Title: Attraction To A Wallflower

By: Smurf

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any related trademarks, although I do own a seriously mangled looking Harry Potter Lego person… well actually, I found him on the sidewalk and thought it was cute, so I took it home, cleaned him up, and put it on my bookshelf.

Note: This one took a while; I was in the process of moving, and on top of that I had some trouble with the whole Cedric-Cho relationship, and how to handle it without coming across as a Cho hater, or having to write her out. I happen to like Cho's character, so she had to stay, and thankfully I figured out a way. Yay! This is the longest chapter I have ever posted, and I think I did an okay job though feedback would be nice. Thanks.

Warning: This is a work of fan fiction. Meaning it did not come from JK R's delightful imagination, it came from mine, although it was inspired by her work, as is the case with pretty much all HP FF's. So there will be discrepancies, a few time jumps, and some OOC-ness (though, I try to keep it to a minimum), and some AU-ness- again, it's a fan fiction, AU-ness is always there in some way shape or form.

Attraction To A Wallflower

Part IV: Ending?

The summer before Cedric's seventh-and final- year at Hogwarts School Of Witchcraft And Wizardry was filled with much anticipation and excitement. The fluttering sensation that arose in his stomach whenever Neville Longbottom was near- or on those occasions where his thoughts of the younger boy were, for lack of a better description, more vivid than usual- had began to act up earlier than usual. In the previous years the fluttering hadn't begun until just a few hours before he left for platform 9¾'s and the Hogwarts Express. Perhaps the intensity of the manic butterflies that seemed to have taken up residence in Diggory's belly, was due to the fact that this year Cedric had vowed that he would come clean to the younger boy about his feelings, and that was enough to make any teenaged boy nervous.

Over the past few weeks Cedric had mulled over how exactly he would approach Neville so as to not come off as too forward or pushy. He had gone over everything that he wanted to say, and exactly how he wanted to say it nearly a million times in his head; once or twice he had even found himself rehearsing out loud in front of his mirror (which had assured him that it all sounded quite lovely, but that he should comb his hair as it was sticking up in odd angles). Such was the scenario at twelve minutes to two when his father had come to make sure that he was awake, and would be ready to begin their trek to the portkey that would take them to the site of the Quidditch World Cup finals.

Good lad that he was, Cedric was awake- even if still a touch groggy- his travel-bundle waiting at the front door. He was dressed in clothing that he had purchased in a muggle shop special for the occasion. He wore a pair of distressed jeans that the sales girl had seemed to approve of by the way she had been (none too discreetly) checking out his rear. He had paired the jeans with a heather gray t-shirt that fit snuggly over his torso, and displayed a faded shamrock on the chest; he had thought that it would be fitting considering he was planning on supporting Ireland- though to be fair, the Bulgarian team was rather good as well. On his feet he wore a comfortable pair of muggle shoes- he believed that they were called sneakies or something like that. And to keep his mum happy he had also donned a jumper in Hufflepuff yellow, just to be sure that he would be warm enough.

It was a good thing that his shoes were comfortable as the walk to the portkey was rather long indeed. Once there the two Diggory's had naught to do but locate said portkey, and wait for the arrival of their fellow travelers. The port key could have been any object, from an old tin can, to a discarded mitten, once Cedric had even traveled via one made to look like a muggle lawn gnome; it had been curious because the thing looked absolutely nothing like the gnomes he was used to tossing out of the garden at home. In this case however the portkey happened to be an old boot.

Now that the port key had been found, all that remained was the waiting. As it would turn out, the other travelers arrived shortly. Cedric recognized them immediately, as did his father who waved them over. Arthur Weasley, a red haired wizard, was being followed by his brood of children- or those still too young to apparate at any rate- and two other people whom Cedric knew from school; the first was Hermione Granger, a bushy haired Gryffindor girl who helped Neville as often and as best she could with his potions assignments, and the second was Harry Potter, a friend and roommate to young Mr. Longbottom.

Harry seemed perhaps a wee bit perturbed by Cedric's father's comments on the Hufflepuff vs. Gryffindor Quidditch match that had taken place the previous school year. For his own part, Cedric was rather embarrassed. He had- more than once- explained to his father about Harry's accident and the Dementors, however, it would appear that Amos Diggory had listened to none of it, not even as Cedric tried to explain for perhaps the sixth time that summer.

