Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and co. and/or anything you may recognize.

All credits given to J.K Rowling (Harry Potter and co.), and Bryan Adams for the amazing song "(Everything I do) I do it for you"(love you man!).

Look into my eyes - you will see
What you mean to me

Sweat dripped down slowly from the seeker's slightly flushed features, as he prepared for the oncoming match. He let the back of his hand brush upon his forehead, listening closely to what the team's captain was saying. Outside the locker rooms, all Hogwarts' students and teachers alike stomped and cheered waiting for the game to begin.

"Cedric, are you quite alright? You've been acting weird these last couple of days." Asked Gerald Veins, Chaser and Captain

"Yes, I'm just a little nervous that's all." He said effortlessly, after all, it was the truth.

"Listen Diggory, this is perhaps our most important game of the season. Since the Gryffindors acquired Potter, they have been nearly unbeatable, but I think that you can give them all a run for their money. All you have to do is grab the Snitch before he does. We need to win!" Said Gerald grabbing his broom, then, he told everyone that it was time to leave the locker rooms.

"No pressure, mate." Said Daniel Clearwater, giving his friend a reassuring smile. Personally, he couldn't see what the big deal was. Win or lose, he still had to hand in the five feet essay on the benefits of Wolfsbane Potion to Snape tomorrow.

"You know that only adds more pressure, right?" Said Cedric

"Right."

Every game they had ever played for as long as he cared to remember had been like this; a week of intensive practice beforehand, a lot of pep talk, immense pressure etc, etc. But that's what he loved about Quidditch; he loved the challenge and the attention. He loved to be in air, soaring around, hunting little golden balls. Today was different, though. Gerald was right. Cedric hadn't been himself lately; he'd been distracted, and, well, plain distant. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to admit that something had changed, however.

Cedric shook his head and stepped out after the others.

The Hufflepuffs yelled and cheered loudly as they saw their team enter the pitch. They were joined by the Slytherins, who'd pretty much chosen this house to root for by default. The Gryffindors also applauded their rivals respectfully along with the Ravenclaws, but went completely out of their seats when their team came out.

"Alright players, shake hands. And I want a nice and clean game, you hear me? But who am I kidding." Said Madam Hooch shaking her head.

"Don't worry this is not Slytherin against Gryffindor." Said Daniel

Cedric approached the other seeker and extended his hand invitingly. Harry accepted it.

"Good luck out there, Diggory." He said shyfully.

"Yeah, you too." Cedric said sincerely, looking deeply into emerald green eyes.

For some odd reason, Cedric witnessed as Harry's cheeks gained a new tint, especially as he felt heat creeping along his own features.

"Alright everyone, mount your brooms." Said Madam Hooch

Search your heart - search your soul
And when you find me there you'll search no more

Harry adjusted his goggles to a tighter fit. The clouds were pouring strongly, so he was glad Hermione had offered to charm them to be water repellent. It was indeed a terrible day to be playing Quidditch, but unfortunately the game couldn't be canceled, not that

he was complaining of course. He absolutely loved the sport. But it would have been better to play it during better weather conditions.

Diggory had already taken flight, so he decided to do the same quickly. It was always good to be on the same page or one step ahead with the opponent's seeker. Besides, Diggory was a great flyer or so he had heard. Personally, he didn't know him very well, but something about the Hufflepuff called to his attention. So intrigued he had been earlier that he let escape a blush. He surely hoped Diggory hadn't noticed or else he'd be mortified. It hadn't helped his cause the fact that Diggory had sort of blushed too. But what did he know? It could have been just the rain messing with his already impaired vision.

Harry shook his head to rid himself of his thoughts and instead pay attention to the game. They absolutely needed to win if they wanted to secure the Quidditch Cup. He took flight and situated himself in a distance well above the other players where he could both see the game and keep a sharp eye out for the snitch.

Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for

Cedric too had been on the look out for the snitch when he saw it casually soaring across the field only a few meters away from him. He took off immediately after it and was seemingly surprised that Harry was not after him. He must have been going very fast, Cedric thought to himself, since it was getting very cold to a point that his broom handle was beginning to freeze. He decided to slow down a bit, but it continued to get colder. Before he knew it the sky began getting darker and darker, if that was even possible. Black balls of what resembled smoke soared through the air passing by him almost throwing him off his broom. He felt a sudden lack of breath and deep agony in his chest. He could hear the distant voice of his father yelling at him for losing focus during the game.

Dementors, Cedric realized. They must have decided to come patrol the game. Dumbledore must be livid. He decided to ignore the creatures and continue his pursuit of the snitch. He saw it again and soared once more. He was only a few inches away from it when he heard screams from down below. He span around and what he saw made him suppress a gasp. Harry Potter had fallen off his broom. The young Gryffindor was falling towards the ground clearly unconscious.

Without thinking twice, Cedric sped towards him. His thoughts were clouded by the idea of seeing the other seeker possibly fall to his death. Cedric's broom dove with an amazing speed after Harry, and at that point he didn't think to analyze how he would stop himself from hitting the ground. All he knew was that he had to save Harry Potter.

With an amazing double take, Cedric caught Harry's limp body just before it hit the ground. But his speed was so great that he didn't manage to stop his own broom, who hit the ground flinging them both off of it. Cedric turned Harry's body on top of him so that he, Cedric, would receive the full impact. Before they hit ground he felt a wave of energy slow their momentum, then he felt a sharp pain coursing through his body. Balls of smoke circled both seekers before Cedric's eyes involuntarily closed themselves and he knew no more.

