CEDRIC
XXII
"Congrats."
Cedric looked at Harry, not understanding what he was referring to.
"On your nomination," he clarified, his cheeks flushing red. "You're a good prefect. Who even visits injured students."
With his head down, Harry smiled.
Fidgeting in his place, Cedric felt uneasy.
"I really shouldn't be here," he commented, knowing that his presence was not part of the protocol. And even though he wouldn't get in trouble, he didn't like the idea of Harry thinking he was there because he had to. "I didn't come as a prefect. I wanted to make sure you were okay and tell you what an amazing match that was."
Harry looked at him with interest. "Were you supporting me?"
"Yes, you," he stated, hoping his words made sense as his face burned for the second time today, "and Ravenclaw. I have a friend on the team. Cho, the seeker." In a way, he was reminded of that afternoon they'd spent together, when Harry asked him who he supported when it was Gryffindor against Ravenclaw. And how could he forget the moment when Harry found out they both played in the same position. Cedric was nervous about expressing his sporting resolve and perhaps he shouldn't have added, "You must have met her."
Because that might have sounded like some kind of unfunny joke.
"I remember her," Harry replied with a slight frown, and a corner of his mouth turned up. "So you're a guy of two teams. How does that work out for you?"
That wasn't the reaction Cedric was expecting, even if he hadn't anticipated any. A loud voice behind him covered up his lack of answer. Running toward them, Oliver was practically yelling Harry's name. He stopped short and for a second he looked puzzled to see Cedric, but then he focused on the boy sitting on the hospital bed.
"Imagine my surprise when we arrived at the Gryffindor common room to celebrate such a wonderful victory and my star seeker is nowhere to be found," he began to say, barely pausing for air. "I leave the party to find him and what I hear is that he's in the hospital wing. What happened, Harry? You look fine."
"I am. I'm good -"
"And you've played very well, although I almost thought we'd lose you against Cho. I must tell you that even though you didn't listen to me when I told you not to be a gentleman, you have won without tricks. You didn't lose sight of the game because of a girl. That's what will make you a great captain someday. Merlin knows I tried with the Weasleys."
Oliver seemed to have run out of words to say about the match and was now just looking at Harry, who seemed to be a bit embarrassed. Perhaps it was due to the scolding tone or the compliments, Cedric wasn't sure. He wondered if by "losing because of a girl" he meant Harry fancied Cho, a statement that would justify his flushed expression quite accurately.
Cho was very pretty. What would she think if she knew Harry Potter had feelings for her? Perhaps he could introduce them.
"We should celebrate. They're waiting for us, but Gryffindors aren't very patient, you know."
Harry stood up and took a single step. "Go ahead, I'll catch up with you in a minute."
"Alright. Don't be late," the captain answered, in a way that barely managed to hide his disagreement. Before leaving the room, he glanced at Cedric with a small, friendly nod that made him smile. "Nice to see you, Diggory."
XXIII
Harry was standing so close to his side that Cedric felt the sudden silence in the empty room. Aware of Harry's shoulder against his arm, he watched him look up to meet his eyes. Even when he was a head taller than him, that closeness almost made him take a step back.
The green in his eyes shone as bright as he remembered it.
"I am sorry. Oliver gets excited sometimes."
"He was happy," he murmured in response, chuckling so low that in no way did it break the ice he himself had perceived in his throat. Why did he feel this way? "I shouldn't be delaying you. You have a party to go to."
"I wish I could invite you," Harry said in a suggestion he was not expecting.
A comforting warmth spread across Cedric's chest.
"I'd like to, but I don't think I'd be welcomed. You know, opposing teams and all that," he spoke without a hint of annoyance or outrage. Celebrating other houses' victories with them wasn't a usual thing among students. Still, he didn't want Harry to feel disappointed or guilty about throwing a party only with his team. Just the comment and intention were more than enough to impress him in the most touching (and difficult to express) way possible. "Don't worry. Have fun."
"Thanks." He ambled toward the door and turned to say goodbye. "It was really nice seeing you, Cedric. In the hospital again."
They both laughed.
"We should definitely stop meeting like this," he proposed because what kind of injury could Harry have by then? Cedric didn't even want to imagine it. "Are you going on the next trip to Hogsmeade? Maybe we could hang out. Visit one of the shops. They have amazing stuff." Cedric didn't realise he had moved closer until he was facing Harry. "If you don't have plans, which I'd completely understand."
For a moment he thought the answer would be negative.
"Sure," Harry replied, resuming his march. "I'll go. Yes."
With a see you later and a promise for Saturday in two weeks, they parted ways.
XXIV
That night Cedric lay in his bed thinking that his dreams would return. But what woke him up in the middle of the night was a knock on the door. Two soft touches, not loud enough for his roommates to do more than shift on their pillows, but it got Cedric on his feet in complete silence. A bit anxious, because it was not usual for someone to call at those hours, much less for him to meet another of the prefects when he opened it. Kevin, a seventh-year, wore a reserved expression and asked to speak in private.
Sirius Black had been seen inside Hogwarts.
Trying to remain calm, they checked each room and requested each person to stay in their places until morning. Then they went to the Great Hall, where an emergency meeting was taking place. Cedric had never seen all the prefects together in one place, and as he navigated past unfamiliar faces in their nightclothes, he bumped into his best friend, Tam, whom he greeted with a grimace.
"A prefect from each house should stay in their common room," Percy, from Gryffindor, said aloud, the faint glow of his badge on his sweater standing out in the dim lights. "Some of them must be awake and worried. Black was seen by Ron Weasley. The rest of us could go through each place in the castle in teams."
Some nodded.
Ron and Harry shared a room so... That meant Harry had been there too. Concern flared in his head as he began to wonder what had happened and if they were scared.
