Fic: Sound of the Revolution, Chapter 4
Title: Sound of the Revolution, Chapter 04
Author: kevo
Pairing: Harry + Cedric.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership to these characters or the series they’re from.
Summary: In his fifth year, Harry faces ostracism with boyfriend Cedric for coming out and for declaring Voldemort has returned. (Order of the Phoenix canon re-write.)
Author’s Note: Happy Friday the 13th, ya’ll! I’m not a fan of this chapter’s title. But it’s past 1 am now and I have to put something. Plus it fits, and I’m apparently the only person who loves Grease 2, so, solidarity, or something.
( A Lack of Color - Chapter One)
( A Lack of Color - Chapter Thirty)
( Sound of the Revolution - Chapter One)
- - - - - - - - -
( Sound of the Revolution - Chapter Three)
The Love So Green Collection
Playlist #2:
sound of the revolution
CHAPTER FOUR
“Back to School Again”
The rest of the summer at 12 Grimmauld Place was exceptionally uneventful compared to the ordeal with the dementors and Cedric’s hearing. Under normal circumstances, Harry might’ve found being confined to the old house and forced to clean it daily frustrating and mind-numbingly tedious. However, with Voldemort on the rise once more, action was imminent, and maybe even more than they could handle. Any small respite they could get before then was to be treasured.
And things weren’t so bad, really. Harry got to see Cedric on a daily basis, instead of the two or three times a week they’d been seeing each other before. Plus he had the others now too, like Ron and Hermione and Sirius. The housecleaning was a pain, but the small glimmer of a chance that he could live there someday with Sirius made it worthwhile. Every few days Harry and Cedric even managed to arrange some “alone time”, which was always more than enough to sate Harry’s boredom.
The day after the trial, Cedric went home for an hour while he knew his father would be at work. He returned with belongings he’d left behind the night he stormed out, things he would need for his return to Hogwarts, including his school trunk and broom. His owl, Bowman, joined Hedwig and Pigwidgeon at the top of the dresser in the room Cedric shared with Harry and Ron. The three formed a very small, very irritated parliament of owls, constantly scowling at their owners for being cooped up.
It was strange for Harry to be cohabitating with his boyfriend, considering they hadn’t even been dating for a year yet. It also further illustrated the fact that he still had much to learn about the older boy.
For one thing, though Harry already knew he enjoyed cooking, he’d never experienced Cedric’s skills for himself before. Cedric had to do a fair amount of cajoling before he could convince Mrs. Weasley to let him help with some of the meals, but eventually his unquestionable charm (of the non-magical variety) won her over. He proved himself, right off the bat, to be an excellent cook. Truth be told, Mrs. Weasley seemed relieved to discover this. Preparing food for every member of the Order that passed through headquarters had to be a daunting task, especially with so little help.
Harry also had never seen Cedric primp before. That was the word Ron had used, and Harry immediately snapped at him in Cedric’s defense, because it made Cedric sound girly. Yet even as he defended his boyfriend to Ron, Harry couldn’t argue that the word was rather accurate. Cedric spent more time grooming than either Harry or Ron did. Then again, Harry’s hair was always so much more unmanageable than Cedric’s that he rarely bothered with it. Plus, he certainly did enjoy the results of Cedric’s labor.
Another thing Harry discovered was that Cedric was much more of a morning person than he was. While Cedric almost always tended to wake with a perfectly pleasant disposition, Harry was more prone to bemoan the loss of his pillow and blankets for at least ten to twenty minutes. This was really the only area in which the boys were incompatible. Harry was also, under normal circumstances, inclined to be a lot messier than Cedric. Because he was a guest in Sirius’s house, however, Harry made more of an effort to keep his room tidy. It wasn’t too difficult, he simply followed Cedric’s example.
It was a pretty decent life, all things considered. Harry found himself disappointed to be losing it as the summer came to an end. Of course, that may’ve also been because of his uneasiness about returning to school.
The morning before they were to leave for Hogwarts, their booklists arrived, unconscionably late, as Hermione put it. Cedric’s and Ron’s both came with an extra parcel that Harry’s did not; prefect badges. Harry was stunned; he had completely forgotten that prefects were chosen starting in their fifth year. He wasn’t the only one who was surprised, either. Fred and George were not only shocked and disgusted that their brother had been chosen, but astonished that Harry hadn’t been.
“We thought you were a cert!” Fred told him.
“Yeah, everybody knows you’re Dumbledore’s favorite,” George agreed. “We figured he was bound to pick you! Then again,” he continued, turning to his twin, “all the mad stuff he’s done can’t’ve helped his chances.”
“Ahh, yes,” said Fred. “Can’t have a bad boy as prefect.” He gave Harry a cordial one-armed squeeze. “At least one of you’s got his head on right, yeah?”
“Hands off, Weasley,” Cedric warned him playfully.
“Oops, sorry, Diggory,” Fred replied, removing his arm at once.
“Oh, and you know Mum is going to be sickening,” George whined.
“It’s not that big a deal, guys,” said Harry, though he didn’t truly believe that. He did, however, notice that their antics were making Ron’s ears go pink. “Lay off him already.”
The twins gave Harry a strange look, like they couldn’t believe the words were coming from him.
“Blimey, maybe Dumbledore should’ve picked you,” muttered George.
And on that note, they both Disapparated with a sharp bang.
Harry watched Ron stare at his shiny new badge in disbelief, unsure how he should feel about it himself. Were Fred and George right? Should he have been chosen instead of Ron?
And why is that? Harry asked himself. Do you really think you deserve it more than him?
It was a tough question. True, Harry had pulled off a number of heroic deeds in his time, more than any fifteen-year-old he knew of, but did those merit being named prefect? Looking solely at his academic record, he was an average student, and, like George pointed out, a bit of a rule-breaker. Not exactly prefect material. More so than Ron, he thought, but then, when it came down to it, did he even want the job? Probably not.
It still didn’t help Harry’s insecurity when Hermione rushed in thinking he’d gotten it. It probably didn’t help Ron’s either, for that matter. After learning it’d gone to Ron, and giving a very awkward congratulation, Hermione turned to Cedric.
“What about you, did yours come?” she asked breathlessly, still slightly flushed. “I’d love to see it.”
“Sure,” he said, handing her his badge. “Don’t know why you’d want to, though. Mine’s the same as yours.”
“Same as - oh,” said Hermione, as though she had just realized something truly horrible. “This is really not my morning. Sorry.”
“Why’re you sorry?” Ron inquired.
“Nothing, it’s nothing,” Hermione said. “We should all go downstairs for breakfast.”
“It’s okay, Hermione,” said Cedric. “I’m not bothered.”
“Not bothered by what?” Ron demanded.
“By the fact that I wasn’t made Head Boy,” Cedric answered.
“Oh.”
“I’m sure Dumbledore has a good reason,” Hermione insisted. “You know, he like didn’t want to put any more stress on you, with everything that’s happened. Head Boy is a big responsibility.”
“Yeah, it is,” Cedric concurred. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Let’s go eat, I’m starved.”
They shuffled out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen. Harry held Cedric back a little, sliding a comforting arm around the taller boy’s waist.
