"So... I found the clue of the egg." said Harry one morning as he sat down at the Ravenclaw table. It had become a habit of theirs to sit with the Eagles during breakfast. With them as always was Cho Chang, who was sitting next to her boyfriend Cedric.
"You did?" said Hermione, speaking first.
"No need to sound surprised." he returned jokingly.
"It's just... I have yet to find out what the screeching mean myself. I am impressed you figured it out." she said. Harry frowned. He did not remember opening the egg in front of his friends. The only time he had done it before his trip to the prefect bathroom had been in his dorm alone one day. He decided to note this in his mind as he answered.
"Well, I am simply brilliant like that." he said pompously, making Fleur, Cedric and Viktor snort.
"We all but shoved the answer in his face." Viktor said to Hermione, laughter lacing his voice.
"We told him how to find the clue." explained Cedric with his own smile.
"Because he completely forgot about the egg." added Fleur, chuckling.
Hermione turned to glare at Harry, who was smiling sheepishly. Next to him, Ron and Sarah were laughing loudly. "Well, tell me. What is the clue?" she asked.
"When you open the egg, you can hear a shriek. It's actually mermish – the language spoken by the merpeople. To hear the clue proper, you need to open it under water."
Hermione slapped her forehead. "Of course!" she said. "I knew it reminded me of something I had read before!"
Harry narrowed his eyes. Once again, Hermione spoke about the screech despite never having heard it. "What do you mean it 'reminded you of something'? I never opened it in front of you." he asked suspiciously. Hermione suddenly blushed bright red, looking anywhere but at Harry.
Trying not to laugh, Ron looked at his girlfriend and asked "Hermione... did you steal Harry's egg to figure the clue out by yourself?"
"It was one time!" she protested. Ron and Harry started to laugh.
Hermione glared at them until they stopped laughing. Attempting to ignore the looks she sent him, Harry cleared his throat and said "Jokes aside, something strange happened when I returned from the prefect bathroom last night." He could tell at his words that he had grabbed all of their attention.
"Really?" asked Sarah. "What was it?"
Harry leaned forward and began talking quietly. "While I was returning to Gryffindor tower, I saw Mr. Crouch prowling in Snape's office on the Marauder's Map."
"You saw him on the map your father made?" asked Viktor for clarification, Harry having told them about the map once. He nodded.
"I thought Percy said he was sick." Ron said.
Harry remembered his second encounter with Percy during the Yule Ball. He and Sarah had been running away from Hermione when they crossed his path. Percy had begun talking to them and Harry, curious, had asked the question he had in mind since the diner. Why wasn't Mr. Crouch attending himself? Percy had revealed his boss was sick and, as his new personal assistant, had replaced him at the Ball.
"So did I." said Harry, taking a sip of his pumpkin juice.
"Why was he in Snape's office?" asked Cedric. Harry shrugged.
"I don't know. I was tempted to go find out – but I didn't."
Hermione looked at him with something akin to shock. "You mean to tell me you didn't try to satiate your curiosity? That you actually went back to the common room rather than investigate?"
"Why do you sound surprised?" he asked.
"It's you."
"I'll let you know I'm perfectly capable of not snooping around!" he protested mockingly..
"Give me one example."
"Last night."
"Another one."
Harry's mouth opened but no sound came out. His lips moved as if he was trying to say something. He gave up after a few seconds as all of his friends began laughing. "Yes – yes. Laugh it up." he grumbled, poking his fork in his eggs.
"Well, what do you think Crouch was doing?" Cho asked once the laughter subsidized.
Harry shrugged. "I have no idea. Maybe he was investigating something on Snape?"
"Do you think he entered your name in the Goblet and that Crouch know that?" asked Cedric. "It would fit with your theory that the paper with your name came from one of your essays."
"I doubt it's from him." said Hermione before Harry could answer. "Professor Snape wouldn't do that to one of his students."
