Disclaimer: I still do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: Thank you so much for the review, Yellow 14. Yes, I definitely agree with you that when I read that scene between Cedric and Harry in the Goblet of Fire when Harry first becomes champion, it seemed to me like Cedric thought Harry had entered willingly. But the way he acted towards Harry after the fact - it led me to believe that more might have been going on with Cedric there. I'm glad you liked my expansion on that whole idea.

Anyway, Happy New Year to everyone who is reading this. I hope you all had a good holiday despite the sheer insanity last year piled onto us. Let's hope this year will be a lot better.

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Over the next several days, no one could stop talking about the tournament. Cho observed how everyone speculated about what would happen, and how the tasks would unfold. There was a liveliness and vitality about the hallways that Cho hadn't noticed during any other school year before.

Unfortunately, some of the cause of this was not to her liking. It seemed as though Harry Potter becoming Hogwarts champion as well had, once again, turned the school against him. This was now the second time this had happened during Cho's time at Hogwarts. Two years ago, Harry had had many an accusation hurled at him due to the events of the Chamber of Secrets. The entire school had been rife with fear, with many Muggle-borns not traversing the corridors alone. Cho had heard about the incident at the Dueling Club; she hadn't seen it for herself, as she had not attended that meeting. At the time, she hadn't known what to think, but she remembered something her mother had said: "Remember, child, you must look beneath the surface. What you see on the outside is not always the truth."

And those words had struck a chord within Cho. How many people, after all, hadn't looked past the airheaded, studyholic Ravenclaw they saw on the outside? Couldn't this mean that the world misjudged Harry, too? So, during the year, she'd let all the talk just roll off her, even when Amanda and Meghan had wanted to do nothing more than discuss the bespectacled, black-haired, green-eyed boy. And, when he had come out the hero at the end of the year and many people realized they had gotten him entirely wrong, Cho was infinitely glad she'd chosen to stay away from it all.

And now, it was happening again. This time, Cho was firmly on the side of thinking that Harry wanted no part of this; the look on his face never escaped her mind. It was the look of someone who had been thrown into something far beyond his capability. Seeing the hostility that was being displayed towards him made her feel angry on his behalf.

It was plain to see that Cedric felt the same way. As the days passed, Cedric was becoming more agitated, though he tried not to show it. He was clearly worried about how he would do in the task; when he'd received the reply he had been dreading from his father, it only made things worse. Cho spent as much time with him as she could, trying to reassure him that everything would get better. Cedric seemed to take enormous comfort in her presence, which filled her with something undefinable.

But Harry's situation also seemed to be on his mind a fair amount. It had now been six days since the champions had been chosen, and once again, Cedric and Cho were sitting in their normal positions on the bleachers after having gone for a fly. It was now November, so the days were getting colder, but neither cared. They needed flight; they always had, and Cho figured this would never change.

"I'm sick of how everyone's acting," Cedric confided, his face the picture of disgust as he retrieved another stash of chocolate frogs from his bag. "I swear to Merlin, no one can give poor Harry a break. I passed him in the corridor today, and he was looking downright miserable. I wanted to stop and talk to him, but I had a bunch of ... let's just say ... incredibly ridiculous females blocking my path. "Sign my book, Cedric!" "I'm on your side, Cedric!" Why is it that so many girls are just plain insane?" he burst out. "Why do you seem to be the only normal one around? Those girls wouldn't stop following me around for anything. I'm always having to invent some excuse to get away from them all. Merlin, am I glad I didn't sign one of their stupid little books."

Cho's heart fluttered in her chest as Cedric's gray eyes expressed everything he was feeling. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Ced," she said gently, trying to lighten the mood. "I'm glad not to be one of those insane females you talk about. As for everyone who is on that list ... I wish I knew the answer to that." She sighed, knowing that Amanda and Meghan were included in the list of girls that were currently drooling over Cedric. Tensions in the dorm had only gotten worse since he'd been chosen; it was undeniable that Amanda and Meghan were incredibly jealous of Cho and Cedric's intimate friendship. They were now always telling her to ask Cedric this or that question, as though she was an owl. Cho just ignored all of it, her feelings towards her two once-best friends only becoming more and more mutinous as the days passed.

Cedric smiled at her. "Trust me, Cho, you're far from one of those girls. The whole school's exploded since the champion selection, especially since Harry's now involved too. Seriously, Cho, you're one of the only people I want to be near at the moment."

Cho couldn't explain the way her heart stopped, then restarted, at this proclamation. A warm feeling flooded through her entire body, making her feel like the whole world was stretched out before her. It was similar to what she felt while soaring above the sky, yet it was starkly different at the same time. She realized she was blushing, but she couldn't control it as she answered him. "Thanks, Cedric. I'm glad I'm here to help. I'm really sorry the whole school's gone mad."

"It truly has," Cedric sighed as he dug in the box for another chocolate frog. "Go ahead," he smiled when he saw that Cho was hesitating, wanting to do the same. "How many times do I have to tell you? Take as many as you want. Chocolate's good for the soul, you know."

Cho laughed. "Thanks," she said as she took Cedric's cue and dug in. "You're certainly right about that."

