Five:

Summer break had always made Cedric intensely bored and a little bit lonely. They generally consisted of him laying about all day and going out for the occasional fly when it suited him, so it was unsurprising that the break would generally get old quickly. It usually wasn't until the end of the break that Cedric began to feel much of anything besides lethargy, which would be around the time that blind panic would set in over the fact that he hadn't even started his homework.

This time, it was very different, however.

Cedric had actually begun his break with homework, spending the first week-and-a-half holed up in his room, bent over his desk as he grumbled over the unfair amount of homework that McGonagall and Snape always appointed, only stepping out of his chambers to scarf down whichever meal his parents remembered to call him down for.

Surprisingly, it was actually a rather refreshing way to start his summer and when he finally

finished all of his homework, he felt unusually energized. So, a week-and-a-half after break had started he'd done something very out of the ordinary. He went to Diagon Alley for something besides school supplies shopping.

Consistent to what he'd planned on the train ride home, Cedric's first stop after Gringotts was Flourish and Blotts to spend (what some may consider) an exorbitant amount of money on a 'never-end' planner. It annoyed him somewhat when he went to purchase the item, that many of the planners and journals that had been on display had unnecessary details, like lacy covers and perfumed pages. It conveyed a diary-esq vibe that was very off-putting for him. He didn't want a girly little notebook to write his feelings in or whatever. He just wanted something to plan in. He ended up settling for a dark brown leather journal filled with thick parchment and a rounded spine and minimal frills. He'd even had his initials engraved in the bottom right corner in copper lettering. He also ended up buying a few ink wells and quills since he'd been running low for the first time since first year, it was amazing how quickly one went through writing utensils when they actually wrote with them.

Flourish and Blotts was not his only stop in Diagon Alley as he also ducked into Quality Quidditch Supplies. It was a bit surprising to see how barren the shop was when it was not filled to the brim with Hogwarts students rushing about on last-minute shopping. It was the first time, in fact, that the stout, grey-haired shopkeeper was idle enough to greet him. Cedric had nodded politely in reply and immediately gravitated towards the high end racing brooms displayed in the front window.

Staring at their polished wooden handles and perfectly straight bristles, Cedric was briefly tempted to buy the Nimbus 2000, almost entranced by the sleek, warm-toned broom, his fingers trailing over the reflective helve. It felt off though. The broom just looked wrong in his large, tanned hands. It was intended for smaller hands, paler ones, frailer...

"Ya' don' wan' that one, laddie." a gruff voice pulled him out of his reverie and Cedric glanced over to see the shopkeeper from before standing next to him, arms crossed over his potbelly.

"Why's that?" questioned Cedric as he placed the broom back onto it's display, giving the man his undivided attention. "Is there something wrong with it? I've heard it's very good."

"Nothin' wrong with it." said the man with a shake of his head as he arranged the broom to fit more snugly into it's holder. "Jus' not suited for the likes o' you."
Rage surged through his veins so suddenly that Cedric felt as though he'd been struck by lightning, dysphoria bubbling in the pit of his stomach. The likes of him? What was the man insinuating? That he was not good enough, well, Cedric would show him exactly ho-

"Yer a bit too tall fer somethin' like tha' model."

Cedric's attitude immediately cooled at that remark and he felt somewhat foolish at his immediate defensiveness. Of course the man wasn't saying that Cedric was subpar, he didn't even know him.

"What would you suggest then, sir?"

The man bustled to the back of the store, motioning for Cedric to follow. "Depend on what ye' want to use it for."

"I play reserve seeker on my house team, I'm hoping to be promoted this year, though."

"Ah," the shopkeeper began, chuckling a bit sardonically. "Lookin' fer somethin' to give ye a bit of an edge, eh? Well, it's a good thing I steered you away from that there Nimbus, ye prolly would nar been able ta' keep yerself in the air on tha' thing. Nah, a lad yer size needs somethin' a bit sturdier, more balanced."

He disappeared into a door behind the counter that most likely lead to a storage room of some sort. When he returned there was a broom in each hand. Both were rather distinctive, the one in the left hand was a golden, almost yellowish tone with a jagged handle and very thick, rectangular bristles that reflected the light so brightly that they looked almost metallic. The other broom was rather pale-looking with a cornflower blue handle with swirling white runes circling the shaft in thin swirls, the bristles were a light brown, almost white.