“Hermione’s right, you know,” Harry told him. “You and I are going to have a lot in our cauldrons this year. Maybe Dumbledore just didn’t want you to take on more than you already have.”
“Harry, I’m okay,” said Cedric. “Honestly. I’m disappointed, but it’s not like I wasn’t expecting it, with everything that’s happened. Actually, I’d thought they might even take away my prefect status, so it isn’t even all that bad.” Harry didn’t appear convinced, so Cedric nudged him playfully. “Come on, Harry. You’d know if I wasn’t being honest.”
He tapped the scar on his neck, and Harry knew right away what he meant. It was a good point, too. Their Scar Sense would’ve tipped Harry off if the older boy was lying about his feelings. He could sense disappointment coming from Cedric, and sadness, but no more than he just admitted to.
“You’re right,” Harry said. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to bug you about it or whatever.”
“You could never bug me, I know you’re only concerned,” Cedric replied. “And that’s good. Knowing that I’ve got someone who cares, it helps. Makes it all easier to cope with.”
“Oh, well, in that case, I’m not sorry, and I’ll feel free to bug the crap out of you,” Harry informed him.
Cedric laughed as they walked into the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was hugging Ron fiercely and sobbing with joy.
O O O O O O O
Seeing the way Mrs. Weasley gushed when she found out Ron was made prefect, and how proud that made the youngest Weasley son, eradicated any conflicting feelings Harry may’ve felt over the situation. Whether Ron had truly earned the title or not, he certainly deserved the admiration he was getting for it. After all, wasn’t part of the reason they fought last year that Harry was always in the spotlight, while Ron was left standing in his shadow? Harry couldn’t begrudge him the opportunity to be the center of attention, not when he already had more fame and praise already than he felt worthy of.
The rest of the day was a celebration of Ron’s, as well as Hermione’s, accomplishment. There was even a party to mark the occasion instead of the usual dinner. No one spoke of Cedric’s lack of promotion, and it was soon forgotten. By all except Hermione, that is. Though she tried to put bright spin on the situation for Cedric, Hermione made her true feelings about it known to Harry in private.
“I think it’s shameful,” she said, with a ferocity she reserved specifically for academic injustice. “He deserves it more than anyone in his year.”
“I know that,” Harry agreed. “I’m sure Dumbledore knows it, too. It’s probably the thing you said, about stress and stuff. Cedric and I are going to be facing a lot this year. Hell, it’d be a lot even if Voldemort wasn’t back, just with coming out and everything.”
“That doesn’t make it right,” Hermione insisted.
“No,” Harry replied. “It doesn’t. But things are hard enough for him as it is. The last thing Cedric needs is for you to make this into one of your S.P.E.W. crusades. What he really needs is for you to be his friend.”
The shamed expression on Hermione’s face made Harry wonder if he’d gone too far. He didn’t like throwing in Hermione’s face how little she understood about the pressure and scrutiny he and Cedric were under, but there were times when she made it difficult not to.
“You’re right,” said Hermione remorsefully. “I wasn’t thinking. At least, not like a friend. I’ll let it go.”
“Thanks,” said Harry. “Sorry I snapped.”
“No, it’s okay,” she replied. “Sometimes I get too wrapped up in these things, social causes and the like. I need someone to remind me to be a person.”
“Wow, I’m getting carte blanche to be rude from everyone today,” Harry noted. “First Cedric, now you.” Curious to see how far he could press his luck, Harry continued, “Hey, speaking of reminding you to be a person, about you and Ron...”
“And suddenly I’m very tired,” Hermione replied flatly, making for the stairs.
“Hermione, you can’t ignore this forever!” Harry called after her.
“We’ll see about that.”
Uneager to get into an argument on their last night of summer, Harry let her go. Even though Ron and Hermione’s problems did affect Harry, that didn’t make them his mess to fix. The time and energy he would’ve expended forcing her to talk was better spent cozying up to his boyfriend while they still shared a bed. So, once he heard Hermione’s bedroom door close, he headed up the stairs to his own room. He heard some people in the drawing room as he passed by it, what sounded like a distressed Mrs. Weasley being comforted by Sirius and Lupin. He decided not to intrude, and proceeded quickly up the rest of the stairs. Cedric was already there, shirtless and just finishing pulling on a pair of pajama bottoms.
“Hey,” he said with a smile. He reached for a T-shirt to pull on, but Harry grabbed it first, holding it away from him.
“Ooh, hang on,” said Harry, “I want to get a good look at you. I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to see you with your shirt off again.”
“It won’t be all that long,” Cedric assured him. “In fact, don’t be surprised if I show up outside your dormitory tomorrow night looking for a little action.”
“Don’t make offers like that if you don’t intend to follow through on them, Mr. Diggory,” Harry said, wrapping his arms around Cedric’s bare torso.
Cedric took Harry’s face in his hands and the two kissed. Things were just starting to get heated when the door opened abruptly.
“Hey, have either of you seen my - OH, GROSS!”
The door instantly slammed shut again, with Ron on the other side of it.
“Could you maybe warn a bloke when you intend to do stuff like that?” Ron called through the door. “That’s not the sort of thing I want to be walking into the middle of.”
“We weren’t doing anything!” Harry argued, going to the door. He opened it to find Ron standing on the other side, hands over his eyes. “Oh, you’re not overreacting at all.”
“I’m gonna go and, I don’t know, brush my teeth or something,” said Ron. “You two finish whatever it is you are or aren’t doing. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”
He started down the stairs with his eyes still covered, a move that Harry might’ve cautioned Ron against were he not behaving so childishly. Harry closed the door and turned back around, finding, to his dismay, that Cedric had put on the shirt. Rather than pout, Harry went about changing into his own pajamas.
“We get interrupted a lot while we’re fooling around,” Cedric observed.
“Yet you scoff at me wondering when we’ll find time to do it again,” said Harry. “Oh, I wish I hadn’t said ‘do it’, that sounds so lame.”
“‘Make sweet, beautiful love’?” Cedric offered.
“Better, but still kind of lame.”
“‘Fuck like nymphs?”
“Crude, but not entirely inaccurate,” Harry chuckled.
“Are you really worried about it?” asked Cedric. “We never had trouble finding time to be together before. And that was on top of the Triwizard Tournament.”
“It’s different now,” said Harry. “We’re going to have Quidditch this year. Practice is going to take up a lot of our time. And, now that we’re out, people are going to be paying more attention to what we do. Before no one would’ve ever thought we were sneaking off together, so they didn’t notice.”
“We’ve still got the Room of Requirement,” Cedric reminded him. “No one can find us there if we don’t want them to. Hey, c’mere.”
Cedric motioned for Harry to join him on the bed. He lay back, and Harry climbed on top of him, resting his head over the older boy’s heart.
“Last year was just so perfect,” Harry said. “Only a few people who really mattered knew about us. We had our privacy. Things are going to be so different. And then, like that wasn’t enough to worry about, there’s all the stuff with Voldemort” - he felt Cedric tense slightly beneath him hearing the name - “and the papers. We have no idea what kind of situation we’re walking into at Hogwarts.”
