Title: A Lifetime of Devotion
Author: Megan (Frozenlife)
Pairings: Harry/Cedric (Eventually)
Chapter: 2? This is going to be long.
Warnings: stalking
Rating: G or PG this chapter
Disclaimer: I own Harry Potter as much as I own Microsoft. (Hint: I use a mac, with Mac OS X)
Summary: Cedric has always idolized Harry Potter, but is that enough to gain the 'Boy-Who-Lived' attention?
A/N: This is isn't beta'd or brit picked. This is my first fic so I don't know the whole Beta-ing process. But I suppose it anyone wants to help out? I would be thrilled! Oh and Rhyss is pronounced Reese (its a Welsh spelling).
The rest of Cedric's summer slid by, filled with trips with his family to Diagon Alley and relative's houses. Cedric went to visit his Hufflepuff friends, Rhyss and Henry. Rhyss and Henry were two of Cedric's roommates, and the only two boys who studied as much as Cedric.
i As a first year, Cedric had been afraid that he would have no friends, he spent so much time on school work. But Christmas break of his first year he, Rhyss and Henry were the only Hufflepuff's staying in the castle. At first, they sat all on opposite sides of the common room, as these two boys were as adamant about studying as Cedric. Christmas day, however, would soon become Cedric's favorite day in the castle. The morning of December 25, Cedric's presents were not at the foot of his bed, but under a huge tree in the common room. He noticed that Rhyss and Henry were already down in the common room, swapping presents. When Cedric sat down cautiously, the two boys smiled at him, and introduced themselves properly; by pelting him with his Christmas candies. Soon the boys were engaged in an all out candy and pillow war, the presents lay forgotten under the tree. An amazing feat in of itself, how many eleven year old boys forget about presents on Christmas? The boys eventually tired and sat again by the tree, all tension gone. As they sat and swapped presents a new friendship formed, as friendships will form over presents. All presents opened, the boys traded candies, Cedric didn't like Bertie Botts Every Flavor Beans, whereas Henry didn't like Chocolate Frogs. Rhyss didn't like cockroach clusters, but neither did Cedric or Rhyss, so the boys left those on a table for the rest of Hufflepuff House to enjoy. /i
If it weren't for the house elves, those clusters would probably still be there.
But from that Christmas on, the three boys were inseparable. They studied together and realized that maybe studying during every free moment wasn't necessary. They helped each other open up to the rest of the house, overcome their shyness and nervousness around other students, and through it all, they stayed the best of friends.
So it was that every summer the three boys would get together at a different house. Cedric hadn't had his turn, but this summer they had all gone to Rhyss's house in Worthing. Rhyss showed them his Quidditch pitch and they played for hours. Cedric thought Quidditch was the single greatest Wizarding tradition, and he had always wanted to be on the house team, but he didn't have a broom, or the courage. After playing with his friends, however, he knew that if he could muster up the courage, he would love to play seeker for Hufflepuff, as their current seeker was a seventh year.
The summer came to a close shortly after Cedric's visit to Rhyss's house, and in the flurry of excitement about his third year all thoughts about the scrawny boy at the zoo left his head.
Cedric kissed his mother and hugged his father goodbye on the platform of nine and three quarters and ran with his friends to find an empty carriage. He saw the Weasley twins, two Gryffindors in his year, looking at some box, so he went over to discover it was a giant tarantula. So enthralled was Cedric with this arachnid, he failed to notice the small, scrawny boy Fred and George helped onto the train. He also missed their cries to their mother of "Harry Potter! Mum!"
About halfway through the trip, Cedric, Rhyss, and Henry were playing exploding snap and eating sweets from the trolly when they heard the first whispers,
"Harry Potter?"
"Yes, he's sitting near the end of the train with the newest Weasley."
"How do you know?"
"I talked to Fred and George, they've already met him."
"Wow, I hope he's in my house."
The excitement was tangible, everyone on the train wanted desperately to go meet Harry Potter, but they were all too nervous to actually go and peer at him. Cedric wished, perhaps more than anyone, to go introduce himself to the boy, but he was much to nervous. The thought of finally meeting his hero, his inspiration, after all these years, froze Cedric. Too nervous to walk down to the boy, he forced himself to wait until the sorting ceremony to get his first glance of his boy hero.
The train ride ended, and as Cedric climbed into the horseless carriage he could feel the tension mounting in him. Harry Potter! He was finally going to see Harry Potter!
Getting out of the carriage, and entering the great hall, the conversation was loud, and had only one subject: Harry Potter. What would he look like? The only information sent out about this mysterious boy hero was his jagged scar.
After an agonizing amount of time, the first years filed in, looking apprehensive and small. Cedric found himself shutting his eyes and resting his head in his arms. Now that the time had come, he was too nervous to even look for his boy hero. Internally, Cedric was waging a war against his brain. 'Look up, Cedric, you've waited almost your whole life for this!' and 'no, no I'll be patient... I.. I can't just.. just look for him! I mean, I don't really even know what he looks like.'