You know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you

The young Hufflepuff seeker started hearing faint voices in the background whispering between themselves. He wished they would stop. His head felt as if it had been massacred by bludgers. He couldn't quite remember what had happened to him so he decided to open his eyes slowly. He was in the Hospital Wing as he'd guessed and a number of his friends were there, some still wearing their muddy Quidditch robes. Now he remembered what had happened. He groaned.

"Cedric! How are you feeling?" Asked Gerald Veins.

"I don't know. Am I dead? It sure feels like it." Said Cedric rubbing his eyes.

"I'll get Madam Pomfrey to check on you." Said Daniel

Cedric slowly turned his head around to try to get into a more comfortable position. A few feet away from his bed in that direction was another bed which was surrounded by people as well.

"How is he?" Cedric asked.

"You mean Harry Potter? He is ok, better than you I presume. He hasn't woken up though. That was a brave thing you did out there Diggory." Said Gerald

"Mighty stupid if you ask me. We could have won the game." Said Edward Collins, another fellow Quidditch mate.

Cedric stared daggers at him.

"And let Potter die?" Cedric asked as calmly as he could manage.

"Dumbledore would have saved him. He ended up saving you both anyway."

"Edward, stop it! The Gryffindors are starting to stare." Reprimanded Gerald.

"I don't care!" Said Edward

"What's all this fuss about? Don't you see you're working up Mr. Diggory? Can't let people be here one minute and they start slowing the recovery process of my patients. Out! All of you Hufflepuffs, be on your way." Said a very enraged Madam Pomfrey.

They started to walk out. Daniel looked back at Cedric.

"Don't worry Ced, we didn't lose the game. It just had to be postponed, after all both of our seekers were down. You did the right thing. Edward just doesn't think we stand a chance playing against a fully abled Harry Potter. Ha-ha." He said

Cedric laid his head back down and closed his eyes.

"Here you go Mr. Diggory. You need your rest; I won't let these hooligans bother you again. Have some sleeping potion." Madam Pomfrey injected the potion on him.

When Cedric woke up again it was well past midnight. The infirmary was dark and deserted. He wanted to resist looking at Harry, but he did anyway. The boy was still resting in his bed motionless. Cedric wondered if he had woken up at any point yet. Then he heard something move.

"Harry?"

"Oh, hey Diggory." He said

"Call me Cedric."

"Right, sorry didn't mean to wake you." Said Harry looking very apologetic.

"No, you didn't. Have you been awake long?"

"A while. Madam Pomfrey wanted to give me some sleeping potion, but I refused." He made a face.

"Oh."

Silence.

"I heard what you did out there for me today. I'm very thankful." Said Harry looking at the ceiling.

"It was the right thing to do." Said Cedric echoing Daniel's words, "Anybody would have done the same."

Cedric mentally kicked himself. He didn't want to sound as if the incident was casual. He did it for more than just moral duty, he liked the lad.

Harry smiled a bit, "That's debatable."

"And Dumbledore ended up saving us both in the end, so my heroic deed didn't serve for anything." Said Cedric

"I wouldn't say that. Look at you and look at me. You have far more injuries. And you missed out on winning the game just to save me. That means a lot.

"Thanks."

"No, thank you." Said Harry with a grave look, "I owe you one."

Look into your heart - you will find
There's nothin' there to hide

It took three days and a lot of begging on the boys' part for Madam Pomfrey to see fit to let them leave the infirmary. And yet she seemed to regret to let them leave. Her reasoning was; in order to keep these two out of trouble she should to keep them under her wing. Unfortunately, the infirmary was no place to hold healthy students hostage and Neville Longbottom already kept her busy enough on a daily basis.

Cedric was glad to go back to his normal life and sleep on his bed again. His friends were also glad to have him back. But somehow or for some reason he missed the infirmary. It was soothingly quiet there.

"Cheer up Ced! Seriously dude, you've been looking dead since you came back." Said Daniel

"Yeah, man!" Said Ares, one of their roommates.

"Sorry guys, just a little off of it. That's what too much sleeping potion does to you." Cedric apologized, "I think I'm just going to take a walk for a while."

"But it's way past curfew. Are you nuts?"

Cedric raised an eyebrow at him and then shook his head.

"Ares, I'm a prefect."

Cedric left the Hufflepuff dormitory and slipped past the carpet door that led to the rest of the building. Whenever he had a lot on his mind it helped if he walked around for a bit. It was an old habit of his and he'd almost gotten into trouble in his earlier Hogwarts days. But now it definitely helped that he was a prefect.

And lately he'd been having a lot on his mind. Because of his heroic move, Hufflepuff had perhaps lost all their chances, or their most important chance to win the Quidditch cup. Not that anybody blamed him. As a matter of fact nobody dared to. But in the bottom of his heart he knew that Gerald Veins, the Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain, resented him. And then there was Cho Chang, his beautiful girlfriend of six months. He absolutely adored her. She was beautiful, smart; everything to make an excellent future wife. But he just couldn't picture a future together with her. Every time he tried he would just draw a blank, nothing.

His father was also getting on his last nerve. Seriously, the dude would not just lay low. It was always, be careful Cedric, remember your future Cedric, and don't disappoint me Cedric. He couldn't remember the last time he'd done something just for himself.

Actually, he could; that day at the Quidditch game. That had been all him.

Cedric sighed.

But his dad had given him an earful. You cost Hufflepuff the game Cedric! But at least now you'll tell your grandkids that you saved the Boy Who Lived.

Harry. That boy seemed to fill more than half of his mind even though he didn't really know how. He couldn't form coherent sentences, logical thoughts or even less than abstract images about the boy. It was as if Harry weighed more on his thoughts just by being Harry. The boy was truly like no other, he'd noticed that during their stay at the Hospital Wing. Cedric had always found him intriguing but after talking to him that feeling only grew. And he was surprised at how much attention he paid to the boy. He noticed how Harry's face lit up and grew dimples whenever he smiled or how he passed his hands through his already unruly hair whenever he was unsure about something. He'd even noticed that Harry's scar was more to the right of his forehead and looked more like a capital N than a lightning bolt. He rarely noticed such trivial things about other people. Did Cho have dimples?

