Harry Potter and the Mother Who Lived

by Gracques

When Lord Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow to kill Harry Potter, he agreed to a request from one of his disciples to spare his mother. The Dark Lord remained true to his word. Lily Evans Potter survived the night of October 31, 1981. Follow the story of Harry Potter where Voldemort kept his word and Harry was raised by his mother.

161. Cedric VII (Third Task)

So, the third task. The end of the Triwizard Tournament. And at the end of it, nothing will ever be the same.

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CEDRIC VII

He woke up early in the morning of June 24, 1995, like everyone else in his dormitory. Patrick was already brushing his teeth. Craig was putting on his robes for the day. Michael was revising for his exam in Charms of this morning. Cedric almost felt guilty. He had watched his classmates and friends study day and night to prepare for their final exams, while he was exempted because he was a champion. On the other side, he made sure to occupy his free time by preparing for the third task, informing himself on the magical creatures Hagrid might provide for the challenge and looking for spells that might be useful. And tonight, after the exams would be over, this third task would take place. Then roles would be inverted. His friends, their minds clear of their completed exams, would watch him enter a maze where countless dangers would be waiting for him.

In this very morning, the atmosphere was boosted. In the Hufflepuff common room, everyone was excited when Cedric left the dormitory. He was himself very excited. His friends came to escort him to the Great Hall for breakfast, as if he was someone important. Cedric was excited for tonight. It would be the last task of the Triwizard Tournament. They would be four to walk into the maze, and only one of them would come out with the Triwizard Cup. Cedric was determined to be this person. He worked very hard to arrive where he was, and he intended to give everything so he could to be the victor of this competition. Although he also wished good luck to the others. Still, he couldn't imagine how big a party it would be if he brought back the Triwizard Cup to the common room of Hufflepuff. His house seldom had the chance to celebrate. He wanted to give it a very good one.

The atmosphere was not less calm in the Great Hall, students looking forward for tonight, when the exams would be over and they could attend the third and final task. Good mood was on the order of the day. Most people talked with excitement. There were a few who read books for the last exams of the year, and some the newspaper, whether the Daily Prophet or Witch Weekly. Cedric noticed a large page of newspaper whose photos were unmoving. The front page read as Le Devoir. French language, from what he could judge. Cedric knew a few words of it, especially after spending the whole year hearing conversations in this language from Beauxbatons' people and getting acquainted with Fleur.

"Well, that's quite an article for today," one of his friends commented as he read the front page of the Daily Prophet.

"What does it say?" Cedric asked as he took a mouthful of broiled eggs.

"You better read it yourself."

He handed the page to Cedric who looked at it and frowned the moment he read the headline.

TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT: SCANDAL AMONG CHAMPIONS

Tonight, the third and last task of the Triwizard Tournament will take place, writes Rita Skeeter, Special Correspondent. The Daily Prophet has covered this great international event from its beginning on October 31st, 1994. As the final stage of this competition arrives, some questions remain.

After the fiasco of the Quidditch World Cup in August, the Ministry of Magic was under heavy pressure. The Triwizard Tournament was the opportunity for Cornelius Fudge and his government to redeem themselves to the wizarding population, not only in Great Britain and Ireland, but also across the world. Everything looked promising, with the event taking place at Hogwarts under the supervision of Albus Dumbledore, one of the most respected wizards in the world. However, no one can affirm that the first Triwizard Tournament to be held in two hundred years was a complete success. On the contrary, it was mired in controversies, irregularities and scandals from the very beginning.

On the very night of Halloween, when the Tournament was opened, Hogwarts got two champions fort itself instead of one like Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, resulting in many critics from international partners. This unfair advantage to Hogwarts plagued the Tournament, damaging the reputation of Albus Dumbledore. Clashes and physical fights took place in the corridors of the school, not only between students from rival schools, but also between students of Hogwarts who supported different champions. And the situation didn't get any better. Students were gravely injured, sometimes barely avoiding death in the competition. Not only the champions, but also other students saw their lives endangered. And the revelations of recent decisions Dumbledore made as to the hiring of his staff, only made the situation worse, casting serious doubts on the capacity of Hogwarts to hold such an international event.

However, the failure of this Tournament did not only come from the organization, but also from the champions participating to it. Serious rumors and claims show that all champions broke rules and cheated during the whole competition, getting help from their teachers, family or friends, providing them with secret information on the tasks or teaching them how to overcome the challenges they would face. Not to mention that all champions' participation to the Tournament look questionable at best.

Fleur Delacour, the champions of Beauxbatons, is herself only part human. It was revealed early in the Tournament that the young woman was in part Veela, the same creatures who caused chaos and destruction during the previous Quidditch World Cup. People report that Beauxbatons' champion used her magical power inherited from her grandmother to seduce other students and even fellow champions to get an unfair advantage in the competition.

Cedric Diggory, one of Hogwarts' champions, was allegedly, according to some people, among those who fell to her charm, which might explain his poor performance in the first task that left him in the last position and with serious injuries. Despite this, some may be cautious and not consider Diggory as a victim so early. Many testimonies report that close friends of Diggory, students from his own house in Hogwarts, used intimidation and harassment against other champions during the Tournament.

As for Viktor Krum, despite the ink produced by his relationship with a controversial girl studying at Hogwarts, what is most concerning about the hero of the Quidditch World Cup are the maneuvers from his schoolmates and headmaster. Durmstrang is an institution reputed for teaching dark magic to its students, and some reports of intimidation and harassment, if not use of physical violence, came to the ears of our special correspondent. The transfiguration of Mr Krum into a shark during the second task, when he almost killed another student, did nothing to reassure people.

The worst case of all four champions, however, remain, probably to great surprise, Harry Potter. Aged fourteen, Harry Potter joined the Tournament despite the rules preventing any person below seventeen years of age from participating. Over the year, the Daily Prophet had the opportunity to question many of his schoolmates, friends and teachers. After the initial wave of incensing words, our correspondent continued asking questions and soon discovered a darker face to the Boy Who Lived.

"Potter can speak Parseltongue," reveals Draco Malfoy, a Hogwarts fourth-year. "There were a lot of attacks on students a couple of years ago, and most people thought Potter was behind them after they saw him lose his temper at a Duelling Club and set a snake on another boy. It was all hushed up, though. But he's made friends with werewolves and giants too. We think he would do anything for a bit of power."

This revelation, and Harry Potter's involvement in many other strange events ever since he arrived at Hogwarts, cast fear over a boy who is clearly ready to do everything to reach its objectives. It is strange that Dumbledore even allowed him to participate to the Triwizard Tournament, going as far as giving him top marks in both the first and second task.

Some people fear what the champions could do during the last task to win the Tournament. Many fear that the champions, especially Potter, may use dark magic.

One thing is sure, this Tournament has been managed very poorly from its beginning, and the community of magic may want to question whether its organizers, men such as Cornelius Fudge and Albus Dumbledore, are well placed to organize such events in the future, or even to assume the functions they were attributed.

Cedric went through the article, his consternation growing with each line. This article was filled with so many lies and nonsense. Though, not completely. It was true that all champions cheated. All four of them found out what the first task would be in advance, even though they were supposed to be ignorant of it. And things had not been better for the second task. Cedric only solved the golden egg because Professor Moody told him to take a bath with it. And he transmitted the clue to Harry. And since Fleur and Krum were both informed by their headmasters for the first task, they could well have been informed for the second as well. It was also true that some of Cedric's comrades and friends used intimidation, especially against Harry, but also against other students of Gryffindor. Cedric had disapproved their actions, but he didn't oppose them. At least, he didn't oppose them strongly enough. Things had calmed down after the first task, but this kind of actions had not disappeared completely. Even now, he saw a student of Gryffindor making an obscene gesture towards someone in Hufflepuff.

"Seriously?" Heidi was looking over his shoulder. "Who wrote this?"

"Rita Skeeter," Cedric answered. He crossed the path of the journalist a few times since the year began and wasn't very impressed by her. Truth be told, he was almost glad that she ignored him up to now. It seemed though that she decided to go after all the champions now.

"Hey, Cedric." He turned to look at Ernie Macmillan. He was holding a copy of the Daily Prophet. "I'm sorry. I think we brought you some trouble."

It took a moment for Cedric to realize that he was talking about the many clashes they had with Gryffindors this year. "It's nothing, Ernie. Don't pay attention to the article."

Ernie then patted his shoulder. "Good luck for tonight. We're counting on you."

And he left. He sat down not far away. Nearby, Cedric noticed Justin discussing with Harry's girlfriend. "If Rita Skeeter wrote this article, then there's nothing true or interesting in that," she declared, turning down an edition that Justin was showing her.

However, some students seemed very interested in the article. Not far, Cedric heard a Ravenclaw discussing with her friend about Cedric being in love with Fleur. He waved away the concern. He hoped that he wouldn't get the same treatment than Harry and Krum for an article published a few months ago.

"Do you feel ready for tonight?" Heidi asked him.

"Yes. I am. Don't worry about me, Heidi. You still have exams today."

