His world doesn't end with a shout. It doesn't end with a bang. It ends with a whisper. It ends with one sentence, with three words. It ends at the very beginning of the last page of someone else's story. His world doesn't end in fire or ice, his world ends with nothing. This is his ending.
(Yet it was the start of everything.)
It starts on October 30th, 1994. This was when he is ushered forward by his friends, shouting jokes at each other as he enters his name into the Goblet of Fire. An unassuming scrap of paper with the name Cedric Diggory, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry written on it in neat handwriting. As he throws the paper in, the flames turn a brilliant white blue and the flash almost blinds him from how close he is, but he smiles anyway and turns towards his friends. They congratulate him, assure him that he'll be picked and show everyone just what a Hufflepuff can do. He nods and smiles and agrees. They go to their dorms, and head to sleep, unaware of what will come.
It is October 31st, 1994, when both of their lives change, and not necessarily for the better. First to be called is Viktor Krum, the Champion of Durmstrang. The next is Fluer Delacour, of Beauxbatons. Next, Cedric Diggory, of Hogwarts. It's over. That's it. Until it isn't. Harry Potter walks into the room, shoulders hunched, head lowered, eyes on the ground. He says he didn't do it. Cedric doesn't know if he believes him.
"Of course the brat did it," Severus Snape snapped sneeringly. "Nothing but an attention seeking brat, just like his father." Snape spits out, looking disgusted to even say the words.
Cedric turns away, and goes to bed.
The first task is on November 24th. It's dragons. Cedric hasn't had much time to prepare, but he's had some because of Harry's warning. He's starting to think that Harry may be a good bloke after all. He may almost believe it when Harry says he didn't do it.
(He was never the bravest, never the most courageous. He can almost believe he can do it, almost believes in himself. It doesn't matter if he does, none of it matters in the end. Although, does anything really?)
He passes the task, barely. He conjures a dog to distract the dragon-a swedish short-snout, what were they thinking?!-and gets the egg, barely escaping the course. His arm is screaming, rib muscles protesting heavily as he gets to the medical tent. He wants to go home.
(He thinks about Harry, about how this small little fourth year is going against one of, if not the most vicious dragons-the Hungarian Horntail. If he can do it, why can't Cedric? Why can't he just be good enough?)
He trips into the Black Lake when he's taking a walk with his egg, trying to figure it out. It starts singing at him. (Maybe he isn't so useless after all.)
The day is February 24th, 1995, and he doesn't think he's been more afraid in his life. Cho is gone, missing, and if what the song said is correct, if he fails to find her he won't get her back. He can't exist without her.
(He doesn't want to be alone, he doesn't think he'll be able to make it on his own, please don't take her away please make it stop!)
He saves her. He makes it back up, he has saved the person saving him.
(And he'll do it again. And again. And again. He will save the person that saves him twice, but he won't be able to be saved himself.)
(And maybe he's ok with that.)
(He is so very tired.)
Harry comes up with Ronald Weasely and the youngest Delacour sister. If only he could be more like him, more heroic, more brave.
(He is perfect the way he is, but he does not know that. Not yet. Perhaps not ever.)
The third task is daunting, but he gets through it. Harry saves him again from an acromantula (That's two) and they make it to the Cup together.
"You've won it," he says, gesturing Harry forward, "you get to take it, mate."
Harry frowns and says they ought to take it together, but Cedric doesn't think so. He didn't do much during this Tournament anyway. Harry disagrees, and they take the cup.
It feels nothing like the portkey they took earlier this year, as they swirl and swirl and swirl, compressed but not, feeling weightless but so, so heavy (though that may just be him).
They land on the ground that is colder than an ice-box, colder than the winters at Hogwarts. It is there that he meets his end.
His world does not end with a bang, or with a shout. It ends with a whispered hiss that says "Kill the spare!" and a flash of green light. Then nothing.
(This may be his ending, yet it is the start of everything. A war is waged in his name, he is the catalyst.)
(When he dies, he is scared. He is scared because what will happen to Harry, his parents, what will happen to Cho? But then he sees and he is calm. He feels nothing, nothing but hope as he watches Harry battle the madman from beyond. He knows that it will be alright.)
(He hopes they do not look in his dresser.)
(They do. They find all of his thoughts written down, thoughts that say he is nothing, thoughts that think he is worthless, after all everything he did was by luck or help. What good was he? They find it and they pray in Cedric Diggory's name, that he will hear them and know he was loved, that he is loved even after he is gone. That he was cherished.)
(He hears this, and comes to peace with himself, fading into the afterlife. Perhaps now, he can be happier than he wasn't.)