Author's Note: Don't know why I always follow these two getting together with an angsty chapter... I just can't fathom Cedric going "Yeah that happened, it was great and I'm happy now." without freaking out a little in between. Thanks for all the great reviews on the last chapter, and hope everyone likes this one, too.

Sofia stayed in the bed, lost in her thoughts. Cedric had kissed her, and it was the most amazing, wonderful kiss. Far better than that time she and Hugo had stumbled through trying to get their first kisses out of the way, being the last of all their friends who hadn't done so. That kiss was all bumping teeth and noses, their hands remaining awkwardly dropped to their sides.

Cedric's kiss had even been better than she imagined it would be all the times she daydreamed about the sorcerer. She reached up and placed her fingers to her mouth, wanting to prolong the feeling of his lips on hers. She sighed, bringing herself back down to earth.

He only kissed her to get his wand back, it hadn't meant anything to him. It was silly to be sitting here feeling over the moon about the kiss while he was already upstairs moving on with his work like nothing happened.

Cedric sat at his desk, head held in his hands. Sofia must hate me. He griped. He knew she had feelings for someone else, that her heart was already spoken for, and he disregarded her feelings to get what he wanted. He stared at his wand, half-tempted to snap the blasted thing in two. He'd been so caught up in the moment, in the challenge she presented him. Her sweet giggles and cheeky smile overwhelmed his better judgement completely.

Why the hell did I kiss her? He let out a pained groan, trying in vain to put the thoughts of the night aside and focus on his work. He reread the first task several times, the words refusing to make sense. One week. In one week she would be presented to all the potential suitors at her ball. She'd receive untold amounts of offers, maybe even from the boy she really liked. He would have to sit idly by and watch all this unfold, and it would have been so much easier to do so without the knowledge of how she felt and tasted.

Those memories would torment him to his grave, he was sure of it. He couldn't let on, though. It would be better that she believed it had meant nothing for him, either, and went on with the life she really wanted. Eventually, he fell asleep with his shoulders slumped, face pressed against his desk.

He couldn't be sure how long he slept before she shook him awake. It was still dark outside, and his candle was burning low, struggling to light the small portion of room that the two of them occupied.

"Mr Ceedric, please wake up." Sofia sniffled as she grasped his shoulders, imploring him to rise. It was the sound that captured his attention, and he lifted his head to study the princess. Her eyes were rimmed with red, cheeks tear-stained. All of his wretched feelings returned, warring for his attention, but none of them mattered as much as the pained girl in front of him.

"More dreams?" He questioned, his voice still thick with sleep. He could just barely make out her nod, and with a groan he rose from his seat, blowing the candle out and using his wand to light their way back to his bedroom. He helped the shaky princess into bed, and stepped back.

"Are you leaving again?" Her voice trembled as she questioned him. He shook his head.

"Merely taking my shoes off, princess." He answered. He used the word princess as a shield, a reminder of the wall that must always remain between them. He was sure she was as aware of this fact as he was, but she said nothing.

Once his shoes and socks were off, he climbed into bed, and Sofia slid back and settled against him. Just this once, he reminded himself. Just tonight, and she goes back to her room where she belongs. Her breathing grew soft and even as she fell asleep beneath his arm. He leaned forward and chanced a quick kiss on her cheek, though he knew it was only adding to his torment to do so.

At some point, he must have fallen asleep, because the next thing he knew, it was morning, sunlight streaming in through the window near his bed. His bed was empty, and he rolled over to search the room for Sofia. When he couldn't find her, he dared to believe that he'd dreamed the whole night. It was sad to think the kiss had never happened, but it would also fix the entire problem.

Soon, he heard her voice up in his workshop, though, no doubt bidding Wormwood a good morning. With some effort, Cedric dragged himself out of bed, and headed upstairs to see what she was up to.

He found her in the adjacent room, curled up in his armchair with a large tome propped open in her lap.

"What are you reading?" He croaked out, his voice thick and groggy. She jumped at the sound and the book tried to fall to the floor, but she managed to rescue it.

"I... um, nothing?" She tried to state, but it came out more like a question, peaking Cedric's suspicions. He marched over and deftly retrieved the book from her hands, thumbing through it to find what she'd been so absorbed in. Finally hitting a page that gave him pause, he turned back to Sofia, who was doing her best to avoid his gaze.

"You usually sleep later than this." She pointed out, as if it excused her sneaking upstairs to research such a topic.

"I told you, Sofia, there's nothing magic can do for him." He replied, snapping the book shut and tucking it away on a nearby shelf.

"But that said-" She tried, but he wasn't going to hear her out.

"It says that you have to give up something equal in exchange. Do you have any idea what that means?" He lectured, his eyes narrowing at her as he spoke. She shook her head.

"Of course you don't. You're just a child. A princess, at that, not accustomed to fretting over the cost of anything." He knew it wasn't true, and he hated himself for saying it, but if she was really considering casting that spell, he would say anything to scare her away from it. Sofia opened her mouth to protest, but he stopped her.

"A life for a life, Sofia. A soul for a soul. With no guarantee that the man who comes back will be the same as the one who left." He explained the deal she would be making by casting the spell as plainly as possible.

"But, if there's a chance..." She whispered, still not looking at him.

"I know Baileywick means a great deal to you. You believe this dream was real, and that terrifies you. But forbidden magic is never the answer." He kept his tone firm, for the first time finding something he could refuse the princess, but regretting it all the same.

"I saved Wormwood." She countered, finally turning her eyes to him.

"Yes, and I thank you for it. But that dream was a coincidence, and this one is merely born from the worries about your friend." He insisted, still not fully convinced that these dreams meant anything in the first place.

"If I can save Baileywick, too, then I should try." She pressed on, still stubbornly ignoring his warnings.

"I would bind your magic first." Cedric warned, ignoring the anger that flashed across Sofia's face. He meant it, if he even suspected that she was about to try the spell, he would render her incapable of such a thing.

"Now, I believe I promised you that we could go visit." He said, walking back into his workshop to pull on his robe.