“What was that thing Hagrid said at the end of last year?” said Cedric. “The thing about, what was it… whatever happens is going to happen, and we’ll deal with it when it comes? It’s like that. We don’t know what’s going to happen this year. A meteor could hit us and destroy the whole world.”
“Cheery,” Harry quipped.
“My point is that we don’t know what’s going to happen. So there’s no sense worrying about it. We love each other, and we’ll find a way to be together, no matter what happens.”
“I hope so,” said Harry. Suddenly his scar burned with pain and his stomach roiled. “Ah! Ah! Ah!”
“What’s the matter?” Cedric asked anxiously.
“Scar,” Harry replied, rubbing his forehead.
“I just realized,” said Cedric, “I don’t feel anything when you get scar pain. Normally we can sense each others’ feelings, especially when we’re this close, but when yours is related to You-Know-Who I get nothing. Do you think that’s significant?”
“Not sure,” Harry replied irritably. He didn’t really feel like sharing hypotheses while his scar was still stinging.
“Here, let me.”
Cedric leaned in and kissed Harry’s scar. The place where his lips touched Harry’s forehead instantly went numb to the pain. This effect slowly spread through Harry’s whole head.
“It’s gone,” Harry marveled, touching his scar gingerly. “The pain is completely gone.” He looked up at his boyfriend. “I’d say that was definitely significant.”
“That’s one reason at least that it’s good we’re going back to school tomorrow,” said Cedric. “We’ll be able to talk to Dumbledore about stuff like that.”
Harry wanted to point out that, after having gone all summer with no answers from Dumbledore about their Scar Sense, he didn’t have a lot of faith that the headmaster would be more forthcoming upon their return to Hogwarts. Instead he merely nodded, and lay in silence on Cedric’s chest until they both fell asleep.
O O O O O O O
Considering how much Harry normally relished returning to Hogwarts, this year the trek to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters felt more like he was marching to his doom. The feeling was exacerbated by Sirius’s insistence that he accompany them to King’s Cross in his dog form, despite how risky it was and the fact that Dumbledore had told him not to. Harry’s nerves ebbed gradually, however, when he saw how overjoyed Padfoot was to be free of his dreary prisonlike home. It was hard to be too stressed when watching your godfather chase his own tail.
They arrived at King’s Cross Station in about twenty minutes’ time. With as much nervousness and uncertainty as he experienced the very first time he did it when he was eleven, Harry crossed through the magical barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten. He half expected the gathered crowd to stop dead and stare upon his arrival. To Harry’s surprise and relief, few people even appeared to have noticed that he was there. Those who did barely even acknowledged him, more preoccupied with their own affairs.
Once they were all on the platform, the farewells began. Mrs. Weasley looked like she was trying her hardest not to cry as she bid her children goodbye. Cedric glanced around the platform a few times before shaking his head ruefully. Harry could tell what he was doing; looking to see if his own parents had shown up to say goodbye to him. Harry was going to say something when he felt Lupin pat him on the shoulder and grasp his hand.
“Harry,” Lupin said affectionately. He turned to Cedric and did the same. “Cedric. You two be careful now, you hear me?”
“Yes, sir,” Cedric said with a feeble smile.
“Keep your heads down and your eyes peeled,” said Moody, shaking the boys’ hands as well. His grip was oddly less aggressive that Harry might’ve guessed. “Remember, now, all of you: be careful what you put in writing. If you’re not sure it’s safe, don’t put it at all.”
“C’mere, you two, quick,” said Mrs. Weasley as the train’s warning whistle blew. She pulled Harry and Cedric at the same time into a hug. “You look out for each other.” In a tone she must’ve thought Harry couldn’t hear, she whispered to Cedric, “Make sure you take good care of him.”
“I always do,” Cedric whispered back.
“Promise me you’ll be good!” Mrs. Weasley called after the departing students as they boarded the train. “I know you won’t, Fred, and there’s no need to roll your eyes at me!”
They all laughed and waved as the train pulled out of the station. Ginny, George and Fred then parted ways with the others, Fred and George explaining that they had business to attend to with their friend Lee Jordan, and Ginny not explaining at all.
“Let’s go find a compartment,” suggested Harry.
“We’re all supposed to go to the prefect carriage,” said Hermione, who was obviously uncomfortable being the one to tell him this. “Me and Ron and Cedric. We have to get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl.”
“Right,” Harry chirped, trying his best to sound positive while being abandoned by his closest companions. “Well. Have fun then. I’ll see you at school.”
“It’s not the whole ride there,” Cedric informed them. “We get our instructions, that takes an hour tops, and then we patrol the corridors every now and then. We’ll be back before you know it.”
“I am not looking forward to this,” whined Ron.
“How do you think I feel?” Cedric responded. “Maybe I could just skip it this year, stick with Harry instead.”
“Okay!” Harry agreed eagerly. Then, catching Hermione’s reproachful look, he said, “I mean, no. No. You should go to the prefect carriage. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“Harry’s right,” said Hermione. “This might not be the most ideal situation to walk into, but it would look even worse if you don’t show up.”
“Of course,” Cedric nodded. “I know that, I’d never really skip, I’m just dreading this.”
“You’ll be fine,” said Ron. “You’ve got me and Hermione to back you up.”
“Yeah, I guess I do,” said Cedric, as though realizing it for the first time himself. He turned to Harry, biting his lip. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yes, I think I can manage without you lot for sixty minutes,” Harry smirked. “I’ll go catch up with Ginny.”
“All right then.”
For a moment they both hesitated. Having barely been out a week before the previous school year ended, they hadn’t had much time to figure out what sort of display of affection was acceptable for them. Even if they had, they’d now been removed from the public for so long that they forgot how to behave with each other in the wizarding world. There wasn’t likely to be a passenger on the Hogwarts Express who didn’t know they were together, so they didn’t have to be as formal as they were in Little Whinging. Yet they were still two gay boys living in a predominantly heterosexual world. With an air of ‘oh, fuck it’, Cedric finally ducked forward and gave Harry a kiss on the cheek.
“See you,” he said.
“Yeah,” said Harry. “See you.”
Then Cedric set off toward the end of the train, with Ron and Hermione in tow. Once they had moved on to the next car, Harry followed down the way Ginny had gone. He found her in a compartment with Neville Longbottom and an odd-looking blonde girl with her wand tucked behind her ear. He knocked on the window and pulled the door open.
“Mind if I join you?”
“Of course not,” said Ginny. “Come on in, Neville was just about to show us what his Mimbulus mimbletonia can do.”
“I really hope you’re referring to that plant he’s holding,” replied Harry as he shut the door behind him.
No more than minute later, Harry was covered in Stinksap and deeply regretting stepping foot in the same compartment as Neville and the stupid plant he was holding. He was just spitting out a mouthful of the slimy stuff when Cho Chang appeared.
“Trying a new look, Harry?” she asked, amused.
“Yeah, and I’m more than willing to share if you’ll come closer,” Harry threatened.
“All right, no need to get spiky just because you’re all sticky,” Cho replied. “Er, I suppose Ric’s in the compartment with the prefects and all them, yeah?”
“He is,” said Harry.
“Okay,” said Cho. “Um. Tell him I stopped by. I guess. When you see him.” She paused a second, then uttered, “Well, bye then,” before taking off.
