Something, someone is tugging me—pulling me away… away from… whatever it was. I was happy back there; why am I leaving? What is this place I’m coming back to? Coming back to? This is a cemetery, somewhere I wasn’t supposed to be in the first place… why was I here to begin with? Why can’t I remember? Remember my story… remember who I am…

It happened so fast—I don’t really know any details about this place. I just know that I am here now, and something is pulling me out of this wand…

A wand? But not just a wand, somehow… somehow it’s connected to another wand—and there’s music! A Phoenix song… The music—it represents something, or someone important—but where is it coming from?

My eyes come back to the wands—they’re connected with a golden thread and surrounded by some kind of a web. Beads of light are traveling towards the wand I climbed out of… How did I come out of a bead of light? How am I here? Why can I not do anything but watch? Why are these two wizards staring at me… and each other… it’s a duel! But why?

The boy… Somehow, I remember that boy… he is important, I know he is. But how? What did he do? Why is the dark-haired boy so important? He looks… shocked. Does he know me? Why is that scar so familiar?

The boy! We were together— there was a task… A tournament… a competition between… between other witches and wizards? No—between schools… but something went wrong. Something unexpected happened. And that’s why I’m here. I died. Somehow, I’m not alive—wait! I felt a sense of urgency… somehow I need to help this boy.

Frantically, I glance at the other wizard. An evil wizard—with slits for nostrils and red eyes wide with horror—looking at me… A grown wizard, scared of me?

Why did I come out of his wand?

Suddenly I remember—it’s not supposed to be like this—this isn’t the end we wanted. It is supposed to be a victory! And it went wrong… terribly wrong.

We ended up in a graveyard far away from Hogwarts. We… me… and the boy! My eyes traveled back to the dark haired boy with glasses. We were in it together, this tournament. It was supposed to bring witches and wizards together, safely… But there were two others—four champions! I was one of them—and the boy… there was something important about the boy. We were both champions…

Suddenly it hits me. I know it; I know this boy is the key. He is the only person who will ever be able to defeat the darkest wizard I have ever seen—the evil man standing in front of me. And I know, somehow, at all costs, he must be defeated. How? I don’t know…

He killed me and would kill many others. He is going to kill the boy. The boy with the scar… The boy… the boy… Potter! Harry Potter!

“Hold on, Harry!�




A/N: Disclaimer: I don’t own Cedric Diggory’s character, and I don’t claim anything that happened in Goblet of Fire including plot, characters, setting, everything. This scene is inspired from pages 665-6 in the American edition, and the last line is JKR’s, not mine, found on page 666.

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything HP. Except the characters that are mine. The end.


A/N: FYI, canon says that Cedric and the Weasley twins are in the same year. I promise they are. This means: Harry is two years younger than Cedric, Cho is one year younger than Cedric, and the twins are in the same year as Cedric. Thanks!





“Wake up!� shouted my dad as he pounced on my bed at… what time? It was still pitch black outside.

“Come on, son, you can’t expect to be sleeping in all day—this is the World Cup we’re talking about! Come on, get up… wake up,� he continued as he tugged on my arms and bounced on my bed.

I grinned to myself as I rolled over to check the clock—two A.M. Yes, my dad was waking me up at two A.M. He “sent� my mom and I to bed at eight o’clock the night before, then kept us up all night talking about how exciting it was that the World Cup will be held in England this year—a once in a lifetime opportunity—something he’d been talking about non-stop for the past three weeks.

“The Cup, the Cup, it’s the World Cup! It’s time to go! How come you’re not dressed yet? Muggle style, remember! Come on—we’re leaving! Mum’s made breakfast and we’re all ready to go. It’s the World Cup!�

I rubbed my eyes and rolled over to look at my dad. I suppressed a grin… my dad was wearing my mother’s silk pink bathrobe. I stretched and laughed to myself; I doubted that my dad even knew he put it on.

“Come on son, get out of bed. I’ve been trying to wake you up for the past ten minutes! Now put on these Muggle clothes, we’re walking out the door!�

“All right, all right, I’m up, I’m up. But, Dad?�

“Yes, son?�

“You’re in a bathrobe. You can’t go to the Cup like that,� I said as I attempted to stifle a yawn.

