Were he anyone else, Hermione knew he might've taken offense to what she said.

"You want me to lose?" Cedric asked confused.

"No!" she yelped. "I just don't want you to get yourself into any sort of predicament. Someone is trying to kill Harry, and I don't want you caught in the crossfire. By all means, win, but don't you dare let me lose you!"

He was quiet for a minute.

"You know why I entered, right? Hufflepuff has been downtrodden and voiceless for far too long. We're the ones who help when the going gets tough, but we're forgotten about in the meantime. I'm a representative not just for Hogwarts, but for Hufflepuff as well. I didn't enter for fame and glory, just for the chance to make my house stand strong again and garner back respect that we never truly lost."

She stared at him in wonder.

"That, my dear, is why even if I don't win, I at least have to try."

"Then take this for luck," she said, unfastening her SPEW badge and pinning it onto his shirt. "This will be my voice out there, telling you to win but come home."

"I don't know how much luck it will bring, but I'll wear it," he said, adjusting it so it lay straight. "You really don't care if I win over Harry?"

"Not as long as you both come back," Hermione said firmly, kissing him one last time before he went into the maze.