"I know. We have Defence Against the Dark Arts in the afternoon, right before the third task. I can't believe they didn't give us an easier exam to finish the day. I have Charms this morning. I would rather have started with Moody and finished with Flitwick. Better to get rid of the hardest early and leave the easy part to the end. Sometimes, the logic of teachers is simply illogical. It's like in Quidditch. Why do they leave us to play against Slytherin for the last game each year? I liked it when we played against Ravenclaw last year. It was such a fun game…"

Cedric listened with some amusement to Heidi rambling about so many topics. His gaze wandered to Cho, sitting with her friends at another table. She sent him a tired smile. Cedric pitied her. He made the experience of O.W.L.s last year, and this wasn't something he wished to ever repeat. He felt guilty for unwillingly distracting her in this crucial year at Hogwarts. Cedric was more than happy to date Cho, and they were still kind within the honeymoon phase of their relationship. It may have been better to ask her out last year or earlier this fall.

The conversations of his friends around him turned into a background noise as he went through his breakfast. He planned to go the Black Lake this morning. He needed some time to relax and empty his head before the third task. He didn't want to go to the library or the common room, for there would be too many students there preparing their final exam, especially the O.W.L. in History of Magic which would take place this afternoon. This would be the last opportunity for many students to study for the last and final exam, and Cedric didn't want to distract them with his presence. He also wanted to avoid contact with other people. He wasn't as febrile as Heidi right now, like she was whenever something stressful was approaching, but he needed to vent off his own feverishness. He would have gone to the Quidditch pitch if it wasn't for the maze they built up there.

Right as Cedric was thinking about the best spot to visit in the park, Professor Sprout arrived.

"Diggory, the champions are requested to meet in the chamber off the Hall. Go there after your breakfast."

Cedric frowned. The third task was only to begin in the evening. "Is there a problem?" he asked, wondering if something had happened to change the schedule.

"Not at all. Your family has come to watch the final task. They're waiting for you there," the Herbology teacher said with a smile before leaving.

Cedric returned the smile right away, and he finished his breakfast very fast. "Good luck for your exams, everyone. I'll see you later."

He headed towards the side chamber.

"Going to meet your family you too?" A beautiful voice said next to him all of a sudden. He realized that Fleur had joined him, heading in the same direction.

"Yes. Have your parents and your sister come as well?" he asked.

"Yes. They're all very excited. They haven't stopped telling how eager they were to come over the entire month."

"You knew they were coming?"

"Yes." She frowned all of a sudden. "You were not?"

"I just learned of it at breakfast."

Fleur rolled her eyes and shook her head, making her hair fly like a wave. Cedric ignored it, looking away for an instant. This was one of the reflexes he developed to not be disturbed when in her presence.

He once asked Fleur to stop using her powers on him. She seemed confused, and then she explained to him that she didn't do it consciously. This was an effect her hair was having at all times. The short discussion they had was uncomfortable and awkward, but Fleur apologized and swore that she wasn't trying to seduce him. Although her cheeks took a slightly pink shade while saying so. Still, Cedric still tried to avoid getting affected by her. He had gotten better at it, but still made movements to prevent Fleur from having any effect on him. He owed that to Cho, even though she was far from being a jealous kind of girl.

"Ces Anglais, vraiment! Quel sens des priorités ils ont. La famille, est-ce important pour eux ou quoi?"

Cedric understood a few words but was uncertain of what she said. Anyway, they reached the door of the side chamber and walked in.

Cedric smiled at the sight of his parents. They were on him right away, his mother taking him into her arms, and his father clapping him on the arm.

"Here is my boy," his father said. "My tall and great champion. I hope you didn't believe we wouldn't show up for today."

"I didn't even know that parents were coming," Cedric said, still smiling. He was really happy to see his father and mother. This removed a few knots within his stomach. "I'm really glad to see you two."

"How are you feeling?" his mother asked.

"Good. A little stress, but I'm fine.

"Oh, come on, Cedric. No need to be anxious," his father reassured him. "You are in first place."

"I'm ex aequo, dad."

"Ah. Yeah."

His mood soured at this moment. Cedric had an idea why. He looked towards his mother for help, but before she could provide any, Fleur called him.

"Cedric." He turned towards her. "Do you remember Gabrielle?"

Fleur was indeed holding her sister by the hand. "Of course," Cedric said, smiling towards the little girl. She returned her smile, looking uneasy. "Fleur, these are my parents. Father, Mother, this if Fleur Delacour. She's the champion of Beauxbatons."

"A pleasure," his father said, shaking hands with Fleur. His mother also welcomed Fleur, who then introduced them to her own mother.

It was disconcerting for Cedric. Fleur's mother and little sister looked like older and smaller versions of herself. He noticed though that Fleur's father wasn't here. In the meantime, Krum had walked into the room and went to see his own parents. Cedric didn't understand a single word they used, since they spoke in Bulgarian. His own mother, in the meantime, discussed with Fleur's mother. His father didn't seem hostile to them, which reassured Cedric.

"Which regions of France are you coming from?" his mother asked.

"Normandy. In the city of Le Havre," Fleur's mother replied, very kindly.

"Oh. I visited the town when I was a child. Is there still this shop…"

Cedric noticed that Gabrielle regularly shot glances to the door of the room.

"Are you eager to leave, Gabrielle?" he asked her, though in a lower voice so that the others wouldn't hear him.

She looked at him with a questioning gaze, not answering.

"She doesn't speak English, Cedric. Not yet," Fleur explained. It seemed that she had heard him. She then looked at her sister. "Ne sois pas trop impatiente, Gabrielle. Je vais vous emmener visiter les lieux bientôt."

"Ce n'est pas ça," Gabrielle replied. "Est-ce que Harry Potter arrive bientôt?"

Despite his limited fluency in French, Cedric understood her question. He looked around the room, and he noticed a woman and a man engaged in a conversation in another corner. The man had lustrous black hair and a small beard. Cedric didn't recognize this man, but he did recognize the woman, who he saw on several occasions during Quidditch games and also the evening that the champions of the Tournament were chosen. Harry was not there.

"I'll go and see what he's doing," Cedric said.

He left the room and searched the Great Hall with his eyes, until they fell upon Harry, who just stood up from the Gryffindor table. He rushed towards him. He was heading in the opposite direction.

"Harry!" He stopped at Cedric's words. "Come on, they're waiting for you."

Not waiting for Harry's reply, he went back to the room. The Delacours were back together in another corner. Cedric's parents were discussing between themselves.

"Sorry for abandoning you," he apologized to them. But before that, he turned to the woman whose with dark red hair. "Mrs Potter, Harry is coming."

She turned to him. "Thank you, young man. But it's Mrs Evans."

He apologized, then reported all of his attention on his parents.

"So, you get along with the other champions?" his mother asked him.

"Yes," Cedric said. "Fleur, especially. She's very nice."

He sent a smile in her direction, which she returned. At the moment, Harry walked into the room. He waved at Gabrielle when she waved her hand at him, then headed towards his mother and the man who was standing with her. He clasped hand with him, then hugged his mother. Cedric thought that Harry didn't seem to have much in common with his mother. The dark red hair of Mrs Evans contrasted with his own dark black hair. In comparison, Fleur, Cedric and Krum both clearly inherited traits from their respective mothers.

"So, tell me, how has it been at home lately?" Cedric asked his parents.

"What? You're asking us what's happening at home when you have such exciting things happening in Hogwarts?" his father asked, mocking him pleasantly. Still, his mother answered.

"We added a new room in the basement," she said. "It took some time and help from a few of your father's friends, but it's now done." Cedric laughed shortly. His father was always modernizing the house, adding new rooms or expanding existing ones.

"Yes, and we're lucky that it was finished a few weeks ago," Cedric's father commented. "If Thadeus had told me what he said this morning while work was still in progress, I would have stopped everything, no matter the cost."

"What did Thadeus tell you?" Cedric asked, curious. Thadeus was one of his father's oldest friends.

"Nothing important. Don't worry about this," his father said, wanting to sound reassuring. "He told me things that he read in a stupid article that made absolutely no sense. But they were really insulting, and I can't believe that he could actually think that anything in this could be true."

"Amos," Cedric's mother quietly said, warning him.

At the same time, Harry made his way towards the exit with his mother and the man accompanying her. They walked next to Cedric and his family. And to Cedric's regret, his father noticed them and spoke up.

"There you are, are you?" Cedric immediately didn't like the tone he took, especially with the way he looked down on Harry. "I bet you're not feeling quite as full of yourself now that Cedric caught you up on points, are you?"

Harry's face showed utter confusion. "What?" he asked. His mother had stopped next to him and was eyeing Cedric's father just like the man at her side.

"Ignore him," Cedric said in a low voice to Harry and his family. He didn't want to bring the attention of the others in the room. "He's been angry ever since Rita Skeeter's article about the Triwizard Tournament. You know, when she made out you were the only Hogwarts champion."

"He didn't bother to correct her, though, did he?" his father loudly said, which did attract attention from everyone else in the room to Cedric's regret. Luckily enough, Harry's mother grabbed him by the shoulder and they made to the door. "Still, you'll show him, Ced," his father continued. "You've beaten him once before, haven't you?"

Cedric was getting very uncomfortable with the way this conversation was going in front of everybody.

"Would you like to go outside? I could make with some fresh air," Cedric said.

