"By cheering your champions on, you will contribute in a very real–"
But Dumbledore suddenly stopped speaking, and it was apparent to everybody what had distracted him.
The fire in the Goblet had just turned red again. Sparks were flying out of it. A long flame shot suddenly into the air, and borne upon it was another piece of parchment.
Automatically, it seemed, Dumbledore reached out a long hand and seized the parchment. He held it out and stared at the name written upon it. There was a long pause, during which Dumbledore stared at the slip in his hands, and everyone in the room stared at Dumbledore. And then Dumbledore cleared his throat and read out–
"Harry Potter."
Dead silence.
"Harry Potter!" Dumbledore called again, to which Harry shook his head slowly.
"No." Harry shook his head a little faster in denial. "Nope, nope, absolutely not."
"Harry! Up here, if you please!" Dumbledore said loudly and coaxingly.
"I do not please!" Harry snapped, standing up and glaring fiercely at Dumbledore. "Cedric Diggory is the Hogwarts Champion. He's older than me, he's better at magic than me, and I didn't put my name in the bloody Goblet in the first place!"
The Hall twittered around him, whispers and voices picking up, and Harry could tell the majority of them didn't believe him. McGonagall was whispering furiously to Dumbledore, who wasn't smiling.
"Harry–"
"I said no!" Harry yelled, glaring at Dumbledore firmly. "Cedric Diggory is the Hogwarts Champion! Y'know, the pretty boy Hufflepuff Seeker? Walked right by you just now? Yeah, him. Not me."
Without another word Harry spun on his heel and stalked out of the Great Hall, the complete opposite direction from where the Champions exited. People were shouting, and he could hear the Professors calling for silence and for Harry to come back, but Harry didn't listen as he sprinted down the corridor away.
Running a hand through his hair, Harry realized he'd just shouted at Dumbledore. He'd shouted at him! Not that he felt bad about that, of course, but still!
Harry didn't know who to blame for his part in the Tournament, but if he ever found out he was going to murder whoever it was. Sure, Harry had entertained the idea of being picked, but never in a million years would he have actually put his name in!
One peaceful year. Just one. That's all Harry wanted, but of-fucking-course he couldn't have it.
He took a shaking breath and stormed into his dormitories, falling face first into bed and screaming into his pillow as he realized he didn't even know how he got there.
——————————
"Cedric!" Harry jogged up to the group of Hufflepuffs surrounding him, impatiently weaving between them as they scowled and blocked his way. "Oh for the love of God let me through!"
"Harry?" Reluctantly, the crowd of Hufflepuffs dispersed a little so Harry could approach Cedric.
"Okay, look, um, hi." Harry ran an anxious hand through his hair and fidgeted in place.
"Hi." Cedric replied. As he did so, Harry could see trepidation in Cedric's eyes that made him even more anxious.
"Shit Cedric, I'm– I'm really sorry." Harry exhaled roughly, and Cedric looked at him in bewilderment. "Listen, I didn't put my name in. Seriously, I'm not trying to steal your glory, and I'm not even going to compete with you. I'm going to basically sabotage myself, and you won't even notice I'm there. I swear I will."
"Er, okay." Cedric looked terribly surprised, understandably, and Harry winced.
"That's all." Harry sighed, "Sorry again. I'll be cheering for you."
"Wait!" Cedric grabbed his wrist as he tried to walk away, and he glanced back at Cedric in surprise. "I… I thought my friends were messing with me when they said you defended my place as a Champion. I'm sorry I doubted you."
"It's a Harry Potter thing, right?" Harry smiled bitterly at Cedric's confusion. "Everyone thinks I'm all uppity about my fame, relishing the attention I get, but I literally could not care any less about that. I'm glad you were picked, Cedric, I think you'll represent Hogwarts really well. Hufflepuffs are hard workers, right?"
"Right." Cedric said faintly, staring at him with an expression Harry couldn't quite place, and he walked off when Cedric's hand fell away.
——————————
"Oh thank God." Harry stepped forward with his hands held out in front of him, "Gimme."
"... What?" Malfoy looked astonished, and Harry made an impatient noise.
"Give. Me. A. Badge." Harry said like he was talking to a toddler, "They're perfect. Gimme."
"I–" Malfoy handed one over, his mouth open in shock, and Harry excitedly took it from him.
"I have to go show Cedric." Harry grinned, and then he rushed off, "I'll see you in Potions Hermione! Also you Malfoy!"
