"Cedric?" Harry said by way of greeting but it came out as a question.

"How-how are you?" Cedric asked nervously.

"Spectacular." Harry replied sarcastically.

Cedric was visibly uncomfortable. "Look, um. I realized I never really thanked you properly for tipping me off about the dragons."

"Forget about it. I'm sure you would have done the same for me." Harry said, desperate to get out of this conversation.

"Exactly!" Cedric swallowed, trying to get the nerve to say what he came to say. "You know the prefect's bathroom on the fifth floor?" Harry nodded.

"Not a bad place for a bath…" Cedric said with a twinkle in his eye. "Take your egg up there and uh…mull things over in the hot water." He walked away with a knowing smile.

Harry was completely lost but since he had no other leads, it was worth a try.

That night, Harry dressed in his bathrobe and went to the prefect bathroom on the fifth floor. The bathroom was huge. There was a large stained glass window of a mermaid sitting on a rock, which moved just like the pictures. The bathtub he'd imagined was nowhere in sight. Instead, there was a shallow pool large enough for thirty people he figured. Harry turned on all the faucets and watched liquids of various colors come from the pipes. The bath filled with water and bubbles. He took off the robe and sat on the edge of the pool waiting for the water to fill up. The steam felt good. It was helping him relax a little. Bubbles floated in the air and released a sweet smelling burst when they popped. Harry decided he might like being a prefect if it meant he got open access to this place.

When it was high enough, Harry sat down in the water. Sitting on the bottom of the pool, the water reached just below his shoulders. He leaned against the cold marble and took a deep breath, trying to relax as much as possible before getting down to the business of figuring out the egg clue. He turned around to face out of the tub where the egg sat, tucking his legs under him. He braced himself and opened the egg. It let out the same ear shattering shriek it had at the party after the first task. Still, he tried to listen for some sense of direction. Suddenly, a pale pair of hands grabbed the egg and shut it tight. It was Cedric. Harry, suddenly aware of exactly how naked he was, shrank into the bubbles.

"Cedric? What are you doing here?" Harry tried to ask calmly but his voice was a little too high pitched to seem normal.

Cedric smiled that knowing, amused smirk he'd given Harry earlier. "Don't worry Harry. I'm not here to sabotage you. I just want to help." He started to take off his bathrobe. Harry looked away to be polite. Living in a boy's dormitory he should have been used to men undressing around him by now but he wasn't. He felt uncomfortable and hot like his face was turning red. He stared at the egg intently until Cedric was in the water. The problem with that plan: the egg is very shiny. He could see that his glasses needed to be cleaned and also many other details about the room that he hadn't meant to see.

Cedric pulled himself through the water close to Harry. They both stood on their knees. Cedric put his hands over Harry's hands on the egg.

"Here," he began. "Let me show you."

Something unfamiliar and incredibly powerful surged in Harry's chest at that exact moment. Together, Harry and Cedric put the egg at the bottom of the pool. Harry kept his hands still on the egg hoping (for reasons he did not know) that Cedric might hold on a little longer too. When Cedric didn't let go, Harry looked up at him. Cedric was staring deep into Harry's eyes.

"I know you didn't put your name in the goblet of fire. You shouldn't have to be here."

"I want to be here." Harry said without thinking. "I can't think of anywhere I'd rather be right now."

That feeling in his chest had turned to a warm glow which pushed his body toward Cedric almost involuntarily. Their lips touched and Harry sank into them. Cedric pulled away and looked at Harry, confused.

"Harry? Are you ok?"

"Uh, yeah." Harry said, suddenly embarrassed. The warmth in his chest turned to fire. "Yeah I don't know why I did that… I'm sorry…" he tried to continue but Cedric cut him off.

"No!" Cedric interrupted firmly. Then gently touched Harry's arm. "No, that's not what I meant. I just didn't expect that from you. Practically every girl in this school is after you. I just didn't know. I guess it does make sense. You've never been seen with anyone but Granger and everyone knows she's after Weasley."

Harry didn't know how to respond to that. It wasn't something he ever really thought about. Something about going through life and death experiences with someone kinda just draws you to them. You become inexplicably bound to each other. The Tournament may have wanted Harry and Cedric competing against each other but really they were both just fighting to stay alive and make their school proud.

"It's not really like that." Harry finally said.

"That's okay." Cedric replied. "It doesn't have to be like anything."

With that, they let go of the egg and held each other in a tight embrace, mouths locked together. The music from the egg played softly underwater. Bubbles floated everywhere, rising on the steam, making the moment too perfect to touch.

Harry felt a swell between his legs and was suddenly embarrassed again, worried of what Cedric would think. He pulled away from Cedric only to discover that it wasn't him getting hard, but Cedric. For a split second, he considered how strange this might seem to someone else walking in but it was late and who even cares? Harry decidedly threw all the cares of the world out of his mind and decided to just let himself be and experience whatever life had for him. With that relief of pressure, he matched Cedric's excitement. Cedric looked down through the bubbles and smiled.

"I hope I'm not making you uncomfortable." Cedric started.

Harry moved the egg from between them and pulled Cedric close by his hips. "Can't you tell I'm excited to be here?" Harry asked with a smile.

