A/N: Just a story I'm putting together, mostly for my own amusement. For the purposes of this story, two major things are changed. Cedric lives, and he does so by blocking the killing curse with one of his own.
Title: Unexplainable Darkness
Summary: Dark-ish!Cedric. Cedric lives AU. Cedric can't fathom senseless killing, and is having a hard time coming to grips with nearly being a victim. But as he recalls his survival, the killing curse that saved him and the power he felt flow through him, he may understand that need for power.
Rating: T (Subject to change in later chapters)
Word Count: 1920
CHAPTER 1 || The Killing Curse
Cedric's POV
Upon landing the cup was sent flying from mine and Harry's hands. The first thing I noticed was a heavy panting, looking over at Harry I watched him as he began to stand up.
"You okay?" I asked
Harry took a moment but he looked down at me, "Yeah … you?" he replied
I rolled over and began to push myself up, not expecting the oncoming dizziness. Slower this time I managed to stand completely up and slowly moved forward. My hands dropped to my hips as I examined our surroundings.
"Where are we?" I wondered completely confused
There was no answer. I could feel Harry was just as confused. Turning to the right a bit and continuing my slow movement I was faced with a grave marker. A sculpture of what seemed to be a reaper, with wings.
"I've been here before." Harry finally replied
As I came up on the cup I dropped down in front of it.
"It's a portkey." I grinned as I looked back at Harry who was mostly blocked by the sculpture, "Harry the cup is a portkey!"
"I've been here before." He replied almost immediately, "In a dream."
I stood up and made my way towards him, "Cedric … we have to get back to the cup!" He was examining the name on the tombstone, "Now!"
"What are you talking about?" Slight worry in my voice
Then our heads snapped to what appeared to be a crypt as a door began to creak from the inside. A short pudgy man worked out from inside the door. Harry began to yell in pain as a pot I vaguely noticed erupted with flames beneath it. I quickly dash towards Harry as he began to clutch at his forehead and he dropped forward onto his knees, one hand to the ground.
"Harry!" I yelled as I dropped next to him, "What is it?"
"Get back to the cup!" He yelled
Looking back I found the man advancing on us, he was carrying something in one hand but it was covered with something. Forcing myself to my feet and away from Harry, despite my instinct to try and help him right that second, I raised my wand at the oncoming man.
"WHO ARE YOU, WHAT DO YOU WANT!" I hollered, recognizing fear in my own voice
I hadn't even realized I was feeling scared until this very moment. Not knowing what exactly was going on, but somehow deep inside I realized this couldn't be part of the tournament. Someone had to have rigged the cup or something. There was no way something like this would be allowed in the tournament, Harry left screaming in agony on the ground, surely that would be taking things too far.
"Kill the spare…" A raspy voice came from the bundle in the man's hand
Anger over took me in that moment as I saw the green light shine from the man's wand before hearing the start of his spell. Pure and utter anger shot through me like wildfire and it didn't cloud my judgment or thought process. It did the exact opposite. It alerted me to the only option I knew that left me with a possibility of surviving, as small as it might be.
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" We screamed, not so much in unison but with less than a second delay on my part, "NO!" I was less aware of Harry's worried scream
The next thing I knew I felt large amounts of something … something I had no idea of how to explain. It retained a feeling of power but to a sick twisted degree. The strange thing was it felt like I was welcoming it subconsciously. Like my body was choosing to allow it to fuel me while my mind had no control, only realization. Then it all suddenly exploded out of my wand leaving my body feeling drained … wanting … and most importantly, empty.
The flash that emitted from my wand was such a frightening sight. I was terrified to watch it come out of my own wand. The fact that it was something with the intention of murder, something of pure evil, was sickening, and I had to fight the urge to collapse to the ground in shame and weep.
Watching as the spells met center of the man and me, I was thrown back by the sheer force of what erupted. The spells had collided and both had been nullified with a shockwave of pure power. As I lay on the ground from the blast I shivered from the darkness of the whole event, especially the shockwave and my own casting of the curse. Quickly I rolled over and rose to my feet, I turned to the man who was having more trouble as he was trying to pick up his bundle at the same time.
"BLOODY BASTARD!" I screamed as I moved towards him wand raised
"Run Cedric! Get back to the cup and get Dumbledore!" Harry yelled
"AVADA KEDAVRA!" Seethed out my mouth, but I was shocked as I was not meaning to cast that curse or anything for that matter
The blast had thankfully missed but the man sat in shock not daring to turn around. Deep down I knew myself to be disappointed with the miss, I also knew I was disappointed with casting the curse in for second time in first place. The wanting for that darkness was so much stronger this time, I nearly gave in to it and casted the killing curse for the third time until…
"CEDRIC STOP! It's me he wants! Get Dumbledore and tell him it's Voldemort!" Harry screamed
Looking at him in shock of his words I was met with his face and he appeared even more shocked then I felt. I frowned, for myself and somewhat to him telling me to stop. I wanted to kill him, and I use wanted for a reason. Now I felt horrible, and pathetic for sinking to the same lows as some run of the mill Death Eater. Even if the wanting to kill him and to use the curse was past tense, it hadn't completely gone away. It slowly receded from my core, but remained in my body. I inwardly admonished myself as I turned to follow Harry's instructions but was taken aback by how tired I really was after the second cast. My whole body felt drained and I struggled to run at full speed to the cup.