He looked down at his clothes as if seeing them for the first time. He looked up, nodded his head in a very business-like manner, and started walking out of my room. “Right. See you in thirty seconds!�

“Okay, Dad,� I replied as I pushed myself out of bed to pull on some clothes. This was one of those rare occasions where I could get by with only two hours of sleep. It was like Christmas! But it was the World Cup.

I headed down the stairs and was greeted by my mother’s warm smile.

“Morning, Mum!� I said as I kissed her on the cheek.

She handed me a cup of tea and asked me if my father was awake.

I slid onto the barstool at the counter, “Do you even have to ask?�

She gazed upstairs and smiled as she said, “Your father is very excited to be taking you, you know.�

“I know. It’s just entertaining to think about… my dad pouncing on my bed. It’s about as good as my cousins at Christmas!�

“Yes, he was a bit anxious… at least I didn’t let him run in at one in the morning to make sure you set out your clothes before you were asleep.�

I laughed, “Thanks, Mum; I appreciate that!�

“Here, eat some toast,� she said as she passed me a warm plate. “I packed some food for you and your father—including a lunch—in these bags over here. Will you take them? I’m not sure your father will remember what food even is this morning,� she said with a twinkle in her eye.

Mum always looked out for us and often threw in extra treats just for fun. I was pretty sure she tucked a few coins in the pockets to spend at the vendors.

“Oh, and have fun, son,� she added as she gave me a hug. “As you father has told us 3,742 times or so, you will be watching the two best Quidditch teams in the world, and Bulgaria’s seeker is amazing. Just don’t let your father get too absorbed in the game. Remember the last match he attended? He came back with two black eyes and a broken wrist… Just try to contain his excitement, okay?� she asked as she winked.

At that point we heard my father bounding down the stairs. “All set!� he exclaimed when he reached the bottom stair.

My dad headed over to give my mum what I thought would be a simple kiss goodbye. Instead, he took her in his arms and kissed her like he would never kiss her again. It was a bit awkward watching my parents full-out kiss each other in front of me. Thankfully, they broke apart just as I rose to make a silent exit.

“Well, Amos,� Mum said a bit breathlessly, “If I had to put up with all those weeks of anticipation just for that, I’d say you should go to the World Cup more often!�

Since my father still had her dipped in her arms, he kissed her again—thankfully this one didn’t last forever.

“The World Cup Exhibition is in Ireland next year, right? Do you need me to get tickets?� she asked with a smile.

My dad laughed and stood her back on her feet. “Ready, son?�

My face broke into a grin. “Ready!�

We gathered our bags and headed out the door.

---

Once we had taken the portkey to the campgrounds, we said our goodbyes to the Weasleys and headed opposite directions.

“So, that was the famous Harry Potter, eh?� asked my dad as soon as they were out of earshot. “You know, I’m proud of you son…�

Oh no, I thought, please don’t make me feel even more awkward about that whole fiasco with Harry and the Weasleys.

“That’s definitely a story to tell your grandchildren... and their children,� he said with a grin as he shook his head from side to side. He put his arm around my shoulders, and we continued walking towards our campsite.

I didn’t really know what bothered me more—my dad not telling the story accurately in front of all those Gryffindors or the fact that I knew Fred and George would never forgive me. I could tell by their not-so-friendly hello. It wasn’t like we were best friends, but we were in the same year—we sat our O.W.L.s together last year. And it really bothered me—they just didn’t like me…

I think we could have been friends. My first trip to Hogwarts, I met Fred and George on the train. They had this crazy suspicion that if you lit off just the right amount of Filibuster Fireworks inside the compartment, no one would get hit. Surprisingly enough, they were right; that is, after we lit off the right number of fireworks! I will never forget the poor trolley lady’s face when she stuck her head in our compartment to ask if we wanted anything—she almost had a heart attack! We laughed all the way to the castle.

Even though we were sorted into different houses, we had flying lessons together that year. Fred and George started talking to me about Quidditch—I remember watching their older brother Charlie play. He was amazing! I remember cheering for him every game—it’s a shame Gryffindor didn’t win the cup either of the years Charlie was captain.

I remember my surprise when I made Seeker on my own house team in my second year. I was so excited, but I had to play against Charlie Weasley in my very first game! I was shaking so much that I could hardly mount my broom. But he smiled as he came over to me, and I’ll never forget what he said; “Hey, I know this is your first match. Don’t be afraid to take risks, okay? Good luck!�

That game was the most miserable game of my life, and not just because of the weather. I felt like I was all over the place, and I was. Not to mention the fact that I was flying against Charlie who could have played for England. After the game (Charlie caught the Snitch, of course) Charlie flew over to me and congratulated me on how well I flew out there.

