Hey guys. Here is the next chapter, and I'd just like to take a moment to thank all of those who reviewed, the reviews really do drive me to write more, so thanx. I don't own Harry Potter.
Cedric slammed his copy of the Daily Prophet into his dining room table. He couldn't believe what the Ministry had them writing about him. Of course, Rita Skeeter wasn't behind any of these foul stories, since Hermione had threatened to out her little secret to the Ministry over a month ago, Skeeter was on her best behavior, and not one ill article about him was printed for her pen. This new writer, Jesta Gray wasn't bound to Rita's contract however, and she had no qualms printing all different sorts of rubbish about him- "the Golden Boy"- and the "Chosen one" and his friends.
He looked down at the article frustrated at the defamation to his character.
CEDRIC DIGGORY CRIES WOLF AGAIN!
The new "Golden Boy" and recent Triwizard champion has been seen on multiple occasions in the Auror department of the Ministry of Magic, spouting his ludicrous claims about you-know-who, and trying to seek even more attention and glory. One has to ask, when will he have enough? How power hungry can he be? Suspicions say that Harry Potter's erratic behavior has rubbed off on Mr. Diggory and that his mind is slowly deteriorating from the challenges he was presented with in the Triwizard tournament, after all it is mentally taxing…
He didn't bother to look at the rest, opting to throw it in the rubbish bin instead. The woman had never even laid eyes on him, yet she was printing all this nonsense, and now he was receiving hate letters, and howlers. The Triwizard tournament was supposed help him prove himself, not make him look like a loon.
The headlines had been like this since they left school, after he testified alongside Dumbledore to the Wizengamot about the return of Voldemort, one headline after another calling Dumbledore a crackpot old fool who's gone daft, and him and Harry attention seeking lying teenagers- after all one would have to have wanted attention to enter the Triwizard tournament- and the worst part of it all was that the public believed it!
And his family was taking blow after blow for this. His father had lost his job at the ministry, and though he had quickly found work again with a private company that dealt with the trade of magical creatures, Cedric knew that his father would not have lost the job he was so good at if it wasn't for his support of his sons claims. Amos Diggory was a proud man, and he followed his son to the very end. Cedric also knew that his mother's client list was growing smaller and smaller with every article that slandered his name. Cedric had wanted to press charges, but Dumbledore had talked him out of it, saying that it would only give the paper more fuel to fire at him, and after thinking it through, Cedric had to agree. Still he was a little hot tempered about the whole thing.
He had watched in amazement when Hermione had read a particularly nasty article about herself coolly, her expression not turning angry even once as she read through the front page, the only indication that she was even mildly upset being how tightly she gripped the paper. After finishing she had calmly set the paper down on the old table at Grimmauld Place and continued to sip her pumpkin juice. Ron's ears had turned pink and his face an unnatural shade of read when he had read the article insinuating that Hermione was having an illicit affair with Victor Krum, and how he was helping her to plant ideas in Harry and Cedric's heads regarding Voldemort with Dark Magic.
"How can you just sit there Hermione?!" Ronald had roared.
"Well, so long as no one I care about believes this rubbish, what does it matter? Really who is going to believe this Jesta Gray? If there was one thing I respect about Skeeter is that she found away to get some sort of evidence. Yes it was sly, and yes she manipulated it to her own ends, but there was some truth to most of the things she wrote, or at least she managed to make it seem like there was. This woman is just making things up as she goes and it's obvious. I'd rather not be liked by anyone who believes this nonsense. It's not like I need anymore friends. I've got you all haven't I?" Hermione had responded barely missing a beat.
Ron's anger had deflated, and Cedric remembered the odd warm feeling that had swelled in his chest when she had considered him one of her friends that she needed. And he would try his best to follow her example and not let himself get worked up over the lies that were told about him, even though it was becoming awfully hard.
Cedric scratched his head and headed toward his library. His family wasn't as rich as say The Malfoys, but they were well off enough with a small cozy manor and a small tidy sum that could be used in case of an emergency, after all Diggory was a old and honorable name, even though they had never taken any stock in the whole pureblood supremacy idiocy. He had loved his library for a long time, and always went there when he needed to settle down.
