Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter. Surprise surprise.

First things first, I'm very sorry it took me two weeks to update. The internet situation in my house went from bad to worse. But, I am connected again. Phew.

I have to say, the response to the first chapter of this story was amazing. Everyone who favorited or alerted, thank you. You are a fabulous group of people who deserve cake. Or pie. Cherry pie. Wow, that sounds good right now.

Now, to my wonderful reviewers, you rocked my socks. Some of you seriously did inspire me. I can only hope chapter two lives up to your expectations. You get cake, too. Or pie.

Chapter 2: Joanna's Rose

Cedric cleared his throat and looked nervously around the circular common room. The usually warm and friendly atmosphere was absent at present and Cedric couldn't help tugging at his tie uncomfortably. He had gathered all the members of Hufflepuff house together that evening for one purpose and one purpose only. To defend Harry Potter.

He just knew this was not going to go over well.

"Right, well, I suppose you're all wondering why I asked you here. Well, the thing is, I wanted to talk to you about Harry Potter." There was general angry murmur at the mention of the other Hogwarts Champion throughout the room. "That's exactly what I'm talking about." The Hufflepuffs merely stared at him in confusion. "Look, we shouldn't be angry at him. I know I was when it first happened, but that's because I wasn't thinking. Now, I'm asking you guys to think about it."

"What's to think about? He wanted to show off again, just like he does every year," someone called from the back of the room.

"If that were true, then why did I find him researching ways to get out of this competition this afternoon. Does that sound like the actions of someone who entered themselves into the tournament? And think about it, the only times he draws attention to himself is when he's on the quidditch pitch and when he ends up in the hospital wing for doing something heroic. Even then, he never brags about it or talks about it. You have to have noticed how quiet he is. How many times are the students of this school going to turn their backs on him only to find themselves in the wrong? I'm not going to do it anymore." Cedric looked around the common room at the pensive faces. "As of this afternoon, Harry Potter became my friend. You can either ignore it or back him up like I will, but I won't tolerate Hufflepuff house making an enemy out of him. He doesn't deserve it and it's not the Hufflepuff way." Cedric nodded once decisively and then headed up to his dormitory. He could hear the gentle murmuring of his housemates discussing what had just transpired, and he could only hope they came to the right conclusion.

It created quite a stir when Cedric Diggory, The 'Real' Hogwarts Champion, guided a scowling Harry Potter, The Cheating Liar, into the Great Hall by the shoulders for breakfast. It was even more surprising when Cedric pushed Harry into the seat beside him at the Hufflepuff Table. He felt the eyes of every house but his own on them.

Cedric ignored them and grinned at a very disgruntled boy-who-lived. "Come on, Harry. Don't be like that."

"Like what?"

"All angry."

"Terribly sorry, Cedric. Shall I readjust my emotions to make you comfortable?"

The boy across from Harry snorted in spite of himself. Harry and Cedric looked at him. "Harry, this is Jason. He's been my best mate since our first day here."

Harry eyed him suspiciously. "Hello, Potter," Jason hesitated for a moment, "Look, Cedric. Everyone was talking about what you said after you went up to bed last night, and we decided you were right. We haven't been very Hufflepuffy the last couple of days."

"Hufflepuffy?"

"Shut up, Cedric. I'm trying to tell you two something." Jason held out his hand for Harry to shake. "On behalf of Hufflepuff house, I would like to formally apologize for our behavior towards you."

Harry looked at his hand for a moment and then up at Jason. "Really?"

Jason smiled. "Really."

"What on earth did you say to them last night?" Harry asked after shaking Jason's hand.

"Nothing beyond what I viewed as common sense and what you said I could tell them."

"Really?"

Cedric laughed, but Harry couldn't help it. He was in complete disbelief. "Really."

"It's just, it seems too easy. That never would have worked in Gryffindor. Words mean nothing to them. They see what they want to see, and that's the end of it."

"Well, your house isn't exactly known for having common sense."

"No, I suppose not. I should have been a Hufflepuff. I wouldn't have to deal with conniving Slytherins, competitive Ravenclaws, or thickheaded Gryffindors."

Cedric couldn't help smiling at Harry's musings. "You're too prickly for Hufflepuff."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harry demanded, but not before throwing a half eaten roll at Cedric's head.

"Hey, easy with the baked goods. I'm just being honest. You can be a very prickly individual." Harry's only answer was to take aim and fire at his new favorite target.

Harry waved Hermione on after charms class. He wanted to speak to the professor alone. When he caught her still lingering outside the door, trying to listen in, he closed the door and warded it. While he appreciated her support and the belief she had in him, Harry couldn't help being annoyed and frustrated with her continued lack of respect for his privacy. It had been a non-stop interrogation about why he had been sitting with the Hufflepuffs that morning since the moment he had joined her for their first class.

It was only lunch time and Harry already felt the need to hide himself away for the day. That would have to wait, though. At the moment, he had something to say to his charms professor.

"Mr. Potter? What are you still doing here. You should get some lunch before your next class."

"I'm not really hungry today, Professor, and I had something I wanted to talk to you about." Flitwick invited Harry to take a seat in the chair opposite his desk but Harry politely declined. "I won't stay long, Professor. I just wanted to thank you, for believing me and for caring."

Flitwick smiled gently at him. "It's not hard, Mr. Potter. You are an outstanding person, and I have no doubt you will make it through this year as you have every other. I can only hope that you finally find peace when this is all over."

"I doubt it Professor, but thank you anyway."

