I always saw Prisoner of Azkaban as the most Quidditch-centered book of the series. So I will cover the each one of the six games of Quidditch in the year for the occasion. This is the first.

And we make a first dive, but not the last, into Cedric Diggory's mind.

CEDRIC I

The bell rang, and Cedric couldn't prevent a sigh of relief to come out from his throat as their Transfiguration lesson finally ended. They were Friday afternoon, and Cedric only had one wish, for this week to end and to finally focus all his attention on the upcoming Quidditch match of tomorrow.

As he put his book into his bag, Cedric looked through the window that gave on the school grounds. Thick black clouds hovered all over the horizon, and a furious rain fell and hit hard against the windows. More torches than usual had been lit for the occasion, and there was no sign that the storm outside would calm down by next morning.

"Hey, Cedric. We got to go," Heidi told him in a frantic voice. "Team's meeting."

His friend and teammate was already ready to leave the classroom, her bag on her shoulder. She was always ready first. Cedric had tried to convince her to relax a little last year and this autumn, but with little success.

"I'm coming, Heidi. We're not late."

She said nothing, but he could tell that she was eager for them to leave. Once Cedric got his things in order, he made it to the door, Heidi Macavoy preceding him. Cedric's friends left him alone. Most of the time, they would walk out of classes together, but before a Quidditch match, they knew he needed some time alone. The only people he wanted to speak to were his teammates, which included Heidi who currently looked worryingly at the outside.

"I can't believe they're going to make us play in that weather," she said, still frantic.

"It's not the best conditions we could dream of, but we'll have to do with it, Heidi," he told her on the most reassuring tone he could find.

"I still don't understand why it is today we should play. It was the Slytherins who were supposed to play against Gryffindor, not us."

"Their Seeker is injured..." Cedric began to explain, but his friend interrupted him before he could go further.

"Injured, my eye! Malfoy is not injured. He's faking it! How many times were we injured, and Madam Pomfrey got us back on our feet within a few days, if not a few hours or a few minutes. Malfoy is only scratched by a hippogriff, and his arm would be useless for over two months?" She stopped, and Cedric had no choice but to do the same abruptly to avoid crashing against her. "Look at me in the eyes, Cedric, and tell me you truly believe that Draco Malfoy is unable to play."

"Look, even if he's not injured, we cannot prove it. I talked about it with Oliver Wood, and he's of the same opinion as I am. Anyway, this wasn't our decision. The decision was made by the Heads of House."

This was mostly true. About a week ago, Professor Sprout came to speak with Cedric, and she asked him if it would bother his team to play against Gryffindor rather than Slytherin for their first game. Cedric answered that it wouldn't bother him. Then Professor Sprout explained that the Slytherin team asked for a delay because their Seeker was injured. The Heads of House didn't want to delay the game between Gryffindor and Slytherin, for it would jeopardize the whole Quidditch calendar, so they instead considered exchanging teams for games. As a result, Hufflepuff would play against Gryffindor, and Slytherin against Ravenclaw two weeks later. Cedric, who honestly didn't see a valid reason to oppose this move, said he would not oppose such a decision. Technically, his team would be the most punished because their first game was forestalled by two weeks. If officially Slytherin had issues with an injured Seeker, Cedric told himself that he would appreciate the same consideration if he had been the one to be injured. He couldn't, in good conscience, oppose it, even if he doubted that Slytherin's Seeker was truly injured. Opposing it would have been useless anyway. The Heads of House took the decision, not the captains.

"Well, it's a bad decision. I prefer not to tell you where on Severus Snape I would shove this decision."

Cedric couldn't contain a laugh. "Alright, Heidi, but we must focus on the upcoming game. Let's go to our common room for the team's meeting."

At the mere mention of tomorrow's game, his friend was once again focused on the match against Gryffindor, and she quickly walked forward. Cedric could hardly tell her to slow down after he was the one to remind her of the team meeting, so he quickened the pace.

Heidi was the only player on the Hufflepuff team who was in the same year as Cedric. He liked that brown-haired girl with brown eyes and a round face. She was the player he got along best. It would have been Maxine last year, one of the Beaters on their team who he dated for a few months, before they broke up just after the last game of the season. Cedric broke up with the black-haired witch because he realized he wasn't in love with her. She wasn't happy with it, and didn't speak with Cedric for the rest of the term, but they were back on good terms this year, although their friendship would never be the same again. He got along quite well with the other Beater, with Herbert, their new Keeper and the little brother of their previous captain, and with Tamsin and Malcolm too, but Heidi remained his best friend on the team, despite all the flaws she had.

They arrived in their common room on the first floor quite quickly. Only Tamsin was already there, sitting on a comfortable couch at the back of the common room. Cedric returned the greeting of a few other students on his way to the couch. Most wished him good luck for tomorrow.

"Hi, captain," Tamsin said as soon as he was within earshot.

"No need to call me that way, Tamsin," Cedric reminded her.

"Well, you're our captain," she stated as Heidi sat next to her.

"Yes, I am, but I am also your friend. So call me Cedric."

Tamsin looked like she thought very strong for some time. "What about we call you Prefect instead? It's a more serious title."

