Title: Sound of the Revolution, Chapter 11
Author: kevo
Pairing: Harry + Cedric.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership to these characters or the series they're from.
Summary: In his fifth year, Harry faces ostracism with boyfriend Cedric for coming out and for declaring Voldemort has returned. (Order of the Phoenix canon re-write.)
Author's Note: That's right, this story is back! For Harry's birthday, I decided this chapter was finally read to post. A very special thanks to one of my dearest friends, Tim, for his help in writing a crucial scene. I doubt I would've finished this chapter without him. I just hope it's still got readers left…
The Love So Green Collection
Playlist #2:
sound of the revolution
CHAPTER ELEVEN
"Trouble is a Friend"
Sadly, not everything in the aftermath of the Quibbler article was rosy and bright. For as many people came out in support of Harry and Cedric, there were still a number of students against them who saw the interview as a desperate bid for attention.
And that wasn't all. A week after the article came out, Umbridge enacted her own form of revenge for the boys' rebellious deeds.
It started as a typical Tuesday morning for Harry: wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, walk to class with his boyfriend. They had just reached that last bit and were exiting the Great Hall, hand in hand, when they were stopped by a familiar "hem, hem" at the door. The toad-like professor appeared oddly pleased in light of recent events. It made Harry nervous, his breakfast turning over in his stomach.
"Good morning, Professor," Harry greeted her cautiously.
"Good morning, Mr. Potter," Umbridge replied. "I'm afraid it's my duty to serve both you and Mr. Diggory with detention for your behavior."
Harry and Cedric exchanged an anxious look. They'd been expecting something like this, but didn't think she would take so long.
"But Professor, we weren't breaking any rules when we gave that interview," Cedric argued. "I double and triple checked. There was nothing in the rules at the time –"
"I'm perfectly aware, Mr. Diggory," she interrupted, a tiny, angry crack breaking through her mask of sweetness. "I'm speaking of your current behavior."
The boys exchanged another look, this time of bafflement.
"But we aren't doing anything," Harry said slowly.
"Oh, I beg to differ, Mr. Potter," Umbridge beamed. "Or rather, the latest Educational Decree does."
She brandished a piece of parchment like it was a shield. The page read:
- BY ORDER OF -
The High Inquisitor of Hogwarts
Inappropriate physical conduct between students is strictly prohibited. (The Hogwarts High Inquisitor shall be the arbiter of what is to be deemed "inappropriate.")
Forget a rolling breakfast. As Harry took in what he was seeing, he felt as if his stomach had dropped right down to his shoes. She couldn't possibly do this. There was no way. She didn't have the right.
"That's not –"
He stopped himself. Umbridge's eyes gleamed, waiting for Harry to finish that sentence, but he refused. He wouldn't, not in front of that monster. It was what she wanted; another excuse to punish him, or at least mock his inability to fight her power. She shouldn't have the right. But she did. She was waving the proof of it right in Harry's face.
"We're very sorry, Professor," Cedric filled in for him. His hand unclenched from Harry's, and Harry reluctantly released as well. "We weren't aware of the latest, er, decree. It won't happen again, I promise."
"I'm afraid that's not good enough, Mr. Diggory," Umbridge said in a tone so mirthful it was practically a giggle. "As a prefect, it is your duty to be aware of these things. No, I believe you'll just have to sit another round of detentions for this infraction. Certainly you understand the bind I'm in."
Harry wanted to scream. There was no bind. It was her own damned rule. She could do whatever she pleased. But then, she was already doing what she pleased, and they all knew it.
"Yes, Professor," Cedric said, his tone emotionless. "Of course, Professor."
Umbridge's eyes narrowed in disappointment, no doubt wishing the boys would throw more of a fit over this. She said nothing, though. She'd gotten what she wanted, and there was nothing they could do about it.
By lunchtime, word of the latest Educational Decree had spread throughout the school. The number of detentions had skyrocketed because of it. Umbridge was more lenient on boy-girl pairings, naturally, but even those displays of affection were suddenly receiving punishment that before barely warranted a verbal warning.
"You must admit, it was clever of her to wait," noted Ron as they ate. "If she'd done it right after, it would've been obvious why."
