Second Chapter – Pretentious Adversaries

You hide in the darkness while I cringe in pain as the sun gives way to eternal rain.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione found seats at the small wooden bleachers set up near the Goblet of Fire, as the Beauxbatons students had occupied one of the long tables and so Gryffindor and the students from Durmstrang had to find someplace else to sit. Harry looked ahead and got a glimpse of Cedric. He looked nervous for a moment, but when someone had tapped him on the shoulder to say something to him, his face brightened and a smile appeared on his face.

Harry knew that there was a humongous chance that Cedric would be part of the chosen ones. After all, he was a good prefect, the strong captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, an outstanding student, and he was a very charismatic person. But deep inside, Harry wanted someone else to get the title. The thought of Cedric getting hurt burned in his brain. Belief in the prefect's magical talents wasn't enough to replace the doubts in Harry's mind. It just wasn't.

Everyone grew silent as soon as Dumbledore went beside the Goblet of Fire that was giving out a bluish glow. All waited, until the flames turned into a bright crimson. A piece of paper flew out of the fire, which the headmaster easily caught.

"The Durmstrang champion is…Viktor Krum!" At the announcement, everyone cheered. Viktor stood up to be acknowledged and went to the room where the champions were supposed to go.

After a while, a piece of flower-shaped paper shot out of the red flames. "The Beauxbatons champion is…Fleur Delacour!" A high-pitched cheer spread through the air, and the beautiful Fleur stood up with a shiny white smile. Ron blushed at the sight. Hermione raised an eyebrow.

The next champion to be called was for Hogwarts. Cedric could feel his heart racing madly. Had he placed his name in the Goblet of Fire? Had he forgotten to? No. He couldn't have. People had seen him do it. He was even wet with the rain then. He tried not to look at where the headmaster stood. He tried not to listen, actually.

"And the Hogwarts champion is…" said Dumbledore upon getting the last paper that had gotten out of the fire. There was a deafening silence. Harry began to feel hot due to nervousness. It couldn't be Cedric. It couldn't be Cedric. "…Cedric Diggory!" Harry's heart fell while the rest of the school applauded wildly.

The Hufflepuff prefect stood up in disbelief and contentment. His dreams were coming true at last. He, too, went to the room where Viktor and Fleur were. There was no going back now.

In the Great Hall, Dumbledore was about to say some reminders when the flame grew red again. Everyone stopped. It was impossible. The three champions had been chosen. How could there be more?

A piece of parchment, slightly burned at the sides but readable nonetheless, swooshed out of the flames and gently sunk towards the ground. Dumbledore read the name quickly, and almost blurted out, "Harry Potter,"

Harry thought he heard his name so he didn't react at first. But all eyes were on him now, and Dumbledore was shouting his name. Hermione had to give him a push before he moved. He stood up slowly, knees slightly shaking. He approached Dumbledore, who gave him the piece of parchment. He looked at it, and almost instantly his eyes grew wide.

His first thought was: No way.

The argument between the teachers regarding Harry's being chosen was over, and the Boy Who Lived was walking alone in the hall, not knowing what to do. Of all people, why did he have to be the fourth champion? It was bad enough that he looked like an extra, but why him?

Absorbed in his thoughts, Harry bumped against someone as he was about to turn into the corner. He fell on the ground hard but the pain hardly registered. He was much too distracted with the fact that he had never placed his name in the goblet, so how did that parchment ever get there?

"Are you alright?"

Harry wasn't paying much attention. He didn't want to be a champion. He didn't want Eternal Glory. He didn't want anything to do with the Triwizard Tournament. He just wanted…

"Harry?" The dark-haired boy looked up and gasped. It was Cedric. "Harry, are you okay? I'm so sorry," He helped him get up.

At first, Harry wanted to say something, but his voice caught in his throat. He swallowed immediately and tried to hide his blush as he said, "Y-yeah…I'm alright, Cedric…" He could feel goose bumps all over his arms.

"That's good," Cedric said with a smile. "Hey," He placed an arm on Harry's shoulder. "I know you didn't put your name in the goblet. If you're thinking about that, stop it. As long as you know you're innocent, in time everyone else will believe you. That's how it is: Learn to believe in yourself so others will. Okay?"