"What the fuck–" Harry didn't bother staying to listen to the rest of Malfoy's sentence as he hurried through the castle with his bag swinging at his side.
He ran between people, muttering apologies and grinning brightly, uncaring at the odd looks and scowls he received. Most of the Puffs had stopped bothering him, but they still glared occasionally if they thought he wasn't looking.
"Cedric!" Harry called, spotting gold bronze hair in the courtyard lounging on a bench. "Cedric, have you seen them?" He stopped in front of Cedric and showed him the badge, pressing it to show off the words.
Cedric Diggory, the REAL Hogwarts Champion
"I have seen them." Cedric sighed, "I'm sorry–"
"Why're you sorry? These are great!" Harry interrupted, beaming at the bewildered look on Cedric's face. "I got mine from Malfoy, you should go grab one!"
"... What?" Cedric looked completely lost, "But he probably made them to make fun of you." Harry laughed.
"I mean, the other part of the badge is annoying, but I'm used to it." Harry waved him off, "It doesn't matter, happens all the time. Anyway, I just thought they were cool and wanted to show you. I have Potions–"
"What d'you mean this happens a lot?" Cedric frowned, and Harry shrugged.
"Eh, people have always hated me." Harry admitted, "First year because I kept losing points, second year because everyone thought I was the Heir of Slytherin, third year it was because I kept passing out when dementors were around, and this year it's the Tournament." Cedric looked… sort of horrified, and Harry flushed. "Um, yeah, anyway, it doesn't matter. I think the badges are really cool, and you should wear one. I have, uh, class… Potions! Bye Cedric!"
Harry sprinted off, red in the face from the embarrassment. He'd totally blabbed all about his stupid issues at Cedric! Harry didn't even care about any of that stuff, and he'd spilled it all out anyway. He shook his head and tried to focus on getting to Potions. Snape would kill him if he was late.
——————————
Harry muttered angrily as he walked down the corridor, trailing after Creevey like a good little Champion. The one time he wanted to be in Potions to escape his crazy messed up life, Snape kicked him out and relished his discomfort.
"Ah, here he is! Champion number four!" Ludo Bagman bounded up to him joyfully, and Harry leaned away from him. "Come in, Mister Potter, come in. I'm Ludo Bagman. Nothing to worry about here, it's just the wand weighing ceremony. The rest of the judges will be here in a moment–" The man stepped a bit too close and Harry shifted uncomfortably.
"Wand Weighing?" Harry asked; he had no idea what that was.
"We have to check that your wands are fully functional, no problems you know, as they're your most important tools in the task ahead." Bagman told him without missing a beat. "The expert is upstairs now with Dumbledore. And then there's going to be a little photo shoot. This is Rita Skeeter," He gestured to a woman at his side who had long sharp red nails and blonde curls that did not even remotely suit her. "She's doing a small piece on the Tournament for the Daily Prophet."
"Maybe not that small, Ludo." Rita Skeeter smiled, and it looked more and more shark-like the longer Harry stared at her. "I wonder if I could have a word with Mister Potter before we start? The youngest and mysterious Champion... To add some color…" Her malicious eyes were fixed on him greedily.
"Certainly!" Bagman beamed at her, "That is, if Harry has no objection?"
"Nope, nope, absolutely not." Harry shook his head hurriedly. "I really should be joining the others–" The Skeeter woman grabbed his arm, and her sharp nails dug into his arm. "H-Hey, let go!" Harry said, trying to get out of her grasp as she pulled him from the room. "You're hurting me."
"Just one tiny interview–"
"I'm pretty sure he said no." Cedric crossed the room with a glare, and Skeeter stopped pulling on Harry's arm the closer he got. She slowly let go when he reached them, and Harry yanked his arm back with a wince to hide behind Cedric. It was a little cowardly, but he didn't care as he felt Skeeter's predatory gaze follow him.
"But the fourth Champion deserves front page news." Skeeter purred, making Harry shudder.
"I don't think he wants that." Cedric said curtly, "Come on Harry." Cedric stalked off, and Harry hurriedly followed him while glancing back to make sure the reporter woman wasn't going to ambush him while his back was turned.
"Thanks." Harry said awkwardly when Cedric had rejoined Fleur.
"No problem." Cedric nodded, "It's the least I can do." He smiled, and Harry awkwardly smiled back. His word-vomit in the courtyard was still fresh in his mind, so Harry didn't reply to Cedric.
