Yule Tides

Disclaimer: Jo owns them. Sad, really.

A/N: Thanks to Allison, my wonderful beta who reads even faster than I do! Anything recognisable comes from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire!

~*~ Chapter 8 ~*~

Christmas morning dawned with little difference from most other days, save for the presents at the foot of every student's bed. Cedric could hear the howls of joy from his dorm-mates and wondered what Harry's reaction to his mystery gift would be. He was just able to shake the thought from his mind when Markus and Jamie landed on his bed simultaneously and proceeded to pummel him in a mock-fight. Cedric laughed and rolled out of bed as he threw them to the floor, engaging them both in a full-on mock battle.

Several minutes later, they all sat on the floor at the foot of their beds and opened their presents. Cedric's parents had been very generous this year, more so than usual. He admired the three new sweaters that his mother had sent, along with his father's elaborate promissory note from Gringotts, which would allow him to purchase anything he wanted up to the value of 50 Galleons.

'Certainly pays to be an only child doesn't it, Diggs,' Markus mused, as he examined his own gifts from Cedric. One was a deluxe potion-making kit that appeared to contain every ingredient needed for their sixth and seventh year spells. Markus' eyes widened at Cedric's extravagance, but then he laughed outrageously as he unwrapped the second, smaller present; a Screaming Yo-Yo. His eyes were alight with mischief, and Cedric was sure the yo-yo would be banned from the school almost immediately by Filch.

He smiled at Jamie's excited gasp as his friend opened his gift. Jamie had long been a fan of the Great Britain Lions Rugby team (a Muggle sport that Cedric didn't fully understand), and he had been chuffed when the team had an impressive winning streak against New Zealand and France the previous year. The team ultimately won the 1993 series against New Zealand, and Cedric had managed to procure both a World Series team pin and a red long-sleeved team jersey for his friend. Jamie's eyes reflected his awe at the collector's items as he ran his hand over the jersey's team crest, but the waves of happiness and satisfaction that emanated from Jamie told Cedric all he needed to know. His gift had been a resounding success.

'Cedric,' he began, 'I don't know what to say. It's wonderful.'

'Ah, yes, Bryers, it's simply wonderful,' Markus was quick to interject, 'but it's not THIS!'

They dived away from Markus as he slung the yo-yo into their midst and the shrieking began.

~*~

The rest of the day passed quickly, as everyone's attention turned to that night's Yule Ball. Quite by chance, Cedric had spied Harry out on the grounds, engaged in a snowball fight with the Weasleys, and he realized that he'd no more be able to speak with him today than any other day. Frustrated, he walked back to the Hufflepuff common room which was almost deserted. He stood near the roaring fire for several minutes, staring into the flickering flames, and shivered as he remembered how close he'd been to dragon fire. Interrupted by a bunch of giggling third-year girls, he muttered to himself and continued through to his room.

~*~

Cedric donned his dress robes and walked into the Entrance Hall. He looked around at the throng of students, and it was refreshing to see the changes in his schoolmates and their guests. The men from Durmstrang wore robes of a deep red which echoed the Christmas spirit, while the Beauxbatons men were smartly outfitted in light blue. Ordinarily clad in Hogwarts black, tonight the girls glittered in jewel-toned dresses, while the boys were elegant in their dark grey or black dress robes. He checked his reflection once more, and smiled as he saw Cho in the mirror as she approached.

'Cho, you look ... wonderful,' he said as he walked to meet her, and he meant every word. She looked resplendent and very elegant in a dress of shimmering silvery-blue, and for a moment she looked much older than she was. He gallantly offered her his arm and she blushed, looking demurely at the ground, and the image faded. She was once more the girl he knew.

'Thanks, and so do you!' she breathed, obviously as awestruck as he was at the splendour of the Castle.

They laughed a little nervously, and she took his arm as they lined up at the entrance to the Great Hall. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Harry a short distance away trying not to stare at them. Cedric was unable to discern the meaning of Harry's expression, but thought that he appeared conflicted and maybe a bit resentful. His own stomach churned alarmingly, and he was taken aback at how desperately handsome the younger boy looked in his dress robes. The elegant outline of his formal wear foreshadowed the man that he would soon become, and as Cedric briefly caught Harry's gaze, the green eyes flickered for a moment before he turned away, pulling viciously at his raven locks in a way that made Cedric shiver unconsciously.