At least he had been busy thinking about how he was going to help the cause against Voldemort. Cedric had decided he would fight against that man the moment he had cowardly challenged Harry to a duel. And, since Dumbledore had revealed the Order of the Phoenix to him, and offered him a place in the organization once he became of age, Cedric needed to focus more on Defense Against the Dark Arts. He had never been the most adept at that subject, and had to work very hard to achieve his marks in that class. Transfiguration and Charms had always been his best subjects. He had been fervently studying defense since the summer hols had begun. It was imperative for him to be able to defend himself.
In addition to his self study he had been kept busy with the summer quidditch league, helping his mother with her designs, and corresponding with Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Or at least Ron and Hermione. Harry hadn't responded to any of his letters, and he heard from Ron and Hermione that it was quite possible that Harry's family were not allowing him to do so, so Cedric didn't take it personally. Cedric had even suggested that they go rescue him, however, Dumbledore and Sirius had quickly shot the idea down, saying that there would be no rescue attempts as they did not want any repeats of past aggressions (Ron had eventually explained to him what had happened the last time they had "rescued Harry"), and that he was currently better of with his aunt and uncle, though he could not understand how anyone could be better off with those people from what Hermione had explained.
But he headed their warning, and didn't mention it again, though he truly hoped Harry was alright. It had been quite the shock when he found that Sirius Black was not only innocent of all charges made against him, but that he was a member of the Order as well as Harry's godfather. But it turned out that Sirius wasn't so bad. He was childish and immature at times and not exactly thrilled with living at the Order headquarters, 12 Grimmauld Place, the ancient house of Black but overall a decent guy. Though Hermione and Molly Weasley didn't think to highly of him.
Well, the only work with the Order he had done was to help clean up headquarters a bit so far. He wasn't allowed into the meetings, but his father and mother had both been inducted and were privy to everything that was going on. Cedric thanked Merlin his parents stood behind him. He had no idea if he would have been able to go through all that he had without them.
He reached the library and snagged his square reading glasses off of his chair before grabbing the book he had started the other day and settling down to read the next chapter on burning curses. He was quite embarrassed about his glasses, and never wore them at school, but he had no qualms wearing them at home where no one could see them.
He was about halfway through the chapter when his mother burst into the library, her curly blond hair meticulously piled on her hair.
"Cedric you have a visitor."
He looked up shocked. He never had any visitors for him. Well, Cho had stopped by once over the summer, but that's it. He blinked in disbelief.
"She's waiting for you in the foyer," she said slowly looking at him strangely before adding "the girl looks awfully distressed so I suggest that you hop to it. It would be rude to keep her waiting."
Cedric was so surprised he almost forgot to take his glasses off, but he remembered just before he exited the library. He made his way quickly to the front hall and the foyer, where a petite girl with a voluminous head of bushy hair stood in the center of the room, fiddling with her hands nervously, wiping away the tears trickling down her face every few moments.
Quickly walking over to her, Cedric hugged the small girl patting her back, and guiding her over to the couch. Once her tears had stopped and she had wiped them all on her sleeves, Hermione tried to force a smile.
"What happened Hermione?" Cedric asked hesitantly.
"Harry came to Grimmauld, and he was frightfully angry at Ron and I, you see, Dumbledore and Arthur had ordered us not to write to him about anything going on, they said that our letters could be apprehended, or the knowledge could put Harry in danger, so we were only able to write him with small talk, and unimportant things. When he came he yelled at us, telling us that it was our fault that he didn't know anything that was happening, and that we weren't his real friends because the only one to sincerely write him was you, and he couldn't believe that we hadn't tried to contact him outside the Order monitored letters… that if we truly his friends we would have found another way…"
"Oh Cedric, I think we've gone and buggered up our friendship with Harry, Ron and I… you see Harry was attacked by a Dementor in Little Hangleton the muggle town, and he had to cast a Patronus to protect himself, but he did it in a muggle neighborhood in front of his muggle cousin… but he had to do it you see! It was attacking his cousin, and Mundungus was supposed to be watching him, but that awful little- little thief left Harry for an illegal cauldron deal, can you believe it?! And Harry went to court this morning and no one believed him, and Fudge was trying to have them expel him and snap his wand! But Amelia Bones- Susan Bones' aunt- was impressed that he could cast a fully formed Patronus, and eventually the others came around and voted him not guilty, but it was a close call, and when he came back, Harry was still furious with Ron and I, and he refuses to talk to us, and I- I just don't know what to do!" She wailed in one breath. How she managed to say all that without breathing was something he'd never figure out. The girl could talk a mile a minute.
