Fic: Change of Heart, Part III
Title: Change of Heart, Part III
Rating: PG-13 (this part)
Pairing: Harry/Cedric
Warnings: canon character death
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and friends did not come from my head.
Summary: Cedric is in the Order and Harry is not. They struggle with their relationship and the return of Voldemort.
Author’s Note: Part three of three. Feedback, as always, is loved and appreciated!
Force of Will
Part I
Part II
Change of Heart
Part III
He had only needed a few hours. Just a few hours of taking his exhausted eyes off of Harry to get in some final cramming for his exams. Nothing would happen in just a few hours.
And a few hours later, Professor Snape came sweeping into his office to announce, “That idiot boy has just gone to get himself killed at the Ministry.”
But Cedric was the idiot.
He leaped to his feet, nearly blacking out from sudden movement and fear, but now was not the time to show weakness. He quickly steadied himself against his desk, yet couldn’t quite steady his voice when he looked Snape in the eye and asked, “What do I do?”
The question he had left unvoiced was posed in Snape’s scrutinizing gaze. What can you possibly do? “You are instructed to use the floo network from Dolores Umbridge’s office. I daresay the Headmistress won’t mind.”
Cedric was already halfway out the door when he hesitated and looked back. “You’re not coming?” He sounded like a bloody child, and Snape silently agreed.
“It would be unwise at this time for me to be seen in battle.” He paused. “Mr. Diggory, despite Dumbledore’s overconfidence in you, it is my advice-“
Cedric did not wait to hear Snape’s advice. Harry was in danger; that’s all he needed to know.
**
Harry froze, clutching the small glass ball so hard he was afraid it might shatter in his palm. Death Eaters descended upon them in slow motion, and the severity of the situation suddenly registered. Hermione, Ginny, and Luna lay unconscious on the ground; Ron struggled with a vicious brain; Neville was reduced to a broken nose and wand.
Harry was alone.
So he did the only thing he could: he ran. Not because he was afraid. But because the Death Eaters didn’t want his friends - they wanted him, they wanted the prophecy. If he could lure them away then maybe the others could escape. All that mattered anymore was that his friends survive, because they had already paid too much for his mistakes. He held the prophecy aloft and ran through the only set of doors still unlocked, praying that the Death Eaters were following, not thinking beyond the safety of the others, not thinking beyond his next step.
Harry burst through the doorway, and an unexpected stun hit him squarely in the gut. He went tumbling down a long set of steps, crashing at the foot of a tall, stone arch. His whole body ached. As he scrambled to his feet, he checked to make sure his bones were still intact, his wand was still intact, the prophecy -
The prophecy was gone.
And there, standing by the entrance, prophecy in hand, was the Death Eater who had ambushed him. Chuckling softly under his mask, he slowly approached the spot where Harry stood. Harry raised his wand, but no spells came to him. He could only watch with rising dread as the wizard came closer, stopping right in front of him and removing his mask.
It was a face Harry had only seen once before, in someone else’s memory. Although the features had been twisted by age and madness, there was no mistaking Barty Crouch, Jr.
“Well, Potter.” Crouch’s voice was low and shaky, barely restraining his euphoria. “I was hoping I’d get to see you again. How’s your boyfriend? How’s Dumbledore? What, they didn’t escort you this time?” He stepped forward, and Harry backed up until he was pressed against the cold stone behind him. The remaining Death Eaters began closing in. Manic laughter spilled from Crouch’s mouth. “I still can’t believe it was so easy! That you actually thought you and your little mates could just stride into the Department of Mysteries and take on the Dark Lord himself! Hell, I don’t even think I was that arrogant at your age! What’s the matter Potter, dragon slaying gone to your head?”
Harry said nothing because Crouch was right. He had ruined everything by coming here. He had handed the enemy its weapon. He had endangered his friends. And now he faced eight dark wizards, and he was entirely alone.
Crouch raised his wand and grinned. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve been looking forward to this!”