Cedric sighed and shook his head again. He'd reached the Dining Hall and to the right were the stairs that led to Gryffindor Tower. He'd stared at it for a couple of seconds and then got the weirdest feeling that he was being watched. He looked around but saw no one.

Suddenly he heard footsteps going towards the stairs.

"Who goes there? Show yourself!" Said Cedric

Whoever it was, it didn't halt. Instead, it ran for it. Cedric ran after the sound up the stairs and out of nowhere got hit by a water balloon. He fell a couple of stairs back. More balloons were thrown his way.

"Peeves!"

The poltergeist came closer to get a better look. He smiled and danced.

"Naughty, naughty Diggory boy, playing hide and seek at this time!"

"If you weren't already dead, I'd kill you right now." Said Cedric straightening himself.

"As if I never heard that before. No, no. Peeves wants to play a new game!" Said the poltergeist, raising another balloon.

"Don't you dare!"

"What's this entire ruckus all about?" Bellowed a new voice.

"Professor Snape." Said Cedric

"Peeves be gone!" The spirit vanished. The man turned to the Hufflepuff. "What are you doing out at this time Mr. Diggory?"

"I'm a prefect professor. I was patrolling the halls; it is my duty. I was unfortunate enough to get attacked by Peeves, however."

"Unfortunate indeed."

"What brings you around here professor?"

Snape sneered.

"I don't believe that is any of your business now, is it Mr. Diggory? But if you must know, I heard a noise in the hallways around Slytherin territory and followed it here. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?"

Cedric was about to respond when his eyes landed on the statue behind Snape. Harry Potter was standing behind it. The young Gryffindor looked at him. Cedric looked at Snape again.

Now he was caught up.

"I'm afraid it was me sir. I was patrolling the halls down there when I heard a noise. I thought it was a student, but it turned out to be just Peeves trying to play a prank on someone. As you can see, he got me." Said Cedric dryly.

Snape studied his face not wanting to believe him.

"Are you quite sure?"

"Yes, sir."

"Then off you go! Bed."

"Good night, sir." With that said, the Hufflepuff walked away.

Snape turned around to look at the statue; he saw nothing. With a wave of his wand everything turned pitch black.

Behind the portrait of the Fat Lady, Harry Potter sighed with relief. This was the second time Cedric Diggory had saved his skin.

Take me as I am - take my life
I would give it all - I would sacrifice

The Great Hall buzzed with cheerful voices ringing from all corners. Friday had finally arrived and this weekend was a Hogsmeade weekend. The students discussed between themselves their plans for the day down at the village. Up in the faculty table the teachers were also glad the weekend was here. Some were glad because they would finally have extra time to grade those papers, and others because they couldn't look at the students' faces for one more day straight.

Snape whispered something to the Headmaster with a disgusted look on his face. Dumbledore nodded once and briefly glanced at the Gryffindor table. Usually his eyes would have twinkled with acknowledgement but this time they held firm.

On the Hufflepuff table Cedric's friends chatted amongst themselves glancing at the doors once in a while.

"Where is he?" Asked Ares

"I don't know. Didn't you wake him up?" Said Daniel

"No. It was your turn today."

"Oh, great! Now he's going to be late for Potions first period!"

"And we'll get to hear an earful from Snape. Oh goodie." Said Edward Collins

"I'll go wake him." Said Daniel getting up from the table

"No need, here comes the Badger Prince." Said Ares

Cedric walked through the Great Hall doors slowly while rubbing his eyes. It was clear that he had had a rough night. His hair was all over the place, like the kind you get when you just got off a broomstick. His tie was hanging loose around his neck and his shirt was unbuttoned until about mid-chest. Needless to say, it wasn't tucked in.

Most of the girls in the hall held their breaths as they took in the sight. The entire hall stared at him as he crossed the room. One of Cho's friends whispered something in her ear and smiled. The Ravenclaw frowned. But Cedric paid no attention. He just walked straight to the Hufflepuff table and took a seat next to his friends.

"Rough night, mate?" Asked Daniel

"The worst; I wasn't able to fall asleep until Dawn." Said Cedric filling his cup with Pumpkin Juice.

Ares grabbed the juice from his hand and gave him a cup of coffee instead.

"Trust me, you need this." He said

"And you better not show up for Potions dressed like that." Said Edward

The other two glared at him.

'What's wrong with the way I look?" Asked Cedric tasting his coffee.

"You mean you don't know?" Asked a new voice.

The boys turned around to look at a fuming Cho. The Chinese girl was standing just a foot from them with her hands on her hips.

"Cho! It's sure nice to see you this early in the morning. We'd love to stay and chat but we want to get good seats in class, right Ares and Edward?" Said Daniel standing up.

"Right you are!" Said Ares

The three left.

"Cedric look at you! Is that any way to dress?" Asked Cho sitting next to him. Without waiting for a response she started trying to button his shirt and smooth his hair.

Cedric tried to keep her from touching him. It was one thing to try to control the way he dressed or behaved, as if they were married, while they were in private. But she was testing his limits by doing this in front of the entire student population.

She didn't get the hint.

"Cho stop it! Stop trying to control my life!" He said pushing her hands away.

"You're calling too much attention to yourself. All these girls are staring at you!"

"Look, I'm done with satisfying your demands just to appease your insecurities. Just leave me alone."

"Cedric just because you have a lot on your mind doesn't give you the right to insult me!"

