Cedric's suspicious nature was proven correct by the arrival of a small black owl at breakfast. Schweitzer had someone else ask what Aevum Lux meant, and specified that they said it was a spell. He also asked Cedric where he found the spell.
While skimming through the short letter over again, Cedric drafted his reply. It too was short, but demanded a description of who else has been snooping around Rome in search of the spell's meaning. He knew that his research in the muggle library have him a step ahead, and hoped whoever it is was too Pureblood-like to ever step foot in a muggle establishment.
Flicking blobs of porridge around his bowl, Cedric lamented his slow progress. This new revelation spurred him to go to the headmaster for help, he was sure to know something helpful at least. Cedric hoped he was on the side of the 'good guys', in Egypt it didn't feel noble to kill those men. He told himself it was self defence, or an accident, or that there were bad people who had it coming.
Cedric twirled his wand inbetween his fingers, half aware it had became a habit. He had been doing it since the start of summer, something to even slightly distract from the dull ache in his chest. Was it guilt? He felt guilt for Harry's death, and guilt for forgetting about it so quickly. It seemed everyone had forgotten. Or at least stopped mentioning it around him. Cedric understood how, on a basic level, why he would feel guilt about killing people. It would be unhuman of him not to. But it make him feel uneasy that he didn't seem to care that much about it, and felt worse about the death of Harry. Something he had to way of interfering in.
Cedric chewed the inside of his cheek til it bled a little. Death had been on his mind lately. He and death had a sort of unhealthy companionship through life. Even when Cedric was young, Death would take someone he loved and he would struggle to grieve. His mother, grandparents, even friends and pets. He let out a sharp huff and downed the rest of his water. Cedric pondered if Death was infatuated by him, because Death never left him alone it seemed. It was time for class, and time to forget about his troubles for an hour.
He trudged out the Great Hall mindlessly, tired from consecutive sleepless nights. Dreams were a funny thing, he always thought they were prophetic. The Lovegoods used to ask him about his dreams when they ran into each other. They said that the living day was the dream of the sleeping world, and that when we fall asleep we were actually waking up. For an eight year old playing with sticks in his garden it was a little confusing, but as an adult he understood. Dreams had meaning, everyone knew that. But he thought that dreams were the actions of his subconscious, the things he 'shoulda coulda woulda' done, had he had the chance.
"Diggory!"
The whole Defence Against The Dark Arts class were staring at him in disbelief. Moody was looking at him incredulously, mouth agape.
"I called your name three times. Merlin, how deep in the clouds did you have your head?"
"I'm sorry sir, just didn't get all that much sleep. What was the question?"
"I was taking the register." The professor said briskly.
"Oh. Present."
The class moved onto the practice duels, the first of this school year. Cedric assessed his fellow pupils and sized up his competition.
Byron Fox was good, being the only other Hufflepuff taking this NEWT. His father was a professional dueller, retired early to go into politics. Cedric hoped Byron wouldn't 'go into politics' as it sounded dreadfully boring. Byron, at this moment, was stretching whispering some mantra to himself. Possibly to get into the mood of things, possibly a curse on his opponent.
Crawley, or Charlotte as he'd been told to call her, was the other dueller of the class. She was currently approaching Cedric with a cruel glint in her eye.
"Fancy being partners?" She asked, slipping off her outer robe to reveal a tightly fitting waistcoat and trousers. Both dragonhide Cedric assumed.
"Sure, if you go easy on me." He joked, as she surely wouldn't.
"Go easy on the Triwizard Champion? I should be asking you that."
"I think we all know how good you are with a wand in your hand Charlotte." Cedric winked, turning to walk away before she could respond. She sputtered angrily, but was interrupted by Professor Moody.
"Diggory, Crawley, get up here. Let's see who the real head student is shall we?"
Resisting to urge to roll his eyes, Cedric walked to his end of the raised platform. The long oval shape made him think up some strategies as quickly as he could. His best skill was transfiguration, but he would need time for sufficient debris to build before he could launch into that. He was also good at charms, to a lesser extent. Conjuration seemed like the best of both worlds, making enough rubbish on the platform to transfigure. Hexes and curses were Charlotte's forte, he was sure of it. For a few years he sat behind her in potions, and heard her bragging to some chums about whichever curse she had most recently mastered.
"Wands to your sides, and on three. One, two, thre-"
Charlotte flicked out a silent Serpentsortia before Moody could even finish speaking. Scoffing quietly, Cedric vanished the snake wordlessly and set his wand position up for a shield charm. Surely such an over the top yet simple spell was to cover a nasty one following it up.
Sure enough a translucent orange beam burnt towards him menacingly. He recognised it as the Flame Engulfing curse, and caught it easily with a Protego.
Cedric assumed she was testing his defences. Quick and hyper offensive seemed like the style she preferred, as she shot off more silent but inconsequential hexes his way.