"I agree with Hermione." he said. Ron and Sarah looked at him in surprise. Both knew how much loathing there was between Harry and the Potions Master. "I mean, don't get me wrong. I wouldn't be surprised if he did just that, but I don't think he is to blame in this case. Not with Dumbledore around."
"What could he be doing in his office in the middle of the night, then?" asked Sarah.
Harry shrugged. "The only theories I can come up with are this: Either Mr. Crouch is investigating Snape for something unrelated or..."
"Or he's stealing potions ingredients." completed Hermione. Harry nodded.
"Why would he try to get ingredients?" asked Cho. None of them had the answer to her question.
After the next training session, Harry was once more asked by his fellow champions to meet afterwards. The reason was simple.
"Now that Harry has deigned us with finding the clue for himself-" started Fleur, making Cedric and Viktor chuckle and Harry send a mock glare at the French girl. "I thought it might be a good idea to talk about the Second Task."
"What do you mean?" asked Harry, a curious frown on his face.
"I think we should work together."
The three men looked at Fleur in surprise. "But Fleur, it's a competition." said Cedric.
"I know that." she huffed. "But I'm not really sure I care about it anymore. Especially not with what they planned."
"What are you talking about?" asked Viktor.
Fleur passed a frustrated hand in her hair. "You know the clue about what 'you'll sorely miss'? Do you know what it mean?" she asked them.
"Doesn't it talk about a precious object?" Harry asked. "I assumed it would be my dad's Invisibility Cloak or the Map or my Firebolt." Cedric and Viktor nodded in agreement.
"I wish it was." she sighed. "Madame Maxime told me last night that what we'll sorely miss is not an object but a person. We have to rescue a hostage."
"WHAT!?" exclaimed all three men. "But- they can't do that!" Harry protested.
"They can and they will!" she said in frustration. "I already know the person I'll sorely miss is my sister Gabrielle. If there is someone I can't lose, it's her."
Harry leaned back in his seat and pinched the bridge of his nose in disbelief. He already believed the Tournament was dangerous for the Champions themselves but at least they had chosen to take part in it! (In theory, he reminded himself.) But would the hostages have a choice? If they had and they accepted, would they be in danger or would their safety be garanteed?
"Zora." said Viktor grimly.
Harry opened his eyes and looked at the Bulgarian in confusion. "Zora?" repeated Cedric, evidently as confused as Harry.
"My fiancé... Zora Ali. That is who I would miss the most." he said.
"Oh." said Harry. "But... isn't she in Bulgaria?"
"Yes." he said. "But Karkaroff said I was allowed a guest to visit during the Second Task."
"And you invited her." completed Fleur knowingly. Viktor nodded.
"Mine has to be Cho." said Cedric, making the others turn to look at him. "I just feel it in my bone."
Viktor nodded before he turned to Harry. "What about you?"
"I don't know." he sighed. He closed his eyes, thinking.
Unlike Fleur, Harry did not have a sibling. Unlike Viktor and Cedric, he did not have a significant other. The only people he would consider close to him were Ron, Hermione, Sarah and Sirius. His hostage would not be the latter, for obvious reasons, which left his friends. Who will it be between them?
His first thought was to either Ron and Hermione. However, he hesitated. Ever since they became a couple, Ron and Hermione were a package deal. From what Fleur had said, they would only have to rescue their own hostage. Only one per champion. Harry cared as much for Ron as he did for Hermione – and vice versa. A choice between either would be impossible, especially if the organizers did not want to deal with the angry other who was left out of the lake.
His only other realistic hostage was Sarah. Just like for Ron and Hermione, Harry held doubts she would be chosen. While he had come be as close to her as he was of the new couple, Sarah had only been his friend for a few months. Not only that, but Sarah was a first year. Would the organizers put a first year student at the bottom of the lake? If they didn't care about her age, then it was likely she would be his hostage.
"Either Ron, Hermione or Sarah – really." he eventually said. None of his fellow champions looked surprised.
"You now understand why I want us to work together, right?" Fleur asked. Harry, Cedric and Viktor nodded.
