Edric

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Twilight.

Note: So when I initially got the idea, I wanted it be a humor fic, but…*sigh* Cedric and Carlisle just weren't cooperating.

"It's always so tragic when a young life must be cut short like this," a somber voice remarked.

Cedric opened his eyes to see a tall blonde man standing a few feet off and staring at the stars.

"Ah, you're awake," the pale stranger said, turning to him.

"Who are you? Where am I? What happened?" Cedric asked, starting to panic.

"What happened indeed…That is what I was hoping you could tell me," the man said. "But to answer your first two questions, I am Carlisle Cullen and you, my friend, are back at Hogwarts."

"Weren't you that vampire I heard about?" Cedric asked, wondering why he was there.

Instead of being offended, Carlisle chuckled. "Quite possibly, depending on what you've heard. Don't worry, though, you're not in danger. Well, not from me, at least."

Cedric tensed. "What do you mean? Why would I be in danger?"

"Because you're not dead," Carlisle said matter-of-factly.

"Am I supposed to be?"

"I don't know. Perhaps you could tell me the last thing you remember and I can tell you why people think you are," Carlisle suggested.

"It was the third task of the Triwizard Tournament. Krum attacked me and Harry saved me. We both got to the Cup at the same time and we each kept insisting that the other one take it; me because he saved me and him because his leg was busted up. Eventually, Harry decided that the argument wasn't really going anywhere and that it didn't really matter anyway so he suggested we both touch the Cup and have a dual Hogwarts victory," Cedric began. He paused, not entirely certain what had happened next.

"We somehow ended up in a graveyard; I think the Cup was a Portkey." Seeing the confusion on Carlisle's face, Cedric hastened to add, "It's something that allows you to teleport from one place to another if you don't know where it is or are underage. Harry and I didn't know it was a Portkey and I really don't think that that was part of the tournament. Anyway, Harry and I had just taken our wands out when I heard this voice say 'Kill the Spare' and then there was all this green light and…Oh my God…" Cedric trailed off, horrified. "Avada Kedavra."

"Pardon?"

"The killing curse. I got hit by the killing curse. I'm dead. Why am I not dead?"

"This curse…it always kills, without exception?" Carlisle asked carefully.

Cedric laughed ruefully. "Well, unless you're Harry bloody Potter, then yes." He paused. "I don't have a scar on my forehead, do I? Possibly in the shape of a lightning bolt?"

Carlisle leaned over and brushed his hair out of the way. "None that I can see. And do you know why this other boy survived this same curse?"

Cedric shrugged. "Power of love?" At Carlisle's skeptical look, he elaborated, "He was, like, one at the time so no one really knows what happened, although he did manage to also kill the most evil wizard around at the time, so who really knows."

"And this boy, Harry, he is…normal?"

Cedric snorted. "Well, not exactly. In fact, there was a rumor earlier this year that the curse gave him brain damage and he somehow manages to get himself nearly killed on a monthly basis. Seriously, if there is anything even remotely dangerous going on at Hogwarts, he'll find a way to run into it."

"But he's grown normally?" Carlisle pressed.

"Well, he's a bit short and he has a very distinctive scar, but other than that, yeah, he looks like your average fourth year, why?"

Carlisle shook his head. "Nothing, he is not one of us."

"One of…us? You mean, a vampire?" Cedric asked.

Carlisle looked straight at him. "One of us."

"Again with the us," Cedric said, starting to get agitated. "But I'm not a vampire. I can't be."

"Your heart is not beating," Carlisle informed her calmly. "And your skin is as cold as mine. I don't know what color your eyes were before, but right now they're amber. You were hit by a curse that kills in all cases but one and do not bear the mark the sole survivor does."

"But…but…" Cedric trailed off, the reality of the situation beginning to dawn on him. "How?"

"Since turning you into a vampire obviously wasn't the purpose of the curse, I'd say that the caster probably made a mistake. Was he a very powerful wizard, do you know?"

Cedric shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. He must not have been if he managed to turn me into a bloody vampire with an Avada Kedavra. I mean, I know Professor Moody said that you have to mean the Unforgivables, but this is just ridiculous."

"I am not a wizard and am not an expert on wizarding culture, but it seems to me that the one who killed you made a serious mistake indeed if he also managed to turn you into a vampire. I have never seen anything like this before as usually one has to be bitten by a vampire and the venom kills them and then they undergo a torturous transformation that lasts for days."

"I suppose I lucked out, then," Cedric said, a bit bitterly. "But why am I in danger?"

Carlisle hesitated. "Your kind…is not very accepting of nonhuman magical creatures such as ourselves. Additionally, while waiting for you to awaken, I heard Dumbledore discussing the return of a wizard known as Voldemort. From what I understand, he is a quite serious threat and if his people killed you, revealing your continued existence would make you a target."

