AN: Okay lovelies- this is another story from my archives. Remember i don't own any of these character's but i do love playing with them. Have fun, and oh- Slash ahead... maybe even Harem slash IDK poor lil Harry needs to have loving too.

Chapter: A Chance to Change

In the end he didn't know if it was worth it. He had played the game, followed the rules, and even though he had 'won' in the end, he really lost. He had lost every single person he had cared for to death, or the distance of mourning and the inability to forgive the foolish mistakes that he had made. Mistakes that had cost too many people loved ones and friends. Few people talked to him in the aftermath, really cared for him and not the image that he had been made into. People respected and resented the Hero and nothing more. He had retreated into himself not really caring in the end and it showed. Hermione was still alive and well though, and even facing the mourning of her fiancé she wasn't backing down, she wasn't accepting his retreat. He didn't notice how fanatic she had gotten about fixing things, about making it right and fixing HIM until she showed up at his flat, five trunks in tow.

"I can't help you fix it all, there's a limit on what we can actually change without altering everything, but you. I can't watch you slowly kill yourself with the guilt and blame you've taken on. I found a spell, it… it will take both of us back to fourth year if my calculations are right, pack what you want from here, I've already taken care of Gringotts." She spoke softly, her voice unyielding. When Harry didn't move right away she drew her was and snapped out a packing spell, opening up one of the trunks. He watched helplessly as everything he owned flew passed him into the trunk. He didn't want this, he didn't want to do it all over. He couldn't handle seeing them die again if he fucked up. She didn't listen to him when he tried explaining his feelings though. She shrank the trunks, pocketing them.

"You'll thank me. You will. We know what we're up against, we know how to stop it from happening like it did." She whispered, before chanting. The air around them thickened as she grasped him with her freehand and then they were spinning and ripped away from each other.

The next moment he was aware of was a familiar one. He looked across the clearing and saw Cedric, and his hand shot out and grabbed the cup before the other boy could move forward. He glimpsed the horror filling Cedric's face for a mere second as he was transported away. He fell to the ground as soon as he landed and his eyes shot to the cauldron, and the rat with the deformed baby. Voldemort was hissing a command to detain him for the ritual, but not to kill him when Harry shot a reducto at them, the spell ripping through the rat's shoulder as he couldn't react in time.

'His wand arm was useless now' was Harry's only thought. The next reducto hit the cauldron, ruining the potion as the iron split and flew in all directions, a piece embedding into Peter's stomach as the hot liquid scalded him and his charge. Harry waited for Peter to go all the way down before stunning him. Nagini made to attack and he cast a cutting curse, ending her life. Walking over he looked down at the dying rat and the dead thing in his arms- Voldemort had fled. He put his foot on the rat's leg and summoned the cup, the portkey spinning him around.

There was total and complete panic when he arrived, falling down. He moved away from Pettigrew as fast as he could, straight into someone else. Strong arms wrapped around him, pulling him further away as the crowd screamed at the gasping man. 'Sirius is going to be free now.' He thought numbly. 'There's no way to cover this one up.' Someone was crying into his hair.

"Merlin Harry. Don't you ever do that again. You should have waited for me." Cedric's muffled voice echoed. He had saved Cedric. Cedric would have a future. In those moments he had already drastically changed the future. He felt the elder teen press a kiss to his head and resisted a blush, remembering the few fumbling kisses they had shared before. HE could do this, Hermione was right.

"Mr. Diggory, please let us see Mr. Potter. He's bleeding." The Headmaster's voice rumbled. Harry shrunk away from him, remembering all of the manipulations that had come to light too late. He was a pawn to this man, to be played and sacrificed. Cedric held him tighter, snarling at the elder man.

"Pomphrey can look at him. Not you. For fucks sake you should have known this was a trap, that the cup had been tampered with. He could have died." Cedric hissed. Harry heard rustling and Cedric's arm's loosened for a mere moment. He heard Aurors talking as they patched up the dying rat. Already talks of a trial for Sirius were being murmured about. He heard Poppy cast a diagnostic spell, humming as she read over the results, then casting a healing spell. Pain he hadn't noticed left and he sighed, curling further up.

"He's in shock. The contusions were minor, nothing to worry about." She spoke softly, as if for Cedric's hearing alone. The elder teen snorted.

"Of course he's in shock. He was portkeyed to Merlin knows where and attacked." He replied derasivly. "He's lucky to only have minor cuts." Poppy sighed, and Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Mr. Potter if you would please come with me, I would like to hear what happened." He requested, sounding a little annoyed. Harry knew that Cedric wasn't going to let him go, not after this and when the elder boy growled at that there was no way in hell that Harry was going with him alone he finally looked up.