"It's still obvious," Harry replied flatly. "Everyone knows why she did it."
"Oh, yeah," Ron frowned. "I suppose that's true…"
"Not everyone," argued Hermione. "There are plenty of students who don't think this is your fault, Harry. She's – she's just awful. And that is something everyone knows."
Though Harry wasn't entirely mollified by Hermione's logic, he grumbled in agreement and focused on scarfing down his lunch.
O
The boys did a decent job of keeping out of Umbridge's way after the latest Educational Decree was issued. They continued spending time together when they could, walking to classes and such, with one new and very strict caveat: no touching.
It was almost like Harry's fourth year all over again, when their relationship was such a secret that no one even suspected they were friends, let alone boyfriends. They could hardly risk being seen together then. Only now they no longer had their private retreat in the Room of Requirement to make up for things. And there was no sneaking into the prefects' bathroom under the watchful eye of the High Inquisitor either.
Keeping their interactions innocent wasn't actually so hard, with how busy Harry and Cedric were preparing for the O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s respectively. Most of the time they devoted to making out and more would've been replaced with course work eventually anyway, regardless of any Educational Decree. Even so, the long hours they spent together doing nothing more than studying, unable to so much as hold hands for fear of being punished, were beyond frustrating. Now that they knew what it was like to be affectionate in public, it was harder to go without. But, as Cedric often reminded Harry, it was better than not having each other at all.
"And don't forget," Cedric whispered furtively during one of their homework dates, "we still have the D.A. What better way to get our revenge than practicing defense right under her nose?"
He had a point, it did help. And Dumbledore's Army continued to thrive. The Quibbler article, followed by the vicious public termination of Professor Trelawney, had driven recruitment way up. Even Harry's recently revealed admirer, Paul, started showing up with his boyfriend, Danny. It took the group a while to begrudgingly accept their first Slytherin member, and hardly any were more than just tolerant of him.
It had almost been enough to drive the skittish boy out, until one meeting a few weeks after they joined. Harry was doing his rounds, observing the students as they practiced their latest jinx, when he passed the young couple's corner and overheard them arguing.
"They don't trust me," Harry heard Paul grumble. "And they never will. It was a bad idea to try and join."
"That's dragonshit," Danny hissed angrily. "You have just as much a right to be here as any of them."
"Everything all right?" Harry interrupted.
"No," said Danny. His arms folded over his chest as he glared around at the other students. "Nobody would pair off with Paul. Again."
"Danny, it's fine," Paul winced. "Don't worry about it, Harry. It's – Like I said, it's fine. I just won't come back anymore. I should be focusing more on my studies anyway."
Harry frowned at this. He was reminded of the ordeal he and Cedric went through at Madame Puddifoot's, when several patrons harassed them for being different. Puddifoot hadn't tolerated that behavior, and she didn't even know the boys. Harry couldn't stand by and let this treatment continue.
He pulled the whistle out of his pocket and blew. Everyone froze, and not just those who'd been hit with the Impediment Jinx they were practicing. Harry took to the center of the room, hands folded behind his back.
"It has come to my attention," he said, "that some of you still have a problem with one of our latest newcomers. It was my understanding that we all came here for the same reason: to learn proper Defense Against the Dark Arts in a safe and friendly environment."
A few students made disapproving faces, but the only one who responded out loud was Zacharius Smith with, "But he's a Slytherin,"
"Yeah, and you're supposed to be a Hufflepuff," Cedric shot back. "Where's your patience? Your tolerance?"
"Believe me," said Harry, "I understand where you're coming from. I'm embarrassed to admit it but, until recently, I probably would've behaved the same way. You have to remember that this sort of prejudice is exactly what people like Umbridge, and even Voldemort himself, will prey on. And it's exactly what we need to be fighting."
"Also," Hermione chimed in, "it's worth noting that, if it didn't have its merits and traits worth valuing, the Hogwarts founders probably would've gotten rid of Slytherin House after Salazar left."
"Resourceful, cunning, ambitious," Cedric listed. "These aren't terrible traits to have. And yes, a great number of Slytherins are purebloods, but that doesn't make them all Death Eaters. Heck, Merlin was even one."
Harry checked his watch.