“Yeah right,� I responded. “You totally killed me out there!�

“No,� his voice took a more serious tone, “I just taught you how to be a better Seeker—you’ll only get better from here.�

And he was right—he did teach me how to be a better Seeker. From that game on, I took more risks, and I did improve. I will never be as good as he was, but he gave me the confidence I needed to try. I admire all the Weasleys. They are very accepting—until you beat them at Quidditch—but I still think Fred and George could still be my friends… if only we could have played that game again—it really wasn’t fair that the Dementors—

“Son?—Son!�

“Huh?�

“Are you okay?� my dad asked.

“Sure, why?�

“I’ve asked you five times if Ed and Porter were coming.�

“Oh! Sorry, Dad… Yeah, Ed will be here, but Porter couldn’t make it. He had some sort of family gathering; something that Muggles do every year. He tried to explain it, but I didn’t quite understand. We were just going to meet up with him on the train back to school. But I don’t know where Ed is… he’s around here somewhere…� I drifted off as we reached our campsite.

We took time to set everything up and eat a second breakfast. Then my dad said, “It’ll be hard to find Edward in this lot, but you’re welcome to try. Listen, I told your Uncle Clark we would be here—you know, he’s one of the Mediwizards for the match.�

My dad had reminded me of this countless times, but I didn’t mind. I liked it when dad and his brother were around each other; it was certain that there would be friendly banter and plenty of energy.

“And now I have something up on him! Yes, I have to tell him that I met Harry Potter! I’ll bet he can’t beat that! Harry Potter… yes, that will be good.�

I laughed to myself, but silently agreed. Meeting Harry Potter is definitely one of those things that not everyone can say they’ve done. Unless you go to school with him.

“So go ahead and look around, then let’s meet back here for lunch before the Cup.�

We threw our bags into the tent and headed off in search of some familiar faces.

I stopped at a vendor displaying Filibuster’s New Everlasting Sparklers just as I realized how unlikely it was that I would actually find Ed here, where thousands upon thousands of wizards all over the world were gathered.

I gazed around, just in case Ed happened to walk by at that moment, and I saw Cho Chang. I quickly pulled my eyes down, suddenly fascinated by the way the sparklers were packaged. I didn’t know what to say to her. She was possibly the prettiest Seeker I’d ever met, and I didn’t want her to think I was staring at her. She went to my school and was a year younger than me, but she had gorgeous hair and the prettiest smile I’d ever seen. I really wanted to talk to her other than at a Qudditch match, but I didn’t know what I would say. I didn’t want her to think I was creepy or a stalker or—

“Hi, Cedric!�

“Oh! Hey, Cho…,� I said as I jerked my head up. “How are you?� I asked as I turned over the box of sparklers I was previously so enthralled with.

“Well, I’m at the World Cup!� she said with a grin.

“Yeah, me too.�

Me too? What in the world was that? Of course I’m here at the World Cup!

“So, how was your summer?� I asked, trying to recover from my previous statement. I tried to put the box of sparklers back on the cart, but it was having a hard time balancing itself.

“Oh, it was good. It’s nice to be home with my family.�

She has such a pretty smile.

“Yeah… So, are you excited to watch Krum play?� I asked, frantically trying to keep the conversation alive. It didn’t help that I was distracted by the stack of sparklers that just didn’t want another box put on top.

“Of course I am.�

I’ve never noticed her eyes before… they were about the prettiest things I’ve ever seen.

“Cedric?� she asked as she steadied the pile for me.

Our hands brushed… I don’t think she noticed. She looked at me, expecting me to say something.

“Huh… oh! Yeah. I am too. He’s a good Seeker, you know. And, I play Seeker, you play Seeker—hey, we both play Seeker!�

“Yes we do,� she said with a grin.

There’s that smile again… how does she do it?

I stopped myself before I picked up another box of sparklers. I didn’t want to deal with that again. So I settled with putting my hands in my pockets and shifting my weight to the side.

“Well,� she continued, “we were just about to sit down to eat so…�

“Right,� I said with a nod. “Well, I’ll see you around?�

“Of course,� she said as she walked back to her family.