Harry nodded slowly. He looked into the deep pools of gray that were Cedric's eyes. How he wanted to melt under that enchanting gaze. Then an idea struck him. He was now a Triwizard champion, which meant that he could protect Cedric at last. Yes. He had to focus on that point. Almost everyone hated him at that moment, and he could care less. He had done nothing wrong, and he was going to go through with it because of love, his love for a boy named Cedric Diggory. No more, no less.

"I'm gonna go ahead, Harry," said Cedric, letting go of him. "I'll just see you when the First Task begins. Bye," He walked away at once. Harry, who couldn't believe that Cedric had just talked to him, didn't say anything. The blush on his cheeks spread to the rest of his face. If the tournament was going to give him more of Cedric, then he was ready as hell.

It was Harry's turn at last. He could feel his heart trying to escape his chest. There was nothing he could do at the moment but steady himself. He had prepared himself for this. Well, at least he tried his best to. Before he could take a step outside, he remembered something that had happened a few days before.

Dragons.

The word kept on repeating in Harry's mind. The First Task was going to be dragons, and they weren't the friendly type that was seen in cartoons. They were the big badass ones that had equally big badass tempers. Hagrid had showed them last night exclusively to the young Gryffindor. It scared the shit out of Harry, but he wasn't about to give up.

Harry looked up and saw something on people's shirts. Two Hufflepuffs passed by and he saw that they were wearing badges that said Potter Stinks. He ignored them although he felt slightly irritated. It had only been one day and yet everyone had united in going against him. He was crossing the grassy area to get to the library when he saw Cedric lying on a bench while his friends were standing and laughing at Harry. All of them had badges on except for Cedric, who noticed Harry and went to him.

"Try not to look at the badges," he said, grinning. "I tried to confiscate as much as I could, but I think they have stocks of it somewhere, whoever's making them, that is,"

"It's okay," said Harry. He felt a bit warm, being so close to Cedric again. "I don't mind. Anyway, I wanted to tell you about the First Task. It has something to do with dragons,"

"Dragons?" whispered Cedric. "How do you know that?"

"Someone showed them to me," answered Harry quickly. "Viktor and Fleur already know. Just thought you might want the information, too," He really wanted to look into Cedric's eyes, but if he did he knew he would be blushing uncontrollably again.

Cedric nodded. "I see. So we'll be battling dragons, huh? I don't know what I should be feeling, but it's pretty exciting, that is if you were one of the spectators or something,"

"Mmm," Harry tried to keep his words short and simple, so as not to blurt out something stupid while he was in a state of deep infatuation. "Well, uh, that's all I wanted to say. I have to go," He turned to leave when Cedric caught him by the arm. It was good that his back was turned; he was as red as a tomato.

"I nearly forgot," said Cedric. "Thank you, Harry,"

Harry gulped painfully. "N-no problem," He stammered, and walked briskly despite the fact that his knees were shaking like crazy. Once out of sight he leaned against the wall and tried to catch his breath. What he had for Cedric was no ordinary crush. No, no. It just got more difficult to understand.

Standing there in front of a cheering crowd and what looked like the Quidditch field that had been turned into the outside of a mine, Harry thought if maybe, just maybe after the tournament he could tell Cedric the truth and hope not to get rejected. It made him feel rather giddy to ponder on the plan; after all, he had never tried to romantically confess to anyone in his entire life. That was the ultimate suicide. When it came to Cedric, though, even rejection sounded like heaven. Anything that had to do with the Hufflepuff seemed perfect.

Harry didn't have time to think any more when a humongous tail came crashing towards him.

It was the Hospital Wing for Harry. Although he had gotten the Golden Egg, the task had given him a ton of unsightly injuries. After celebrating with his Gryffindor pals, he immediately went to have his wounds treated. He thought nothing serious had happened to him but along the way he felt his stomach lurching painfully. He bent and held himself where it hurt. The agony grew until Harry found himself on the floor, cringing and curled up like a dying worm. He felt his breathing slow down.

There were footsteps from somewhere, and although Harry wanted to ask for help his strength was being drained away. He saw something blurry, something yellow approach him. The last thing he heard was his name.

