Disclaimer; I don't own any of the characters, nor the base of the plot. All of the said things go to the ever fabulous J.K. Rowling.
xTeenageAmbitionx
a Cedric/Harry fanfic.
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That night seemed to pass very slowly for Harry. He couldn't stay asleep long enough before he awoke with more thoughts pressing on him. Of course, most of these said thoughts were about one person and one person only. Cedric Diggory.
When the morning finally came, Harry was never more glad to see the sun rise up. "Finally," he muttered to himself, "what a ruddy night that was." He went to wake Ron.
Ron was talking to himself, as usual. "Ron." Harry shook Ron's bed covers. "Ron! Ron?!"
"'Ermione…don't…leave—Harry? I'm awake…yeah…awake." Ron moved in his bed; nestling deeper into the covers before blinking, staring right up to Harry. "'Arry! You bloody well could have killed me. Scared me half to death, you did." Ron said, fully awake.
Harry laughed a knowing smile. "Well you should get up, mate. Breakfast will start without you." With that he left the dorms and into the common room where Hermione sat, as usual, reading a book.
"Harry!" Hermione closed the seeming old book very fast, dust flying from it's pages as she did so. She seemed embarrassed. "Um hey. Where's Ron?"
Harry wasn't a bit taken aback by the way she hid the book from him. He could really care less about the kind of literature Hermione liked to read. Usually boring history accounts of random goblins or the like. But when Hermione got a little red in the cheeks he knew something was up.
"Hermione…? Why are you hiding the book from me?" Harry asked.
"Book? Oh this one?" She blushed a bit harder. "Well, don't be mad or anything but I took this out of the library…you see I was planning on giving it to you when you got up this morning but I kind of got engrossed and started reading it myself." She shoved the book towards Harry's outreached hands.
Harry looked at the books title, Famous Queer Witches and Wizards in Wizarding History. Harry glanced at Hermione and then smiled. He was relieved at the companionship he had in Hermione; she seemed to know what he was going through. She kept calling it 'woman's intuition'. "T—thanks." Harry said.
Ron came down the stairs, looking ever so groggy. "'Ey guys. What's up?"
Harry laughed, "I'll be right down guys, 'k?" He then proceeded to walk past Ron and up the stairs to the boys' dorms. There, he laid the book in his luggage, under a few pairs of his Uncle Vernon's old socks.
When he came down Hermione and Ron had evidently left for breakfast already. He shrugged and went down to the Great Hall himself.
Whilst passing a few students, he couldn't help notice a few of them pointing at him. When he got into the Great Hall a bunch of Slytherins started clapping. He shrugged it off; it was probably just something Malfoy made up to make Harry look like a git. But when he got to the Gryffindor table, aside Ron and across Hermione, he knew it wasn't just some stupid rumor.
"Harry…Malfoy knows." Hermione whispered, her head bent across the table.
Harry looked at Ron, utterly confused. Ron had a look of great torment on his face. He quickly shoved some of his breakfast into his mouth, so he wouldn't be able to speak.
Hermione leered at Ron, "Harry…Malfoy knows about you and Cedric!" She had a hurt expression on her face, like it was paining her to utter the few words she had said.
Harry's heart began to beat faster then it had in a while. He immediately turned towards the Hufflepuff table, searching for Cedric. There he was, eating some porridge and happily talking to his fellow Hufflepuffs. He seemed not to know at all. But then he caught site of Harry and his smile turned into a slight frown. He nodded towards the exit of the Great Hall. Harry knew what it meant.
After breakfast was over, and a lot of jeering and loud laughing coming from the Slytherin table Harry got up and told Ron and Hermione he had some place to be. They both nodded, both with a rigid expression planted on their face. Almost robotic.
Harry walked over towards the exit of the Great Hall. He peered over to the Slytherin table, he knew he shouldn't have but out of mere curiosity he did so anyway. Malfoy and his cronies were making kiss-y faces at him. He immediately turned his head towards the Hufflepuff table. Cedric seemed to have already have left.
Once out of the Great Hall, he turned his attention to the secluded place where he was to meet Cedric. Of course, he was there.
"I'm so sorry. I don't know how he knows." Harry said immediately. "I really didn't say anything. That git, I would never talk to him if he didn't rear his ugly head at me in the first place!"
"It's ok, Harry. I believe you. I thought I heard the shrubs stir when we were alone last night. I should have put up the usual enchantments. I guess I was so distracted by you I forgot." Cedric said reassuringly.
Harry nodded, his heart slowing down a bit. "Oh bloody hell I thought for sure he'd be mad at me." He then looked up at Cedric, finally taking in the last part of what he had said. "Wow…t—thank you. But what should we do about Malfoy?"
"Nothing. With luck nobody will believe him except those two gits that follow him around everywhere. And even if they do, nothing will change my mind about you."
Harry was a bit stunned by the passionate way Cedric chose his words. "He must really like me, I suppose."