I pulled myself away from the vendor as I realized what I had just said…

We both play Seeker? What was that, Diggory? Could you turn your brain on for thirty seconds when you get around that girl? Or any girl for that matter…

“Diggory! Hey, Diggory!�

I looked up and my face split into the biggest grin I’d worn all day. “Ed! How are you, mate?�

He laughed, “I’m great! But it took me forever to find you—I’ve been looking around for you all day!� he added as he hit my shoulder. “How was your summer—any luck with the ladies?� he asked as he raised his eyebrows and nudged me repeatedly with his elbow.

I laughed out loud, “Not nearly as much as you, I’m sure! How many girls got you in trouble this summer, or should I ask, how many Muggle hearts did you break? I hope you didn’t use any love potions this time.�

“Nah… Just raw animal magnetism!�

We both laughed.

“Have you checked this place out yet? There are vendors from all over the place with all kinds of accents and trinkets. I ran into a few French girls who are quite lush—if you know what I mean,� he said with a wink.

“All right, all right, let’s go,� I said. Then with a lavish bow and very dramatic enunciation I added, “Show me the way Sir Edward Blackington—you’ve never steered me wrong!�

“That’s right I haven’t, and don’t you forget it!�

---

What a day, I thought to myself as I was drifting off to sleep that night. The World Cup, running around with Ed, and, best of all, I got to see Cho.

I grinned to myself as I rolled over—trying very unsuccessfully to take my mind off Cho and drift off to sleep—when suddenly there were shouts just outside our tent.

I sat up in my bed listening and realized they were screams of terror—not just shouts.

I stuck my head out of our tent and saw people running in all directions and further off, people in the air…

I ran over to my dad and began shaking him.

“Dad—Dad!�

He swatted in my direction and muttered, “Go get your own broom, this elephant is mine…�

Whatever that was supposed to mean.

“Dad—you have to get up!�

“What—is it time to go already?� He paused and looked around. “Son, it’s not even light yet, what are you doing waking a person up at—�

“I don’t know what’s going on, but something isn’t right. You have to get up.�

We listened to the screams outside, and then in an instant my dad and I both pulled on some clothes and grabbed our wands.

“Okay, son, I want you to stay away from the trouble—no! Not another word, your mother wouldn’t hear of it. Stay out of trouble, and meet me back here once everything cools down. Hopefully this will be over soon.�

And with that we both stepped out of the tent. My father Apparated to wherever Ministry officials were gathered and I started walking. I didn’t know where to go; people were running in all directions. Their urgency was contagious; I picked up my pace.

The sense of terror was evident in the eyes of everyone around. People were running—not from only a terrible situation—but from something they had suppressed. Something they hadn’t expected to see ever again…

“Aahhh!� cried a voice just below me.

I looked down and stopped immediately to avoid running into a small girl. It was the same little girl who was sitting in front of us at the World Cup. While we were there, I made faces at her to make her laugh. She was three or four years old with blond hair, and now tears were streaming down her face. I quickly looked around to see if her parents were nearby.

I knelt down, looked into her blue eyes, and tried to comfort her.

“Hi, there.�

She looked at me through her tears.

“Do you know where your parents are?�

At the sound of a loud bang, her eyes grew wide and she jumped.

I took her little hand in mine, hoping to distract her from the shouts.

“Do you want to come with me?�

She nodded her head as she threw her arms around my neck.

I smiled to myself as I picked her up and started walking towards the forest.

“What’s your name?� I asked, in hopes that she would know her first and last name—so we could find her parents.

“Savannah.�

“Savannah what?� I prompted.

“Savannah Marie Bristol,� she said, enunciating each word.

“Oh, wow. You know your whole name! What else do you know?� I asked with mild surprise.

“I know how to count my numbers and letters, and I even know how to play exploding snap so I can beat my brother,� she said very matter-of-factly.

I laughed to myself as the little girl told me a few more things and became more and more relaxed—she was forgetting about the shouts coming from another part of the campsite. I held her but was unsure of what else to do. I knew I had to keep her distracted, but I also had to make sure we stayed out of harm’s way.

We ended up far enough into the forest that I would have a decent heads up if anything headed our way but close enough to camp that I would be able to tell if things settled down.