Amos, the proud, jovial, father that he was continued to speak of his son in glowing, even if perhaps a bit boastful, terms. Cedric was rather glad when the conversation ended, and he felt the familiar tug at his navel, which told him that the portkey was doing its job.

The group arrived at the check in point some seconds later. Cedric, and the two father figures were the only three to have remained standing. The others had wound up sprawled on the ground in a tangled mass of bodies, and backpacks. Cedric, being the gentleman that he was helped Hermione, who was closest to him, to her feet. Once everyone was standing upright the group got their tent assignments and went off in search of the muggles whom they would pay for their stay in the camping grounds. Arthur Weasley and his group went off in one direction, searching for a Mr. Roberts, while Cedric and his father headed off in another direction looking for a Mr. Payne.

Cedric spent most of his day keeping an eye out for his favorite Gryffindor, only to be disappointed when Cho- a very close friend of his from school, and the seeker for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team- had explained that her grandmother had told her that Mrs. Longbottom (Neville's formidable witch of a grandmother) hadn't wanted to come and had refused to buy tickets. Cedric was disheartened at the fact that Neville had to miss such a big event. He knew that the younger boy would have enjoyed it thoroughly, and if he had been there it would have given them an opportunity to talk.

Cho cast her friend a knowing look, and gave him a friendly kiss on the cheek as if to say 'Its okay, you'll get a chance to talk to him later.' Cedric smiled at the gesture, and squeezed her hand thankfully; he had always known that there was a reason he had chosen Cho Chang to be his best friend and confidant (even if most of the time people thought they were more). Still he couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that Neville hadn't been there to watch the game, or see Bulgaria's Viktor Krum catch the Snitch, or to celebrate Ireland's victory.

Later that same night though, Cedric was relieved that Neville wasn't among those who had come to see the game. The last thing he wanted was for the kind Gryffindor to be exposed to the cruelty of Death Eaters, as they rioted through the campgrounds. And when the mark of He-who-must-not-be-named lit up the night sky, Cedric Diggory paled and was struck all at once with a terrible, almost paralyzing, fear; he remembered that symbol from when he was a toddler, and all of the horror that had come with it. Yes, Cedric was glad that Neville wasn't there. The younger boy was far away; he was safe. And suddenly, Cedric found that he could breath again.

Cedric had meant to approach Neville at platform 9 ¾'s when he had seen the sandy haired youth rolling his trolley toward the train to be stowed away. Unfortunately a first year girl had intercepted him and had asked, very politely, if he would mind terribly helping her with her things. Cedric looked at the girl's trunk, and nodded. The thing was twice as big as she was, and he doubted that she knew any spells to help her get the task done on her own.

After helping out the minute first year Cedric noticed that he had lost sight of the object of his affections, and realized that the other boy must have already boarded the train. Not a problem. Cedric would simply find Neville's compartment, and ask if he could sit with him. It wasn't as if it were mandatory for him to sit with the other prefects for the entire ride. And if he could get Neville alone, he could finally let the round faced boy know how he felt about him without embarrassing either of them too badly. That however didn't happen, as he was immediately spotted by a group of his peers and hauled into the car reserved for prefects where he wound up staying for the entire trip, except for when he did rounds with Cho, just to make sure that there were no wizard duels, or other mischief going on in the aisles or compartments. Thus he lost yet another opportunity to speak to Neville.

The announcement that the Triwizard Tournament would be held at Hogwarts, beginning in October, and continuing on throughout the school year was made after the Sorting Ceremony (once again Cedric had placed all of the first years correctly in their respective houses), and Welcome Feast, it had been interrupted by the late appearance of one Mr. Moody, better known as Mad-Eye, who was introduced as the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, but the announcement had still managed to be made. Cedric had caught the curious and excited look that seemed to dance across Neville's features, and smiled to himself. Perhaps entering the tournament wouldn't be such a bad idea. After all if he was chosen as the Hogwarts Champion then he would- most likely- get the chance to have Neville cheer him on, something he had often fantasized about during Quidditch season. The seventh year's smile brightened considerably at that thought, and he made up his mind that yes, he would definitely be entering.