But I made it. This time I landed to the sounds of cheering all around, music began to play. No dizziness accompanied me this time since I was prepared for the cup being a portkey and wasn't taken by surprise. I managed to bring myself to my knees and looked around, they all clapped loudly and cheered and I just frowned. I clasped my hand tightly on the cup and held it to my stomach to keep it from anyone.
"DIG-GO-RY! DIG-GO-RY! DIG-GO-RY!" Was heard above all, and I couldn't stand it
I did not deserve any of what was happening now. I left Harry, and I casted an unforgivable. I felt so Slytherin. But above that I was disgusted with myself, coming so close to murder. People started down the staircases as I stood.
"DUMBLEDORE!" I yelled, in rage
How could this happen, how could we end up in that graveyard. At that moment I needed someone else to blame, anyone and I wouldn't want to be the first person to rub me the wrong way in this moment. Dumbledore had met me half way and we were swarmed by the crowd cheering, but the ones close up noticed something off. I must have looked pissed. Any hands that had been patting me on the back had dropped, and I just wished the cheering would cease as well.
"Cedric, what happened? Where's Harry?" He asked
"WHAT HAPPENED WAS THE WHOLE THING WAS RIGGED!" I screamed at him, causing more and more people around to catch on to something being wrong
Dumbledore placed his arm on my shoulder but I smacked it off and backed away from him. "Don't touch me!" I hissed
"Cedric, explain what you're talking about." He replied
"The cup was a portkey! It brought us to some graveyard where I was almost killed!"
By now the music had stopped and the cheering had completely died down as people tried to listen. Whispers were all around me.
"Where's Harry?" He asked but it was obvious he knew the answer
"He said it was Voldemort, and that I had to run and get you because he only wanted him." I said a little more calmly
"BACK AWAY! Everybody give us some space!" Dumbledore yelled as he did a full circle motioning to the crowd
People listened to Dumbledore's orders and more room was left open as some professors, the minister, and my parents squeezed through.
"Dumbledore what's happened?" Fudge asked
McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, and Mr. Weasley came up to Dumbledore who whispered something to them. They all, but Snape, pulled back in shock.
"Cedric, put the cup on the ground." Nodding as I followed his instructions
Dumbledore whispered something to Fudge before telling everyone to get back to the castle then him, McGonagall, Snape, and Mr. Weasley all took hold of the cup and they all ported back to the graveyard, I just hope it isn't too late.
Hagrid had gathered the rest of the professors and they along with Fudge immediately started to send the students back to the castle. My parents had grabbed me and started leading me away they asked me what was going on and I told them, leaving out the part of using the killing curse. My father told me to take a seat and wait for him as my parents started to help send people back to the castle.
"Cedric!" I heard someone call a moment after my parents departed
I looked up to find Harry's friends, which included the Wealey's and Granger.
"Where's Harry." Ron Weasley asked as I stood
"Probably dead." I muttered tiredly
"What's that supposed to mean, what happened!" He yelled looking downright furious
"The cup, it was a portkey. Someone must have rigged it. We grabbed it at the same time and were attacked. Harry told me to get Dumbledore so I did."
All bodies froze in front of me. Fred, George and Ron all had dropped jaws, Ginny's lips pursed and Hermione looked shocked and confused. It took a minute before anyone said anything
"You just left him!" Ron yelled
Until now the guilt hadn't even registered, but with those four words it washed over me. But before I could say anything I was spun around from a punch to the face and landed on my hands and knees. I looked up to watch as he proceeded to kick me in the gut and both Fred and George looked like they were about to take a turn before Ginny and Hermione were struggling to hold the three back. The few remaining students stopped leaving and stared in shock.
"Ronald!" Hermione yelled as I stood back up
Grabbing my wand I pointed it at them, it was instinct really. They all stopped struggling and stilled.
"Stop it, that's enough!" Someone said forcing my wand down
It was Moody and Hagrid. "You five, back to the castle now." Hagrid said pointing at the others
"Come with me Diggory." Moody said as he gripped my shoulder
A/N: So what do you think? Let me know. I'm currently debating on how 'dark' to make Cedric, but I have a few ideas. His personality for sure is going to change a bit and eventually it could be a lot, he's also going to be pushing people away and I haven't decided on what social status (if he is still liked, even if pushing people away and his more negative attitude) he'll have within later chapters. At the moment I have no decision on if there will be a pairing for him, but some other ideas involving some characters. If there is an end pairing for Cedric it'll most likely be Cedric/Hermione.