So I stood there, holding Savannah as we leaned against a nearby tree. I continued to ask her questions. She recited all her numbers and letters and even began singing to me. (She informed me that she would be a singer when she grew up and that she’d make sure to invite me to all of her concerts.)

As she was singing a song about a niffler who lost his trove of treasure, I heard someone coming our way, so I shifted my weight forward so I could be better prepared to act if necessary. The person came into sight. It was Cho.

“Cho?�

She jumped slightly, but then started walking towards me. I was so relieved it wasn’t anyone else.

“Cedric? Is that you? Oh, I’m so glad I found someone I know,� she said as she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a huge hug. “I got separated from my family as we were heading towards the forest.�

She stopped to look at Savannah, who was eying Cho very carefully. Cho raised her eyebrows and looked at me; I smiled and introduced her to Savannah.

After the introduction, Savannah burst out with a question.

“Are you his girlfriend?�

I was so shocked, I almost dropped her.

What would Cho think?

I hastily tried to come up with something to cover up the awkwardness. “Uh… Cho and I go to the same school.�

At that same moment, Cho started giggling. I relaxed significantly; Cho didn’t feel awkward at all.

Seeming pleased with this answer, Savannah said to Cho, “Oh. I like your hair. It’s very shiny.�

Cho reached up and brushed a strand of hair off Savannah’s forehead and said, “Well, I like your hair too!�

And with that, Savannah and Cho suddenly became best friends and started talking about all kinds of things while I watched and enjoyed their cheerfulness.

There was a lull in their conversation, and Cho sat down to lean against a tree in exhaustion. She looked over at me. I don’t think I will ever get over how pretty she was at that moment.

“So, what now?� she asked as she looked up at me expectantly.

I took a deep breath as I moved Savannah in front of me so we could sit next to Cho. “Now we wait,� I said.

I looked at her and could see the exhaustion on her face. She smiled at Savannah and patted my arm.

“You’re right,� she said. “Now we wait.�

We sat there for a moment, just listening. Then Savannah turned around and looked at me with her bright eyes. I knew a question was coming, and I knew I would do anything she asked. How could I say no to a face like that?

“Can we play exploding snap?� she asked very energetically. “I want to see if I can beat you, too.� She looked over at Cho. “I can beat my brother,� she added importantly.

“All right,� said Cho. “But only if I get to play too.�

Disclaimer: Once again, I do not own any of JKR's stuff. It's hers. All of it. Except for my characters that I happen to love. :)



“Clark! You prat! You just vanished all the bones in my leg!�

Although it may seem a grave situation to see your dad’s bones vanish, all the onlookers were laughing so hard that we were doubled over, clutching our sides.

My cousins, Ed, and I were all together—a “Going Back to Hogwarts� party—watching my dad and Uncle Clark duel. Why were they dueling? Why was it so intense that Clark purposely vanished all the bones in my dad’s leg?

They both wanted the last piece of cake.

It was one of the famous Amos and Clark dueling matches—something no one wanted to miss out on. Last time, my dad ended up with flowers growing out of his ear while Clark hung upside-down from the neighbor’s weathervane. That time they were only discussing who exactly would be on the ultimate Quidditch team; this time it was over the last piece of my mum’s cake—a much more serious situation.

My dad was currently sprawled on the ground, his boneless leg folded awkwardly beneath him. He pushed himself up and threw his wand hand out as he shouted, “Frivolitus Maxima!�

At that point, Uncle Clark began skipping around the yard, smiling at the clouds, and having lovely conversations with the daisies. He started prancing our way, singing “I Wish I Were a Golden Snitch� at the top of his lungs. Aunt Louisa saw the way Clark was eyeing her and began backing away, but not quickly enough.

Clark leapt towards her with his arms wide open like some sort of bird. He snatched her into his arms, planting a large kiss on her nose before twirling her around the yard. It was a dance previously unknown to wizard-kind, the likes of which we will never see again. It was a cross between an Irish Jig, a Mambo, and a Foxtrot. We could barely hear Louisa’s frantic cries over our laughter, which had doubled since my dad had lost the bones in his leg.

“Amos! Amos, undo it! Undo whatever you did! Make him right!�

“He’s never been right,� my dad said casually. “Besides, it wears off eventually. UNLIKE MY LEG!�

Mum came out to accurately survey the damage, a huge grin spreading across her face. “Well, now that you’ve had your fun, the next cake is coming to the table. Come on in, everyone.�

“The next cake! Bridget! Bridget, help me up!� called my dad from across the yard.