"The cup was a portkey. Pettigrew tried cursing me, but I got a reducto out faster. It hit his wand shoulder. He had something in his arms, it spoke, in a high voice. Told Pettigrew to stun me for the ritual. I sent a reducto at the cauldron and it exploded, sent pieces everywhere and Pettigrew collapsed. I stunned him, knew I couldn't leave him to try again so I brought him back with the cup. That's all." He whispered. As he spoke Cedric's arms grew tighter around him, his body curling as if to shield him from the world. He saw Dumbledore's face tighten before he swilled around. Hermione's messy hair blinded him moments later

"Merlin Harry, are you okay?" She whispered. Cedric was wary about letting her close, but Harry smiled at her, tears coming to his eyes. He tried to thank her with his eyes for doing what she had done, for sending them back, because already he felt a hundred times more alive then he had in ages.

"I'm okay, I swear 'Mione" He whispered. Ron was there moments later.

"Bloody effing hell Harry. I knew this could be dangerous, but fuck. I totally believe that you didn't put your name in now. Someone was trying to kill you. Mum's going to go ballistic." He murmured. Cedric's arms tightened almost painfully in reaction to the awed and slightly angry tone that his friend spoke in.

"You should have believed him in the first place Weasley. None of the other champions thought that he did. Just let him rest before you try and secure you place in his good grace. You spent over half the year terrorizing him over something he never wanted." Cedric hissed. Ron's face reddened, but Hermione squeezed his arm to quite the outburst that was beginning. Harry knew that she didn't want that problem to work around in reassimilating them into this time. He smiled at her thankfully as he heard a curse.

"He's not going to make it. Grab the veritus serum. We'll at least get his confession to submit via pensive." One of the Aurors spoke. Someone cast an enerveate, waking the rat and he heard Pettigrew choke. Dumbledore tried telling them to wait until he was moved inside, but he was ignored. He had no control over this proceeding. Hermione nodded from the corner of his eye and moved to the Aurors, no doubt to suggest that they question the rat about his parents and Sirius while they could. As the questioning began one of Harry's hand's found Cedrics and he squeezed. Cedric dropped another kiss onto his head in return.

"What is your name and age?" An Auror that Harry recognized as Kingsly asked professionally.

"Peter Charles Pettigrew. Age 34" The rat wheezed. Gasps rose from the crowd around them.

"How did you survive 13 years ago" Kingsly asked- he must have already been in the know about Sirius then if he was making sure that this was asked before the rat expired. Harry breathed a little easier.

"I was cornered by Black when he went to confront me about telling my lord the location of the Potter's. He was shouting at me on a muggle street. I cast a blasting hex and cut one of my fingers off. Faked my death and put the blame on him." Peter gasped. More outrage was expressed from the crowd as people gathered. Cedric kissed his head as he shook, trying to reassure him as they listened to the proceedings.

"Why was the cup a portkey and who did it?" Kingsly asked as the crowd was quieted to listen.

"We needed Potter's blood in a ritual to give my lord a body. He was to die by my lords hand when it was finished. He's in spiritual form. A plant was placed at the school for the tournament. He placed Potter's name as a fourth school at our lord's request. He's polyjuiced as Moody. All I know." The rat's voice was weakening, and with his death he would have saved Remus too. There was an eerie rattle then Kingly cursed.

"Black has to be pardoned." He murmured. There was a roar of agreement from the people who had witnessed the confession, and some shouted stupefy as Moody tried bolting. Cedric was shaking in rage though as he processed the words spoken and he was suddenly picked up, he wrapped his legs around the lean waist, steadying himself as the elder boy moved. Cedric kissed the top of his head again.

"Going to the castle Ry. Going to get you cleaned up and you're going to bed. Then I'm going to make sure this never get's a chance to happen again. Not going to lose you baby." He whispered as he started for the castle. Ron gave a shout of protest as he noticed them moving away and the Cedric had one arm supporting him, the other aiming his wand at the red head, a threat clear as day to the onlookers.

"Save it Weasley. He doesn't need this, someone tried killing him." He spoke loudly before walking away at a brisk pace. Harry allowed the older boy to carry him


Much later Harry was curled protectively into Cedric's arms in the Hufflepuff Dorm commons under a thick blanket. He couldn't stop shivering though, and he didn't remember it being like this the first time. Of course it was probably a combination of being shoved back into his 14 year old body at that moment, and the actual event. He shivered a little more violently and Cedric leaned down and brushed a soft kiss over his lips.

"It's alright Ry. You're safe. I'm not going to let anything happen to you baby." The seventh year murmured. Soothingly, trying to calm his nerves. Harry whimpered slightly, snd kissed him back, Cedric kept the kiss chaste, not wanting the younger boy to initiate something while he was in this state. As Harry settled in Cho walked into the commons. The elder Ravenclaw looked at them and sighed.