“She is rather flighty,” observed the blonde girl, Luna. “It’s commonly believed to be a Ravenclaw trait. Some even say that I am a bit.” Without waiting for a response, she returned to reading her magazine upside-down.
After about an hour, Ron and Hermione appeared. Cedric was not with them. When Harry asked why, Hermione told him that the Head Girl had asked him to stay behind for a minute so they could speak privately. She then went on to tell everyone who the fifth year prefects of the other three houses were. Luna had just told Ron that Padma Patil, the new female Ravenclaw prefect, did not enjoy her date with Ron to the Yule Ball last year when Cedric joined them at last, thoroughly disgruntled.
“It’s getting rather crowded in here,” Ginny said when he came in, rising from her seat. “I think I’ll go visit with some of the other girls in my year.”
“Ginny, wait!” Hermione pleaded.
“It’s fine, Hermione,” said Ginny. “I’ll see you all at school.”
Harry made no effort to stop her. If the girl wanted to carry on this way, making a fuss over Cedric being around, that was her choice. Harry wasn’t going to bend to her stubbornness.
“So, what took you so long?” Harry asked Cedric as the boy sat beside him. “Hermione said you were talking to the Head Girl, is something wrong?”
“Apparently, the Head Boy and Girl feel it’d be in my best interest not to join the other prefects in patrolling the train this year,” Cedric replied stormily. “They’re afraid that, given everything that’s going on right now, it might incite students to act out against me.”
“Lucky you,” said Ron. “Wish it was in my best interest to sit around and do nothing the rest of the way to Hogwarts.”
“I don’t think that’s how Cedric sees it,” Hermione chided softly.
“It sounds like a demotion to me,” chirped Luna from behind her magazine. “A prefect being prohibited from taking part in his normal duties.”
“Yes, that would be the tactless way of saying it,” Hermione murmured.
“I’d rather not even talk about it,” said Cedric. “It’s - whatever - it is what it is. It stinks, but I’m not going to argue with them about it.”
“They may be right, you know,” Hermione said, looking hesitant to agree with the Heads’ decree. “We don’t know what most people are thinking yet, about you two and everything. The safest thing for you to do, for now, might be staying away.”
“Yeah,” said Cedric hollowly.
“Hey, look on the bright side: this means you get to spend more time with me,” Harry pointed out.
“Well, it’s hard to be too upset with a bright side like that,” Cedric replied, giving him a slight smile. He slipped an arm across Harry’s shoulders.
“Ugh, that is downright repulsive.”
Five out of the six in the compartment all swiftly looked toward the door. (Luna’s attention remained fixed on her magazine.) Standing there was Draco Malfoy, flanked by his constant flunkies Crabbe and Goyle, an expression of utmost revulsion distorting his already-sour countenance.
“If you must turn queer, Potter,” said Malfoy, “the least you can do is keep it in private. It’s no wonder Weasley got picked for prefect over you. Anyone would be more preferable than a disgusting wand-biter.”
“If that’s true, then how come I’m a prefect?” asked Cedric squarely.
“Prefect, maybe, but I couldn’t help noticing you weren’t made Head Boy,” Malfoy replied smoothly. “Well, that is unless you count what people are saying about you behind your back...”
“That’s enough, Malfoy!” snapped Harry.
“The two triumphant Triwizard champions of Hogwarts, both snubbed by their beloved headmaster,” Malfoy commented. “That must truly sting.”
“Just get out of here!” shouted Hermione, standing up to face him.
“As if I wish to stay,” Malfoy sneered. “Just thought I’d warn you to watch yourself, Potter. Now that I’m a prefect, I’ll be dogging your footsteps, just waiting for you to step out of line.”
With a foul snicker, Malfoy allowed Hermione to chase him and his cohorts out. After slamming the door behind him, she turned to Harry, clearly as shaken by Malfoy’s choice of words as Harry was. As neither Ron nor Cedric seemed to have noticed, and their current company prevented them from speaking freely, Harry tried to put the comment out of his mind for the time being. Perhaps it had simply been a coincidence. Harry hoped so, anyway.
O O O O O O O
After Malfoy’s visit, the rest of the train ride to Hogwarts was rather dull. Ginny did not return until Ron and Hermione had already departed to oversee the students’ disembarkation from the train. As Cedric had chosen not to join them, figuring those duties were on the same level as hall patrol, the girl entered only to grab her things and then make a hasty retreat. The remaining four all gathered their belonging and exited onto the platform together. There Harry was dismayed to discover that Hagrid was conspicuously absent, with Professor Grubbly-Plank herding the first years in his place.
Any dark wonderings about where Hagrid may have been were then abruptly shunted aside when he saw the hideous and terrifying things that were now pulling the once horseless carriages. Passing students seemed to take no notice of the frightful creatures, passing by as if they weren’t even there. Harry thought he was going mad until he noticed Cedric staring, just as horrified, though less surprised, in the same direction.
“Ohh, Merlin, there is just no preparing yourself for something like this,” Cedric murmured.
“You see them, too?” Harry asked.
“I do,” Cedric replied. “I wasn’t really expecting to, but I guess it makes sense. They’re thestrals.”
“And those would be what exactly?” Harry pressed.
“Flying horses,” Cedric explained. “They’re what pull the carriages.”
“Since when?”
“Since always,” said Cedric. “You should be learning about them this year, actually. Hagrid did them with us in my fifth. You can only see them if you’ve seen death.”
If you’ve seen death, Harry repeated to himself.
They never did get a concrete answer for what had happened to them when Harry attempted to shield Cedric from Peter Pettigrew’s Killing Curse months earlier. However, if their test with Harry’s silver Snitch locket counted for anything, they had almost certainly been touched by death, at least in some small way.
“How come we didn’t see them at the end of last year?” Harry wondered.
“Had you fully accepted what happened to us by the time we left?” Cedric asked. “I know I hadn’t. I still haven’t, but I guess now that the shock’s worn off…”
He let the sentence remain unfinished, and a moment later they were rejoined by Ron and Hermione. Like Cedric had told him, neither of them detected the presence of the thestrals. The four boarded a carriage together, Harry bringing up the rear, watching the unsavory beasts warily.
First Hagrid missing, now this ominous reminder of the night Lord Voldemort returned to the world. The school year was already off to a bad start.
End Notes: The scar-kiss thing was a spur-of-the-moment decision. It is significant, but not in terms of established canon or defeating Voldemort.
Thanks to shoucake for the “Love So Green” icon! <3<3 Isn’t it purddy?
Sorry I’ve been such a moody bitch about readership and such. I’m going through a lot of changes in my personal life, and finishing up college, so I’m a bit out of sorts. I might take a bit of a break from updating. Clear my head, you know? There will definitely be a chapter next month, though. Have I ever missed posting on December 7th in the four years (holy shit!) years that I’ve been posting this story? No, I have not. I’m going to try and keep true to that for as long as there is a story to tell.
Til then, kiddies. Much love. -kevo
Continue to Chapter Five
Author: kevo
Pairing: Harry + Cedric.
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not claim ownership to these characters or the series they’re from.
