Fic: "Girl Problem" for forgotnsuitcase
Title: Girl Problem
Author: emcue
Recipient: forgotnsuitcase
Characters: Cedric, Viktor
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: JKR owns all these characters, not me.
Notes: Gift for forgotnsuitcase as part of the springtime_gen fic exchange. I know this isn't exactly what you asked for, but I thought it was close enough to count. Maybe.
Summary: Cedric has a date. Now all he needs is a few dance lessons.
Word Count: ~2100
Cedric frowned at himself in the mirror. He couldn't get the sway of the hips quite right, and he was quite sure he'd end up doing nothing more than trodding upon Cho's feet if he turned her too quickly. No, it was no use. Running an impatient hand through his hair, he frowned at his reflection: he'd have to try something else. He looked around, wondering if he might not entice one of his fellow Hufflepuffs to help him with this problem. It was only till he was halfway up the steps that he shook his head, knowing the folly of such a plan. No - if he were to find someone to help him, it'd have to be someone who could be objective in their teaching. For whatever reason, the girls in his own dorm (girls who had, just a few weeks prior, had no problem concentrating when he was in the room) seemed to redden around him and get extremely fidgety, to the point where Cedric began to wonder if perhaps they all weren't getting enough iron in their diet. It was difficult enough trying to learn dance moves alone, but to learn them with a bunch of giggling girls? It brought nothing but awkwardness.
And then, it came to him: Hermione. The Granger girl - the one that was always helping Harry. She seemed a reasonable sort, one who wouldn't get herself into a flurry if he asked for her help. Besides, she seemed amiable enough, despite the low giggles and gossip he'd sometimes heard about how cold she could be, how snappish with people who didn't know what they were doing. While it was true Cedric felt rather clueless, he felt somehow (or maybe he just hoped) that she would be willing to help him.
Skipping back down the stairs, he waved politely to the girls gathered about the Hufflepuff common room quickly before exiting, answering their cries of "Cedric, where are you going?" with "out for a bit, I'll be right back!" His best bet, he well knew, was to look for Hermione in the library. She could nearly always be seen with a book, and usually more than just one. He smoothed down his hair once more before entering, casting a wary eye for Madam Pince, who would no doubt attempt to shoo him out if she caught wind of the fact that he actually intended to whisper within three metres of a book.
He tried to avoid the giggling groups as he pretended to search for a book, all the time keeping watch for Hermione. He'd walked the length of the library twice before realising that she wasn't there. Swearing silently, he sank into the nearest chair.
"You haff just missed her," said a gruff voice to his left.
Cedric looked up from his hands to see Viktor Krum watching him as he put away his books. "What?" he asked blankly.
"Herm-o-ninny," said Krum, looking over his shoulder, ducking when Madam Pince came into view. Cedric smirked easily, eyes dancing with mirth at the idea of the world's greatest Seeker being afraid of a white-haired, quick-tempered, book-loving witch. He signaled to Viktor that they should leave the library, and Viktor nodded. Cedric led, barely catching the goggling eyes that followed the two boys around the room, drawing happy, dreamy sighs as they left.
Cedric felt thankful that the halls were relatively clear. It afforded him a chance to speak, as well as to ask something that had made his brow crease slightly as soon as Viktor had spoken. "Say, are you and Hermione well-acquainted?" he asked. Viktor continued to walk and Cedric tried again, thinking that the other had simply not heard him. "Viktor? I said, are you and Hermione-"
"No," said Viktor, his voice heavy. Cedric clammed up immediately; he knew that tone. It was one he had adopted briefly in the days where he wondered whether or not Cho would say yes to being his date for the Yule Ball. Thankfully, things had turned out all right for him. From the look on Viktor's face, he either hadn't asked her yet or was struggling with polite refusal.
"I see," said Cedric, mostly to himself. "Well - say. How did you know I was looking for her anyway?"
Viktor shrugged. "All the boys are coming to look for her in the library," answered the Bulgarian. "She is very popular with the opposite sex."
Stifling a rather powerful urge to laugh, Cedric settled for a bemused smile. "Oh yes," he said, nodding. "Hermione's incredibly...er. Well-liked by the male population." A small snort escaped before he was able to fully curb his tongue from further sarcasm.