"Then take a hint, will you?"

The Hufflepuff Prefect drank the last few drops of his coffee grabbed his bag and left the table. He hated yelling at Cho but the girl refused to acknowledge his limits. He knew he would feel bad later, but right now he had to get away from her. He was so engrossed on his thoughts that he almost knocked over someone.

"Cedric, hey." Said none other than Harry Potter.

"Oh, um, hi Harry" Said the Hufflepuff

"Can I have a word?"

"Maybe later, I have to go." Cedric walked away.

Harry sat next to his friends in the Gryffindor table. Hermione gave him a questioning look.

"What?" He asked

"Nothing."

"You missed a great show mate." Said Ron

"Oh? What happened?" Asked Harry

"Pretty boy yelled at his girlfriend for the entire hall to hear."

Harry immediately looked at the Ravenclaw table. Cho was in her friend's arms, which seemed to be comforting her.

"Well, Cho is too clingy." Defended Hermione

Ron gave her an incredulous look.

"He shows up here looking like that and you think he's right."

"Cedric obviously has a lot on his mind and Cho isn't helping things. Everyone knows Cedric's dad is always on top of him. What do you think Harry?"

"I…well…"

"I think Cho would have been better off with Harry." Said Ron

"Ron, we already had this conversation. I prefer…"

"Blokes, I know Harry. But at one point you had a crush on Cho."

"Or I thought I did…maybe I perceived it wrong." Said Harry with a distant look on his face.

"What do you mean?" Asked Hermione

"I mean the crush I had on Cho wasn't all I thought it to be. I got over her pretty quickly."

Hermione narrowed her eyes but didn't question him anymore.

Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more

"You know it's true…I do it for you." With a huge sigh, Cedric let his head lie down on the grass. This was the third time he was out past curfew and not on Prefect duty. But he couldn't stand laying down on his bed and not sleeping right away. Today he had chosen to go relax by the Black Lake. At least the Giant Squid would keep him company.

"Can't sleep?" Asked a voice

Cedric would have jumped in surprise if he hadn't considered for a second that he was dreaming. But he remembered that it was because he had trouble sleeping that he was here.

"Yeah, it's become a common problem for me. You?"

Harry smiled under the moonlight. He sat down next to Cedric.

"I'm just getting some fresh air. Usually I don't come outside but I was drawn here today."

"As a Prefect I feel that I must tell you that if caught you'll get into a lot of trouble, especially now with all the precautions because of Sirius Black being put into place."

"Are you going to turn me in?" Asked Harry slyly

"No, I'm not on Prefect duty tonight." Said Cedric

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For not turning me in to Snape the other day."

"You're quite the rebel, aren't you? But what are friends for?"

Cedric turned to take a better look at Harry, but the ladder didn't respond. He just looked at the lake.

"I guess it's a good thing Dumbledore got rid of the dementors." Said Harry after a while.

"Yeah, one less problem for us to worry about."

Silence fell between the two. Cedric felt like he should say something, but he knew so little about Harry and was afraid of saying the wrong thing. He didn't want to make the wrong impression. He didn't want Harry to leave. His company was very soothing.

"Definitely one less problem." Harry whispered to himself.

"You have a lot of problems?" Asked Cedric casually.

Harry was surprised to hear the question. Usually he would have considered it out of place, but nobody asked him about his personal problems besides Ron and Hermione.

"Yeah. Don't we all?"

"Some more than others." Said Cedric looking directly at him.

"Do you?"

"I guess at this point in my life I have pilled more on than I can carry."

"Girl problems?"

Cedric raised an eyebrow at him.

"I heard about what happened in the Great Hall the other today."

"Oh, that. Yeah, it's no secret that Cho and I have been having problems. She can be a bit over possessive sometimes."

"You don't like her anymore."

It was a statement not a question and Cedric picked up on it. He was silent for a moment not exactly sure how to answer. It was also well known around the castle that Harry had a crush on Cho.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that." Said Harry

"No, don't worry. It's just…well…I have to be honest. I didn't exactly start dating Cho because I'd fallen for her."

"Why then?"

"Expectations."

"Expectations? Wow, it must be nice to have those kind of expectations forced upon you." Said Harry a little more bitterly than he had intended.

"I'm sorry to be telling you this Harry. After all I know that you have a crush on Cho. I didn't mean to…"

"I don't."

"What?"

"I don't have a crush on Cho. I pretended to in order to get the guys in my dorm off my back."

"Why?"

"Because everyone was getting girlfriends or crushes on girls and I wasn't. I'm...well…I'm not interested in them, not in that way anyways." Harry couldn't stop himself from confessing his reasons. He was tired of always having to be careful with what he said and to whom. And he didn't like having Cedric think that he had a crush on his girlfriend.

"What do you mean?"

Harry ran his hands over his head.

"I'm gay." He said looking straight into the ocean.

Cedric felt as if a cold bucket of water had been splashed across his face. He wanted to say something but he just couldn't.

And that's when Harry started mentally kicking himself for having just revealed one of his most private secrets. He wanted to leave, but just couldn't bring himself to. At some point or another the whole Hogwarts would have to learn that he was gay and he couldn't run away every time. He might as well get some practice now. And so, he waited patiently for Cedric to react.

It was only a while later that Cedric said something.

"I'd never expected that. I'm sorry Harry; I didn't mean to offend you with my silence." He managed to say.

"Not many people will expect it from the Boy Who Lived." Said Harry preparing to stand up.

"Harry that's not how I think…" Cedric grabbed Harry's arm, "I'm just surprised that you would confess it to me of all people."

"My friends know."

"Still."

Silence once again.