"Alright, well I better head to my first class, Harry. See you." Cedric pecked Harry on the cheek before turning on his heels and heading off for his first class of that day.
"Y—yeah…I guess I'll go back into the Great Hall, myself." Harry was a bit shocked by the sudden emptiness he felt at the pit of his stomach. "How did Malfoy know? What if Cedric was just saying all those things…?" Harry muttered under his breath.
He reached the Gryffindor table and took his seat again.
"So? What's up?" Ron said red in the face.
"Cedric doesn't seem to care. He thinks it'll just all blow over after a few days." Harry answered, a bit sullenly. But then an idea struck him, "Uh, I'm going to go get ready for classes, 'k? See you later." He then got up and rushed out of the Great Hall.
Hermione looked down at her empty plate. "Ron? You think he'll be ok?"
Ron nodded, "Yeah. It's Harry we're talking about. I think you're underestimating him, Hermione."
"I hope you're right…"
- -
Back in the dorms, Harry had gotten all his supplies ready and homework compiled. But of course that's not why he came up there: he wanted to start on that book Hermione had gotten him.
After about ten minutes had passed he had read the first few pages and he was pretty confident about his sexuality. There were some amazing wizards who were out and proud. Some were still living. Like Fiona Dolosan who was one of the best Healers of her time. Or Hector Malfidora, a famous vocalist in the well known rock band "Malfidora's Wands".
He looked at the time. Five minutes till Transfiguration. Harry cursed under his breath, got his stuff and sprinted out of the commons.
Harry got to the classroom right in time.
"Good thing you aren't late, Potter." Professor McGonagall said, whisking away behind her desk to collect some things for class.
Harry sat on down between Hermione and Ron. "So where did you go?" Ron whispered.
"Just back to the dorms, I had some reading to do." He smiled more so to Hermione then Ron.
- -
After classes were over for the day, the trio went outside under their favorite tree to study. Malfoy, Crabbe and Goyle followed them. "So queer, what's it like? Snogging other boys?" Malfoy sneered.
"Shut up, Malfoy. I don't need to explain anything to you." Harry retorted.
"Oh so you don't deny it then?" Malfoy asked. Crabbe and Goyle snickered.
Harry looked at his friends and then thought of Fiona and Hector. "N—no, I—I don't." Harry finally said, defiantly.
"So you are a queer! You and that Diggory boy, eh? Yeah, I saw you two snogging near some trees yesterday. I wonder what everyone will think when I tell them their big Saint Potter is a queer." Malfoy laughed with Crabbe and Goyle in suit.
"Shut up Malfoy." Hermione shouted, got up and shot a Bat-Bogey hex straight at him.
"Uwah!" Malfoy shouted and fell over, tripping over his own feet.
Harry chuckled to himself and shot a full body-binding curse at Crabbe and Goyle who toppled over on Malfoy.
"That was brilliant, you guys." Ron said, too astounded to stand.
"Unfortunately that won't help him knowing you're gay." Hermione said, sitting back down.
"Yes, but that felt good." Harry said. "Uh, do you guys mind if I try to find Cedric?"
Both of them nodded their approval so Harry headed for Cedric's 'secret spot', hoping to find him there. When he got there, he heard two voices. He ducked under a bush where he could see them. It was Cedric and another guy. Harry recognized him from the Hufflepuff Quidditch team.
"So you're queer, are you?" the team member asked.
"Yes." Cedric answered, not a bit perturbed.
An uneasy silence followed.
"Is it true? You and that Potter kid are, you know…going out?"
"Yes." Cedric said, not faltering with the word.
The team member was shocked, he took a few steps back, "I'm sorry Cedric but t—that's sick." He spat at the ground.
Cedric didn't respond.
"I'm going to go now. Think things over." And with he left the alcove.
Harry hid under some underbrush so he wouldn't be seen. Once the guy was out of sight, Harry leapt out of the bushes and over to Cedric. "Cedric! I'm so sorry!"
Cedric turned around with a slight shocked expression on his face, not knowing Harry was near. "Why?"
"Well I—I made your team dislike you. I—I'm really sorry. I didn't mean for you to…" his voice trailed off because at that moment Cedric had put his lips to Harry's, shutting Harry up.
"I told you I don't care." Cedric whispered.
End Notes; Yay chapter five is up & done! Enjoy! I really liked writing this chapter. I think it came out lovely. The inspiration came from you, my readers. Especially the people who review, all those good reviews they just pump me up. & then I noticed a lot of people have added TA to their "favorite stories". &, less importantly, me in their "favorite authors". I felt so happy knowing that people really like this. Thank you everyone!! Now onto something more important. This was going to be the last chapter. I had set up for TA to be a five chapter fanfic, but since I never thought I'd have such a following as I do, I've left it open for you guys to decide. I think I left this chapter in an open free for all. Done or not?