"Yes." said Viktor. "I would prefer for Zora to be safe and well at the cost of points than to see her hurt for Durmstrang."
"I agree." said Harry and Cedric together.
"So, it is decided, then?" she asked. The other three nodded. "Thank you."
"No," Cedric said. "Thank you for telling us about the situation. I give us the opportunity to warn our hostages."
"Yes – I will send a letter to my Zora when I return to the ship." nodded Viktor. Then, he changed the subject. "Do any of you have ideas for the task?"
Fleur turned to look at Harry. "Are our lightsabers waterproof?"
Harry hesitated. "They are, in theory." he said. "I have not confirmed it through extensive testing, though."
While he had been at Ollivander's, Harry had Garrick cast a water-summoning spell over his lightsaber as he lit it up a few times. Harry had not noticed anything wrong with it during the test. However, he never tested it after it was fully submerged under water, or attempted to light it in.
"We should test it soon, just to be sure." she said.
"I'll do it here later." he said. Fleur nodded.
"What about breathing under water?" asked Viktor. "Karkaroff suggested I do self-transfiguration and transfigure myself in a fish or shark."
"I thought I could do a Bubble-Head Charm." said Cedric.
"Madame Maxime suggested the same." the Veela added.
Harry sank in his seat, groaning. He had no idea what the Bubble-Head Charm was (though he could take a guess) and knew for sure he would never be able to transfigure himself into a fish.
Noticing his plight, Fleur said with a voice full of sympathy "We're going to find something that can help us all. Don't worry, Harry."
"Thanks." he said with a small smile. He felt happy his fellow champions would not abandon him behind. Their friendship had really grown since the First Task.
"What live in the lake?" asked Viktor.
That was something Harry could answer, and he jumped at the opportunity not to appear useless. "Professor Lupin told us last year there isn't any really dangerous creatures living under the water it. Really, the worst we could find are Grindylows."
"Nothing else?"
"Well, there is the Giant Squid and a colony of Bowtruckles, but both are harmless. We won't have to worry about them." added Cedric.
"That's a relief." said Fleur. "It mean the task is less about fighting and more about finding."
"Unless we have to fight the merpeople guarding our hostages." said Harry.
"Would they?" asked Cedric. Harry shrugged. He thought it was a possibility they would be challenged for the right to depart with their hostage. A mock prison escape, so to speak.
"I doubt it – but we won't know until we are there."
Viktor cleared his throat. "It is a good thing we have our lightsabers. Their weapons will be no match for them." he said. The other three nodded.
Harry raised on his feet. "Speaking of which..." he trailed. He closed his eyes and imagined a bigger room with a small pool inside. After a few seconds, he opened his eyes and saw the pool.
Cedric let out a low whistle behind him. "I don't know why I never came up with the idea myself. Cho and I wouldn't have to lock the prefects' bathroom to have some time alone..."
"TMI, dude." sighed Harry, rubbing his face in slight disgust.
Cedric blushed. "That's not what I meant." he said, trying to ignore the others' snickers.
Harry walked up to the pool before he grabbed his lightsaber. Then, he ignited it and dropped it. To his dismay, the lightsaber seemed to extinguish the moment it touched the water.
"That's... disappointing." commented Fleur. The champions had followed him to the pool and were now standing next to him.
"I really thought it would work." sighed Harry as he wandlessly summoned it back using the runes.
"I do not think water was the cause." said Viktor. The others looked at him in curiosity. "It seemed to turn off before it touched the water."
Harry almost slapped himself on the forehead. "Of course!" he exclaimed. "I put runes on the thing to make sure it wouldn't stay on if it was dropped! How did I forget?"
"That mean you have to jump in the water with it." grinned Cedric.
"Why me?" protested the raven haired boy.
"Because you invented the thing?" said Fleur, also grinning. Harry grumbled.
"Fine. You better have drying charms ready." he said. When they nodded, Harry removed his shoes and went to stand to the edge of the pool. "Well, I certainly hope the water is heated..."
