Cedric Diggory threw himself unceremoniously into his seat aboard the Hogwarts Express. Finally finished his prefect duties - which had included a great deal of rushing backward and forward about the train with a brood of very energetic first years, as well as telling off Draco Malfoy for loitering about the corridor unnecessarily - Cedric was finally able to have a breather.

The compartment Cedric chose was populated by a crew of Hufflepuff boys from the Quidditch team. "Hey, here's our Captain at last!" cried Malcolm Preece as Cedric sank into his seat. "About bloody time you joined us."

"Busy with prefect duties, wasn't I?" Cedric countered.

"What a goody-goody," teased Herbert Fleet, smirking.

"It's called being a responsible human being, more like," Cedric retorted. "Ought to go on and give it a shot now and then, hey, Herbie?"

"Me? Responsible?" Herbert chuckled.

"Might as well ask the Weasleys to behave," snickered Michael McManus. Herbert kicked his ankle and Michael snorted and pushed Herbert roughly into the wood panel of the compartment, knocking his head against a spot where some hooligan had carved initials into the wall years and years ago.

There was a good deal of rough-housing following this as Michael, Malcolm, and Herbert started pushing and shoving about and Cedric rolled his eyes and leaned back against the bench. "For Helga's sake, lot. I swear the whole band of you are growing down, not growing up!" Cedric shook his hand through his brown hair and closed his eyes as he put his legs up on the bench where Malcolm had been before launching himself across the compartment to get in on the wrestling match. "Don't pisser me off or all of you will find yourselves with detentions with Flitwick before we even get to the castle!"

Herbert hooted laughter, "What a load of codswallop you are! Diggory fancies he finds himself more mature than us, lads!" Herbert was in sixth alongside Cedric, while Michael was in fourth and Malcolm in fifth.

Cedric muttered, "At least more than you are, Fleet."

Herbert made a sound between a "psh" and a "pfffbt".

Cedric added, "Mate - the firsties I just ushered about were more mature than you are!"

Michael and Malcolm laughed heartily at this.

Herbert gave Cedric a rather rude gesture. "I can see that even with my eyes closed, Fleet," Cedric said as the other two laugher all the harder.

"Wasn't tryin' at hiding it, was I?" Herbert chortled.

Cedric sighed and settled more into the cushion, even as Malcolm returned to his seat, lifting Cedric's legs to slide in before letting them drop back over his own lap.

"So, what then, did you spend the summer coming up with loads of fancy new plays so we can finally slaughter those bleedin' lions this year?" Michael asked.

Cedric murmured, "I may have done." He grinned.

"Ayyyy I know that look. Diggory's got something brilliant on, yeah, Ced?" Herbert asked.

"I certainly hope so," Cedric answered. He opened his eyes and looked about the compartment. "I really need to win the cup this year, mates. It would mean the world to my Dad."

"Bloody hell like your pops needs another reason to be proud of you for!" guffawed Malcolm. "Already he doesn't stop on about you. Y'know he stood bragging forever to my dad on the Platform? My dad didn't give a hippogriff's arse if you won the bloody match last year. LAST YEAR, mate! Haven't you done something else - anything else - that he can talk about in the past year?

Herbert snickered? "Maybe a sneeze that watered the last of an endangered plant? Or dropped a shit made entirely of pure refined gold?"

"He's driving me crazy over that win last year, too, though, you don't understand!" Cedric said. "You know - the time when Potter fell off his broom and all? He won't stop badgering me, saying what a great thing I did by winning that match. I didn't even mean to, I feel like I bloody cheated but nobody would let me beg off and it's weighing on me like nothin' else."

"Oh its so hard being Cedric, inn'it? Parents who love you," teased Malcolm, whose parents were judgmental at best.

Cedric flushed, "It's just I'd like to actually earn Dad being proud of me is all. I feel like I haven't yet, and it's - I just feel bad is all, alright?"

Herbert studied Cedric a moment. "Y'know you've done things to make him proud, though, really, don't you, Diggory?"

Cedric shrugged.

"No really mate, we take the mickey out of ya sure but you're greatest bloke there is alright?" Herbert kicked Cedric's loafer. "I mean it. You're good people."

Cedric smiled, but something gnawed on him deep down, whatever his friends said.

You're not good enough, that little voice said.

Maybe not now, Cedric whispered back in his heart, but I bloody well will be.

The Express carried them off top speed to Hogsmeade, and as it rolled up to the station, Cedric told his friends he'd see them all later and slipped out of the compartment to help at organizing the corridors and making sure all the first years got to Hagrid alright, which included holding the hand of a particularly tiny boy, Dennis Creevy, directly to the boats after he had nearly been trampled by a herd of students moving much faster than his short legs could carry him.