Fleur, who'd previously looked perfectly happy talking to Cedric, was scowling at Harry in a way that made him fidget uncomfortably. Maybe she thought he'd cheated too? She probably did, Harry realized bitterly, just like everyone else did too.
"Look, Fleur, uh, I didn't put my name in." Harry said, turning to face her but avoiding eye contact. "I swear I didn't. I'm only fourteen, and um, I don't need, or want, the prize money. I wanted to watch, not compete. Besides, I'm already famous enough." Harry winced at how that sounded, but didn't bother correcting himself.
"Hm." Fleur looked him up and down. "We will see." Harry sighed and looked away, rubbing the arm Skeeter had grabbed ruefully.
"Oh, I'm so glad everyone's here!" Dumbledore swept into the room, purple robes flowing around him.
"Let's get this over with." Karkaroff grumbled, and he was followed by Madam Maxime and Mr. Crouch, and Ollivander, who all joined Ludo Bagman in the center of the room. Harry and the others were ushered to a table, sitting with their wands in front of them all in a row.
"May I introduce Mr. Ollivander? He will be checking your wands to ensure that they are in good condition before the Tournament." Dumbledore smiled, eyes bright, but Harry looked away. Dumbledore wasn't helping him, so Harry was determined to ignore him.
"Mademoiselle Delacour, can we have yours first, please?" Ollivander said, his pale eyes as ominous as they'd been when Harry first met him.
Harry sat through the Wand Weighing impatiently, fidgeting every so often and scowling at the table. He didn't want to be there. He'd rather be in Potions for fuck's sake! He wasn't, however, and so he had to sit and watch as all the wands were tested including his own.
Unfortunately, his wand was perfectly functional and he was allowed to compete with it. Goddammit.
"Thank you all." Dumbledore smiled as he stood up. "You may go back to your lessons now, or perhaps it would be quicker to just go down to dinner as they are about to end-"
"Photos, Dumbledore, photos!" Bagman exclaimed, jumping up as a camera man appeared. "All the judges and Champions, what do you think Rita?"
"Er, yes, let's do those first." She was eyeing Harry up and down, and another shark-like smile slid across her face. "And then perhaps some individual shots." The way she said it made Harry shudder.
Thankfully, she didn't get to single him out too much. Group photos took forever because Krum hid from the camera, Fleur was a camera hog, Karkaroff seemed to preen about his mustache, and Madam Maxime was too tall for the camera to properly capture.
Overall, Harry decided the Wand Weighing was awful and he hated it.
——————————
"I'm not participating!" Harry yelled into the stands, keeping one eye on the dragon who was standing over her eggs and just watching him.
The shield he was under that kept him and the dragon separate from the crowd muffled the world, but Harry knew they could hear him. That was why he stared up in the vague direction of the judges, looking resolutely at their blurry figures.
For several minutes nothing happened. Harry just stood in one spot and didn't move, and the blurry shield remained in place. Sighing, Harry plopped down on the ground and sat applesauce style with his wand resting in his lap.
He'd meant what he said. Harry was participating at the bare minimum, and he wasn't going to win no matter what the judges did or what Hogwarts thought. Harry didn't want the fame. He didn't want to compete. None of it appealed to him in any way, shape, or form.
"Mr. Potter, you need to collect the golden egg for your–"
"Nope, nope!" Harry interrupted Bagman's loud ringing voice, cupping his hands around his mouth as he shouted, "Absolutely not! I'm not going to compete! I'm fourteen, and Cedric is much cooler and more interesting than I am!"
"Mr. Diggory has nothing to do with your own participation–"
"If I compete he'll be totally forgotten by literally everyone because I'm the motherfucking Boy-Who-Just-Won't-Die." Harry yelled, "Cedric is amazing in his own right, separate from me! The Goblet picked him because he's worthy and powerful, and it spat my name out as a tack-on extra!"
"Mr. Potter…" Bagman sighed, but Harry remained resolute. "Very well. This means you will not be receiving a clue for the Second Task."
"Good! I'm not participating in that either." Harry wasn't given a response, and so he waited until Charlie Weasley and the other dragon people came to take the Hungarian Horntail away to get up.
The shield finally fell, which let him hear the deafening noise of the crowd, but Harry couldn't tell if people in the stands were cheering for him or booing at him. Either way, the judges raised their wands and gave him scores.
Madam Maxime: Zero
Mr. Crouch: Zero.