As his lips began to form the words, there was an echoing crash from above. Crouch spun around, and chaos erupted all around them as six figures charged down the stairs: Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, Kingsley…
…and Cedric. That was Cedric rushing in, shooting off hexes while his frantic eyes searched the room. Oh please, no. Harry’s stomach dropped at the sight of yet another person he cared about whom he had now placed in danger. Cedric looked so small and afraid, and Harry became furious. Why was Cedric here? How could they let him come? Why did they even let him join the Order of the Phoenix in the first place?
Then their eyes met, and Cedric’s fear washed over with relief.
That’s when Harry understood. Cedric hadn’t come because of the Order. Cedric had come for him.
Harry watched as Cedric spun around and swiftly shielded a Death Eater’s attack before returning his own blinding curses, and suddenly he was focused, he was ten feet tall. And maybe Harry should have been angry at the thought of being protected by someone practically his own age. Maybe he should have been angry with Cedric for risking his life like an idiot instead of leaving it to those who were qualified. He knew at some point there had been a reason for stubborn pride and independence and all the harsh words he had spoken.
But at that moment, as Cedric fought for Harry’s sake, he felt only a deep, intense gratitude. Cedric’s presence meant more to him than he could explain. And the only way he knew to thank him was to gather what strength he had left and fight alongside him.
**
Cedric always underestimated Harry. Because amidst the injured and the unconscious, Harry was still standing.
Once he was certain of that fact, Cedric threw all his energy into the ensuing battle and prayed for the best. Harry flitted in and out of his peripheral vision as Cedric fought with the nearest hooded figure. At one point he almost took a curse to the back, but Moody intervened just in time. Then Dumbledore finally arrived, and they were winning, and for a brief moment Cedric truly believed that everything would be okay and they would all make it out unharmed.
“SIRIUS!”
Cedric spun around at the sound of Harry’s cry, and a curse grazed his arm, but he barely noticed. Harry was being restrained by Lupin as he desperately reached out toward the stone archway that towered over them, howling his godfather’s name. Another curse flew past Cedric’s head. Harry was now racing from the room, and Cedric tried to follow. But Crouch emerged before him like a nightmare, and he couldn’t run, only fight. Cedric attempted hex after hex, but they were consistently blocked as his panic began to rise. Crouch taunted him with petty insults, but Cedric wasn’t listening, he no longer cared, he just needed to get away, he needed to chase after Harry. In his desperation, he physically lifted a dislodged brick to hurl at the terrible leering face. The brick stopped inches from its target, but it was just enough distraction for Cedric to run, not because he was afraid, but because this was no longer where he needed to be.
Cedric flew past the archway, past the others, out the door, thinking only of Harry. As he raced through the labyrinth of rooms and corridors that comprised the Department of Mysteries, the whole scene felt disturbingly familiar, but he didn’t dwell on it. He had to remember the way out. He had to find Harry. But he was panicked, and kept making wrong turns and finding dead ends and-
The maze. This was the maze. And he was racing towards the entrance, and when he reached it Harry would already be-
No. Harry hadn’t died. Harry was stronger than he knew, and he had somehow survived.
Cedric finally burst through the correct door and ran to the lifts. Terrible sounds were echoing from the floors above him, but Cedric promised himself he would once again find Harry battered but breathing.
The lift clattered to the main floor, and there amidst the ruins of the Ministry lobby stood only Harry and Dumbledore, both alive, both unscathed. Cedric nearly cried with joy.
Then Harry jerked and screamed and collapsed to the floor.
His mind froze, but his legs carried him forward and the name “Harry!” flew from his lips. The boy was writhing on the ground, clawing at his forehead. His devastating howls echoed all around them. They were all Cedric could hear.
“Stay back!” Dumbledore roared, and Cedric slammed into a shield charm not two meters away.
“What’s happening?” he cried, because Harry was in so much pain, and something was wrong because Dumbledore just stood there and watched. “Do something!”
Harry choked on his screams and added in a cold, steady voice, “Kill me now, Dumbledore.” His agonized sobs filled the stunned silence that followed.
Cedric looked to Dumbledore for answers and saw fear. Dumbledore was afraid. And Cedric was terrified, because he realized Dumbledore was not afraid for Harry.
He was afraid of him.
That was why Dumbledore stood there, ashen-faced, wand raised, and did nothing to ease Harry’s torture. Didn’t even try. Anger and panic and despair simultaneously tore through Cedric’s nerves.