"Of course, my boy," his mother said immediately, winking at him. She knew when he was trying to calm down his father. "Let's go that way."

They went out of the side room, emerging into the Great Hall.

"It seems like it's been an eternity since I sat down at this table," she said, looking at one of the four long tables in the place.

"Even more so for me," Cedric's father said. "Are we still sitting between the Gryffindors and the Ravenclaw?"

"Yes," Cedric confirmed. "I don't mind. To be honest, it's better than sitting next to Slytherins."

"Cedric, don't say that," his mother said. "I know that the House of Slytherin has a bad reputation, but there are good people in its ranks."

"I know, Mom. Even I get along well with some Slytherins. It's just that… some of the worse students are there."

"I cannot say that I have no unhappy memory about Slytherin from my passage at Hogwarts either," his father declared. "But well, I understand why you're glad to have the Ravenclaws next to you. Especially one Ravenclaw in particular, I think."

Cedric laughed shortly while looking away. He was afraid that this subject would come to the table.

"I'm sorry, Cedric," his mother said, "but you cannot blame us for wanting to meet your new girlfriend."

"I'll introduce you to her before the third task," he said. "She's going through her O.W.L.s. I don't want to bother… Well, I don't want to distract her for now. It's not the good time."

"O.W.L.s." His father looked in the distance as they walked through the heavy doors giving on the park. "Here's something I never want to go through again. Well, anyway, she better be a good girl for you, Ced. Especially after you pulled her out of the Lake."

"Amos," Cedric's mother said, quietly berating him again.

"It's fine, Mom." He didn't want his mother to take his defence all the time either. "Everything is going well between Cho and I, Father. Anyway, you know her. You've seen me play against her. Twice, I think."

"I know. I just want to understand how she managed to get her hook on you. Especially with that half-Veela around you most of the time."

Cedric laughed. "Believe me, Dad. There is absolutely nothing between Fleur and I, and there's never going to be anything." Cedric didn't have to perform. He truly believed it. "She's just a good friend, at best. Even Cho is not jealous of her. That's not her style to be jealous."

They had reached the outskirts of the Black Lake.

"You told us that this Fleur didn't succeed in the second task?" his father asked.

"No, she didn't. She was stopped by Grindylows," Cedric confirmed. "Harry brought her sister back from the bottom of the lake. That's why he arrived last."

"That was very courageous of him," his mother said.

"Unless he knew they were never in danger and that by doing so, he would easily get a high score for a supposed moral fibre," his father declared.

"It must have been cold down there," his mother said, ignoring his father's words while looking at the water.

"Yes. It was in February," Cedric replied, shivering at the memory.

"I can't believe that your girlfriend spent hours down there. And Fleur, wasn't it her little sister who we just saw who was at the bottom as well? It must have been horrible."

"I think it was okay for them," Cedric explained. "Cho told me that she felt nothing. She drank the potion that kept her unconscious before getting into the lake. She said she was cold for a few minutes only when I brought her up to the surface."

"I hope she was thankful," his father, winking at him.

This time, Cedric blushed. Indeed, Cho had been very thankful. Too much, in his opinion. He didn't save her, after all. She was never in danger. He risked his life, that he had to admit it though.

"Really, Dad, she was never in danger. And I'm glad that this task is over. Believe me, it was horrible. I used a Bubble-Head Charm, so I could breathe without problem, but you imagine. Water in February! I must have spent two hours in the shower under hot water after this."

"But you made it through, didn't you? That's what matters," his father said, encouraging and proud, like always. However, he turned more serious afterwards. "I know these tasks are dangerous, Ced. But as a father, that only makes me prouder of you than I haver ever been. And you should be proud of yourself too. I know you are modest, and this is a quality that is all to your honor, my boy, but you should also acknowledge that you've accomplished great things. Don't deny them."

"Your father is right, Cedric. Don't minimize what you achieved. Whatever happens today, whatever the results, we will be proud of you," his mother said.

Cedric smiled in gratefulness to them.

"But I have no doubt that you're going to win," his father then said, sounding very confident.

Cedric wished he was as confident as his father. His parents had always been proud of him and loved him. His father showed it by telling everybody he knew any achievement realized by Cedric. His sorting into Hufflepuff. His integration of the Quidditch team. His nomination to Prefect and captain of the team. His victory over Gryffindor and Harry. His many O.W.L.s.. His selection as Hogwarts' champion. His victory in the second task. His mother was more discreet, and always told Cedric that whatever he did, as long as he put all his efforts and energy into it, she would always be proud of him. This was what she was proud of him for, and this was what pushed Cedric to always surpass his limits. His father was the nosiest of the two, but the person's whose opinion always mattered the most to him was that of his mother. In fact, now that she was here, there was something else that made him nervous. Would she approve Cho as his girlfriend? More than his father's opinion, his mother's was more important for him. He remembered how she hesitated before she replied to Maxine when Cedric first introduced them. His mother never said that she disapproved, but after their breakup, she admitted to Cedric that she was afraid their relationship wouldn't last. She was right, in retrospective. She didn't tell him while they were dating to not hurt him, and also for the possibility that she might be wrong.

"To be honest, Dad, I'm not sure that I'll win," he confessed. He wanted to win, yes, but wanting something was not enough to get it.

"Come on, Ced," his father reacted. "You are first in the ranking, you were first for the second task. You have all the odds on your side."

"Yes, but…"

He wanted to tell his father that in everything he achieved so far, he had help to succeed. He had been very badly burned in the first task. If Harry had not told him a few days before the first task what it would be, Cedric doubted he would have made it through. And Moody informed him about how to solve the egg. Who knew if he ever would have solved this enigma without his professor's help? However, Cedric didn't want to get Harry or Moody into trouble. They had only wanted to help him, and he didn't want his father to report them to the organizers of the Tournament. He might well do it.

"Look," Cedric resumed, "there are three other champions. All are very powerful and intelligent wizards. You haven't seen the things they've done like I have. I only have one chance over four to win."

"You have done great things you too, Ced," his father reminded.

"Yes, but…" Again, he had help. "Look, I'm going to do my best tonight. I'm going to do everything I can, but… Don't assume that I have already won, Dad. I haven't. And to be honest, each and every one of us… Me… Fleur… Krum… Even Harry would deserve to win. And you shouldn't say that I am going to win because it is an insult for them. They have worked as hard as I have to reach where we are, and they deserve your respect as much I do."

Cedric had talked very smoothly and calmly, but his father still blabbered afterwards. "Well… I'm not saying that they did nothing to reach the third task… Or that they don't deserve it… but you're my son. It's normal that I support you."

"What your Dad is trying to say, Cedric," his mother interrupted, "is that he really believes you can win. That's all he's saying. Aren't you, Amos?"

"Of course, I am," he assured.

They spent the morning wandering across the park. Cedric showed them the gigantic carriage of Beauxbatons, and his father was very interested by the Abraxans, even feeding them. They met Hagrid for the occasion, and his father again exchanged a few words with him. The few words turned into a half-an-hour long conversation during which they discussed the winged horses, but also all kinds of magical creatures.

"I've got a few of them for the third task of tonight. I wish I could talk to you about them but… You'll find out at the same time as your son," the gamekeeper said.

Cedric's father insisted for Hagrid to tell them about the creatures they would see tonight, but he refused and the efforts of Cedric's father were in vain. Cedric then brought them back to the Black Lake and showed them the Durmstrang ship, telling them about how it appeared the night they arrived. At some point, he noticed Harry and his mother heading towards Hagrid's hut. For safety, he led his parents farther in the park. They got to see the maze from the outside on the Quidditch pitch.

At noon, they went back to the Great Hall. Many people welcomed Cedric and his parents with joy. His friends and teammates from the Quidditch team were very enthusiastic at welcoming them at the Hufflepuff table. Cedric showed them the students of Beauxbatons and Durmstrang at the tables of Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Looking at the Ravenclaws, Cedric noticed that Cho wasn't there. Apologizing to his parents, he headed there and went to see her usual group of friends.

"She's gone to the library with Marietta," one of them told him. "They're studying at the last minute for History of Magic."

Cedric understood. It wouldn't be too soon when these O.W.L.s would be over.

After lunch, he led his parents through a tour of Hogwarts. However, as they made out of the Great Hall, they heard a shrilling voice in the Entrance Hall.

"Susan!"

Cedric looked at its origin, and saw Gabrielle Delacour run towards a young girl of his house with long red hair.

"Gabrielle? What are you doing… Que fais-tu ici?" Susan asked. Cedric remembered all of a sudden that Susan helped to get Gabrielle out of the Black Lake as well back in February. No wonder that the little girl was happy to see her again.

"Elle a parlé de toi sans arrêt à la maison ces derniers mois," Fleur said, joining her sister and her friend. "De toi et de Harry, bien sûr."

Susan laughed nervously. "Nous ne t'avons pas vraiment sauvée, Gabrielle. Tu n'as jamais été en danger. Mais que fait-elle ici?"

Cedric heard this kind of phrase more than enough to guess what question Susan was asking in French. "They invited the families of the champions to watch the third task," Cedric told her.

Susan looked at him, and strangely, she looked afraid all of a sudden. "They invited…. The families of the champions are here?"