"People are looking everywhere for Potter. None of them have thought to look for him here yet. Black's been declared innocent- he's here too along with professor Lupin. Weasley owled his Mum, and she's raising hell, demanding to see her 'youngest' boy. I'd get out there before they find you two alone like this Cedric. You're 17 and he's underage." She reported the last part a resigned chastisement. Cedric huffed, holding Harry tighter, as if to keep the world away from him. Harry felt safe right here and now, safer than he had been in so long. He didn't know how much would change with Voldemort a sprit still though.

"Why can't they just leave him alone? He needs to calm down before they shove off of this down his throat. As for the Weasley Woman, if Harry was her child as she claims she should have fought to get him out of this before he was almost killed. Not now when it's all said and done and they want to pat him on the back for surviving and winning. Lupin too for that matter, I know he was a friend of Harry's parent. Hell everyone in this merlin damned place should have fought tooth and nail to keep him safe. Why does no one see that he needs protection instead of demanding him to save them when he's just a child himself?" He snorted. Cho sighed, sounding older then Harry remembered.

"We grew up building an image of who The Boy Who Lived should be. Strong, magically powerful, able to handle whatever was thrown at him and he's proved our image correct. Even now. People don't change their views Cedric. This isn't going to change anything. He foiled the Dark Lord's plot to return to life, saved his Godfather from a life on the run, and survived to tell the tale and claim more eternal glory. This is only going to add to the image, He's larger than life and everyone is going to continue placing their faith that he can and will accomplish anything he does in him." She replied. Cedric's face dropped into his hair as she spoke, and when she finished his head shot up. Harry didn't know that he was glaring at his cover girlfriend.

"Then I guess we'll have to protect him from the world that should be protecting him then." He replied sharply. Cho sighed again, then laughed a little.

"I guess we will. Did you hear that little brother? Big bad Cedric the dragon and I are going to protect you. I'm sure we won't be the only ones. Hard part is going to be deciding just who gets you for the summers I bet. That means you have to learn to rely on other people you know? You can't just jump into trouble anymore without asking for help, because I for one am not afraid of giving you a tanning for your stunts." She replied, her tone lightening. Harry smiled a little, feeling his shiver's calm slightly. He knew how to rely on his friends now, and he knew that this was going to be a hell of a lot different than the first time. Thankfully he could use this to his advantage. The near death incident would 'mature' him that was for sure.


After Cedric was sure he was calm and rested, he had drifted off to sleep sometime during the two elder teens planning of what to do next, they re-entered the world of chaos that was a Hogwarts searching for him. Cho stood on one side of him, an arm wrapped protectively around him, and Cedric on the other as they came into sight. He nodded to Hermione who grinned a little and winked as Molly caught sight of him. The Weasley matriarch glared at the two teen's as she swept over and pulled him into a desperate embrace.

"Thank Merlin you're alive Harry darling. Dumbledore has a lot to answer for this. He promised extra protections were in place to keep you safe and alive." She whispered. Cedric snorted and she glared at him again. "And you! Preventing him from proper medical attention, why I never!" She hissed. Cedric looked unimpressed. At her and this time it was Cho who snorted.

"Yes. You never. How many times has Harry come to your home with signs of abuse Mrs. Weasley? That should attest to Dumbledore's protection. After all he told the Wizrding world that Harry was safe, protected and loved where he was raised didn't he? And how often have you treated all of his wounds? Cedric allowed the treatment- what he didn't allow was Dumbledore or anyone else to take him away and interrogate him before or after the treatment was allowed. I'd take a close look at yourself before you criticize anyone else who's actually given a damn about him." Cho spoke in an even tone. She didn't flinch about revealing what most of the school had guessed about the younger boy's homelife. Even an idiot could see how small and underdeveloped he was, and many had seen the bruises decorating his body during changing in the Quidditch rooms at the beginning of semester even though he had come from a week or so at this woman's home. Molly's face turned bright red in anger at the accusation in Cho's voice.

"Dumbledore assured me that it was not as bad as my boy's said. That there were wards protecting him from Deatheater's that could not be rebuilt anywhere else." She replied bitingly. Fred snorted from the crowd coming to pry his younger brother from his Mum's grip. It looked to be turning painful as her hold tightened in her anger and he didn't want Harry bruised by someone who did love him. He got that enough at the place he was forced to call home from people who should love him. She protested at his actions but he silenced her with a glare.