Cedric was beginning to think that he would never get the opportunity to speak with Neville alone. He hadn't seen the boy much during the first few days back at school, although he had run into Hermione once or twice, and each time she had gone on about S.P.E.W. something or other, and the plight of House Elves at Hogwarts and the world over. Why couldn't he have bumped into Neville instead? Why?

But still, Cedric remained optimistic. He would get a chance to talk to Neville Longbottom, and he would tell him how he felt, and he would do it before the end of the school year. He had no doubt in his mind that he would in fact do these things, because he was a Hufflepuff, and Hufflepuff's were nothing if not determined.

September ended, and October began; Cedric had managed to see Neville a few times in the halls between classes, however the younger boy was always accompanied by someone, and so Cedric hadn't managed to let the young lion know about his feelings just yet. The brief conversations that they did manage to have however were wonderful even if short, comprising of a mutual greeting, followed by a statement or question or two, and then a goodbye. Cedric had even managed to make Neville laugh once; it was an accomplishment that he felt proud of. Hearing Neville's soft laughter, and knowing that he was the one to cause it made the fluttering sensation in his stomach all the stronger, and a fuzzy warm feeling to settle over his entire being.

Cho couldn't help but smile whenever Cedric mentioned the younger Gryffindor. It was plain to see that Neville, by simply being Neville, made her dearest and nearest friend happy. She had even expressed those sentiments to Cedric once while they had been sitting by the lake completing their respective school assignments. Cedric had merely blushed, nudged her lightly, and accused her of being a romantic, before returning his attention back to his essay on curses for professor Moody's class.

Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody; Cedric had an uneasy feeling about him. But, he pushed it aside, brushing it off as uneasiness about the aged professor's magical eye, and its high level of creepiness. He didn't particularly care for Snape either, but he had learned that his personal feelings had nothing to do with someone's ability to do their job. Snape may be a prat, but he was still a fine example of a potions master, and likewise, Moody may be unsettling and eccentric, but he was exceptionally experienced in Defense against Dark Arts, and therefore was more than qualified to teach the subject.

By mid-October Cedric and Neville would say hello to one another whenever they passed in the halls. And Cedric was certain that he had caught young Longbottom staring at him once or twice during meals, although that could have just been wishful thinking on his part. Regardless, Cedric was more confident now in his chances with Neville, as he was no longer a total stranger to the fourth year herbology buff.

It was also at about this time that the rest of his house became aware of his plans to enter into the Triwizard Tournament. A few of the more perceptive of them (specifically Ernie McMillan, and Justin Fitch-Fletchery- both fourth years) were even aware of Cedric's motivation behind entering into the competition. Cedric supposed that Justin had probably caught on in his second or third year after catching the older boy cast wistful glances in the direction of the sandy haired youth. Ernie however had only become aware in the past few weeks or so. Both boys seemed supportive enough, though, so it really came as no surprise that it was Ernie who came to tell him about the other participating schools arriving to begin the tournament on the thirtieth of that very month.

The week leading up to the thirtieth was a tense one. Snape was more snappish than was normal, and had risen to new levels of spiteful nastiness, McGonagall was on edge, Flitwick was even more excitable than usual… as a matter of fact, the only person who seemed unaffected by the whole business was professor Binns, and he was a ghost!

Finally the thirtieth arrived. The Great Hall was decorated rather smartly, and the teachers all seemed to become complete perfectionists all at once. The students and staff assembled outside of the school thirty minutes before regular classes ended in wait of the arrival of their guests from Beauxbaton, and Durmstrang, and Cedric stood as near Neville as he could manage.

The first to arrive was Beauxbaton, in a flying carriage pulled by a team of enormous winged horses. Neville, in surprise, stumbled back a bit, only to step on a fifth year Slytherin's foot. Cedric watched, ready to step in if the brutish looking serpent tried anything, but he didn't. Instead of shoving Neville face first into the ground as was expected, the boy simply steadied the round faced Gryffindor and gently nudged him forward back into his place, not even making a fuss over the fact that his little toe was probably going to be bruised for the next few days. Cedric felt a brief pang of what could only be termed jealousy as he watched the Slytherin touch Neville, how ever innocent it was, however it passed just as quickly as it had come, and he went back to watching as the coach landed.

