Covet

Disclaimer: Jo Rowling owns everything you recognise. The story line, Markus and Jamie are all mine!

A/N: Thanks to my Nishles for her continuing support, to laurel_tx and snapeophile for their first read-throughs, and to my beta, JaneAverage, who does wonders with words and ideas!

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Defence Against the Dark Arts took on an entirely literal flavour on Monday. On the previous Friday, Professor Moody had announced that the class would engage in a mock-battle using their Patronuses for both defence and relaying of information. The Weasley twins had worn matching expressions of excitement and mischief all weekend long and Cedric admitted to himself that, whereas Moody was certainly not altogether mentally stable, his teaching methods were unusual and highly effective.

On Monday afternoon Cedric and Jamie walked along the path towards the Forbidden Forest. In all his six years at Hogwarts, neither of them had ever had a reason to go into the dense collection of foliage, and as Jamie walked closer to him, Cedric smiled at his bemused expression.

'Alright there, Jamie?'

'Not sure, Cedders. There's something about Moody...'

'You mean apart from his obvious insanity?'

Jamie grinned. 'Yeah, but there's something more than that. Does he seem "normal" to you?'

'Well, I don't know. Define "normal."'

'He's always drinking from that hip flask, he has a maniacal expression most of the time, especially when he's talking about the Dark Arts, and there's something, I don't know, sinister about him. You've felt it, haven't you, Cedders? I wonder if Dumbledore made the right choice having him here.'

Cedric fell silent as he thought about Jamie's words. Although they hadn't really discussed it, both he and Jamie felt the same way about Moody. There was something 'off,' and Cedric had to agree with his friend.

'Well, yes, I have felt... something from him. It's not malevolence exactly, but it's disquieting. I'd owled my Dad and asked him for background on Moody, but all he said was that he's a highly gifted ex-Auror who's a bit of a madman. Apparently he was the Ministry's best operative, but he gave them quite a lot of trouble towards the end of his career.'

Jamie looked thoughtful as his feet continued their cadence towards the forest.

'Oi, you lot! Thanks for waiting for me.'

Cedric turned to see Markus running the final steps to catch up with him and Jamie.

'Well, Mister Hughes, if you're going to spend all your free time carousing around with a certain female...' Jamie began.

'Yes, well then, we shall have no choice but to carry on without you!' Cedric finished their spiel.

'Rotters, the both of you!' Markus was grinning as he fell in step with his two mates. Professor Moody stood just short of the tree line and turned dramatically as Cedric's group approached. Fred, George and Lee were already there, standing in a group no far from the forest's edge. Moody's magical eye spun in its socket – searching the trees, Cedric presumed – while the regular one looked at them individually. Cedric often wondered what Moody saw with that eye and how the information was presented in his mind. Cedric's only comparison was the way he saw auras or felt vibes from the people around him, but he just got impressions and feelings, not actual pictures.

'Now, gentlemen, the rest of the class has already been split into groups and has begun their task. You lot will be breaking up into two teams. The object of the exercise is to both cast and deflect spells while using your Patronuses as messengers. Make no mistake; both functions of a person's Patronus can be equally important in a battle.

'Well then, how's about a little inter-house competition? Diggory, let's have you, Hughes and Bryers against the Weasleys and Jordan. We're using non-violent hexes only – I don't want there to be any trouble today. You may use any combination of the Full-Body Bind, the Disarming Charm, the Impediment Jinx and any of the trip jinxes.'

The rush of adrenaline through Cedric mirrored the waves of excitement that emanated from his classmates at the prospect of actually doing battle against each other. He glanced across at his opponents, and he noticed their closed-off expressions. They were preparing for full-out combat, Gryffindor style.

Moody barked his orders.

'Hufflepuff team. Take up your positions just inside the forest. Feel free to use whatever protective spells you deem fit to defend yourselves. You will each need to send information to me via your Patronus at least once during the five minute battle. I'll send a signal when we're ready to begin. Get going!'

Markus grinned at Jamie and Cedric as they moved into the forest and crouched down behind a tree. The bright sunlight seemed to be captured by the leaves of the trees as though the forest itself was protecting its innermost regions. The light filtered down in a mottled haze that added to the surreal feeling of their task.

'Right, lads, it's time to get tribal.'

Markus' eyes glittered with barely contained excitement, and both Cedric and Jamie knew that look. Competition was something that Markus truly enjoyed, pitting his strength, knowledge and talent against others. They all knew that the twins and Lee were a cohesive unit and very skilled with jinxes and Markus quickly outlined his strategy.

