Hey everyone, I just decided to write this up cause I was board at work. Hope you enjoy it. I don't own Harry Potter though I wish I did. Sigh. Oh well. On with the Story!

Summary: What if Cedric didn't die in the graveyard? What if Harry was the one to die? This is my version of what could have happened. I haven't read the book in a few years so ya, be gentle. R&R

The Boy No One Knew

Cedric and Harry smiled at each other as they both reached to claim the cup as a Hogwarts victory. But as soon as they grabbed it they knew something was wrong. They felt the pull against their navels and found that the cup was a portkey. When they stopped spinning they fell over causing Harry to injure his leg even more.

Cedric crawled to where Harry was and helped him stand supporting him partially. They both looked around noticing that they were in a graveyard, but neither of them noticed the snake slithering up behind them until it was too late. Nagini reared back and struck Harry on the leg. A burning pain shot up his leg before he collapsed again. The burning didn't stop, but spread throughout his entire body. He felt like his blood was burning him from the inside.

Harry's scream of pain alerted the other occupants of the graveyard and two spells were shot at the boys, binding them so that they couldn't escape. Through his haze of pain Harry could feel that Voldemort was near, but he could do nothing but whimper in pain as the cruel laugh echoed through his head.

Cedric looked frantically around at the laughter trying to find where it was coming from; he saw something that made his blood run cold. The hissing laughter was coming from this baby sized thing in a short, bald man's arms. "So," the thing hissed, "Nagini, my pet, has found the Potter brat and a spare. Wormtail tie the spare to the headstone over there; let Potter suffer, while he watches my rebirth! I think I will just let Nagini's venom kill him, it is quite the painful death." Cedric felt himself being levitated over to a headstone and bound to it magically. Cedric looked around and saw the markings of a ritual area.

Cedric turned his attention back to Harry, who was lying on the ground near the cup. His face was contorted in pain but he only whimpered quietly making no other sound. Suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his arm, he looked and saw that he had been cut deep and his blood was being collected with the accompanying chant, "Blood of an enemy forcibly taken, you shall resurrect your foe." Cedric watched in horrified fascination as the man, Wormtail, cut off his own hand into the cauldron.

Suddenly there was a bright light and explosion blowing up the cauldron, scattering debris everywhere. Cauldron pieces just missed Harry and Cedric. Cedric fell to the ground as the magical bindings came undone, due to Wormtail being knocked out or killed. He got to his hands and knees summoning his wand to him. He looked to Harry and saw that the snake was about to strike Harry again so he sent a cutting hex at the snake decapitating it.

Cedric ran to Harry and dropped to his knees next to the other boy. He gently gathered the younger boy in his arms trying not to cause Harry anymore pain. Harry opened his eyes and Cedric saw how glossy and dim they were, telling him how close Harry was to dying here. "Harry stay with me here, I will get you back to the school and get you the anti-venom." He stated trying not to panic. He felt Harry nod and he looked at the cup lying so close to them. He saw as he reached for the cup that Harry's wand was right next to it, he grabbed the wand and placed it in his wand holster.

He was about to grab the cup when he heard a faint, "Ced." He looked down at Harry and he said again, "Ced…so cold…hurts…so much…much worse that uncle…so cold…" Cedric pulled Harry closer and whispered, "It's ok Harry, I will get you back to the school and then you will get fixed up right as rain." Cedric had tears pouring down his face begging to the fates to not let Harry die. Harry just shivered in his arms and with a short look at the smaller boy he summoned the cup to him and a short spin later they were back at the school.

Cedric didn't realize that he was crying as Harry kept repeating, "so cold, Ced, so cold." Harry's skin was very pale and clammy but he was also sweating. "Ced I can see my mum, she is so beautiful." That sentence was what spurred Cedric to cry out, "HELP! Someone Help!" That was when the Headmaster, Snape, and Poppy all arrived.

"Cedric, what happened?" Poppy asked as she threw a diagnostic spell at Harry. She took one look at the readings and gasped, "Severus do you have your general anti-venom with you? He has been bitten. Severus nodded and reached into his robe for the anti-venom and gave it to Poppy. Poppy took Harry from Cedric and got him to swallow the potion, only to have Harry puke it up again half a minute later.

Poppy turned to Cedric and asked, "Cedric, do you know what type of snake bit Harry? The only reason that he would puke up the general anti-venom is because it wasn't strong enough to counteract the venom in his system and he would die if it stayed in his system." Cedric shook his head and said, "I don't know what type it was, all I know is that that thing called it Nagini."