Cedric shook his head. This year was definitely something for him. Not only was it the year of his O.W.L.s, which meant a lot of work and decisions that would matter for the rest of his life, but he was also named prefect and Captain of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team at the same time. This was quite a lot to assume. He already had to work past midnight about a dozen times since the year started, and he didn't think it would get better as the year would progress. Of course, he felt honored to have been granted such responsibilities, but receiving them all at the same time was quite a new burden he needed time to adjust to. He even went to see Professor Sprout after the first two weeks of the term, explaining his situation and how overloaded he felt, and fearing it would diminish his capacity to efficiently fulfill his role as captain of their Quidditch team. After all, if Cedric had to choose priorities, Quidditch would have to be the last, no matter how much he loved the sport. But Professor Sprout asked him to continue to fulfill this role for two other weeks and to come to her after that if he still couldn't feel he was up to the task.

Soon, the whole team was present. Cedric knew all of them. Maxine, his ex-girlfriend, and Anthony were their Beaters. Then there were Heidi, Tamsin and Malcolm, their Chasers. All of them were already on the team the year before Cedric replaced Anthony King as the Seeker. Cedric sometimes felt the position of captain should have been granted to one of them, someone more ancient on the team. He felt he didn't deserve it. That had been another reason why he thought about abandoning his position as captain. But when he had spoken with Professor Sprout, she told him it was Anna Fleet herself, the previous captain, who recommended him as her successor. Her little brother, Herbert, was their new Keeper. Cedric selected him early in the year after the trials. He was really a good player. The Fleets seemed to have Keeper's blood running in their veins.

It was in part the knowledge that Anna wanted him to succeed her that led Cedric to find time for his captain's duties, and he was glad that he didn't resign like he initially intended. He didn't sleep much, had almost no time for leisure aside from Quidditch, but truth be told, he liked it. For the past two months, he and his team worked tirelessly. Cedric had the opportunity to watch his teammates play closely last year. He had shared some of his opinions on their manner to play with Anna back then, and made a few recommendations. Sadly, they never had enough time to implement them. They were crushed by Gryffindor during their last game. For the past two months, he worked with all his comrades to develop new strategies, enhancing the forces of the other players, reducing their weaknesses, making their teamplay better. At their third year together, the Chasers and Beaters had started to develop a certain chemistry that Anna unfortunately failed to exploit. Cedric didn't miss that chance and increased the level of play of his team. They had prepared to play against Ravenclaw for weeks, and they felt more than ready for that game.

Cedric had been looking forward for their autumn game against Ravenclaw. He had enjoyed playing against Cho last year. He liked that girl very much. Very, very much, truth be told, though he never dared to tell her. And since his failed experience with another Quidditch player, he was somewhat afraid of how it might end if he dared to... Still, he greeted her whenever their paths crossed in the corridors, went to visit her at the infirmary when she got injured. He even sometimes watched the practices of the Ravenclaw team, telling himself it was to watch their tactics, but in fact, he spent a large part of their practices looking at Cho. To his shame, he even sent her a Valentine last year, when Professor Lockhart had dwarves delivering them. He never told anybody that he was behind one of the Valentines Cho received that day.

Now, instead, they would face Gryffindor, and they would play sooner than they thought. Cedric had to admit that, anyway, he didn't give much chance for his team to win the Quidditch Cup this year. It would be stupid for him to deny reality. Despite all the work they did early in the term, the Hufflepuff team was still far from being the best in Hogwarts. The teams of Ravenclaw, Slytherin and Gryffindor, by their tactics, strategies, team spirit, chemistry and talent, still remained the best teams of the school. Cedric hoped that this year would be the one when Hufflepuff could prove its worth. Their house lost all their games in the two previous seasons. Their last victory in a game happened three years ago against Gryffindor, when the team was at its weakest. This year, however, the situation was completely different.

Cedric was impressed by Gryffindor's team. In fact, he was on good terms with most of its players. Angelina, Alicia and Katie often said hello when their paths crossed. Oliver was far more competitive than Cedric, but he was a good guy, and a captain who played fair. Cedric also often laughed at the tricks the Weasley twins performed, although as a prefect he couldn't confess it aloud. As for Harry, he appreciated him as a fair competitor. Despite the fact they lost against him last year, Cedric enjoyed the game. He had a lot of respect for the Gryffindors, who didn't use treachery and violence to win like the Slytherins did. In fact, Cedric took a lot of inspiration from Oliver to change the way in which he trained the Hufflepuff team. And the results were undeniable. This year, Hufflepuff was ready to show everybody at Hogwarts that they were serious competitors for the Quidditch Cup. They wouldn't win it, but Cedric knew that his team was capable of giving a hell of a challenge to the other teams, maybe to win one game, maybe even two. Next year, they would be better positioned for the Cup, but before that, they had to gain trust. The team had to realize that they could actually win, and their first test would be tomorrow.

"Okay, my friends," he began. "You know we're playing against Gryffindor tomorrow. They are not the opponents we were expecting, but we'll do with what we have. We trained without stopping over the last two months to get better, and this team is indeed stronger than it has ever been." He looked into the eyes of each one of them, the teammates who welcomed him last year and the one he welcomed into the team personally in September. "The Gryffindors are a very good team. We all know it. But we can beat them. Because we are a very good team as well. And even if they defeat us, I think we at least ought to give them a hell of a time before they get to beat us."

They all nodded. The team lost so many times over the last few years, and despite this, the players remained. They were used to losing. Their philosophy was now to play the best they could and to force the other teams to give everything they had if they wanted to win. This was the spirit Cedric cultivated these last two months as they kept training. They would never surrender, never concede a goal or any form of small win to any other team.

