Fic: "Second Try/Interlude" for aidenfire
Title: Second Try/Interlude
Author: allara
Recipient's name: aidenfire
Rating: PG
Character(s): Cedric, Harry
Warnings: implied Character death
Summary: When he leaned back, he saw the same white walls and still had the same pounding headache, but this time he also saw Harry Potter sitting next to his bed with an unreadable expression on his face.
Author's notes: *First two lines are shamelessly taken from J K Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, page 638, US version.
"Kill the spare."
A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night*: "Crucio!"
Cedric's body exploded with pain. He could almost hear someone yelling in the background, but just tried to concentrate on making as little noise as possible. But the pain wouldn't stop and Cedric couldn't stop himself from doubling over and screaming. He didn't know how long he had been under the curse until the pain stopped, blissfully stopped. He lay there, panting, and let the darkness take him.
_____________________
Cedric woke to white walls, a pounding headache, and a dry mouth. "Water," he croaked. A glass appeared before him, and he drank greedily, not caring that if he was just a bit more careful, the water wouldn't spill out of the glass.
When he leaned back, he saw the same white walls and still had the same pounding headache, but this time he also saw Harry Potter sitting next to his bed with an unreadable expression on his face.
"What happened? I mean, I- You got me out of there, I guess, wherever there was. Well- I guess I owe you now, or something?" Cedric said.
Harry took awhile to respond. Cedric wondered what was going on inside his head that made him so pale. "You might remember that the trophy was a portkey. You might remember the graveyard, too. It- Voldemort's dad is buried there." If Harry noticed Cedric flinching every time he said You-Know-Who's name, he didn't mention it. "Voldemort's back. He needed my blood to come back. The trophy was a trap to get me somewhere away from Dumbledore. I was supposed to win by myself. You weren't supposed to come along." Harry's mouth twisted into some semblance of a smile. "At least that part didn't go as Voldemort planned. We both won. We both split the money and Hogwarts has two champions in one year." Harry stopped talking. When he didn't start again, Cedric guessed it was time for him to say something.
"So-"
"Moody was really Crouch's son. He took polyjuice for the entire year and kept the real Moody in a trunk. Dumbledore got a confession out of him, and then Fudge let a dementor give him the kiss. Crouch, not Dumbledore. So he's basically a shell now. And it's still your seventh year, by the way. You were only out for a week," Harry added, almost like an afterthought.
"Good to know I haven't missed anything." Cedric thought he almost saw a smile on Harry's face.
"If you call missing the awards ceremony in your honor not missing anything."
"Oh, how'd that go? Let me guess: big banners on a grassy lawn with the entire school in attendance, Rita Skeeter muttering to her quill on one side and Hufflepuffs crying for joy on the other?"
Harry gave a short laugh. "You're not far off. It started raining in the middle of the ceremony. You should have seen Fudge. He was waving his arms around, trying to cast a spell to keep his robes dry. Skeeter ended up stepping in and casting it for him."
When he could no longer bear the silence, Cedric tried to come up with something to say. "So I guess you got wet?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I hope you're not in here because you have a cold," Cedric said, trying to lighten the mood.
"No, I'm just here."
"Oh." Cedric sat there, fiddling with his blanket, trying to think of something to say. He looked up to see Harry watching him intently and found it a little unnerving. Why was Harry here if he wasn't sick? Well, his dad always said that the only way to get an answer was to ask. "What are you doing here?"
"I... What do you remember from that night?"
"I asked you first," Cedric said, half-smiling, but quickly sobered up when he realized Harry wasn't in a joking mood. "Not much, really. I remember what happened in the maze, and I remember taking the Cup with you and landing in a cemetery. Then I remember a swish and a whole lot of pain. Next thing I know, I'm here. Why?"
"Fudge doesn't believe me."
"About what?"
"About Voldemort being back."
Cedric winced. "Right."
"Voldemort's back, and even though Dumbledore got a confession out of the one who sabotaged the Triwizard tournament, Fudge won't listen because he doesn't want to, because he's scared." Harry flung his words out like a challenge. "People will die, and Fudge won't do anything to protect them because he's scared!"
"But can't you do anything about it? Break the story to the press yourself?"
