You'll Never Walk Alone

*Disclaimer: This story is a piece of Harry Potter fanfiction, which is owned by J.K. Rowling and her associates. This story is simply based on the wonderful wizarding world that she created.

I pulled up to my parent’s brown town house in northern London, stomping my foot haphazardly on the brake and fumbling the lever so the car was in park. Cedric grinned at me from across the car.

“You know, at this rate, I might even be a better driver than you.” His smirk grew wider.

“Be quiet,” I laughed as I rolled up our windows and yanked the key out of the ignition. I turned for my purse and wrapped its slender strap around my arm, securing it in place. Cedric snapped the door handle and propped open his door, gently closing it behind him, careful not to shove it too hard. He paced around the front end of the car and slowly opened my door, revealing me to the world.

I did not want to but, as usual, I smiled, my heart racing faster as Cedric’s action sunk in. He was always such a gentleman, especially when around my parents and even though I had once vowed that that simple trait did not matter, deep down I was sure that it did. For me at least.

He reached for my arm and together we walked up the sidewalk edging my old house and climbed up the two steps that made up the wooden porch. Like always, Cedric let me lead, allowing me to be the one to knock on the door and signal my parents of our arrival. I was sure that although he had warmed up to my parents they still intimidated him as they would anyone. He was, after all, dating their only daughter.

My mother answered the door within a half a minute, obviously expecting the two of us by now.

“Oh, you’re here! Goodness, you’re late. What held you two up?”

Cedric and I exchanged awkward glances.

“Well, you see Jean, your daughter, despite her overwhelming cleverness, is not the best driver ever to hit the road. She could use a bit of practice-“

“Like you can drive!” I interrupted, unusually embarrassed. My time away from the Muggle world was really making a difference in how I lived my life.

“Okay, okay, enough you two,” Jean silenced, showing them inside with a broad smile on her lips. “Let’s head inside.”

Cedric and I followed my mother through the door. Unhinging my arm from Cedric’s I turned around to shut the door behind me. I beamed as my father came into view, running up to him and strongly latching my arms around his neck. His hands fell to my back as he pulled me closer.

“Hi there, honey. You look beautiful, just as always.”

“Oh, thanks dad,” I laughed as a spoke, the words catching in my throat. “You look as handsome as ever.”

I pulled away from him, ending our excited embrace. I turned toward Cedric, a light smile on my face. He was standing near my mother, watching as she placed a platter of fresh fruit and berries in the center of the table.

“Cedric, son, how have you been?” My father made his way over to him as I went toward my mother to see if there was anything that I could do to help her out.

She put me to work washing one of her favorite dishes of its untimely dust. Therefore, I could hear the entire conversation passing between my father and my boyfriend.

“Great, Lewis,” Cedric replied, shrugging his shoulders as he spoke. “My job at the Ministry is working out to be wonderful. Good pay, nice co-workers- couldn’t ask for a better environment to work in.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. Jean and I were ecstatic when we heard that you got promoted again. A little nervous of course but I am very pleased to hear that everything is working out alright. Do you think that you will end up being a top assistant to the Minister anytime soon?”

“Not sure yet, but I don’t think I am ready for anything like that just yet. Maybe in a few years but right now I’m just too young. I want to become the Minister one day but I’m definitely not going to rush into any of that. I really like where I am right now. Anyway, I don’t want to be overloaded with work if I were to start a family soon or anything. I couldn’t live with myself if I were to do anything like that to children of my own.”

“Makes sense,” My father commented. “You have a long life ahead of you.”

“I certainly hope so.”

I smiled in flatter as I dried the glass dish in my hand, careful not to accidentally slip my grip.

He wanted a family. And he wanted one with me.

After drying the breakable plate in my hand I walked back over to the table where our food sat and set it carefully where my mother had instructed earlier.

“Cedric, can you come with me for a few minutes? I, uhh, want to show you something.” Cedric winked lightly at me before he turned away to walk to a back part of the house with my father. I had this strange feeling that I knew what they were going to talk about.

Mother walked back into the kitchen just as the two of them left, watching them retreat to a more private room. She grinned knowingly and then turned to meet my beaming face.

“So, do I hear wedding bells, Hermione?”

I rolled my eyes obviously before responding. “Maybe, I suppose. Cedric hasn’t said anything about it yet but it sounds like he has sure been thinking about it a lot. He’s sort of private about things when it comes to his future.”

“Well, there is certainly nothing wrong with that now is there?” My mother inquired as she took a few steps closer toward me.

“Nothing at all.”

“What would you say, honey? You know if he asked you?”

I stared my mother in the face and came out with a truthful response. “I love him, mother, so of course I’d say yes.”

She just smiled at my lit up face, knowing full well what I was feeling at that moment.

“He just understands me as if he has really listened to everything that I’ve said. He loves me like he’s known me all of his life; he takes care of me as though there is nothing in the world that he would rather care for. He’s become my whole life within the past thirteen months. I can’t picture my life without him in it.”

My mother’s lips curled up at my words. “I know exactly what you are talking about, my dear Hermione. Your father was my knight and there is simply no doubt in my mind that Cedric is yours.”

“But how can you be so sure? I mean, I love him more than anything but how do you know that everything isn’t just a dream?” I was desperate now. Cedric was the greatest thing in my life and although the thought seemed simply outrageous I couldn’t stand to loose him now. He was everything to my heart.

“Trust me, Hermione. You have nothing to worry about at all. Cedric is yours forever and you are his,” my mother assured, pulling me into a gentle and intimate embrace.

My mother was so good to me.