Mum looked over at Dad with a twinkle in her eye. “I think you can manage,� she called. “You’ve never missed out on a piece of my cake before!�

Amos burst out laughing at his wife’s challenge.

Ed asked if we should help him in.

I smiled. “No, my dad really would never miss out on cake. Besides, it’s my mum’s cake. I would never miss out on it!�

We took one glance back at the yard. Dad was pulling with his arms and pushing with his one good leg, occasionally taking breaks to look over at Clark and Louisa. She was still being swung around the yard. Apparently the curse didn’t wear off quickly.

“I’ll have to remember that one,� Ed said as we walked in for cake. “If you ever get boring or too serious at school, you’re definitely going to get hit with a little of the Frivolitus action.�

I threw my head back, laughing. “I’ll make sure to master that vanishing bones thing, then.�

“Did your uncle mean to do that?�

“Oh, yeah. He’s a Mediwizard, remember? He knew he’d be able to fix it after; I guess he just thought he would win with that.�

“That’s awesome,� Ed replied. “I’m definitely excited to be around for the next Amos and Clark showdown, so make sure they don’t do it without me as a witness.�

“I’ll pass the word along,� I answered.

Mum handed us each a plate of cake. “Make sure you have all your things packed. We won’t be staying here tonight,� she said, attempting to suppress a smile. “It looks like we’ll be taking your father and Uncle Clark to St. Mungo’s. Clark’s in no condition to fix anything, and I very much doubt Louisa wants to be out there dancing and talking to those twinkling ‘fairies in the sky’ all night long.�

---

“It was the best thing I’d ever seen!� Ed said energetically as he explained to Porter what exactly had happened the night before.

Porter was the perfect audience for Ed, too. He’d witnessed some Amos and Clark action before, so he understood the gravity, or rather, the levity of the situation, and was laughing as hard as we were.

“Your dad is awesome, Cedric! It would be a shame if he ever stopped being a kid,� Porter affirmed.

I laughed before responding, “Would you really want him to?�

“Hex no!� cried Ed, suddenly becoming melodramatic. “If the adventures of Amos and Clark ever cease, I’d… I’d… I’d live in the Forbidden Forest, I would!�

We burst out with laughter again.

“Well, it was certainly was entertaining,� Ed continued. “We didn’t sleep at all last night!�

“I can see that,� Porter said, pointing to my cousin Bevan who was fast asleep on the seat next to me. “It looks like you completely wiped him out.�

“Well, we had to get him ready for Hogwarts, right?� Ed asked proudly. “I mean, I’ve taken a liking to him; he reminds me of me.�

Porter and I looked at each other with raised eyebrows.

“Please,� Porter said, “enlighten us.�

Ed looked slightly taken aback. “You don’t see it? Look at him! He’s a first year, hanging out in what can only be described as the coolest compartment of sixth years ever!� Ed paused here reminiscently. “Yes, I remember my first train ride over. I loved being the cool first year with all those older kids, making jokes, laughing—�

At this point, Porter and I couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Yeah, right!� Porter cried. “You were the biggest loser ever when we met you! Remember after the sorting when we were sitting at the Hufflepuff table? You were so quiet, and what was it you said? Oh yes, ‘Thanks for sitting next to me; I was all alone in my compartment the whole ride up here.’ Real cool, Ed.�

“He has a point,� I said.

“Well,� Ed started, “at least I knew Bevan’s name!�

“Oh, and that made you cool your first year?� Porter taunted back.

“All right, all right,� I interjected. “Let’s just say Bevan’s cool. Yes? And Ed?� He looked at me with one hand in his pocket, no doubt reaching for his wand. “You’re cool now, right?�

“That’s right,� he nodded. “And don’t you forget it.� He sat back down, rather satisfied with himself and said, not-so-under-his-breath, “You wouldn’t even know what cool was if it wasn’t for me.�

Porter and I just smiled.

I was glad Bevan was with us for the train ride over. It would be fun to finally have a family member going to Hogwarts. My cousins were the closest I had to actual siblings, and I loved having them around.

“So, I have a question for you,� Porter said, interrupting my thoughts.

Ed and I just looked over at him; he was fidgeting—not a normal Porter thing to do.

