Fic: Part Two (Of Sleeping and Dying)
Title: Of Sleeping and Dying
Rating: PG
Pairings: Harry/Cedric (implied at this point)
Warnings: Timeline twist, technically AU; some OMCs (that do not interfere with the ship, honest)
Summary: Cedric isn't the sort of lad who faints. Really.
Special credit goes to the wonderful, the only, the best beta ever: rotaryphones
Links to previous parts: One
The first time it happened, Cedric was in Defense Against the Dark Arts. No one thought much of it at the time. After all, half the Ravenclaw students had fainted as well, and Mary Fairchild had to be taken to the infirmary for a cracked head. The fact that Cedric had fainted during Professor Moody's demonstration of the Unforgivables wasn't that remarkable.
Cedric's dorm mates ribbed him a bit for swooning like a girl. But Cedric hadn't actually fainted.
When the first curse hit the air, Cedric felt a headache come on. Amidst the aftershocks of Imperio, Cedric's mind was a humming blank that he couldn't control, and it hurt trying to think past it. Then came Crucio, and his entire body went numb. Cedric was sure it was shock - shock and horror that a former Auror would show these curses to students. But he couldn't feel his fingers, couldn't feel his own tongue as he tried to speak. And when the final curse hit - death in six syllables - his wand dropped from his nerveless fingers, his head was fit to split, and his world went white.
The next thing he knew, Cedric was floating near the top of the classroom, watching in detached amusement as the students panicked and Moody tried to keep them calm. Mary Fairchild had cracked her head open on her desk, and six of her Ravenclaw friends were equally unconscious. Cedric noted his own body with mild interest where it was slumped over, as if he'd done the unthinkable and fallen asleep during class.
His own body.
With that, Cedric began to panic. How could he be up near the ceiling and down at his desk at the same time? He looked at his hand, really looked, and realized he was translucent, colorless.
Terror began to claw at him.
Cedric tried to cry out, tried to ask for help, but his dorm mates had just noticed his body.
Ben shook his shoulder. "Ced, mate, wake up."
Up here! Cedric tried to yell.
Simon shook his other shoulder. It looked as though he was yelling, but Cedric could barely hear him. "Diggory, come on, wake up!"
Cedric opened his mouth to shout again, but something was tugging at his feet, twining around his ankles, snaking up his legs, pulling him down, down. Cedric attempted one last cry before the room turned into a red haze, and then he opened his eyes.
He was alive.
Simon clapped him on the shoulder, relief stark on his face. "You gave us a bit of a scare there, Diggory. Didn't think you were the swooning sort."
Ben laughed. "So Captain Diggory isn't as brave and wonderful as all the ladies think, eh?"
"I didn't swoon." He hadn't fainted; he'd died. Cedric looked down at his shaking hands. He curled them into fists and shoved them into his pockets, hoping the others wouldn’t notice his labored breathing.
"I think the evidence rather points in the other direction." Ben straightened up and turned to survey the mess.
"I'm not the fainting type," Cedric insisted. His head spun, and he had the indescribable urge to run back to his dorm room, fling himself onto his bed, and draw the drapes tightly closed.
Simon ruffled his hair and laughed. "If you say so."
Professor Moody beckoned. "Get over here, lads. The Ravenclaws need to get to the infirmary."
Cedric followed his dorm mates to help sort out the mess of unconscious students.
"Glad you aren't one of them, eh?" Simon asked.
Cedric was just glad he wasn't dead. But perhaps that's what happened to people who passed out - they had strange, out-of-body experiences. Cold prickled across the back of his neck as he remembered the sensation of staring down at his own body. He needed answers. But who could he possibly talk to without looking like a loon? Apart from Luna Lovegood, who would have plenty of outlandish theories of what had happened.
A thought sprung into Cedric's mind: he could ask Harry Potter. Harry had seen the Killing Curse before, so maybe he knew what it was like. Except Harry had been a baby at the time, and maybe it would be insensitive to ask Harry about the night his parents had died.
Harry, with his big green eyes and perpetually lost expression.
Cedric felt an inexplicable blush cross his face and tried to fight it off.
"It was a bit odd, the way it happened,” Simon said later as they headed down the corridor. “I mean, Fairchild and the Ravenclaw kids - they all turned this fantastic shade of greeny-white and then toppled over like felled garden gnomes. You, though - you were awake one moment, zonked out the next. At first I thought you’d fallen asleep, but then I realized you must have fainted, very quiet-like, as if you didn't want to bother anyone. Although you didn’t look like you had fainted. And, well, you didn't quite look like you were just having a kip either."
"I didn't?" Cedric’s heart thudded in his chest. What did that mean?
"You - well, you looked sort of dead, really." Simon laughed. "That's naff, though, innit?"
Ben reached out and smacked Simon upside the head. "Stop harping on about it like an old hag. Diggory's good and alive. We need him to win the Tournament, after all."
Simon nodded. "That's right. Diggory here is living proof that Hufflepuffs have what it takes, right?"
Cedric wasn't listening. He had to talk to Harry. That was the best way to get an answer without his dorm mates finding out and taking the mickey. A chat with Harry about the Killing Curse - that wouldn't come off as chatting up, would it? Because it wasn’t, really. It was professional. A very platonic chat between fellow Champions.
Ben mimed pressing a badge on the lapel of his robes, the gesture angled so Cedric wouldn't see.
Simon hid a smile.
"Come on, Champion." Ben put a hand on Cedric's shoulder and steered him past a group of blushing, giggling Ravenclaw girls. "You won't be winning any more tasks if we let you starve. To the Great Hall with you now."
Cedric stared at his shoes and wondered what, exactly, was the difference between looking asleep and looking dead.