They sat in silence for several minutes, munching on their treats. Cedric was the one to restart the conversation as he said, "Have you seen those stupid badges yet?"

Cho scowled at the thought of the badges that had been on display all day today. In the corridors, she'd seen quite a few people wearing them. "The Potter Stinks ones?" she said in disgust.

"Yeah, those," Cedric said, his face clearly showing his disdain for them. "I've been telling people not to wear them. Support Cedric Diggory, the Real Hogwarts Champion," he scoffed. "Harry's as real as I am. And Potter Stinks? Really? Are we three years old?"

"Some people have nothing better to do with their time, it seems," Cho said in complete agreement. "Rumor is that Malfoy was the one who created them."

"Malfoy," Cedric said, his face filling with more revulsion. "He's a nasty piece of work, that one."

"Yeah," Cho said. "Word is that he and Harry are always getting into fights."

"I'm not surprised. My dad's told me some things about his father that are ... well ... pretty unsavory, to put it lightly. He claimed he was under the Imperius Curse at the end of the war, and only followed You-Know-Who because of that. But my dad has no doubt that he's not the innocent victim he's made himself out to be. That nasty business at the Quidditch World Cup ... there's lots of speculation that he was one of those devils behind those awful skull masks."

"That wouldn't surprise me in the least," Cho said as she bit into another frog. "But Draco's just horrible. Last year, I heard him making fun of Harry at that Quidditch match when the Dementors made him fall off his broom."

Cedric looked stricken just at the thought of it. "That bloody Quidditch match," he said softly, though his voice was laced with underlying anger. "I'll never forget it. Harry ... he's so good on a broom, I never thought I had a chance against him."

"Heck, I know I certainly didn't," Cho replied. "He beat me fair and square last year. He was such a gentleman about it, though. Wood told him to knock me off my broom if he had to. But he wouldn't."

"No. I can't see Harry ever doing such a thing," Cedric said honestly. "But he's so good up in the air it's astounding. Last year, when I actually beat him to the Snitch, I couldn't have been more shocked. I flew down to the ground and that's when I saw Harry just lying there. The poor bloke had such a bad reaction to the Dementors, and I didn't even know he'd fallen off his broom. I begged Madam Hooch for a rematch, but she said it was over and Hufflepuff won. It sure as hell didn't feel like a victory."

"I can understand that," said Cho, marveling once again at how fair and honest Cedric was. How many other people, if they'd been in Cedric's position, would have done as he did and demanded for another game? Would she have done the same? She really liked to think that she would have.

"But that wasn't the worst of it," Cedric continued, and Cho could see that he was desperate to get all this off his chest. "My dad and I arrived at the Quidditch World Cup at the same time as the Weasleys, and Hermione Granger and Harry were staying with them. My dad had the bloody, damned nerve to say to Harry's face, "Oh, Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren. You beat Harry Potter!" Merlin, I was so angry but I didn't know what to do. I felt like I was saying it for the thousandth time when I told him that Harry had fallen off his broom. Meanwhile, Harry's just standing there, looking so embarrassed and not knowing what to say. Anything my dad can find that tries to convince him I'm better than someone else, he'll take it and use it. And now, because of this stupid tournament, it's not going to stop anytime soon. I wish I'd never entered the damned thing in the first place."

Cedric went silent, having finally finished his diatribe. The wind seemed to be in line with his emotions, for it suddenly picked up in intensity.

Cho scooted closer to him, putting an arm around him and laying her head on his shoulder. "I'm sorry," she whispered, meaning every word. "I'm sorry you have to deal with all this. It's not fair."

"Harry has it worse than me," Cedric said, trying to regain his composure and put a brave face on the whole thing. "We had to do this ridiculous wand-weighing ceremony today. Old Ollivander showed up to check that our wands were in good condition for the tournament. This nauseating newspaper reporter, Rita Skeeter, demanded to interview Harry. I wanted to object, but she damn near dragged him out of the room. Harry looked like that was the last thing he wanted to do. There are so many in this school who are convinced he likes the attention. They should have seen his face today," he said, his own expression full of sympathy for the boy.

Cho squeezed her best friend tighter. "Ced, you both have it rough," she said softly. "And I know it sounds silly and empty, but I honestly think it'll get better. You and Harry can help one another, and as difficult as it is, ignore your dad. Do what you feel to be right, and don't let him cause you all this stress. No one is worth that."

Cedric sighed against her, letting all the tension release from him. "I know," he said quietly, stroking Cho's hair. "I'll try. But you know what's helping me most of all right now?"

"What?" Cho asked, leaning into Cedric's touch.

"Just sitting here with you," Cedric said, those gray eyes of his so earnest that they pulled her into them again. His soul shone out from them, like a beacon that was guiding Cho on a journey of self-discovery. "You help, Cho. You make me believe that I can really do this."

"You can do this, Ced," Cho replied, something that had lain dormant in her for years rising to the surface. She had noticed it stirring within her for some time, but right now, it became more apparent to her than ever. However, she didn't want to analyze what it was at the moment; all she wanted to focus on now was that someone so special was telling her that she was helping him simply by being there. "I'm glad I'm here with you too," she told him gently as the wind finally began to die down. "And I'm not going anywhere."