Harry shook his head. "If I try and say something, Skeeter will make it look like I'm crazy so no one will believe me. Wouldn't be the first time," Harry muttered.
Cedric wrinkled his brow, trying to think of a solution. He'd never been in a situation where no one trusted his word.
"He's crazy," Harry said abruptly.
"You-Know-Who or Fudge?"
"Both, I guess." Harry sighed.
"Fudge- I can see why he wants to ignore what's going on. He doesn't know how to handle everything. It's a lot of information at once, and he's never really been that bright."
Harry's fists tightened. "That doesn't make what he's doing right."
"Not at all, it's just his reason for doing things his way." Cedric sat back tiredly. He had never been this sore before, not even after his first Quidditch practice.
Harry seemed resigned when he muttered, "Yeah."
"Hey, it doesn't mean you have to accept it." Cedric laughed ruefully. "To be honest, I've always had a bit of a hard time respecting duffers like Fudge." Cedric shifted uneasily. "Just, uh, don't tell my mum I said that. She always tells me to at least act like I respect the Minister of Magic," Cedric said guiltily.
"I won't." Harry smiled half-heartedly and looked away before whispering, "I wish..."
"What?"
"...I didn't have to accept it."
Cedric thought before he offered, "Everybody falls short, Harry. Everybody. No one's perfect." Cedric forced his hands to relax. "No one," he muttered, almost to himself.
They both sat there quietly until the bell chimed six o'clock.
"I should go and let you rest," Harry said reluctantly.
"Yeah." Cedric watched Harry silently get up. "Harry-"
"Yeah, Cedric?" Harry asked tiredly.
"I screamed, y'know, when I got hit with the Cruciatus Curse."
Harry walked out of the infirmary; he was almost out the door when said so quietly Cedric almost didn't hear him:
"I screamed too."
______________________
Cedric woke to find himself in the graveyard once again.
"Where are we?" Harry asked. Cedric shook his head. Everything was happening as it had happened before. He could see the figure in black approaching, and he could see Harry crumpling with pain as it came closer and closer. His body tensed and he gripped his wand firmly; he was ready for what would come.
"Kill the spare."
Cedric stood firm. He would not scream this time.
"Avada Kedavra!"
Author: allara
Recipient's name: aidenfire
Rating: PG
Character(s): Cedric, Harry
Warnings: implied Character death
Summary: When he leaned back, he saw the same white walls and still had the same pounding headache, but this time he also saw Harry Potter sitting next to his bed with an unreadable expression on his face.
Author's notes: *First two lines are shamelessly taken from J K Rowling's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, page 638, US version.
"Kill the spare."
A swishing noise and a second voice, which screeched the words to the night*: "Crucio!"
Cedric's body exploded with pain. He could almost hear someone yelling in the background, but just tried to concentrate on making as little noise as possible. But the pain wouldn't stop and Cedric couldn't stop himself from doubling over and screaming. He didn't know how long he had been under the curse until the pain stopped, blissfully stopped. He lay there, panting, and let the darkness take him.
_____________________
Cedric woke to white walls, a pounding headache, and a dry mouth. "Water," he croaked. A glass appeared before him, and he drank greedily, not caring that if he was just a bit more careful, the water wouldn't spill out of the glass.
When he leaned back, he saw the same white walls and still had the same pounding headache, but this time he also saw Harry Potter sitting next to his bed with an unreadable expression on his face.
"What happened? I mean, I- You got me out of there, I guess, wherever there was. Well- I guess I owe you now, or something?" Cedric said.
Harry took awhile to respond. Cedric wondered what was going on inside his head that made him so pale. "You might remember that the trophy was a portkey. You might remember the graveyard, too. It- Voldemort's dad is buried there." If Harry noticed Cedric flinching every time he said You-Know-Who's name, he didn't mention it. "Voldemort's back. He needed my blood to come back. The trophy was a trap to get me somewhere away from Dumbledore. I was supposed to win by myself. You weren't supposed to come along." Harry's mouth twisted into some semblance of a smile. "At least that part didn't go as Voldemort planned. We both won. We both split the money and Hogwarts has two champions in one year." Harry stopped talking. When he didn't start again, Cedric guessed it was time for him to say something.