"For this evening, I want you to rest and relax. Go to sleep early, and make sure you are rested and fresh to play tomorrow."

"Before we get wet," Tamsin commented. The Beaters laughed a little, and Cedric joined.

"Tomorrow, just do what we trained for these last few months, and everything will be fine. Let's make sure that the Gryffindors are even wetter than us when this game is over." The burst of laughter attracted the attention of most of the people inside their common room. "Okay, everyone. I'm not Oliver Wood. Free evening. Enjoy it. We see each other on the pitch tomorrow."

"YEAH!"

Each player shook his hand or patted his shoulder as they left. Only Heidi remained behind, sitting on the couch. Bent over, her brown hid her white face as she kept twitching her hands. Cedric stood up and came by her side. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"Everything will be fine, Heidi," he told her.

"If you say so." She was shivering, but after a few breaths, it got better. It was Cedric who advised her to do that. "I think I'm going to start our Transfiguration essay."

Cedric should have known. Heidi often worked before a game to soothe her nerves. "You want any help?" he asked, although he already suspected what the answer would be.

"No thanks, Cedric. I need to be alone."

On that, she stood up and patted his shoulder. "See you tomorrow, Captain."

Cedric watched her leave their common room. He knew she would be going to the library, a quiet place where she could work alone. This was her ritual before a game. Cedric, on his side, would rather not work tonight. He already spent almost all his time working, and he though it would be better to take a pause before a Quidditch game. So he made a tour of the common room, discussing with everyone there and there. Most of them were playing chess or Exploding Snap, or just talking. As a prefect, Cedric had to maintain discipline and to ensure the school's rules were respected, especially inside his own house. However, he had his own approach of his prefect's duties.

Cedric had always gotten along with the others and made friends very easily, from the very first day he arrived at Hogwarts. Even sixth years students like Penny Haywood had liked him back then, and helped him adapt to Hogwarts. As a result, he preferred to kindly remind people of the rules, and as much possible to do it before they broke them, rather than to punish them. He was helped by the fact that Hufflepuffs were not easily brought to breaking rules and laws. Cedric exchanged a few words with everybody along his way, from the seventh-years stuck into their N.E.W.T.s revisions to the first-years who were impressed or intimidated by him. Sometimes he stopped to play a game of card or to move a few pieces of chess.

After some time, Cedric came upon a nape with blondish hair he knew only too well, bent over a large piece of parchment.

"Still working, Ernie?"

The third-year swiftly turned to face Cedric, and shook his hand. "Hi Cedric. I'm trying to take some advance in my work."

The official behavior of the boy amused Cedric most of the time. He should relax a little, like Heidi should, but Ernie was nonetheless a good person. Cedric suspected he wanted to become prefect later.

"I can see that," he commented. He looked at the long piece of parchment in front of him, and the two large books next to it. "What is it about?"

"Professor Snape gave us two rolls of parchment to write for next Monday, on the ways to recognize and kill werewolves."

Cedric frowned. "Professor Snape? Why would he give you homework on werewolves?"

He noticed that Ernie refrained from sighing or saying words against a teacher, something that was hard when it came to Severus Snape. Even Cedric had to acknowledge that.

"He replaced Professor Lupin for our lesson yesterday. And he gave us this to do."

Snape replaced Lupin? How odd! Cedric appreciated the new teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts, and from what he knew all professors liked him as well. Why would the Potions Master take his place?

"And he gave you that to do, with only four days to complete it?" he asked Ernie, to be sure this was really about it.

"Yes." He noticed a point of complaint in Ernie's voice. Then the boy gave up. "He spent the lesson saying our work had no value, and that Professor Lupin was not hard enough with us. Come on, he's the best professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts we've ever had. And I learned more with him over the past two months than with Quirrell and Lockhart these last two years."

Cedric had to agree that the two previous teachers in this subject were not the best, especially considering the first was a servant of dark forces.

"And then Snape arrives, and he forces us to study something we were not even close to, and to give him a huge homework, during a week-end of Quidditch."

Ernie went on with this for about ten minutes. Recriminations added atop each other, with other students joining him in his complaints, and not only from third year. Apparently, Snape made the same impression in each and every classroom of Defence Against the Dark Arts he visited. He insulted both Professor Lupin and his students, imposed long homework on werewolves upon them, refused to continue the lessons they had already started, and behaved as if his colleague and what he taught didn't matter. As always, Cedric could see firsthand how Professor Severus Snape was despised by all students but the Slytherins he favored.

Cedric ended up reading for a good hour after his tour, then he went to bed, trying his best to not think about tomorrow's game. In that attempt he mostly failed. With the weather crashing against their windows and the stress at the prospect of playing his first game as captain, Cedric struggled to find sleep.

He did manage to get some in the end, but when he woke up, his dormitory was almost as dark as when he went to sleep. Knowing he wouldn't be able to rest anymore, Cedric left his bed, dressed and went down into the common room. There, half the team was already assembled, waiting for him.

"Any chance this game might be cancelled?" Anthony asked. Cedric was certain that he already knew the answer.

"You know very well it won't be," he replied. "We're going to play, even if tornadoes appear out of nowhere."

"You think we'll have tornadoes?" Herbert asked.

Cedric looked outside. "I don't think so."

He somehow doubted his own words. The storm was very strong, and it was so dark outside that Cedric wondered how they would be able to see anything on the pitch. But day had not totally come yet, and the storm could still lose in force overt he next few hours. It was only five o'clock in the morning.