It didn't seem to matter: Viktor only heard the words, and none of the tone. His shoulders sank lower, broad, impressive things that Cedric wrapped one of his arms around. "You really like her, don't you?"
"I..."
"Here," said Cedric, pulling Viktor around one of the corridors, checking left and right before drawing close, whispering. "How about we make a trade?"
"Trade?" repeated Viktor, his serious face filled with confusion.
"Yes," whispered Cedric. He put one hand on Viktor's chest, to better get his attention. "Listen. I'll put in a good word for you with Hermione if you do something for me."
"You'll tell Herm-o-ninny to go with me to ball?" asked Viktor, his brows furrowing. Cedric could see that he was considering that half of the proposition with the utmost concern. Eventually, Viktor nodded. "Okay."
"Brilliant!" said Cedric in an excited whisper. "I just need one thing from you."
"What?" asked Viktor.
Cedric looked left and right once more. It wouldn't do to have anyone overhear. "You Bulgarian chaps know how to dance, right? I mean, you know all these waltz moves and...and...well, all that stuff?"
Viktor nodded.
"Well," said Cedric, his palms sweaty. He'd gotten the idea as soon as he'd seen Viktor's keen interest in taking Hermione to the ball: surely someone so stuck on a girl would want to be able to impress her. Seeing as Viktor's talent did not seem to be in speech or renditions of poetic declarations of love, Cedric could only assume the man truly knew how to cut a rug. It appeared he was right. "Could you...that is, would you teach me?"
Viktor grinned. "You do not dance?"
Cedric laughed. "Not if I can help it," he said, chuckling. "It's not the sort of thing English blokes do for fun. It'd be nice if I could impress my date." He saw Viktor's eyebrow raise slightly. "No, not Hermione. I'm taking Cho Chang."
"Oh," said Viktor. A smile crossed his normally terse and quiet lips. "Meet me outside, near forest, in half hour. I bring music and teach you dancing. Okay?"
"Right," said Cedric, patting Viktor on the back. These Bulgarians were proving to be quite all right, really. "I'll see you in an hour."
***
"Say, Hermione," said Cedric, catching up to her after lunch, during which he'd eyed her, waiting for her to leave the hall and hoping, for once, that she'd do so alone. She seemed to be somewhat angry (perhaps she'd had a tiff with Harry, or that Weasley brother Harry was always going around with) and Cedric stopped, watching her.
"What is it?" she asked, her temper obviously shorter than normal.
"Er," said Cedric. "Well, I was wondering something."
"Yes?"
This might be harder than I originally suspected.
It was then that the most wonderful, most coincidental, most well-planned thing happened: Viktor Krum walked by Cedric and Hermione speaking. Cedric almost laughed as he watched Hermione, who seemed oblivious to Viktor's all-too-obvious stare.
"Right," said Cedric, watching Hermione as she followed his gaze. She huffed and rolled her eyes as Viktor went out of view before turning her attention back to Cedric, who had found his tongue once more by then. "How do you feel about the Bulgarians?"
Hermione frowned in thought. "They're fine. I think we'd do well to be friendlier to them."
"Friendly, eh?" asked Cedric. "How friendly would you say exactly?"
"Well..."
Cedric laughed. "Friendly like going with them to the Yule Ball sort of friendly?"
Hermione opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. She looked Cedric straight-on. "That's not quite what I-"
"I hear that Krum fellow is looking for a date," interrupted Cedric. He nudged Hermione. "I think whomever he asked would be lucky, don't you? She'd certainly be able to set an example to the whole school." He leaned in conspiratorially. "Plus, he's quite a catch, isn't he?"
Hermione coloured visible. "I haven't noticed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go do something more productive with my time than gossiping about Viktor Krum."
Cedric laughed to himself as she stalked off.
***
Though he didn't like to admit it, sometimes the Forbidden Forest really gave him the willies. Cedric paced back and forth, wand in hand, twirling it lazily as he kept his eyes sharply focused on the edges of the trees. He jumped slightly when Viktor walked past him: the Bulgarian had been surprisingly quiet, and Cedric hadn't heard his approach at all. His mind had been otherwise engaged in thoughts of dancing with Cho. Dancing, in and of itself, was not something to which he'd ever aspired, but dancing with Cho, now. That was different. That had all sorts of possibilities and opportunities and God would he love to have her rest her head on his shoulder and-
"Cedric."