"All right," he said, "it's getting late. Now's as good a time as any to wrap up. Uhh, we'll be in touch about the next meeting."
The students filed out, all pointedly avoiding eye contact with both Harry and Paul.
"I hope that was okay," Harry said, realizing belatedly that he may have overstepped his bounds.
"Are you kidding?" Danny grinned. "It was badass."
"It was…" Paul held his breath a moment, then nodded, a grin similar to Danny's spreading across his face. "Yeah. Total badass."
Other than this minor D.A. drama, things were quiet for a couple of weeks. Quiet enough that they shouldn't have been surprised when Umbridge's wrath came down upon them once more.
It was after a particularly grueling Occlumency lesson. Cedric was waiting, like always, just outside Snape's office to walk Harry back up to Gryffindor Tower.
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather I take you to the hospital wing?" he asked, studying Harry's pale face.
"I'm fine," Harry insisted with one small shake of his head. A proper shake was too painful at the moment. "I just need to rest."
"All right," Cedric huffed. "But if you change your mind –"
"Hem, hem."
The sound echoed through the abandoned dungeons, sending a sharp stab through Harry's already-sensitive brain. They turned to find her standing primly at the bottom of the stairs leading back up to the entrance hall. One corner of her mouth was quivering on the edge of becoming a smirk.
"G-good evening, Professor," Cedric greeted her.
"Out for a walk, are we, dears?" she replied.
"Oh! No, nothing like that, Professor, Harry here was –"
"Rule-breaking again," Umbridge interrupted. "Yes, I see that. I'm sure you're both aware of our school's policy on loitering."
"Well, yes, Professor," Cedric conceded, "we know that, we were simply –"
"There's nothing simple about it, Mr. Diggory," Umbridge interrupted, shaking her head slowly, as though she was actually disappointed rather than delighted. "You and Mr. Potter seem determined to challenge me at every turn. It's as though you have no desire to correct your abhorrent behavior. It saddens me, it truly does. And I'm afraid I have no choice but to give y-"
"Professor Umbridge."
All heads whipped around, back toward the dungeons, to find Professor Snape. He surveyed the situation warily, glancing from Umbridge to Cedric to Harry and back to Umbridge once more. He quirked an eyebrow.
"Is there a problem?" he asked.
"No, Severus, not at all," said Umbridge. "I was simply dealing with this pair of troublemakers. It seems they feel they are above Hogwarts's standards of behavior, and are entitled to wandering the corridors at all hours of the night."
"Ah," Snape sneered. "I see."
For a moment, he was silent. Then, with the subtlest of eye rolls and a tiny sigh, Snape continued.
"However," he said slowly, as though it pained him to do so, "I regret to inform you that, for once, Potter's behavior is perfectly in-bounds. He's been taking Remedial Potions. The only time slot I have available for the lessons runs past curfew. This has all been cleared by the headmaster, I assure you."
Umbridge's jaw set tightly, as though she was steeling herself against throwing a temper tantrum. Harry did his best to suppress a smile.
"Well," she said. "That accounts for Potter. Diggory, on the other hand –"
"– is seeing Potter back to his room," said Snape. "As you yourself pointed out, the boy is something of a notorious rule-breaker. I thought it best to have a prefect escort him. Diggory is an exemplary student, despite his… choice of cohorts."
"They are more than mere cohorts, as I'm sure you're well aware, Severus," Umbridge gritted out. "I shall have to speak to Dumbledore about these Remedial Potions lessons. In the meantime, I'll have to insist that you see the boy back to his room yourself."
Though his eyes narrowed to tiny slits, Snape's tone was completely civil when he said, "Of course."
He swept up the hall, muttering a snide "come, Potter" without halting. Harry and Cedric quickly followed, careful not to look at Umbridge as they passed. They both knew she would be apoplectic and feared further inciting her rage. When they reached the entrance hall, Snape continued up the grand staircase without a word.
"I'll talk to you tomorrow, all right?"
Harry looked back and saw that Cedric was standing at the ground floor, two steps below him.
Oh. Right. The Hufflepuff dormitory was down by the kitchens. There was no reason he would follow them all the way up to the seventh floor with Snape there. Everything had happened so fast, Harry didn't even realize this at first.