And so the war raged on, so long and loud in his head he almost missed Professor McGonagall's call of "Harry Potter."
But he didn't, and when he heard the name his head shot up like a bullet. Only to have his eyes widen in shock and his jaw hit the floor. Rhyss reached over with two fingers and closed his mouth with a, "I know, scrawny little kid, isn't he? Not the hero type."
But that wasn't Cedric's problem. There, sitting on the stool with the sorting hat pulled over his eyes, sat the last boy Cedric ever expected to see in Hogwarts, let alone as Harry Potter.
Harry Potter was none other than the small, timid, scrawny boy Cedric had met at the zoo.
Cedric's first thoughts were those of denial, there was no way it was the same boy. Harry Potter is brave and proud and.. and.. and hadn't been seen in the wizarding world for ten years. Suddenly the pieces fell into place. Cedric's father had mentioned that Harry had been sent to live with his only living relatives. Could they have been i muggles /i ? Harry Potter, raised as a muggle?
Cedric was brought from his thoughts when he heard the hat yell "Gryffindor!" and Cedric's heart sank. As much as this new Harry Potter was not the hero Cedric had imagined, he was still Harry Potter, it made sense that he belonged in the house for the brave. But Cedric had desperately wanted Harry in Hufflepuff. Cedric wanted to be friends with this boy. He wanted to be friends with Harry Potter. Cedric watched enviously as Percy Weasley shook Harry's hand, and the twins chanted "We Got Potter!" and resolved that, even if it killed him, Cedric was going to meet Harry Potter. Cedric was going to be noticed by Harry Potter. The first item of business was to become the new Hufflepuff house seeker. Surely Harry would notice him then. Cedric even dared to imagine himself catching the snitch, and seeing Harry cheering for him. Cedric's heart welled. Yes, he had to join Quidditch.
Cedric spent the rest of the feast and that night fantasizing about catching the snitch, and seeing adoration in his hero's eyes.
As he left the breakfast the next morning, reading his schedule, he noticed people pointing and looked up. They were all pointing at Harry Potter. Cedric immediately blushed. All of a sudden, he wasn't so keen on having Harry notice him. What if he recognized him? That would be so i embarrassing! /i Cedric would never be able to look Harry in the eye if Harry thought Cedric saw him as a charity case. Oh why did he have to be so nice to that boy at the zoo? Harry probably sees Cedric as a patronizing older boy. Not a friend. Still, as Cedric saw Harry walking away, he decided that maybe he could be late for divination. So he followed Harry, determined to learn at least part of the younger boys schedule.
But has he followed Harry, he noticed that Harry and his red haired friend were mostly going in circles. Had they noticed Cedric following them? Oh Merlin! They must think he was such a creep. Cedric was about to slide through a hidden passageway away from Harry, when he heard a small cough, and an "umm, excuse me?" Cedric looked up, and locked eyes with the most brilliant green he had ever seen. Merlin! Were those Harry's eyes? Those i were /i a hero's eyes.
"Ye.. ah..Yes?" Cedric mentally slapped himself for his voice crack. It was one simple word!
"Umm.. we're trying to find the transfiguration room.. and umm. we've been looking for awhile and.. um.. the thing is, we're.. ah.. lost."
Harry finished with a blush.
"Oh no problem, its right this way, I'll show you."
"Oh, um, thanks, ah.." Here Harry looked up and a mix of shock and embarrassment crossed his young features, "Cedric?"
"What?" Cedric said in a higher than normal pitch, "um, I mean, yes, Hello Harry, I'm Cedric."
"Oh well.. sorry about this summer and everything.. thanks though.. for.. y'know.. everything."
"It was nothing.. really. Well here's McGonagall's room."
"Right."
There was an awkward pause. The two boys trying desperately not to look at each other. Until, with a baffled look at them both, the red haired boy, Ron, pulled Harry into the classroom.
'Merlin that was awkward! He'll probably run away from me from now on. Oh I made such a fool of myself. He probably thinks I'm the strangest boy in the whole school. He probably knows I was following him!' These thoughts and more rushed through Cedric's head as he ran all the way to divination.
From that day onward, Cedric tried desperately not to follow Harry around. Sometimes he caught himself entering a classroom that he knew Harry would be in. Sometimes he would run eagerly to potions, knowing that Harry would have just left potions. Really, it was ridiculous. Cedric would try to tell himself this, but he couldn't help it. Every-time he saw Harry, he found courage, springing from a desperation to please Harry.
Two days before Hufflepuffs were scheduled to have Quidditch try outs, a slim package came with the morning mail and landed right in front of Harry. Cedric recognized that package, he had received a similar one when he told his parents he was planning to try out for the house quidditch team.
But why was Harry getting a broomstick? First years don't play on their house teams. Its against the rules.
Cedric didn't have to wait long to find out. He saw Harry and Ron jump up from the breakfast table and without a word to his friends, got up after the two first years. As he approached a corner, he heard the sneering voice of that Slytherin first year, Malfoy, and the cheerful tones of Professor Flitwick, expressing his congratulations on Harry making seeker for the Gryffindor team.