"This," the man lifted the broom in his right hand, passing it to Cedric for inspection. "Is the Moontrimmer 07, it's good fer people who wanna fly o' bit higher, very good control up in the air, but not so good if yer tryin' fer stunts or hard maneuvers. People with good balance perform best on it."

Cedric was then passed the yellowish broom.

"Tha' right there's the Australian Flyabout 50, world class racing broom tha' is. Very good fer speed and maneuvers, but o' bit harder to control. Ye'll be needin' good leg strength if you want to hold on to tha' one."

Cedric had nodded along, listening closely to the man's descriptions as he weighed his options. They both seemed like very good choices for him and both had great appeal to him. After a few minutes of his considering the man spoke up again.

"Tell yer what. I think the Flyabout would be yer best choice, since ye look more strong than graceful, but if ye' buy it and think that maybe it wasn't the right choice, ye' can come back when'er ye' like and I'll give ye' back yer money, how's tha' sound?"

Cedric was therefore, unsurprised when he'd been disturbed by his father's surprised exclamations at around 7:00 the next morning.

"Cedric! Ced, come downstairs"

Cedric had already been awake long before his father had called for him, but he was still somewhat annoyed at his reading being interrupted. He dog-eared his page in Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling before trudging down the stairs to find his father waiting at the base of them a long, thin package in hand.

"This came in the mail for you, son. It's not what I think it is, is it?" his voice was so saccharinely hopeful that Cedric almost found it pitiful.

Almost was, however, the operative word, so he felt no remorse when he stonily replied with, "Depends on what you think it is." and he pulled the package out of his father's hand before turning around and marching back upstairs, his father staring morosely after.

It turned out that the shopkeeper's generous offer to allow Cedric to return the broom after a test-run was unnecessary as the Hufflepuff was immediately quite satisfied with the Australian Flyabout's performance. The experience of flying on a world-class racing broom was astoundingly different than flying with a school-provided Cleansweep. Cedric had never found practicing Quidditch to be particularly enjoyable up until this point, and he could suddenly see why Potter always looked like he was having the time of his life whenever mounting his Nimbus 2000.

He had originally been dreading practicing Quidditch over the summer, more than even doing his homework. But by the end of the day, what he had considered to be a chore had evolved into an enjoyment and by the end of the summer Cedric could barely be parted with his broom.

The summer had gone by almost too quickly after that, but Cedric was still extremely excited to be back at Hogwarts as soon as possible anticipation filling him to the brim at the very thought of returning and showing his peers exactly how much he'd changed (improved) over the summer.

On the morning that he was to return to Hogwarts, Cedric woke up early (well, earlier than usual. Cedric had actually been getting up as early as 6 AM almost the entire summer) unable to sleep for very long at all. Never before had Cedric felt nervous for something as mundane as school, but all that week his stomach had been strangely fluttery and it was only then that'd he'd realized that it was anxiety that was plaguing him.

So, he'd spent nearly the first hour of his morning pacing back and forth across the hardwood floor of his room, trying to get his nerves under control. When that didn't work he'd reached for his journal, flipping through it to read through the chronicles of his daily improvements, finding a bit of comfort in knowing that he wasn't quite the nobody that he'd been only a year earlier. Yet still he couldn't quite expel the dread that continued to pool in the pit of his gut and somehow he found himself reaching for the nearest quill as he scribbled down his worries and fears onto an empty page, covering the parchment in a jumbled black mess of insecurities.

When he finally snapped the journal closed, he felt lighter, freer, he felt ready.

A/N: Ugh, you guys... I was planning on updating tomorrow night rather than now, but whoever it was who congratulated me on getting a new laptop put me in a such a good mood that I couldn't help but update early, it's a very short chapter though, so I apologize for that. I'm also sorry for that horrific attempt at an accent.
If you were wondering, both the brooms I mentioned are cannon in HP universe, the Australian Flyabout appeared in Harry Potter: Qudditch World Cup (a shitty EA game) and I read about the Moontrimmer in Quidditch Through the Ages. Also I suggest googling Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling, few people have written some interesting little renditions of the concept, my personal favorite is on FF by Fractured Artifact No. 248.

Feedback is always welcome.