DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN HARRY POTTER OR ANY OF ITS CHARACTERS, LOCATIONS OR OTHER TRADE MARKS.

Authors Note: Okay everyone, as you will all know, I'm usually very dead set against slash fan fictions. But I got into a rather heated discussion with one author and she set me this challenge and you know that I can't resist a challenge.

Pairings: Cedric/Harry

Summary: My version of Goblet of Fire. Cedric and Harry slowly start to fall in love with each other. But they are competing against each other in the Triwizard Tournament and Voldemort is getting stronger, these are just a few obstacles they will have to overcome, but can they?

Forever and Always-Chapter 1

Mr. Weasley had just finished explaining to Harry what Portkeys were and what exactly they were used for. Harry found it quite interesting.

"So what kind of object are Portkeys?" Harry asked curiously.

"Well they can be anything really, mostly things that don't stand thought, so that Muggles don't go picking them up…stuff they'll just think is litter." Mr. Weasley explained.

They trudged through the dark, danky lane towards the village. The silence broken only by their heavy footsteps. The sky slowly brightened above them. It's oily blackness transforming into a deep blue. Harry's hands and feet were freezing, he kept rubbing his hands together and blowing on them, to try and warm him up. Mr. Weasley kept looking at his watch.

They didn't have the breath for talking as they trudged up Stoatshead Hill, stumbling occasionally on hidden rabbit holes or wet tuffets of grass. Harry's breath was sharp in his chest and his lungs were starting to seize up, when at last, his feet reached level ground.

"Whew," panted Mr. Weasley, removing his glasses and wiping them on his sweater. "Well we've made good time, got about ten minutes to go, we'd better find that Portkey." He replaced his glasses and squinted around at the floor. Hermione, who had just come over the hill, clutching a stitch in her chest, also began looking around the floor. They had been there for a minute or two, Harry was beginning to think that this was a bit pointless, when a voice rang out through the air.

"Over here Arthur, over here son, we've got it"

Two dark figures were silhouetted against the dark, starry sky on the other side of the hill.

"Amos!" Mr. Weasley said as he walked quickly over to the man who had shouted. The rest of them followed.

Mr. Weasley was shaking hands with a ruddy faced old wizard, with a scrubby brown beard, who was holding a rather mouldy old boot in his hand.

"This is Amos Diggory, everyone. He works in the department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. And I think you all know his son Cedric?."

Cedric Diggory was an extremely handsome boy of about seventeen, who was captain and seeker of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team at Hogwarts. Harry looked at him, he took in every feature of Cedric, he suddenly felt that he would nothing more than to just be alone with Cedric. He was snapped out of his daze, when he realised that Cedric was looking at him. Harry quickly averted his gaze and flushed slightly.

"Hi" Cedric said, looking around at them all.

Everybody said "Hi" back, except Fred and George who nodded curtly. They hadn't quite forgiven Cedric for beating Gryffindor in the first Quidditch match of the previous year. Harry suddenly felt an irrational spark of anger directed toward the twins.

"Long walk, Arthur?" Cedric's father inquired.

"No, not really, we live just on the other side of the village. You? Mr. Weasley said.

"Had to get up at two, didn't we Ced? I'll be glad when he has his Apparition test…Still, not complaining, Quidditch World Cup, wouldn't miss it for a sack full of Galleons." Mr. Diggory peered at the three Weasley boys, Harry, Hermione and Ginny.

"All these yours, Arthur.?"

Mr. Weasley smiled, "No, just the red heads" he pointed out his children. "That's Hermione, a friend of Ron's and that's Harry, another friend -"

"Marlins Beard!" Mr. Diggory exclaimed. "Harry Potter!"

"Er - Yeah" Harry said. He was used to people meeting him and have their eyes dart directly to his scar, but it always made him uncomfortable.

"Ced talks about quite often, of course." Mr. Diggory said. Harry suddenly felt very happy, knowing that Cedric talked about him to his father. He gave Cedric a subtle grin and was pleased when Cedric returned it.

"Told me all about playing against you last year. I said to him to him, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren wont it? You beat Harry Potter."

Cedric looked quite embarrassed, he looked at Harry apologetically.

"Harry fell of his broom, dad. He's really a very good Quidditch player." Cedric said. Harry grinned to himself suddenly, Cedric thought he was a good Quidditch player. He wasn't sure why that compliment made him feel so pleased.

"Ah, but you didn't all of your broom did you Ced? No points for guessing who's better on a broomstick, eh?" Mr. Diggory roared heartily.