Cedric mulled over the possibility that Harry cared a bit more for Cho than he'd originally thought and wondered if their triangle would ever have a happy outcome. Cho wanted him, he wanted Harry, and Harry obviously wanted Cho. It seemed as though nobody would win in this game.

He mentally shook himself as the music began, and turned to look down at Cho. She smiled nervously as the enormous oak doors opened, and the four Champions and their partners walked through into the Great Hall. Cedric followed Fleur and Krum to the large round table where the judges were already seated. He smoothly guided Cho to an empty chair and took his place beside her. He watched Harry steer his date around to the opposite side of the table and wondered how he was going to get through this dinner with Cho beside him and Harry in his full view. His heart beat a quivering tattoo which made him feel anxious and rather unable to eat. He noticed Harry in conversation with a young red-headed man who looked like a Weasley, so Cedric turned his attention to Dumbledore as the wizard spoke to his plate and food appeared. Cho giggled, and they both ordered their meals from the menu, chatting easily as they dined.

Cedric began to relax and enjoy the evening. He looked around the Great Hall, admiring once again the sparkling decorations and enchanted snow that fell from the ceiling. He heard snatches of Dumbledore's conversation with Karkaroff and noted that the Durmstrang headmaster seemed most anxious to preserve the air of mystery that surrounded his school. Cedric mused – 'all these secrets that we feel so compelled to keep.'

As the meal wound to a close and the tables were moved to the sides of the room, Cedric led Cho to the dance floor. They took their places with the other Champions, and he stole a glance at Harry as the music swelled and the dance began. The boy looked nervous and out of his depth, but his date seemed more than capable of handling him. Cedric was a naturally good dancer, but this was his first official 'date' with Cho, and they had not danced together before. He guided her through their hesitant first steps, and they soon relaxed into each other. She seemed to float along in his arms, an image aided by her shimmering robes flowing around her like a cloud. He couldn't help but enjoy himself; the music and the dancing made him feel momentarily free.

He looked around the dance floor and saw the faces of his schoolmates, some nervously asking girls to dance, some sitting glumly on the sidelines. Jamie was laughing with some of his friends from Ravenclaw while his arm curled around Katie's waist, and Markus and Hannah spun past as they danced their way around the dance floor. Cedric smiled at them, and as he looked past them, he noticed Fred and George Weasley standing at the bar, trying to look innocuous. He suspected they were up to something. Fleur Delacour and her date were engaged in conversation, although it looked as though she was doing all the talking. Davies appeared to be so mesmerized by her every move and every word that he wasn't actually contributing to the conversation, but rather agreeing with everything she said. Cedric smiled. Fleur's Veela blood certainly had a way about it. Viktor Krum was dancing in elegantly elaborate circles with his date, who Cedric belatedly realized was Hermione Granger. How different she looked tonight! How different they all looked.

The teachers and staff were also in full attendance, and they were interspersed among the students. Madame Maxime was easy to spot dancing with Professor Dumbledore, and Karkaroff was doing a violent-looking waltz with Professor McGonagall, who barely managed to keep an expression of horror from settling on her face. He noticed that Professor Snape approached Karkaroff after that song, and they left together, as Dumbledore swooped in to rescue a slightly flustered Professor McGonagall.

He and Cho danced three songs in succession, then they stepped off the dance floor and Cedric went to get drinks. He had just left Cho in the giggling company of her friends and walked to the bar when he came face to face with Draco Malfoy and his two cronies. Malfoy quickly closed the distance between them, his trademark sneer being replaced with something akin to a smile.

'Hello there, Cedric, enjoying the festivities?'

Cedric hesitated, knowing full well that Draco Malfoy was never friendly to anyone but the Slytherins unless he was up to something.

'Yeah, it's okay. You?' he enquired politely, nodding to Malfoy's sidekicks.

'It's alright, I suppose. Dumbledore certainly has gone all out to impress our guests.' Malfoy's tone didn't convince Cedric that his words of praise were genuine.

'Oh, its fine, Malfoy,' Cedric replied.

Draco moved even closer to Cedric, lowering his voice in spite of the blaring music.

'Look, I wanted to wish you good luck, you know, in the next task. We want Hogwarts to win of course, but most of all, we want you to beat Potter.'

Ah, there it was: the real reason for Draco's sudden interest in his welfare. Cedric began to feel uncomfortable, as though Malfoy's malice was somehow pervasive. His feeling of disquiet was not easily dispelled when his every move was being shadowed by Harry's careful gaze. He suppressed a groan as he imagined Harry's thoughts at seeing him in discussion with the Slytherins.