'Right, Diggs, I want you in a tree overlooking the battleground. You'll cover us and we'll do battle with the Gryffindors.'

'Forget it, there's just no way!'

'Come on, Diggs, you can do nonverbal spells from up there. Disillusion yourself so they won't even see you – it'll be brilliant!'

'Oi! I'm not hiding in the tree like a bloody coward, Markus.'

'Diggs, it's nothing to do with cowardice...'

'Precisely. If I'm so brave and worthy, let me fight!'

'We can't afford to have you injured, Diggs. Be reasonable.'

'I'm always bloody reasonable, Markus. I just don't think it's fair pitting two against three on the ground.'

'You'll be our eyes in the sky, Diggs. You're our secret weapon. Jamie and I will draw their fire close to your position, and you can use your skills to our advantage. It's good teamwork for battle, so lets just do it, okay?'

On the face of things, Markus' plan sounded good, and intellectually Cedric understood his friend's reasoning. A small part of him suspected that Markus was trying to protect him, and he felt a sudden and unwelcome wave of annoyance.

'Damn it, Markus, don't pamper me, all right?'

'Listen, Diggs, I don't want you in danger, mate. You're Hogwarts' champion, and we can't have you damaged.'

'Cedric doesn't exactly need our protection, and he's not our only champion, Markus,' Jamie said softly.

Suddenly the argument stopped and Cedric and Markus looked at Jamie. He had been quiet during their entire altercation, observing their interactions as he so often did, and as usual, when he interjected he hit right to the core of the matter.

Cedric felt as though he'd been hit in the stomach and the wind had been knocked out of him. Jamie had both defended Cedric's point of view and – indirectly – stood up for Harry. He was so stunned that he almost missed Jamie's next remark.

'However, I have to agree with Markers. I do like the idea of you as a sniper, Cedders, and I think that, initially, it's a very good plan. We'll send a signal to let you know when we need you, and you'll be able to see everything from your vantage point anyway. Let's start the battle that way and see how we fare. Agreed?'

Cedric was a little mollified at Jamie's intervention and grudgingly realized that his friends weren't treating him any more carefully than they would normally have done. Truth be told, he was the best at nonverbal spells, and he had to admit that Markus' plan was a very good one. Embarrassed, he met Markus' eyes with a heartfelt apology.

'Sorry, mate. I don't know what I was thinking. I didn't mean...'

Markus grabbed Cedric in a big bear hug, cutting short his apology and almost knocking the wind out of him.

'Fear not, Diggs, I knew you'd see reason!' Markus' jovial spirit and impish wink were enough to have them all laughing, the argument all but forgotten. Cedric silently vowed that if they needed his help, he would forego his safe hiding place in favour of helping the brotherhood. Besides, they were only using non-violent spells in this exercise. How dangerous could it really get?

With their strategy finalized, they parted and Cedric climbed into the lower branches of a sturdy tree. Following their plan, he cast a Disillusionment Charm on himself, and from his vantage point he could see Markus and Jamie walking along a path, their heads bent together. Cedric smiled – this was going to be a highly enjoyable lesson.

Cedric hadn't spent more than a couple of minutes in the tree before he heard Moody's magically-amplified voice reverberating through the forest.

'Your five minutes begin NOW!'

There was a flash of red light that must have come from his wand and Cedric heard the sounds of the Gryffindor team moving through the forest. He tightened his grip on his own wand as his heartbeat quickened and he peered through the dim light.

Fred and George were the first to appear, and Cedric saw them crouch down behind a tree. He surmised that they must have spotted Markus or Jamie, and quick as a flash one of them cast a Jelly-Legs Jinx. From his vantage point Cedric countered with a trip jinx which felled one of the twins – Fred, he thought. He could hear their shouts clearly as Lee ran up to assist them, and Cedric silently cast a Full-Body Bind on him.

'Dammit! George, get him out of that thing.' Fred's voice was tinged with nervousness as he climbed to his feet.

Cedric realized that it was easier to do nonverbal spells when he was relaxed, but his position in the tree gave him a certain measure of protection and in his Disillusioned state he wasn't in any immediate danger of being fired upon. Although his heart pounded in his ears as he concentrated to steady his breathing, he searched inside himself to find the magic at his core. He focused on it for a moment and harnessed the power within him before he mentally enunciated the spells.