Once the representatives from both schools arrived the Hogwarts student body returned inside, and made their way to the Great Hall, where a welcome feast would be served in honor of their guests. Once seated, Cedric took a look around. He saw Cho, sitting at the Ravenclaw table not too far from the Beauxbaton students who had decided to sit there as well. Briefly he wondered if it was because of the fact that Ravenclaw Blue went rather nicely with their robes. At the Gryffindor table he saw Neville sitting with his usual group of friends, and Ron Weasley, looking very excited. Then he noticed the Durmstrang students still milling about the place before finally settling on dining with the Slytherin's. Ron was no longer excited, Cedric noted. For his own table he noticed Hannah Abbott, looking over at the Slytherin table, peeking none too discreetly at Viktor Krum. He hoped he wasn't as obvious when he shot glances in Neville's direction, although, he had a sneaking suspicion that he was.

The food was quite excellent, although by the faces of the Beauxbaton students you would think it had been just a mediocre meal. The announcement of the deadline for entry into the Triwizard Tournament was made. Cedric took one more glance over at the Gryffindor table, and then returned to listening as Professor Dumbledore spoke, and early the next morning, before the sun or other students were up, he made his way to where the Goblet of Fire was displayed, and entered his name into it.

The evening of the drawing of the three school champions saw Cedric Diggory, sitting at the Hufflepuff table in a state of quiet nervousness. He really hoped that he was chosen to compete.

Then the Goblet spat out a slightly charred piece of parchment, which was caught, and read aloud by Dumbledore. Viktor Krum had been selected as the champion for Durmstrang, and Fleur Delacour as the Beauxbaton champion. Both had disappeared into a chamber behind the staff dining table.

The entire Hogwarts student body, along with a fair number of its staff waited anxiously. When the third name was called Cedric was a little unsure if he had heard correctly, but once he was positive that, yes, it had been his name to come out of the Goblet, he felt a strange mixture of relief, excitement, and nervousness. Still, he smiled brightly, glanced in Neville's direction, saw him clapping politely, a smile on his face, and headed off to join the other two champions in the small chamber where they had been instructed to wait.

The three teens had been waiting in silence, none of them really certain of what to say to one another, when the door opened and a fourth person came in. Cedric knew him immediately to be Harry Potter. He listened as Fleur Delacour of Beauxbaton questioned Harry, and then continued to listen as Ludo Bagman, Madame Maxime, the head of Durmstrang- one Professor Karkoff, and Professor's Snape, McGonagall, and Dumbledore all continued to argue over the same thing. Harry, it seemed, was the fourth competitor in the Triwizard Tournament; a fact that confused Cedric. It was, after all, the TRIwizard Tournament. That alone made it quite clear that there were only supposed to be three champions, not four. Didn't the Goblet know that? Or was it perhaps going a bit senile… that is if objects such as that could even go senile…

Merlin! He'd have needed to be a Ravenclaw to sort it all out. Luckily for him, he happened to know one quite well. If anyone could help him make heads or tails of the situation it would be Cho.

Eventually the arguing stopped. The Bulgarian's went back to their ship in silence, the French, left speaking animatedly in their native tongue, and both Harry and Cedric were sent back to their dorms.

While they were walking Cedric let his curiosity get the better of him and he asked Harry how he had gotten his name into the goblet. When Harry answered that he hadn't entered, and he had no clue as to how it happened or what was going on, Cedric looked at him, and decided to give the younger boy the benefit of the doubt… well most of him did at any rate.

It was now late November, and the day of the first trial of the Triwizard Tournament. Cedric had yet to get anywhere near Neville Longbottom, and it wasn't for lack of trying! It was just that every time he attempted to go and talk to the younger boy, he was immediately swarmed by a group of giggling girls, who just couldn't show enough support for him as the REAL Hogwarts champion. Really it was starting to grate at his nerves.

Cedric's sour feeling s for Harry had ebbed completely after a long talk with Cho, though the fact that Harry had given him warning about the subject of the first task- even though he could have just kept it to himself- had helped in smoothing his previously ruffled feathers. So when he dipped his hand in to Mr. Bagman's purple bag, and pulled out a miniature dragon with the number one around its neck, he hadn't been surprised at all.