Three
Rating: PG
Pairings: Harry/Cedric (implied at this point)
Warnings: Timeline twist, technically AU; some OMCs (that do not interfere with the ship, honest)
Summary: Cedric isn't the sort of lad who faints. Really.
Special credit goes to the wonderful, the only, the best beta ever: rotaryphones
Links to previous parts: One
The first time it happened, Cedric was in Defense Against the Dark Arts. No one thought much of it at the time. After all, half the Ravenclaw students had fainted as well, and Mary Fairchild had to be taken to the infirmary for a cracked head. The fact that Cedric had fainted during Professor Moody's demonstration of the Unforgivables wasn't that remarkable.
Cedric's dorm mates ribbed him a bit for swooning like a girl. But Cedric hadn't actually fainted.
When the first curse hit the air, Cedric felt a headache come on. Amidst the aftershocks of Imperio, Cedric's mind was a humming blank that he couldn't control, and it hurt trying to think past it. Then came Crucio, and his entire body went numb. Cedric was sure it was shock - shock and horror that a former Auror would show these curses to students. But he couldn't feel his fingers, couldn't feel his own tongue as he tried to speak. And when the final curse hit - death in six syllables - his wand dropped from his nerveless fingers, his head was fit to split, and his world went white.
The next thing he knew, Cedric was floating near the top of the classroom, watching in detached amusement as the students panicked and Moody tried to keep them calm. Mary Fairchild had cracked her head open on her desk, and six of her Ravenclaw friends were equally unconscious. Cedric noted his own body with mild interest where it was slumped over, as if he'd done the unthinkable and fallen asleep during class.
His own body.
With that, Cedric began to panic. How could he be up near the ceiling and down at his desk at the same time? He looked at his hand, really looked, and realized he was translucent, colorless.
Terror began to claw at him.
Cedric tried to cry out, tried to ask for help, but his dorm mates had just noticed his body.
Ben shook his shoulder. "Ced, mate, wake up."
Up here! Cedric tried to yell.
Simon shook his other shoulder. It looked as though he was yelling, but Cedric could barely hear him. "Diggory, come on, wake up!"
Cedric opened his mouth to shout again, but something was tugging at his feet, twining around his ankles, snaking up his legs, pulling him down, down. Cedric attempted one last cry before the room turned into a red haze, and then he opened his eyes.
He was alive.
Simon clapped him on the shoulder, relief stark on his face. "You gave us a bit of a scare there, Diggory. Didn't think you were the swooning sort."
Ben laughed. "So Captain Diggory isn't as brave and wonderful as all the ladies think, eh?"
"I didn't swoon." He hadn't fainted; he'd died. Cedric looked down at his shaking hands. He curled them into fists and shoved them into his pockets, hoping the others wouldn’t notice his labored breathing.
"I think the evidence rather points in the other direction." Ben straightened up and turned to survey the mess.
"I'm not the fainting type," Cedric insisted. His head spun, and he had the indescribable urge to run back to his dorm room, fling himself onto his bed, and draw the drapes tightly closed.
Simon ruffled his hair and laughed. "If you say so."
Professor Moody beckoned. "Get over here, lads. The Ravenclaws need to get to the infirmary."
Cedric followed his dorm mates to help sort out the mess of unconscious students.
"Glad you aren't one of them, eh?" Simon asked.
Cedric was just glad he wasn't dead. But perhaps that's what happened to people who passed out - they had strange, out-of-body experiences. Cold prickled across the back of his neck as he remembered the sensation of staring down at his own body. He needed answers. But who could he possibly talk to without looking like a loon? Apart from Luna Lovegood, who would have plenty of outlandish theories of what had happened.
A thought sprung into Cedric's mind: he could ask Harry Potter. Harry had seen the Killing Curse before, so maybe he knew what it was like. Except Harry had been a baby at the time, and maybe it would be insensitive to ask Harry about the night his parents had died.
Harry, with his big green eyes and perpetually lost expression.
Cedric felt an inexplicable blush cross his face and tried to fight it off.
"It was a bit odd, the way it happened,” Simon said later as they headed down the corridor. “I mean, Fairchild and the Ravenclaw kids - they all turned this fantastic shade of greeny-white and then toppled over like felled garden gnomes. You, though - you were awake one moment, zonked out the next. At first I thought you’d fallen asleep, but then I realized you must have fainted, very quiet-like, as if you didn't want to bother anyone. Although you didn’t look like you had fainted. And, well, you didn't quite look like you were just having a kip either."
"I didn't?" Cedric’s heart thudded in his chest. What did that mean?
"You - well, you looked sort of dead, really." Simon laughed. "That's naff, though, innit?"
Ben reached out and smacked Simon upside the head. "Stop harping on about it like an old hag. Diggory's good and alive. We need him to win the Tournament, after all."
Simon nodded. "That's right. Diggory here is living proof that Hufflepuffs have what it takes, right?"
Cedric wasn't listening. He had to talk to Harry. That was the best way to get an answer without his dorm mates finding out and taking the mickey. A chat with Harry about the Killing Curse - that wouldn't come off as chatting up, would it? Because it wasn’t, really. It was professional. A very platonic chat between fellow Champions.
Ben mimed pressing a badge on the lapel of his robes, the gesture angled so Cedric wouldn't see.
Simon hid a smile.
"Come on, Champion." Ben put a hand on Cedric's shoulder and steered him past a group of blushing, giggling Ravenclaw girls. "You won't be winning any more tasks if we let you starve. To the Great Hall with you now."
Cedric stared at his shoes and wondered what, exactly, was the difference between looking asleep and looking dead.
Three