The battle was really quite spectacular. Flashes of light and the shouts of the combatants pierced the dim light and the scene took on an almost surreal quality. The Weasleys and Lee were fighting against Markus and Jamie, completely unaware of Cedric's location. Cedric fought against his natural instinct to launch himself into the fray and protect his friends as the battle intensified. Markus' plan had been specific – Cedric was to remain out of sight.

He watched as Markus cast a Shield Charm against a Bat-Bogey Hex launched at him by Lee. Suddenly the Gryffindor tactics had changed, and Cedric felt a frisson of excitement down his spine as the battle moved to a new level. These were more than mere jinxes.

A sudden movement in the bushes behind Jamie caught Cedric's eye.

'Jamie! Behind you!'

Jamie ducked and rolled away from another of George's Jelly-Legs Jinxes. Cedric reacted purely by instinct and countered George's spell with a Stunner. Red light flashed as the Gryffindor fell to the ground, motionless, and Cedric gasped at George's inert body, almost surprised at himself. Moody hadn't really mentioned Stunners, but this was now a battle zone. He watched as Fred conjured his Patronus, presumably sending the shimmering gazelle to find Professor Moody with the news that a Weasley had fallen. Fred then cast a hasty Rennervate at his sibling who staggered to his feet. The twins looked up and both brought their wands to bear on Cedric as they cast simultaneous Tickling Charms at him. Cedric fell out of his tree, overcome by giggles and rendered temporarily useless, his cover blown.

Unable to catch enough breath to articulate a single sound, Cedric looked around helplessly for one of his teammates and saw Jamie's wand aimed at him as his friend cast Finite Incantatem. The effect was instantaneous, but Cedric was still breathless as Jamie pulled him to his feet.

'Thanks. Where's Markus?'

'Just look for the carnage, Cedders, and he'll be there!'

They both laughed as they ducked behind a tree and scanned the area for the third member of their team. Cedric noted another shimmering creature running through the trees – someone else had sent their Patronus off as well.

They pushed their way through a small thicket and came upon the heat of the battle. Markus was doing the fighting of two men. Completely in his glory, he fired off an Impediment Jinx at one of the twins, but it was deftly dodged and answered with yet another Jelly-Legs Jinx. Cedric cast his Patronus, intending to send a message to Moody but aiming it towards Fred, hoping to adversely affect his aim. He grimly vowed never to be too complacent about the so-called 'minor' jinxes, because they were certainly factoring heavily in this skirmish. Markus fell to ground and Fred dived out of the way as the shimmering Oryx galloped past him and then veered off towards Professor Moody. Cedric and Jamie ran into the clearing, and Cedric's heartbeat thundered in his ears as the adrenaline coursed through his bloodstream.

'Get them, Bryers. Don't let those lads escape!' Markus' voice was commanding and slightly angry as he tried his best to stand.

Jamie lunged off into the forest, and Cedric could only see dim shadows through the trees even in the bright afternoon sun. A shadow moved in front of him and he heard an incantation – it sounded like a Blinding Hex. He ducked out of the way and cast a Stunner into the running shadow, and he heard someone go down with a groan. He couldn't be sure who it was and he ran forward just as he heard the incantation for a Jelly-Legs Jinx by one of the twins. He shouted in dismay as his legs gave out on him, and he saw Markus succumb to another Full-Body Bind.

Cedric hit the ground hard, the force of his fall jarring his body and he lay on the leaf-covered ground for a moment as he tried to catch his breath and clear his head. Jamie returned and cast Finite Incantatem on them both and they stood, breathing heavily. Sounds of approaching footsteps and rustling in the trees galvanised them into action and they stood, their backs together, as the Gryffindors closed in on them.

'Impedimenta!' Markus shouted, his voice booming through the foliage, and they heard someone's slow thrashing through the trees.

'Right, you lot. Separate. Another circuit clockwise and regroup. Two minutes. GO!'

Jamie grinned at Markus' barked orders. 'Yessuh!' he replied, and they separated. Cedric pushed away from them both, his legs tired from all the running and climbing. He moved into the forest only slightly before turning right and jogging for roughly a minute. He turned right again and cautiously made his way back to the clearing.

Wand at the ready, he tensed as the leaves to his left moved, but seconds later Jamie's face and twinkling eyes appeared.

'Rather quiet, isn't it?'

Cedric had been thinking the same thing, but then they heard one of the twins shout and hastened to the source of the sound.

They ran into another small clearing where Markus lay flat on the ground, his hands half-raised in surrender. Lee was standing over him, breathing heavily, with his wand pointed directly at their friend's chest. The Gryffindor seemed to have developed an odd sort of twitch, and Cedric met Markus' eyes, motioning for him not to move. The rest of their classmates slowly made their way into the clearing and stood wide eyed as Fred and George began speaking to Lee in soothing tones.

