Dark Arts and Visitors

Disclaimer: Jo creates, I play.

A/N: Thanks to Nishles for the nitpicking, and to Cocoachristy for her infinite patience with my commas!

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The new term began quite innocently enough, in spite of the upcoming Tournament and the pending arrival of the foreign students. Cedric sent an owl to his parents, letting them know that the Tournament would indeed be hosted at Hogwarts and that he was planning to enter. He received two letters in return: a congratulatory one from his father full of encouraging words and grand ideas for his victory, and a more cautious one from his mother written in her careful script. For some reason, her letter encouraged him more than his father's.

My darling Cedric,

Mum

Cedric felt hot tears well in his eyes and was thankful that he had opened the letter alone. His mother was not a person who showed undue emotion, but he knew that she loved him completely and beyond compare.

~*~

Cedric's first Defence Against the Dark Arts class took place on Monday afternoon. They had class with the Gryffindors, and as they filed into the classroom, chatting and laughing, the doors slammed shut behind them. The noise from the heavy wooden doors as they impacted on the brick walls echoed through the classroom. Startled, they all turned to see Professor Moody standing at the back of the room against the closed doors, his wand in his outstretched hand. His magical eye whirled and spun rapidly as he looked around the room maniacally. Cedric wondered whether the man had really lost his mind, as many people suspected, and silently questioned Dumbledore's wisdom in having the man in a school full of young wizards.

'CONSTANT VIGILANCE!' the Auror roared as he pointed his wand at each of them in turn. Many people from Gryffindor, as well as his own house, recoiled from his mad stare, and a few actually stepped away from him as he prowled up the middle of the room.

'The Dark Forces don't care a whit whether you're a good student,' he growled. 'The Dark Forces don't care who your parents are,' he looked pointedly at the Weasley twins before continuing, 'nor do they care whether you are in the wrong place at the wrong time. Their job is to kill you, to destroy you,' and again he paused for effect, taking in every face of the class, 'and believe me, they will not for one moment show any remorse.'

Moody had reached the head of the class and he turned. He stood with his back to the desk and again surveyed his students, all of whom were frozen to the spot and most of whom were too dumbfounded to utter a single coherent syllable.

'Constant vigilance!' he intoned. 'Do you understand, all of you?'

Heads nodded; voices unwilling to speak.

'WHAT DID I SAY?' Moody roared again.

'C... constant vigilance,' stammered a few of the students, and then more echoed the phrase as their professor glared at them.

'Very good. Now sit,' he said simply as he walked around to sit at his desk.

The scrapes of the chairs and rumbles of the desks were the only sound in the classroom as the students settled humbly into their seats. Cedric caught Jamie's eye, and his eyebrows rose in surprise at the force of Moody's delivery. He could see Lee Jordan mouthing something to one of the Weasley twins, but no one was smiling.

Professor Moody proceeded to take attendance and fixed his magical eye firmly on each person as he called their name. Cedric had the uncomfortable feeling that Moody could see through him, and the thought sent shivers down his back. He would remember to ask his father for a little more information on the Auror.

He brought his attention back to the room as Professor Moody rose and began to speak once more.

'Now, I know that you've all passed your Defence Against The Dark Arts OWLs, and to that I say, "Well done." However, even though you have learned about Dark Creatures and curses in theory, what you will need to learn this year is how to defend yourself against a curse that is cast against you by someone who actually means it.'

Cedric noticed that most of his classmates joined him in casting furtive glances at each other; Professor Lupin had certainly not been this vehement in his delivery.

'You know that a curse or spell is rendered more effective by the power of the wizard or witch that casts it, of course. That's basic enough for third years, but also, the conviction behind the curse will have significant impact on its potency.'

Moody looked around the classroom wildly as the students began to twitch. Cedric could barely take his eyes off the man as he prowled between their desks.

'As for those books, put them away. They won't teach you a damn thing about how to survive,' Moody admonished, and there was a rapid scraping as the books were removed from the desks.