What seemed to be a second turned out to be six hours. When Harry woke up it was already nighttime, and he was in one of the beds in the Hospital Wing bandaged and all. He reached for his glasses that were on the side table when he felt a tug on his blanket. He put on his spectacles and covered his own mouth with his hand before he could gasp loudly. Cedric was right there beside him, sleeping peacefully.

Harry turned the lamp on to see if he wasn't mistaken. He swore he had never witnessed a more beautiful sight. The soft light covered every one of the features on Cedric's face perfectly. The older boy could've passed as an angel at that moment. He seemed so gentle, and so harmless. Harry wanted to touch him and feel his smooth skin, but before he could do anything Cedric slowly awakened. When he opened his eyes the light emphasized their grayness. Harry felt like he was on fire.

Cedric looked up at Harry and smiled. "Harry," He said with a delicate voice. "I'm so glad you're alright," He did something Harry had never expected: he placed a hand on Harry's cheek. "I was so worried about you,"

The warmth vanished. Harry suddenly saw Cedric in a whole new light. It was…strange. "You were worried?" He asked.

"Very," Cedric straightened up but kept his hand there. "I nearly screamed for help, too. Harry, this may sound weird coming from me, but I…" He made full eye contact with Harry. "I don't like it when you're hurt," Harry's eyes grew. Was it really Cedric talking to him? "When I was thinking of becoming a champion, you came to my mind and I wondered if you would have the same idea. And then it occurred to me: what if something terrible happened to you during the tournament? Would I be able to do anything?" Harry recalled asking himself the same questions. "My friends thought I was mad. After all, there were more important matters to think about. And then when I found out there was an age limit I felt extremely ecstatic, because then you would be safe. But then…" He looked almost depressed. "You still found your way into this. I don't blame you, except…except… agh!" Without warning, an immense pain shot through Cedric's entire body. He could feel himself shaking.

"Cedric? What's wrong?" asked Harry, his voice dripping with concern. He had never seen Cedric that way.

"I-I'm alright," Cedric tried to give Harry a smile despite what he was feeling physically. He knew better than to go against the rules; his master's rules, that is. "I think I need to go…eat something first," He slowly got up, doing his best to hide all unwanted emotion from his face. "I'll see you later, Harry," The younger boy noticed that he was clutching his side as he walked.

What was that all about? Thought Harry. He had a feeling that his question would remain unanswered for a really long while.

Once he had reached an empty hallway a bit far from the Hospital Wing, Cedric collapsed on the floor. He was breaking into a cold sweat. His muscles were twisting unbelievably and the blood in his veins seemed to be boiling. What he had just done wasn't part of the plan. He knew that well. After all, he was one of the few who truly listened to his master. He even helped his master to think of ways to accomplish their goal. He allowed himself to be used, to be the bait. He had ignored what they had talked about before, and so he had to pay.

"What have you done, Cedric?" asked a cold voice that surrounded Cedric. "You were about to dwell into the most forbidden grounds of all. Are you going to give me shame, Cedric? Are you?" The voice was getting angrier and angrier by the second. Nonetheless, it tried to remain calm.

"I'm sorry, Master. I beg for your forgiveness," whimpered Cedric, receiving more pain. "I will never do it again. Never again, Master. I was just caught in the moment. Please Master…give me another chance,"

Cedric's master paused, and spoke again. "Very well, my gentle follower. This happens to be your first mistake anyway, so I shall let it go,"

"Oh thank you, Master. Thank you," Cedric felt happy. If anything, he always longed for his master's approval.

"But I'm warning you, Cedric," continued Master. "If you don't stick to the original plan, I will not think twice about getting rid of you. You know me, child. I like precision. We can't have a bad apple in the basket, now do we, Cedric?"

"Of course not, master," replied Cedric. "Thank you again for sparing me. I am forever grateful,"

And the voice had gone.

Cedric was alone in the hallway. The pain had subsided. His master was merciful indeed. At that moment he vowed not to cause trouble again. Their plan was flawless. Only he, Cedric, could mess things up by doing something inappropriate, and one of them was to have feelings for the enemy.

Author's Note: I know I'm sort of beating around the bush, but I just want to take the story slowly and carefully, as I really do need to develop Cedric's character for the upcoming chapters. Enjoy, loves!