"Is it true there's a sea monster?" whispered Dennis reverently, "I heard some boys talking on the train and they said there was a sea monster in the lake and that it likes to eat first years!" HIs eyes were wide.

"Nigel," said Cedric, "He doesn't like First Years, though, he enjoys toast."

"What sort of creature is Nigel?" whispered Dennis, rapt attention focused entirely on Cedric.

But before Cedric could answer, he heard his name being called by Roger Davies, the Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team. "Gotta go, Dennis. Be careful now going across the lake," Cedric said, turning and rushing back up to the platform by the station, where Davis was waiting for him. Cedric trotted up the steps as  Dennis waved frantically, and he climbed aboard the very front of the boat Hagrid would be manning across the lake, kneeling next to the post that held a swaying lamp and leaning way over, trying to peer into the water, looking for Nigel.

"Hey Roger," Cedric said as he reached the platform. Roger offered Cedric a hand up as Cedric stepped up onto the platform from the dirt path and Cedric grinned and clapped Roger into a side hug of greeting. "How's your summer been?"

"Been alright, how about yours?" Roger asked. The boys stepped to a side as students continued pouring off the Express.

"Been alright, thanks," Cedric answered.

Roger nodded, "We missed you comin' 'round for pick-up. Without you, I was stuck trying at keeping ol' Herbert Fleet on task."

"Yeah Fleet's a real headache," Cedric grinned, "But he's right amusing, nobody can deny that."

Roger nodded, then, "So you're really doin' alright? I know it ent always easy when your folks split up like they have now, hey?" Roger had been through a similar experience not long ago, during Third Year. 

"I'm just glad they aren't fightin' anymore, honestly," Cedric said and he tried at a smile, though it came off lopsided, like it had been put on and missed the hook he'd hung it from. He sighed as Roger Davies gave him a shake of the head, seeing right through the feeble attempt at being alright. "Really, I am glad about the fighting being over," Cedric sighed, "I don't think the split'll last, honestly. They just need a little break, I reckon..." He stared off toward the castle. The sky was dark overhead, ominous clouds hanging to cover up the moon and a blustery wind gust whipped across the platform then, bringing with it a chill and the smell of rain. Somewhere far off, thunder rolled and Cedric sighed, "Brewing to storm," he murmured, looking 'round.

"Yeah, supposed to be a nasty one. Ought to get on to the carriages I reckon," Roger Davies agreed, and Cedric nodded. The Express was emptied of students, the last of them heading down the path toward the carriages, and teams of house elves were scurrying to get the bags from the storage, their ears flapping with excitement as they collected the trunks and suitcases, bird cages, rucksacks, and satchels. 

Cedric and Roger both had to shake their wands into umbrellas before they reached the carriages and found Herbert Fleet had hung back waiting for Cedric. "Captain, my Captain!" he shouted as he spotted Cedric coming along the path. He was soaked from the rain that had already fallen, standing up in the cart, arms raised up in a V. 

"Stop that, you prune," Cedric snorted as he jumped up into the cart and pushed Herbert into the seat.

Herbert laughed, "Oi, look what the cat dragged in - hiya Davies... Oi, that's a nice hair cut." He smirked. Roger's hair had been shoulder length until his mum had made him get a trim over summer - a page-boy style cut that hung just to the bottom of his ear lobes and gave him a bit of a look of someone who ought to be the lead of a boy band, rather than a quidditch player. 

Roger climbed aboard the last carriage with a laugh right behind Cedric. "Shut your jaw, Fleet."

Herbert snickered and kicked his feet up on the edge of the cart, leaning back and looking quite proud of himself, even as the rain fell over him, soaking his uniform completely.

The storm continued on, the rain getting stronger and stronger all the way from the Station to the castle, the thunder getting louder until it was a full-on thunderstorm, lightning slashing the sky. The three boys rushed from the cart, jumping out before it had come to a full start, and ran up the steps to the entry way, coming through just as McGonagall was stepping out of the Great Hall and crossing over to the door that led to the tiny stairwell where the first years would be waiting for her. She paused, looked them over from head to toe and said, "Mister Diggory... Mister Davies... Mr. Fleet..." her eyes lingered on Herbert and she raised her eyebrow, "You're running late, the sorting is nearly about to begin!"

"Sorry Professor," Cedric said as they slipped in the doors to the Hall. "See ya Davies," Cedric hissed as they split, Roger headed for Ravenclaw table as Cedric and Herbert slid into their seats at the Hufflepuff table. Cedric straightened his tie and ran a hand through his hair as Herbert sank onto the bench beside him sideways, straddling the seat.