Poppy gasped turning to Severus to ask if he had anti-venom for that particular snake, but when she opened her mouth to ask he was already shaking his head. "I don't have anti-venom for her, she can change her venom with just a thought and then the anti-venom if there was one would be useless. If we give him anything he will be in three times more pain than he is now, only making him suffer more before he would finally pass. Not even Bozar would work on him now, if we were able to give it to him within the first five minutes of him being bitten then it would have been effective against…All we can do is make him as comfortable as possible, with being in that much pain." This last part was said so quietly that Poppy almost didn't hear it. She had never in her whole career of knowing him heard Severus sound so defeated.

Because of a Privacy bubble that Dumbledore had erected around them, none of the crowd spectators knew what was happening and thankfully they had not heard this conversation. Albus finally spoke up, since he was inside the privacy bubble, and looking every one of his 258 years and then some he said, "Let's get them both to the Hospital Wing, I will contact the Weasley's, they are Harry's family and should know. We caught the person who placed Harry's name in the Goblet. Bartimus Crouch JR. was polyjuicing as Moody." Both adults nodded and Poppy asked for Severus to take Harry up to the Hospital Wing while she helped Cedric up there. Severus nodded and taking Harry, very gently, into his arms and walked quickly towards the castle.

The crowd was shocked to see Severus Snape, General Ass and greasy git, carrying Harry Potter in his arms. But Severus ignored them in favor of getting to the castle quickly. Harry has shaking badly now causing Severus to hold him tighter to his body. Harry was mumbling incoherently. Once they reached the castle he could make out some of what Harry was saying. "Hurts" and "Ced" were the most frequently said.

Severus looked around making sure no one was around to see this. Satisfied he looked down at the tiny form in his arms noticing not for the first time, but the first time he acknowledged to himself, just how small and light Harry was and how frail he looked. He now noticed just how unlike James Potter he looked and found he saw more of Lily in this moment besides his eyes. "Feser," was stated quietly startling Severus from his thoughts. He looked into Harry's cloudy green eyes and saw pain, fear, worry and resignation. "I'm scared Feser, hurts so much." Severus felt his cold heart break with the realization that Harry knew he was dying. "Hush child, I won't leave you alone," Severus said quietly. "Feser…mum forgives…you…not your fault…says not blame yourself…was her time…sorry couldn't…tell you herself..." Harry suddenly started coughing and gasping for breath. Severus noticed the blood coming from Harry's mouth after his coughing settled, and almost ran the rest of the way to the Hospital Wing.

Harry tried to speak again when Severus said, "Hush Harry, save your strength." Harry ignored him and said, "mum says punish…Tunia…for harming her…pronglet…" more coughing, "Tell Weasley's they are family…Mione too…tell Ced…not his fault…not yours either…it's my time…lived longer…than imagined…I would…He's gone…can't feel him anymore…" "Who is gone Harry?" "Vol…Vol…Vol…Tom…Tell Siri…Wormtail in…graveyard…Ced knows…so tired…I see mum and dad…want to be…with them again…so cold…"

Severus for the first time in many years didn't try to hide the tears falling from his eyes. "Go to them Harry, let go." Harry lifted a shaking hand to Severus' face touching his cheek and looking at his straight in the eye saying, "Thank you…for protecting me…even if I didn't…know till now…thank you." Harry's breathing became more labored and Severus knew that Harry only had a few minutes left in his very short life. "Rest now Harry. When you wake you will be with your parents again." Severus whispered, knowing that if he spoke any louder his voice would crack and break.

Harry nodded and his breathing slowed, then not even a minute later he took his last breath. Severus stared down at the child in his arms before laying him on 'Harry's bed' as it had been dubbed. Severus placed his hand over those dead green eyes and shut them for the last time. Severus was in shock, he had just had a child die in his arms. He turned around when he felt he had his emotions under control and saw Albus and Poppy Standing there talking quietly, Cedric was laying asleep on one of the beds with his parents sitting on the bed holding him.

Severus took down the privacy spell that he knew that Albus put up for his own sake, and saw Molly, Arthur, and all of their children had tears streaming their faces comforting each other. Hermione was there as well looking lost. Molly looked up at him as he stepped away from the bed Harry was lying on. She walked past him and sat down in the chair next to the bed and while holding Harry's hand she broke down and wept. Severus' cold mask was back in place but he didn't know how long he would be able to keep it like that. He couldn't even imagine how much pain Molly was in at the moment; Harry was her unofficial seventh son. Severus turned to leave when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Albus watching him as well as Arthur. Arthur just nodded his thanks to Severus for being with Harry and not leaving him alone. Severus nodded back and turned to Albus who said, "Come with me to my office Severus." He made no attempt to argue as he nodded and followed Albus through the castle to his office.