"Yeah, sure," Harry replied. "Tomorrow."
"Professor Snape," Cedric called up the stairs. Snape paused, looking back over his shoulder. "Thank you."
The potions master gave a curt nod and continued on his way.
"Hurry up, Potter," he called behind him.
"We'll talk tomorrow," Cedric said. "Go on."
Hating that they had to part ways so quickly, and annoyed at Snape despite his save, Harry nodded and hurried after the rapidly retreating professor.
O
Rather than let Umbridge's continued attempts at revenge get to him, Harry took Cedric's advice and focused his attention on his best chance for undermining her: Dumbledore's Army.
It was actually Ron, of all people, who brought up the idea of Patronuses. Inadvertently, of course, but it still counted for something. They were in the Gryffindor common room discussing future lesson plans for the D.A. when the conversation turned to the war effort. They had been discussing the dementors' involvement in January's Azkaban outbreak one afternoon and whether they would ultimately ally themselves with Voldemort.
"It's too bad you can't do the Patronus Charm in D.A.," Ron quipped, only half paying attention as he tried enchanting poorly-folded paper birds to make them fly. "Sounds like we'll be needing them soon."
Slowly, silently, Hermione's brow creased in thought.
"Why not?"
"Hm?" said Harry as a paper bird exploded. "Why not what?"
"Why can't we do the Patronus Charm?"
"Uhh, because it's impossible?" Harry offered. "Most adults –"
"Yes, I know, many qualified witches and wizards have trouble with it but, Harry – what if some of them got it?" Her eyes were glimmering with excitement now. "Can you imagine what an accomplishment that would be? If we could get students to produce even an incorporeal Patronus, it'd still be leaps and bounds beyond any results Umbridge has gotten this year!"
Seeing there would be no talking her down from this, Harry promised to discuss the idea with Cedric. He hoped the older boy would stand a better chance of calming Hermione down. What he hadn't expected was for Cedric to be on her side.
"I'm not saying I'm on her side," Cedric argued. "I'm only saying it's worth trying."
"What if no one gets it?" Harry frowned. "Yeah, I've been doing it for two years now, but that was different. The situation was different. I needed to do it in order to survive."
"You're absolutely right," said Cedric. "The situation was different. You are different. You're special, Harry. It's what's made you such a great teacher thus far. You know what this reminds me of? When Hermione suggested starting the D.A. in the first place. You said you can't teach someone what it's like to face death, and yet look how well you've done! This whole thing's been one great big experiment. It's a miracle we've gotten this far. Why shouldn't we reach a little further?"
When asked later, Harry would only ever say his reason for agreeing to do the Patronus Charm was that he had no other lesson planned. In truth, his friends' reasoning struck a chord with Harry.
It is kind of fun to do the impossible.
Though the announcement of what they'd be doing that evening earned several skeptical looks, no one fought Harry on it. He carefully described the process for casting charm, dredging up every detail he could recall of his lessons with Professor Lupin. Had he realized it was going to be one of the nights where Cedric would be delayed by prefect patrol, he might've pushed the lesson to another night, but it was too late for that now. Everyone seemed to grasp the concept anyway.
Following a brief demonstration of the charm itself, Harry had everyone split up into small teams to work together on it while he observed.
"Hey Harry," called Dean as Harry passed by, "look who I brought."
At Dean's side was a nervous-looking Seamus. Harry could only have been more surprised if it was Draco Malfoy.
"Glad to see you finally made it," Harry told him.
"Yeah, well, Dean talked it up," replied Seamus. His sheepish smile turned into a scowl as he threw in, "Never mentioned you had a bloody Slytherin here."
"He has just as much a right to be here as anyone else," Harry said patiently. "There are plenty of Slytherins who're unhappy with the way Umbridge does things."
"And plenty more that're on her side," Seamus countered. "All I'm saying is you'd better keep an eye on that one."
"Don't worry, Seamus. I'm keeping an eye on everyone."
Suddenly, something large and silver bounded past them. It stopped and looked back, as if it wanted to pose for all the students who were gawking at it. Admittedly, even Harry was one of them. It had only been twenty minutes and someone already had a fully-corporeal Patronus. The silver lion threw back its head and roared.