Ludo Bagman: Nine.
Dumbledore: Nine.
Karkaroff: Zero.
"Oh come on!" Harry threw his hands in the air, "I didn't do anything! This is blatant favoritism!"
"Scores are final!" Bagman exclaimed hurriedly, clapping his hands. "Final scores are: Last place, Mr. Harry Potter with eighteen points! Third is Miss. Fleur Delacour with thirty points! Second we have Mr. Cedric Diggory with thirty-eight points! And in first place, with forty points, we have Viktor Krum!"
The cheers were deafening, but Harry just glared and stomped off. Dumbledore was clearly pulling something, and Harry wasn't having it. Bagman seemed to be doing something too, and Harry hated it. They were making a spectacle of him which was the opposite of what he wanted!!
Harry was walking away from the Champions tent in frustration when Cedric came into view with orange paste on one half of his face.
"Harry, hi." Cedric waved.
"I'm so sorry." Harry said immediately, looking down at the ground. "That scoring was completely biased and I hated it. I got eighteen points, which is half of what you got! I swear, if they keep giving me points I don't deserve in the next Tasks I'm–"
"Harry." Cedric put a hand on his shoulder, and Harry looked up at him with a sharp inhale. "It's okay, really. I'm just surprised that you didn't participate. You didn't get the egg."
"I don't want it, and I already said I was going to sabotage myself." Harry shook his head, "I'm really trying not to steal the spotlight, but of course it's happening anyway."
"It's a Harry Potter thing." Cedric said as his face twitched into a smile. "Look… even if it's not really working, I seriously appreciate what you're doing."
"Oh, yeah." Harry blinked, "You deserve the recognition, Cedric. You're awesome."
"Yeah, so you keep saying." Cedric frowned, and Harry tilted his head in confusion. Cedric opened his mouth to speak again, "Harry–" but he was interrupted.
"Get in here you two, we have lots to discuss!" Bagman called from the Champions tent.
"Bye Cedric." Harry said quickly, and then speed-walked in the other direction. He wasn't a Champion and he wasn't going to let them treat him like one.
——————————
"Oi Potter, still don't have a date?" Malfoy called, snickering. "Poor Potter, too scared to ask anyone, coward?"
"Oh my fuck." Harry groaned, and then he turned around to scowl at Malfoy. "You don't have a date either! Go to the Ball with me then, unless you're too much of a coward yourself!" The words were out of his mouth before he could stop them, and then he and Malfoy were both blinking in surprise at each other.
"Did you just…?" Malfoy trailed off, his pale eyes huge, and Harry cleared his throat.
"I mean, yeah, uh, sorry." Harry looked away, "Anyway, I guess I asked, so yeah." He winced when Malfoy continued to stare, so he sighed and looked back at Malfoy with resolution. "So, will you go to the Ball with me? Or are you a coward?"
Malfoy clenched his jaw and stared, not quite glaring but very much not smiling. The courtyard around them was silent, watching them in confused silence, but Harry simply waited for Malfoy to answer him.
"Fine." Malfoy said finally, looking away with an indignant sniff. "I'll escort you to the Yule Ball."
"Bloody excellent." Harry sighed, and then he stalked off. People immediately exploded with noise, but Harry kept walking and ignored Hermione's flabbergasted and wildly disbelieving expression.
——————————
"So…" Cedric cleared his throat, "Malfoy?" Harry glanced behind him to where Malfoy was approaching in his stunning black and green robes.
"So, Chang?" Harry countered, nodding toward a nearby Chang in her beautiful silver dress.
"Fair enough." Cedric smiled, "I heard rumors that you shouted at him across a courtyard." Harry winced.
"Well, he was teasing me for not having a date and called me a coward." Harry said awkwardly, "So I told him he was a coward too, and to go to the Ball with me."
"You have a very weird relationship." Cedric sighed as Malfoy finally joined them.
"Talking about me, Potter?" Malfoy raised one delicate eyebrow.
"Yes." Harry grinned, "I was just telling Cedric that you weren't a coward because you're here."
"Obviously." Malfoy sniffed, but Harry could see a smug smirk on his face. "Now Potter, I expect you to show me a proper nice time. You did ask me, after all."
"I'll do my best, Malfoy." Harry laughed brightly, and he gave Cedric a sideways glance at the odd expression he was wearing.