“I believe you and I believe my heart. I just wanted to make sure that I wasn’t being stupid or anything. I’m hardly dense with anything but guys could be the one thing that I’m thick with. I just needed an opinion, that’s all,” I expressed, burying my head into my mother’s soft neck.

“Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly.”

I pulled away and wiggled myself free of my mother’s grip. Staring her in the eyes I knew that nothing short of the quote that she had just referenced could match up to Cedric and I.

My father and Cedric regained my mother and me within the next few minutes and after a hearty dinner and one very long and eventful conversation Cedric and I decided that it would be best if we left to head home.

“Thanks for the wonderful dinner Jean,” Cedric piped with gratitude before he kissed my mother lightly on the cheek. “And for the helpful talk Lewis.” My father then clapped him squarely on the back.

“You bet, son. You bet.” My father pulled me into his arms and hugged me goodbye. He then whispered in my ear. “I love you honey, and that young man over there loves you like nothing else in the world. You are one lucky girl.”

“I love you too, dad.”

We left then, after bidding a final goodbye to my loving parents. Climbing into the car, I put my purse next to my hip and pulled the keys out of my pocket, squeezing them into the ignition. I started the car and gradually attempted to back out of the driveway. Surprisingly, I managed to drive onto the road and turn out of the driveway without hitting anything.

“You’ve improved since this afternoon, you know that?” Cedric grinned as he tucked himself further into his seat. The skies were darker than when we had first arrived at my parents’ but seeing as a few hours had passed that was completely understandable.

“Thank you,” I replied, tossing him a quick grin. “I have gotten better, but I have no idea how.”

“Well, I guess it’s just all coming back.”

“Yeah, it probably is.”

We sat in silence for another few miles, passing through the downtown streets of London as I cautiously guided the car onto this road and that.

“Turn here,” Cedric ordered as he pointed to the right.

I stared up at him, confused. “But that’s not the way back home?”

“I know.”

I did as he requested and turned onto a sideway street, hoping for the millionth time that I would be able to come out of the turn in one piece. The car rattled down the unfamiliar path, humming as it drove further.

I had no idea what Cedric was up to but I didn’t care. I trusted him and therefore I knew that he was doing this out of his best intentions.

“Stop here,” He instructed politely.

I did as I was told even though the location in which he had told me to stop was the center of the street.

“Don’t ask questions, please; you’ll see,” Cedric assured as he opened my door for me and pulled me eagerly out of the seat. He entwined my fingers with his and took off jogging up the street, towing me close to his side.

“Where are we going?” I gasped, momentarily forgetting that had asked me not to question him. We had already run one city block and my head was fuzzy with great confusion.

Cedric didn’t answer my question, but instead slowed down to a walk as we- most likely- neared our destination. Cedric turned around and grinned at me as we both halted in our place. His lips fell gently over my own and although I was out of breath, I could always have enough if it meant kissing him.

He pulled away a few seconds later, obviously aware of my condition.

“Do you know where we are?” Cedric inquired, boring his light eyes into my own.

“Not exactly,” I turned toward the shop windows to my right, trying to make our any names but the darkness allowed for my eyes to take in nothing at all. “I can’t see anything, really.”

Cedric swallowed hard, nodding his head at my words. “It is dark out, isn’t it?”

I shuffled my feet and stared admirably up at the man I loved. I desperately wanted to ask him why he had brought me here but I couldn’t bring myself to do so. He had told me that I would find out and I knew that I would soon enough.

“This is where we first met. Well, outside of Hogwart’s, that is. You know, when we ran into each other on the street and decided to catch up? This is it, right in front of Fiona’s Pastries.” Cedric’s voice was heavy with excitement and the memory and his speech. I could tell that he was getting closer to the point.

“You remember that?” I asked, amazed that he could trace back that far. I mean, I remember it but I never really thought that guys took it upon themselves to never forget things like that. He really was the one created for me.

“Of course,” Cedric responded, smiling in the dim city light.

I beamed, ecstatic at his response.

“Hermione,” he said, taking a step closer so that his body now pressed to mine. He reached for both of my hands and brought them to his chest. “You know that I love you and I might be mistaken but I am fairly certain that you heard part of your father’s and my conversation earlier today. Whether you did or didn’t is not at all important but what is is what I am about to say. You have talked before about having a family, whether with me or some other guy down the line I am not quite sure but each and every time I just sit there and don’t speak out my own opinion. I know that you want me to and therefore I think that it is time that I did just that.”

Cedric then released his hands from my own, kissed my cheek sweetly and steadily bent down so that he was now supporting himself on one knee. Fumbling in his coat pocket, I knew exactly what he was up to.

“I want a family and I want one with you. I want you forever and ever, my entire life and the infinities beyond that. You are the only woman for me and for that I owe you everything. I wish I could be more talkative sometimes or more honest others but you still love me and I don’t get that exactly. You give me everything and in return I try my best to please you but I always feel as though I fall short. You can argue all you want but it’s the way that I feel and that’s something that is hard to change.

But despite all of my doubts and lapses, I stand before you as a man screaming his love profoundly for one woman and one woman only, with a proposition of a hopefully expected sort. If you did not figure everything out before I want to marry you,” His voice caught in his throat then, igniting another smile on my part. “I want you to be my wife.”

“Is it my turn to talk, because if it is I say yes. I want to be your wife and a part of your family and legally bind myself to you and you alone,” I confessed, elated that this was finally happening.

As he stood up, grinning from ear to ear, I leaped toward him and linked my arms around his neck. Kissing him had never felt so magical.

He was definitely the one.