"I'm sure that Harry agrees that the best man won." Normally Harry would have felt annoyed that his Quidditch skills were being called into question, but oddly he wasn't, he felt that Cedric deserved to win.

"Must nearly be time now." Mr. Weasley said quickly, looking at his watch.

"Are we waiting for anyone else, Amos?" Mr. Weasley asked.

"Not that I know of." Mr. Diggory replied.

"Okay then, gather around everyone" Mr.Weasley said, holding up the mouldy old boot. He looked at Harry and Hermione.

"You just need to touch it, a finger will do." he said. And so, with great difficulty, owing the fact that each of them we wearing bulky backpacks, the nine of them gathered around and placed a finger on the boot. Cedric was standing right next to Harry, their bodies were pressed rather closely together and Harry's breath seemed to come out in short pants.

"Three" Muttered Mr. Weasley, one eye on his watch. "two…one…"

It happened at once: Harry felt as though a hook just behind his navel had suddenly been jerked irresistibly forward. He could feel Ron and Hermione on either side of him and Cedric just behind him. The world swirled past in a frenzy of colour. All of them were speeding forward in a howl of wind. Harry's forefinger was stuck to the boot like a magnet And then suddenly his feet slammed into the ground, he fell forwards onto the floor, he felt Ron stagger into him.

Mr. Weasley, Cedric and his father, were all still standing, although they looked very windswept.

"Need some help?" He heard a voice ask. When he looked up, he saw Cedric standing there, his arm outstretched. Harry took it and Cedric pulled him to his feet, but maybe just a little too hard, Harry fell into him, still holding his hand. They both stared into each others eyes and the world seemed to go away, it was as if they were the only two people on earth. Suddenly Harry felt his trousers tighten, Cedric was still holding his hand and had placed his other hand on his shoulder. His touch felt oddly secure, he felt safe and loved.

"Come on, you two." Hermione called over in frustration Harry let go of Cedric's hand, mumbled "thanks" to his shoes and walked over to the Weasley's and Hermione.

Mr. Weasley and Mr. Diggory were talking to two wizards, both dressed like Muggles, but very badly. The man with the watch wore a tweed suit and thigh length galoshes, his colleague, a kilt and a poncho. They were then assigned to their campsites and the time came for Mr. Diggory and Cedric to go their separate ways to the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione. But just before they went, Harry felt a hand on his shoulder, when he turned around he came face to face with Cedric. Again they looked into each others eyes and again the world seemed to melt away, leaving just the two of them there.

"Do you wannna do something after the match? Go for a walk or something?" Cedric asked, he sounded slightly nervous and seemed to be taking deep breaths very often. Harry thought for a moment, he didn't know what was wrong with him today. Ever since he laid eyes on Cedric this morning, all he wanted to do was be alone with him, talk to him, make him laugh, just be in his company. And he did get very aroused earlier on. All of these feelings were starting to scare Harry, did he have a crush on Cedric? He wasn't sure about anything anymore. Cedric had been eyeing him up all morning, did he have a crush on Harry? Harry didn't know, but he did know that when he was with Cedric, everything felt right, it felt complete.

"Yeah, that sounds like fun." Harry said, grinning. The relief was evident in Cedric's expression, as his face also split into a grin. They made plans for Cedric to come to Harry's tent and they would go for a walk around the campsite. Cedric reluctantly took his hand off Harry's shoulder and walked off with his father, as Harry walked off the Weasley's and Hermione, nobody seemed to notice the grin that was now fixed upon his face.

---

All through the Quidditch game, Harry found his focus wavering. He kept thinking about Cedric, about what would happen that night. He wasn't sure why he felt so strongly about Cedric, he wasn't even sure if Cedric felt anything for him or if it was just wishful thinking. But then why did he ask Harry to go for a walk after the Quidditch game? Whenever he thought about Cedric, his heart raced, his breath came out in shallow gasps and his stomach did funny little flips.

Harry was brought out of his thoughts by a loud cheer from the crowd, Viktor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker had scored another ten points. Now the score was ninety-fifty to Bulgaria. But right now, Harry didn't care that much about Quidditch at the moment, or anything else for that matter, all he cared about at the moment was the game finishing so that he could go and meet Cedric.

Back at the tent, everyone was screaming and cheering, they were all very excited after the world cup. Harry was getting exciting himself, Cedric would be here soon. And just as he thought that, Hermione came entered the tent and walked over to Harry.

