"I was less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost." –Lord Voldemort talking to his Death Eaters. Goblet of Fire, Chapter 33, page 653, American Hardcover.

Our story begins on a warm July afternoon. The windows of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries were opened to let in some refreshing air. One Cedric Diggory happened to be volunteering here on this very day. For a while, however, the Hospital had been reluctant to give the sixteen year old any major work, afraid he would cause a problem without having the proper training. So Cedric ended up doing his Defense Against the Dark Arts homework whenever he wasn't off fetching something for one of the healers or mediwizards.

As Cedric began reading, he noticed something odd about a rare bit of magic- something called a horcrux. Apparently, it was supposed to prevent a person from truly dying. But it came with a price- in order to create one; someone would have to split their soul. In other words, they'd have to kill a fellow human and encase the soul fragment in an object of choice. Now Cedric, being the kind- hearted, farthest- thing- from- a- dark- wizard, Hufflepuff he was, could not possibly imagine doing such a horrible thing. Still, he couldn't help but wonder as to what it would be like to have the assurance that he could never completely die. His mind drifted off to contemplate how exactly this worked, and what might become of them if a person were to try to kill them after the procedure was complete.

At this moment, a healer came by, causing Cedric's train of thought to come to a crash. "Hey, Cedric," she said cheerfully. "Are you interested in doing a bit more serious stuff today?" Of course, Cedric was more than willing to get to work, so he followed her to the 3rd floor, for Potions and Plant Poisoning. "Ok, Cedric, this man just came in about an hour ago, and he had mistakenly ingested a poisonous potion two days ago. Unfortunately, he didn't realize until today, so it's definitely too late for us to give him an antidote or a bezoar. Now, he's probably gonna die by the end of today, so I just want you to make him as comfortable as possible, ok?"

"Yeah, I think I can do that," Cedric nodded, a little disappointed that the first patient he helped was going to die, but it was all part of the job, he supposed.

Entering the room and looking around, it seemed surprisingly cheerful, and peaceful for a hospital. Even Mr. Aldott, the patient, looked at ease. "LEAVE ME TO DIE! PLEASE! JUST KILL ME NOW!" he screamed, shooting up into a sitting position before collapsing back onto his pillow. Okay, maybe he wasn't at ease after all.

"Um, hi Mr. Aldott, how are you doing today," Cedric asked weakly

"Awful. Do me a favor, kid, and Avada me now," Mr. Aldott croaked, all his energy drained from his outburst.

"Uh, that's kind of illegal. I'm just here to make you as comfortable as possible, sir. Now if there's anything else I can do for you; maybe fluff your pillows, get you some water or an extra blanket..."

"Look, kid. You seem like a good guy, the kind that likes to do the right thing, be friendly to everyone; a loyal guy. You're a Hufflepuff, am I right?"

"well, yeah."

"Then do the right thing, and put me out of my misery now."

"Mr. Aldott, if you don't mind me asking; why do you want me to kill you so badly?"

"Just look at me, kid. I'm in horrible shape. Even before I swallowed that dang poison, I could barely see, or walk, or anything. Now, to make things worse, my insides are practically a fire pit, and the pain's starting to spread to my head. I've got nothing to live for, and I'm going to die by the end of today, probably. Why should I have to suffer longer, when the solution is just an incantation away?"

"I…I guess I see your point. But Avada Kedavra? I'm not even sure I could do it, or how I'd feel about myself if I did.."

"Kid, you're sixteen, right?"

"Yes."

"Taking N.E.W.T. level Defense Against the Dark Arts?"

"Yeah.."

"Did'ja come across something called a horcrux?"

"Yes, I did. But what's that got to do with anything?"

"I'm sure you're wondering how it'll work. I'll bet you don't wanna die. You wanna have the constant assurance that you'll be safe if someone tried to kill you. Here's your chance, kid. You won't be doing anything wrong at all- you'll be doing me a favor. Don't let an old man suffer any longer, just get it over with. Nobody will know, they'll think I just died in my sleep. What do you say?"

"You're sure about this, Mr. Aldott?"

"As sure as I've ever been."

Cedric stood there, staring into Mr. Aldott's eyes before saying, "Ok. I'll do it, sir."

"Thanks, kid. You're all right."

"You're welcome Mr. Aldott," Cedric said before pulling out his wand and whispering the incantation, "Avada Kedavra." In a flash of green, Mr. Aldott was gone. Cedric had chosen his wristwatch for a horcrux, as it was the most valuable thing he had with him, having gotten it from his great- grandfather.

After he was sure it was all over, he propped Mr. Aldott's head up on an extra pillow, added another blanket, and put a half- full cup of water on the side table. Then, he went into the hall, and informed the first Healer he saw that Mr. Aldott had died.

"Really," she asked sadly "that's awful. Was he peaceful?"

"Oh yes. I gave him some water, an extra pillow, and another blanket, and he told I was a good kid, and then went to sleep. After about 10 minutes or so, he stopped breathing."

"He died in his sleep…well, that's always the best way to go, isn't it? You did a fine job, Cedric. Maybe we should give you a little more to do around here, huh?"

"I'd like that, miss."

September, 1994

The Triwizard tournament- what better way to describe it as a chance for anyone (17 or older, or course) to take part in a bunch of dangerous challenges in order to prove him or herself. Now, Cedric Diggory just so happened to be seventeen years old. But wait- those challenges are extremely deadly, what if something were to happen to Hufflepuff's hero? Of course nothing will happen, silly readers. Cedric Diggory has a horcrux on his side, after all.

Thus, Cedric Diggory walked up to the Goblet of Fire on that fateful September day like a Gryffindor, and entered himself into the tournament.

Then again, Cedric couldn't help but wonder, 'What if the horcrux doesn't work? What if I didn't do it correctly and I die?' Well, then, if it didn't work, at least he gave it his all.

June, 1995

Cedric Diggory- killed by Peter Pettigrew on Lord Voldemort's orders. Thus, the horcrux had failed. Or did it? Because there was no doubt that the procedure had been a success. He only appeared to be dead. So, what happened to Cedric? Where is he now? The answer is simple enough if you think. Lord Voldemort himself had created horcruxes, and when he was 'destroyed' he was 'less than spirit, less than the meanest ghost' now, what is less than a spirit? Less than a ghost? Less than Human? I think we all know what he became. After Cedric Diggory was 'killed', he was turned into a sparkly vampire.

A/N- so, what'd you think of that ending? How many of you expected it? I know I didn't. (oh, wait, that was the whole reason I wrote it. Never mind ^.^) I have no problem with twilight, just so you know. I do find the hate humor to be funny, though, so I thought I'd give it a shot. Do you still see Cedric as a good guy? I'd love for you all to tell me how I did! Please review!

Thanks for reading!

Love,

Lindsay

P.S.- I know that 6th years don't actually study horcruxes, but let's just say they did?