Summary: In his fifth year, Harry faces ostracism with boyfriend Cedric for coming out and for declaring Voldemort has returned. (Order of the Phoenix canon re-write.)
Author’s Note: Happy Friday the 13th, ya’ll! I’m not a fan of this chapter’s title. But it’s past 1 am now and I have to put something. Plus it fits, and I’m apparently the only person who loves Grease 2, so, solidarity, or something.
( A Lack of Color - Chapter One)
( A Lack of Color - Chapter Thirty)
( Sound of the Revolution - Chapter One)
- - - - - - - - -
( Sound of the Revolution - Chapter Three)
The Love So Green Collection
Playlist #2:
sound of the revolution
CHAPTER FOUR
“Back to School Again”
The rest of the summer at 12 Grimmauld Place was exceptionally uneventful compared to the ordeal with the dementors and Cedric’s hearing. Under normal circumstances, Harry might’ve found being confined to the old house and forced to clean it daily frustrating and mind-numbingly tedious. However, with Voldemort on the rise once more, action was imminent, and maybe even more than they could handle. Any small respite they could get before then was to be treasured.
And things weren’t so bad, really. Harry got to see Cedric on a daily basis, instead of the two or three times a week they’d been seeing each other before. Plus he had the others now too, like Ron and Hermione and Sirius. The housecleaning was a pain, but the small glimmer of a chance that he could live there someday with Sirius made it worthwhile. Every few days Harry and Cedric even managed to arrange some “alone time”, which was always more than enough to sate Harry’s boredom.
The day after the trial, Cedric went home for an hour while he knew his father would be at work. He returned with belongings he’d left behind the night he stormed out, things he would need for his return to Hogwarts, including his school trunk and broom. His owl, Bowman, joined Hedwig and Pigwidgeon at the top of the dresser in the room Cedric shared with Harry and Ron. The three formed a very small, very irritated parliament of owls, constantly scowling at their owners for being cooped up.
It was strange for Harry to be cohabitating with his boyfriend, considering they hadn’t even been dating for a year yet. It also further illustrated the fact that he still had much to learn about the older boy.
For one thing, though Harry already knew he enjoyed cooking, he’d never experienced Cedric’s skills for himself before. Cedric had to do a fair amount of cajoling before he could convince Mrs. Weasley to let him help with some of the meals, but eventually his unquestionable charm (of the non-magical variety) won her over. He proved himself, right off the bat, to be an excellent cook. Truth be told, Mrs. Weasley seemed relieved to discover this. Preparing food for every member of the Order that passed through headquarters had to be a daunting task, especially with so little help.
Harry also had never seen Cedric primp before. That was the word Ron had used, and Harry immediately snapped at him in Cedric’s defense, because it made Cedric sound girly. Yet even as he defended his boyfriend to Ron, Harry couldn’t argue that the word was rather accurate. Cedric spent more time grooming than either Harry or Ron did. Then again, Harry’s hair was always so much more unmanageable than Cedric’s that he rarely bothered with it. Plus, he certainly did enjoy the results of Cedric’s labor.
Another thing Harry discovered was that Cedric was much more of a morning person than he was. While Cedric almost always tended to wake with a perfectly pleasant disposition, Harry was more prone to bemoan the loss of his pillow and blankets for at least ten to twenty minutes. This was really the only area in which the boys were incompatible. Harry was also, under normal circumstances, inclined to be a lot messier than Cedric. Because he was a guest in Sirius’s house, however, Harry made more of an effort to keep his room tidy. It wasn’t too difficult, he simply followed Cedric’s example.
It was a pretty decent life, all things considered. Harry found himself disappointed to be losing it as the summer came to an end. Of course, that may’ve also been because of his uneasiness about returning to school.
The morning before they were to leave for Hogwarts, their booklists arrived, unconscionably late, as Hermione put it. Cedric’s and Ron’s both came with an extra parcel that Harry’s did not; prefect badges. Harry was stunned; he had completely forgotten that prefects were chosen starting in their fifth year. He wasn’t the only one who was surprised, either. Fred and George were not only shocked and disgusted that their brother had been chosen, but astonished that Harry hadn’t been.
“We thought you were a cert!” Fred told him.
“Yeah, everybody knows you’re Dumbledore’s favorite,” George agreed. “We figured he was bound to pick you! Then again,” he continued, turning to his twin, “all the mad stuff he’s done can’t’ve helped his chances.”
“Ahh, yes,” said Fred. “Can’t have a bad boy as prefect.” He gave Harry a cordial one-armed squeeze. “At least one of you’s got his head on right, yeah?”
“Hands off, Weasley,” Cedric warned him playfully.
“Oops, sorry, Diggory,” Fred replied, removing his arm at once.
“Oh, and you know Mum is going to be sickening,” George whined.
“It’s not that big a deal, guys,” said Harry, though he didn’t truly believe that. He did, however, notice that their antics were making Ron’s ears go pink. “Lay off him already.”
The twins gave Harry a strange look, like they couldn’t believe the words were coming from him.
“Blimey, maybe Dumbledore should’ve picked you,” muttered George.
And on that note, they both Disapparated with a sharp bang.
Harry watched Ron stare at his shiny new badge in disbelief, unsure how he should feel about it himself. Were Fred and George right? Should he have been chosen instead of Ron?
And why is that? Harry asked himself. Do you really think you deserve it more than him?
It was a tough question. True, Harry had pulled off a number of heroic deeds in his time, more than any fifteen-year-old he knew of, but did those merit being named prefect? Looking solely at his academic record, he was an average student, and, like George pointed out, a bit of a rule-breaker. Not exactly prefect material. More so than Ron, he thought, but then, when it came down to it, did he even want the job? Probably not.
It still didn’t help Harry’s insecurity when Hermione rushed in thinking he’d gotten it. It probably didn’t help Ron’s either, for that matter. After learning it’d gone to Ron, and giving a very awkward congratulation, Hermione turned to Cedric.
“What about you, did yours come?” she asked breathlessly, still slightly flushed. “I’d love to see it.”
“Sure,” he said, handing her his badge. “Don’t know why you’d want to, though. Mine’s the same as yours.”
“Same as - oh,” said Hermione, as though she had just realized something truly horrible. “This is really not my morning. Sorry.”
“Why’re you sorry?” Ron inquired.
“Nothing, it’s nothing,” Hermione said. “We should all go downstairs for breakfast.”
“It’s okay, Hermione,” said Cedric. “I’m not bothered.”
“Not bothered by what?” Ron demanded.
“By the fact that I wasn’t made Head Boy,” Cedric answered.
“Oh.”
“I’m sure Dumbledore has a good reason,” Hermione insisted. “You know, he like didn’t want to put any more stress on you, with everything that’s happened. Head Boy is a big responsibility.”
“Yeah, it is,” Cedric concurred. “Anyway, it doesn’t matter. Let’s go eat, I’m starved.”
They shuffled out of the room and down the stairs to the kitchen. Harry held Cedric back a little, sliding a comforting arm around the taller boy’s waist.
“Hermione’s right, you know,” Harry told him. “You and I are going to have a lot in our cauldrons this year. Maybe Dumbledore just didn’t want you to take on more than you already have.”