"Hmmm?" Cedric turned. Viktor had taken the task of teaching seriously: the suit he wore was one Cedric hadn't seen, dark blues and reds, black boots, and a scabbard just peeking out, in which Cedric could not doubt there actually lay a sword. Viktor walked towards him. "So, who's leading?"
"I lead first," said Viktor. "To show you how is done. When you learn, you will lead."
"Fair enough," said Cedric, voice cracking. He still felt somewhat awkward at the prospect, despite it being his idea.
A slight blush crossed his cheeks as Viktor placed one firm, strict hand at his waist, grasping one of Cedric's hands in his own and placing it perpendicular to their chests. It was odd, dancing with Viktor of all people, but Cedric knew, deep down, that at the end of this lesson, he'd be able to handle a night of dancing with Cho - and not just handle it, but even leave her a little bit impressed with his efforts.
"First we do the waltz," said Viktor. Cedric didn't have time to ask before Viktor was guiding him, leading him backward. The hands and spoken directions were, at first, difficult to follow. Cedric stumbled several times, cringing at the scuff-marks across Viktor's otherwise shiny black boots; the Bulgarian said nothing, simply re-stated the directions. It took a few tries for Cedric to get used to Viktor's teaching method, which was at its basis gentle but firm guidance with repeated motions until Cedric's body adjusted itself, falling easily.
They moved from the waltz to other dances, each attempt taking shorter time as Cedric first learned the opposite position before taking the lead. It was late at night when they finally stopped, a sheen of sweat on both brows, eyes dancing in the dim light coming from the inside the castle. Cedric twirled Viktor once more before breaking apart. Both bowed to one another.
As they walked, Cedric talked. It felt positively magical, dancing.
***
Spins, twirls, dips. Light feet that seemed capable of anything. Cedric used the same gentle guiding technique he'd picked up from Viktor after a few dances. He felt quite proud, though nothing near so happy as when Cho blushed, her eyes wide. "I had no idea you were such a good dancer, Cedric," she said, leaning in a bit as a slow-timed waltz started. He pulled her a little closer, chest tightening excitedly as he felt the tickle her hair just before her cheek touched his.
Cedric smiled. "I guess I'm just a natural."
Author: emcue
Recipient: forgotnsuitcase
Characters: Cedric, Viktor
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: JKR owns all these characters, not me.
Notes: Gift for forgotnsuitcase as part of the springtime_gen fic exchange. I know this isn't exactly what you asked for, but I thought it was close enough to count. Maybe.
Summary: Cedric has a date. Now all he needs is a few dance lessons.
Word Count: ~2100
Cedric frowned at himself in the mirror. He couldn't get the sway of the hips quite right, and he was quite sure he'd end up doing nothing more than trodding upon Cho's feet if he turned her too quickly. No, it was no use. Running an impatient hand through his hair, he frowned at his reflection: he'd have to try something else. He looked around, wondering if he might not entice one of his fellow Hufflepuffs to help him with this problem. It was only till he was halfway up the steps that he shook his head, knowing the folly of such a plan. No - if he were to find someone to help him, it'd have to be someone who could be objective in their teaching. For whatever reason, the girls in his own dorm (girls who had, just a few weeks prior, had no problem concentrating when he was in the room) seemed to redden around him and get extremely fidgety, to the point where Cedric began to wonder if perhaps they all weren't getting enough iron in their diet. It was difficult enough trying to learn dance moves alone, but to learn them with a bunch of giggling girls? It brought nothing but awkwardness.
And then, it came to him: Hermione. The Granger girl - the one that was always helping Harry. She seemed a reasonable sort, one who wouldn't get herself into a flurry if he asked for her help. Besides, she seemed amiable enough, despite the low giggles and gossip he'd sometimes heard about how cold she could be, how snappish with people who didn't know what they were doing. While it was true Cedric felt rather clueless, he felt somehow (or maybe he just hoped) that she would be willing to help him.
Skipping back down the stairs, he waved politely to the girls gathered about the Hufflepuff common room quickly before exiting, answering their cries of "Cedric, where are you going?" with "out for a bit, I'll be right back!" His best bet, he well knew, was to look for Hermione in the library. She could nearly always be seen with a book, and usually more than just one. He smoothed down his hair once more before entering, casting a wary eye for Madam Pince, who would no doubt attempt to shoo him out if she caught wind of the fact that he actually intended to whisper within three metres of a book.
