Last Goodbye

A/N: Thank you so much to my beta, Leigh

Cedric woke and slowly stretched before getting out of bed and stumbling to the bathroom. He was not quite awake yet, but after splashing some water on his face, his eyes widened and he realized what day it was: the third Triwizard Task. While he felt a little nervous, he was mostly excited because he knew he would be seeing his parents.

Cedric dressed at breakneck speed and hurried down to the Great Hall to find about a dozen other students there. Only Professors Flitwick and Vector were at the Head Table. Cedric passed the Slytherin and Ravenclaw tables on his way to the Hufflepuff table and was disappointed to see that Cho had not arrived yet. Sighing, he took a seat in the middle of the Hufflepuff table and watched the Great hall gradually fill with students. As he was finishing a piece of toast, Professor Sprout came up to him and said, "Your parents are waiting for you in the antechamber."

Cedric smiled and thanked the Professor before standing and turning towards the Ravenclaw table. He waved at his girlfriend, Cho and then he headed toward the antechamber. At this point, Cedric met up with Fleur, and the two of them entered the antechamber. Fleur immediately launched herself into the arms of a short, plump man with a black beard, exclaiming, "Papa!"

Cedric found his parents standing just inside the doorway, and hurried over to hug his mother. He turned to his father, and gave him a hug as well.

"Good morning, son," Amos Diggory said, smiling.

"Mom, Dad, I'm so glad you're both here," Cedric said, smiling at Viktor Krum as he entered the room.

"We wouldn't miss it for the world, darling,' his mother replied.

Cedric looked around the room, noticing Mrs. Weasley and one of her sons standing in the corner. Assuming they were waiting for Harry, Cedric held up an index finger for his parents as if to say, 'one second.' Then, sticking his head out of the door, he called for Harry.

Sarah Diggory smiled at her son's nice gesture and nodded at Harry when he walked into the antechamber. She reached out to flatten Cedric's hair and asked, "What would you like to do today?"

"Do you want to take a walk around the Castle?" Cedric said as he dodged his mother's attempt to groom him.

His parents were just about to respond when Harry, Mrs. Weasley, and one of the older Weasley boys passed on their way out of the antechamber. That was when Amos decided to speak up, giving Harry a hard time. Cedric leaned in to intervene, but Amos raised his voice, stating that Harry had not corrected Rita Skeeter's biased article, causing everyone to look at them. Before Cedric could say anything to his father, Mrs. Weasley reminded him of who had written the article in question. Amos started to say more, but Sarah Diggory just shook her head and laid her hand upon his arm.

Cedric simplywatched as Harry and his guests walked out of the antechamber, wishing that he could apologize for his father's actions.

"Now, how about that walk?" his mother asked, linking one arm with Cedric and the other arm with Amos.

The family spent the morning walking through the castle and the grounds, visiting with the Professors that they met along the way. By lunchtime, they were all famished and couldn't wait to get back to the Great Hall. A few minutes after taking their seats at the Hufflepuff table, Cho walked arrived and Cedric stood to greet her.

"Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Cho Chang," Cedric said nervously.

"Mrs. Diggory, Mr. Diggory, it's very nice to meet you," Cho said.

Amos Diggory raised his eyebrows at Cedric, before turning to Cho and saying, "It's wonderful to meet you, Cho. Please join us for lunch."

Lunch was a loud affair, with all of the students celebrating a break between exams and Cedric's parents getting to know Cho. Cedric was happy, and he was so caught up in the moment that he had completely forgotten about the tournament. After lunch, Cho went off to her History of Magic examination and Cedric's mother went to have a nap.

Cedric and his father took a long walk around the Black Lake, spending some time alone together. At first, they spoke about trivial things like classes and their summer plans, but soon enough talk turned towards the tournament.

"Now, Cedric, your mother wants me to remind you that it doesn't matter if you win or lose tonight. However, we both know that that is not true, and that if you lose, then your life is over," Amos told Cedric, with a smile that made him look like an overgrown schoolboy. Before Cedric could say anything, Amos continued, "So, just do your best tonight and you will win."

Cedric nodded with a determined look on his face. "I will, dad, don't worry," he replied.

"Cedric, I just want you to know how proud I am of you. You've grown up to become a very responsible young man. You have so many options with your future, and I have faith you will choose the right path. Just make sure that you win tonight. You can say that you beat Harry Potter for the second time."

"Dad, thank you, but you really need to lay off of Harry. It's not his fault that Rita Skeeter wrote that article. Harry says he didn't put his name in the goblet, and I believe him. He's a good kid, and he's the reason I didn't break my neck in the first task. He told me what was coming, and I owe it to him. So, please, Dad, just leave him alone," Cedric said, getting frustrated with his father.

Amos took a step back as if Cedric had just slapped him. "Alright, son, if that is what you want. I'm still rooting for you tonight," Amos said, shaking his head slightly.

"Dad, I'm sorry that I snapped; you know that I will do my best out there tonight."

"That's alright, Cedric. Well, I am going to meet your mother and we will see you tonight after the task when you are the winner!" Amos said, with a wink. "I love you, son!"

"I love you too, Dad. I'll see you tonight," Cedric replied, leaning in to hug his father. He watched as Amos walked towards the gate. Cedric turned to go back into the castle for dinner, not realizing that this was their last goodbye.