Cedric laughed so loudly, it echoed through the bathroom. He reached a hand down between them and began to explore Harry's body. Harry had never been touched this way by anyone but himself. It felt incredible. Mostly because he had no idea what was going to happen; where he would touch next, what he would do with his hands, what he would do with Harry. Harry let his head tilt back and moaned softly. He felt like he might finish and he didn't want this moment to be over so he pushed back against Cedric, kissing him passionately. Cedric started to fall but Harry caught him. They laid back with their heads resting on the edge of the pool, touching each other and kissing. Music from the egg was still playing softly. Cedric stretched out on his back to enjoy the water. Harry kissed down his chest to his stomach, stopping at his bellybutton, not daring to go farther.

"It's ok," Cedric said quietly. "You won't hurt me. You can do anything you like with me." Harry rested his chin on Cedric's stomach and sighed. What did he want to do? There wasn't really a lot of thinking going on, it was more just doing. Whatever his body thought to do, it did. Harry had very little control. He began tracing the strong muscles that went the length of Cedric's thigh. There was a certain one that, when Harry traced it with his finger, made Cedric's who body shudder.

"Do you even know how crazy you're making me right now?" Cedric said with a chuckle. "It's the best kind of frustrating in the world."

Harry cupped Cedric's balls and gently massaged them. It occurred to him how intimate it was for someone to allow you to learn their body. Harry hadn't ever thought of anyone that way, but here in the bath, with the bubbles and the music and the steam and Cedric's perfect naked body, he felt like he wanted to. Harry moved himself between Cedric's legs and sat him on his lap. Cedric's dick stuck out of the water. Harry looked deep into Cedric's eyes and smiled as he put the tip of Cedric's dick in his mouth. He let his tongue flick around the tip before wrapping his lips all the way around and pushing down to the base. Cedric moaned deeply and rested his hand on the top of Harry's head.

"That feels amazing. You're a natural at this." Cedric moaned.

Harry stopped for a moment to reply, "Well, I've been using similar equipment for years so I figure I have an idea of what feels good." He giggled as he went back down. After a few minutes, Harry's jaw began to hurt. Cedric happened to have a rather thick dick. But Harry wasn't ready to stop so he licked down the underside of the shaft to his balls. He put one in his mouth, rolling it around with his tongue. Then the other, gently sucking and licking, hoping to memorize this taste. He never wanted to forget this salty flavor. Harry kissed the inside of Cedric's thighs and Cedric began to stoke himself.

"I like the way you taste," Harry said sheepishly. Harry began exploring with his tongue again, which was difficult since Cedric was jerking it while his face was there but he didn't really mind, the smell was intoxicating. Harry's tongue found a sensitive spot right behind Cedric's balls which made Cedric cry out "Hey Potter, you should taste this!" Harry looked up to see what Cedric was talking about. Cedric shoved his dick back into Harry's mouth just in time to come. Harry got the full load. He kept sucking just to see if more would come out but eventually the stream stopped. Not knowing what else to do, he swallowed it. It felt sticky and salty in his mouth.

"I kinda really like you, Cedric. I hope you don't mind me saying that."

"After someone comes in your mouth, that's probably the best response you can give." Cedric said with a grin. He pulled Harry up to him so they could recline in the water together. Cedric tried to kiss Harry but he turned away. "What's the matter?" Cedric asked with sudden concern.

"No, I want to kiss you, it's not that…It's just…I can still taste it. Do you mind?" Harry admitted.

"Of course not!" He said, crawling on top of Harry to kiss him passionately. Cedric kissed Harry's neck, down his chest and to his stomach. He paused for a moment. "Harry, can I ask you something?"

"Yeah sure. What is it?" Harry sighed, enjoying the feeling of Cedric's mouth on his skin.

Cedric was hesitant to ask. "Have you ever been with anyone? Boy or girl?"

"No." Harry said almost in a whisper. "Does it show?"

"Oh it absolutely shows. I didn't know if that was your game though, making people feel like they can tell you anything, share anything with you, show up in the middle of your bath two days before a tournament just to see if that spark of something was real..." he trailed off.

"Uh, no. That's not game. That's just kinda how people see me. People tell me stuff because they feel like they know me. It seems like everyone knows more about me than I know about myself. You have no idea how much I wish I was just normal. Regular Harry Potter with no scar who just goes to school and doesn't have to try so hard not to die.

Cedric didn't know what to say so he kept kissing down Harry's stomach. At a certain point, Cedric's mouth was dangerously close to Harry's dick. The sensation was so amazing and overpowering, Harry gasped.

"Are you okay?" Cedric asked, slightly alarmed.

"No, yeah I mean I'm fine. Just keep going." Harry tried to breathe.

Cedric's plan was apparently to get back at Harry for all the teasing before. He kissed absolutely everywhere except the one spot he knew Harry was dying for. He sucked and nibbled on his inner thighs. He kissed Harry's hips, working his way inward until finally, finally, Cedric wrapped his mouth around the tip of Harry's dick and let his mouth sink down. Up and down, up and down. Over and over, he licked and sucked in all the perfect ways. In just a few short minutes, Harry felt like he would explode.

"I'm gonna! I'm gonna!" Harry couldn't finish the sentence because Cedric pushed his mouth down over Harry's dick as far as it would go. Harry felt his dick hit the back of Cedric's throat and blew his load. Cedric kept his mouth over Harry's dick until the stream stopped. He smiled and leaned in to kiss Harry.

"I like the way you taste too Potter."

Harry leaned back and tried to catch his breath. He couldn't stop smiling.

Cedric pulled him up to a sitting position and said, "Now, about the egg…"