"Two words mum. Second Year. We had to rescue him. The Dursley's had locked up Hedwig, bars on the only window in the room, had too many locks to count on the outside of his door to keep him in there, and a cat flap in the door that he was lucky to get fed by if they remembered to feed him. And yet even he was still covered in bruises from beating he received for little things, like his owl hooting from hunger and being cramped in her cage, and lets not forget nightmares and not completing all the chores in the house. You're just blind enough to believe every word out of the Headmaster's mouth. Safety against the Deatheater's maybe. Safety against the people who he was supposed to call family, defininatly not. And I think he would rather chance it then deal with them myself." He replied, handing Harry back to Cedric after hugging him. Molly looked horrified, as did everyone else who was listening. Harry could see something change in Snape's eyes as he stood in the back of the crowd. A horror dawning within them. He knew that the man had illusions of him having a perfect home life, spoiled and doted upon. Sirius let a ragged growl loose from the opposite doorway, having heard Fred's description. Harry knew that he should be horrified that everyone knew, but he wasn't. This was needed for, and he really didn't give a fuck if they knew or not. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"Now Mr. Weasley, let's not exaggerate things." He chastised. Harry looked straight at him and tilted his head slightly, Cedric's arms were back around him holding him tightly to his chest and he laughed. He surprised himself at how dead it sounded, but he was so disillusioned by this man.

"It's not exaggeration if I can back it up with memories. Show me a pensive, and I'll show you the proof." He replied dryly. Dumbledore stiffened noticeably at the fact that he would be willing to let people see. Sirius moved forward and swept him out of Cedric's arms, picking him up and holding him possessively.

"I have a pensive pup. I'll want to see it so I know just how much I have to hurt those bastards. Wards or not, your not going back there." He hissed. Snape nodded at Sirius, a look of understanding in his eyes. Both of these men had met a lot to him, and to see the truce forming was a relief.

"Potter. I will need to examine you, to see what damage your body had endured, record it, and see what can be corrected." Snape murmured. Dumbledore looked lost now, and Molly was swaying on her feet, like she would faint at any moment. Harry buried his head in Sirius' neck and almost smirked at the almost unnoticed inhalation that action caused. He knew that the man holding him had a little secret he felt guilty for, but Harry wouldn't have known about it until next year Christmas. Call him selfish, but he wasn't giving up any of the people he had loved and lost.


Much later, after examinations and cursing, celebrations for his winning, Harry was in Gryffindor Commons curled up in Cedric's thick blanket. The elder boy was actually sitting with him, in a protective manner, and no one protested. If they had, then Cedric probably would have cursed him with how high strung he was. Hell, even Ron was looking to tear a piece of someone out after Snape's examination.

He would never forget his once hated (in this timeline anyway) professor pale as he read through his spell results, before starting to curse under his breath. He had contacted the ministry as soon as he had gotten himself together, filing the necessary paperwork to get his muggle guardians put in a magical jail, and their guardianship revoked. He had turned almost kind as he documented everything. There was a guilt in his eyes that grew as everything he had gone through had become apparent, and Harry didn't really like it. He hadn't meant for Severus to feel guilty for something out of his control, even if he had known Dumbledore had him acting a certain way to keep his spy position valid for when Voldemort come back. His Severus hadn't even fallen into this guilt when they had gotten closer, just regret. This Severus' reaction may change how their relationship evolved, and he really didn't like that.

Sirius, who was in the process of being cleared via his own Veritus Serum testimony, had blown up and had to be sedated before he took justice into his own hands. With the public testimony of Peter he was only doing it as a technicality. He was putting forth his own charges against Dumbledore for hiding proof of his innocence, and for placing Harry with the Dursley's, not making the proper check ins, and hiding the apparent abuse once Harry came to school. When everything came out Dumbledore wasn't going to be very popular anymore.

"Harry, baby- you need to sleep. I'm going to be here in the morning, nothing is going to happen to you." Cedric suddenly murmured. Harry cuddled further into him and shook his head. He was still half afraid that this would be a dream, and that he would wake up in the time Hermione had sent them from. Cedric kissed the top of his head, the commons were empty because it was in the middle of the night.

"Come on baby, what can I do too make you go to sleep?" He begged, sounding worried. Harry kept as close to Cedric as he could, and he held him tight.

"They would have killed you if you had been with me Ced. I don't want to go to sleep and find out that this was a dream. I don't know why I reached for it first, I just had a bad feeling." He murmured into his boyfriend's neck. Cedric's arms tightened around him, and he kissed his head.

"If you start to have a nightmare I will wake you up. I promise baby. I'm so sorry that you had to ge through that alone, but I'm here and I'm never going to leave you again. I'm getting an apprenticeship with Professor Snape, so I'll be here next year and the year after that. You're never going to have to go through anything like that alone again. Mr. Black is getting custody of you, and those damned muggles will get a taste of Dementors." He promised his voice tight, like he was going to cry. Harry held onto him as tight as he could, lifting his face up and pressing a kiss to the drawn lips. Cedric kissed back gently, not allowing it to go any further. Harry understood that he didn't want him to initiate anything while they were both high on emotions.