A/N: I don't know… I threw this together very late at night, so I'm not too sure how good it is… Actually, where this ended up was not at all what I was going for, but oh well. So, I hope you enjoy it!

"Ugh, I can't believe this!" I fumed, pacing back and forth in one of the unused classrooms that Hogwarts seemed to have too many of.

"Harry, calm down, it's not the end of the world!" I stopped in my tracks and spun around.

"Not the end of the world? NOT THE END OF THE WORLD?! Cedric, have you seen this?!" I asked, angrily throwing down the copy of The Daily Prophet I had been holding onto one of the desks beside us.

"'I suppose I get my strength from my parents', 'I know nothing will hurt me during the tournament because they're watching over me'. Oh, and let's not forget that at night I still cry over them!" I spat, mimicking lines from the sickening article on the desk.

"Yes Harry, I've seen it." He said quietly.

"I did not say any of that stuff!" I growled. He simply stared at me.

"What?" I snapped.

"Nothing… I actually think they're very heartfelt words. Very compassionate." He said, obviously having a hard time trying to keep a straight face.

"Cedric! It's not funny!" I whined, glaring at him.

"I know, I know." He said, his face becoming serious. "Just trying to make you feel better."

"Well it's not working." I snapped, anger bubbling inside of me.

"Harry, it's just a stupid article. No one's gonna buy any of this stuff." Said Cedric, gesturing to the Prophet. I remained silent.

"It's not just the article, is it?" he asked gently, after a moment.

"What makes you say that?" I asked. He gave me a "Oh, come on" kind of look and raised an eyebrow at me.

That did it for me.

I sighed and sunk down into one of the many desks in the classroom and put my face in my hands, close to tears. I heard Cedric come over and kneel down next to the desk.

"Harry, what's wrong?" he asked softly, putting his hand on my knee. I lowered my hands and looked at him, fighting back tears.

"Nothing. I'm fine." I muttered.

"Don't lie to me Harry." He said, reaching out to brush away a tear that had managed to break free and was now rolling down my cheek. I turned my head away at the touch, embarrassed by my own weakness.

"Harry…" he whispered. "Talk to me."

"Everything's falling apart, Ced." I began, looking into his eyes, seeing a kind of intent concern in them. He nodded for me to go on. "Ron doesn't believe that I didn't put my name in that stupid cup, nor does the rest of the school. They all think I'm just some fame driven moron, desperate for anything that'll get me noticed… I really don't want any of this. I'm going crazy over the first task, which isn't very far off. And now this…" I trailed off. I felt his hand on my cheek again. I looked down at him.

"I could talk to the Hufflepuffs if you like. Try to get them to stop giving you such a hard time." He offered.

"No, that's ok. It's fine." I mumbled.

"I'll talk to them." He said firmly. I gave him a small smile, grateful.

"As for Ron, I'm sure he'll come around. He'd be crazy not to." He said with a grin.

"Really?" I asked, like a little kid who had just been promised ice cream. He chuckled and stood up, holding his hand out to me.

"Yeah. Really." I smiled, taking his hand and allowing him to pull me up and into his arms. He returned my smile and captured my lips in a gentle kiss.

"It'll be ok Harry." He whispered against my lips.

"I know." I said. "Just… Don't leave… Ok?" I asked, desperate for him to understand how important it was.

"I'm not going anywhere, Harry. I promise."

--Fin