"What are you waiting for? Jump!" said Cedric.
"Hey – give me a break!" returned Harry as he looked down in the pool. He took a deep breath before he jumped in the water. He immediately felt relief when he found the water was not cold at all. The temperature was between what he would have expected from a normal pool and the temperature of a hot bath.
He broke up the surface and stood on the floor of the pool. The water was high enough to reach his neck when he was standing, allowing him to breathe while doing his test. "Alright, I'm going to test it now." With his lightsaber in hand, he prayed for the best and pressed the larger activation button.
The purple blade of his lightsaber came out in a muffled hiss. He looked down in amazement as the water around him turned as purple as the blade. Looking up at the champions, he grinned. "It works!" he crackled madly.
"No need to sound like a mad scientist." said Fleur, chuckling.
Looking closer, Harry saw that the water that entered into contact with the blade seemed to boil. When he brought a hand next to the blade, he felt the water heat up. He then gave a small swish and a trail of sizzling water formed. Harry hummed. Hopefully, it wouldn't be too much of a problem in the lake. He then got another idea.
"Can one of you lend me your lightsaber?" he asked. "I want to see how they react when the blades contact."
Cedric unclipped his' and threw it to Harry. "Take mine." he said.
Harry caught it with his free hand. "Cheers." he said. He took the lightsaber under the surface of the water and ignited it as well. A bright green light joined in with the purple of his blade. When he brought the blades together, he saw the usual yellow sparks form. He noticed it was a lot less visible in the water than out.
"Everything seem to be in working order." commented Viktor. Harry nodded.
"I think it's time I come out of the water. The blades really heat the water hot and it's starting to be unbearable." he grinned sheepishly.
"Why didn't you say so earlier?" said Fleur as Harry extinguished the lightsabers. She helped him out the water before casting a few drying charms. Harry gave her his thanks before he gave Cedric his lightsaber back.
"The heat won't cause a problem, will it?" asked the Hufflepuff as he glanced at his hilt.
"We will be in the lake in the middle of winter. Not only that, but we will be constantly moving as well. I doubt it will be a problem." said Harry.
"Not wrong." said Cedric, clipping the lightsaber back to his belt.
When Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room a few minutes later, he did not wait before warning his friends.
"Can you repeat that?"
"Hermione, it's not that complicated." sighed Harry. "Fleur told us the champions will have to rescue a hostage from the bottom of the lake for the Second Task, not an object like I first believed."
"And you're telling us this to warn us?" she asked. Harry nodded.
"Apparently, the hostage is going to be someone the champions will sorely miss. For me, this apply to all three of you." he said, looking at Hermione, Ron and Sarah. They were currently sitting by the fireplace. The common room was rather empty as most were already down in the Great Hall to eat diner.
"How are you going to breathe under water for an hour?" asked Sarah.
Harry shrugged. "I have no idea – honestly."
"What will Viktor, Fleur and Cedric do?"
"Karkaroff suggested Viktor do self-transfiguration and Madame Maxime suggested the Bubble-Head Charm to Fleur. Cedric came up with the same idea by his own." Then, he sighed. "The problem is that I can't do either. I'm only a fourth year and I don't know enough about transfiguration or charms to do either. I doubt I would manage to learn either in time for the Task. I can't risk the transfiguration or charm being undone while I'm deep in the water. I would drown."
"That certainly is a problem..." Hermione said, looking pensive.
"Hey – at least we have more than a month to figure it out, right?" said Ron with optimism.
"You aren't wrong." Harry chuckled. He raised on his feet. "Let's go eat. I'm hungry."
"So am I." said Ron, following him.
Hermione looked at them "Boys." she muttered.
"Not just boys." grinned Sarah. "I'm starving!"
The brunette looked at them walk out of the common room before she shook her head in fond exasperation.
While the four Gryffindors walked down the school toward the Great Hall, another champion was having a harder time down in the Hufflepuff basement.