"Okay," he said. "If we can't manage to sleep, then let's try to rest for an hour or two here. Get yourself comfortable."

It wasn't really useful words, since his teammates already did that, but he felt he had to say something. Cedric sat in a comfortable armchair and tried to close his eyes, but sleep didn't come. The other members of the team, and even some other students came down from their dormitories as well as time went on. Around seven o'clock, Cedric ordered to head for the Great Hall.

Breakfast took place in a complete silence. At the table next to theirs, the Gryffindor team didn't look in any better mood. Cedric noticed that Oliver Wood looked especially gloomy. Cedric encouraged Heidi to eat something, as her fork kept slipping from her hands. After some time, he stood up and called for the rest of the team to follow him.

It was a struggle for Cedric and his teammates to simply reach the Quidditch pitch. The wind and the rain were so strong that it was hard to walk straight on the grass. Herbert and Malcolm each fell on the muddy terrain at least twice, and most of the others felt once. The visibility was so reduced that Cedric barely made out the stadium far away, and once he took the wrong way to reach their changing room. They were already wet to the bone when they reached their destination, and Cedric could feel how everyone, including himself, felt relieved to put on their black and yellow robes. Everyone's hair was dripping. Maxine, especially, had to wring her own a few times. She made the mistake of coming to the stadium without arranging her hair into a bun first. When they were all ready, their faces, hair and feet wet, but their clothes warm and dry, for now, Cedric faced them all.

He sighed, then spoke. "Look, these are not the best conditions to play, and I know it. So I promise that I will do everything in my power to catch the Snitch as quickly as possible so that we may take a long shower after that."

People laughed nervously, even Heidi.

"This weather at least gives us an advantage. The Gryffindor players are in average younger, smaller and lighter than us. That means we will be less bothered by the weather in this match. So let's play the best we can, and show to our friends in Hufflepuff that it's not a little rain that's going to scare us. We agree on that?"

They all nodded, with Malcolm, Maxine and Anthony cheering.

"Okay, let's go."

Cedric led them to the pitch. The storm did not seem to have quieted in any way when they arrived. He felt the others feeling reluctant to go on the pitch. So he mounted his broom and flew in the rain. The huge water drops hit him hard in the face. His broomstick was pushed to his right by a strong gust of wind, before being pulled to the other side by a contrary wind.

Cedric managed to stabilize the direction of his broomstick after a few seconds of struggle. He looked behind to see his teammates had either followed him or were about to do so. Through the showers of rain that fell on and around him, he distinguished the players of the Gryffindor team rising in the air as well. Though the only reason he could distinguish them from his own teammates was their red and golden robes. He couldn't distinguish which player was who.

Cedric made a quick tour around the pitch, getting soaked to the bone again within a mere minute. Despite the heavy rain and the cold time, the assistance looked larger than usual, but perhaps it was because everyone had brought umbrellas and heavy coats, making them seem bigger than they actually were. Supporters from both teams were indistinguishable. And they couldn't hear the crowd either. Cedric had no way to know for sure if the noise around him was caused either by the falling heavy rain, the thunder in the sky or the cheers of the crowd, if he could even suppose there were actually cheers coming from the crowd. The thundering sounds of the weather didn't even allow him to understand whatever Lee Jordan was saying in his megaphone.

Cedric spotted the shape of Madam Hooch, the only flying form that wasn't yellow or red. Most of the other players were already around the referee, in the centre of the pitch. Cedric stopped close to the flying instructor. He noticed, not without some fun, that her spiky grey hair was now flat.

"Captains, shake hands!" the woman shouted. Despite being only a few feet away from her, Cedric barely heard her. Wood came nonetheless, just as soaked and wet as Cedric must look to the others. He looked to be in a sour mood.

"Good luck, Oliver," Cedric said, forcing himself to smile.

He wasn't sure if Wood heard him, for he only nodded, his lips tight and closed. Cedric didn't blame him. He too wished the game was played under different circumstances. Though at the same time, if the mood of their captain was so low, it was possible that Gryffindor might not play as well as usual.

Cedric turned around and flew upwards, turning up his thumb at his team to wish them good luck. Once he got enough altitude, he turned again to face the central circle. On the other side, facing him, at maybe ten metres of distance, Harry Potter was hovering over the field just like him. Cedric smiled, before he realized that he certainly could not see it, given how Cedric barely managed to distinguish the glasses of the boy. He was about to raise his hand to salute him, but an hesitation due to how his handle was slippery and the sight of the Quaffle rising in the air, plus the far and faint voice of the commentator his ears somehow managed to catch, directed all his attention on the game.

Cedric flew on his right. From the corner of his eyes, he saw that Potter had taken his own right as well, in the opposite direction to Cedric's. He also noticed that either Heidi or Tamsin had gotten the red ball, which gave him a good enough feeling for the beginning of the game.

Cedric began turning around the pitch, searching for the Golden Snitch. It was already difficult to find the small ball in normal circumstances, but the rain and the wind made it much harder. At the same time, he tried to keep an eye on Potter, in case he would catch sight of the Snitch first, and he also kept another eye on how the match in general progressed. All those tasks were made much harder by the weather.

Heidi, Tamsin, Malcolm, Maxine and Anthony flew around, their yellow shapes crossing the paths of red forms. The Quaffle was hard to distinguish, and Bludgers were even harder to spot due to their dark color. Cedric avoided a Bludger right when he heard a cling from the other side of the pitch. Or so he thought. When he looked in the direction of the Gryffindor goalposts, he saw Oliver flying up then throwing something big at another red shape. Cedric smiled at the thought his team managed to score the first points.