"So-"
"Moody was really Crouch's son. He took polyjuice for the entire year and kept the real Moody in a trunk. Dumbledore got a confession out of him, and then Fudge let a dementor give him the kiss. Crouch, not Dumbledore. So he's basically a shell now. And it's still your seventh year, by the way. You were only out for a week," Harry added, almost like an afterthought.
"Good to know I haven't missed anything." Cedric thought he almost saw a smile on Harry's face.
"If you call missing the awards ceremony in your honor not missing anything."
"Oh, how'd that go? Let me guess: big banners on a grassy lawn with the entire school in attendance, Rita Skeeter muttering to her quill on one side and Hufflepuffs crying for joy on the other?"
Harry gave a short laugh. "You're not far off. It started raining in the middle of the ceremony. You should have seen Fudge. He was waving his arms around, trying to cast a spell to keep his robes dry. Skeeter ended up stepping in and casting it for him."
When he could no longer bear the silence, Cedric tried to come up with something to say. "So I guess you got wet?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I hope you're not in here because you have a cold," Cedric said, trying to lighten the mood.
"No, I'm just here."
"Oh." Cedric sat there, fiddling with his blanket, trying to think of something to say. He looked up to see Harry watching him intently and found it a little unnerving. Why was Harry here if he wasn't sick? Well, his dad always said that the only way to get an answer was to ask. "What are you doing here?"
"I... What do you remember from that night?"
"I asked you first," Cedric said, half-smiling, but quickly sobered up when he realized Harry wasn't in a joking mood. "Not much, really. I remember what happened in the maze, and I remember taking the Cup with you and landing in a cemetery. Then I remember a swish and a whole lot of pain. Next thing I know, I'm here. Why?"
"Fudge doesn't believe me."
"About what?"
"About Voldemort being back."
Cedric winced. "Right."
"Voldemort's back, and even though Dumbledore got a confession out of the one who sabotaged the Triwizard tournament, Fudge won't listen because he doesn't want to, because he's scared." Harry flung his words out like a challenge. "People will die, and Fudge won't do anything to protect them because he's scared!"
"But can't you do anything about it? Break the story to the press yourself?"
Harry shook his head. "If I try and say something, Skeeter will make it look like I'm crazy so no one will believe me. Wouldn't be the first time," Harry muttered.
Cedric wrinkled his brow, trying to think of a solution. He'd never been in a situation where no one trusted his word.
"He's crazy," Harry said abruptly.
"You-Know-Who or Fudge?"
"Both, I guess." Harry sighed.
"Fudge- I can see why he wants to ignore what's going on. He doesn't know how to handle everything. It's a lot of information at once, and he's never really been that bright."
Harry's fists tightened. "That doesn't make what he's doing right."
"Not at all, it's just his reason for doing things his way." Cedric sat back tiredly. He had never been this sore before, not even after his first Quidditch practice.
Harry seemed resigned when he muttered, "Yeah."
"Hey, it doesn't mean you have to accept it." Cedric laughed ruefully. "To be honest, I've always had a bit of a hard time respecting duffers like Fudge." Cedric shifted uneasily. "Just, uh, don't tell my mum I said that. She always tells me to at least act like I respect the Minister of Magic," Cedric said guiltily.
"I won't." Harry smiled half-heartedly and looked away before whispering, "I wish..."
"What?"
"...I didn't have to accept it."
Cedric thought before he offered, "Everybody falls short, Harry. Everybody. No one's perfect." Cedric forced his hands to relax. "No one," he muttered, almost to himself.
They both sat there quietly until the bell chimed six o'clock.
"I should go and let you rest," Harry said reluctantly.
"Yeah." Cedric watched Harry silently get up. "Harry-"
"Yeah, Cedric?" Harry asked tiredly.
"I screamed, y'know, when I got hit with the Cruciatus Curse."
Harry walked out of the infirmary; he was almost out the door when said so quietly Cedric almost didn't hear him:
"I screamed too."
______________________
Cedric woke to find himself in the graveyard once again.
"Where are we?" Harry asked. Cedric shook his head. Everything was happening as it had happened before. He could see the figure in black approaching, and he could see Harry crumpling with pain as it came closer and closer. His body tensed and he gripped his wand firmly; he was ready for what would come.
"Kill the spare."
Cedric stood firm. He would not scream this time.
"Avada Kedavra!"