"Yes," Fleur confirmed to her. "Gabrielle and my mother made the trip. I regret that my father couldn't come. I think you would have liked him."

"Mom, Dad. This is Susan," Cedric said as they approached her. "She is in Hufflepuff like me, but in fourth year."

"Glad to meet you, Susan," his father said.

"Oh. A pleasure, Mr Diggory. And you too, Mrs Diggory," she added for Cedric's mother. "Excuse me, but I have something urgent to do."

And she headed towards the Great Hall.

"She's in the middle of exams," Cedric gave as an explanation. These aren't O.W.L.s, but they are demanding nonetheless.

"I don't understand why you squeeze your exams into two weeks," Fleur declared. "At Beauxbatons, they are spread over two months. This gives us way more time to be prepared, and they are not as stressful."

Cedric would rather not experience going through final exams for the whole of two months.

"So, I'm giving you this tour of the castle?" he asked his parents, who agreed. He returned his attention to Fleur. "We'll see each other later, Fleur."

"Goodbye, Cedric," she replied with a huge smile and an accent.

"I think this girl has a thing for you," his father said after they made a few steps, and this time speaking low so that no one would hear them.

"She doesn't, Dad," Cedric assured him again. He looked back into the Great Hall as they climbed the stairs. Fleur and her sister were still there, but to his surprise, they were discussing with both Harry and Susan now.

The afternoon was much like the morning, except that they toured the interior of the castle instead of the outside. Cedric even showed them the Prefect's bathroom, to which neither of them ever had access. They were impressed by everything inside of it. They ended the tour in the Hufflepuff common room. His father let himself fall heavily into an armchair.

"Ah, those cushions. I missed them," he declared.

He looked like someone who came back from a trip to enjoy the familiarity of his comfortable bed again. His mother was as amused as Cedric was and sat down on a couch with him. The common room was almost empty, most students still completing their exams.

"I don't understand why people don't want to go in Hufflepuff," his father resumed. "We have the most comfortable common room in Hogwarts."

"How would you know that, Dad? Did you visit the other common rooms?" Cedric asked.

"Eeehhh… Well, no, but I heard about them. And let me tell you that none is as warm and comfortable as this one."

As time went on, the common room began to fill in. Many of Cedric's friends came to talk to him, but they left him quiet with his parents when they saw them together, even creating some sort of human shield to keep other students away from them and give them some privacy.

Later, they headed towards the Great Hall for the evening feast. When they emerged into the Entrance Hall, Cedric felt that the ambiance was one not only of excitement, but also pure joy as all exams were over. And Cedric felt his own joy make a jump when he noticed Cho with her friends in a corner. She smiled at him, said something to her friends, then headed in his direction.

"Exams over?" he asked her as she approached.

"Yes," her voice both tired and happy. She kissed him on the lips, then made a few steps backward.

"Well, Cho, this is my father and my mother. Mom, Dad, this is Cho. My girlfriend."

It made him strange to say that to his parents, but it felt special, to finally present her to them. He had thought many times about how the first meeting between Cho and his parents would happen, and now here it was. And it went way more simply than he expected.

"Hi, Cho. Glad to finally meet you," his father said with a very huge smile. "Cedric told us a lot about you."

"Mr Diggory. Mrs Diggory," she said.

"Call me Amos."

"And we already met," his mother said. "But I'm happy to see you somewhere else than on a broomstick."

Cho kept smiling. "Well, this is where Cedric and I met," she reminded them.

"He told us you almost got to play against Viktor Krum. Very impressive," his father declared. "Especially considering you managed to beat my son. He's not easy to defeat, you know. I almost suspect that he lost on purpose."

Cedric sent an apologetic look at Cho. He warned her that his father was like that, but she didn't seem to mind very much.

"No, he didn't. I promise you. Cedric always gives his maximum when we play Quidditch," Cho said.

"I have no doubt about it." He looked at his son. "But be careful. My son is quite handsome. There are some girls who might try to steal him away from you."

"They can still try," Cedric said, "but I already have the perfect girl."

Cho reddened at the compliment.

"Cedric told us that you were part of the second task. I hope it wasn't too… traumatic," his mother told her.

"Oh no. Not at all. I didn't feel a thing most of the time. And Cedric got us back to the surface first." She beamed at him, and this time Cedric was the one to feel himself getting red.

"Yes, that's my Ced," his father proudly said, patting his back. "And he's going to win tonight. Be ready to congratulate him," he told Cho on a falsely warning tone.

"I'll be ready. I promise," Cho said, though she sounded a little uncomfortable. Cedric noticed his mother sending a look that was both apologetic and compassionate. Cho smiled shortly at her, meaning she understood. Cedric was relieved. His mother's approval meant more than anything else.

"Cedric told me you were in Ravenclaw back in Hogwarts," Cho told his mother.

"Yes. Does the eagle knocker still ask a riddle to enter?"

"Yes," Cho confirmed. "We often come back to the common room in group so that we have many chances to give a right answer."

Cedric's mother laughed. "It hasn't changed since my time here, then. It happened while I was there that we answered questions to the knocker, walked into the common room, then left it immediately to get another riddle. There were even contests as to how many riddles you could solve in a row."

"Some still do that. Though I admit that I never really participated to these."

"My colleagues and I still sometimes tell each the riddles we remember from out time here."

"Really? Where are you working?"

"At the Ministry of Magic, like my husband. But we're not working in the same office. He's at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures while I'm part of the team responsible for public relations."

"My parents work at the Ministry too. Maybe you've met them. Gen and Aera Chang."

"Gen… Aera…" His mother seemed to think for a time. "Wait, your father is Gen Chang?" Cho nodded. "Ah, yes. I worked with him a few times. Assistant of Rufus Scrimgeour." Cho nodded again. His mother laughed in self-mockery. "I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner."

"Well… I may not have given you Cho's family name in my letters, Mom," Cedric offered as an explanation. "It's not really your fault in this case."

"Well, anyway, from what I can tell, your father is a good man, Cho," she said nonetheless.

"Yes, he is." Another voice came from behind Cedric's back. As he turned, he found himself facing Harry's mother. "Excuse me to disturb, but I have a message for this young lady," she said, indicating Cho.

"Hi, Mrs Evans," she replied, smiling.

"Your father asked me to give you a message, Cho. He hopes that your O.W.L.s went well, he's eager to see you this summer, and he has a surprise waiting for you when you get back home."

Cho seemed both dubious and excited. "What surprise?"

"He didn't tell me. I suppose you will have to find out by yourself." Mrs Evans turned to Cedric then. "I won't bother you any longer. Good luck, Cedric."

And then she walked away, heading for the Great Hall.

"It was kind of her to wish you good luck," Cho told him.

"Yes, it is," he agreed. He now wished that he gave her wishes of good luck for Harry too. Well, he could still wish him good luck later, before the third task started. He would surely have a chance for that.

"Well, she seems nicer than her son. Though she could acknowledge that he shouldn't participate to the Tournament," Cedric's father blurted.

"What do you mean?" Cho asked, frowning at him.

"Well, he cheated his way into the Tournament!"

"Dad," Cedric warned him.

"Amos," his mother warned as well, but his father resumed.

"It's true. He's not of age, and Cedric was already chosen to be the school's champion. I wrote to Dumbledore when I heard about it, and he answered me there was nothing he could do. That's untrue. When a student cheats, he is out of the Tournament. Harry Potter cheated! He shouldn't even be competing today."

To Cedric's regret, Susan Bones was walking nearby when he said that, and she stopped as his father kept going.

"Especially with what they revealed in the Daily Prophet this morning!" He spoke loudly. "Allowing a student who may use dark magic in the Tournament is unacceptable!"

"You really believe the articles of Rita Skeeter?"

Cedric's father turned immediately towards Susan after she had spoken. She looked at him with incredulity.

"Well, Harry Potter cheated to get into the Tournament and throughout all of the competition, didn't he?"

He spoke on an assured tone. Cedric now truly regretted his father's outbursts. He must have thought that Susan would be taking Cedric's side since she was in Hufflepuff. Cedric was afraid that his father didn't really understand how things worked between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff, and that he didn't know at all that he was talking to Harry's girlfriend.

Before it went farther, Cedric stepped forward to position himself between his father and Susan.

"I'm sorry, Susan. He doesn't really believe what he's saying." He tried to speak low, but it wasn't enough. His father heard him and reacted immediately.

"Of course, I believe it. And everyone should say it. Harry Potter cheated to get into the Tournament, he cheated during the Tournament, and he shouldn't be competing in it."

"Do you have any proof?"

The question Susan shot stopped Cedric's father. He stared at her and didn't say a word for a time.

"Come on, it's clear that he cheated. Do we really need proof? You only have to read this morning's article, and all the others before." Susan was staring with a mix of anger and disgust at his father. "You're in Hufflepuff. You should know that."

After a moment, Susan spoke up, and it was with a very calm voice. "I'm surprised that you believe every word written by Rita Skeeter. I remember an article she wrote many years ago, about an employee of the Ministry who just got a promotion in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. She claimed that his face was all red because his head was transfigured into a tomato when he was eight-years-old."