"I thought I'd find you here. You weren't at lunch. Did something happen?" Cedric settled himself beside Harry who was once again hiding himself away in the musty library corner.

"No, nothings wrong. I just wasn't hungry."

"Now, why don't I believe you?"

"I talked to Flitwick after class today."

"Yeah? What did he say?"

"He said… he said it wasn't hard to care about me."

"It's not, Harry."

"If that were true, then why do…" Harry sighed. "Never mind, sorry, Cedric."

" 'Why do' what, Harry?" Cedric prodded gently. He could tell whatever Harry was thinking about was weighing heavily on his mind, and he felt this undeniable urge to help his new friend in any way possible. It really was far too easy to care about Harry.

"Forget it. It's not a big deal." Harry gave his head a light shake, as though he were trying to rid himself of unpleasant thoughts or memories. "I'm mainly hiding from, Hermione. I'm grateful to her for standing by me, but, Merlin, there's only so much a bloke can take. She won't stop asking me about this morning, and it's only going to get worse this afternoon because I wouldn't let her stay in the room when I was talking to Flitwick either. Classes are going to be a nightmare. Especially Potions."

Cedric couldn't stand the dejected tone Harry couldn't seem to help using, and an idea came to mind. What Harry really needed right now was a distraction. "You know, I've never ditched a class before. I think today just might be the perfect day to try it. Care to join me?"

Harry's head jerked towards Cedric in surprise. "You're going to ditch?"

"Yep."

"I just might just take you up on that offer, then."

"Brilliant. Care to go flying?"

"Someone'll see us on the pitch."

"Who said we were going to the pitch?"

Cedric lead Harry to a large portrait of a garden on the second floor. He looked around the corridor to be sure no one was watching, then pulled out his wand and ran the tip along the inside edge of the frame. The painting glowed for a moment before disappearing completely. Cedric pulled Harry through the newly created opening and smiled in satisfaction as a mirror image of the portrait appeared behind them, closing off the entrance to the rest of the castle.

Harry's eyes widened in wonder at the sight. Cedric had taken him to what appeared to be a large courtyard. Blue rose vines were climbing the walls and colorful snapdragons and tulips littered the edges. Below them, the grass had grown luscious and green, and above them stretched an expanse of sky so blue it almost seemed to glow. Everything was crisper and sharper and yet at the same time completely surreal.

"This is amazing, Cedric. Where exactly are we? I could have sworn we were in the middle of the castle."

"We were-are… sort of. I don't really know exactly where we are, but I do know you can see the castle from your broom when your flying, and the entrance to the second floor corridor is still on the other side of that portrait."

"I love magic," Harry murmured. He wandered over to the growing vines on one of the old stone walls and pulled a rose free. "I didn't think blue roses existed. There's a story, you know, about blue roses." Harry lay on the ground and sighed. The grass was incredibly soft. "I'm changing my mind, Cedric. I don't want to fly today. I just want to lay here and forget everything beyond that painting."

"Alright." Cedric spread out beside Harry. "Will you tell me that story? The one about the blue roses?"

"Her name was Joanna, and she was a full blood Veela of unequivocal beauty. Men would claim their love for her wherever she went, but she never knew if it was real or not. Three times she fell in love, and three times her heart broke when she discovered they only loved her for her beauty. After her third heartbreak, Joanna left France and traveled to Britain where she met a wizard unlike any she had met before. He was kind, giving, gentle, loyal, and honest. Everything she had ever dreamed of, but she was not ready to give her heart away again. She didn't want to feel it shatter.

"She was frightened when he confessed his love to her. He had never given her a reason to doubt him, but she couldn't let go of her past betrayals. He begged her to find a way for him to prove his love. He said he would do anything she asked of him. So, she told him of a mountain top that grew blue roses, she told him to bring her a single rose from that mountain and she would know the truth.

"It took him two weeks to return to her, but when he did he produced a single blue rose just as she had asked. She cried and admitted her love for him, as well. He asked her what it meant, why the blue rose made her believe him. She smiled and told him that the blue rose garden was magical and only those truly in love could over find it. It was the beginning of a very happy life for Joanna and her love. She left her past behind her and embraced what the future held for the first time in what must have seemed like an eternity."

"That's a beautiful story, Harry, where did you find it?"

"It was in a journal tucked into a book about Veela magic. Everything in the journal was written in story form, so I was never sure if I should take the entries literally or not." Harry paused to take in the fragrance of the rose he still held. It was a gentle sweetness that no other flower could imitate. "You know, the journal said that Joanna and her husband grew a garden of blue roses from nothing but the rose he gave her, their love, and a bit of magic. Do you think this is it? The garden they started?"

"You know, Harry, it just might be."

They lapsed into silence and simply enjoyed the fresh air and the peaceful freedom the courtyard inspired. When Cedric next looked over at Harry, he was asleep. Cedric conjured a blanket for him and pondered over the boy beside him. No, he couldn't call Harry a boy. Despite his age, there was an aged awareness to his eyes that spoke volumes. He was young, but he wasn't a boy.

There were so many questions he wanted to ask Harry. About his life with his muggle family. About why the mere thought of their headmaster angered him. Was he planning to keep his talent and intelligence a secret throughout this tournament? Harry was such a mystery, his past and his future were so complex, yet, at that moment, while he slept, the worry had faded from his face and all that shone through was innocence.

So, I hope that was an enjoyable read. I never was any good at judging my own writing. Hopefully chapter 3 will be up by next Tuesday. I would love to know what you guys are thinking: passing thoughts, opinions, ideas, anything. Just click and type and you will make me a very happy camper.

Tweena