“Harry, I’m okay,” said Cedric. “Honestly. I’m disappointed, but it’s not like I wasn’t expecting it, with everything that’s happened. Actually, I’d thought they might even take away my prefect status, so it isn’t even all that bad.” Harry didn’t appear convinced, so Cedric nudged him playfully. “Come on, Harry. You’d know if I wasn’t being honest.”
He tapped the scar on his neck, and Harry knew right away what he meant. It was a good point, too. Their Scar Sense would’ve tipped Harry off if the older boy was lying about his feelings. He could sense disappointment coming from Cedric, and sadness, but no more than he just admitted to.
“You’re right,” Harry said. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to bug you about it or whatever.”
“You could never bug me, I know you’re only concerned,” Cedric replied. “And that’s good. Knowing that I’ve got someone who cares, it helps. Makes it all easier to cope with.”
“Oh, well, in that case, I’m not sorry, and I’ll feel free to bug the crap out of you,” Harry informed him.
Cedric laughed as they walked into the kitchen, where Mrs. Weasley was hugging Ron fiercely and sobbing with joy.
O O O O O O O
Seeing the way Mrs. Weasley gushed when she found out Ron was made prefect, and how proud that made the youngest Weasley son, eradicated any conflicting feelings Harry may’ve felt over the situation. Whether Ron had truly earned the title or not, he certainly deserved the admiration he was getting for it. After all, wasn’t part of the reason they fought last year that Harry was always in the spotlight, while Ron was left standing in his shadow? Harry couldn’t begrudge him the opportunity to be the center of attention, not when he already had more fame and praise already than he felt worthy of.
The rest of the day was a celebration of Ron’s, as well as Hermione’s, accomplishment. There was even a party to mark the occasion instead of the usual dinner. No one spoke of Cedric’s lack of promotion, and it was soon forgotten. By all except Hermione, that is. Though she tried to put bright spin on the situation for Cedric, Hermione made her true feelings about it known to Harry in private.
“I think it’s shameful,” she said, with a ferocity she reserved specifically for academic injustice. “He deserves it more than anyone in his year.”
“I know that,” Harry agreed. “I’m sure Dumbledore knows it, too. It’s probably the thing you said, about stress and stuff. Cedric and I are going to be facing a lot this year. Hell, it’d be a lot even if Voldemort wasn’t back, just with coming out and everything.”
“That doesn’t make it right,” Hermione insisted.
“No,” Harry replied. “It doesn’t. But things are hard enough for him as it is. The last thing Cedric needs is for you to make this into one of your S.P.E.W. crusades. What he really needs is for you to be his friend.”
The shamed expression on Hermione’s face made Harry wonder if he’d gone too far. He didn’t like throwing in Hermione’s face how little she understood about the pressure and scrutiny he and Cedric were under, but there were times when she made it difficult not to.
“You’re right,” said Hermione remorsefully. “I wasn’t thinking. At least, not like a friend. I’ll let it go.”
“Thanks,” said Harry. “Sorry I snapped.”
“No, it’s okay,” she replied. “Sometimes I get too wrapped up in these things, social causes and the like. I need someone to remind me to be a person.”
“Wow, I’m getting carte blanche to be rude from everyone today,” Harry noted. “First Cedric, now you.” Curious to see how far he could press his luck, Harry continued, “Hey, speaking of reminding you to be a person, about you and Ron...”
“And suddenly I’m very tired,” Hermione replied flatly, making for the stairs.
“Hermione, you can’t ignore this forever!” Harry called after her.
“We’ll see about that.”
Uneager to get into an argument on their last night of summer, Harry let her go. Even though Ron and Hermione’s problems did affect Harry, that didn’t make them his mess to fix. The time and energy he would’ve expended forcing her to talk was better spent cozying up to his boyfriend while they still shared a bed. So, once he heard Hermione’s bedroom door close, he headed up the stairs to his own room. He heard some people in the drawing room as he passed by it, what sounded like a distressed Mrs. Weasley being comforted by Sirius and Lupin. He decided not to intrude, and proceeded quickly up the rest of the stairs. Cedric was already there, shirtless and just finishing pulling on a pair of pajama bottoms.
“Hey,” he said with a smile. He reached for a T-shirt to pull on, but Harry grabbed it first, holding it away from him.
“Ooh, hang on,” said Harry, “I want to get a good look at you. I don’t know when I’ll get a chance to see you with your shirt off again.”
“It won’t be all that long,” Cedric assured him. “In fact, don’t be surprised if I show up outside your dormitory tomorrow night looking for a little action.”
“Don’t make offers like that if you don’t intend to follow through on them, Mr. Diggory,” Harry said, wrapping his arms around Cedric’s bare torso.
Cedric took Harry’s face in his hands and the two kissed. Things were just starting to get heated when the door opened abruptly.
“Hey, have either of you seen my - OH, GROSS!”
The door instantly slammed shut again, with Ron on the other side of it.
“Could you maybe warn a bloke when you intend to do stuff like that?” Ron called through the door. “That’s not the sort of thing I want to be walking into the middle of.”
“We weren’t doing anything!” Harry argued, going to the door. He opened it to find Ron standing on the other side, hands over his eyes. “Oh, you’re not overreacting at all.”
“I’m gonna go and, I don’t know, brush my teeth or something,” said Ron. “You two finish whatever it is you are or aren’t doing. I’ll be back in fifteen minutes.”
He started down the stairs with his eyes still covered, a move that Harry might’ve cautioned Ron against were he not behaving so childishly. Harry closed the door and turned back around, finding, to his dismay, that Cedric had put on the shirt. Rather than pout, Harry went about changing into his own pajamas.
“We get interrupted a lot while we’re fooling around,” Cedric observed.
“Yet you scoff at me wondering when we’ll find time to do it again,” said Harry. “Oh, I wish I hadn’t said ‘do it’, that sounds so lame.”
“‘Make sweet, beautiful love’?” Cedric offered.
“Better, but still kind of lame.”
“‘Fuck like nymphs?”
“Crude, but not entirely inaccurate,” Harry chuckled.
“Are you really worried about it?” asked Cedric. “We never had trouble finding time to be together before. And that was on top of the Triwizard Tournament.”
“It’s different now,” said Harry. “We’re going to have Quidditch this year. Practice is going to take up a lot of our time. And, now that we’re out, people are going to be paying more attention to what we do. Before no one would’ve ever thought we were sneaking off together, so they didn’t notice.”
“We’ve still got the Room of Requirement,” Cedric reminded him. “No one can find us there if we don’t want them to. Hey, c’mere.”
Cedric motioned for Harry to join him on the bed. He lay back, and Harry climbed on top of him, resting his head over the older boy’s heart.
“Last year was just so perfect,” Harry said. “Only a few people who really mattered knew about us. We had our privacy. Things are going to be so different. And then, like that wasn’t enough to worry about, there’s all the stuff with Voldemort” - he felt Cedric tense slightly beneath him hearing the name - “and the papers. We have no idea what kind of situation we’re walking into at Hogwarts.”