Cedric could barely muffle a laughter, and he was both dreaded and amused by the fact that his mother muffled laughs too. His father, on the other, had gotten way redder than usual, almost lending credence to this article's allegations. Only Cho didn't seem sure how to react to this.

Cedric resolved to get Susan away, but she spoke to him before he could try. "I'm sorry, Cedric. I apologize. But I don't like it when people say things about Harry based on the inventions of a pseudo-journalist. I'm of a mind to tell my aunt that your father is believing everything Skeeter writes." She shook her head. "Good luck for later."

And she walked away. Finally, Cedric didn't have to make much effort to make her leave.

"What's the problem with this girl?" his father asked, while his mother still contained some laughs which he didn't notice. "She's in Hufflepuff. Why is she defending Harry Potter?"

"Maybe because she is his girlfriend," Cho answered.

Both of Cedric's parents snapped their heads to look at her. "What?" his father asked, unbelieving.

"Yes, Dad," Cedric explained. "I'm afraid you said those things to the wrong person. Susan Bones has been dating Harry for the last few months now."

"She's in Hufflepuff and she's dating Harry Potter?" he asked, still unbelieving.

"Yes. You remember that I told you Cho and I began dating at the Yule Ball. Well, Harry and Susan went to it together as well, and I think they started seeing each other at this moment."

"What is going on in this school?" His father asked, unbelieving still again.

"Cedric, you said that her name was Susan Bones?" his mother asked him. Cedric nodded. A glimmer of realization went through his mother's eyes. She turned to her husband. "Amos, I'm afraid you told the really wrong person that you believed an article from Rita Skeeter."

"Why?"

"Because a few years ago, when Amelia Bones was named at the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Rita Skeeter published an article about her that caused a scandal. But Madam Bones proved very quickly that the article was based on lies and inventions, and she almost ruined Skeeter's career. That's why Madam Bones hates everything related to Rita Skeeter."

Cedric's father didn't seem to understand for a moment, but then realization seemed to come to his eyes.

"Wait, you mean that when she said that she was going to tell her aunt…" he began.

Both Cedric and his mother nodded.

"I think you should watch your tongue and your behavior better, Amos," she said.

"We should go to the feast. It's about to begin," Cedric said. "And don't worry, Dad. I'll talk to Susan and arrange things after the third task. Now, let's go before the first course is over."

Cedric's father was more silent than usual for the rest of the evening. Still, he discussed with his mother and a few other students on many subjects. However, whenever the topic of Harry Potter was brought up in any way, he remained strangely silent. Cho accompanied them to the Hufflepuff table after Cedric invited her. She talked a lot with his mother. To Cedric's great joy, they seemed to get along very well.

Cedric himself had a very good time at the feast. There were many courses, more than usual. The excitement reached highs now that exams were over. Everyone was discussing about the Tournament. Cedric talked with his parents, with Cho, with his friends. At the same time, he felt every muscle of his body tensing. He felt the decisive moment approaching.

At the staff table, Ludovic Bagman and Bartemius Crouch were back. However, the mood there did not seem as joyful as Cedric would have expected. If Dumbledore was his usual self, Madame Maxime had red eyes while Igor Karkaroff didn't talk to anybody. The stern expression of Mr Crouch completed a rather gloomy portraits which Bagman could not reinvigorate. Maybe they felt under stress, much like Cedric felt. He felt lucky to have his parents, Cho and many other friends by his side.

He looked to the other champions. Harry was with his mother and the other man, surrounded by Ron and Hermione who followed him everywhere and many members of the Weasley family. It wasn't hard to recognize them with their hair. Krum was as gloomy as usual, even with his parents around him. Though Cedric had the impression that he was more supported than usual. His parents were silent as he was but seemed caring for him in their silent way. As for Fleur, she was surrounded by her comrades of Beauxbatons, but Cedric felt that her talking was forced to a certain extent. Now that he realized it, Cedric saw that he was the only champion with his girlfriend next to him. Hermione was not with Krum who sat with the Slytherins. She had remained among the Gryffindors. As for Harry, Cedric could not find Susan's red-brownish mane among the Weasleys, and he noticed her presence with Ernie, Justin and a few others at the same table where he was. As for Fleur, it was less of a surprise since, to Cedric's knowledge, she had no boyfriend. She had gone to the Yule Ball with Roger, but Cedric never saw them together again after the ball. He seized Cho's hand under the table. She turned the head and smiled at him.

After maybe the fifth or sixth course of the feast, when the last desserts disappeared, Dumbledore stood up. As always when it happened, the Great Hall fell silent. This time, however, the silence was tense like never, until Dumbledore broke it.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch pitch for the third and last task of the Triwizard Tournament." Cedric felt his heart thumping against his eardrums. "Will the champions please follow Mr Bagman down to the stadium now."

Cedric sighed, trying to calm himself down. He looked at Cho, who stared right into his eyes. "Good luck."

And then she kissed him. The table of Hufflepuff rose in applauses at this moment. Cedric tried to break his kiss with Cho, but she maintained it for some more time, then let him up. His mother hugged him before he left. His father clasped his hand and arms into his own two hands, before hugging him as well, even more tightly than his mother did.

"Cedric. Good luck, my boy," he said in his ear. His voice was trembling.

"See you later, Dad," he whispered in return, trying to reassure him as he felt that his father was afraid all of a sudden.

Cedric walked along the Hufflepuff table under the applauses of the whole Great Hall. Bagman was already waiting for them at the heavy doors. Fleur, Krum and Harry joined him, and they all headed towards the exit. None of them said a single word. The only one who said a few words was Bagman, and it was only to ask Harry if he was alright. Harry shortly replied he was okay, and no other word was exchanged. Cedric wished Bagman had wanted to know that all of them were okay, but in this instant, it mattered little. In a few minutes, they would all face the third and last task of this Tournament. Everything they faced, everything they went through, all the challenges and obstacles, all the victories and defeats, the doubts and certainties, all would come to end this evening, in the Quidditch pitch.

Cedric never felt so apprehensive of entering the pitch. It was unrecognizable when they reached it, with very high hedges that prevented them from seeing anything. They couldn't even enter the pitch. There was a single entrance, but Bagman said they had to wait here for the crowd to gather.

In his state, Cedric had not noticed that new benches were placed around this entrance. The people would not sit in the usual benches that were used for Quidditch games. They would wait outside of the pitch while the four champions went through the maze. This made his stomach squeeze. He would be really alone inside this place. The sun was almost down, and in this instant, Cedric knew that he would be completely gone at the moment they would enter this maze.

After a few minutes, the rows of benches began to fill. Cedric wished he could be as excited as the people taking place seemed to be. Cedric looked to Fleur. She was holding her wand and wiggling her fingers around it. Krum was just as silent as always. As for Harry, he was looking away, pacing right and left.

"Okay, champions," Bagman then said. "Gather around me."

They did as he asked them, and a moment later, four of their professors, McGonagall, Moody, Flitwick and Hagrid approached. They all wore red stars on their hats, except for Hagrid who wore it on his coat.

"The third task is about to begin, but first, a few instructions for you," Bagman said.

"We are going to be patrolling the outside of the maze," McGonagall explained. "If you get into difficulty, and wish to be rescued, send red sparks into the air, and one of us will come and get you, do you understand?"

They all nodded without a word.

"Off you go then!" Bagman said joyfully, and the four teachers walked away, leaving the empty space in front of the maze's entrance where Cedric, Harry, Fleur and Krum were waiting as the crowd looked at them expectantly.

Bagman then pointed his wand to his throat. When he spoke, it was as high as during the Quidditch World Cup ten months ago. Cedric couldn't believe that it was already that long since it took place. This year had gone so quickly. And the entire year would be defined by what would happen tonight, after he walked into the maze.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMENT!"

Everyone cheered at this moment. Cedric spotted his parents in the first row of seats and waved at them. They excitedly waved back at him. Cho was next to them. She sent him a kiss from far away.

"THE THIRD AND FINAL TASK OF THE TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!" Bagman declared loudly and triumphally.

The crowd cheered once more. Bagman let them shout a little before he continued on a less spectacular tone.

"Let me remind you how the points currently stand." This tone didn't last long. "Tied in first place, on eighty-five points each, Mr Cedric Diggory…" A large part of the crowd applauded, and Cedric timidly waved his hand at them, especially his friends from his house. "… and Mr Harry Potter…" The cheers were just as loud for him. This covered Bagman's voice, but he managed to make it loud enough again to announce the others. "In second place, on eighty points, Mr Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" Roars and applauses surged as well for the Quidditch star, who barely reacted to them. Karkaroff, on the other, in the first row of seats, stood up and encouraged his students to roar louder. "And in third place, Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

The applauses were there, but not as enthusiastic as for the others. Cedric found it unfair. It wasn't because Fleur was last in the ranking that she didn't deserve applauses. Although it was true that the people of her school were quieter in general.

"So… on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!"

Cedric shook his head. Wait! They were going in now?

"Three… Two… One…"

The whistle resonated. Cedric played Quidditch for a long time. When the whistle sounded, all his senses, the entirety of his brain instinctively focused on the match. The rest of the world didn't matter. And this was exactly what happened tonight as well. Despite the surprise, the unpreparedness, his brain instantly went to the third task, and he rushed towards the entrance of the maze, not taking a single look back. Well, he did take a look back. Harry rushed in alongside him, and Cedric, was a little in advance, so he looked behind. By the same occasion, he caught Cho waving at him. He waved back at her, then headed forward.

