A/N: The fourth of my series, an inside look at an under-appreciated House. This was…difficult to write; I don't know why. I could use some feedback on this one.
Disclaimer: Don't own 'em.
Silent Soldiers: Justin Finch-Fletchley Be There
Cedric was the first.
Oh, maybe not the very first. There's talk of a Ministry witch who has gone missing, Barty Crouch is dead, and there are certainly countless others that the newspapers have overlooked. But Cedric was one of us.
Cedric was – everything. He was – and I don't mind saying this – easily the best Hufflepuff house had to offer. We know what the other houses think of us – that we're a "load of duffers," as Hagrid so eloquently puts it. And maybe we are – but we aren't supposed to be the smart ones; we leave that to Ravenclaws and Hermione. We are something else entirely.
It's funny how often people forget what we are. The Sorting Hat says it in one form or another every year, if anyone cares to listen. We are loyal. We are hard working and diligent, but most of all, we are loyal.
That's why it wasn't so much of a surprise that Cedric was the first to die. I heard a little bit of the real story from the Gryffindors – about how Cedric insisted that Harry accept the Tri-Wizard Cup with him for a double Hogwarts victory. It's something that he would do. But You-Know-Who didn't care about Cedric's morals, or about the qualities that made him a Hogwarts champion. He only saw Cedric as something to destroy.
I was so angry at first. Hogwarts is supposed to be safe, impenetrable even, yet Cedric was snatched from within its very borders! If Dumbledore can't protect us, than who can?
That anger was easily transferred to Harry Potter. He made it back. He came back clutching Cedric's body and babbling about evil, graveyards, and You-Know-Who.
I still can't believe that Harry can say his real name.
Harry is important. You-Know-Who was after him. Of course, he's a Gryffindor. Everyone was devastated when Cedric died, but if it had been Harry the entire wizarding world would probably be forced into mourning, the Prophet would talk about him for months, and he'd probably have the entire Quidditch field named after him.
Not Cedric. Cedric was just in the way.
Just a stupid little Hufflepuff somewhere he didn't belong.
I'm still angry, but no longer at Potter. I saw him the night he returned from the Hospital Wing. He didn't see me – I don't think he saw anything. His eyes were so haunted that it scared me. He will see Cedric's death in his nightmares for the rest of his life. I knew then I couldn't be angry with him anymore – he will suffer enough without my animosity.
I'm no longer angry with Potter. My target is just a little bit larger.
The Dark Lord will pay for Cedric's life. He has murdered someone we held dear, and for that we will destroy him. I'll probably never see it done, and I certainly won't have much part in it. But somehow, some way, Voldemort will regret taking Cedric's life.
See, Hufflepuffs are loyal. Cedric was ours – we will not let his death go unpunished. He has not died in vain.
Most people don't know it, but anyone who has read recently published Dark Arts books – namely, Hermione – knows that Hufflepuff house turns out more Aurors than any other. We have many who work in the Department of Mysteries as well – for who would suspect the foolish, innocent Hufflepuffs to do anything secretly? When the battle lines are drawn, more often than not the Hufflepuffs make up the front ranks.
We work hard. We don't give up. We don't have the wild enthusiasm of the Gryffindors, the quiet intensity of the Ravenclaws, or the slightly crazed shrewdness of the Slytherins, but we are strong. We keep working long after everyone else is spent, simply because someone has to. Maybe Harry Potter can collapse after a battle with You-Know-Who, but the Hufflepuffs must keep moving – Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing, the Aurors chasing after any lingering Death Eaters. Life doesn't stop because the hero is injured – the support base continues on. An army is only as strong as its support, its rank and file – and we Hufflepuffs make sure that it is as strong as it can be.
When the Gryffindors have died in noble self-sacrifice, when the Slytherins have 'calculated' their ways into an early grave, when the Ravenclaws can no longer hide in their laboratories and pretend that nothing is wrong – then maybe, people will realize what Hufflepuffs are worth.
A wizard once commented that Hufflepuffs are like weeds – there's always one popping up to take the place of another. It's because there are far more ordinary, not too bright people than there are great brains, heroes, or even villains. The time will soon come, however, that everyone will appreciate what we can do.
The Dark Lord doesn't know it, but he lost any potential support from Hufflepuff when he killed Cedric Diggory. Above any loyalty to Dumbledore or anyone else, we are dedicated to each other. There will be no Death Eaters coming from Hufflepuff for at least seven years, because each year currently at Hogwarts now owes his or her life to the memory of Cedric.
Cedric was the first. He won't be the last.
So when the battle lines are drawn, we'll be there.
You can count on it.
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