He tried to avoid the giggling groups as he pretended to search for a book, all the time keeping watch for Hermione. He'd walked the length of the library twice before realising that she wasn't there. Swearing silently, he sank into the nearest chair.
"You haff just missed her," said a gruff voice to his left.
Cedric looked up from his hands to see Viktor Krum watching him as he put away his books. "What?" he asked blankly.
"Herm-o-ninny," said Krum, looking over his shoulder, ducking when Madam Pince came into view. Cedric smirked easily, eyes dancing with mirth at the idea of the world's greatest Seeker being afraid of a white-haired, quick-tempered, book-loving witch. He signaled to Viktor that they should leave the library, and Viktor nodded. Cedric led, barely catching the goggling eyes that followed the two boys around the room, drawing happy, dreamy sighs as they left.
Cedric felt thankful that the halls were relatively clear. It afforded him a chance to speak, as well as to ask something that had made his brow crease slightly as soon as Viktor had spoken. "Say, are you and Hermione well-acquainted?" he asked. Viktor continued to walk and Cedric tried again, thinking that the other had simply not heard him. "Viktor? I said, are you and Hermione-"
"No," said Viktor, his voice heavy. Cedric clammed up immediately; he knew that tone. It was one he had adopted briefly in the days where he wondered whether or not Cho would say yes to being his date for the Yule Ball. Thankfully, things had turned out all right for him. From the look on Viktor's face, he either hadn't asked her yet or was struggling with polite refusal.
"I see," said Cedric, mostly to himself. "Well - say. How did you know I was looking for her anyway?"
Viktor shrugged. "All the boys are coming to look for her in the library," answered the Bulgarian. "She is very popular with the opposite sex."
Stifling a rather powerful urge to laugh, Cedric settled for a bemused smile. "Oh yes," he said, nodding. "Hermione's incredibly...er. Well-liked by the male population." A small snort escaped before he was able to fully curb his tongue from further sarcasm.
It didn't seem to matter: Viktor only heard the words, and none of the tone. His shoulders sank lower, broad, impressive things that Cedric wrapped one of his arms around. "You really like her, don't you?"
"I..."
"Here," said Cedric, pulling Viktor around one of the corridors, checking left and right before drawing close, whispering. "How about we make a trade?"
"Trade?" repeated Viktor, his serious face filled with confusion.
"Yes," whispered Cedric. He put one hand on Viktor's chest, to better get his attention. "Listen. I'll put in a good word for you with Hermione if you do something for me."
"You'll tell Herm-o-ninny to go with me to ball?" asked Viktor, his brows furrowing. Cedric could see that he was considering that half of the proposition with the utmost concern. Eventually, Viktor nodded. "Okay."
"Brilliant!" said Cedric in an excited whisper. "I just need one thing from you."
"What?" asked Viktor.
Cedric looked left and right once more. It wouldn't do to have anyone overhear. "You Bulgarian chaps know how to dance, right? I mean, you know all these waltz moves and...and...well, all that stuff?"
Viktor nodded.
"Well," said Cedric, his palms sweaty. He'd gotten the idea as soon as he'd seen Viktor's keen interest in taking Hermione to the ball: surely someone so stuck on a girl would want to be able to impress her. Seeing as Viktor's talent did not seem to be in speech or renditions of poetic declarations of love, Cedric could only assume the man truly knew how to cut a rug. It appeared he was right. "Could you...that is, would you teach me?"
Viktor grinned. "You do not dance?"
Cedric laughed. "Not if I can help it," he said, chuckling. "It's not the sort of thing English blokes do for fun. It'd be nice if I could impress my date." He saw Viktor's eyebrow raise slightly. "No, not Hermione. I'm taking Cho Chang."
"Oh," said Viktor. A smile crossed his normally terse and quiet lips. "Meet me outside, near forest, in half hour. I bring music and teach you dancing. Okay?"
"Right," said Cedric, patting Viktor on the back. These Bulgarians were proving to be quite all right, really. "I'll see you in an hour."
***
"Say, Hermione," said Cedric, catching up to her after lunch, during which he'd eyed her, waiting for her to leave the hall and hoping, for once, that she'd do so alone. She seemed to be somewhat angry (perhaps she'd had a tiff with Harry, or that Weasley brother Harry was always going around with) and Cedric stopped, watching her.