'You there, Mister Jordan.' Lee Jordan snapped to attention as Moody stalked towards him.

'Sir?' Lee said nervously.

'What would you do if two Death Eaters cast simultaneous Stupefy charms at you?'

'Uh ...' was Lee's only answer as Moody began to move more rapidly between their desks, pointing his wand at each student as he barked questions.

'Mister Hughes, the Cruciatus curse. How do you parry such a curse when your insides feel as if they're being ripped apart?' Markus' eyes flashed wildly as Moody continued, barely pausing to hear an answer.

'Mister Weasley!' he shouted at one of the twins; Cedric couldn't tell the difference between them, but they both jumped as if burned and stared down at the tip of Moody's gnarled and battle-scarred wand.

'How would you throw off the Imperius curse?'

He shot the words at them as his eye whirled frantically.

'How can you tell that you're being controlled?'

He didn't wait for an answer.

'What does it feel like?'

Both Weasley twins could only stammer as they tried to put two intelligent words together, and Moody paused in his diatribe. He looked around the room as complete silence fell over them like a shroud. Moody was breathing heavily, and Cedric wondered whether he was having a psychotic episode, but he also had to admit that after Professor Lupin, who was kind but largely ineffective, Mad-Eye Moody would certainly be the person to tell them what it was like to actually do battle with the Dark Arts. Cedric couldn't help but be impressed, and as he glanced at his classmates, he suspected that they felt much the same.

Moody turned and fixed both eyes firmly on Cedric, who felt his insides glaze over with a chill he could not describe. He felt waves emanating from Moody that were strangely akin to malevolence and had a fleeting sense of deja-vu. Images of marching Death Eaters and screaming Muggles flashed across his mind ...

'Mister Diggory,' Moody carefully enunciated every syllable as Cedric fought to maintain eye contact, not willing to let the professor know that he felt threatened.

'Sir?' Cedric managed and hoped that his voice sounded a little stronger than he felt.

'Mister Diggory, who can defend themselves against the Killing Curse?'

Cedric struggled against the uncomfortable fluttering of his heart in his chest, and another image flashed into his mind -- Harry's face with his legendary scar.

'No one,' he said simply, and although Harry had been the only one to ever do so, he figured Moody wasn't interested in talking about that.

Moody held Cedric in his stare for a moment longer before turning back to the rest of the class.

'That is correct,' he said. 'The Killing Curse is the ultimate mark of Dark Magic, the power to take life, and to destroy a human soul. Make no mistake, my young wizards; the Dark Arts are not for the faint hearted. You MUST be prepared.'

~*~

Moody's magical eye had whirled endlessly during his ranting, and he paused often to drink from his hip-flask. First, he had demonstrated the Imperius curse on a ferret and then described in detail the effects of the curse on a person's mind. Finally, he had performed the curse on every student over and over until they were able to throw off the curse easily. At the end of the lesson, both he and the students were sweating profusely, and he dismissed them roughly with another warning.

'CONSTANT VIGILANCE!'

~*~

The warmth of September gave way to the cooler days of October, and Cedric began to feel both the pressure of the impending arrivals, and the subsequent opening of the Triwizard Tournament, a little more acutely. He had also thought that life after his OWLs would be easier, but it seemed that the push for NEWTs began with full force in the sixth year. Luckily, most of the work came easily to him, but the volume of homework and extra research papers for Transfiguration and Potions in particular made his days and nights equally as full as the previous year.

Cedric, Jamie and Markus were walking towards the Great Hall after their Transfiguration class and contemplating the volume of their homework. It was only Monday and already Professor Flitwick had assigned them a three-page paper on the history of Mood Altering Charms and how they differed from Potions.

Markus was objecting strenuously to the idea of copious amounts of paperwork.

'I should write a paper on how Flitwick's bloody essays alter my mood,' he grumbled as he strode angrily through the corridor. Jamie and Cedric's eyes met in amused agreement; Markus was always the hot-headed one.