'Thanks, Lee. We've got him now.'

'Yes, well done, mate. I reckon that's won us the battle, that has.'

Lee appeared to not have heard them, and he gripped his wand tighter as he leaned down and pressed the tip of it hard into Markus' chest. He growled in a low, dangerous voice.

'Thought you could escape me, did you? Thought you could win this way? That's not how the game is played, Mister Hughes.'

What the hell?

Nobody needed to be an empath to understand that Markus was extremely concerned. Cedric could almost see the tension crackling in the air around them, and he felt waves of confusion from Lee. He briefly wondered whether the Gryffindor had been hit with some sort of Confundus Charm as he sensed Lee's mind wavering between two different consciousnesses, and that concerned him more than anything else. He vaguely remembered having sensed something like that before but he couldn't place exactly where.

Suddenly Professor Moody strode into view.

'Er, Professor, I believe we have a problem.' Cedric tried to keep his voice calm, but the heavily-scarred man was fixated on Lee Jordan's back and didn't respond to the comment.

'Lee, it's all right. The game's over.' Fred's voice shook slightly.

Still no reaction and Cedric realized that Markus was in danger of physical bodily harm. Jamie was shaking with rage and surprised them all as he barked an order in an almost military way.

'Jordan! Stand down. NOW!'

Everyone jumped as Jamie's words boomed through the silence of the forest and seemed to break through Lee's trance. He dropped his wand, and stepped backwards, shaking his head as though trying to rid himself of unwanted thoughts. Moody looked around, his magical eye whirling crazily as he fumbled for his hip flask and took a deep drink. He grimaced as he swallowed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand before turning to his sixth year students. He ignored their stunned faces and continued as though nothing was amiss.

'Remember, Mister Jordan, that is what the Imperius Curse feels like. Not so easy to throw it off in the heat of battle, is it?'

There was not a sound in the forest save the heavy breathing of the class.

Moody's magical eye whirled like a demented thing before he turned and strode out of the clearing and back towards the castle.

'Right then, so that was a victory to Gryffindor, I believe?' he shouted over his shoulder.

~~

By mutual and unspoken consent, nothing further was said about the incident in the forest. Cedric desperately wanted to speak with his father, but knew that any mention of Moody's infraction of school rules and his dubious behaviour would put his father in an untenable position. Amos would both fear for his son's safety and be duty-bound to report Moody to the Ministry. That, in turn, would put Dumbledore in a bad light and might force Moody to resign from Hogwarts, leaving the DADA position unfilled once again.

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Several weeks later, Professor Sprout asked Cedric to stay behind after class. The normally cheerful and diminutive teacher was a favourite of Cedric's, and he suspected that she felt the same about him.

'Mister Diggory, the Headmaster would like you to report to the Quidditch pitch tonight at nine o'clock. It concerns the final task of the Tournament.'

Cedric's heartbeat increased and he felt the all-too-familiar shivers up and down his spine at the mention of the competition.

'Thanks, Professor. Nine o'clock tonight, I'll be there.'

'Good luck, lad. Please feel free to let me know if there's anything I can do for you.'

Impulsively, he lifted her into the air and hugged her.

'Thanks, Professor. You're wonderful.'

He put her back on the ground and hastened away; not wanting to see his teacher blush. Nevertheless, her pleased aura permeated the greenhouse behind him.

~~

Quite by accident, Cedric and Harry met at the front doors of the castle. Cedric had been rushing up the stairs from his common room, certain that he would be late, but when he saw the perpetually untidy dark hair of the Boy Who Lived crossing the Entrance Hall, he slowed. He didn't relax, exactly, because he still found it difficult to maintain his equilibrium around Harry, but at least they could have a little time together, all under the auspices of the Tournament.

Harry smiled at him, a full smile that flickered in his oh-so-green eyes, and Cedric wondered if his stomach would ever get over the way Harry affected him.

'Hi, Cedric, are we to meet them at the Quidditch Pitch?'

'Yes, that's what I was told.'

'I really do miss it, you know, Quidditch. I haven't been on a broom in so long.'

'Oh, yeah, except for that whole dragon chase in the first task.'

Harry laughed and Cedric's stomach did a back flip. 'Well, yes, except for that!'