"Champions, over here please!" McGonagall was calling nearby. When they all lined up the next minute, Harry ended up with Draco Malfoy on his arm and walking into the Great Hall. Surprisingly, Malfoy was just smiling prettily and waving as they entered.
It was easily the most bizarre thing he'd ever seen.
——————————
"FUCK." Harry exclaimed as he stepped into the water; it was freezing. "Nope, nope, absolutely not." He waded back to shore and shivered, then he sat down and pulled his knees to his chest to stare out at the water.
"Mister Potter, aren't you going in?" Bagman asked, his loud voice reaching Harry from afar.
"Nope!" Harry called, "I'm good."
"But there's something of yours in the lake!"
"I'm aware, thank you." Harry yelled, and then he fell silent and squeezed his knees. Bagman didn't bother saying anything else.
Cedric had pulled him aside after the ball and told him the Task would be in the Lake, and that they'd have an hour to retrieve something valuable. He'd said something about it 'only being fair since he didn't get an egg' but Harry ignored the advice and decided to sit out no matter what.
So, Harry knew it was going to be a very boring hour; even still, he couldn't help staring out at the water a bit worriedly. He didn't know what was down there waiting for him, but he also knew whatever it was couldn't be that important. Besides, they'd probably give it back anyway, right? Dumbledore was like that. Usually.
People in the crowd were yelling at him, but he ignored it. He'd long since stopped caring what they thought of him. Madam Maxime looked scowly and disappointed, while Karkaroff seemed coldly interested. Dumbledore looked unusually grave, and Bagman seemed horribly unnerved.
Harry sighed. They probably thought he'd dive right in like a courageous Gryffindor without a plan, but they underestimated his hardcore Gryffindor stubborn determination to lose. To be Gryffindor was to be courteous and brave, but also strong and unbending. He was who he was, and their expectations of him meant very little in the face of his complete disregard for the Tournament.
Fleur, screaming and kicking, appeared about halfway through the Task. She had been rescued, apparently, but she was swearing and shrieking in French and trying to get back to the water.
Harry watched as she broke down, falling to her knees and sobbing. Whatever was down there was really important to her. Unease filled Harry, but he did not move from where he sat knees to his chest on the bank of the lake.
After almost exactly an hour, the end cap of the Task, Cedric rose from the depths with… Cho Chang? Harry's heart skipped a beat as he realized what was at the bottom of the Lake.
It was people.
Harry watched anxiously as Krum appeared with Hermione, and then the whistle blew and the Task was over. He held his breath as he waited, but then he exhaled on relief as a delegation of Merfolk rose from the water carrying two bodies. As they surfaced fully, the people gasped and choked and squirmed.
One of them was a silver haired girl, maybe eight at the youngest and eleven at the oldest, and she ran straight to a sobbing Fleur. Sisters, probably.
The other person was Draco, and Harry was relieved to see he was alright. He did look spitting mad though, which wasn't so great.
Harry climbed to his feet and padded over to Draco, ignoring the way Dumbledore had started shrieking at the merpeople in an odd language.
"You were going to let me drown." Draco accused, narrowing his eyes as Harry joined him.
"To be fair, I didn't know you were down there." Harry grinned, reaching forward to help Draco further wrap himself in the blanket he was wearing. "Besides, you had to know I wasn't going to participate."
"Of course I knew." Draco rolled his eyes, "I told them as much when they collected me last night, but they assured me that you'd come, the liars."
"They were being naively optimistic." Harry snickered, and when he looked back at the judges he saw Dumbledore scowling while the two other School Heads spoke to him in snappish voices. Bagman just looked lost.
Finally, Dumbledore seemed to realize he wasn't going to win whatever argument they were having, and Bagman stepped up and cleared his throat.
"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision." Bagman announced loudly. "Merchieftainess Murus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the Lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the Champions, as follows..."
"Fleur Delacour, so she demonstrated excellent use of the Bubble-Head charm, was attacked by grindylows as she approached her goal, and failed to receive her hostage. We award her: twenty-five points." People applauded, and Harry felt really glad he hadn't participated. They'd probably have tricked him into earning points like Fleur if he'd gone in the water even a little.
"Cedric Diggory, who also used the Bubble-Head charm, was first to return with his hostage, though he arrived one minute outside the time limit of an hour. We award him: forty-seven points." Harry looked over at Cedric and beamed at him with a thumbs up when Cedric met his eyes.