'Well, um, thanks,' Cedric said, unable to come up with a clever retort. He noticed the bartender returning with his order, so he collected his drinks and bade the Slytherin trio farewell, relieved to turn his back on them.

He returned to Cho with their drinks, and they chatted amicably with members of their Quidditch teams. He noticed that Harry continued to ignore his own date while his eyes followed him and Cho for much of the night. He looked darkly beautiful and broodingly sexy, yet a little tortured at the same time. Cedric thought he understood at least some of what the young boy was feeling, as he too wanted someone who was both unreachable and unattainable.

~~

Much later in the evening, as the Weird Sisters performed on stage to the frenzied screams of the crowd, Cedric sought a quieter area. Cho was in the centre of a large group of girls that were pressed up against the stage, so Cedric excused himself from his group and walked out through the Entrance Hall and into the rose garden. He heard noises and noticed Professor Snape speaking in hushed tones with an agitated Karkaroff, but was unable to hear their words. He was about to go back inside when he noticed Harry and Ron being berated by Snape. He paused a while and hoped that they would walk back inside, but he saw them turn and continue down the path, a move which left him feeling oddly disappointed without knowing precisely why.

Much later that night, after the Yule Ball had wound to its close and the Great Hall was almost deserted, Cedric walked with Cho into the Entrance Hall. A few couples were saying goodnight to their partners from Durmstrang or Beauxbatons before heading back to their own dorms, and Jamie had left to escort Katie to her dorm. Cedric was walking with Cho and was distracted by Markus' laughter as he swept up to them with Hannah in tow.

'Rather enjoyable ball, that.' Markus' eyes were shining, and as Hannah met Cedric's eyes in a moment of shared amusement, Cedric smiled warmly and clapped his hand on Markus' shoulder. Yes, his friend appeared to be very taken with Hannah.

'Agreed, my boy. A most enjoyable dance.'

Cho and Hannah were busily discussing the Ball with excited and hushed whispers when Cedric spotted Harry and Ron ascending the stairs. He excused himself with a quick word to Cho and hastened up the steps, calling Harry's name in a voice that sounded foreign to his own ears. Harry and Ron turned, and Cedric was slightly taken aback at the blue and green-eyed versions of the same stony expression.

'Uh, hi guys,' he began nervously, not wanting to speak in front of the redhead. As he paused and wondered how to proceed, Ron got the hint and turned abruptly, muttering under his breath as he ascended the stairs.

Relieved, Cedric once again turned his full attention to Harry, whose flinty expression had not changed. He stepped closer to the younger boy and lowered his voice, while his heart threatened to drown out his very thoughts with the force of its cadence. He quickly suggested that Harry take a bath with his egg, gave him the location of the Prefects' bathroom on the fifth floor and the password, all the while checking over his shoulder for intruders.

'What... are you joking?' Harry's voice was cautious, but his expression had softened considerably. He looked up into Cedric's eyes earnestly as though searching for some falsehood and Cedric's stomach fluttered in a deliciously unnerving way. 'Get it together man,' he admonished himself, and wondered whether any of his internal reactions to Harry were outwardly noticeable. Merlin! He hoped not.

'But Cedric, what am I to do with the thing?' Harry's voice interrupted his musings.

'You'll see.'

A moment of silence.

'Cedric...'

The way that Harry's mouth moved as it spoke his name sent shivers up Cedric's spine, and the sound of his name spoken on those very lips echoed in his mind long after the actual sound had faded.

Eventually, Cedric's brain kicked in.

'Yeah?'

As the young Gryffindor leaned in closer, the movement was enough to make Cedric's breath catch in his lungs. Harry's green eyes shone in the flickering torchlight and seemed to dance from within as they held Cedric's gaze.

'D'you ever get the feeling that you and I are the only people who know how this feels?'

Cedric froze. Harry's breathy whisper caused a fiery rush of adrenaline to course through his body with the resulting familiar sensation of falling through the floor. Couldn't anybody else feel this energy? Weren't there sparks flying everywhere, and wasn't the electricity in the air as painfully obvious to everyone else as it was to him?

Rapidly, his mind cycled through every conversation, every interaction, and every look he'd given Harry since the year began. How could he know? And why could he sense nothing but confusion when this boy was near?