Cedric looked across the staff table and wondered where Mad-Eye Moody was - his dad had said the ex-auror would be teaching this term, but he wasn't represented at the table besides by a vacant chair. Cedric frowned and worried if something had happened after he'd left London. Was Mr. Moody alright? he certainly hoped so. His dad seemed to really respect Alastor Moody and that was enough for Cedric to absolutely respect Mad-Eye. Although... perhaps if Moody was unavailable after all, maybe Dumbledore would call Lupin back on and wouldn't that be brilliant? Cedric had really, really liked the previous Professor quite a lot and he knew quite a few other students - including Herbert and Roger Davies - had also really enjoyed lessons with him. 

The door opened on the side of the plinth upon which the staff table stood and in came Professor McGonagall, trailed by the first years who trotted along in a long line, the rear brought up by tiny little Dennis Creevy, wrapped up in Hagrid's moleskin coat, even more soaked than any of the other children, and with a small bit of seaweed stuck in his blonde hair. 

"Oh no Dennis," whispered Cedric, seeing the tiny lad waving and giving thumbs-up to his older brother, a second year Gryffindor. 

"Who?" Herbert looked up. He was breaking open a package of pastilles and quickly popped three off the end and handed the pack to Cedric as he turned to see what Cedric was looking at. "Oi, looks like that one fell in the lake." He snickered.

Cedric could see the Weasley twins sharing a similar laugh across the room.

The Sorting was fairly quick, especially since he and Herbert split the pastilles while they listened to McGonagall rattle off names and the hat called out houses. Cedric made sure to stand and applaud each new Hufflepuff student and gave out hearty high-fives, though Herbert only sat on the bench and smirked at each newbie.

After the Sorting, the seat at the staff table still vacant, Dumbledore simply bade them to eat and the feast began, students tucking in excitedly. Cedric chewed the last of the pastilles - saving the blackcurrent, his favorite, for last - before tucking into the bangers and mash. "I could drink this gravy," muttered Herbert, pouring a good deal of it over his meal. "I swear, one of these years I'm going to kidnap a Hogwarts house elf to bring home. Mum doesn't cook like this." He shook his head in apparent euphoria over the food.

Cedric laughed, "Poor thing would be beggin' for clothes within a week of working for you."

Herbert chuckled.

The enchanted ceiling overhead flashed and swirled with the thunder and lightning that was outside and Cedric stared up at the high windows, seeing the rain slamming against the glass, a long drumming, droning sound that lulled him into relaxation. He hadn't realized just how exhausted he felt until that moment, and he rested his chin on his hand, day dreaming about the moment they'd be dismissed and sent to their beds...

At last, the dinner was over and Dumbledore stood up and walked 'round the table to the podium, shaped like a giant phoenix in flight, and cleared his throat, smiling around at them all. Everyone fell silent and Cedric, who caught himself having nearly fallen asleep, took a deep breath and blinked his eyes to focus on the old man as Herbert chortled at him quietly.

"So!" said Dumbledore, clapping his hands together, "Now that we are all fed and watered, I must once more ask for your attention, while I give out a few notices..." He cleared his throat again. "Mr. Filch, the caretaker, has asked me to tell you that the list of objects forbidden inside the castle has this year been extended to include Screaming Yo-yos, Fanged Frisbees, and Ever-Bashing Boomerangs. The full list comprises some four hundred and thirty-seven items, I believe, and can be viewed in Mr. Filch's office, if anybody would like to check it out." The corners of Dumbledore's mouth twitched as even as he said it.

Herbert whispered, "Reckon anyone has ever checked it out?"

"Fred and George Weasley - as a shopping list, perhaps," laughed Cedric, turning to look at Herbert.

Herbert nodded, "Bang on!" he patted Cedric's shoulders.

"As ever, I like to remind you all that the forest on the grounds is out-of-bounds to students, as is the village of Hogsmeade to all below third year... It is also my painful duty to inform you that the Inter-House Quidditch Cup... will not take place this year."

"What?" Cedric whipped back 'round to look at Dumbledore so fast that the whole Hufflepuff bench rocked slightly and the table made a loud scraping noise across the flagstones. The shocked reactions were cropping up all over the Great Hall and Dumbledore paused for them to die down - glancing at the kerfluffled Hufflepuffs that had nearly taken a spill from Cedric's motion rocking the bench. 