"Harry, Cedric's waiting outside for you." she said, raising her voice a little so that Harry would hear her over the celebration of the Weasleys. Although Ron seemed to have heard her.

"Oi Harry, where are you going with Pretty Boy?" Ron asked, he didn't seem to like Cedric much either. Harry's eyes flashed dangerously.

"don't ever call Cedric that again!" he snapped and then walked out, leaving a very bewildered Ron behind. Hermione, who had been watching this exchange, suddenly looked very confused, as she stared after Harry and then looked deep in thought as she tried to figure out why Harry had such a bad reaction to Ron's snide little comment.

Outside Harry found Cedric waiting for him. It was freezing outside, but Harry didn't want to go back in and get a jacket, so he just settled for his T-shirt and jeans.

"Hiya Harry" Cedric greeted, looking very pleased to see him.

"Hello Cedric" Harry said, equally pleased to see the other boy. They walked for a while in silence, before they came to a nice secluded area near the edge of the woods, it was hidden from view by some rather large bushes. Harry and Cedric sat down on a nearby log. The cold night air was filled with the sounds of wizards and witches celebrating loudly after the world cup, the night sky was filled with thousands of stars that twinkled happily and Cedric and Harry sat, in their only little place, completely cut off from the rest of the world. Harry felt at peace, he also felt excited to be here with Cedric, alone.

"So did you enjoy the match?" Cedric asked, finally breaking the silence that seemed to have arisen between them. Harry opened his mouth to reply, trying to think.

"I wasn't really paying attention" Harry said quietly. He saw the corners of Cedric's mouth twitch, slightly and a small smile form on his face.

"Your mind was somewhere, huh?" Cedric asked. Harry gave a nod. "Mine too" Cedric said, looking at Harry. Harry felt himself blush a little. Had Cedric been thinking about…him? He didn't have much time to dwell on this, however, because he soon realised that his teeth were chattering wildly and that he was shivering. Cedric noticed this too, and quickly pulled off his jacket and draped it around Harry's shoulders. Harry was slightly taken aback and then his manners kicked in.

"Ced, I couldn't take -" But Cedric cut him off.

"Harry your freezing." he said simply and in a tone of voice that suggested he would listen to any of Harry's protests. Harry couldn't really argue with that and he was very grateful to Cedric for giving him his jacket.

"Thanks" Harry smiled.

"Your welcome" Cedric smiled back. The two boys hadn't realised just how close they were sitting to each other and neither of them seemed to realise that Cedric's arm was draped across Harry's shoulder. Harry leaned into Cedric's touch. He loved this, both of them, there, together. Cedric also looked content. He wasn't all that sure why he had his arm over Harry's shoulder. He knew that he wanted to keep Harry safe, protect him and this way felt that he would be able to pull him out of harms way at any given moment. He knew that he had feelings for Harry and it looked as if Harry had feelings for him. Harry felt Cedric's fingers running through his hair. He was quite shocked and delighted. He heard Cedric take a deep breath, as if he was summoning courage.

"Harry, I need to tell you -" But Harry never heard what Cedric needed to tell him. He was cut off by the sounds of screaming and something that sounded oddly like an explosion.

Harry quickly sat up. He looked at Cedric in confusion. The sounds of ear piercing screaming could be heard and there was light coming from the campsite, blazing orange. Fire.

"What's going on?" Harry asked as Cedric got up and peered through some bushes. Harry joined him.

"Somebody is attacking the campsite!" Cedric said. Harry looked scared, when he saw the culprits. A group of people in masks that looked oddly like skulls. They were pointing their wands at things, blowing them up. Tents were on fire, tree's had fallen down. The whole campsite was in chaos. Harry instinctively reached in his pocket for his wand, but his pockets were empty. He started to panic. He sat down on the log that he and Cedric had been sitting on.

"My wand" He mumbled to himself, looking quite pale. He felt completely helpless without his wand, without any form of defence. Cedric turned and looked at him.

"what?" he asked. Harry had, in his moment of panic, nearly forgotten that Cedric was there.

"My wand, I don't have it." he blurted out quickly. He felt utterly panic stricken. "I cant go out there without my wand, Cedric, I cant, I feel helpless" He was beginning to breathe very rapidly, mumbling to himself, he hadn't felt panic like this before and after all he had been through over the years, destroying Professor Quirrel, fighting the Basilisk, facing the dementors and the thing that cracks him is not having his wand. He was taking very shallow breaths now, he didn't know what to do. Cedric started to get worried about Harry, he strode over to him quickly, bent down and took Harry's hands in his own. Harry looked at him.