"Whoa! Check that thing out!" said Dean.
"Now that's a Patronus!" Seamus grinned. "A Gryffindor lion if I ever saw one."
"A-actually…"
The hulking Patronus sauntered back across the room to its owner. Paul was smiling shyly. Danny, on the other hand, was openly beaming at his timid boyfriend.
"Actually," said Danny, "it's a Slytherin lion."
The crowd gaped. Lavender Brown even gasped.
"Amazing work, Paul," Harry marveled. "Absolutely amazing. Better than I ever did."
"Really?" Paul squeaked.
"Well, it helps that there's not an actual dementor here," Harry reasoned. "Never forget: anything we do here will be infinitely more difficult in a real life-or-death situation." He smiled. "But I'm still very impressed."
Of all the praise he had doled out over the months of D.A. meetings, Harry never told someone he was impressed by their work before. It had a definite effect on the group, who were all whispering loudly about it to one another. Some were even slinking over to join Paul's practice team.
Suddenly, the door to the Room of Requirement slammed open and shut with a loud bang. The crowd parted to let the newcomer through. It was Cedric, looking winded and frantic. Harry rushed toward him, grasping Cedric's arm in concern.
"Cedric, what's wrong?"
"Was on my way here," Cedric gasped. "Dobby, he – he warned me. Umbridge. She's coming, Harry. She knows about all this and she's coming for us!"
It would've been easy to panic. Harry was no less terrified by Cedric's news than any of the others. If anything, he had even more reason to fear Umbridge. He could have shoved his way past everyone else and bolted down the seventh floor corridor as fast as his legs would carry him. And yet he couldn't. He was responsible for the members of Dumbledore's Army, most of who were staring at him now in wide-eyed fear.
"Okay," said Harry. Then, more loudly, "Okay, we need to all get out of here as quickly as possible! Split into small groups of no more than four, stick together!"
"Don't all run back to your houses," Cedric threw in. "It's still before curfew."
"Right, good point," Harry agreed. "You need only to get as far as the library or the Owlery, especially you Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws. Even the lavatory will do. Just get to any approved location that's nearby."
There was a moment, a split-second after Harry stopped speaking, where no one moved. Then everyone began moving all at once. It was not at all orderly. Harry mentally chastised himself for not thinking to do evacuation drills before now, for being naïve enough to truly believe they could never be caught.
"Make sure to try and blend!" Cedric warned the departing students. "They'll be looking for signs that you've just ran in!"
Harry grabbed Cedric by the shoulder.
"Help them," he ordered.
"What are you going to do?"
"Don't worry about me," Harry insisted. He gave Cedric a quick and desperate kiss before shoving him off after the others. "Go! Hurry, go!"
Without hesitation, Cedric darted off among the other students.
Harry knew exactly what he needed to do. And it wasn't going to be easy. He watched as the other members of the D.A. all fled from the Room of Requirement. They would never be able to meet again. He looked around the Room, wondering if he'd ever be able to come back. But this was no time to be nostalgic. Once the others were gone, Harry left too, closing the door behind him.
He went to the right, moving more slowly than he would if he was truly attempting to evade capture but not so much that it would be obvious. His efforts proved fruitful when Malfoy hit him with a Trip Jinx from the alcove where he was hiding. Umbridge was aglow with victory when Malfoy turned him over to her. She gave orders to keep searching for others but, as Harry had hoped, most of the fight was out of her. The toad had already caught her prize.
His relief was short-lived. Once she dragged him to the headmaster's office, Umbridge revealed the source that tipped her off to the D.A.'s existence. Worse even than that, Marietta Edgecombe had implicated both Harry and Cedric as the ringleaders of the whole thing.
Harry's mind began to race at this. Clearly Cedric hadn't been caught, or he'd be right there with him. But if Umbridge believed Marietta, wouldn't she drag him in anyway? Perhaps she was only after Harry, and counted this a strong enough victory to let Cedric go. That sounded rather magnanimous for Dolores Umbridge, but what else was he to think?
Then Dumbledore said he was the one who told Harry and Cedric to create Dumbledore's Army.
After that, everything went straight to hell.