Harry shuddered and spoke in the same cruel voice, his lips curving into a sneer that did not belong to him. “If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy.”
The shield charm faltered, and Cedric rushed forward because Harry would not die at anyone’s hands. He grabbed Harry’s face, searching for some sign of hope in the wide, sightless eyes. There was pain and fear, and something else, something sinister that almost made him recoil, almost. He pulled Harry against his chest, unaware that he was whispering, “It’s okay. I’m here. It’s okay.”
It wasn’t okay. Harry was lost. Even Dumbledore knew Harry was lost. Cedric was somehow too late, he had failed him, just as he had failed him in the maze. He had failed over and over, even when this shaking, clenched fist had been wrapped around his cock, and now it was too late, he was always too late. Harry was dead, even though he screamed and screamed.
And yet Cedric knew that if Harry ever found him blind and shrieking on the ground, he would have known what to do. Harry would have found a way. Harry would never have given up. He knew this because Harry had saved him, in the maze, when he was the one possessed, and Harry had…
And that’s when Cedric understood what to do. It was so obvious, and so simple.
**
Even through the blinding agony, the ceaseless torture, Harry felt familiar lips press against his. A new thought flickered through his splintered mind: Cedric. He would die and never see Cedric again. Longing spread through his chest, and the pain suddenly lifted, the creature withdrew.
Cedric was all around him.
Harry closed his eyes and breathed him in, settling into the embrace. He couldn’t seem to stop his body from trembling. Very close to his ear, Cedric whispered, “I’m sorry” over and over, while new voices were shouting in the distance. “I’m fine,” he muttered, wondering why his voice was hoarse. He wasn’t fine. Sirius was gone. Sirius was gone, but right now Cedric was here.
And if Cedric wanted to hold him close in front of the entire Ministry of Magic, well, Harry wasn’t going to stop him.
A/N: Same deal as last time, kids! I have no immediate plans for continuing, but I am enjoying this story. So there could be an eventual sequel if an idea sticks. In the case of any further installments, I solemnly swear: less angst, more fluff!
Rating: PG-13 (this part)
Pairing: Harry/Cedric
Warnings: canon character death
Disclaimer: Harry Potter and friends did not come from my head.
Summary: Cedric is in the Order and Harry is not. They struggle with their relationship and the return of Voldemort.
Author’s Note: Part three of three. Feedback, as always, is loved and appreciated!
Force of Will
Part I
Part II
Change of Heart
Part III
He had only needed a few hours. Just a few hours of taking his exhausted eyes off of Harry to get in some final cramming for his exams. Nothing would happen in just a few hours.
And a few hours later, Professor Snape came sweeping into his office to announce, “That idiot boy has just gone to get himself killed at the Ministry.”
But Cedric was the idiot.
He leaped to his feet, nearly blacking out from sudden movement and fear, but now was not the time to show weakness. He quickly steadied himself against his desk, yet couldn’t quite steady his voice when he looked Snape in the eye and asked, “What do I do?”
The question he had left unvoiced was posed in Snape’s scrutinizing gaze. What can you possibly do? “You are instructed to use the floo network from Dolores Umbridge’s office. I daresay the Headmistress won’t mind.”
Cedric was already halfway out the door when he hesitated and looked back. “You’re not coming?” He sounded like a bloody child, and Snape silently agreed.
“It would be unwise at this time for me to be seen in battle.” He paused. “Mr. Diggory, despite Dumbledore’s overconfidence in you, it is my advice-“
Cedric did not wait to hear Snape’s advice. Harry was in danger; that’s all he needed to know.
**
Harry froze, clutching the small glass ball so hard he was afraid it might shatter in his palm. Death Eaters descended upon them in slow motion, and the severity of the situation suddenly registered. Hermione, Ginny, and Luna lay unconscious on the ground; Ron struggled with a vicious brain; Neville was reduced to a broken nose and wand.
Harry was alone.
So he did the only thing he could: he ran. Not because he was afraid. But because the Death Eaters didn’t want his friends - they wanted him, they wanted the prophecy. If he could lure them away then maybe the others could escape. All that mattered anymore was that his friends survive, because they had already paid too much for his mistakes. He held the prophecy aloft and ran through the only set of doors still unlocked, praying that the Death Eaters were following, not thinking beyond the safety of the others, not thinking beyond his next step.
