Champions

"We'll take it at the same time. It's still a Hogwarts victory. We'll tie for it."

When Harry suggests that, I'm not sure I've heard him correctly. I'm tired and thirsty and I just want Harry to take the cup. I want him to take it for Hogwarts, because he's bested me this time and he deserves it. Like I've tried to tell Dad time and time again, I only caught the Snitch before him last season because Harry fell off his broom. It was luck, that's all. This time around, it's all about skill and talent, not luck, just like it should be. Harry's more skilled and talented and me, and he should be the one to claim the cup for Hogwarts. I came in second on my own merit, and I'm all prepared to accept that. I'll just be happy that the victory will go to Hogwarts.

I guess I must be looking at Harry strangely, because he stands up to his full height as well as he can on his injured leg and I know at that moment that he's dead serious. He really wants us to take the cup at the same time. Harry wants us to share the title of Triwizard Champion. That actually sounds quite nice, because it would mean that we're unified and in this together for our school. Even so, I still want to make absolutely sure he knows what he's asking me to do before I tell him yes or no.

So I ask him, giving him the chance to change his mind and take back his offer. I know he's tired and likely thirsty too and ready for this to be over. It's been a long year, and an today has been an endless day. A lie-down never sounded so brilliant.

"Yeah," says Harry. "Yeah . . . we've helped each other out, haven't we? We both got here. Let's just take it together."

I stare at him for a long moment while his words play over and over in my mind. He's right. We have helped each other out. He told me about the dragons, I told him about the egg, and only a few minutes ago we worked together to get rid of that gigantic spider. We've helped each other and we've worked together toward a common goal - to earn the Triwizard Cup for our Hogwarts.

I laugh just thinking about that because it's ace and it just-- I don't know if I can explain it. It makes me so happy to realise that Harry loves Hogwarts just as much as I do and that he wants to share it with me, that he wants us to earn this cup together as a team for our school.

My lips curve up in a grin and it nearly hurts because I know it's probably the broadest grin a person can manage without splitting their face in two.

"You're on," I tell Harry. "Come here."

He's injured, so I grab his arm and help him over to the cup. It's raised on a plinth and shining so brightly that it's nearly blinding. Without so much as a word, we each reach for one of the handles and Harry counts off for us. We're going to take the cup together and at the same time. For Hogwarts.

I curl my fingers around the handle and there's a happiness welling up from within me. Suddenly, though, there's a terribly pulling sensation low on my belly, right behind my navel and I'm confused. I'm confused and I can't hear for all the howling wind and I can't move my hand off of the cup and I can barely make Harry out beside me through all of the swirling and the colours.

Just as quickly as that started, it stops. My feet slam down on the ground hard. My whole body buckles forward; every last bit of me aches and my head is pounding. I let go of the cup and stand up, looking around. We're definitely not at Hogwarts. Harry asks me where we are but I don't know. I help him get to his feet and we look left, right, up, and down. I don't know where we are besides not at Hogwarts. It's dark and there are-

Those are headstones. We're in a graveyard.

This doesn't make any sense. Could it be part of the third task? I'm not sure, but after the gigantic spider and having one of the other champions perform an Unforgivable Curse on me, anything is possible and I should be prepared for that. My hand goes to the pocket in my robe and I don't think I've ever been so glad to touch my wand before. The leather of the hilt is cool and reassuring against my fingers, and I curl them around it. It occurs to me that someone's told Harry things about the tasks before, so I ask him if anyone told him that the cup was a Portkey. He says no and I get a sour taste in my mouth. I don't like this. My fingers tighten around my wand and I look sharply at Harry. When I ask him if he thinks we should get our wands out, I'm really relieved to hear him say yeah.

We both pull out our wands and that taste in my mouth gets tarter, stronger. Gooseflesh raises on the back of my neck and I shiver, even though it's June and humid. I can't shake the feeling that someone's watching us, and I don't like being watched by eyes I can't see. That puts Harry and me at an unfair advantage, and if it's one thing I don't like, it's unfairness.

I swallow hard and blink, willing the pounding in my head to go away. I stare hard at the aisle of headstones in front of me, just trying to focus on anything to help. That's when I see it. Someone. I tell Harry that someone's coming and we watch. The person's short and wearing a hooded cloak, carrying something close to his body. A hooded cloak. I've seen cloaks like that before; I'm sure of it. I glance at Harry and he lowers his wand a bit. For some reason I know that Harry's seen cloaks like that before too, and I want to ask him about that, but I'm not sure it's a good idea to whisper. I get the feeling that we shouldn't be here, that we're really at a disadvantage. I don't like this.

The person in the cloak stops just beside a tall headstone very close to us and he looks at us. All Harry and I can do is look back at him. My heart starts to pound and then Harry just collapses to the ground next to me. He's making these awful sounds and I don't know what to do. Vaguely I remember there were some medical charms we learnt last year to prepare for our NEWTs, and I think I should try one of them on Harry. If something happens to him here, I'll never forgive myself. We're in this together, Harry and me, and one way or another we're getting back to Hogwarts together. The man in the hooded cloak can wait.

I turn my wand on Harry and my mind is racing. A charm. Any charm. Think, Cedric. You can help him. I'm trying hard, so hard to remember but I can't--
"Kill the spare."

What? The voice is high and cold and I think it's talking about me. I'm not a spare. I have a name. I'm Cedric Diggory. I'm someone's son. I'm someone's boyfriend. I'm someone's friend. I'm a Hufflepuff. I'm a Hogwarts student. I'm no spare.

I can see the man in the hooded cloak swish his wand, but I don't even hear the words he screams. I don't have to hear them. I know what he's saying.

The green light rushes toward me and I can't escape it, so I accept my fate.

I don't have any other choice.