When he returned from the training session, Cedric immediately went to his dorm room to change clothes. While he was doing so, he thought about how and when he should warn his girlfriend about the Second Task.
"The best time will probably be during or after tonight's meal." he muttered to himself.
Just as he closed his trunk, he heard the door of his room open. Looking up, he saw a seventh year enter the room. Cedric stopped himself from groaning.
"What do you want, Dave?" he asked as he went to sit on his bed. David "Dave" Carter was this year's Head Boy. Cedric had once believed he was the right choice for the post. It changed when Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire. With the Gryffindor's entry as a competitor in the Tournament and, thus, becoming a rival of Cedric, Carter had decided the best way to deal with it would be to make Harry regret his actions despite Cedric telling the whole House Harry had not entered himself. Carter had been one of the worst offenders in the semi pranking/bullying war between Hufflepuff and Gryffindor.
For a Head Boy, it really was sad and pathetic. He certainly did not do his job proper, which infuriated Cedric to no end.
"The House and I had a talk." started Carter with pompousness that could rival Percy Weasley's.
"A talk about what?" Cedric asked.
"We don't like how much time you spend with Potter and his friends."
"Excuse me?" said Cedric indignantly.
"We fear he's trying to turn you into a Dark Wizard like him!" said the Head Boy.
Cedric looked at him for a few seconds. He burst out laughing. "Har har! Very funny! I thought you were being serious!" His laughter died when he saw Carter's angry face. "Wait... you aren't joking?" he gasped. "Tell me you don't honestly believe Harry is a Dark Wizard!"
"Come on, Cedric!" said Carter, raising his voice. "It's obvious he is! I mean, Potter's a parselmouth! Remember two years ago when-"
"It was proven the attacks were done by someone who was possessed by You-Know-Who!" returned Cedric, almost shouting. "In fact, Harry almost died trying to save the possessed student!"
"What proof to you have?"
"Dumbledore told us! Remember, at the end of that year?"
Carter snorted. "Don't tell me you believe what he said? Like Dumbledore wouldn't save his precious student!"
"You really believe Dumbledore would save a Dark Wizard from prosecution if he really did attack innocents?"
"We all know he did the same for Snape!" Carter said. Cedric huffed but decided not to say anything. Instead, he changed the subject.
"How many believe the same as you?" he asked more quietly.
"Almost everyone in the House." answered the Head Boy.
"Almost?"
"A few around Potter's age and a few first years who are friendly with the girl that went to the Ball with him."
Cedric snorted bitterly. Oh, how the mighty had fallen, he thought. The House that once prided itself into being loyal and just were now asking their champion to renounce his friendship with a Gryffindor because of untrue and hurtful lies. They were acting no better than a bunch of Slytherins, and it hurt. A true Hufflepuff would have heard Harry out and thought for themselves about whether he was telling the truth or not. They would not immediately jump at the worst conclusion simply because they felt overshadowed.
Because, in the end, this was all it was about. It wasn't that the Hufflepuffs genuinely believed Harry was dangerous. It was that they were so mad and angry that their house didn't get all of the spotlight that they decided to take it out on an innocent boy who just want peace.
He didn't know what happened to his House, but they were no longer true Hufflepuffs. Helga would be ashamed of them.
"You really believe Harry is a Dark Wizard?" asked Cedric.
"Of course."
"Did you even check if your theory was right? Or did you just jump at the worst conclusion?" he asked, already knowing the answer.
"Only a very powerful and dark wizard could have confunded the cup into choosing a fourth champion. Professor Moody told us himself." said Carter.
"Did he told you because he thought Harry did it – or was it because he was defending him?"
"He killed a dragon, Cedric!" shouted the Head Boy. "Did you forget it?! A dragon! How can you think he's innocent when he simply had to cast one beam of purple magic to kill the dragon?! It's a bloody dragon! It take at least six wizards to even calm down!"
Cedric snorted. "I happen to know exactly how Harry did it, and it's not-" but he was interrupted.