The two of them followed a corridor framed by tall edges that barely allowed the nightly light into the maze. They first almost ran, but their pace progressively reduced to a quick walk. Harry lit up his wand, and Cedric did the same. They did not say a word to each other. Cedric respected Harry, but right now, it was just like in a Quidditch game. They were opponents, and the best of them would win.

They finally reached a fork and stopped there. They finally looked at each other at this moment.

"See you," Harry said, and he walked to the left.

Cedric made to the right but remembered something then.

"Harry." He stopped to face Cedric. "Good luck."

"Good luck you too," Harry replied, and he headed in the opposite direction to the one Cedric took.

He was alone now. As Cedric progressed forward, he felt that the darkness was growing. The light of his wand only gave him visibility a few meters ahead. The only sounds he heard were those of his footsteps on the grass. He heard the whistle blow a first time, indicating that Krum had walked into the labyrinth as well. Then he heard it a second time. All the champions were inside.

He kept advancing. Bagman told them there would be obstacles, but so far Cedric met nothing. Perhaps they were concentrated in the middle of the labyrinth, around the Triwizard Cup. Sometimes, he thought he heard something creak, but it may have been a figment of his imagination. Then he saw something ahead.

A glow appeared ahead. Cedric stopped. He raised his wand, hoping to see what it was, but he was too far. Cautiously, he walked forward, ready for anything. However, as he kept advancing, he didn't get the feeling that he was approaching the small light. It seemed to move away from him. There was no way to turn, no fork to take. Cedric kept progressing, until finally a fork gave on his right. He stopped there. The light was still ahead. Cedric was curious to discover what it was, but at the same time, he remembered his lessons in Defense Against the Dark Arts. This light reminded him of a Hinkypunk. If this was really this creature, then it could only be luring him into a trap. Cedric took the only decision that was logical and turned right… to come face to face with a horrible creature.

"PROTEGO!"

He pronounced the formula just in time to block the blast of fire the Blast-Ended Skrewt sent towards him. Cedric jumped to the side, using the hedge as cover. But he quickly got back on his feet as the Skrewt turned the corner and headed towards him. Cedric ran away, throwing spells over his shoulder. The Skrewt followed him for a time, sending blasts of fire that burned the hedges by places. However, Cedric gained ground and kept running, trying to put as much distance between him and the Skrewt. A dragon almost burned half of his body months ago, and he didn't wish for another creature to burn the other half.

He kept running, then turned left to arrive face to face with Harry. Only then did he stop. He looked behind him. The Skrewt was nowhere to be seen. He must have escaped him.

"Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts," he said, recovering his breath as Harry looked at him. "They're enormous. I only just got away."

He looked back again to see nothing. However, he realized that it probably meant nothing. His wand provided little vision at a distance. He rushed back into another corridor of the maze, hoping to put as much distance between him and the Skrewt. He only stopped running after what felt like a very long time. From now on, he was cautious every time he turned a corner, getting ready to face any threat. However, he couldn't have seen the next obstacle that happened to him.

Cedric was walking when all of a sudden, he fell backwards. He brought his hand to his face. It was as if he bumped into a wall. Reflexes taking over, he stood up, his wand pointed in front of him, but nothing was to be seen. Cedric quietly moved forward, and then his wand began to bend.

He stopped. He had felt a resistance in his right hand that held the wand. Carefully, he advanced his left empty hand, until it couldn't move forward anymore. Something was blocking it. Cedric palpated it. It felt like an invisible wall.

Bagman warned them about spells to be broken among the obstacles. This had to be one of them. If an obstacle was placed here, Cedric felt that he was likely on the right track. He moved his hands along the invisible wall. Maybe there was an entrance, a hole through which he could get. However, from right to left, no hole was to be found. The solid, invisible wall covered all the length of the passage. Cedric was stuck. He couldn't go forward. Resigned, Cedric headed back to the direction from which he came and bumped into another invisible wall.

He remained there, still, for a moment. He had managed to not fall to the ground this time. He touched the invisible surface. No doubt. There was an invisible wall on each side of the passage. He was blocked.

Cedric thought. There had to be a way. He couldn't be stuck here indefinitely. There had to be a way out. He moved back to the first wall and came into contact with it sooner than he thought. Cedric frowned. He was sure that he walked longer than that to reach the second wall. He left the first one and went back to the second, and once again he felt that his journey was shorter. Were the invisible walls getting closer to each other? Would Cedric be squeezed between them?

And then, a scream was heard. A loud scream. The scream of a girl. It was Fleur. Cedric headed immediately for the first wall. The scream seemed to come from the other side of it. But the wall refused to let him go. It was solid, and no matter how he hit it, it remained in place. He even kicked it with his feet… and was surprised that they met nothing.

Stopping, Cedric then moved his right foot forward slowly, meeting no resistance, until finally his leg met the underside of the invisible wall. This wall had an opening at the ground level. Kneeling quickly, Cedric crawled under the wall. He then rushed forward… and bumped yet again into a wall. Raging, he knelt again, but this time met the same wall. He then palpated the wall until he found an opening. This one was tall, on the right side of the passage, and allowed him to get through without crawling, but he had to squeeze himself through the hole to reach the other side. From then on, he advanced slowly, his hands in front of him, meeting solid surfaces a few times and getting around them each time after searching for any opening. Finally, after getting through the tenth or so such wall, he didn't meet any resistance for a while, and concluded that this obstacle was over. He moved forward normally again.

His initial fear for Fleur had waned. He remembered that they were in the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, and that some of them may not make it to the end. He shouldn't be afraid for Fleur. The professors would be there to get her out of the maze. She didn't make it to the bottom of the Black Lake either and nothing bad happened to her. Even Cedric was injured in the first task, but he wasn't dead. He had to consider it as one champion out. Only he, Harry and Krum were left. Though Fleur may not be out. No red sparks were sent in the sky. Maybe she was just surprised by something and screamed but fought it off. No, Cedric was to go forward as if there were still four champions in the game.

After a while, Cedric got the impression that the ground around him changed. It was damper. His feet left a sucking sound each time they left the ground. And then, he slipped and fell to the ground. To his surprise, the fall didn't hurt him. It wasn't solid ground. It was… creepers!

Before he could realize it, Cedric's legs were enrolled by the tentacles of what had to be a Devil's Snare. Without thinking, he screamed the words.

"LUMOS MAXIMA!"

The light coming from its wand blinded him, but it also got the tentacles to retreat in eagerness. Cedric got back on his feet, and rushed forward, the tentacles of the Devil's Snare liberating the passage under the brightness of his wand. Finally, the surface underneath his feet returned to solid ground.

He continued advancing, hearing spells there and there, far away. He didn't hear any voice that sounded like it came from a girl though. Maybe Fleur was really out of the competition.

Cedric arrived at a fork with four ways, one in each direction. He looked around, trying to decide where he should head. He just chose one of the four paths when he heard something cracking behind him.

He turned towards the source of the noise to find himself face to face with Krum… who was pointing his wand at him.

"What…?"

"Crucio!"

Cedric screamed like he never did in his life. His blood was burning, threatening to blow his arteries. His muscles contracted. He moved his legs and arms all around, trying to get away from the pain. He screamed, yelled. Someone had to come. This had to end.

Then it was over. The pain disappeared as quickly as it appeared, and Cedric was left panting and trying to catch air.

"Stupefy!"

Cedric heard the spell and something falling on the ground. He didn't feel strong enough yet to open his eyes and look at what happened though. His members were still sore.

"Are you alright?"

Someone grabbed his arm and helped him to get back on his feet, but Cedric grabbed the hedge nearby to stand on his feet.

"Yeah," he replied, still struggling to breathe. He opened his eyes finally, and saw that Harry was there. Confused first, he looked around and saw Krum lying on the floor. It took him an instant to understand what happened. "Yeah… I don't believe it… He crept up behind me… I heard him… I turned around… and he had his wand on me…"

He slowly recovered his breathing, though he remained leaning against the hedge behind his back.

"I can't believe this," Harry said. "I thought he was all right."

"So did I," Cedric said.

He looked at Krum, unmoving on the ground, face against the grass. He would never have thought that Krum would do something like this. Yes, he could trick people. He showed it at the Quidditch World Cup. But this was within the rules of Quidditch. Cedric never saw him play unfairly. It seemed he gravely misjudged the Bulgarian Seeker.

"Did you hear Fleur scream earlier?" Harry asked him.

"Yeah," he replied, nodding. A dark thought came to his mind. "You don't think Krum got her too?"

All of a sudden, he felt guilty for not going to Fleur's rescue. If Krum used the Cruciatus Curse on him, who knew what he could have done to Fleur?

"I don't know," Harry confessed.

They remained silent for some time, both lost in their thoughts.

"Should we leave him here?" Cedric asked him weakly. The thought was quite enticing to him, especially the part that was close to his body who kept the vivid memory of the Cruciatus Curse.

"No," Harry replied. "I reckon we should send up red sparks. Someone will come and collect him. Otherwise, he'll probably be eaten by a Skrewt."