“If you, you know, had, like… a girlfriend, and you came back to school… do you think she’d still, you know, want to be your girlfriend when you got back?�

“Whoa! Right on Porter!� Ed cheered, immediately snapping out of his semi-pout. “No wonder you were so busy all summer. There really wasn’t a family floo-whatsis, was there?� he asked as he punched Porter’s shoulder.

I just laughed as Porter pushed him away.

“For real, guys,� he said. “What do you think?�

“I dunno,� I responded. “Who is it?�

“Well, you see,� Porter started, “well… it’s kind of—�

“Come on, mate, who is it?� Ed pried.

“Well, it’s one of my neighbors, the girl down the street—�

“Wait a minute,� I interrupted. “You live in an all-Muggle town. You were the first wizard to come out of there in about thirty years. You said so yourself.�

“Yeah, that’s right,� Porter confirmed.

“You’re dating a Muggle?� Ed asked, a mix of shock and laughter filling his voice.

“Well, yes,� Porter said, slightly defensively. “I mean, I’ve known her my whole life, and we’ve been friends forever. I’ve written letters to her every year while I was away at school, and she writes me back and—�

“How do you write a Muggle from Hogwarts? I know we can owl our parents and friends but… you didn’t tell her you were a wizard, right? She’d get a bit of a shock having owls swoop down on her.�

“No, I didn’t tell her anything about that.�

“Well, then what did you say?� Ed was getting very worked up about this, partly out of concern for his friend, but mostly to aggravate him.

“I didn’t tell her anything,� Porter said defensively. “I have this system. She knows I go away to boarding school, right? Right, so I just told her that it’s a very strict boarding school and that everything can only be sent to or come directly from home. So I owl my letters home and have them take them over to her house, and she just gives her letters to my mother and has her deliver them. I’ve learned to wait a week or so to account for the Muggle post system—that took some explaining—but other than that it works rather well. We’ve been doing it for years. Like I said, she’s one of my best friends.�

Porter seemed rather proud of himself; Ed seemed rather hurt.

“So, why haven’t you told us about her before, mate?�

“Well, you know,� he replied, but clearly we didn’t know. He sighed. “I’m a wizard and she’s a Muggle. How many wizards do you know who date Muggles while they’re at Hogwarts?� He paused to look at our blank faces. “Exactly. Besides,� he continued in a lighter tone, “I really like her, and I didn’t want you to find out who she was and go steal her heart away, Ed. I know how you are—or should I say ‘how you aren’t’?—with the ladies.�

“Oh, that’s it,� Ed cried as he jumped onto his seat. “You’re on, mate! I challenge you the first Hufflepuff dueling match of the year!�

---

What a night, I thought as I headed down to breakfast by myself.

Ed and Porter were locked in a very important wrestling match of some sort in the dormitory, and I was starving. So I was off to the Great Hall alone that morning, but the food would definitely be worth it.

The whole train ride over had been entertaining—filled with duels, jokes, and laughter. Then there was the Sorting Ceremony; Bevan was sorted into Gryffindor. Unfortunately, I wouldn’t see him as often as I would like, but he seemed to fit right in with the other Gryffindor first years there.

At the end of the feast, Dumbledore had announced something spectacular—the Triwizard Tournament. I had felt the same way Fred had—horrified that there would be no Quidditch Cup but amazed that the Tournament would actually be held at Hogwarts.

I would be turning seventeen in October—as Ed and Porter reminded me multiple times last night—which meant I would be eligible to compete in the Tournament. I was a bit apprehensive about that. Yes, it would be the experience of a lifetime, and Ed and Porter were certainly on my side, but all the seventh years would be eligible too. How exactly did they pick who would be the champion, anyway?

Before I could come up with an answer, a very attractive young lady took the seat next to me so that her back was to the table. Her hair fell over her shoulder as she leaned backwards, resting her elbows on the table, and she looked straight at me, a smile playing at the corner of her lips.

“Cedric,� she started, “I do believe we have some catching up to do.�

My face split into a grin, wider than I expected, “Emma! What have you been up to?�

“Well, the normal mischief,� she started, “This morning, I was planning on bugging you about prefect duties, but then I remembered you already covered those without telling me. Then I was going to eat some of your breakfast, but then I realized you hadn’t gotten any yet because, well, I’m not sure why. So, I think I’ve decided to tell you that I was thinking about you. Not really in a good way, but it was nostalgic and made me laugh. Remember that time second year when we went out for two days? Yeah, that was awful; you were the worst boyfriend ever.�

“What, I don’t even get a hello?� I asked, slightly taken aback, but still grinning.

