HARRY POTTER | ONESHOTS |

19- Cedric Diggory

Y/n watches on in horror as Cedric makes his way out into the arena to face the dragon, her heart deafening the sound of the cheers around her as it slams against her chest.

He looks up at the crowd smiling up at his housemates, schoolmates, and guests, gaining even more cheers. As soon as he sees Y/n, he waves up at her, and she, obviously, waves back.

Out of the corner of her eye, she sees movement from the other side of the arena and breaks eye contact for a second, watching as the Swedish Short-Snout creeps its way toward the Hufflepuff champion. "Be careful, Ced!" She calls down to her best friend, pointing to his obstacle, hoping he can hear her.

Cedric looks over and hides behind a rock, pulling out his wand for protection, seconds later feeling the heat of fire blowing from the dragon's mouth. Some of the audience members gasp while others cheer at the spectacle, all while Y/n feels like she's going to pass out at the sheer horror of her friend being offered up as bait for people's entertainment.

Cedric, on the other hand, stays calm and collected as he uses his magic to transfigure a rock into a labrador puppy. He ignores the awes and laughs and watches the dragon get distracted, trying the burn the small creature for a snack.

Taking this as his opportunity to grab the golden egg, he bolts from behind the half scorched rock toward the prize.

The dragon, too deep in distraction, doesn't realize the sudden movement and continues on focusing on the tiny, artificial puppy, trying to burn it.

"Come on Ced!" Y/n shouts excitedly, as loud as she can to be potentially heard over the cheering. He looks up at her, winks, and continues running.

"What was that about?" Her friend asks, nudging her side suggestively.

"How am I supposed to know? He was probably just letting me know he heard me."

"Oh, sure," They drawl sarcastically. "I'm pretty sure he fancies you, you know. Not only has he been using every excuse in the book to talk to you, but he also waved directly at you at the start of the tournament, and he just now stopped dead in his tracks to wink at you. Cedric Diggory. You know, the boy you-"

"Okay, okay, I get it. And so what? Those things don't mean he fancies me. we've been friends since first year. Best friends."

"So what?! Friends catch feelings for each other all the time." They say.

A sudden, collective gasp from the crowd draws their attention and both of them look down to see that the dragon has burned one half of Cedric's face as he was reaching out for the egg.

"I feel like I'm gonna pass out," Y/n whispers, feeling woozy at the sight of his burnt face.

Despite the injury, Cedric grabs the egg and runs back to safety, luckily without getting burned again.

"You should go make sure he's okay," Her friend suggests.

"I need to make sure I'm okay, I feel like I'm going to hurl."

"Stop being such a drama queen and go," They push her from her seat in the stands and Y/n reluctantly continues walking until she reaches the tent where the other champions reside.

As soon as she walks in, heads turn in her direction.

"Miss L/n, what are you doing in here?" Dumbledore asks, although he already has an inkling about her reason.

"Is Cedric still here, or has he gone to the infirmary?" She asks, fiddling with her fingers, refusing to look anywhere but her hands.

"I'm right here," Cedric smiles, waving her over from a small medical station where Madame Pomfrey tends to his wound.