"Viktor Krum used an incomplete form of Transfiguration, which was nevertheless effective, and was third to return with his hostage. We award him: forty points." People cheered loudly, though Karkaroff looked especially proud.
"Harry Potter sat out completely, and most of the judges–" Bagman sent a very disgruntled Dumbledore a fleeting look before immediately looking away, "felt that his lack of participation was a just reason to earn him zero points."
"Fuck yeah!" Harry cheered, and he found that most of the people around him were cheering too. He didn't know if the enthusiasm was because they wanted him to fail, or if they were just really excited that he was excited, but he didn't care either way.
"The third and final task will take place at dusk on the 24th of June." Bagman continued, "The Champions will be notified of what is coming precisely one month beforehand. Thank you all for your support of the Champions."
"You so owe me for this!" Draco called as he and the other hostages were dragged off by Madam Pomfrey, and Harry waved to him with an unapologetic grin. As everyone else began to disperse, Harry headed up towards the castle as well.
He was in dead last, thank fuck. Cedric was in first, Krum was second, and Fleur was third. It was as though Harry wasn't there at all, exactly how he wanted it! He wasn't a real Champion, and now everyone could tell just by looking at the sheer gap in scores.
"Harry!" Cedric called suddenly, and Harry turned to him in surprise. "Hey, why didn't you go in? I told you the clue; Malfoy was down there waiting." He seemed genuinely confused, which didn't make any sense to Harry.
"Because I couldn't risk winning." Harry said honestly, "If I participated even a little, I'd have been given points. This Task was a group vote, so Dumbledore and Bagman were overruled. If I'd gone in, evaded some sea monsters, and then failed, I'd have earned points because they would've argued that I tried my best. Like Fleur."
"Oh." Cedric frowned, and Harry sighed.
"I know how this works." Harry smiled bitterly, "It's a Harry Potter thing." After a moment he smiled happily again, looking up at Cedric. "Anyway, congratulations on placing first! I'm still cheering for you."
"Yeah, thanks." Cedric was studying him, and Harry flushed lightly under the attention.
"Right, well, I'd better go. Yep, bye." Harry turned away, but Cedric grabbed his wrist.
"Hey wait." Harry slowly turned around to look at Cedric, still pink in the face. "I really mean it. Thank you for supporting me like this."
"Oh, uh, um, yeah, of course." Harry stammered, which made Cedric laugh lightly. He then smiled, which slowly turned into a thoughtful frown.
"Did you mean what you said?"
"... When?" Harry blinked, scrambling to remember what dumb thing he could've said this time.
"In the Great Hall." Cedric scrunched his eyebrows, "Do you remember what you said?" Harry paused.
"I said you were older than me, better than me, and I didn't put my name in the Goblet."
"No, after that." Cedric shook his head.
"I said you were the real Hogwarts Champion." Harry relayed, "I also called you a pretty boy Hufflepuff Seeker." Something sparked in Cedric's eyes, and he nodded.
"So, did you mean it?" He asked, making Harry frown.
"Of course I did." He said looking at Cedric in confusion. "You're talented, and you beat me at Quidditch, and you're really very pretty."
"You think so?"
"I mean, of course." Harry tilted his head in confusion. "I mean, everyone says so. You have such pretty hair, y'know, and your eyes are great too. Plus, being good at Quidditch is attractive, obviously." At this point Cedric's gray eyes were wide as saucers, and Harry abruptly realized what he'd said. "Um, I mean– uh, yeah, anyway, I'd better go. Bye, congrats, um, see you!"
His wrist slipped easily out of Cedric's grasp as he stammered nonsense at the Hufflepuff, and then he ran off with a red face.
Dammit! He'd totally babbled about Cedric being pretty TO. HIS. FACE. This was it. This was how he died. Harry had totally embarrassed himself, and he was sure Cedric thought he was so weird now! God, what was wrong with him?? He felt like crawling into a hole and never coming out.
Little did he know, Cedric stared after him with a gentle flush and a fond expression.
——————————
Harry was the last person to enter the maze, and the first one to leave it. Not by winning, of course, but by shooting red sparks into the sky and disqualifying himself by asking for rescue.
McGonagall, showing up to 'save' him, was very angry that he'd asked for an unnecessary evacuation. Unfortunately for her, but very fortunate for Harry, there was no way to retract the sparks and Harry was officially out of the running.
"I knew you'd pull something like this." Moody growled, appearing as McGonagall dragged Harry back to the main area.
