Summary: "He's dead, Cho," Marietta said, her eyes filled with tears. "He's dead and isn't coming back."

Disclaimer: I have no claim to Harry Potter.

"Tied for first place, Harry Potter and Cedric Diggory!" Bagman announced.

The crowd cheered wildly, a mass of faces, but all Cedric could see was Cho, beaming at him, her eyes betraying a touch of nervousness. "Win for me," she had said earlier, and Cedric had promised to try. He touched his cheek softly, remembering the way Cho had kissed him and thrown her arms around him.

It was funny - all those people, all those friends up there, but his eyes were only for Cho. She had entered his notice at the beginning of that year when she smiled at him, surrounded by a group of friends, and then turned away. Since then he had never been able to forget her, He watched her during lunch, watched her during classes, even in the hallways, sometimes he would just stop and stare until one of his friends brought him out of his reverie. Sometimes she would look back.

She was kind and sweet. She hated to disappoint people. She was emotional and innocent. Cedric wished her eternal happiness or at least for her to remain untouched by tragedy. Cho attracted people, friends. There was something about her. Just being with her uplifted Cedric. It was the way she smiled, looking so free. It was the way she went out of her way for other people and never put them down. It was the way happiness seemed to come so naturally to her that she had never even learned how to forget grief.

Cho looked at him, her eyes shining with pride and yet uncertainty. She mouthed something at Cedric, which he couldn't pick out. But if he could hazard a guess, he would guess "I love you."

He hoped that that was it, because he loved her too, he realized now. He wanted, more than anything, to make her proud. And even more, he wanted to do the right thing, for her sake, because she would do the right thing.

Cedric squared his shoulders, tore his gaze from her, and entered the maze.

As Cho watched Cedric, she wasn't imagining him winning. She wasn't imagining him picking up the cup. She wasn't looking forward to when he came out of the maze. It would be safe, she told herself as her heart beat faster. The teachers knew what they were doing. But more than ever before, she feared for his safety.

It wasn't the same as the second task, when she was sleeping underwater. Not even the first, where she could watch. As Cho watch Cedric walk up to the maze she felt a hint of foreboding. His gaze moved towards her and she beamed to cover it, but it felt fake. Because all she could think about was the numerous people who had sent away their loved ones, only to never have them come back.

Her breath caught in her throat at the thought. He would come back! He would! She was being paranoid, there was nothing that could go wrong. Yes, he might not be unharmed, a thought that made Cho cringe, but he would come out. She had faith in him. He hadn't become the - a - Hogwarts champion for nothing.

And yet…"win for me", she remembered telling him. Now she wished she had said "live for me". Because she was scared, no, terrified. He couldn't die, she loved him! She loved him! Oh, how she wished she had realized it earlier, told him earlier. Tears stung her eyes, making them look brighter. He was looking straight at her. Cho mouthed "I love you, Cedric" at him but didn't know if he saw, know if he understood. Cedric squared his shoulders and disappeared into the maze. And then all she could do was wait.

It was taking too long, Cho realized. People began whispering to each other that something had gone wrong. Already Fleur and then Krum had been brought out, unconscious, and screams had been heard. Panic rushed through her. Cedric was still in the maze. Why didn't he just send a shower of sparks? Harry Potter could get the cup, she just wanted Cedric alive. Oh Cedric, come out, she begged. Come back.

And then two people appeared. Cho recognized both of them instantly, one was Cedric, but he wasn't moving. And the other - it was Harry. But what had happened to him? His leg was bleeding and he was shaking like he had been tortured. And he was holding the cup.

"Diggory," Cho heard numbly, and then "dead." Her breath caught at that and she turned away. No! He was stunned, that was all, and they could enervate him and he'd be fine. Oh, why didn't they just enervate him? Why wouldn't they wake him up?

"He's dead, Cho," Marietta said quietly next to her as if in answer to her question.

"No. He isn't. He can't be!" Cho said blankly. "He isn't!"

"He's dead Cho," Marietta repeated as Cho's vision swam, and all she could hear was Marietta. "He's dead and he isn't coming back."

"He can't be," Cho said desperately. "Tell me he isn't!"

Marietta looked at Cho, her eyes filled with tears and pity. "I'm sorry Cho," she said, her voice choked, "but I can't."

"NO!" Cho screamed. "He isn't!" She began shaking Marietta. "Stop it! STOP IT!"

"He's d-" Marietta said before she couldn't hold back her tears and let them fall freely.

"Stop it! Please! Why are you doing this to me?" Cho demanded, shaking Marietta harder. "Why?"

Marietta just shook her head, gasping for breath between tears, unable to speak.

They were leaving now, going back into the school. Cho stood up numbly, unable to speak, unable to cry, unable to believe. She couldn't.

"I love him," Cho said.

Marietta went with her when she wanted to see Cedric, needed to see Cedric, even though she said it would only make it worse. Cho knelt down beside the unmoving body and put her ear to his heart. For a moment she imagined a steady beat, but there was none. He was dead.

"Why? Why?" Cho demanded, crying on Marietta's shoulder. "He was a good person!"

Marietta shook her head helplessly. "I'm sorry, Cho."

As Cho wept Marietta patted her on the back, smoothing her hair, drying her eyes, helping her to their dormitory. The other Ravenclaws gave them privacy, respecting her grief, her loss.

She learned that Cedric and Harry had taken the cup together, that Harry had offered to take it together. She couldn't be mad at Harry for trying to be generous. But a few tears wobbled out when she was told that, a few tears, no more. And her own words echoed at her. "Win for me".

Cedric had won the Triwizard Tournament. But Cho wished that he had lived.