He went back to looking for the Golden Snitch, turning around the pitch over the other players. At one point, he almost collided with Potter, and ducked at the last moment. But he wasn't the only one Cedric almost ran in. He rolled over to avoid Heidi. Or was it Tamsin? The worst almost happened when Anthony nearly hit him with his bat by mistake.

Everywhere Cedric looked, when he could see something, confusion ruled. He thought he saw one of the Gryffindor Beaters throw a Bludger at one of their own Chasers. Not that Cedric's Chasers did better. He was flying nearby when Heidi swore after she mistakenly gave the Quaffle to a Gryffindor.

The resonating sounds of goals kept reaching Cedric's ears, but aside from the first points Hufflepuff made, every time he heard the distinctive sound now, it was to see Herbert Fleet, their Keeper, throwing the ball not long after. Cedric wasn't sure what the score was, but it was definitely not in his team's favour. He tried to encourage his teammates the best he could, but his voice was likely lost in the weather chaos. Then a flash of light illuminated the terrain. The presence of light could have reassured the players, for it meant they could better see their surroundings, but it only lasted a second, and it was gone as soon as it appeared. Now Cedric had to worry that one of his friends might be hit by a lightning.

Cedric never felt as relieved when hearing Madam Hooch's whistle than today. And he was never as grateful to Oliver Wood. It had to be him who called for a time out since Cedric didn't do it. He tried to gesture all his teammates to reunite near the benches, to get some protection from the heavy rain. Before he flew down to the ground himself, he went to Madam Hooch.

"What's the score, Madam?" he asked her.

"70-20 for Gryffindor," she replied dryly. She seemed as eager for this game to end as Cedric was. But when Cedric landed, he thought that he didn't want the match to end the way it was going so far.

"No sign of the Snitch?" Maxine asked.

"No," he replied. "I'm working on it. Listen, everyone. We've got to take the lead. We cannot let the Gryffindors get too much of an advance."

"We're trying, Cedric," Tamsin said, "but really, we have to give it to them, the Gryffindors are damn good. We can never suspect or guess where they're going. Sometimes, it's as if they change course all of a sudden, without warning. They weren't that fast last year."

"It's the wind." Everyone looked at Heidi, who removed wet hair hanging on her forehead and dropping over her eyes. "The wind is against our face. They have it in their back each time they fly towards our scoring area."

Of course. Why didn't Cedric verify that? The direction of the wind was very important while playing in such weather. He didn't realize it, as he had been too occupied searching for the Golden Snitch, but if the wind was blowing in Gryffindor's favor, then it meant their speed was even higher than usual, while the Hufflepuffs were slowed down. The weather was servicing the Gryffindors, against his hopes.

"And it's not easy to see the Quaffle in all that," Herbert asked.

"It's not easy for anybody to see the Quaffle," Heidi specified.

"No, you don't get it. I simply cannot see which player has the Quaffle. When the Gryffindors take the Quaffle, all their Chasers fly towards my rings and I must guess who's got the ball."

"You really can't see the Quaffle?" Cedric asked.

Herbert sighed. "The Gryffindor players are wearing red. The Quaffle is red as well."

"Yes, so we have a hard time guessing who among their Chasers has the ball," Tamsin added. "It's even harder for us the Chasers, since we're always on the move."

"At least you can see them from closer. What am I supposed to do when they put their hands on the ball on the other side of the pitch?" Herbert shot back.

"Okay, calm down, everybody," Cedric said firmly, putting an end to the argument before it went further.

This was another difficulty he didn't consider. Hufflepuff's Quidditch robes were yellow. It was easy to spot a big red ball against their uniforms. Gryffindors, on the other side, wore red and golden robes, so the Quaffle could more easily melt into their colors. With this rain and the darkening clouds, they would be able to hide it easily.

"Okay, change of strategy." Cedric took the decision as a dark shape who could only be Madam Hooch approached them. "Fly as high as you can." This came with a chorus of protestation from the rest of the team, since the winds were stronger at a higher altitude. "The winds will be more unpredictable. This might give us an edge against the Gryffindors. Fly in tight formation as soon as you get your hands on the Quaffle. It will reduce the effect of winds on you."

"It will also make us an easy target for Bludgers," Anthony pointed out.

"I know, but this may be our only chance." Madam Hooch was standing next to them now. "We practiced it during training. Do it!"

They returned to flying once again. Right away, Hufflepuff scored ten points thanks to a tight formation flying at over seventy feet of altitude. However, this could only work on the offensive, as the Gryffindors quickly went back to playing at lower altitudes and Angelina Johnson scored right after. The following two goals were scored by Gryffindor as well. Wood had to be performing very well protecting his rings. Hufflepuff finally managed to score, but it was followed by three clings that indicated Gryffindor goals.

Cedric finally devoted all his attention to catching the Snitch. He had to get it, or else they would reach a point where catching the Snitch wouldn't give them the victory. He and Potter almost collided again, but Harry ducked below him this time, avoiding severe injuries for both of them. Cedric then avoided a Bludger. Then a lightning stroke… and he saw it. A brief golden sparkle appeared right in front of him the moment the white light spread through the pitch. And Cedric rushed towards it. He saw a red figure on the other side of the pitch rushing towards it as well, who could only be Harry. Cedric pushed his broomstick to the maximum, extending his hand to catch the small golden globe.

