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cedric had never been so uneasy in his life, standing beside his father as he cheered him on, raising his hand in the air with pride and joy. the other hufflepuffs stood in within a giant crowd, yellow outfits on, large smiles on their faces, having no idea of the knowledge cedric knew.
the moment his feet walked on the dark green grass, staring around at the other champions, worrying about harry potter and his life, it all felt like a blur. the feeling of his father grasping tightly on his hand didn't help any nerves.
the last thing he wanted to do was disappoint anyone, let alone the man who raised him, but he wasn't sure he could do this all of a sudden. his friends, edmund, ivy, and belle, all screamed at the top of their lungs for him. that let him know he wasn't alone.
athena sat beside them, standing and screaming, just like she did at all their quidditch games. cedric thought back to the previous year before everything between them had changed. his mind showed him glimpses of her, standing in the crowd, watching him for maybe a little too long.
if only he had noticed her then, if only he had decided that last year he was worthy of her presence, they would have had more time. he was not sure what would happen today or how things would change, but he knew he needed more time with her.
dumbledore calmed down the crowd and announced the rules and tricks of the last task, cedric attempted to pay attention, but it was just so damn hard. staring at all his classmate's faces, his professors staring back, all the loud whispers, nothing seemed to knock him out of this trance he was in.
that was until dumbledore announced his name, erupting a loud cheer between his peers that were holding signs with his name on them, knocking him out and forcing him to put on a cheerful smile,
you can do this, cedric. you know you can do this. he told himself this over and over again, but the voice in his head seemed to sound awful like athena's. she held two thumbs up at him, wearing the most captivating smile he had ever laid eyes on. he could do this, for her.
the other students' names were announced one by one, allowing a pause in between as their schools cheered for them with dignity. dumbledore then announced harry and cedric would be entering the maze first.
his father held his smaller hands on his shoulders. "i've never been more proud of you, ced. holding onto the diggory legacy with your kindness and braveness." the smaller man held a delightful smile at his son, feeling nothing but pure satisfaction.
"whatever happens in there, son, i'll be waiting for you on the other side. if you don't win, I do not care. you'll still be my son either way." the words softened cedric's heart and gave him an opportunity for the first genuine smile in a while.