Cedric let out a breath he was holding. He knew that leaving Harry to those awful people would have bad repercussions, and if he was in Harry's position he would have acted similarly. But Harry was much to close to Ron and Hermione to abandon his friendship with them, and they would right themselves. He would see to it. He awkwardly patted Hermione on the back and smiled as reassuringly as he could.
"Harry will come around; he's just frustrated right now is all. Do you think he has been receiving the Prophet?" Hermione shook her head. "Well, at least he won't have that to fuel his anger, but expect another incident when he finds out what Jesta Gray has been writing. I'll talk to him too, since I seem to be the only one he isn't angry with. Is he mad with Sirius as well?"
Hermione's face scrunched up as if she had just smelled something particularly foul. "That excuse for a man is urging him on. He's using Harry to prove his case that he shouldn't be confined to Grimmauld doing nothing, and Harry is perfectly alright in his anger toward all of us. Doesn't he understand that this will just make Harry worse off!" she huffed.
Cedric grimaced. He could see Mr. Black doing just that, and it wasn't the most brilliant thing Sirius had ever done. It would most definitely fire Harry up even further. He glanced at Hermione who was looking at him expectantly her eyes slightly puffy from the crying, but still a clear sharp golden brown. Cedric sighed. "Well, that will be a problem," he said after a while.
Hermione leaned turned away from him and leaned back into the couch looking up at the ceiling, her bushy hair shielding her face from view. He copied her movement in silence and looked up at the ceiling as well. That was how his mother found them as she came into the foyer. Cedric sat up straight, blushing as his mother shot him a disapproving look. Only Merlin knew what was going through that woman's mind. He knew what Hermione visiting him must look like… but he wouldn't think about that.
Hermione hadn't seemed to notice his mother's presence until Cedric elbowed her, and she glared at him before seeing his mother, and turning a very endearing pink color.
"H-hello Mrs. Diggory, I'm so sorry for bursting in like this in such a state, and thank you for your hospitality," Hermione stammered hesitantly, standing and wiping off the invisible dust on her muggle jeans. Mother smiled at her warmly and wrapped her in a warm hug. "Don't be silly Ms. Granger you and your friends are always welcome. Would you like to stay for lunch and tea?" His mother asked.
Hermione's expression was shocked. To be honest, Cedric was shocked himself. His mother certainly hadn't treated Cho like this. She had been rather cold to Cho, and Cedric had assumed that it was because she was a girl… but that obviously wasn't so. Maybe it was because Hermione was a shoe-in for the Order?
"Actually, I really should be returning to headquarters, I'm sure Sirius," she practically spat, "will be concerned about my whereabouts. After all, these are dangerous times," Hermione said.
His mother's face fell slightly, but she was still smiling. "Well then, Cedric will floo with you back then, and hopefully no one will be angry for your visit," his mother stated in the tone of voice that clearly said there would be no arguments about this.
Cedric glanced at his watch. He had two hours before Quidditch practice anyway; he might as well go and speak to Harry now.
He nodded and guided Hermione away from his strangely acting mother, and toward the fire place, and grabbing some floo powder, he stepped in, Hermione at his side and threw the powder down yelling, "Number 12 Grimmauld Place!"
So please continue to review! I hate making Sirius look like a bad guy, but you have to admit, he was quite an arse in the 5th book. He'll get better. Promise.