"I'm bisexual myself." Said Cedric

Harry looked at him; Cedric was looking directly at his eyes. The Gryffindor also noticed that the Hufflepuff was still holding his arm. It sent chills up his spine. However, Harry didn't have time to say anything because a loud noise started coming from the castle.

"Oh, shit! The alarm, we must go now." Said Cedric

"What's happening?"

"I don't know but whatever it is, it's serious."

Both boys started running towards the castle at full speed. They'd certainly get caught now and they would be in a whole lot of trouble. As they approached the castle they noticed that the doors were being shut tightly under the new protective shield implemented earlier during the semester. They could hear a big ruckus going on inside.

"Shit!" Said Cedric, "How are we supposed to get in now?"

Harry looked thoughtful for a moment.

"I know a way, follow me." He started heading down the hill towards Hogsmeade.

"Harry where are you going? Hold on!"

"There is a secret passage at the Three Broomsticks that leads back to Hogwarts. Through it we can get in; nobody else knows about it."

Cedric didn't have time to question him.

"Come, hold on to me. If we disapparate it'll be quicker." He said.

The two disapparated right into the Three Broomsticks. Harry quickly led the way downstairs and into the labyrinth. With a flick of their wands the passage was no longer dark and they were able to run as fast as they could until they reached the castle. Careful not to be heard by any passerby, Harry moved the statue of the witch.

"Here get under this; it's an invisibility cloak." Said Harry

"How did…"

"Never mind that now."

Under the cloak the two made their way to the lower halls. The Hall leading to Hufflepuff was full of students; it'd be difficult to get through.

"Harry, this is where I leave you. I need to make sure everybody is well, especially the first years." Said Cedric

A lot of the students were startled as Cedric seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, but they were very relieved to see him. There were people everywhere and nobody seemed to know what was going on or what to do. Harry made his way to Gryffindor tower careful not to be dragged by the mob. Gryffindor hall was also overbearing with students. As soon as he got to a spot he deemed safe, still in the background, he slipped off the cloak.

Everybody was staring at the portrait of the fat lady. The painting was thrashed, and the lady was nowhere to be seen. Harry's heart did a double take as someone grabbed him front behind and spun him around.

"Harry Potter where have you been? Sirius Black is in Hogwarts grounds!" Said Hermione

Ya know it's true

All the students were ordered to sleep in the Great Hall where professors could monitor them. Each corner of the room was occupied by each house. Hufflepuff was on the right of Gryffindor, but Harry didn't get a chance to see Cedric again. After Hermione had cornered him, she had explained that Black had been in Gryffindor tower and nearly attacked Ron. They assumed it was because he had mistaken in bed and was after Harry. Luckily she found him before Ron was forced to confess what happened for fear that he'd been kidnapped.

"How's Ron?" Asked Harry

"He's better now. Madam Pomfrey gave him some sleeping potion to calm down his nerves. He wasn't the only one that needed it by the looks of it; I saw her giving it to a whole bunch of other students." Said Hermione looking around.

"Oh."

The two were laying next to each other close to the wall. Neither were sleepy.

"Are you ok?" Asked Hermione

"I'm holding down."

"I've noticed you've been pretty far off these last couple of days. If it's because of Sirius Black you should know that Dumbledore…"

"That's just it, Hermione. I'm not worried about him. The guy is a lunatic and I've got reason to believe he's after me, and yet I haven't been able to give him a second thought."

"Want to tell me about it? I'm here for you…you know."

"I know."

"We haven't got secrets."

"Believe me, I know that Hermione."

The young Gryffindor ruffled his hair, laid his head down and closed his eyes. She observed him refusing to say anything else, but her gaze was penetrating. And he could feel it burning on his skin. He sighed.

"Hermione, how would you know if you were starting to develop feelings for someone?"

She smiled but hid it quickly.

Everything I do - I do it for you

Cedric looked out of the window of his room into the Hogwarts grounds. This always gave him a soothing feeling in the pit of his stomach. He was tired of all the latest events that had taken place at that school, though. Seriously, he hated this stupid Sirius Black. Because of his threat, he'd been working nonstop trying to get all the younger students into their tower before curfew, doing extra rounds until very late at night, and having to wake up extra early each morning. He hardly had any time to do any homework let alone extra studying for the N.E.W.T. exams. Yes, he didn't actually graduate until next year, but his dad kept bothering him about it.

In fact, his dad wasn't even bothered by the fact that Sirius Black was on the loose and that he could attack again at any minute. It was Potter's problem according to him; nothing that Cedric should worry his head about. This really pissed Cedric off, though. How could he not worry that Harry could be attacked at any moment? Sure he, Cedric, could have some control over the students in his house, but Harry belonged to another house. And he was already reckless on his own nature. How could Cedric possibly protect him? It angered him beyond his understanding why it angered him so much that he couldn't protect Harry, especially because the younger boy refused to let himself be protected.

Harry. He hadn't seen him up close since the day of the scare, only from far on occasion. The boy seemed always to be absent from the Great Hall during meal times.

He missed him..er, their conversations. He still couldn't believe that Harry had confessed his deepest, darkest secret to him. You can't just have that kind of talk with no follow up. He would give a great deal to go back to that moment and relive it. Stupid Sirius Black – this was another reason to hate the man.

Cedric put on his prefect badge and exited the Hufflepuff tower. He needed to start his rounds for the night. At least it was only 8pm, still early.

Meanwhile in the Gryffindor common room…

"No offense, Hermione, but I would really appreciated if you didn't keep staring at me with that smile on your face. It's really creepy." Said Harry while he read a book.

"How can you tell I'm looking at you?"

"I have some visual impairment, but I'm not blind."

"Seriously, Hermione, I've noticed it too." Said Ron

Hermione put down her own book to focus all her attention on Harry.