Harry burst through the doorway, and an unexpected stun hit him squarely in the gut. He went tumbling down a long set of steps, crashing at the foot of a tall, stone arch. His whole body ached. As he scrambled to his feet, he checked to make sure his bones were still intact, his wand was still intact, the prophecy -
The prophecy was gone.
And there, standing by the entrance, prophecy in hand, was the Death Eater who had ambushed him. Chuckling softly under his mask, he slowly approached the spot where Harry stood. Harry raised his wand, but no spells came to him. He could only watch with rising dread as the wizard came closer, stopping right in front of him and removing his mask.
It was a face Harry had only seen once before, in someone else’s memory. Although the features had been twisted by age and madness, there was no mistaking Barty Crouch, Jr.
“Well, Potter.” Crouch’s voice was low and shaky, barely restraining his euphoria. “I was hoping I’d get to see you again. How’s your boyfriend? How’s Dumbledore? What, they didn’t escort you this time?” He stepped forward, and Harry backed up until he was pressed against the cold stone behind him. The remaining Death Eaters began closing in. Manic laughter spilled from Crouch’s mouth. “I still can’t believe it was so easy! That you actually thought you and your little mates could just stride into the Department of Mysteries and take on the Dark Lord himself! Hell, I don’t even think I was that arrogant at your age! What’s the matter Potter, dragon slaying gone to your head?”
Harry said nothing because Crouch was right. He had ruined everything by coming here. He had handed the enemy its weapon. He had endangered his friends. And now he faced eight dark wizards, and he was entirely alone.
Crouch raised his wand and grinned. “I can’t tell you how long I’ve been looking forward to this!”
As his lips began to form the words, there was an echoing crash from above. Crouch spun around, and chaos erupted all around them as six figures charged down the stairs: Sirius, Lupin, Moody, Tonks, Kingsley…
…and Cedric. That was Cedric rushing in, shooting off hexes while his frantic eyes searched the room. Oh please, no. Harry’s stomach dropped at the sight of yet another person he cared about whom he had now placed in danger. Cedric looked so small and afraid, and Harry became furious. Why was Cedric here? How could they let him come? Why did they even let him join the Order of the Phoenix in the first place?
Then their eyes met, and Cedric’s fear washed over with relief.
That’s when Harry understood. Cedric hadn’t come because of the Order. Cedric had come for him.
Harry watched as Cedric spun around and swiftly shielded a Death Eater’s attack before returning his own blinding curses, and suddenly he was focused, he was ten feet tall. And maybe Harry should have been angry at the thought of being protected by someone practically his own age. Maybe he should have been angry with Cedric for risking his life like an idiot instead of leaving it to those who were qualified. He knew at some point there had been a reason for stubborn pride and independence and all the harsh words he had spoken.
But at that moment, as Cedric fought for Harry’s sake, he felt only a deep, intense gratitude. Cedric’s presence meant more to him than he could explain. And the only way he knew to thank him was to gather what strength he had left and fight alongside him.
**
Cedric always underestimated Harry. Because amidst the injured and the unconscious, Harry was still standing.
Once he was certain of that fact, Cedric threw all his energy into the ensuing battle and prayed for the best. Harry flitted in and out of his peripheral vision as Cedric fought with the nearest hooded figure. At one point he almost took a curse to the back, but Moody intervened just in time. Then Dumbledore finally arrived, and they were winning, and for a brief moment Cedric truly believed that everything would be okay and they would all make it out unharmed.
“SIRIUS!”
Cedric spun around at the sound of Harry’s cry, and a curse grazed his arm, but he barely noticed. Harry was being restrained by Lupin as he desperately reached out toward the stone archway that towered over them, howling his godfather’s name. Another curse flew past Cedric’s head. Harry was now racing from the room, and Cedric tried to follow. But Crouch emerged before him like a nightmare, and he couldn’t run, only fight. Cedric attempted hex after hex, but they were consistently blocked as his panic began to rise. Crouch taunted him with petty insults, but Cedric wasn’t listening, he no longer cared, he just needed to get away, he needed to chase after Harry. In his desperation, he physically lifted a dislodged brick to hurl at the terrible leering face. The brick stopped inches from its target, but it was just enough distraction for Cedric to run, not because he was afraid, but because this was no longer where he needed to be.