"We were right!" gasped Carter. "Potter really is turning you in a Dark Wizard."
"Oh, give me a break!" Cedric yelled. He felt furious at the false accusations sent his way. "Harry Potter is not a Dark Wizard and neither am I!" Not willing to hear Carter spout more bullshit, Cedric walked out of his room.
When he entered the common room, he saw that the entire house was looking at him. "So, you all believe the crap about Harry?" he asked. When he saw the majority nod, Cedric huffed and stormed out.
The last thing he heard before he slammed the entrance of the common room shut was Carter telling them "Don't worry. Give him some time. He'll come to his senses soon."
"No, you will." said Cedric to himself.
He didn't know what happened with House Hufflepuff but he knew exactly what was the root problem was: Cedric himself. His entry in the Tournament had caused his House to completely loose it. He could understand pride. He could understand wanting their House to be in the spotlight, for once. But, when it came to attacking an entire house for being loyal to one of their own – a trait Hufflepuff used to pride themselves in, ironically enough – then Cedric could not accept it.
Cedric wanted to fix the problem in his house. But, how could he do so? If the root problem was the presence of a Hufflepuff champion, then he had to change it. He could not leave the Tournament, so what did it leave?
A drastic option crossed his mind. One Harry had even suggested once, even if it was as a joke. Maybe this could work.
It warranted a visit to the Deputy Headmistress...
Harry had just begun eating a chicken breast when he noticed almost the entirety of Hufflepuff House enter the Great Hall together. He was surprised to see all the glares sent his way. He had been used to being glared at – but not this many times at once. The Hufflepuffs joined in on the few first years and others older already sitting there.
"What's up with them?" Sarah asked next to him. He, Ron, Hermione and Sarah were sitting at the Gryffindor table along with Neville, Ginny and Sarah's friend Nathalie. The first two had become closer ever since the ball and Harry wondered if they were going to start dating soon.
"I wonder if something happened." muttered Nathalie. Evidently, he and Sarah had not been the only ones to notice it.
"Something they decided to blame me for?" said Harry with some bitterness.
"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised." said Neville, shaking his head.
"Well," said Ginny. "It's Hufflepuff we're talking about. They were never renowned to be intelligent."
Harry snorted, remembering the words Hagrid had told him on his first visit to Diagon Alley. When he had been talking about the Houses, he had said Hufflepuff were "a lot o' duffers". Maybe there was some truth to these words after all.
"Do you know where McGonagall is?" asked Ron. Frowning, Harry looked up at the staff table. Indeed, McGonagall was absent. It was strange. The Gryffindor Head of House had always been there for meals ever since the beginning of the Gryffindor/Hufflepuff War, as the students called it. She always watched over to make sure there was no trouble. Why she wasn't here now was surprising, to say the least.
"She's probably busy with paperwork." dismissed Hermione.
"Or she's watching over a detention." said Harry.
"That too."
Harry swallowed a bite before he said "I'm going to the library before curfew. Do any want to come with me?"
"I'll come." said Sarah.
"I can come too." said Nathalie. "I have to finish my Charms homework." Then, more hesitantly, she added "Do you think you can help me with it?"
"Of course." said Harry with a gentle smile. Nathalie let out a small sigh of relief. "What about you, Hermione? Coming?" Hermione seemed reluctant, something Harry noticed with amusement. "I don't mind if you don't come." he said, rolling his eyes fondly. "You can spend your evening with Ron, if you prefer."
"Thanks." she blushed. Harry simply chuckled.
"What are you looking for?" asked Ginny with curiosity.
"Something for the Second Task." he said. "I will need to breathe under water for an entire hour. I'm looking for a way that can be achieved by someone my age and in the time I have until the Task."
Neville wiped his mouth with a paper towel before he asked "Why not use Gillyweed?"
"Gillyweed?" repeated Harry as all of them turned toward him.
"It's a plant that give gills that can be used to breathe under water. It also give webbing between the fingers and toes which help with swimming. It last about an hour, so you should be good."