"What is it?" she asked, her temper obviously shorter than normal.
"Er," said Cedric. "Well, I was wondering something."
"Yes?"
This might be harder than I originally suspected.
It was then that the most wonderful, most coincidental, most well-planned thing happened: Viktor Krum walked by Cedric and Hermione speaking. Cedric almost laughed as he watched Hermione, who seemed oblivious to Viktor's all-too-obvious stare.
"Right," said Cedric, watching Hermione as she followed his gaze. She huffed and rolled her eyes as Viktor went out of view before turning her attention back to Cedric, who had found his tongue once more by then. "How do you feel about the Bulgarians?"
Hermione frowned in thought. "They're fine. I think we'd do well to be friendlier to them."
"Friendly, eh?" asked Cedric. "How friendly would you say exactly?"
"Well..."
Cedric laughed. "Friendly like going with them to the Yule Ball sort of friendly?"
Hermione opened her mouth to say something, then closed it again. She looked Cedric straight-on. "That's not quite what I-"
"I hear that Krum fellow is looking for a date," interrupted Cedric. He nudged Hermione. "I think whomever he asked would be lucky, don't you? She'd certainly be able to set an example to the whole school." He leaned in conspiratorially. "Plus, he's quite a catch, isn't he?"
Hermione coloured visible. "I haven't noticed. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go do something more productive with my time than gossiping about Viktor Krum."
Cedric laughed to himself as she stalked off.
***
Though he didn't like to admit it, sometimes the Forbidden Forest really gave him the willies. Cedric paced back and forth, wand in hand, twirling it lazily as he kept his eyes sharply focused on the edges of the trees. He jumped slightly when Viktor walked past him: the Bulgarian had been surprisingly quiet, and Cedric hadn't heard his approach at all. His mind had been otherwise engaged in thoughts of dancing with Cho. Dancing, in and of itself, was not something to which he'd ever aspired, but dancing with Cho, now. That was different. That had all sorts of possibilities and opportunities and God would he love to have her rest her head on his shoulder and-
"Cedric."
"Hmmm?" Cedric turned. Viktor had taken the task of teaching seriously: the suit he wore was one Cedric hadn't seen, dark blues and reds, black boots, and a scabbard just peeking out, in which Cedric could not doubt there actually lay a sword. Viktor walked towards him. "So, who's leading?"
"I lead first," said Viktor. "To show you how is done. When you learn, you will lead."
"Fair enough," said Cedric, voice cracking. He still felt somewhat awkward at the prospect, despite it being his idea.
A slight blush crossed his cheeks as Viktor placed one firm, strict hand at his waist, grasping one of Cedric's hands in his own and placing it perpendicular to their chests. It was odd, dancing with Viktor of all people, but Cedric knew, deep down, that at the end of this lesson, he'd be able to handle a night of dancing with Cho - and not just handle it, but even leave her a little bit impressed with his efforts.
"First we do the waltz," said Viktor. Cedric didn't have time to ask before Viktor was guiding him, leading him backward. The hands and spoken directions were, at first, difficult to follow. Cedric stumbled several times, cringing at the scuff-marks across Viktor's otherwise shiny black boots; the Bulgarian said nothing, simply re-stated the directions. It took a few tries for Cedric to get used to Viktor's teaching method, which was at its basis gentle but firm guidance with repeated motions until Cedric's body adjusted itself, falling easily.
They moved from the waltz to other dances, each attempt taking shorter time as Cedric first learned the opposite position before taking the lead. It was late at night when they finally stopped, a sheen of sweat on both brows, eyes dancing in the dim light coming from the inside the castle. Cedric twirled Viktor once more before breaking apart. Both bowed to one another.
As they walked, Cedric talked. It felt positively magical, dancing.
***
Spins, twirls, dips. Light feet that seemed capable of anything. Cedric used the same gentle guiding technique he'd picked up from Viktor after a few dances. He felt quite proud, though nothing near so happy as when Cho blushed, her eyes wide. "I had no idea you were such a good dancer, Cedric," she said, leaning in a bit as a slow-timed waltz started. He pulled her a little closer, chest tightening excitedly as he felt the tickle her hair just before her cheek touched his.
Cedric smiled. "I guess I'm just a natural."