They both laughed easily and continued their walk, chatting amiably about Quidditch and past matches and their hopes for their teams the following year. They eventually lapsed into a comfortable silence and Cedric found himself wishing that he could play the game with Harry, instead of against him.

Harry's voice pulled Cedric out of his reverie.

'What...'

His voice trailed off as they both rounded the path and came upon the Quidditch pitch, but there appeared to be raised lines criss-crossing its entire surface.

'What've they done to it?' Cedric was surprised that his words and voice sounded so angry, but one look at Harry confirmed that he had echoed the Gryffindor's exact feelings.

Wait, those aren't lines...

'They're hedges!' said Harry.

'Hedges? Why in the hell are there hedges on our Quidditch pitch?'

They joined Ludo Bagman in the middle of the pitch where he stood with Krum and Fleur. Cedric narrowed his eyes as the Veela gave Harry a radiant smile and fought back a pang of... something. He was somewhat gratified that Harry only smiled back nervously at her, and Cedric was sure that his anger showed on his face but he didn't try to hide it. Let them all think that it had everything to do with the state of their Quidditch pitch.

Everyone looked on in amazement as Ludo Bagman explained. The pitch would become a maze for the third task. Cedric wasn't sure quite what to make of that, but Mr. Bagman's assurances that everything would be put to rights afterwards took away some of the sting of his indignation. He looked at the other Champions – Krum and Fleur surveyed the young maze with mild interest. Cedric was sure that although they maintained passive and almost uninterested outward appearances, they were taking mental notes and already working out possibilities, as was he.

At Mr. Bagman's invitation, the group broke up and headed back to the castle. Cedric and Harry shared a quizzical look that spoke volumes about their doubts.

'I don't know, Cedric,' Harry murmured, and the sound of his hesitant voice tickled Cedric's mind with delicious thoughts. 'If Hagrid's in charge of putting obstacles and creatures in the maze, we may be in for some very unwelcome surprises.'

He understood completely, and was a bit relieved that he wasn't the only one to feel that way. He was also gratified to see that Harry didn't wear blinkers when it came to their Gamekeeper and he realized that, even though Harry and his friends were inordinately close to Hagrid, the young champion wasn't blinded to the truth about the large man's propensity for dangerous creatures.

Cedric noticed Mr Bagman hurrying along on Harry's far side and simultaneously felt a presence behind them. He reached into his robes as he half-turned, his grip tightening on his wand at the sight of Viktor Krum with his hand on Harry's shoulder. Even though Cedric now stood a little away from Harry and Krum, he raised himself to his full height as he strove to find a better vantage point.

When it appeared that Krum wanted to speak with Harry alone, Cedric felt a stab of what could only be called jealousy. Harry glanced at him and Mr. Bagman momentarily before heading out of the stadium with Viktor. Cedric's mind ate away at him like a pack of rats as he wondered what Krum had to talk to Harry about and why it was such a secret. His stomach still burned at the memory of Harry's face, his half-smile at Mr. Bagman and his obvious surprise at Krum's invitation.

Cedric was less than amused as he pondered Krum's motives. He had felt something like jealousy or maybe anxiety from the Bulgarian, but the Durmstrang champion was so closed emotionally that it was hard to pinpoint exactly. Cedric comforted himself that at least it wasn't malice. There was always the possibility of sabotage, and although the two Hogwarts champions were tied for first place after the second task, Harry was still at a significant disadvantage in the tournament. Clearly that wasn't what was on Krum's mind tonight.

Without a second thought as to the repercussions of his actions, Cedric cast a Disillusionment spell on himself and followed Harry and Krum. He was careful to tread lightly and, sending a silent thanks to his father's Ministry friends, used a Feather-Foot Charm to ensure that his footsteps wouldn't be heard.

He circled around the pair, and noted their considerable distance from Hagrid's cabin. He saw Krum's body tense and felt a change in his aura as he turned to face Harry, and Cedric's body prepared to defend Harry. He couldn't say exactly why, but he felt that he needed to be there, that he had to know whether Harry was safe, whether Krum had any designs on the youngest champion, and where he, Cedric, stood in the scheme of things.

When he realized that they were only talking about Hermione and Quidditch, he almost laughed out loud. Cedric mentally berated himself for reacting the way he had and promptly left the two champions to their conversation, grinning all the way back to the castle.

Yes, he could admit it to himself – he was jealous. He was also surprised at the force of the emotion, and chuckled at the irony. He knew that he was envied by many, the "Perfect Prefect," the total package, a winner all around. Most people thought he had everything.

Most people were wrong.

TBC

A/N: Reviews are love.