Time seemed to slow down. The rain and lightning kept falling around, just as hard, cold and unforgiving as it had been for the whole match. But Cedric couldn't care. All his attention was on the Golden Snitch. Nothing else mattered right now. After so much time under the cold rain, his whole body was frozen, but his body fought against it. He heard nothing. All sounds had vanished around him. He couldn't feel anything. All he could think about was the Snitch. It moved to the right, then the left, then the right… Cedric was at a handshake distance… He closed his fist, and felt his fingers close around the metallic ball.

He should have felt ecstatic. Joy and happiness, relief of this hell of a match to be finally over, should have washed over him… Instead, he only felt empty, and cold. Very cold. The rest of the pitch was the same. There was no uproar, no shouts of joy. There was just complete, utter silence. And a broomstick flying straight towards him.

Cedric ducked just in time to avoid it. The broomstick continued on its course, and Cedric followed it with his eyes. He then realized there was no one on the broomstick. He turned his head to look ahead once more, and there was no one. But Harry Potter had been there, flying towards him a moment ago. He then caught a glimpse of something dark, below. He looked down.

He did just in time to see two things. First, a wave of dark figures, hovering over the ground. He couldn't mistake these for anything else. They were Dementors. The second thing he saw was a red shape falling, and colliding hard with the grounds, sending splashes of mud all around. As Cedric looked at the red figure that lied on the pitch, and the Dementors seemed to close around, a great silvery light blinded him.

He raised his arm to cover his eyes, but saw nonetheless the Dementors flying away all around, escaping the pitch. Cedric remembered the time when he chanced upon the Dementors in the Hogwarts Express. He never thought such horrific creatures could give the impression of running away. The silvery light hit in waves, illuminating the stadium in an unrealistic brightness.

Then it was gone. Cedric felt warm now, even happy. Then it was all over. The silvery light was gone as quickly as it had appeared, and the Dementors with it. He felt the heavy rain soaking him again. The deafening sounds of thunder resonated through the stadium once more. Lightning illuminated the scene sporadically. But as he looked around, Cedric saw that everything and everyone stood still. From every single shape in the crowd to each and every player, no one moved. There was only one, single, tall figure on the grounds that moved. Despite the reduced visibility, Cedric could not mistake the Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, for anyone else as he approached the red figure lying on the ground. A stretcher appeared, and an unconscious Harry Potter, for it could only be him who fell to the ground, was lied on it and carried away by Dumbledore towards the castle.

Cedric remained in position, unmoving, as Potter and Dumbledore left the pitch, unable to leave his eyes from them. Not until the whistle resounded close to him.

"Hufflepuff got the Snitch! Hufflepuff: one hundred and ninety points. Gryffindor: one hundred and forty points. HUFFLEPUFF WINS!"

The voice seemed to be coming from another world. Cedric looked around to see Madam Hooch hovering not far from him. Then she flew away and he heard the rumor of her whistle throughout the stadium. Cedric didn't move for a long time. The rain kept crashing all around him, feeling stronger than ever. Thunder and lightning filled the space.

All this felt surreal. Were they really playing a game of Quidditch only a few minutes ago? Was he still running after the Golden Snitch while another player was falling several dozens of feet? All that because Dementors invaded the field? He had not realized what was happening. He was so focused on catching the Snitch, he didn't even realize the Dementors were there and that another student was severely injured.

"Cedric." A hand shook his shoulder. He turned to see Malcolm hovering next to him. "You got the Snitch?"

Cedric could only nod. Somehow, Malcolm must have seen it through the thick rain.

"Good. Let's head back to the changing room."

His teammate flew downward. It took some time for Cedric to register what just happened. The match was over. They won.

He looked around, searching for the only reassuring dark shape on the pitch, before he finally found her, and flew towards Madam Hooch, who was still whistling the end of the game.

"Madam Hooch! Madam Hooch!"

The flying instructor seemed to finally hear him after a few attempts. She turned to look at him. "The match is over, Mr Diggory. Go to your changing room with the rest of your team," she shouted through the storm.

"Madam… The Dementors… Harry fell off his broomstick… We've got to play the game again!"

A part of him protested against his own words, but the rest of Cedric felt this was the right thing to do. The match was interrupted by the Dementors. This wasn't fair. He had heard the stories about how Harry was affected and fainted in the presence of a single Dementor on the Hogwarts Express, at the beginning of the year. They couldn't consider this victory to be fair in these circumstances. Dementors should never have appeared during the match.

Rolanda Hooch didn't say a word for a moment. It was hard for Cedric to read the expression on her face, despite their proximity, because of the pouring rain and the goggles the flying instructor still had on her eyes. But after a few moments, she spoke.

"I'm sorry, Mr Diggory. You caught the Golden Snitch, so the game is over."

"But Madam…"

"I appreciate what you're trying to do, but this is over. The rules are clear. A game ends when the Golden Snitch has been caught, and you caught it. There's nothing we can do about it. Now, go to your changing rooms. Right away. You will receive further instructions once there."

Cedric had to resign, and flew towards the ground as he was instructed. He felt relieved when he was safe inside, protected from the rain. All his teammates were already in the changing rooms. When he walked in, they all turned their heads towards him. For a moment, they said nothing, then Herbert started to slowly applaud, and the rest joined him. Some, like Heidi and Maxine, came to pat him on the shoulder, but they all missed a lot of enthusiasm. Cedric still felt the Snitch he held in his right hand.