The next morning, rumors were already flying by the time Harry woke up. When you attend school in a castle where the portraits are notorious for gossip, it's bound to happen. And while the exact details were blurry, the main point came through loud and clear: Dumbledore had fled school grounds. The headmaster was gone.
He, Ron, Hermione, and Cedric met down by the Black Lake. He filled them all in on the complete details of what happened in the headmaster's office. It was just as well that they skipped breakfast, because the story didn't leave any of them with much of an appetite.
"We got everyone away, at least," said Cedric. "Nobody got caught and they didn't get the list of members. Doesn't necessarily mean they're all safe, but it's something. Ginny was a great help, I probably would've been caught more than once if she didn't have my back."
"Except Umbridge stills knows you were a part of it," Ron reminded him. "She'll be coming for you."
"Thanks, Ron, that helps," frowned Harry.
"Nothing I can do but wait, I suppose," Cedric shrugged. "I still don't understand what happened to Marietta's face, though. That awful jinx. Maybe it had something to do with the Room of Requirement…"
"Oh," Hermione said, a hint of smugness crossing her face. "Actually, that's a little something I did."
"What do you mean?" asked Cedric.
"It was the parchment we all signed," she explained. "The roster for the D.A. It was cursed. Anyone who signed it and reported us would… Well. You saw what happened."
"That's brilliant," Ron crowed.
But Cedric seemed far less enthused about this revelation.
"I can't believe you would do something like that," he said.
"Why not?" Hermione snapped. "You've said it yourself, Cedric: we're at war."
"Except we're not at war," Cedric snapped back. "We are not at war. We are at school. What you did was petty."
"I did what I had to do," said Hermione. "To protect this group, to protect all of us."
"You didn't protect us! Your silly little curse didn't stop Marietta from tattling, all it did was punish her for it."
"Maybe she deserved to be punished," Ron muttered.
"Oh, so are we going to start going after people who don't agree with us now?" Cedric demanded. "Are we as bad as Voldemort?"
"That's enough," Harry declared firmly. "What's done is done. Come on, let's get back inside, it'll be time for class soon."
They trudged back up to the castle all together, but Cedric held Harry back at the entrance for a moment to speak with him privately.
"You think I'm being too sensitive again, don't you?" he asked, tucking his arms over his chest. "About Hermione and Marietta."
Harry thought carefully before answering. He didn't want another argument like last November.
In truth, Harry did feel Hermione's actions were justified. Marietta made her choice. If she hadn't betrayed the group, Marietta's face would still be fine. Perhaps it was a bit ruthless, but two dozen of her fellow students were now in trouble (possibly even in danger, knowing Umbridge) because of what she did.
He couldn't help comparing Marietta to Peter Pettigrew in his mind. The rat still hadn't paid for selling out his best friends and possibly never would. If there was one thing Harry couldn't forgive, it was betrayal. No, Marietta got what she deserved.
"It doesn't matter what I think, Cedric," Harry muttered. "It's done. Now we have to deal with the consequences."
While this answer didn't appear to satisfy the Hufflepuff, he nodded anyway and followed Harry back into the school.
The consequences of their involvement in Dumbledore's Army did not take very long to make themselves known. In fact, it was only lunchtime when the new headmistress summoned Harry to her office for an interrogation. Although he knew he would never fold under her scrutiny, he was grateful for the Weasleys' fireworks that made her excuse him prematurely. He still hadn't fully recovered from the night before.
All he wanted to do when he finally made it to the Gryffindor common room that night with Ron and Hermione was relax. He was about to have a seat when someone called out his name. It was George Weasley, of all people. He and Fred were surrounded by students inquiring about their Weasleys' Wildfire Whiz-Bangs.
"Cedric's looking for you," he called around the gathered crowd of eager patrons. "He wanted you to meet him in the library."
"And you're telling me this when?"
"I'm telling you now," George replied, "the first time I've seen you since. I'm not your owl."
Sighing heavily, Harry dropped his book bag off with Ron and Hermione before racing off toward the library, dodging Fred and George's whirling fireworks all the way. Cedric was still there, at a table on his own in a far back corner.