Harry gaped at him. "Really? That really exist? You're not joking?"
"You don't believe him?" asked Ginny with amusement.
"It just seem too good to be true." Harry told her on the defensive. He then looked at Neville and asked "Do you know where I can buy some?"
"Any apothecary or herbologist, I assume." said the boy. "The apothecary do owl-orders but not the herbologist."
"So if the apothecary doesn't have any, I will need to go there myself to get some at the herbologist." said Harry. Neville nodded. "Thanks." he said. "You probably just saved my life."
"You're welcome." said Neville with a small, embarassed blush.
Just then, the doors of the Great Hall opened. Cedric and McGonagall entered and walked toward the front of the Hall. One by one, people began murmuring as people noticed what the Deputy Headmistress was holding in her hand.
The Sorting Hat.
Harry and friends could only watch in silence as Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly, silencing everyone.
"Mr. Diggory just came to me with a strange request – one that I feel obligated to follow as Deputy Headmistress after hearing his reasons. Mr. Diggory will explain to the school, as is his wish."
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Sarah shared confused looks as Cedric took a step forward. They watched as their friend took a deep breath before he began speaking.
"When I came to Hogwarts for my first year six years ago, I – like every other Hogwarts students – had to be sorted into a House. When my turn came, the Sorting Hat hesitated between three choices: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, and Hufflepuff." The Hufflepuffs, Harry noticed, looked incredibly shocked at the revelation.
"At the time, the Hat-" There, he nodded toward the Sorting Hat who was looking at him with interest. "Said I could be a good student of all three Houses. But, it couldn't decide where to send me by themselves, so it asked for my choice.
"I was very nervous back then. I was not as open and talkative as I am now. I also did not consider myself brilliant or intelligent." Here, Neville looked up. Harry also noticed the similarities between what Cedric and Neville described themselves as.
"When the Hat asked where I wanted to go, I chose Hufflepuff – not because it was my favourite House, but because it is where I believed I would fit best. I immediately fell in love with the House. I didn't care if the rest of the school saw us as idiots or the other Houses' rejects. No, I did not care because I loved the ideas of loyalty and fairness. We were just!" he said passionately.
"As the years progressed, I changed a lot. Like I said, I became more open and talkative – braver. I also noticed I was in the top five best students in my year group, and one of the most studious. I realized I had developped traits associated with the other two Houses the Sorting Hat believed I could have gone to. Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. Yet, I never came to reject my choice. I never wondered what could have been, as I was very much happy in Helga's House."
His face then became more grim. "It all changed at the beginning of the year – more precisely on Halloween. On Halloween, Harry Potter's name came out of the Goblet of Fire." Here, Harry noticed many Hufflepuffs turn to glare at him. "In the antechamber, it became clear Harry had not entered his name in contention it nor ever intended to. We all understood that someone with a more sinister purpose put Harry in the Tournament.
"I knew my House would be shocked when Harry's name came out. After all, everyone was. I even expected some to be angry. However, I naively believed that once I told them the truth, my fellow Hufflepuffs would understand and support Harry as much as they supported me. After all, we are fair, loyal and just. It should be easy to hear Harry out, listen to his side of the story and support him. He might not be a Hufflepuff, but he is a Hogwarts student – one of our own." Cedric then looked at the Hufflepuffs with disappointment. Not many were capable of looking back.
"Instead, what I saw is a House that completely and utterly refused to believe Harry was wrong. Despite me telling them no teacher believed Harry had entered himself, every single Hufflepuff ignored what I told them in favour of lies. Not even Snape – who everyone know hate Harry and see him as arrogant believed he had entered his name. But the Hufflepuffs did!"
He then snorted bitterly. "I say every teacher believed the truth, but I am lying. I think the biggest disappointment was our Head of House's reaction. Professor Sprout decided that because Harry supposedly overshadowed Hufflepuff – and because House Gryffindor decided to support him, a loyalty our House would have prided itself in – she decided it was perfectly fine to take a page out of Snape's book and bully Gryffindors! The Hufflepuff Head of House made students cry!" he shouted, glaring at Professor Sprout. The Herbology teacher only looked down in shame.