"You know Harry; I couldn't help but notice Cedric looking at you while we were in the library yesterday."

"Why would Diggory be looking at Harry?" Asked Ron

"I'm sure he wasn't looking at me. Cho was sitting really close by." Said Harry

"No, I'm pretty sure he was looking at you. I was surprised you didn't look back." Said Hermione

"Why would he be looking at Harry?" Ron insisted

"Well, I told him I'm gay." Said Harry still looking at his book.

"You did WHAT? Why would you do such thing?"

"I didn't want him thinking I like his girlfriend."

Hermione didn't buy it, but let Ron continue his rant.

"So? You didn't have to tell him. Now he's probably going to tell his friends, who will spread it. And Malfoy will find out! He'll never let you live it down!"

"Thanks, Ron. Now I really know how you feel about everybody finding out I'm gay. It's going to come out anyways, no matter how Cedric handles what I've told him.

"But, Harry, how did Cedric react to the information?" Asked Hermione

"He told me he was bisexual."

"He did?" Asked both Hermione and Ron.

"Yes."

"Merlin's beard, this is perfect! I think he likes you!" Said Hermione

"Who likes whom?" Asked Ron. He couldn't understand what was going on.

"Go see him!"

"What?" Said Harry

"Now, go now!"

The Gryffindor scrambled to his feet and walked out the portrait hole. Hermione would certainly not let him study in there anymore. How could she possibly think Cedric liked him like that? It was just friendship developing between the two of them. It was nice having a friend outside the Gryffindor tower for once. He'd been meaning to talk to Cedric, anyways, so he'd take this opportunity.

The second floor…

Cedric spotted Cho Chang heading towards his direction from the opposite side of the corridor. She was walking with a friend, and he considered turning around or entering an empty classroom to avoid her. But when he saw her friend leave, he realized she had already seen him.

"Cedric!" She said as she approached him

"Yes, Cho?"

"Where have you been? I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Sorry, I just haven't had the time."

"But, we're together; we need to see each other sometime."

"Cho, I've been meaning to talk to you about that. But, not now. We should talk later."

"I know where this is going. I'm sorry about what happened during breakfast."

"It's not that, Cho."

"Look, Cedric. I know we haven't had the best of times, but I've been stressed out and so have you, so I don't think we should worry too much about it."

"Cho, we need to stop this. I don't think our relationship is going to work out. Things have changed."

"No they haven't. Listen to me, Cedric. Everything will be better I promise."

"Just stop it, Cho."

Cedric passed his hand through his hair. This girl just didn't get it. It broke his heart to do this to her, but he wanted to be fair to her. And it surely wouldn't be fair for him to be with her when he was so confused about everything.

But then she did something he wasn't expecting. She cupped his face between her hands and kissed him. He let her. Part of him wished to feel what he had felt for her in the past. But that feeling didn't come, yet he stayed there. He held her waist softly. As he opened his eyes he saw something that completely threw him off. He broke free from Cho.

Harry had just turned around the corner in time to witness their public display of affection.

"Harry?"

Cho turned around and saw Harry also. There was a moment of silence between the three. Cedric felt an immense sense of guilt spread through his body. And he saw what could only be hurt in Harry's eyes.

"Sorry, I didn't meant…I was just strolling… I'm just going to leave." Said Harry turning around. He practically ran.

"No, Harry, wait!" Said Cedric going after him

"Cedric, hold on!" Yelled Cho

There's no love - like your love
And no other - could give more love

A few days passed since the event on the second floor corridor. Cedric hadn't seen Harry since. He hadn't been able to catch up with him that day and after that he assumed the raven haired boy had decided to avoid him. This disturbed him more than ever. He needed to talk to him. He just needed too. His friends were already starting to get on his case again.

"Cedric, let's go play some Quidditch. We need to practice." Said Ares

"I don't feel like playing Quidditch right now."

"But you never feel like playing Quidditch nowadays! You are our seeker. You need to practice if you want to beat Potter on our rematch"

"Who said I'm interested in beating Potter?"

His roommates all stopped to look at him.

"Are you feeling quite alright, Cedric?" Asked Daniel

"What do you mean you don't want to beat, Potter?" Asked Edward

"Don't pay attention to what he's saying. We all know that he hasn't been well these last couple of days." Said Ares

"That's because Cedric has become friends with Potter." Said Daniel

"Is that true, Cedric?" Asked Ares

"More than friends, if you ask me. Word on the street is, Potter is in love with Cedric. The faggot." Said Edward laughing

Before he knew it, Cedric was choking him pressed against the wall.

"How dare you insult Harry like that?" He screamed

"Cedric let him go!"

The other Hufflepuff boys circle them trying to get Cedric's hands off of Edward's neck. But the prince wouldn't budge. It took three of them to help free the other. But instead of staying shut, Edward had another snide remark to say.

"So it's "Harry" now? What, are you in love with him too?"

That was it. Cedric punched him square in the face and he fell on the ground.

"What if I am, Edward? Do you have a problem with that? It's none of your business!" Said Cedric with rage written all over his face.

His friends didn't even take time to help Edward up. They were too surprised at Cedric's outburst to pay attention to anything else.

"Look, Harry and I are friends. And whether either of us feels anything more for one another is not anybody's business." He added

"Cedric, it's just, you caught us off guard." Said Ares

"Yes, mate. We never imagined that…" Started Daniel

"Can you just leave me alone, all of you?" Asked Cedric

They all left except Ares. He needed to comfort his best friend, if not anybody else, at least he needed to.

"I support you a 100% in anything you want to do, Ced." Said Ares sitting next to him, "but are you sure about this? Do you actually have feelings for him?"