"You-Know-Who is back?" Cedric asked, horrified. "How…how is that even…"

"I do not know, but that is not really our concern right now. We have to get you out of here."

"But…I can't just leave everyone behind," Cedric protested. "I can't just leave my LIFE behind. Mom and Dad, Cho, Anthony, Roger…I can't."

"You have to," Carlisle told him gently. "You are already dead; you will remain exactly as you are for hundreds of years to come. Your human friends and families will keep growing and changing and eventually leave you behind. They will grow old and die and you won't, so you see, Cedric, there really is no going back."

"I can't take anyone with me?" Cedric asked desperately. "No one at all? I'm suddenly all by myself and can't ever contact anyone I know ever again?"

"You could, of course, take any or all of them with you," Carlisle nodded. "The question is, do you really want to? Your life was stolen from you and I'm sorry for that, but it happened and nothing can ever change that. Would you really want to do the same to anyone you really care about?"

"No," Cedric said quietly. "I guess I wouldn't."

"As far as telling people goes, since most if not all of the people you're close to know of the existence of vampires, you can tell them at your discretion. You need to keep this quiet, of course, for your protection and so I and my brethren are not implicated in your death; however you may tell anyone you see fit of your fate as long as you impress the need for secrecy upon them. The question is, of course, who would you want to tell that you believe would be happier knowing that you're a vampire than thinking that you died, knowing that you probably would never be able to see them again, or at least not for a few years."

Cedric closed his eyes tightly. He wasn't quite sure how anyone would take the news, although he supposed that he could understand-on an intellectual level, at least-why he'd need to stay away. "I think I'll tell my parents."

"Just your parents?"

Cedric nodded. "Everyone else will get over me."

- -

"So you're sure that that log will stay in your form until after it's buried?" Carlisle asked for the third time.

Cedric sighed. "Yes, I'm positive, unless they put off the funeral for weeks, we should be safe. And even if it does wear off, that'll just point to a grave robber."

"How did the talk with your parents go?" Carlisle asked tentatively.

"It…went. I think they were just so thrilled that I'm still ali-that I'm still existing," he corrected, "that the fact that I'm now a vampire hasn't really hit them yet. It will, though, and I promised that I'd come see them in a year or so, so hopefully they'll have more-or-less accepted it by then."

"That's good," Carlisle nodded approvingly. "Have you given any thought as to where you'll go?"

"Yeah, I have. I think I'd like to go travelling, see the world, now that I have practically eternity. But not yet. I mean, I think I'm still in shock, I can't possibly be taking things so well."

Carlisle raised an eyebrow, clearly not agreeing with Cedric's definition of 'taking things well.'

"I am!" Cedric insisted. "I mean, you should have seen me after I was picked to be a Hogwarts Champion in the Tournament."

"You could always stay with my family," Carlisle offered. "I mean, I know I didn't turn you, but I was still there to witness your rebirth-so to speak- and so I feel a bit responsible."

"Really?" Cedric was touched. "Thank you."

"I'll understand if you don't want to share what really happened with them and you'll need a new alias anyway as 'Cedric Diggory' was a high-profile murder victim. If you wish, you may make use of my last name of Cullen, as other members of my family have chosen to do."

Cedric nodded. "Alright. And as for a first name, well, my middle name is Edward, would that work?"

"Edward Cullen," Carlisle said slowly, trying it out. "What do you think?"

"I like it," Edward said. "It's simple but elegant."

"More importantly, it is an old name, so you can pretend to be far older than you are in order to further disguise your past."

"Good idea. Maybe we can add a century or so to my age. How did I become a vampire?" Edward asked.

"Hm," Carlisle tapped his chin, thinking. "I've been around since the 1600's and have worked as a doctor ever since I got used to being a vampire. Let me tell you, I was the epitome of not taking it well. You can have been a patient of mine during the influenza epidemic of 1918. You and your mother were brought to me as patients and it was your mother's dying wish that I save you, so as you lay dying I changed you into a vampire. You soon chafed under my strict no-human diet and travelled the world, a vigilante of sorts, only killing the criminal elements. Eventually you decided you did not have the right to play God and are now returning."

"Wow, you've really thought this out, haven't you?" Edward remarked. "Have you had to make up a backstory on the spot before?"

Carlisle merely smiled. "It never hurts to be prepared. But that reminds me, what is your stance on feeding on humans?"

Edward just stared at him. "I was a human only a few hours ago."

"So you won't mind sustaining yourself with animal blood?"

Edward made a face. "I'd rather not, but if humans are the only alternative, I think I can manage."

"Now, Alice will probably already know all about you, but she should have the sense to not mention you-as-Cedric in front of anyone else. I can just tell that Esme is just going to love you. Don't worry, Edward, we'll take care of you."

Review, please!