Theme: Hypocrisy
Prompts:
1. (word) casual
8. (character) Dennis Creevey)
Word count: 1371 words
"The Hogwarts champion is Cedric Diggory"
Definitely the high point of my life. The Goblet had chosen me. I was...The One. The room erupted in cheers, the whole school was cheering...for me. I was almost through the door into the antechamber when I heard,
"Harry Potter"
The door had closed automatically behind me before I could make sense of it. What the hell?! What did that mean? I joined Viktor Krum and Fleur Delacour in front of the fireplace unsure if I should tell them what I just heard. They would hear soon enough anyway. They would learn quickly how things worked at Hogwarts. No matter what you thought was simple, plain, and normal Harry Potter would find a way to get involved or ruin it. I know it's not entirely his fault. Whatever was happening now I knew it had to do with You-Know-Who. It was always related to You-Know-Who.
Right on cue, Harry Potter walked in, followed by Ludo Bagman looking too pleased. He explained the whole situation. Potter was the fourth competitor in the Triwizard Tournament. I casually glance at Potter from the corner of my eye. To his credit, he looks confused and uncomfortable. The problem is that this is the Tri-Wizard Tournament. Meaning three not four! I couldn't get over my annoyance at this whole situation. But I had to. Fleur and Krum still thought it was some kind of mistake, but I knew better. This was just par for the course at Hogwarts since Harry Potter had arrived. The Professors arrived shortly afterwards and confirmed what I already knew, Potter was a champion, he couldn't back out, Goblet chose him, binding magical contract, beyond their control, greater power, blah blah blah. The same as usual when it came to Potter. He was always involved in once-in-a-lifetime chances. They're never usually this pleasant. This time, with prize money on the line, it's an opportunity people would die for. Moody even said the uncomfortable truth that I was thinking, maybe someone is hoping Potter is going to die for it." When it's clear that nothing can be done Crouch gives us our instructions and slowly we leave the antechamber. I try to get Potter to admit that he put his name in the cup but he says no. Perhaps he's telling the truth. It's not like he's clever enough to get it done. Maybe Granger helped him, but I doubt she would break that rule. We parted ways in the entry hall, him heading up the stairs, me towards the kitchens.
Back in the Common Room, the party was in full swing, as Dumbledore predicted, but I wasn't really in the mood. I circulated a bit, drank some butterbeer they had gotten from the kitchens and then snuck off to my dormitory before anyone really noticed. I know I shouldn't feel that way, but why does Harry Potter always have to make things about him?
I get back to the Common Room after lessons to see everyone reading The Daily Prophet. I pass Zacharias Smith and see him laughing at some article on the second page. As I'm passing him I catch a glimpse of my face and realise it must be the Rita Skeeter article. Without even thinking I pull the paper from his hand to get a better look. I skim the article and realise there is hardly anything in there about any of the other Champions. Not even Krum gets more than a brief mention and he's a bloody Quidditch star. Reflexively, my hands turn into fists and I end up crumpling Smith's paper.
"Hey!" Smith shouts in shock.
"Sorry, mate," I reply, apologetically and try to smooth it out against the arm of the sofa.
"They don't say much about you or Hufflepuff in here, do they," Smith observes, motioning to the paper he just rested on the side table. "It's like you weren't even there."
"I think she ran out of time after his interview," I say, magnanimously. "Not much is said about the others either."
"It's like that in lessons too. He sort of just eclipses everyone. Even though he isn't even the best student. Finch-Fletchley always scores higher than him. Even my marks are better. But that doesn't matter when you're the Boy-Who-Lived."
I grunt out an agreement and turn in the direction of my dormitory. It has never been difficult to be pleasant to someone before, but this tournament is making it difficult for me to think well of Potter, and it isn't even really his fault.
A few weeks later, right before the first task he makes it even worse. For days the whole school had been wearing Support Cedric Diggory badges it felt good to have the school's support. After all, technically I was the real Hogwarts Champion as Draco Malfoy had reminded me when the Slytherins had given me a small pouch full of them. I had gotten a chuckle out of them at first and my mood had been improved when I had seen Dennis Creevey trying desperately to charm some of the badges to say Support Harry Potter!, but it seems the Slytherins had prepared for that possibility because now the badges said Potter Stinks! I still didn't know what the first task would be about but knew that most of game play was mental and having the support of the school put me at an advantage over Potter mentally. That advantage changed when I realised that he knew more about the first task than me. I was heading to Charms class when my school bag split open. When I was stopping to pick up my things he came down the corridor and said, "Cedric, the first task is dragons. They've got four, one for each of us and we have to get past them." I appreciated him telling me. As he said, we're on even footing now. But I still hated that he had found out somehow. Once again, Harry Potter is treated special.
I won't say I was pleased that his dragon almost took his head off because I'm not. I don't even understand how Dumbledore can have something like that in a school. But we all survived and that's all that matters.
Over the next few weeks things were looking up. I had a date for the Yule Ball - I'd asked Cho Chang and she'd said yes. I even heard through the gossip mill that Potter had asked her but she was already going with me. For the next task I had figured out my egg and had finished my research early and was practicing my bubble head charm in the Prefect's Bathroom at night. My time was better than Potter's in the first task and I would have a good shot at winning the second task. I had the advantage again. I was just leaving the Great Hall at lunch time when I overheard Colin and Dennis Creevey worrying about Harry not understanding the egg. Shaking my head, I knew what I had to do. One good turn deserves another, after all.
After the Yule Ball I told him to 'mull things over in the hot water' making it as cryptic as possible. If I had to figure it out, so could he.
In the end, the task went well. I finished first, Krum came second, Fleur didn't finish at all. Potter had to do his hero-saving thing because grabbing Weasley and getting out wasn't enough. Of course Dumbledore had to award his heroics so we're tied for first place going into the final task.
The hedge maze was set. Whatever little beasties Hagrid could gather were all in there waiting for us. I had the advantage being two years older with way more magical knowledge and experience. I had outperformed the others. One final task and then I would win the cup. We walked up to the entrance of the maze, me and Potter first because we're in first place. Krum and Fleur beside us.
Bagman used the Sonorus spell to amplify his voice. "So...on my whistle, Harry and Cedric! Three - two- one-"
This was it. Bagman gave a short blast on his whistle.
Eternal glory