Written for Hermione's Haven's Feb16th #RollADrabble (pairing: Hermione/Cedric and trope: fake dating).

Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters are the property of J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury/Scholastic. No profit is being made, and no copyright infringement is intended.

All Bets Are On

Hermione pulled Cedric aside before he left their Department Friday night, looking harried. "Are you going to Harry's party tomorrow at the Leaky?" she asked him urgently.

Cedric frowned. "Yeah, of course," he paused. "Everything alright?"

"Good. Yeah. I need you to pretend we're dating."

Cedric nearly choked on thin air. "What? What are you talking about, Hermione?"

Hermione looked over Cedric's head, making sure that they were completely alone in the hall. She bit her lower lip before looking at Cedric as if she were deciding whether or not to share what was going on. She blushed as she finally answered. "I made a bet with Harry and Ron. Whichever one of us shows up without a date has to do a dare that the other two decide upon… I can't let that happen, not after the last dare." She scowled, remembering how she had ended up on the front page of the Daily Prophet… in a not-so-flattering position.

Cedric arched a brow at her in disbelief. "You couldn't find a date?"

Hermione sniffed, finally meeting Cedric's eyes. "I think everyone's scared of me."

Cedric chuckled, giving her a soft smile. "I'm not scared of you."

"I know," Hermione said, grinning. "So, it's a fake date?"

"Yeah, I'm in," Cedric said, returning her smile.

On Saturday, Hermione met Cedric at his flat. The two of them Flooed to the Leaky Cauldron together.

Once they entered the pub, Cedric put his arm around Hermione casually.

Harry wasted no time in finding them. "I see you got your date." He smirked.

"Mhmmm," Hermione said, flashing Harry a grin before pulling Cedric towards the bar. "Let's get a drink," she whispered. She could feel Harry's gaze on them, and she had a feeling he wasn't convinced… She'd have to change that.

"Two Butterbeers," Cedric ordered once they both sat down.

Sitting next to Cedric, Hermione let her leg brush against his. He leant against her, placing his hand on her thigh. Hermione leant into his touch.

"Thank you," Hermione said as she accepted the drink from Cedric. Taking a sip, she grinned. "Delicious."

"Nothing better than Butterbeer," Cedric said, flashing her a grin.

It's strange but wonderful, and when Hermione saw Ron coming towards the bar, she looked at Cedric, eyes wide. "Kiss me, quick!"

Cedric wasted no time and he leant in without any hesitation, planting a kiss on Hermione's soft lips, hiding a smirked as Ron moaned, "Aw, Merlin! Get a room, you guys!"

"Looks like you're at our mercy, bud," Harry chuckled lightly nudging Ron suggestively.

Hermione didn't pay either of them any attention as Cedric deepened their kiss.