Title: A Crush on A Champion (Year 4)
Author: tinyrose65
Summary: The Tri-Wizard Tournament has once again come to Hogwarts. For Harriet, it's brought a few other things with it: trouble. And feelings for a certain Hufflepuff Seeker. To be honest, she doesn't know which is scarier.
"First love is only a little foolishness and a lot of curiosity."
~George Bernard Shaw
Harriet Potter and Cedric Diggory, The Third Task, Hogwarts - 24 June, 1995
It was the end of the Third Task, much to Harriet's relief. Well, it was almost the end. She and Cedric just had to find the blasted Goblet and be done with the whole thing. It had been a long few months, but as she looked up at Cedric, determination written all over his (handsome) face, she couldn't stop the happy, warm feeling that crawled up her tummy.
The whole thing was not her fault. Of course, it rarely was, but this trouble was especially not her fault. When Dumbledore had reinstated the Tri-Wizard Tournament for of-age students, and then invited two schools to Hogwarts for the year, the last thing Harriet had planned was to get involved. She was going to sit back and enjoy not being the center of attention for once.
And then her name came out of the cup.
And Ron was angry with her for a while.
And so was most of the school.
And she had to outfly a dragon.
And then learn to dance (this was the scariest thing).
And find a date- Actually, that had been the scariest thing. Harriet was never good with boys. Most of the ones she knew were on the Quidditch team, but the thought of asking them to go to the dance with her was just odd. Most of the school had, at this point, more or less 'forgiven' her for entering the tournament, but that didn't mean they were lining up to ask her out.
Harriet had actually tried to ask Cedric. Except, well, she sort of blurted it out in the middle of their conversation, panicked before he had a chance to answer, and then run away to Moony's office to have some more of his hot cocoa. He ended up asking Cho Chang, Neville had asked Ginny (so that was a bust), and Harriet had no choice but to go with Ron, which was awkward considering that he spent most of the time staring completely moony-eyed at Hermione and glaring at Krum.
Cedric had at least had the decency to give her a tip on the Second Task, and, after being helped by Neville, it had gone relatively well.
It was also there that the truth of it had come out: Barty Crouch, who had been at Hogwarts at the time, had been attacked in the woods. It was only because Uncle Moony had been in the area (scoping it out before the next full moon) that he had survived, and that his son, Barty Crouch Jr. had been captured.
They had learned the whole thing. Crouch Jr., escaped from Azkaban all those years ago, had begun to work on a plan to get revenge on Harriet for killing his master, and had ended up stealing Moody's identity (poor Mad-Eye was found in a trunk) and putting her name in the Goblet in hopes that Harriet would somehow die in the process.
Unfortunately, psychos putting her name in the Goblet did not exempt her from actually competing, which is how she found herself standing, rather bloodied and bruised, next to Cedric, who, despite all the dirt, looked rather perfect.
As always.
She felt her cheeks heating up with what little blood was left in her body.
"Are you alright?" he asked, looking down at her concernedly.
"Of course," Harriet said, shaking it off. "Let's just find that stupid cup and get out of here."
Cedric nodded and together they took a sharp right down the maze- and there it was. Beautiful and glow-y and blue and ripe for the picking-
"AGH!" Harriet let out a screech as something grabbed her from behind. It took her a moment (her world had literally flipped upside down as she landed on her back) to realize that a vine of all things had her in its grasp. She suddenly wished, as she struggled for her wand, that she had payed more attention in Professor Sprout's class.
There was a strange snapping sound, following by a rather impressive wave of pain by her ankle. If she were to hazard a guess, she would say that something had broken or fractured or oh who cared it bloody hurt!
Light and noise filled the air for a moment as Cedric- at least, she assumed it was Cedric- hurled several spells at it in quick succession at it, until it finally slithered off. Harriet lay, panting, on the ground, her ankle throbbing, her ribs and her head aching from when they had landed hard on the floor.
"I am never ignoring Neville's lessons on plans again," she gasped, as she finally managed a secure grip on her wand. Cedric reached down and carefully helped her stand. He tried his best to not touch any of her severely hurt ribs, but she did let out a few whimpers here and there, ashamed as she was to admit it. When she stood (more or less) upright, he held part of her weight to ease the pain in her ankle.
And then they were standing in front of it.
Silence.
Then, "You should take it."
Both of them had spoken at the same time, and so they laughed a bit. Harriet said, "You just saved my life. I wouldn't be here without you-"
"And you saved me from that Acromantula. I never would've thought to aim for the stomach. You deserve to win."
"I don't want the glory," Harriet said vehemently, "And my family certainly doesn't need the money."
"I don't want any of it either!" Cedric pursed his lips.
Harriet suggested then, "How about we both take it? Hogwarts gets the glory, and we can give the prize money to St. Mungo's or something."
At first, Harriet didn't think he would go for it. Then, very slowly, he nodded. "One condition."
"Okay...?" Harriet said, drawing it out slightly, not entirely because she was having some trouble breathing in her condition.
"When this is over- and after we've both gotten a good night's sleep- you- I mean, only if you want to-"
"Cedric," Harriet snapped, shifting restlessly. She wanted to get this over with. She was tired and hungry and dirty and missed her parents and Isaura and Moony better have some hot chocolate waiting for her.
"Would you like to come to Hogsmeade with me?" Cedric said in a rush. "Like. A date. I mean."
Harriet's jaw literally dropped, and all the pain was forgotten. She finally managed to say, with her eyebrows raised and eyes scanning the maze around them, "Boy. You really know how to woo a girl, don't you?"
"You don't have-"
"Yes." Harriet said firmly. "I'd love to go on a date with you."
Cedric smiled, then, a bright one that seemed to light up the maze around them, and Harriet had no choice but to smile back.
On an unspoken signal, they both reached for the Goblet.
Harriet Potter, Hogwarts Express, Somewhere - 30 June, 1995
"So when's your date with Cedric again?" Hermione pressed eagerly. Harriet shrugged, wincing as she pulled a sore muscle. Even a week after the whole thing, every part of Harriet still hurt. Ron grimaced sympathetically from the seat next to her.
"Not sure yet," Harriet answered. "School's out for the summer, so I suppose we'll have to arrange something by owl."
Hermione squealed and Ron covered his ears. "I knew he liked you, Harriet!"
Harriet just blushed and didn't answer. Ron, deciding to change the subject said, "Sure was nice of you two to give the money to Fred and George for their joke shop."
At this, Harriet grinned. It had been hers and Cedric's decision, together. After all they had been through, the importance of jokes couldn't be understated in their opinion. Ron and Hermione were the only other two who knew about what they had done.
"My mum is going to go mental," Ron warned.
"Let her, then," Harriet retorted. "I'm not the one who's going to have to put up with her all summer."
Even though Ron's whines filled the train for the rest of the trip home, Harriet couldn't stop smiling.
AN: Short and sweet! Hope you liked it :)
tinyrose65