"He would deserve it," Cedric spat.

However, his mind agreed with Harry. Despite what Krum just did to him, it went against everything Cedric believed in to abandon someone to die. Anyway, Krum was now stupefied and no longer a threat to them. Cedric raised his wand and produced red sparks over their position.

For some time, he and Harry remained there, looking at Krum. Then Cedric remembered that they were in the middle of the third task of the Triwizard Tournament.

"Well… I suppose we would better go on…" he said awkwardly.

"What?" Harry asked, surprised. But he seemed to understand what Cedric meant. "Oh… yeah… right…"

They went their separate ways. Cedric felt troubled. For a short time, he and Harry had been allies against Krum. But the Tournament was not over, and they could not stay at the same place forever. Someone had to find the Triwizard Cup. And despite what just happened, Cedric wanted that person to be him. He felt guilty and egoistical for thinking about this right now, especially after what happened. He felt guilty especially for Fleur. She had been attacked by Krum, there was no doubt about it. This was so unfair for her. The right thing to do would be to start the task all over again to give her a fair chance.

But another part of Cedric, again the one closest to the pain he endured under Krum's curse, wanted to win. He was fed up. There were so many people who relied on him, who wanted him to win. And there always seemed to be something stopping him from achieving success, even when he did everything to play fairly.

He had a chance this time, and for real. Only he and Harry remained in the race to win the Tournament now. Cedric could win. He knew he could. He only had to find the Cup before Harry did. This was no different than a Quidditch match where you had to catch the Golden Snitch first.

Cedric rushed forward into the labyrinth. He came across another Skrewt and managed to stupefy it at the price of an additional burn on his left arm. It wasn't the arm holding his wand, so this was no big issue. He also burned down tree branches that tried to grab him at some point.

And then, when he turned a corner, he came face to face with himself. And Cho. And his parents. And his teammates from the Hufflepuff team. And his friends. And the whole House of Hufflepuff. And he was holding the Triwizard Cup.

Cedric remained there, looking at what was in front of him. Cho looked at him in marvel. He was holding her by the shoulders, and she kissed on the cheek of his image before looking at him. His parents waved at him, all smile, proud. And his friends also waved at him.

It was some time before Cedric realized that he was standing in front of a huge mirror, as high as the hedges. He stood there, watching himself holding the Triwizard Cup and celebrating with all the people he loved and cared about. But then he remembered that he had not won yet. The path ahead was blocked by the Mirror. In fact, this was a dead end with the mirror at the end. He came back on his steps and took another path. His heart was beating very quickly.

At the end of this very long path, he came face to face with a huge door. On it, there were inscriptions. Cedric brought his wand closer to read them.

The Triwizard Cup is close.

Tell why you want to pass.

If you lie, you shall not pass.

If you are selfish, you shall not pass.

If you are truthful, selfless, honest and without malice, what you want will be granted.

Cedric read those words a few times to understand. He was being asked why he wanted to get through those doors. Well, to win. The Cup was beyond these doors, so to win, he needed to get through them. But the words written on these doors made him feel like it was all a trap. He wasn't to lie. He wasn't to be selfish. But wanting to win was selfish. This meant that if he told the truth about why he wanted to get through those doors, he would not get to pass. And he lied about the reason, he would not pass either.

This meant he was stuck. Was there another way around? Could he take another path to reach the Cup? He wasn't sure. The doors led to the Cup, for sure. Everybody counted on him. His parents. His friends. Everyone in Hufflepuff, and many other people in Hogwarts. And Cho. They all wanted him to win. They were out there, outside the maze, waiting for him to return with the Cup in hand.

If you are truthful, selfless, honest and without malice, what you want will be granted.

Be truthful and selfless. Honest. Without malice. His house promoted those ideals. Hufflepuffs were often mocked for this, but Cedric never saw anything wrong in those ideals. Except now. They blocked his way to the Triwizard Cup. How could he tell the truth while not saying that he wanted to win the Tournament for selfish reasons? What could be selfless in the fact of winning?

Well, maybe you could win correctly if you gave your opponents their chance, if you competed fairly. Cedric thought. Did he compete fairly in the Tournament? He never tried to undermine the other champions. He even helped Harry when he had trouble solving the enigma of the golden egg before the second task. However, he also cheated. In some way. He was informed in advance of what he would be facing for the first task when it was forbidden, and he was also told how to solve the golden egg by one of his professors. On the other side, he didn't seek the information. People told him about them, and before he could tell them they couldn't. And Harry, Fleur and Krum were also informed in advance for the first task, and before him. He also shared with Harry the way to solve the egg after he was told. At the same time, he didn't share it with Fleur or with Krum. Had he been fair with them?

Cedric had always tried to be fair and just his entire life. He always told himself that he had to do the right thing, and that at the end of the journey, it would pay off. But tonight, it seemed to him that his attempts at being fair during the Tournament might cost him the championship. What would his parents and the others say? What would Cho say?

He tried to imagine the reaction of his friends and his fellow comrades in Hufflepuff when they found out he lost in the last straight line. He supposed that many of them would be disappointed, but still supportive. He knew that his father would be disappointed as well, and probably furious at Harry too. In this instant, Cedric was illogically furious at the thought of Harry winning. His mother would say that she was proud of him, no matter the result. Cho would be proud as well, and happy to seem him come out of the maze unscathed.

He thought about them. He thought about them all. They all relied on him. They all expected something from him. They all hoped for him to win.

If you are truthful, selfless, honest and without malice, what you want will be granted.

The words journeyed into Cedric's mind in a loop. And then, he knew.

"I want to win for my friends in Hufflepuff, for Hogwarts, for my parents… I want to win for all those I love and who matter to me."

After he said the words, he waited. The door didn't move. Cedric was beginning to lose hope when all of a sudden, it slowly turned and gave way. And on the other side, shining blue on a pedestal, the Triwizard Cup was there. He stood in awe for a moment, then broke into a run towards the Cup. It was so close. Only a few dozen metres away. Then only a dozen… Ten metres… Five…

"Cedric! On your left!"

He looked there without breaking his run. He just had time to be horrified and threw himself on the side to avoid the gigantic Acromantula rushing on him. However, he fell heavily on the ground and his wand escaped his hand in the process. His breath was cut short. He shot a glance over his shoulder to see the huge spider as tall as the hedges approaching him. He crawled quickly towards his wand a few feet away. He knew he wouldn't make it.

"Stupefy!"

He heard Harry's voice casting a spell as he kept crawling towards his wand. When he seized it, he turned on himself to face the spider. It was rushing on Harry now. The spell he threw diverted its attention.

"Stupefy! Impedimenta! Stupefy!"

The series of spells Harry threw had no effect, and soon the Acromentula caught him and seized him by the waist. Not thinking, Cedric cast.

"Stupefy!"

It had no more effect than the spells Harry threw. Cedric had hoped that it would divert the spider's attention like the previous time, but it didn't.

"Expelliarmus!"

The spider released Harry under the Disarming spell. But Cedric knew the creature would be upon him again soon.

"STUPEFY!"

Their voices joined as they both cast the same spell together, and this time, it worked. The Acromentula stopped moving, then fell to the side, destroying a part of the hedge next to it.

"Harry!" Cedric shouted. The Tournament didn't exist anymore in this instant. All he cared about what that someone might have been crushed under this huge creature. "You're all right? Did it fall on you?"

"No," Harry replied from behind the body of the spider. Cedric turned around it until he saw Harry trying to stand up. He finally needed to grab the hedge nearby and to lean on it to somewhat stand on his feet. One of his legs was bleeding a lot. He was injured. Harry looked at him.

"Take it, then." Harry's words created confusion in Cedric's mind. "Go on, take it. You're there."

Cedric didn't move for a moment. He didn't understand. The fight against the giant spider made him forget about everything else. And then he remembered. The gleaming next to him, over his left shoulder, helped a lot in that. They were still in the third task of the Triwizard Tournament. Slowly, Cedric turned to look at the Triwizard Cup. He was only two or three metres away from it. He only had to make a few steps, seize one of its handles, and he would be the victor of the Tournament. It would all be over. It wasn't hard. Just a few steps and extending his arm. That was all it took.

But he didn't.

He didn't make a single move. However great his desire to bring glory to and fame for his house and friends was, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He looked away from the Cup to Harry. He just saved him. Again. None of this was fair. Harry saved him, got badly injured for that, and it was Cedric who won? No, it wasn't right. None of this was right.

He took a deep breath.

"You take it," he said. It was hard. It was probably the time when it was the hardest for Cedric to do the right thing. But it remained the right thing to do. "You should win. That's twice you've saved my neck in there."

"That's not how it's supposed to work," Harry replied angrily. "The one who reaches the Cup first gets the points. That's you. I'm telling you, I'm not going to win any races on this leg."

Decisively, Cedric made a few steps away from the Cup. Each step was hard, but he was firm in his decision and belief. Harry deserved to win. He had earned it. He may believe that Cedric should win because he was in a position to win, but Cedric didn't see things the same way. Deep within himself, he knew that Harry was the one supposed to win. Cedric shook his head.

"No," he said, resolute.

