A nervous buzz had been spreading through the castle all day on the eve of the Third Task, and the atmosphere was not helping Cedric's confidence. Yes, he was worried. With the other two tasks, he had at least had a vague idea what was coming, and therefore a way to prepare, to keep his hands and brain occupied. This time, there was no knowing what lay in store.
At dinner and in the common room afterwards, Cedric had been fidgeting so much and was unable to tune into anyone's conversations, so his friends had sent him outside with Cho to get some fresh air. He appreciated it - he always found Cho's presence comforting. Perhaps it was her sensitivity: she always seemed to know what he needed, and right then she could tell that Cedric didn't want to be pressured into talking, he wanted some quiet to submit to his thoughts. She was happy to sit there and keep him company for as long as he needed.
"You know," Cedric began, sighing, after they'd been sitting in silence for a while, "I always ask people not to wish me luck before a Quidditch match. Because in Quidditch, it's not down to luck - it's down to how you've trained and prepared. But this..." He shook his head, looking lost. "In this, it's just entirely down to the luck of the draw, isn't it?"
"Don't think like that, Ced," Cho told him immediately. "You have prepared - you've learnt all those spells, haven't you?"
"Spells that might be completely irrelevant," he argued, running his hands through his hair nervously. "I have no idea what's in there; they might not help me at all."
Cho looked at him sympathetically, failing to hide the concern from her face. "Please, Cedric, believe in yourself. You're a talented, experienced wizard, and you sailed through the last two tasks." She kissed him, and Cedric felt some of the tension leaving his body. "I love you, Cedric, and I know you can win this."
Cedric shook his head violently. "Thanks, Cho, but please don't talk about winning," he pleaded. "All I can think about is surviving."
A/N: For Women's Football in the 2012 Hogwarts Games and also for the Pairing Diversity Boot Camp with the prompt "nerves", both on HPFC. Hope you liked it!
Disclaimer: Yeah, you should know this by now, but I'm not JKR.