Her shook his head, and focused on what was important.

"Is everyone fine?" he asked, thinking about how the Dementors could affect them. He looked at all of them, ensuring all were present, fearing for a moment that Harry wasn't the only one who fell from about a hundred feet.

They all confirmed they were okay, and Cedric was relieved when he could confirm they were all present. "Okay, we're going back to the castle. We all need a warm shower. We'll… talk about what happened today later."

Professor Sprout surged into their changing rooms at this moment. "We're going back to the castle right now. Orders from the Headmaster. There might still be Dementors lingering around. Don't change, you'll do it in your common rooms."

Without ceremony, they were all pushed by their Herbology teacher outside of the stadium, still soaked in their uniforms. Cedric didn't oppose. Professor Sprout was right. They had nothing left to do here.

In the Entrance Hall, his parents rushed on him.

"My dear boy, good God!" his father exclaimed as he hugged him tightly in his arms.

"I'm fine, Dad," he said as he freed himself from his embrace and was pulled into another one by his mother. "I'm really fine." He wasn't the one people should be concerned about. He didn't fall from his broom.

"What a catch you made!" his father continued. "That'll be something to tell your grandchildren. You beat Harry Potter!"

Cedric didn't really have a mind to think about this kind of things, not after a hundred Dementors appeared out of nowhere on the pitch and one of the players made a dramatic fall.

"Are you really alright, Cedric?" his mother asked, looking worried.

"Yes, I am." Truth be told, he was frozen. He needed a good shower. He saw the Gryffindor players not far away, obviously in low morale. Oliver Wood was standing away from them, looking even worse. "Truth be told, I'm very cold. I need to take a good shower. I'm sorry, Mom and Dad."

"That's alright. Go and wash yourself before you get a cold," his mother said.

Cedric took his leave and went immediately to Oliver.

"Oliver." The captain of Gryffindor turned to him, an empty expression on his face. "How's Harry?"

"In the hospital wing. We're heading to see him."

For a moment, they both stood there, motionless, speechless. None of the two captains seemed to dare to speak.

"Oliver…" Cedric started. "We should replay the game. The Dementors interrupted us. If we both go to Madam Hooch together…"

"Useless. You caught the Snitch. The match is over. You won fair and square."

And he walked away like that, without a look at Cedric. He raised his hand. He was still holding the Golden Snitch tight within his fist. Cedric won. The truth was imposed on his mind, slowly but surely. They won. He opened the hand, and the small golden globe started flying around. Stepping back into his captain shoes, he went to see each and every one of his players, and ordered those who were still in the Entrance Hall to take a shower, and quickly. He wasn't the only who shouldn't fall ill.

The shower did him a lot of good. When he left it and stepped back into Hufflepuff's common room, fresh and warm, he was welcomed by a volley of applauses. The whole common room congratulated him. Reddening, he stepped into the den and welcomed the congratulations he received from every student, a part of him feeling ashamed. This wasn't how he pictured their first victory in the season. He felt he didn't really earn or deserve this victory, as much as another part of him wanted to revel and enjoy it.

He made his way towards his teammates who were waiting for him. They all tapped him on the shoulder, and gave him a bottle of Butterbeer. Cedric noticed they all seemed tired. Whatever wish they might have had to make celebrations was probably tampered by their recent experience with Dementors and the long time they just spent being soaked and wet while playing the hardest game in their life.

Cedric congratulated all of them, complimenting them on their good play today, despite the harsh weather conditions, and that this was a well-deserved victory. A part of him stirred in opposition when he said those words. But he also told them to keep in mind what had happened, and to not forget that despite the fact that Harry Potter played against them, he was a fellow Quidditch player, and he advised all of them to behave humanly with the Gryffindor team and to visit their Seeker while he was at the infirmary if they could. Herbert seemed about to protest, like Tamsin, but they said nothing.

The conversations in the common room slowly took a more joyful and alive turn. Cedric himself participated to them. This remained the first time in three years that Hufflepuff won a game of Quidditch. The celebrations were quiet, but they were celebrations nonetheless. Still, some students didn't seem eager to participate to them. The prime example was a group of students in their third year who remained in a corner of the room, some silent, the others talking in hushed voices. Cedric caught words of what they were saying all the same, when he happened to stand close to them at some moment.

"Do you think Harry will be alright?" a boy with curly brown hair asked. Cedric thought his name was Justin.

"I guess," a girl with blond hair, who could only be Hannah Abbott replied. "I mean, he was back on his two feet in no time the last time, on the Hogwarts Express. But it was only one Dementor. There had to be a hundred of them today. Maybe two hundred."

"How did they get on the field?" another girl asked.

"I suppose there's nothing to stop them from coming there," the stout boy who Cedric knew as Ernie Macmillan offered as an explanation. "After all, they're here to protect us. There's probably no measure to keep them out of the grounds."

"But Dumbledore said that they wouldn't disturb us. That they would remain at the entrances of the school's grounds," Hannah said.

"Well… Perhaps the Dementors feared that Peter Pettigrew would be nearby. After all, if we think about it, Potter had a lot of problems at each first game of Quidditch since we arrived at Hogwarts. In our first year, there was his broomstick that went mad. And last year, there was this Bludger. Perhaps they thought Pettigrew would appear at this moment."

"If the Dementors wanted to protect us, then they failed miserably at their job," another girl shot.