Dumbledore then tried talking over the roar of students reacting poorly to the news, "This is due to an event that will be starting in October and continuing throughout the school year, taking up much of the teachers' time and energy - but I am sure you will all enjoy it immensely! I have the great pleasure in announcing that this year at Hogwarts --"

But he was interrupted by a deafening sound - not the students reacting but a huge rumble of thunder that was so loud it shook the castle, rattling the windows and flatware so that students grabbed hold of their glasses, juice sloshing in the cups, and the students at the far end of the bench grabbed onto the table, half thinking Cedric had tried at knocking them all over again. But the glares from those students were lost on Cedric as he'd turned to look as the door to the Great Hall banged opened and in clunked Mad-Eye Moody.

The ex-auror was an extremely fierce looking man, with actual chunks of his face missing and a great lot of scarring all over his visible skin, his black traveling clock heavy and hanging over his shoulders as he walked, every other step a dull THUNK, THUNK, THUNK as his prosthetic leg hit the floor. Moody's magical eye spun with interest, looking about the castle frantically as he made his way to the front of the room.

Cedric recognized him from newspapers and from his father's description, but the man was so much more ominous than Amos Diggory had made him sound.

"May I introduce our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher?" Dumbledore said brightly. "Professor Moody."

Moody had made his way to the front of the room, sat down, and speared himself a banger with a little knife he'd taken out of his pockets. He waved his little knife and sniffed the sausage before taking a bite and then withdrawing a hip flask from his coat and drinking from it instead of his juice that sat directly in front of him already.

Dumbledore stared at Moody - as did everyone else in the room - and cleared his throat, turning back to the students with a funny expression on his face. "Anyway," he murmured. "Where was I?... Yes, oh yes. As I was saying... We are to have the honor of hosting a very exciting event over the coming months, an event that has not been held for over a century!" 

Herbert sat forward, his face suspicious. Cedric was still pale and shaking his head in disbelief over the loss of the quidditch season. After all the planning and thought he'd put into the plays he'd written over the summer! Gone, just like that.

"Don't worry Ced," murmured Malcolm, leaning over the table to whisper to Cedric's astonished expression, "Always next year, isn't there? We'll practice all term just the same so we stay in tip-top shape and beat out those Gryffindors next year fair and square with good old fashioned elbow-grease."

Cedric nodded, but he felt gut-punched none the less.

"It is my very, very great pleasure to inform you that the Triwizard Tournament will be taking place at Hogwarts this year," Dumbledore said.

"You're JOKING!" yelled Fred Weasley, and it was this more than anything else that broke through Cedric's daze. Fred had put words on what Cedric was feeling and he couldn't help but join in as the Great Hall broke into laughter, shattering the tension that had hung over the Great Hall since Mad-Eye had stomped into the room.

Even Dumbledore couldn't hold back a chuckle. "I am not joking, Mr. Weasley," he said. "Though now that you mention it, I did hear an excellent one over the summer about a troll, a hag, and a leprechaun who all go into a bar and..."

Professor McGonagall cleared her throat loudly.

"Er -- but maybe this is not the time..." Dumbledore murmured and his eyes roved over the eager eyes, pausing slightly at tiny Dennis Creevy, and he shook his head, "No... no, not the time."

"I've heard this one before," muttered Herbert from beside Cedric, and he launched into a ridiculous story about how the Hag wanted to kiss somebody for her birthday and there was a great deal of wrestling and battling and broken kegs and curses and cyclops eyes and a load of stuff Cedric only barely heard as he paid attention to Dumbledore's words as he described the Triwizard Tournament.

Something began to buzz about in Cedric's stomach as he listened to Dumbledore describing the tradition, honor, and glory that would go to the successful champion of the tournament. Cedric glanced about the tables at the other students, and there were several people muttering about going for it - including Fred Weasley, who was flushed in the face and excitedly babbling to George directly beside him. Cedric swallowed nervously.

That was precisely the sort of thing that he needed to do to earn the pride of his father. He could picture it now - as foolish as it sounded, even to his own mind - what if he actually managed to win and, in all their excitement, his parents figured out how to make things work again? What if they would get back together in the moment of triumph - the best prize that Cedric Diggory could ever hope for...

"You ought to go for it, Ced," hissed Herbert, leaning forward.

"Yeah, blimey you'll be seventeen... what in just a few days, inn'it?" Malcolm asked, turning 'round to look at Cedric.

"You'll be perfect!" cried Michael.

"Who better to represent the school?" Malcolm said, "Than the greatest bloke that ever set foot in it's walls, 'ey?" 

Cedric flushed. "You lot really think I could, maybe?"

"I think if you enter, everyone else better just bloody watch out," Herbert sad, grinning, "I'd bet on you right this moment if the books were open already and I had a single knut to bet." He laughed, then added, "I already told you, mate, that you're the greatest bloke there is."