"I…I don't know. I've never had feelings for a bloke before, nor have I ever felt like this before."

"What about Cho?"

"I broke up with her. It wouldn't be fair if I didn't."

"I think you're in love mate."

"You think so?"

"I knew something was different about you, but I thought it was continuing pressures of your dad and with Sirius Black on the loose and you a prefect and all… Wow. My best friend is in love with Harry Potter.

"When you say it like that…"

"Cedric Diggory is in love with the Boy-Who-Lived."

"Ares, stop."

"Wow. Did you tell him yet? Does he return your feelings?"

"He saw me kissing Cho a few days ago. I reckon he's been avoiding me since. That was a mistake, a stupidity on my part. I don't know what I was thinking."

"Go find him. Now, go mate."

Cedric looked for Harry all over the castle, but he couldn't find him anywhere. After a while, he decided to go study in library instead. He wasn't there either but his two best friends were. He approached them.

"Hello, Granger, Weasley."

"Hi, Cedric." Said Hermione looking up from her book

Ron just grimaced at the Hufflepuff.

"I've been meaning to talk to Harry."

"We don't know where Harry is, Diggory. And frankly even if we knew we wouldn't tell you." Said Ron

Hermione kicked him under the table.

"Cedric, we don't mean to be rude or anything. But I think it would be best if you didn't talk to him anymore." Said Hermione

"Our friend has been through a lot already. He doesn't need your baggage also. Just leave us all alone." Said Ron

"I think I'll let him decide and tell me that," said Cedric turning to Hermione, "Can you at least tell him that I really need to talk to him? I'll be waiting in the usual place, same time.

Hermione nodded. Cedric left their table.

"We're not going to tell him anything." Stated Ron

"Why not? It's just a message. If he chooses not to go, that's up to him, but we're not going to make the decision for him."

"Yes, we will. Harry already has a lot on his mind. If Diggory was really interested in him, he wouldn't have kissed Cho."

"You don't think he likes Harry like that?"

"No. He probably just wants to be friends or something or other. If we want to protect Harry we have to keep Diggory away. Do you understand?"

The brunette wasn't convinced, but she nodded anyway.

There's nowhere - unless you're there
All the time - all the way

Harry hadn't showed up. Cedric had waited day after day for him, but nothing. He even walked around the castle late at night hoping to find the boy wondering around. It wasn't until a week later that he ran into him by the doors to the kitchens.

"Harry?"

"Oh, hey, Diggory." He said casually

"It's Diggory now?"

"Sorry, force of habit."

"What are you doing down here?"

"I came to visit a friend."

"A friend?"

Just then they heard a pop, and a house elf approached them.

"Harry Potter, sir? Dobby is so happy that yous is here."

"Hey, Dobby."

"And Mr. Cedric Diggory, sir. Dobby is glad yous is here too. We must be going to the kitchen, sirs. Dobby will prepare something good for you to eat.

"I'm sorry, Dobby, but I think I should go back to Gryffindor tower. I forgot to finish some homework." Said Harry without looking at Cedric

The elf disappeared.

"Actually I was hoping to talk to you." Said Cedric

"Like I said, I really need to be going."

"Look, about the other day…"

"You don't need to explain anything to me. She's your girlfriend."

"Oh, I just.."

"Maybe we could talk some other time." Said Harry, and he walked away.

It downed to Cedric that he had lost his chance with the boy who lived. And he couldn't blame him. But at the same time he couldn't help but wonder what Harry's problem was. It wasn't as if he had told him he liked him or anything. They were just friends. There was really nothing to be upset about. He didn't owe him an explanation.

Again, he ruffled his hair with his hand. Why did he feel so guilty then? He felt the need to explain. But no more. Harry probably didn't care at all. And his sadness must be because of Sirius Black, Cedric thought. Yes, probably, and all this time he thought the Boy-Who-Lived was upset over him. He secretly wanted him to, but that was selfish of him.

From that day on he decided to leave Harry alone.

A few days later in the Great Hall…

"Cedric, you're the man." Said Daniel taking a bite out of his sandwich

There were two girls sitting on either side of the Hufflepuff prince basically waiting on his every need. He thanked them by flashing his winning smile.

"Seriously, dude, how do you do it?" Asked Edward, clearly on better terms now

"Do what?" Cedric asked casually

"This," Edward pointed to the girls then turned to point at other girls in the room who were staring at their table, "Wow, and we thought you were in love with…

Cedric glared at him before he could finish.

"Never mind that now." Said Cedric

The grey-eyed prince quickly glanced at the Gryffindor table where the golden trio was chatting animatedly. He looked away. But Ares caught this gesture and shook his head.

At the Gryffindor table…

"Are you sure you're ok, Harry?" Asked Hermione

"I'm fine." He responded

"You haven't touched your food."

"Stop smothering the boy, will you?" Intervened Ron

"I just want to make sure he is ok."

Silence fell upon them.

"I'm just going to head to class." Said Harry

He left.

"He is taking the Cedric thing pretty hard isn't he?" Asked Hermione

"Can you believe the pretty boy? Just look at him with all those girls. Aren't you glad we didn't tell Harry about him?"

"I guess."

Oh - you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more

Cho fumed her way to the Hufflepuff common room. How dare Cedric Diggory break up with her like that and walk around with other girls like that? He had no idea who he was dealing with. As she entered the room she saw Cedric in the far wall with two different girls. Ares was sitting on the couch trying to read a book when he spotted her. He got up immediately and intercepted her.

"Cho, where are you going?"

"I need to speak to that womanizer friend of yours!"

He grabbed her arm and pushed her in the closest room available.

"What are you doing? Let go of me!" Said Cho

"Cho, Cedric is not well. I don't think causing a scandal is the best way to go about this."