Keeping in mind his hurried strategy, Cedric took time to build up some stone walls to block the simplistic spells. Certainly overkill, but after a chain of knock back, disarming, and stunners. He had a pile of rubble at his feet ready for use.
Changing half a dozen to rats, he sent them off before levitating the rest in front of him. As Charlotte was burning up the rats, Cedric fired off the stones towards her. Transfiguring most to arrows, but not all.
She quickly dispatched of both the rats and the arrows, but was too slow to avoid being pelted by the fist sized rocks left over.
"Aquamenti." She said aloud, the first spoken spell of the exchange. Cedric shot up a wall of dirt to absorb it, but was surprised when she sent the freezing spell at it afterwards.
Sensing her plan though, Cedric backed away from his waist height wall to the edge of the platform. A simmering Bombarda confirmed his suspicions, yet still grazed his right leg badly.
With Charlotte's head beginning to bruise, and Cedric's leg aching. They both took time to asses the best approach.
The seconds long ceasefire ended as he conjured an iron spider the size of a large dog, before shooting it towards Charlotte.
She tilted her head in acknowledgment of the impressive charm work, before blasting it with another hefty Bombarda.
While she was caught up with his metal monster, Cedric rushed to transfigure the icy mud in front of him into a bull. It's horn shimmering with frost.
Finally catching her off guard, Charlotte narrowly dodged the first charge, as it collided with the invisible wall surrounding them. The wall glowed for a moment while it shuddered, his beast's horn falling off.
Turning away from Cedric entirely, Charlotte managed to destroy the dirt bull entirely with a gout of blue flames. Seeing her distraction, Cedric fired the leg locking hex, followed by a whispered Capitis Morbo.
She felt the leg locker collide, and countered it easily, but still was hit by the illness curse. Unbeknownst to her, on her wand arm boils and blisters appeared. A moment later she winced and she held her hand to her temples.
Growling, Charlotte sent a blast of purple shards towards Cedric. He didn't recognise the spell by sight, and tried to both block and dodge them. A wall of glass rose up from the platform, thick yet brittle. Swearing to himself Cedric dove to the side, hating how slim the duelling area was.
Most of the violet shards smashed upon impacting the glass wall, but a single projectile dug itself into the bottom of Cedric's foot.
Roaring in pain he ripped it out, as he knew these kinds of curses were likely to dissolve into his body. Sure enough a half second after pulling it from his foot, it liquified on his palm singing him slightly. Slamming his fist onto the ground, he forced himself back onto two feet.
The sludge of transfiguration residue around the duo was beginning to be a hinderance. Charlotte splashed though a puddle of mud and metal while swinging her wand above her head. Cedric groaned and he threw up his strongest Protego at the incoming razor whip. The thin black cable cracked against the shield and fizzled into a dark dust.
Doubling down, Charlotte murmured "Nervus Ruptor."
A transparent spell slowly made it's way towards Cedric, who only spotted it due to the slight misplacement in the air. Misjudging the trajectory however, his shield was too high and it collided with his already abused foot.
Screaming hoarsely, Cedric applying a numbing charm and wobbled upright again.
He angrily, sent a chain of stunning and disarming spells towards her as she was forced to dodge. Charlotte kept moving to her left and was forced to circle the circumference of the rounded arena. Now more adjacent than head on, Cedric whispered "Coagulatum Sanguis." As a blood red cloud belched out his wand, and towards his victim.
She tried to disperse it with a quickly cast Ventus, but it was too thick. Instead she charged towards Cedric launching flaming arrows his direction.
In her hurry, Cedric guessed she was too close to dodge properly. He cast a silent Percutio directly at her midriff, and she was knocked over harshly. The back of her head slammed off the floor, and Moody blew his whistle.
It was all a blur after the duel. Professor Moody sent the two of them to the hospital wing, both being levitated by a classmate. The procedures to heal the wounds sustained were quick and mostly painless. Soon it was the two of them alone, on neighbouring beds.
Cedric had both his feet raised in bandages. Charlotte had a gauze on the back of her head, and her shirt was pulled up halfway to reveal a black and blue stomach covered in salve.
They were both glaring at each other.
"What?" She spat.
"Oh I'm just wondering where on this year's syllabus did you find that nerve breaking spell." Cedric said with fake curiosity.
"I'm not sure, maybe the same part you found that blood clotting curse."
"Fair enough, why are you mad? I'm sorry if I hurt you badly." He said, trying to sound genuine.
"I'm not a fucking porcelain doll Diggory, I'm not mad at you for hurting me." She hissed.
"Then what, that I beat you?"
"No."
"Then what? I didn't offend you did I?" Cedric asked, pulling his head up onto his elbow to get a better look at her.
"I'm angry that I lost, not that you beat me."
"They're kinda the same thing Charlotte, no offence."