“What was that thing Hagrid said at the end of last year?” said Cedric. “The thing about, what was it… whatever happens is going to happen, and we’ll deal with it when it comes? It’s like that. We don’t know what’s going to happen this year. A meteor could hit us and destroy the whole world.”
“Cheery,” Harry quipped.
“My point is that we don’t know what’s going to happen. So there’s no sense worrying about it. We love each other, and we’ll find a way to be together, no matter what happens.”
“I hope so,” said Harry. Suddenly his scar burned with pain and his stomach roiled. “Ah! Ah! Ah!”
“What’s the matter?” Cedric asked anxiously.
“Scar,” Harry replied, rubbing his forehead.
“I just realized,” said Cedric, “I don’t feel anything when you get scar pain. Normally we can sense each others’ feelings, especially when we’re this close, but when yours is related to You-Know-Who I get nothing. Do you think that’s significant?”
“Not sure,” Harry replied irritably. He didn’t really feel like sharing hypotheses while his scar was still stinging.
“Here, let me.”
Cedric leaned in and kissed Harry’s scar. The place where his lips touched Harry’s forehead instantly went numb to the pain. This effect slowly spread through Harry’s whole head.
“It’s gone,” Harry marveled, touching his scar gingerly. “The pain is completely gone.” He looked up at his boyfriend. “I’d say that was definitely significant.”
“That’s one reason at least that it’s good we’re going back to school tomorrow,” said Cedric. “We’ll be able to talk to Dumbledore about stuff like that.”
Harry wanted to point out that, after having gone all summer with no answers from Dumbledore about their Scar Sense, he didn’t have a lot of faith that the headmaster would be more forthcoming upon their return to Hogwarts. Instead he merely nodded, and lay in silence on Cedric’s chest until they both fell asleep.
O O O O O O O
Considering how much Harry normally relished returning to Hogwarts, this year the trek to Platform Nine and Three-Quarters felt more like he was marching to his doom. The feeling was exacerbated by Sirius’s insistence that he accompany them to King’s Cross in his dog form, despite how risky it was and the fact that Dumbledore had told him not to. Harry’s nerves ebbed gradually, however, when he saw how overjoyed Padfoot was to be free of his dreary prisonlike home. It was hard to be too stressed when watching your godfather chase his own tail.
They arrived at King’s Cross Station in about twenty minutes’ time. With as much nervousness and uncertainty as he experienced the very first time he did it when he was eleven, Harry crossed through the magical barrier between Platforms Nine and Ten. He half expected the gathered crowd to stop dead and stare upon his arrival. To Harry’s surprise and relief, few people even appeared to have noticed that he was there. Those who did barely even acknowledged him, more preoccupied with their own affairs.
Once they were all on the platform, the farewells began. Mrs. Weasley looked like she was trying her hardest not to cry as she bid her children goodbye. Cedric glanced around the platform a few times before shaking his head ruefully. Harry could tell what he was doing; looking to see if his own parents had shown up to say goodbye to him. Harry was going to say something when he felt Lupin pat him on the shoulder and grasp his hand.
“Harry,” Lupin said affectionately. He turned to Cedric and did the same. “Cedric. You two be careful now, you hear me?”
“Yes, sir,” Cedric said with a feeble smile.
“Keep your heads down and your eyes peeled,” said Moody, shaking the boys’ hands as well. His grip was oddly less aggressive that Harry might’ve guessed. “Remember, now, all of you: be careful what you put in writing. If you’re not sure it’s safe, don’t put it at all.”
“C’mere, you two, quick,” said Mrs. Weasley as the train’s warning whistle blew. She pulled Harry and Cedric at the same time into a hug. “You look out for each other.” In a tone she must’ve thought Harry couldn’t hear, she whispered to Cedric, “Make sure you take good care of him.”
“I always do,” Cedric whispered back.
“Promise me you’ll be good!” Mrs. Weasley called after the departing students as they boarded the train. “I know you won’t, Fred, and there’s no need to roll your eyes at me!”
They all laughed and waved as the train pulled out of the station. Ginny, George and Fred then parted ways with the others, Fred and George explaining that they had business to attend to with their friend Lee Jordan, and Ginny not explaining at all.
“Let’s go find a compartment,” suggested Harry.
“We’re all supposed to go to the prefect carriage,” said Hermione, who was obviously uncomfortable being the one to tell him this. “Me and Ron and Cedric. We have to get instructions from the Head Boy and Girl.”
“Right,” Harry chirped, trying his best to sound positive while being abandoned by his closest companions. “Well. Have fun then. I’ll see you at school.”
“It’s not the whole ride there,” Cedric informed them. “We get our instructions, that takes an hour tops, and then we patrol the corridors every now and then. We’ll be back before you know it.”
“I am not looking forward to this,” whined Ron.
“How do you think I feel?” Cedric responded. “Maybe I could just skip it this year, stick with Harry instead.”
“Okay!” Harry agreed eagerly. Then, catching Hermione’s reproachful look, he said, “I mean, no. No. You should go to the prefect carriage. I’ll be fine on my own.”
“Harry’s right,” said Hermione. “This might not be the most ideal situation to walk into, but it would look even worse if you don’t show up.”
“Of course,” Cedric nodded. “I know that, I’d never really skip, I’m just dreading this.”
“You’ll be fine,” said Ron. “You’ve got me and Hermione to back you up.”
“Yeah, I guess I do,” said Cedric, as though realizing it for the first time himself. He turned to Harry, biting his lip. “Are you sure you’ll be okay?”
“Yes, I think I can manage without you lot for sixty minutes,” Harry smirked. “I’ll go catch up with Ginny.”
“All right then.”
For a moment they both hesitated. Having barely been out a week before the previous school year ended, they hadn’t had much time to figure out what sort of display of affection was acceptable for them. Even if they had, they’d now been removed from the public for so long that they forgot how to behave with each other in the wizarding world. There wasn’t likely to be a passenger on the Hogwarts Express who didn’t know they were together, so they didn’t have to be as formal as they were in Little Whinging. Yet they were still two gay boys living in a predominantly heterosexual world. With an air of ‘oh, fuck it’, Cedric finally ducked forward and gave Harry a kiss on the cheek.
“See you,” he said.
“Yeah,” said Harry. “See you.”
Then Cedric set off toward the end of the train, with Ron and Hermione in tow. Once they had moved on to the next car, Harry followed down the way Ginny had gone. He found her in a compartment with Neville Longbottom and an odd-looking blonde girl with her wand tucked behind her ear. He knocked on the window and pulled the door open.
“Mind if I join you?”
“Of course not,” said Ginny. “Come on in, Neville was just about to show us what his Mimbulus mimbletonia can do.”
“I really hope you’re referring to that plant he’s holding,” replied Harry as he shut the door behind him.
No more than minute later, Harry was covered in Stinksap and deeply regretting stepping foot in the same compartment as Neville and the stupid plant he was holding. He was just spitting out a mouthful of the slimy stuff when Cho Chang appeared.
“Trying a new look, Harry?” she asked, amused.
“Yeah, and I’m more than willing to share if you’ll come closer,” Harry threatened.
“All right, no need to get spiky just because you’re all sticky,” Cho replied. “Er, I suppose Ric’s in the compartment with the prefects and all them, yeah?”