'What?' Now it was Cedric's turn to be speechless.

A slightly abashed look played across Harry's face and he hesitated.

'Um, well, being Champion. I mean, you know, you and me. We're sort of... it.'

You and me, you and me... The words whirled through Cedric's mind, and he wondered whether those bloody Weasleys had put something in the pumpkin juice after all. You and me... you and me... The words seemed to take on a life of their own as they pulsed and swirled in his mind, taking on all manner of double meanings.

'Oh, yeah, that. I suppose we are the only ones,' he said and tried not to groan at how vacuous his words sounded. He was thankful that at least his voice sounded steady, as his insides were still in total bedlam. He shifted from one foot to the other nervously, suddenly realizing that he and Harry were actually having a conversation.

'So, how's Christmas been for you then?' Harry asked. 'You know, not being home with your family.' Cedric wondered that Harry could think to ask something like that, especially as he'd lost his own parents so very young. How could Harry ever know the true love of family, this boy orphaned by the darkest power in the wizarding world?

Cedric must have looked as surprised as he felt because Harry looked a bit disconcerted.

'Um, fine. Great. Okay, thanks. How about you?' Cedric felt that he was struggling to link two intelligent words together, and he mentally kicked himself for appearing to be such a dolt.

'Fine really. Just about everybody's here this Christmas anyway.' He grinned, and Cedric unwound just a smidgen.

'Hey, funny thing, have you ever seen a miniature flying broom?'

Cedric Diggory was convinced that he would die. Right there on the stairs in front of Harry Potter and everyone.

His knees buckled slightly, and he shifted his weight to mask the movement. He blinked furiously and shook his head, more to clear his thoughts than to actually provide an answer.

'A miniature broom?' Certain that he'd been found out, he tried to buy time so that he could do... something.

'Yeah, a Firebolt actually, just like mine. I'd seen some at the Quidditch World Cup, and one appeared in my room this morning wrapped with my other presents, but it had no tag or note on it. It's a wonderful replica, perfect down to the last detail.' Harry's tone was nonchalant, and Cedric held his breath.

'I just wondered whether you'd seen them.' Harry continued, and to Cedric's nervous condition, the younger boy appeared almost relaxed. Cedric mentally gulped as he felt the heat rush to his face. Surely Harry would find him out tonight!

'Oh, yeah, that was from me. I got that for you at the World Cup because it reminded me of you, but I was too much of a coward to give it to you myself, so I had a house-elf deliver it to your room,' his mind betrayed.

He met Harry's eyes, and a long moment passed between them. Cedric could feel something inside him shift, something almost elemental, but he couldn't pinpoint its nature. Unsettled by Harry's proximity as they stood barely two feet apart, Cedric's mind tried to be rational. With difficulty, he remembered that Cho was probably still at the foot of the stairs waiting for him. He wrenched his eyes from Harry's face and felt the elemental twist again.

'Well ... um... gotta go, want to say goodnight'

His heart fluttered nervously as he saw Harry's gaze follow his own down the staircase to where Cho was standing before it returned to rest upon him. Harry's expression was inscrutable as he raised one eyebrow.

Cedric turned reluctantly, and hastened down the stairs to where Cho stood. She linked her arm in his and, as they walked off, Cedric chanced a look up the staircase. He was surprised to see Harry standing in the same spot, and not for the last time, he wondered just what the young Gryffindor was thinking.

~*~

Cedric bade Cho goodnight at the door to her common room and they embraced.

'Thank you for a wonderful evening, Cedric,' she said in her lilting voice. 'It was wonderful, and I really enjoyed the dancing.'

'It was a great time, wasn't it,' he agreed, hugging her again.

'Listen, Cedric, the next Hogsmeade trip is coming up soon. Do you suppose we could go together, and maybe have lunch or tea at Madam Puddifoot's? It's so lovely in there.'

Cedric shuddered mentally – Madame Puddifoot's was a place for couples in love. He sighed and agreed, mainly to keep her happy, but also for the sake of peace. He kissed her hand gallantly and left.

TBC

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A/N2:Reading's nice, reviewing's nicer!

Outtake. In written fiction? Yes, beloved readers, even here. I wrote a scene that falls somewhere within this chapter but which, for many reasons, couldn't make it into this posting. I've posted it on my LiveJournal for anyone interested in the twisting of my mind. Enjoy.

http://hogwartshoney.livejournal.com/30215.html