"You were pretty lucky that whole duel, and if we weren't stuck in the duelling platform I would've killed you. No offence."
"Then who would be Head Boy?" Cedric gasped, placing his hand over his heart for emphasis. "You wouldn't deny this school of it's greatest student, would you?"
At this she giggled sincerely, and turned her back to him.
Cedric was shovelling rice into his mouth, trying to ignore the stares some kids were giving him. It was understandable, they were the same kids he met trying to conspire revenge on their bullies. Now they were gaping at him from the opposite side of the hall, taking breaks every minute to whisper to each other.
After trying to ignore some more, first by reading a book, then by trying to join into a conversation, he gave up. They weren't there anymore, where could they have...
"Hello Mr Diggory, sir."
"Merlin's ballsack!" Cedric shouted, after spilling his coffee down his trousers. "Don't sneak up on me like that!" He snarled.
"We're sorry Mr Cedric sir, we just thought you wanted a list of people for tutoring." The smaller one said beginning to tear up.
"Classic Cedric, making kids cry." Byron stage whispered from down the table before being hit with a bread roll on the nose.
"Ignore him." Cedric said, now calm. "Give 'us a look."
The list was about two dozen names long, and mostly from the first three years. Judging by the surnames he recognised, or didn't. Some kid just put 'Micheal'.
"We heard you beat Crawley in a duel." The bigger one said with awe. "She's the best duellist in Slytherin."
"Yeah, you're Head Boy too, and Triwizard Champion. You're probably the best in the school."
"That doesn't translate to teaching though, even if I am. I'll still have to get the Professors involved, and some other older students."
"We know, just we thought you'd be best to lead it, that's all."
"Fine, yeah, whatever. I have class now so go bother someone else, I hear Charlotte is giving out duelling tips." They didn't take his poorly thought of bait, rolling their eyes they did walk away though.
Cedric was being stalked.
"I'm being stalked."
Byron gave an impatient look while motioning for Cedric to continue.
"By some kids."
"We are in a school you know." Byron replied, setting down his History essay.
"Well young kids, too young to be attracted to me."
"What reason would anyone have fancying you?"
Cedric scoffed and smiling his 'Charming Smile'.
"That doesn't explain."
"I'm the Head Boy, Triwizard Champion, Hufflepuff's most handsomest young gentleman."
A girl in sixth year was sitting closer to the fire in the common room and overheard. Twisting her armchair to the duo she chimed in.
"You're not really that charming Cedric."
"I'm very charming, I've been told so."
"You have dimples, you're like more adorable than sexy."
Byron howled in laughter, attracting a few looks. "You hear that Cedric, you're cute!"
Swatting the insulter, Cedric frowned. "I'm not cute. Kittens are cute, and babies are cute."
"Well fine, if you're not cute you're more... I don't know, beautiful?" She blushed and turned back towards the fireplace.
Cedric was on his Prefect rounds, prowling the Astronomy Wing of the castle. It was the absolute furthest point from the Hufflepuff Common Room. Cedric assumed he was given this section by spite, because a few days ago he made Charlotte supervise Gryffindor Tower. Which besides the obvious negatives, was also the furthest point from the Slytherin Common Room.
SLAM
"Oh my God, I'm sorry- I didn't see you in the dark, I'm sorry so sorry." A much younger student was profusely apologising at him. It was too dark to see their face, never mind robes so Cedric couldn't work out their house.
"It was fine, we were both turning a corner in the dark. It was neither of our faults." Cedric assured, trying to imitate Dumbledore's calmness.
"I suppose it was like a car crash, a head on collision would be 50/50 blame."
"What?"
"Doesn't matter, it's a muggle thing. Goodnight!" They called to him, walking past Cedric further into the darkness. He never thought to ask why they were out past curfew.
Stumbling into the empty Common room at midnight, Cedric landed on the lumpy couch face first.
"Can't sleep?"
Cedric tiredly shifted his head to look at who was speaking, some fifth year he forgot the name of. He tried to grunt that he was doing rounds, but it sounded more like an agreement.
"Neither can I, my mam keeps recommending memory foam pillows. She says they're unreal, but can get kinda misshapen after a while."
Memory Pillows? It would be amazing to remember all of his dreams. Cedric had heard of Pensieves before, his dad told him his department had one. Recalling and showing other people your memories was good and all, but being to revisit dreams was fantastic.
With sudden energy, Cedric rolled off the couch and hurried to his dorm. Determined to find a furniture catalogue that contained these amazing devices.
AN: Thanks for reading! Wow, 7 chapters. Officially the longest thing I've managed to write on here, a bit meagre I know. Also I've been thinking of adding chapter titles, if you have any good idea for those already up, let me know.
As always, like and follow for more. Finally, PLEASE review, it's my only form of feedback. Even if you hate it, and hate me, and hate fanfiction as an idea. Please review.
Thanks, love ya xx