"Stop being noble," Harry snapped. "Just take it, then we can get out of here."

Noble? Was that what Harry thought this was about? Trying to be noble? Not at all.

"You told me about the dragons," Cedric argued. "I would have gone down in the first task if you hadn't told me what was coming."

"I had help on that too," Harry retorted. "You helped me with the egg. We're square."

"I had help on the egg in the first place."

"We're still square."

This was ridiculous. Couldn't Harry see the evidence?

"You should have gotten more points on the second task," Cedric argued further. "You stayed behind to get all the hostages. I should have done that."

This was what he should have done in real life. When he plunged into the Black Lake and found Cho with the others, he only freed her. He told himself that the other hostages were safe. His task was only to bring Cho back to the surface. He thought that Harry, Fleur and Krum would each bring their hostage back themselves. He didn't even stop to think what would happen if one didn't make it. In retrospective, Cedric thought that he assumed whoever would remain at the bottom would be brought back, that Dumbledore would never really endanger anyone. But the truth was he had not thought about it. He didn't think about the other hostages. He only thought about Cho and to bring her back as quickly as possible.

"I was the only one who was thick enough to take the song seriously!" Harry replied angrily again. If only he knew the whole truth. "Just take the Cup!"

"No!" He approached Harry until only a few feet separated them. then he pointed the Triwizard Cup. "Go on."

This was really stupid. Harry was really stupid. Maybe Cedric was stupid as well, but at least he was a stupid man with a clear conscience. He knew that what he was doing was the right thing, and Harry should know that as well. Why wouldn't he take the Cup? Didn't he realize how much it cost to Cedric? How difficult it was for him to let him seize the Cup and get all the glory? A more than deserved glory?

Ever since last year, Cedric received praise, even fame because he was the only Seeker to ever defeat Harry Potter, the undefeated Seeker of Hogwarts, in Quidditch. But all this praise, this fame, none of it was earned. The match had been disturbed by the presence of Dementors. He should never have won. After practicing with Harry over a year and the trials for the Quidditch game of the Triwizard Tournament, it had been clear that Harry was the best Seeker of both of them. Cedric should never have won that game last year. He may have died in this first task, or have been removed from the Tournament if Harry didn't warn him about the dragons. And he should never have been ex aequo with Harry at the beginning of the third task. Harry should have been first to enter the maze. He clearly would have gotten to the Cup first, long before Cedric, if he had. Harry deserved to win. He proved that despite being about three years younger than Cedric, he was the better wizard. He proved that he was the one who deserved to win. He was the one who deserved to come back before the entire school holding the Triwizard Cup, with his injured leg to prove that he earned it. He deserved the people celebrating him, cheering for him, shouting for him. He deserved their admiration. He deserved… Cho's admiration.

The last thought was especially hard for Cedric even to think of. He wasn't an idiot. Rumours had circulated in Hogwarts. They were buried under others, more prominent, more closely related to the Triwizard Tournament, such as those started by those articles in the Daily Prophet. But although Cedric suspected that his friends tried to keep them away from him, the rumours about the fact that Harry invited Cho to the Yule Ball had made their way to his ears.

Cedric had not known first. During the Yule Ball, he never suspected that Harry actually asked Cho to the ball as well. He only heard about it later, not long after Harry started to date Susan Bones. First, Cedric thought this was only a rumour without any foundation. But he heard it a second time, then a third. People reporting it said that it was surely nothing. In fact, they said that since Harry was seeing another girl, those concerning him and Cho were certainly pure inventions. But having heard them a few times, Cedric asked Heidi about it. She then confessed that some rumors circulated, even before the Yule Ball, that Harry invited Cho to the ball, not long after Cedric invited her himself. This had troubled Cedric. He wasn't the kind to be jealous, but all of a sudden, he seemed to notice how Cho avoided talking about Harry in his presence, most of the time, and that when she did, she took his defense. It was her who encouraged Cedric to tell Harry how to solve the golden egg for the second task.

But Cedric had decided to do as if that didn't happen. He told himself that this was only a rumor, like many others, with probably very little truth about it. He was the one dating Cho, and everything went perfectly between them. Harry had a girlfriend as well, and so he saw no reason to be concerned with the possibility that Harry might have invited Cho to the Yule Ball. Anyway, it was with Cedric that Cho went. It was he who she chose. He was the one who saved her in the Black Lake. He was the one for who Cho was the most precious thing in his eyes. Susan Bones was the person the dearest to Harry. However, deep within himself, he suspected that Cho may feel something for Harry. Her behavior seemed to prove it. And he couldn't blame her for admiring him when he fully deserved it. In fact, that Harry saved Cedric multiple times despite this history with Cho made him only more worthy to win in Cedric's eyes. This was hard, harsh, and it cost him a lot, but Cedric knew that the right thing to do was to let Harry get his well deserved victory. He wouldn't hide behind rules to take away victory from him once more. He wouldn't win when he was clearly not the one deserving it.

"Both of us."

The words Harry said stunned Cedric.

"What?" he asked.

"We'll take it at the same time," Harry explained. "It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it."

"You're… You're sure?" How could they be sure that they would both win if they seized the Cup at the same time?

"Yeah. Yeah… We've helped each other out, haven't we? We both got here. Let's just take it together."

Cedric's mind ran very fast. Yes, that made sense. Harry was right. They helped each other since the beginning of the Tournament. They helped each other even before the Tournament. In fact, it may be the only fair way to do things. Cedric almost blamed himself for not thinking about this sooner. He almost wanted to laugh at their common stupidity. That reminded him of something that Harry's girlfriend told him some time ago.

I'm going to start believing Hermione when she says that boys are stupid. And I don't know who between you and Harry is the stupidest.

If she saw them right now… Cedric had to give it to Harry, his girlfriend was more clever than most people gave her.

"You're on," he said. "Come here."

He approached Harry and helped him walk to the pedestal. It took some time. Harry's leg was really in a bad shape. They better take the Cup quickly and get him help. Cedric hurried them to the Cup, and Harry had to support himself on the pedestal to not fall. He didn't touch the Cup though.

"On three, right?" Harry asked. Cedric nodded. "One… Two… THREE!"

They each seized one of the handles at the same time.

His feet left the ground, and he was thrown into a storm of lights and wind. His breath was cut short. He landed heavily on a surface made of grass, earth and small rocks. He groaned at the pain. If he had expected anything to happen when he would get his hands on the Triwizard Cup, that was not among them.

"Where are we?" Harry asked next to him.

Cedric looked up. All around them, tombstones stood in a disorganized way. Some were small, others looked like small cabins. He shook his head, then saw that unlike him, Harry could not stand up on his own. He helped Harry get on his feet. Once he succeeded, Harry leaned against one of the huge stones.

Cedric looked further around. Was this part of the Tournament? Bagman said that the first to take the Triwizard Cup won the Tournament. Did he lie to them? Was there a secret part to the third task they weren't told about? There was a small church nearby. They seemed to be on a hill, since small houses were visible down below. He looked back at the Cup.

"Did anyone tell you the Cup was a Portkey?" he asked Harry.

"No," he answered. Cedric was disappointed. He had hoped that Harry would know, like for the dragons. "Is this supposed to be part of the task?"

"I don't know." This was getting unnerving. Cedric began to be really afraid. "Maybe we should draw out our wands," he suggested.

"Yeah," Harry replied, and he produced his own.

"Someone is approaching," Cedric said all of a sudden.

He had heard something. It looked like a hammer hitting against a plank of wood. He saw a figure appear in the darkness. He lit up his wand with a nonverbal spell. The light it produced revealed the face full of scars, the blue electric eye and the wooden leg of their professor.

"Professor Moody?" Cedric asked.

"AAAAHHHHH!"

Cedric jumped. Harry just screamed next to him and rolled on the floor. "Harry! What is it?"

But Harry didn't answer him. He clutched his forehead, where his scar was. He looked as if he was receiving a Cruciatus Curse or something similar.

"Professor!" He turned to Moody to ask for help. "He needs…"

Alastor Moody was pointing his wand at him.

"AVADA KEDAVRA!"

The words, and the green lightning strike that followed were the last things Cedric Diggory saw and heard.

---

I know, I had Cedric Diggory dying just like canon. All the little changes were not enough to save him. The only difference was that it wasn't the same person who murdered him.

I did think about not killing Cedric. For a time, I considered having Cedric trick Harry into seizing the Cup alone, making Harry believe that they would take it together until the end, and then not doing it. I even considered the eventuality that Harry might seize the Cup for himself before they ended their countdown. But I believe that, as much as Cedric is the embodiment of Hufflepuff's values, the allure of winning was too strong to do this, especially after Harry gave him a solution to let him win, while also winning himself. As for Harry, despite a few small changes to his personality, he wouldn't trick Cedric to take the Cup himself, not after suggesting himself that they take it together. So they took it together, and what needed to happen... happened.

This chapter is in some way a tribute to Cedric's character. It was my last opportunity to tell a chapter from his perspective. On top of giving me the opportunity to show the final task through someone else's eyes, this character deserved that we gave him one last opportunity to show the world as he saw it.

And like I said at the beginning of this chapter, now, nothing will ever be the same. Not with the death of a first POV.

Please review.

Next chapter: Susan