“Well, I considered it, but then I thought that might give you a big head, so, for your ego’s sake, I decided to cut that part out,� she replied, giving him a cheeky smile.

“So you decided to bring up a rather embarrassing moment you apparently like to refer to as the ‘Cedric: Worst Boyfriend Ever’ chapter of my life?�

“You have to admit it’s true. I saw you more in two hours when we were just friends than in the two days you tried to be my boyfriend. You just failed in that part of our relationship. You didn’t even kiss me!�

“All right, all right, I get it!� I laughed. “I understand. Do you need me to apologize again? I’d be more than willing,� I continued as I looked down at her with a smile.

“No,� she said. “I just wanted to let you know I was thinking about it. Do you know what else I was thinking about last night?� She continued before I could respond. “I was thinking that you would make an excellent Triwizard Champion.�

I looked over at her quizzically.

“Really,� she continued. “Even though you’re a terrible boyfriend, I think you’d really excel at this. Face it; you’re a natural at everything you do!�

“Thanks, Emma.� That truly was a compliment coming from her.

“I mean, naturally, you wouldn’t have a chance if I was old enough to enter,� she winked, “but since I can’t, you’ll have to make me proud. Anyway, I’ll just let you mull that over with your sidekicks,� she said as she stood up to leave.

Sure enough, Ed and Porter had entered the Great Hall.

“I’ll see you in class,� she added. “Because I do actually see you when you’re not trying to be a good boyfriend,� she added with a smirk as she headed toward her friends.

“Why does she always do that?� Ed asked as he took a seat.

“You mean leave right as you head over?� Porter responded.

“Yes! I swear I took a shower before I came down,� he said as he smelled under his arms, just to double check.

“She just thinks your wit might be too much for her,� I said, concealing my sarcasm.

Ed sat a little taller in his seat. “Well, I knew the ladies adored me. I guess I’ll have to start toning it down a bit.�

The post came in as we started eating. Students received packages—things they’d forgot and reminders from concerned parents. An owl landed in front of us with a letter.

“Hey, Porter it must be for you! I’ll bet it’s from your Muggle girlfriend,� Ed joked. “She probably misses you already!�

At that point, Ed ducked under the table; Porter had just charmed all the food in sight to start attacking Ed mercilessly.

“Actually, it has your name on it, Ced,� Porter said, tossing the letter to me.

Sure enough, my dad’s handwriting was on the front of the letter. Apparently the bone growing fiasco was over; it wasn’t written on St. Mungo’s parchment. I opened the letter and started reading through it.

“Dad wants to know if I’m entering the Tournament.�

“Well, you should,� said Porter as I finished the letter. “You’d be great.�

“Yeah you would,� Ed added as he wiped food he hadn’t managed to stop from attacking him off his robes. “I would enter if I was old enough.�

I just shook my head, “I don’t know. I mean it’s a huge deal… I thought about it, but not seriously.�

“Well maybe you should,� Porter said.

“All right, then,� Ed said with great dramatization as he patted my back. “We’ll just let you think on that now then, won’t we?�

“How about we let him think on it during our first class? We have Divination with Trelawney again—hopefully her N.E.W.T. classes are even better than her other classes. What do you have first today?� Porter asked me.

“Herbology. I wouldn’t miss out on Sprout’s crazy stories this year! She was supposed to be on holiday in Cambodia for the summer.�

“That’s right!� Porter laughed. “We’ll see you at lunch then?�

“Okay,� I replied. “And if you guys do crystal balls, make sure Ed doesn’t embarrass himself in front of all the girls. I hate it when we have to repair his ego.�

“Oh, yeah?� Ed taunted. “Well, make sure you don’t get attacked by any dangerous plants. We wouldn’t want Sprout to feel bad about having one of the students in her house being eaten by something!�

I just shook my head as my two best friends grabbed some food and left for Divination. Sometimes Ed could really make some lame comebacks. Sprout would probably be proud if one of her precious plants managed to actually eat someone. She’d feel bad, yes, but her first emotion would be pride.