“He is,” said Harry.
“Okay,” said Cho. “Um. Tell him I stopped by. I guess. When you see him.” She paused a second, then uttered, “Well, bye then,” before taking off.
“She is rather flighty,” observed the blonde girl, Luna. “It’s commonly believed to be a Ravenclaw trait. Some even say that I am a bit.” Without waiting for a response, she returned to reading her magazine upside-down.
After about an hour, Ron and Hermione appeared. Cedric was not with them. When Harry asked why, Hermione told him that the Head Girl had asked him to stay behind for a minute so they could speak privately. She then went on to tell everyone who the fifth year prefects of the other three houses were. Luna had just told Ron that Padma Patil, the new female Ravenclaw prefect, did not enjoy her date with Ron to the Yule Ball last year when Cedric joined them at last, thoroughly disgruntled.
“It’s getting rather crowded in here,” Ginny said when he came in, rising from her seat. “I think I’ll go visit with some of the other girls in my year.”
“Ginny, wait!” Hermione pleaded.
“It’s fine, Hermione,” said Ginny. “I’ll see you all at school.”
Harry made no effort to stop her. If the girl wanted to carry on this way, making a fuss over Cedric being around, that was her choice. Harry wasn’t going to bend to her stubbornness.
“So, what took you so long?” Harry asked Cedric as the boy sat beside him. “Hermione said you were talking to the Head Girl, is something wrong?”
“Apparently, the Head Boy and Girl feel it’d be in my best interest not to join the other prefects in patrolling the train this year,” Cedric replied stormily. “They’re afraid that, given everything that’s going on right now, it might incite students to act out against me.”
“Lucky you,” said Ron. “Wish it was in my best interest to sit around and do nothing the rest of the way to Hogwarts.”
“I don’t think that’s how Cedric sees it,” Hermione chided softly.
“It sounds like a demotion to me,” chirped Luna from behind her magazine. “A prefect being prohibited from taking part in his normal duties.”
“Yes, that would be the tactless way of saying it,” Hermione murmured.
“I’d rather not even talk about it,” said Cedric. “It’s - whatever - it is what it is. It stinks, but I’m not going to argue with them about it.”
“They may be right, you know,” Hermione said, looking hesitant to agree with the Heads’ decree. “We don’t know what most people are thinking yet, about you two and everything. The safest thing for you to do, for now, might be staying away.”
“Yeah,” said Cedric hollowly.
“Hey, look on the bright side: this means you get to spend more time with me,” Harry pointed out.
“Well, it’s hard to be too upset with a bright side like that,” Cedric replied, giving him a slight smile. He slipped an arm across Harry’s shoulders.
“Ugh, that is downright repulsive.”
Five out of the six in the compartment all swiftly looked toward the door. (Luna’s attention remained fixed on her magazine.) Standing there was Draco Malfoy, flanked by his constant flunkies Crabbe and Goyle, an expression of utmost revulsion distorting his already-sour countenance.
“If you must turn queer, Potter,” said Malfoy, “the least you can do is keep it in private. It’s no wonder Weasley got picked for prefect over you. Anyone would be more preferable than a disgusting wand-biter.”
“If that’s true, then how come I’m a prefect?” asked Cedric squarely.
“Prefect, maybe, but I couldn’t help noticing you weren’t made Head Boy,” Malfoy replied smoothly. “Well, that is unless you count what people are saying about you behind your back...”
“That’s enough, Malfoy!” snapped Harry.
“The two triumphant Triwizard champions of Hogwarts, both snubbed by their beloved headmaster,” Malfoy commented. “That must truly sting.”
“Just get out of here!” shouted Hermione, standing up to face him.
“As if I wish to stay,” Malfoy sneered. “Just thought I’d warn you to watch yourself, Potter. Now that I’m a prefect, I’ll be dogging your footsteps, just waiting for you to step out of line.”
With a foul snicker, Malfoy allowed Hermione to chase him and his cohorts out. After slamming the door behind him, she turned to Harry, clearly as shaken by Malfoy’s choice of words as Harry was. As neither Ron nor Cedric seemed to have noticed, and their current company prevented them from speaking freely, Harry tried to put the comment out of his mind for the time being. Perhaps it had simply been a coincidence. Harry hoped so, anyway.
O O O O O O O
After Malfoy’s visit, the rest of the train ride to Hogwarts was rather dull. Ginny did not return until Ron and Hermione had already departed to oversee the students’ disembarkation from the train. As Cedric had chosen not to join them, figuring those duties were on the same level as hall patrol, the girl entered only to grab her things and then make a hasty retreat. The remaining four all gathered their belonging and exited onto the platform together. There Harry was dismayed to discover that Hagrid was conspicuously absent, with Professor Grubbly-Plank herding the first years in his place.
Any dark wonderings about where Hagrid may have been were then abruptly shunted aside when he saw the hideous and terrifying things that were now pulling the once horseless carriages. Passing students seemed to take no notice of the frightful creatures, passing by as if they weren’t even there. Harry thought he was going mad until he noticed Cedric staring, just as horrified, though less surprised, in the same direction.
“Ohh, Merlin, there is just no preparing yourself for something like this,” Cedric murmured.
“You see them, too?” Harry asked.
“I do,” Cedric replied. “I wasn’t really expecting to, but I guess it makes sense. They’re thestrals.”
“And those would be what exactly?” Harry pressed.
“Flying horses,” Cedric explained. “They’re what pull the carriages.”
“Since when?”
“Since always,” said Cedric. “You should be learning about them this year, actually. Hagrid did them with us in my fifth. You can only see them if you’ve seen death.”
If you’ve seen death, Harry repeated to himself.
They never did get a concrete answer for what had happened to them when Harry attempted to shield Cedric from Peter Pettigrew’s Killing Curse months earlier. However, if their test with Harry’s silver Snitch locket counted for anything, they had almost certainly been touched by death, at least in some small way.
“How come we didn’t see them at the end of last year?” Harry wondered.
“Had you fully accepted what happened to us by the time we left?” Cedric asked. “I know I hadn’t. I still haven’t, but I guess now that the shock’s worn off…”
He let the sentence remain unfinished, and a moment later they were rejoined by Ron and Hermione. Like Cedric had told him, neither of them detected the presence of the thestrals. The four boarded a carriage together, Harry bringing up the rear, watching the unsavory beasts warily.
First Hagrid missing, now this ominous reminder of the night Lord Voldemort returned to the world. The school year was already off to a bad start.
End Notes: The scar-kiss thing was a spur-of-the-moment decision. It is significant, but not in terms of established canon or defeating Voldemort.
Thanks to shoucake for the “Love So Green” icon! <3<3 Isn’t it purddy?
Sorry I’ve been such a moody bitch about readership and such. I’m going through a lot of changes in my personal life, and finishing up college, so I’m a bit out of sorts. I might take a bit of a break from updating. Clear my head, you know? There will definitely be a chapter next month, though. Have I ever missed posting on December 7th in the four years (holy shit!) years that I’ve been posting this story? No, I have not. I’m going to try and keep true to that for as long as there is a story to tell.
Til then, kiddies. Much love. -kevo
Continue to Chapter Five