Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. JK Rowling does.

A/N: This is a different ending to the fourth movie, mmkay?

How It Should Have Been

Dead. He was gone and she could do nothing to save his wondrous soul from the death he didn't deserve. The mere thought made her choke with tears.

She loved him. She knew she did. He knew she did. She wasn't surprised if even Harry and Ron knew. but when Harry had appeared with the Cup and Cedric, she had noticed his lifeless eyes immediately. His beautiful brown eyes, glazed over and rolling around in the sockets.

"No!" She exclaimed, breaking the crowd out of their gladness to see them. "He's dead!" She watched as Amos Diggory moved over to the hysterically Harry, and looked down at his son.

"My son! That's my son!" He sobbed, clutched the boy's body to his chest in anguish. Cedric's head lolled in his father's grip, his sparkling brown eyes no longing holding life.

After Amos had let go of his son, many of the crowd following him out, consoling the heartbroken man. She stood there, afraid of confirming his death by touching his soft skin, pale, cold, and deprived of life.

"Hermione." Harry choked out, as he walked over to her. She shook her head.

"Harry, no." But he grabbed her wrist and pulled her over to the lifeless boy. She struggled against his grip, but when he had stopped pulling her, she fell to her knees and brushing her fingers over his brown locks. She gently pushed his eyelids closed, and brushed the tears she had dropped onto his forehead away.

"Oh Cedric." She said softly. She pressed her lips to his forehead chastely, and then she dropped his head from her lap. She squeezed his hand softly, hoping that in someway Merlin would grant him his life. But, there was no chance of that happening. She stood, wiping her tears. Harry walked over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

"Hey." He said, tears still in his lost green eyes. She grinned sadly.

"I know, cheer up. But, it was so sudden." She was right. One minute, he had planted a reassuring, last kiss on her trembling lips, and left into the maze, and the next, he lay at her feet dead. She and Harry together, slung one of his arms around their shoulders, and proceeded to limp up the hill towards the school, Cedric's death weighing heavily on their shoulders. And not literally.

The funeral was sad, as Hermione was informed. She wasn't ready. She stood at the bottom of the stairs, which were in front of the Great Hall. She had worn her best dress, a red silk strapless dress, and her hair was straightened. She didn't want to go in. Suddenly, the doors opened to reveal Harry.

"Hermione! They're waiting for you in there!" Harry exclaimed. She shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about Cedric! Not in front of all of those people who knew nothing of what we had!"

"Then tell them what you had, Hermione!" Harry said. Hermione walked over to him and whispered softly.

"I can't. There's no way to describe him. I-" Harry cut her off.

"It's okay. Just go in there and talk about whatever comes from your mouth, all right?" And he pushed her inside.

Everyone was watching her expectantly, as she walked up to the front of the room, her hands clasped behind her back nervously.

"Well, Cedric was-I can't-" She paused, and took a sigh.

"There's no way I could ever begin to explain how much Cedric Diggory meant to me. Or to anyone else in this room. But, particularly me. I couldn't find a way to get around talking about him, especially from our relationship. I did love him. He was perfect; he didn't deserve death. No one actually deserves death. No matter how much you hate them." She pushed tears back from her eyes and looked out into the crowd.

"He'll never truly leave here. I mean, you all saw him leave into the maze. And return d-dead. But, that doesn't mean he was killed for a bad reason. Like I said, no one deserves to die. You all will remember him the way he was. Happy. That's how you should. You don't have to remember anything bad about him, not anymore, at least."

Harry stood in the back, and winked at Hermione discreetly.

"Cedric Diggory is dead." Gasps filled the room. "There's no doubt about that. But, he can still be alive. Give him the chance. He's still in your memory, and he's still in your lives. There's no forgetting him. Thank you." She concluded, and stepped down as there was a loud applause.

Harry grinned and embraced her, as she cried into his shirt.

"You said things that no one would ever have thought of, Hermione. You did great." He said.

"I just w-wish he didn't have to die the way he did. He would be here. With me right now. But, he did a good thing, Harry. That's the price." She hiccupped. Harry nodded.

"Well, things will get better. That's just how it should have been, Hermione."

How It Should Have Been