"Excellent idea." McGonagall walked through the open space towards them. At the other end of the room was Dumbledore, in a sky blue robe, talking to Filch. "But I think you should all return to your common rooms. The castle is currently being inspected by professors. It's dangerous, go back in groups. Ask the entrance not to be opened unless it is by one of you until further notice. We will be informing you of the new security measures, and we hope not only that you follow them but also that you promote their correct application by students."
The prefects moved to divide into small groups. Except for Cedric, whose footsteps followed Percy at a prudent distance. He overheard McGonagall ask him, "Are you sure Potter is alright?"
Someone grabbed him by the arm.
Unable to listen to the answer, Tam led him towards the exit, where the other four Hufflepuff prefects stood so still and pale as ghosts. In a deathly silence, they returned to their common room and, since no one could go to sleep, all of them sat in the armchairs.
"How do you think he got in?" Jane asked in a whisper that filled the room.
"How do you think he got out of Azkaban?" Kevin rested his elbows on his knees, looking at them over his glasses. "Hogwarts isn't difficult in comparison, even with the dementors on guard."
He was the only one who spoke firmly, being in seventh year he would have witnessed first hand what had happened in previous years. For Cedric and Tam, this was the first time they had been present at an event of such magnitude from that role. The responsibility that came with it felt like a complete bluff because what could a couple of teenagers do against something like that?
Would they even manage to defend themselves in a dangerous situation?
And what about protecting others?
Tam was pressing against his side, fidgeting with her leg. Cedric placed a hand on her arm, trying to calm her.
"Do you think he's here for Harry Potter?" she blurted out, her deep breath rattling against her chest. "We all know that..."
Harry had survived.
Black could be there to finish the job that He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had failed to do.
HARRY
XXIII
Ron and Hermione being worried about him was one thing.
The fact that Cedric had asked him if he was alright in the middle of a hallway when he was on his way to class two days after what had happened, was certainly nice .
Percy walking into his room every morning to wake them up, asking them to be at the front of all the lines he escorted to the Great Hall and back to the Gryffindor common room, was something else entirely. Harry wasn't even sure Percy liked him. Sometimes he thought he didn't agree with his friendship with his brother, as if Harry was a bad influence.
Perhaps it was, indeed, dangerous to be around him.
Black had been in their room.
He was trying not to be too alarmed. If Black wanted to hurt him, he probably would have done it already, right? It's not like a convict was going to control himself if that's what he intended to do. And Harry was still alive, distracted by classes and the thought of going to Hogsmeade with Cedric, which was silly because there were other more pressing matters. The curfew was strict and they were not allowed to leave the castle without a prefect or teacher accompanying them. Quidditch practice had been cut in half and Wood was fuming about it. He would beg Percy to escort them, but he often refused.
"We have a theory that McGonagall's mission for Percy is to protect you, Harry," Fred murmured as they walked towards the Great Hall, pointing at Percy from his place in the middle of the line. "Protect you from feeling even a little bit of joy. He cancels our practices, sits with us during meals and he doesn't find any of our jokes funny."
"It's almost like living with him," George added, his arm around his brother's shoulders despite the tumult. "Oh, the memories. I usually dust them off for the summer and here we are, so soon already."
Perhaps being in Percy's care was over, because they were still out of his reach among the students. But then Harry heard him call for them to join him in front and considered pretending he hadn't heard it. He had tried that before, and the prefect insisted until the end, so he gave an apologetic look to Ron and Hermione in advance.
Ron snorted as he went along.
Hermione, busy shuffling through the pages of one of his notebooks, followed with Ron's guidance.
Being in the front line had an advantage. Sometimes they would arrive at the Great Hall at the same time as the Hufflepuffs in the morning, and Harry would see Cedric leading the way with his perfect hair and a silver badge on his robes.
Harry didn't know how to greet him.
He seemed so much better at it.
A nod or a smile and Harry almost felt as if they were talking. Then Gryffindors would go into the Great Hall, because most of the time Percy would accept Cedric's offer to go first, and Harry would lose sight of him.
XXIV
The trip to Hogsmeade had been postponed. News that certainly made sense considering all the security measures, but that didn't stop most of the students from expressing their disagreement. Among them, Harry, who was sure he would also be disappointed if it didn't imply that his meeting with Cedric would take longer to happen. The plans he'd made with his friends to shop, have fun and forget about everything for a while sounded exactly like what he needed.
In those days he felt trapped within the walls of the castle.
He hadn't been able to visit Hagrid as much as he used to, which he hated because the Malfoy family had put so much pressure on the school that they had decided to put the hippogriff who had hurt Draco to death. No matter the fact that Draco had ignored the rules Hagrid explained in order to prevent injuries. From time to time Hagrid would come over to find Harry, Ron and Hermione and escort them to his cabin and then back to the main entrance. Hermione had advised him to demand a trial to reverse the sentence, and the three of them promised to help him find a defence.
It took a few long weeks for things to calm down with no new sightings. The curfew continued but Percy stopped being on the lookout for him every moment. McGonagall accompanied them to training, and the trip to Hogsmeade was rescheduled for the next weekend. Hermione insisted it wasn't safe for Harry to go. Not for lack of authorization, but for Black. Ron mentioned how hypocritical she was because she wouldn't miss it, and supported Harry, who convinced her that no one would be able to see him with an invisibility cloak on.
Only they would know he was there.
And Cedric, but he didn't dare to mention him.
He didn't know why. He wasn't used to keeping secrets nor getting so nervous about spending time with someone in a place other than the hospital wing when he wasn't even going to be visible. It's not like it is a date or anything , Harry thought in a vain attempt to relax. An idea that left him with a feeling he couldn't define with another word than strange .