Once there the shock seemed to be wearing off of Severus and he began to shake. Albus saw this and led him to one of the chairs by the window. But before they made it to the chairs Severus broke completely and collapsed trying to hold himself together. Albus sat down next to Severus and held him tightly before saying, "Let it out Severus, it is just us. No one can hear us, no one will know." With that Severus let his emotions take over is actions for the first time in 14 years and he wept clinging to Albus as his anchor. Albus silently wept as well because of the pain the man he considered his child was in and for the loss of the boy he thought of as a grandson.

It took Severus almost an hour to pull himself together again. Then another ten to pull himself away from the comfort of the man he looked up to as his father. They got up and sat in the chairs when tea appeared. For once Severus drank it with no qualms about the calming drought in it. Albus turned to him after about half their tea was gone and asked, "I know you don't want to talk about it right now but may I see the memory of your conversation with Harry?" Knowing that Albus wouldn't use anything in the memory against him he nodded and put his wand to his head to pull the memory. Albus got up and disappeared for a minute and then came back with a pensive. Severus pulled the memory and placed it in the pensive, opting to stay behind while Albus viewed it.

When Albus emerged 15 minutes later he had tears in his eyes. Albus sat down and pulled himself together. By then Severus had finished his tea/calming drought and had cleaned himself up so he didn't look like he had just broken down. But he was still very pale and somber. Albus finished his tea and said, "I am sorry my boy, I wish you hadn't had to go through that." Severus nodded in acknowledgement of what Albus wasn't saying with those words, having to watch Harry die in his arms, not being able to do anything. It was one kind of pain he wouldn't wish on anyone. "It isn't your fault Severus, you couldn't have saved him, by the time he got back to the school he was too far gone with the venom. At least he didn't die alone or in that graveyard." Severus nodded feeling slightly better. He was silent for a moment when he asked. "Albus what did he mean by 'he is gone?' I am guessing that he meant Voldemort but how?"

Albus sighed, "It was Cedric. They used Cedric's blood in a ritual to revive Voldemort but when they took the blood from Cedric he was not focused on the ritual, but on Harry. Because of that one of the lines was not fulfilled. 'Blood of an enemy forcibly taken…' Since Cedric was not struggling against them and his attention not focused on them his blood wasn't taken forcefully. This caused the cauldron to explode, killing Voldemort with it." Albus smiled slightly before it was gone again. "But the price of his fall was too high, the only consolation I have is that Harry finally has his one deepest desire, His family.

The next few days flew by in a blur for everyone. Finals were canceled, and even Hermione didn't complain, everyone in Gryffindor was extremely subdued, even the Weasley twins, world renowned pranksters, were not playing pranks. In fact no one had ever seen the twins like this not even their parents. The other houses understood and didn't bother them, even the Slytherin's didn't cause any trouble for the grieving house, they even helped them. There was no teasing, no taunting, no hexes thrown between the houses, no snickers behind their backs, nothing. Peeves the ghost, didn't prank anyone he was unusually quiet and withdrawn. There were some odd faces hanging around Hogwarts including Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, who was exonerated when they found the body of Peter Pettigrew at the graveyard. 'We finally have school unity, but at the price of someone so young.' Albus thought one morning.

The day of Harry's funeral dawned, cold and cloudy. It was going to rain, 'how fitting' many of the students thought. That day was one that no person there would forget; there were no school robes, no house colors, just black robes or other clothes. There were two things that shocked everyone, one was Albus Dumbledore. The eccentric Headmaster was now wearing plain black robes that flared and were open at the bottom, with black slacks, black shoes, and a black hat. He had never thought that he would ever wear this outfit again, not after the death of his wife, but oh how he was wrong. He never had children of his own but he never thought he would attend a funeral for one so young. The other shocking event was that even the Slytherin's were paying their respects to Harry Potter, not as 'The Boy Who Lived' but as a fellow student who was taken before their time.

Many people spoke at the service, Albus, Hermione, Ron, his dorm mates, even some people from other houses spoke. But one thing that stuck with everyone was 'I wish I had known him.' When the service was over only Family and close friends were allowed to go to Godric's Hollow for the burial. Cedric was about to walk away with his girlfriend Cho, when Molly Weasley stopped him and pulled him along saying that Harry would want him to have closure. There was not a dry eye from the burial. No one noticed the person standing in the shadows, except for Albus and Remus. They finally all left to go back to the school, but not without Sirius falling to the ground sobbing for his godson. Severus was the last person to leave and took a few minutes to look at the marble gravestone that was chosen for Harry. There was a picture of a stag with a lily on its side, a wolf howling at the full moon and a big black dog, a grim, though no one wanted to say anything about it being a bad omen, the inscription on it read,

Here lies Harry James Potter

The Boy No One Knew

July 31, 1980 – June 24, 1994

One taken from those who loved him too soon

May he rest in Peace, knowing that

He finally has his deepest desire

His Family…