It was time now. Cedric made his way to the pitch where the dragon he would have to face would be waiting for him. He could hear Mr. Bagman's voice announce him as the first competitor, but louder still was the cheering of his fellow students. The tall Hufflepuff scanned the stands searching for a certain somebody's dimpled, round, face, though his eyes found Cho first, who was clapping enthusiastically, and gesturing to her left rather obviously. Cedric's gaze followed her gesture, and came to rest on Neville, who was also cheering for him.

Cedric felt a slight heat work its way across his features. Strangely he didn't feel embarrassed, but rather emboldened, as he continued on his way to face his dragon. Cedric's plan was a simple one- the simple ways are often the best as the saying goes- but it was still risky. But then again, Dragons were rather risky creatures to be around even when they weren't nesting.

Taking a deep breath, Cedric set about his task. First he chose a suitably sized rock, and transfigured it into an adorable looking black dog. Hopefully it would distract the dragon from him long enough for him to grab the golden egg that was nestled amongst her clutch.

It worked… well sort of. He had managed to get the egg, however, the rock/dog hadn't been enough of a distraction, and he had wound up with a burn along the side of his face. Still, it was all right, he had completed the task, and he had complete faith in Madam Pomfrey and her healing salves.

Cedric's face had healed up rather nicely; there wasn't even a scar. Although he had spent several days smelling like a medicine cabinet, in order to properly heal the charred skin. During that time he had avoided Neville like the plague, not wanting the sensitive boy to see the grotesque burn. After all, one wants to look their best for the ones they care for.

The announcement of the Yule ball had been made while he had been in his Muggle Studies class, and immediately he had thought of Neville, and how nice it would be to go with the younger Gryffindor as his date. His second thought though had been of a certain blonde Slythrin, and a good number of his cronies. They picked on Neville often enough as it was. Going to the Yule Ball with a member of the same gender would simply be like adding fuel to the fire. Slythrin's were not known for their tolerance. So, Cedric made up his mind to do the next best thing. He would go with Cho. She was after all a nice girl, pretty, and intelligent, and she was also one of his closest friends so it wouldn't be too awkward to dance with her. No, as a matter of fact the whole idea sounded rather fun. Besides, he would most definitely see Neville there, and possibly he would finally find an opportunity to speak to him.

And so it was that Cedric went to the Ball with Cho. There were even rumors going about the school that they were a couple. Cedric had been quite flustered when he had heard that. But Cho had calmed him down. It wasn't as if the rumors were true. They were just friends. Close friends. They had been for years, ever since Cho had made her house team, and they had found that they had a lot in common.

Cedric hadn't gotten a chance to speak to Neville as he would have liked, however that didn't mean he wouldn't. The Hufflepuff seventh year, made a promise to himself that he would indeed let the younger boy know exactly how he felt before the end of the school year.

Time passed and before Cedric knew it, the second task was upon him. When he had learned of what the task entailed, he had been worried that it would be Neville beneath the surface of the great lake, though the rational part of his brain had told him that it wouldn't be… he was very careful not to let anyone know of his affections for the younger boy. The only people who knew were those who had figured it out themselves, and they respected the seventh year enough to keep quiet until the time came when he could told the kind faced Gryffindor of his crush. However that meant something or someone else was down there; Cho Chang had been chosen as the ting he would miss most at Hogwarts. Not entirely accurate, but not too far off. The slight Asian girl was his closest confidante, so in a way it made sense that she would be the one chosen.

Once the task was completed, Cedric noted that he had risen in rating, and he saw a sea of spectators, yet he was still unable to get close to his sandy haired lion. Not that he minded. He hoped to have this particular conversation with the object of his affections when he wasn't sopping wet.

'Soon.' He promised himself. 'I'll do it soon.'

Soon the third task was upon him, and Cedric still hadn't said a word to Neville about how he felt. He felt as if he were the world biggest procrastinator, constantly putting it off. Well, no more! No he was dealing with this now. Right away! Only he couldn't really could he… because in exactly five minutes he had to be waiting with the other champions. Heaving a heavy sigh, Cedric made his way to where the others were probably already waiting.