Cedric flew past the archway, past the others, out the door, thinking only of Harry. As he raced through the labyrinth of rooms and corridors that comprised the Department of Mysteries, the whole scene felt disturbingly familiar, but he didn’t dwell on it. He had to remember the way out. He had to find Harry. But he was panicked, and kept making wrong turns and finding dead ends and-
The maze. This was the maze. And he was racing towards the entrance, and when he reached it Harry would already be-
No. Harry hadn’t died. Harry was stronger than he knew, and he had somehow survived.
Cedric finally burst through the correct door and ran to the lifts. Terrible sounds were echoing from the floors above him, but Cedric promised himself he would once again find Harry battered but breathing.
The lift clattered to the main floor, and there amidst the ruins of the Ministry lobby stood only Harry and Dumbledore, both alive, both unscathed. Cedric nearly cried with joy.
Then Harry jerked and screamed and collapsed to the floor.
His mind froze, but his legs carried him forward and the name “Harry!” flew from his lips. The boy was writhing on the ground, clawing at his forehead. His devastating howls echoed all around them. They were all Cedric could hear.
“Stay back!” Dumbledore roared, and Cedric slammed into a shield charm not two meters away.
“What’s happening?” he cried, because Harry was in so much pain, and something was wrong because Dumbledore just stood there and watched. “Do something!”
Harry choked on his screams and added in a cold, steady voice, “Kill me now, Dumbledore.” His agonized sobs filled the stunned silence that followed.
Cedric looked to Dumbledore for answers and saw fear. Dumbledore was afraid. And Cedric was terrified, because he realized Dumbledore was not afraid for Harry.
He was afraid of him.
That was why Dumbledore stood there, ashen-faced, wand raised, and did nothing to ease Harry’s torture. Didn’t even try. Anger and panic and despair simultaneously tore through Cedric’s nerves.
Harry shuddered and spoke in the same cruel voice, his lips curving into a sneer that did not belong to him. “If death is nothing, Dumbledore, kill the boy.”
The shield charm faltered, and Cedric rushed forward because Harry would not die at anyone’s hands. He grabbed Harry’s face, searching for some sign of hope in the wide, sightless eyes. There was pain and fear, and something else, something sinister that almost made him recoil, almost. He pulled Harry against his chest, unaware that he was whispering, “It’s okay. I’m here. It’s okay.”
It wasn’t okay. Harry was lost. Even Dumbledore knew Harry was lost. Cedric was somehow too late, he had failed him, just as he had failed him in the maze. He had failed over and over, even when this shaking, clenched fist had been wrapped around his cock, and now it was too late, he was always too late. Harry was dead, even though he screamed and screamed.
And yet Cedric knew that if Harry ever found him blind and shrieking on the ground, he would have known what to do. Harry would have found a way. Harry would never have given up. He knew this because Harry had saved him, in the maze, when he was the one possessed, and Harry had…
And that’s when Cedric understood what to do. It was so obvious, and so simple.
**
Even through the blinding agony, the ceaseless torture, Harry felt familiar lips press against his. A new thought flickered through his splintered mind: Cedric. He would die and never see Cedric again. Longing spread through his chest, and the pain suddenly lifted, the creature withdrew.
Cedric was all around him.
Harry closed his eyes and breathed him in, settling into the embrace. He couldn’t seem to stop his body from trembling. Very close to his ear, Cedric whispered, “I’m sorry” over and over, while new voices were shouting in the distance. “I’m fine,” he muttered, wondering why his voice was hoarse. He wasn’t fine. Sirius was gone. Sirius was gone, but right now Cedric was here.
And if Cedric wanted to hold him close in front of the entire Ministry of Magic, well, Harry wasn’t going to stop him.
A/N: Same deal as last time, kids! I have no immediate plans for continuing, but I am enjoying this story. So there could be an eventual sequel if an idea sticks. In the case of any further installments, I solemnly swear: less angst, more fluff!