'C'mon now, Markers, surely the quest for Hannah Abbott can take one night off,' Jamie joked.

Markus pulled up short as he rounded on Jamie.

'Hey, listen, it's not about that, all right?' he growled.

Cedric stepped in between them and laughingly put a hand on either boy's chest as Jamie took a surprised step backwards.

'Right then, lads, let's go to our separate corners shall we?' He could sense that Markus wasn't angry with Jamie and that he'd just allowed himself to get sucked into the swirling vortex of aggravation that was their sixth year.

Markus had the decency to look ashamed, and he, too, took a step back while shaking his head. Cedric could feel waves of regret emanating from Markus, but Jamie merely stared at his taller friend.

'Sorry, Bryers. Didn't mean it,' Markus mumbled, looking at the ground between them before meeting Jamie's eyes. Both Cedric and Jamie knew that the apology, although brief, was sincere. Jamie clapped Markus on his shoulder and laughingly pantomimed that his hand had been injured by the considerable musculature there. The slight tension vanished, and they proceeded down the corridor as before.

Jamie and Markus were discussing homework once again, and Cedric was pondering the bulk of time that would be required for just the research, when Ernie Macmillan emerged from around the corner at a full run. Red-faced and breathless, the fourth year slid gracelessly to a stop in front of him and almost pulled Cedric down in his attempt to stop from cannoning into the wall. Books, pieces of parchment, and quills flew everywhere.

Jamie and Markus collapsed against each other, and Cedric shook his head, laughing as Ernie apologised profusely. They all bent to pick up Cedric's books, and when they stood, Ernie finally told Cedric the news.

'They're coming, Cedric! Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, there's a notice! They'll be here on Friday!'

Cedric shivered unconsciously as he felt the pieces sliding into place. Soon the waiting would be over; soon the Tournament would begin, and he would pit his skills against the other hopefuls. He smiled broadly at Ernie as the other two whooped their joy and excitement.

'Show me,' he said, and they all ran towards the Entrance Hall.

~*~

That night in the Hufflepuff common room, the excitement ran high, in spite of the workload of the fifth and sixth years. Cedric was in his favourite seat, a slightly battered, but extremely comfortable, high-backed armchair that was close enough to the fire to keep its occupant nicely warmed. A stack of books for his Transfiguration homework was spread out all around him, but he was deep in thought. A loud laugh brought his attention back to the room, and he glanced up to see Markus talking with the same fifth year boy he'd been with their first night back at Hogwarts. Cedric thought he heard the word 'Hannah' in their conversation, and he smiled knowingly. Markus seemed to be in full attack mode where this girl was concerned.

Jamie emerged from the hall with Ernie Macmillan, and the two boys grinned as they approached Cedric. They sat on nearby chairs and proceeded to outline their plans for the proposed 'Triwizard Nomination Party'.

Cedric groaned inwardly. He didn't want them to make too big a deal of his intention to run for Champion, especially if his submission was denied. Undeterred, they regaled him with details of the drinks and food to be served, of banners and decorations to be hung, and were so enthusiastic that Cedric had to laugh. Whether or not he succeeded with the Tournament, at least he knew that his friends were genuinely interested in his intentions to enter and planned to support him fully.

~*~

The days flew past at an alarming pace, and suddenly Friday was upon them. As instructed, classes had ended half an hour early, and Cedric, Jamie, and Markus joined the rest of their House in front of the castle under Professor Sprout's watchful gaze. The Slytherins were gathered loosely to the right of the crowd, and Cedric could sense excitement rather than their usual malevolence. The Ravenclaws and Gryffindors were freely intermingled with his own house, and he noticed that Markus had moved and now stood next to Hannah Abbott. He'd have to keep his eye on that one, thought Cedric as he scanned the assembled crowd. Sure enough, standing next to a quartet of carrot-haired Gryffindors stood Harry Potter. Speaking of keeping an eye on.