"Harry, listen to me. I am not gonna let anything to happen to you, I'll keep you safe, I promise." Cedric said, looking into Harry's eyes and Harry knew that he was telling the truth. Harry nodded. Cedric gave him a reassuring smile and helped pull Harry to his feet. They walked out of their little area and walked behind the tree's. The campsite looked fairly deserted now and Harry prayed and hoped that everyone was safe.

"We need to get back to the Portkey, Harry" Cedric said, leading Harry into the forest. They walked faster, twigs crunching underneath them. Some screams could still be heard coming from the campsite, they sounded distant, but just as eerie.

"Well, Well, Well" came a cold drawling voice from behind them. Cedric and Harry both spun around and came saw Draco Malfoy leaning against a tree, looking quite calm considering the circumstances.

"Why aren't you with the Weasel and the rest of his poor as dirt family? Romantic stroll under the moonlight is it, Potter?" Malfoy taunted and despite himself, Harry flushed a deep red, that he felt was quite unrelated to his rising anger.

"And your filthy mudblood friend, Granger, had better watch out, those death eaters out there are after Muggles." Malfoy said, looking slightly bored.

"Hermione is a witch" Harry said furiously.

"well then she has nothing to worry about, you know, sometimes those death eaters kill Muggles -" But he was instantly silenced as Cedric pointed his wand at Malfoy, he yelled "Stuperfy" and a jet of crimson light shot from his wand. It hit Malfoy squarely in the chest and he slumped down the trunk of the tree, unconscious. Harry gave Cedric a smile.

"That boy talks too much" Cedric said, grinning at Harry. The grins quickly faded from both of their faces as they both heard a shout of "MORSMORDRE!" and a blinding emerald light flew into the sky. Harry and Cedric looked up in horror as a giant skull with a snake putruding from the mouth like tongue filled the sky. Cedric looked at Harry with concern filling his grey eyes. As soon as he heard Malfoy mention death eaters, he knew that Harry could be in danger. Death Eaters were You-Know-Who's supporters and the skull in the sky was the Dark Mark, the sign of You-Know-Who. The person who conjured the mark had been barely a few yards from them, what if the person had noticed them, noticed Harry. Cedric had promised Harry that he would keep him safe no matter what and that was exactly what he was going do. He placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and steered him in the other direction. He had to get Harry back to the Portkey.

They ran for what seemed like forever, but they finally managed to get back to the Portkey. The place was very crowded with people, desperately trying to get back to their Portkeys to get out of that place. To Harry and Cedric's dismay there was no one waiting there, the Weasley's and Hemione, weren't there and neither was Amos Diggory. Harry looked very anxious and started scanning the landscape around him for any signs of his friends. Cedric noticed this and looked at Harry.

"Don't worry, they are all very accomplished wizards, Harry. They'll be fine" He said. Harry calmed down a little. They sat on the ground, the grass was a little damp, but no too bad. Cedric explained to Harry what Death Eaters were and what the Dark Mark was. He explained that Voldemort and his Death Eaters would fire the mark into the air to show the places they had been. To see the Dark Mark above your house, meant you would walk in to find everyone there dead. They were both sitting on the floor, resting on their arms. Harry subtly grasped Cedric's hand. Cedric looked down at their interlocking fingers and smiled at Harry.

"Thank you" Harry said, in barely a whisper.

"For what?" Cedric asked.

"Keeping me safe" Harry whispered. Cedric leant across to Harry, and leaned into his face. Harry did the same, closing the remaining distance between them. Their lips met. The world flew away again. Cedric brushed against Harry's lips with his tongue and Harry parted his lips, letting their tongues meet. Harry had never been kissed before and he loved it. He loved it because it was Cedric he was kissing. He felt safe and secure. He felt invincible.

To Be Continued……

Okay people what do you think? This is my first Harry Potter fic and my first slash. Its gonna go on for a while. Of course the only reason I'm doing this is because I got into an argument and this cow insulted my writing skills "you wouldn't be able to write slash if your life depended on it" blah. So I'm doing this to show that I can write slash and be good at it. My review target for this chapter is at least 50 so get reviewing, tell your friends. Or I might not carry on. So please read and Review, I would really love to know what you thought. There will of course be a lot more Cedric and Harry stuff throughout the fic.