"What used to be the friendliest House in the entirety of Hogwarts became a bunch of bullies worse than Slytherin has the reputation of being! I had to stop multiple fights myself – fights you all claimed were to defend mine and Hufflepuff's honour! Do you know how disgusted I felt when I first heard that? That someone from Hufflepuff willingly bullied younger, innocent Gryffindors for me!? I was horrified! Ashamed! I tried to ignore it – tried to convince myself that Hufflepuff would soon see what they were doing was wrong and return to the House they are supposed to be. But, it has yet to happen!
"For the first time since I entered Hogwarts, I am completely and utterly disgusted and ashamed to be a Hufflepuff. The fame of having a Hufflepuff representing Britain in the eyes of the world went in the head of every single member of our House, corrupting us into something I don't recognize."
Cedric sighed and, Harry noticed, looked like he was steeling himself for something major. "Today, House Hufflepuff all but ordered me to cease my friendship with Harry Potter. It was the straw that broke the camel's back. I no longer believe House Hufflepuff is going to change their ways unless something drastic happen, which is why I asked Professor McGonagall to get a resorting-"
Cedric's following words were drowned in the exclamations of surprise heard across the Great Hall. Even the foreign students looked surprised, which was saying a lot as they did not have a strong a grip on the House system as the British students.
"Morgana's soggy tits!" exclaimed Ginny. Harry expected Hermione to chastise the younger girl for her language but was surprised when nothing came. When he turned to look at her, he saw the brunette gape at Cedric.
"Hermione?" he asked, prompting her to speak.
"This – this is huge!" she said, her voice full of shock. "Only eleven students were ever allowed a resorting in the entire history of Hogwarts. Not many are even eligible to, as you need a very, very good reason to be resorted. I read it all in-"
"Hogwarts: A History." chorused all her friends.
"Yes." she said with a small blush.
Harry jumped when something sounding like fireworks explosion sounded in the Great Hall. "Silence!" bellowed Dumbledore, his wand raised. Once everyone stopped talking, he sat back down and gave a nod to Professor McGonagall.
Without a word, the professor placed the Sorting Hat on the still standing Cedric's head. The Hat seemed to move slightly to sit better on the to-be-former Hufflepuff head before it stilled. A few seconds later, Cedric smirked, likely a result of a mental exchange between both.
"Do you think he's going to come here – to Gryffindor?" asked Sarah quietly.
"I don't think so." Hermione answered. Harry nodded next to her. He believed Cedric would chose the opportunity to spend more time with Cho.
"Why not?" asked Ron.
"Imagine yourself in his position." whispered Harry. "Imagine that, for some reason, you decided to leave Gryffindor and get sorted in another House. It is almost guaranteed you will end up in either Ravenclaw in Hufflepuff. Now, you have many friends in Hufflepuff, including Sarah and I. Going to the badgers would allow you to be with us. However, you have your girlfriend Hermione in Ravenclaw, and going there would allow you to spend more time with her. While you get resorted, the Sorting Hat decide to let you chose your own House. Do you chose Hufflepuff to be with the majority of your friends, or do you chose Ravenclaw to be with Hermione?"
"I would chose Ravenclaw." he answered almost immediately. Next to him, Hermione beamed and gave him a kiss.
"RAVENCLAW!" shouted the Sorting Hat. Cedric grinned to Cho as he joined the cheering Eagles. Along the way, some of the Hufflepuffs sent him longing looks, looks Cedric did not awknowledge. The ones who didn't looked too guilty and ashamed to do so.
"Cedric made the same decision." said Harry with a grin. When the Ravenclaw in question turned to look at them, Harry sent him a salute.
"I hope he will be happy there." said Neville.
"Oh, I have no doubt he will." said the raven-haired boy.