"I agree. I mean, aside from ruining our journey on the Hogwarts Express, our first trip to Hogsmeade and the first Quidditch match of the season, how useful have they been so far?"

"At least, I can be sure for good now that Harry is not the heir of Slytherin," Justin declared. "I mean, come on! A heir of Slytherin who loses consciousness in the presence of Dementors? Don't try to fool me. But why is he fainting in their presence while we don't? Hannah, you were with him on the Hogwarts Express. You have any idea about why?"

"No. He just… fainted, like that. I thought for a moment that he was dead. But no, Professor Lupin made sure he was fine, and all of us too."

"Wasn't there someone else who lost consciousness on the train?"

"Yes," Hannah replied. "Ronald Weasley's sister, Ginny."

"The one who opened the Chamber of Secrets?"

"Yes. She fainted as well. I don't know why. But I didn't feel good me neither on the train. And during the Quidditch game either. I mean… It's as if the Dementors are bringing back all the worst memories I have."

"I know what you mean. They make me remember my Petrification. Again."

"Me, it's the day I lost my crup," another girl said.

"I hope they catch Pettigrew soon, so they can leave us forever," yet another girl said.

"But where is he?" Hannah asked. "Come on, it shouldn't be difficult to find this man. Everyone is searching for him."

"He managed to escape the Minister of Magic for twelve years, Hannah. Twelve years! He hid in plain sight of us! You really think it's that easy to find a man like this? We couldn't even see him when he was right in front of us!"

Everyone looked at the girl who just snapped. Everyone was surprised, but their expressions softened a little. "Well, it's not as if we knew that Peter Pettigrew was an Animagus. And how could have we known that it was this rat?" a boy by the name of Wayne said. "I mean… If someone should have noticed this was an Animagus, it should have been Ronald Weasley. It was his rat, after all. And if we think about it, his sister opened the Chamber of Secrets last year. He personally took care of a criminal under the disguise of a rat for years. And his twin brothers, they're always causing troubles. What's telling us that they're not hiding this murderer again?"

"What? Ron Weasley?" Ernie asked, bewildered. No one around seemed to believe in that possibility anymore than he did. "No, I don't believe it."

"The Weasleys are a pure-blood family, Ernie," Wayne sustained. "Perhaps we've been wrong the whole time. What if they were servants of You-Know-Who? They hide his most loyal followers, and they open the Chamber of Secrets for him. They didn't surrender Peter Pettigrew to the Ministry. They were caught with him. And this Ginny Weasley, she's the one who Petrified Justin. Susan saw her."

"They are all in Gryffindor, Wayne," Hannah said. "And Ron is Harry's best friend."

"And a friend of Hermione Granger too," Ernie added. "I don't see him releasing the Basilisk on her."

"A friend, my eye," Wayne said, rolling his eyes as if to emphasize it. "They're always arguing and squabbling. And they barely spoke to each other during their first year. And if you want my opinion, Ron Weasley is not the best friend of Harry Potter. His best friend, it's Hermione Granger. It may be why the Basilisk attacked her too. After all, if the Weasleys want to get closer to Harry Potter, what better way than to remove his closest friends from their path. And what better way to fool everyone than to make believe you are against You-Know-Who by sending all your children in Gryffindor? Don't you find it strange that all of them ended up in this house?"

"No, Wayne. Hermione is not Harry's best friend. She's his…" Hannah began. "Well… She is… How to say that…"

"Yes, Hannah, we know what you believe they are," Ernie said, obviously exasperated.

"You're wrong, Wayne," the girl called Susan said. "About Ron, Ginny, and the other Weasleys. They're not supporters of Voldemort."

"How can you be so sure? I mean, their story is a little too refined, I think. The poor family who is always victim of tragedies. But none of them seem unhappy or malnourished. Their poverty seems to be more in appearance than in reality," Wayne continued.

"Their mother is Molly Prewett. Her two brothers, Fabian and Gideon, fought against You-Know-Who during the war, and they were slaughtered by Death Eaters. Do you really she would turn her children into his servants?"

"Cedric? Are you alright?"

He was brought back to reality by Heidi. "Oh… Yes, I'm fine, Heidi." He felt ashamed somewhat to have listened to other people's conversations for so long.

"No worry. No one's really there today. I think we will be able to enjoy the victory more tomorrow."

Cedric nodded. A little while later, he left the common room after Anthony told him that someone was waiting for him outside, his tone being very implying. Cedric wasn't certain of what he should have expected on the other side, but it certainly wasn't Cho Chang.

"Hi, Cedric," she said once he stepped out of the common room.

"Hi, Cho," he said, smiling sincerely probably for the first time since the match was over. He felt that his body suddenly warmed way more than when he took his shower.

"Excuse me to bother you, but I saw your parents in the Entrance Hall. And they told me that they wanted to say goodbye."

Of course, how could he have forgotten them. "Thank you, Cho. I'm going to see them right away."

He headed in the direction of the Entrance Hall, Cho following him without him asking.

"It was a good catch Cedric, today. You played well."

"Thank you. I hope you'll play in better conditions than I did."

"Yes, me too. Your parents seem nice."

"Yes, they are."

So, Cho had met his parents and she found them to be nice people. Something else to make his day better. They headed together towards the Entrance Hall, and for a few moments, Cedric could forget about the Dementors, the bad weather and everything that went wrong today.

I thought it would be interesting to see this Quidditch game from someone else's perspective.

Please review.

Next chapter: Harry