all I could get from both of the books, I thought I would come back tonight and look for some more books, maybe if I cross reference cleaning spells or something...” I shake my head. “...I don’t know. I just don’t get how the elves can be so prevalent in wizarding society and yet there isn’t any information on them and their plight.”

Cedric gives me a confused look.”Plight?”

This time it is my turn to throw him the confused look. “Yes their plight.” I answer, Cedric is clever but how could he be so thick? How can the whole wizarding world just accept the house elves lives as they are? Why is no one doing something about it? “The elves are slaves Cedric and everyone just accepts it, just thinks it's fine to treat them like they do, making them punish themselves when they do something their 'masters'...” I air quote the word masters as I talk. “... wouldn't like. It's just barbaric.”

Cedric takes a breath and wets his lips before commenting. “Hermione, it's great you care and want to help but do you really think other people have never questioned the system?”

I see red, just like Ron, Cedric seems to think it's just the way it goes and there is no point in trying. “How can you not question it? If you had seen the way Malfoy's elf...” I pause to take a breath to calm myself down. “...Just because it hasn’t been done before doesn’t mean it shouldn’t ever happen.”

Cedric sits up to answer. “No, I didn’t mean...” He also looks cross and mirrors my own intake of calming breath. “Please just listen and wait until I finish, you obviously feel very strong about this but hear me out first okay?”

I nod gently to Cedric's pleading and motion for him to continue. “Go on.”

“The house elves aren’t people.” I can feel my face redden in anger as my eyes widen. Cedric holds up a hand to remind me to stay quiet until he is finished. “That isn’t a bad thing, it is just a fact of life as a wizard, we have different creatures living alongside us, Elves, Goblins, Centaurs and they aren’t human, they are different races with different beliefs and cultures and lives. The way some elves are treated is atrocious, I wont deny it but most of them are treated fairly and with consideration, they aren’t ordered to do things but asked.”

I look up, the anger having lessened considerably. “Do you have one?” I ask quietly.

Cedric smiles. “Yes, her name is Flower and she is one of the most caring, amazing creatures on this earth.” I watch as his eyes cloud over for a second. “Like you, when I was younger I questioned my mother and father about the elves, asked Flower about it too, she was horrified, thought I was going to force her into clothes and get rid of her. I have never seen anyone in such a state, it was horrible.”

I have heard this, that the elves like to serve. Even Dobby has gone back to it, but what else was he meant to do? “Isn't that just like Stockholm Syndrome or brainwashing though?”

“I don’t think so.” Cedric explains. “You see I told Flower she could still work for us but get paid and have holiday and all that human stuff, she wasn’t interested, wailed and wailed until I promised I didn’t mean it. She said it was what elves are made to do, they don’t feel happy doing anything else.” I shoot him an affronted look. Cedric holds his hands up in surrender. “I'm just telling you what happened, she told me stories of elves whose families were gone, the last of the particular wizarding line dying with no children, some went around to find work, some went mad, she said it was an elves worse nightmare.” Cedric meets my eyes which have softened a little. “What you are setting out to do is good, helping the elves, I just think that you should speak to them, see what they want. Maybe set up some kind of place for mistreated elves to go or something but don’t just assume they want to be free, it has to be their choice you cant just go barrelling in deciding what is best for them without asking.”

I think on this for a moment. “You're right.” I admit with a sigh. “It would be no better than what we did to the native Americans.”

Madam Prince interrupts any further discussion. “Ten minutes until closing.” She calls to the library at large. I shove my parchment and quills back into my beg before setting it on my shoulder. Cedric reaches out and picks up the two books still on the table. “Tell you what Granger...” Cedric starts as we walk towards the front of the library. “Come find me this weekend and I’ll take you down to the kitchens so you can meet some elves.”

Cedric deposits the books on the trolley to be put back in the stacks then turns to look at me, his head cocked slightly to the side waiting for a response. “That would be wonderful, thank you” Again I cant help but notice how fascinating my shoes are, all black and shiny and shoe-like.

“Cool.” Cedric nods as he speaks, hands once again tangled in his hair. “I better get back to The Sett before they send a search party.” I walk through the door he is holding open for me. “I'll erm... see you this weekend then Granger.” After I have walked through the door Cedric strides off his long legs carrying him away much faster than I would be able to keep up with.
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The Lioness And The Badgers