It appeared though that today was his lucky day. Standing there, not but fifty yards from where Cedric was headed, was Neville Longbottom, who also seemed to be headed in that direction. 'Probably to wish Harry Luck,' he noted to himself. Still, he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"Hello, Neville," Cedric smiled at the boy, "Off to wish Harry luck?"

The smaller boy turned to face him, and Cedric swore he saw the fourth year blush as he shook his head in the negative. "N-no. I- I already wished Harry good luck before he left the dorm this morning…" Neville looked downward apparently finding his shoes very fascinating at that moment in time. "I…" he stopped to clear his throat, "I was coming to wish you good luck as well… I mean… you're a Hogwarts champion too, and-"

Cedric positively beamed at the younger male, who seemed to have problems finishing his sentence. "Neville," Cedric cut the other boy off mid stutter, "Thank you. For wishing me luck I mean." The last bit was added hastily. Cedric saw Neville nod and turn a brighter shade of red before turning to leave.

Cedric caught hold of Neville's wrist, and halted him before he could get away. If he didn't do this now, he might not get a chance later. "Neville, wait!" he now had the younger boy's full attention. "Neville, I…" Why was this so hard to say? He'd rehearsed it in his head and in his mirror so many times it should have been easy! But no… Suddenly all of the carefully chosen words, and planned speeches were gone from his head, and all that was left was an anxious fluttering uncertain sensation that seemed to have filled his entire body.

'COME ON DIGGORY, OUT WITH IT! SAY SOMETHING! DO SOMETHING! NOW! DO IT NOW!' giving in to the demands of his conscience, Cedric pulled the smaller boy in toward him and did the only thing he could think of in his flustered state. He kissed him.

It wasn't a hard, drawn out, passionate kiss… it was more tentative, and soft… and perfect, especially the part where Neville kissed him back, even if it was only for about three seconds before he pulled away and looked up at Cedric with wide slightly glazed over eyes.

Neville brought his fingertips to his lips, and blushed like a school girl who had received her first kiss… which wasn't too far from the mark, the only difference was the gender specification. Cedric found it all impossibly adorable. "Wha-? I… What about Ch-Cho… I thought…"

Cedric shook his head and smiled, a rosy blush staining his cheeks as well. "Just friends," he managed when he found that his vocal chords had finally decided to cooperate. Cedric really wished he had more time before the start of the third task, but he was going to be late if he didn't leave now. Loosing his grip on Neville's wrist he shifted his hand until it was holding Neville's. Giving the younger boys hand a light squeeze, he offered up another soft smile. "I have to go now…" he looked over his shoulder in the direction he knew the other three champions would be gathering, "But would you wait for me until I'm done?" he asked hopefully.

Neville nodded and a bright smile split his face. Cedric's response was much the same; little did either boy know that their happiness would be so short lived.

Cedric Diggory, the seventeen-year-old Hufflepuff seeker, and all around good bloke, died not too long after his sweet exchange with his kind hearted Gryffindor, and Neville Longbottom was left, forever waiting…

FIN!

Here ends Part IV of Attraction To A Wallflower.

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I know the ending is sort of sad… but I wanted to try something different from what I normally do. I usually stick to the humor and or parody part of fic writing, and so I thought that it was about time for me to do something sweet, sad, and hopefully not too sappy (Is it me or did it seem a bit rushed at the end? Tee-hee). This is the end of the first part of a trilogy of sorts; I'll be posting more Nedric stuff in a few days, but in the meantime check out some of the other stories the collective has put together.

Now for review responses! Yay!

SasukeBlade: I made this chapter longer just for you! Yay! (Hands over I  Nedric button, cap, and t-shirt- the very best in Nedric Supporter paraphernalia) Thank you for all of your reviews thus far, and I hope you continue to read my other Nedric fics, which should be up soon.

Lavender Brown-Halliwell: Woo-hoo! New reviewer! Yay! Thank you for the review, and I hope this chapter was to your liking.

j. lunatic: Yay! New review! Here's the last chapter for this one. The other two pieces should be up sometime in November. I'm hurrying, I'm hurrying! LOL.

Wow! I'm really surprised at the good reviews this has gotten. I expected it to be all flames, and vaguely disguised death threats! LOL.

Hugs and Oreos!

Smurf