Cedric observed Harry carefully. He watched in fascination while Harry craned his neck, struggling to see over the heads of the taller Weasleys. Cedric's heart leapt in his chest as his eyes roved over the boy's untidy hair. He loved the way Harry ran his hands through that hair; it was an unconscious habit on Harry's part, he was sure, but Cedric was very, very conscious of the reaction it evoked within his own mind and body. Blinking rapidly and trying to force the inevitable thoughts from his mind, Cedric again scanned the crowd, but his betraying eyes inevitably found their way back to the collection of Gryffindors, and to one Gryffindor in particular.

Again, almost against his wishes, Cedric's eyes roved over Harry's body; the side of his face, his ear, his jaw and down his neck. Cedric felt a delicious tingling in his stomach, and lower, much lower. He wondered what it would feel like to run his own fingers through that unruly black hair ... What the hell? What is happening to me? Why does the mere sight of this boy make me think of things like that, and WHY does it affect me so?

Cedric barely had time to acknowledge those implications before someone in the crowd shouted and pointed, and the enormous carriage of the Beauxbatons Academy loomed into view. The gasps continued as the carriage swooped closer and landed on the front lawn. It rolled to a stop, and the door to the carriage opened, revealing who could only be the Headmistress. Cedric blinked in disbelief – she was easily the same size as Hagrid, and that was saying something. She disembarked and glanced around the grounds as her students filed out of their carriage. Even from this distance, Cedric could almost feel their disdain, and they were greeted by Professor Dumbledore, after which the troop proceeded into the castle.

Cedric was still pondering the lingering effects of Harry on his body when another shout went through the crowd that signalled the arrival of the Durmstrang ship in the Black Lake. The delegation of heavily cloaked men approached Dumbledore amid many gasps, and as they walked past, Cedric realized why. Viktor Krum swept past the crowd and led the group of Durmstrang students into the Great Hall. Cedric turned to Jamie and Markus, and they exclaimed in unison.

'No freaking way!'

~*~

Cedric and Jamie sat at the Hufflepuff table in the Great Hall and watched as a scowling Markus took in the sight of Hannah Abbott and a few other girls hovering over Viktor Krum. The girls had banded together to ask for his autograph, and Cedric knew that, since girls only moved in packs, Viktor would be inundated with many requests. He couldn't help but smile ruefully at Markus' expression though; it wasn't often that his friend was the one doing the pining after.

Cedric also noticed that most of the male members of his house, actually, most of the male members in the Great Hall, had their eyes firmly fastened to the Ravenclaw table at which sat the Beauxbatons students. He could feel the pull of the half-Veela as she radiated a certain something, and he recalled the stories he'd heard since the World Cup about the seductive power of Veela. This year promised to be truly interesting.

After dessert had been cleared and the plates had been cleaned, Professor Dumbledore stood and made his announcement. Whereas the entire Hogwarts student body had been eagerly waiting for this night since the start of term, Cedric was suddenly filled with an acute pang. He was surprised at its intensity as well as its brevity, but it was unmistakable. Fear. He tossed the thought aside as he listened to Dumbledore's speech while the casket was brought forth, and then the Goblet of Fire was revealed.

'There it is, Diggs,' Markus announced as they gazed upon the Goblet. 'That's your future, mate. That's your glory.'

Dumbledore gave his final instructions regarding submissions into the Goblet and informed the assembled crowd of his Age Line. Again there were groans and shouts of disapproval from the students, but in this matter he stood firm.

Jamie looked appraisingly at Cedric.

'You up for it, Cedders?' he asked quietly, not so much a challenge as a genuine question.

Cedric paused for a microsecond and considered the odd fear that he'd felt. He decided that it was due to the unknown, and people always feared that which they did not know.

'Hell, yes, boys, more than up for it!' he declared in what he hoped was a confidant voice, and instantly his friends' faces were wreathed in smiles.

'Right then,' Markus said, draping his arms around their shoulders as he always did, 'let's go write the Goblet a little love note, shall we?'

They all laughed, and Cedric allowed himself to be dragged out of the Hall.

TBC

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