"Well, I did tell everyone I wasn't a Champion." Harry grinned easily.
"Come with me." Moody said, licking his lips as his fake eye spun in seeming randomness, "I have something for you."
"Not now Alastor." McGonagall snapped, "He needs to remain here until the end of the Task."
"Fine." Moody stormed off, and Harry noticed the Professor was clutching his wand in his hand very tightly. Did he think McGonagall was going to attack him?
"Now Potter, I'm extremely disa–"
"Sorry Professor, I really think we should pay more attention to the Task." Harry interrupted with a grin, "Someone else might need a rescue." She glared at him sharply, but he didn't care; especially not as she turned away and stalked back to the rest of the teachers, leaving him alone.
The rest of the Task was just silence and waiting, until Fleur was spat out of a hedge, half conscious, very dirty, and needing to be caught by a Professor. Harry was a little curious about what happened to her in there, but he didn't ask.
There was more waiting until sparks went up, and Krum was retrieved by McGonagall immediately thereafter. When they returned, Krum was foggy eyed and dazed. Harry didn't even want to ask about that one.
So Harry stood some more, ignoring the occasional glare from McGonagall, and vigilantly watched for Cedric to appear once he won.
At some point Moody had returned, so Harry was also ignoring the intense stares Moody was giving him. They were more ominous than McGonagall's, so it was harder to ignore, but Harry had become a master of nonchalance. At least one good thing came from the Tournament; he no longer cared whether people were looking at him or not.
Finally, after what felt like forever, Cedric came out of the maze with the Cup, stumbling and covered in dirt with some blood on his arm. Harry immediately cheered for him, joined by literally everyone else as Cedric grinned and held up the Triwizard Cup.
"It's Cedric Diggory everyone!" Bagman's voice could barely be heard over the cheers, "Cedric Diggory has returned with the Triwizard Cup!"
Cedric was suddenly swarmed by people, Hufflepuffs running up and congratulating him with tight hugs and showering him in praise. Harry watched on with satisfaction and a hint of longing. Cedric looked so happy. It was exactly what Harry wanted, and why he'd done what he did. Cedric deserved the recognition for his hard work, and he was getting it. Just as Harry knew he would.
What Harry did not expect, however, was Cedric turning to look at him and grinning brightly. Harry beamed back at him, waving and giving him an approving thumbs up.
"I knew you could do it!" Harry yelled, resignedly knowing there was absolutely no way Cedric could hear him. Somehow, though, Cedric seemed to know anyway.
A new expression crossed his face, and he gently waded through the Hufflepuffs and admirers towards Harry. Harry happily jogged forward to meet him in the middle.
"You did so great." Harry enthused, still beaming as he looked up at Cedric. "Congratulations."
"I saw the sparks, was that you?" Cedric breathed, and Harry nodded. "You forfeited?"
"Right at the beginning." Harry confirmed with a huff, "McGonagall was so mad, but if someone sends up the sparks they're out." Cedric said nothing, just staring at him in awed confusion, and Harry flushed. "I said I'd be cheering you on, remember?"
"I remember." Cedric whispered, and then he leaned down and tilted his head to kiss Harry firmly.
For a moment, Harry didn't know what to do; but then he went up on his tippy-toes to kiss Cedric back and wrap his arms around his shoulders. One of Cedric's hands found his waist, and he found himself smiling stupidly as Cedric kissed him.
The crowd was screaming but Harry didn't care. Cedric didn't seem to care either as he laughed, breaking off and pressing a kiss to Harry's forehead instead for a moment.
"Sorry, I should've asked." Cedric laughed brightly, and Harry dropped down to his normal height with a dazed shake of his head.
"No, no, I'm good." Harry said breathlessly, "We're good, I mean, uh, it's good, you're gorgeous." Cedric laughed again, and Harry couldn't help laughing with him. "Sorry, that wasn't what I meant to say."
"I know what you meant." Cedric smiled, and it melted all the worry Harry had inside him about the fallout and judgment he'd get for kissing the Hogwarts Champion.
Right then, they were just themselves without fancy titles. The Hogwarts Champion was just Cedric and The-Boy-Who-Lived was just Harry. Two boys who'd somehow found their way to one another against all odds.
"Thank you." Cedric whispered.
"For what?" Harry tilted his head curiously.
"For being there, staying loyal, and supporting me no matter what. You're full of surprises." Cedric kissed him again, and Harry let himself enjoy it without a care in the world.