Cedric leaned against the wall in shock. Harry? Seeker? Thats not fair! He'll have to live up to Harry!
Cedric saw his romantic dreams crashing around him. But still, once Cedric put his mind to something, he didn't back down. And his father had bought him a Cleansweep 7 for the try outs.
So Cedric went to the try outs, and made reserve seeker.
The first match of the season was Gryffindor verse Slytherin, and Cedric was eager to see Harry Potter play quidditch. The game, however, was less about Harry's quidditch skills, and more about his endurance skills. The broom went berserk and Cedric watched, terrified, as Harry desperately clung to his broom, hundreds of feet above the pitch. The game ended with Harry coughing up the snitch. Cedric was disappointed: relieved that Harry hadn't died, but disappointed that he didn't know what Harry's playing skills were.
The next time Cedric saw Harry play quidditch was at the Gryffindor verse Hufflepuff match. To call it a match wasn't really fair. It had to have been the shortest match in Hogwarts history. Cedric was amazed with Harry. What a seeker. What eyes. To spot and catch the snitch that quickly. His focus was outstanding. Cedric found an even firmer resolve building in him. Next year he would be Harry's match. Next year he would put up a fight. Next year he would prove himself to Harry.
Cedric didn't talk to Harry again that year. He was too nervous. The golden trio, as the school had taken to calling Harry and his two friends, were as inseparable as Cedric and his two friends. But Rhyss and Henry weren't his best friends for nothing. They had realized that Cedric's admiration of Harry was borderline obsession. They were worried for their shy friend, and realized that they needed to find ways to distract Cedric from Harry.
So Rhyss and Henry spent all their free time trying to engage Cedric. They'd take him out to the pitch to play quidditch on weekends. They'd tease him about girls. In fact, they'd mostly tease him about girls, as girls were starting to notice Cedric. Wherever Cedric walked, giggling girls could be found. This didn't bother Rhyss and Henry, they found walking with Cedric had its own advantages, the girls would notice them as well. The three boys would have silly competitions, counting how many girls giggled at them in a day. Whoever got the most giggles was the winner. You got extra points if there were giggles from all four houses. Of course, Cedric usually won. Cedric was flattered, but he couldn't really be bothered with the girls. He was only 14 after all. Fourteen year olds shouldn't be worried about girls, they should be worrying about their marks. However, Cedric needn't have worried about his marks; with Harry in school, his scholarly resolve had doubled. Cedric worked so hard that most of his assignments became downright easy, as he was already familiar with the material.
But soon enough their third year was coming to a close. And right after exams, as they were preparing for a last few weeks of relaxing by the lake, something happened that shattered Rhyss and Henry's hopes of Cedric forgetting about his idol, Harry Potter.
Harry rescued something called the sorcerers stone.
Cedric was beside himself. Rumors flew around the school faster than Harry's Nimbus 2000.
"Did you hear? Harry fought Quirrel and died!"
"No No, I heard Voldemort killed him!"
"Harry didn't die, he defeated them."
"Well of course Harry didn't die, he's immortal!"
The rumors got steadily more ridiculous, and as Cedric's mental stability reached a breaking point, he finally gathered the courage, with the help of his friends, to visit the infirmary. What he saw there both relieved and sickened him. Harry was alive, but he was sickly pale. Cedric was distraught, his hero looked so weak. What did he go through down in the dungeons? Harry Potter did not get hurt. Harry Potter is not weak. The idol worshipping Cedric wanted to rejoice at this proof that Harry could defeat anything. The reasonable side of Cedric, small as it was, couldn't believe that an eleven year old boy was sleeping in the infirmary, pale as death. The poor kid. Still, the events did nothing to lessen Cedric's admiration for the boy. Cedric knew that as a mere acquaintance of Harry's, he couldn't expect to hear the story first hand but he did want to give Harry some kind of support. Cedric sent an owl to Honeydukes for a package of their chocolate and he brought it up to Harry's bedside. There he placed the chocolate on one of the mountains of candy other students had sent him. Cedric sighed, he really was just another fan of Harry Potter, no one special. The thought did nothing for Cedric's self-respect, and he left the hospital feeling as though Harry had outright rejected his friendship.
The next day, word got out that Harry was awake, but Cedric, as desperately as he wanted to, couldn't make himself visit Harry. 'At the closing feast, then I'll talk to him, make sure he's okay,' Cedric reassured himself.
But the closing feast came and passed without a single word exchanged between the two boys.
Cedric sat on the Hogwarts Express traveling home the next day and reflecting on his third year. He'd finally met his life long Hero, but he wasn't friends with him. Harry probably saw Cedric as some ridiculous fan-boy. Maybe, maybe he is a ridiculous fan-boy. Still, Cedric thought of Harry all during the train ride. He couldn't even be distracted when Henry reminded him that this summer was his turn to have his friends over. All Cedric could think of was how wonderful it would be to invite Harry over.
Next year, he thought, next year he would make sure that the Boy-Who-Lived was his friend.