"Sorry," Harry said immediately as he dropped into the chair next to Cedric's. "I didn't get your message 'til just a few minutes ago."
"S'okay."
"Bizarre day," said Harry. "Umbridge called me into her office. She wanted to ask me about Dumbledore. I think she tried to use a truth potion on me. Or poison, maybe, I dunno. I didn't drink it."
For the first time since entering the library, Harry really looked at his boyfriend. The older boy was pale, his eyes a little puffy, like he'd been crying but stopped a while ago.
"…Cedric?"
"Umbridge called me in, too," said Cedric. "Professor Sprout was there waiting when I arrived. Sh-she, um. She took away my badge. Umbridge, she… I'm not a prefect anymore."
"What!?"
"Yeah. Sprout tried to defend me, but Umbridge wasn't having any of it. She said this alone was enough to strip me of my title, but then when you add in the bad name I've been making for myself lately, with the trial last summer and my –" He gave a short, dry laugh. "My inappropriate relations."
"Meaning me?"
"Yeah, Harry. Meaning you."
It took a long moment for the whole thing sink in, after which Harry said, "This is my fault."
"It's not," Cedric insisted, though by the sound of it he wished it was. "I talked you into doing Dumbledore's Army. I knew the risks. Professor Sprout was on my side. That meant a lot. But then she started saying I probably wasn't the only prefect in the club and I-I couldn't let her do that. I said I was the oldest of them, it was my job to set an example, I'll take the blame."
He laughed again, a sort of 'puh' sound.
"Umbridge really ate that bit up. Said she was glad I'm realizing that my actions have consequences and that I deserve to be punished."
That sentiment coming from Umbridge was sickeningly memorable.
"So now what?" Harry asked.
"Now nothing," replied Cedric. "I'm not a prefect anymore. Unless Dumbledore comes back, there's no contesting it. As long as Umbridge is in charge…"
Harry hesitated half a second before stroking Cedric's arm comfortingly, half-afraid Umbridge would pop up out of nowhere and threaten expulsion for the lewd public conduct. But she had a lot in her cauldron, with the Wildfire Whiz-Bangs running amok across the campus. He even risked leaning in for a few kisses that Cedric returned hungrily before pulling back, his hand resting gently on Cedric's cheek.
"I am so sorry this happened," Harry said.
Cedric shrugged.
"I'll be okay. It's only a title."
"But you earned that title," Harry argued, barely holding back from adding, Just like you earned Head Boy.
Add it to the lists of things he'd cost Cedric by being in his life. That list seemed to be growing day by day.
"Stop that," said Cedric. "Don't – just stop, I know what you're thinking, this wasn't your fault."
"Of course it is," Harry replied. "If it wasn't for me –"
"I talked you into it, Harry! I'm the one who convinced you Dumbledore's Army was a good idea, not the other way around. I always knew what might happen if we got caught. I always knew it could come to this. I simply hoped it wouldn't. But I don't hold you responsible, and you shouldn't hold yourself responsible either."
Nodding like he agreed, Harry pushed those thoughts from his mind for the time being. Cedric needed him. That was more important.
Later, after he'd been walked back to his dormitory and they said their goodbyes, Harry sat up in his four-poster bed. Watching fireworks dance across the school grounds, he reflected on the preceding twenty-four hours. Despite Cedric's protests, he couldn't help feeling awful. Mrs. Diggory's words from last October were ringing in his ears. Perhaps she was right. Perhaps Cedric would be better off without Harry.
He wondered if Cedric would ever come to regret the choice he made to stand by Harry's side, and what Harry himself would do if that day ever came.
END NOTES: I know, I know. It's been a while. A long while. I really am quite remorseful for that. Life and other things really got in the way for a while.
On the plus side, I'm almost finished with my book! Or mine and my husband's, I should say, since we're writing partners. Currently writing Chapter 20 of 22. We're immensely proud of it and can't wait until we're able to share it. Hopefully some of you will be interested in it!
Chapter 12 of this is at least halfway done. Maybe a bit more. It won't be up soon, but likely in the next couple of months.
To those of you who have waited patiently (and even those who were not so patient) for this story to update: thank you. Your continued support has always and will always mean the world to me.
So thanks for sticking around :) -kevo