"I don't care. He has disrespected me and my whole family…"

"He's in love with another dude!"

"What! Wait…huh? What?"

"Sorry, I didn't know a better way to say this. Cedric is not well, Cho. He hasn't been himself this whole year. The one out there is not my best friend. He's trying to deal with it the best way he can. He just didn't want to be unfair with you."

"He's gay? And his way to deal with that is by sleeping with all these GIRLS?"

"He's bisexual. And it's way deeper than that, Cho."

"Really, what could be worse?"

"He's in love with Harry Potter."

Cho exited the common room with a million thoughts on her mind. Her ex-boyfriend was in love with another boy, and it was Harry Potter no less. How dare he do this to her? If anybody found out she would be the laughing stock of the whole school. She'd never forgive him. His father would surely disapprove.

Suddenly she stopped amidst her tracks. She remembered about how friendly and polite Cedric had always been to her, even when she didn't deserve it. He always went out of his way to please her. Besides dating, they had been really good friends. If anything, their friendship had been better than their other relationship. Her heart had been broken by another boy and Cedric had been there to help her out and somehow they ended up together. Did she actually really love him like that or just as a friend?

When had she let popularity cloud her judgment? She couldn't believe she had let herself add to her friend's misery.

Cho turned around and went back to the Hufflepuff common room.

"You, girls, get out! Now!" She bellowed

The girls looked at each other, at Cho, and then ran off.

"What's up with you, Cho?" Asked Cedric

Cho walked up to him, swung her arm back and slapped him across the face. Cedric staggered back, surprised.

"That's for acting like a prick!"

"Cho, I…"

"Why are you sitting here like an abandoned baby when you should be after the one you love?"

"What do you mean?"

"I know everything, and frankly you're acting like a coward."

"You don't know anything."

She grabbed his hand and walked him over to the couch, and sat him down.

"Ced, I know. And as your friend, someone who cares deeply about you, I think you should try to talk to him. You know, really get things across."

"It's not that serious, Cho. It'll pass."

"I would have no trouble believing that if you hadn't been acting so messed up. It clearly is important. Its ok, Cedric. This happens to the best of us. We all have to fall in love sometime."

"Well, maybe I fell in love at the wrong time."

"Maybe you did. But maybe you fell in love with the right person at the wrong time."

"Anyways, I tried…"

"Don't try, just do it. Don't be scared of what he's going to say. Just tell him how you feel. I don't care what you have to do. Just tell him."

"You seriously believe I should do that?"

"Yes!"

"Thank you, Cho. After everything…this really means a lot to me.

They hugged each other and cuddled in the couch together.

"And all this time I pride myself with the fact that Harry had a crush on me. To think that this whole time he might just have been staring at you." Said Cho

"It's a cruel world you know – to lose your boyfriend to your crush." She added

I would fight for you - I'd lie for you
Walk the wire for you - ya I'd die for you

"Weasley, I don't care what you say! Now, can you please excuse me?"

"Look Diggory, we already had this conversation. Harry doesn't want anything to do with you."

"So why doesn't he say it to my face? I'm sorry if I won't take your word for it."

"Suit it yourself!" Ron turned around and walked away

"I'm sorry Cedric. Ron can be quite protective sometimes. He means well." Said Hermione apologetically

"I don't understand what he is protecting him from."

"Well…Harry has been through a lot. And something about you is upsetting him… We don't want him to suffer."

"But I…what makes you think I…?"

"We didn't tell him you wanted to meet with him. Ron said that… and I agreed….I'm sorry."

Cedric took a deep breath. He had already suspected as much. He stepped closer to the brunette and held her hands. Hermione trembled under his touch.

"I would never hurt Harry, Hermione. I care too much about him to do that. I never imagined I could care about another person as much as I care about him."

"Do you really mean it?"

"With all my heart."

"Then I will help you."

Cedric smiled genuinely, and Hermione melted again.

Ya know it's true
Everything I do - I do it for you

The Hufflepuff looked out the window onto the Hogwarts grounds. The same calming feeling washed over him, and he felt instantly rejuvenated. He took a seat on one of the tables in the old Transfiguration room. He waited patiently. He made a mental note of practicing spells in this room sometime. It was the perfect place for it.

The door was cracked open and somebody peered in. The person entered and closed the door behind him. Cedric turned on the lights.

"Hi, Harry."

The Boy-Who-Lived did a double-take.

"Oh, hey. I didn't see you here. I was supposed to be practicing with Hermione… Sorry, I'll just leave."

"Please, stay."

"I…"

"Are you finally going to let me talk to you?"

"Well, I…"

"I thought we were friends."

"We are. It's just…you hang with a different crowd."

Harry had no idea how to answer that question. What was he supposed to say? No, Cedric, I've been avoiding you because I've fallen for you and I'm scared that you will laugh at my face.

"So? I care too much about you to worry about what other people will say. But at least if you don't want to be friends I want to hear it from your mouth.

"I do…"

Friends, just friends, Harry thought. Cedric seemed to pick up on it and beat himself mentally. What was he doing? He was about to push himself into the friend zone.

"Cedric, I'm sorry. I know I've been acting like a complete fool, but don't worry we are definitely ok. We're frien…"

"There is something else. Something I've been trying to say but haven't been able to." Said Cedric

"What?"

Cedric stared deep down into the green eyes of the boy in front of him. He took a deep breath. There was no backing down now. He had entered the tunnel, now he had to go all the way through.

"I love you, Harry." Cedric said firmly.

A/N: This is the prequel to Save the Last Song Saga: Sometimes as I had promised! I know it's been almost four years, but I've been in college. Not much creative writing of this kind is done in college :P. Well, as always, reviews are welcome!