a light in the darkness

gn!reader x cedric diggory

words: 1126

summary: In an AU where Cedric survives the Triwizard tournament, but has trauma from it, y/n has to help him through a panic attack caused by his claustrophobia.

a/n: mentions what happened to Cedric in the maze in detail, mentions claustrophobia, and implied panic attack

Cedric would never be the same after the Triwizard Tournament.

Not everything had changed. He was still the same loyal and compassionate boy you’d always loved, but he would never be as carefree as he once was. Slowly, his hair had been growing out; nothing major, but just enough to cover his eyes. His sleep pattern was in a downward spiral too. Almost every night, he had grim nightmares about what happened during the tournament, and it caused him to fall asleep in his classes often. He confessed to you the terrifying memories he had from the maze. You could remember in great detail when he told you about the suffocating tunnels of ivy that surrounded him as he tried to move through the maze, making it almost impossible to breathe. The experience was suffocating. He was even more scared by the overgrown roots that wrapped around him and attempted to carry him away from the cup. He clawed at them, screaming in terror for help, but nothing he could do on his own would fight them off. Now, if he got his shoe caught on something as simple as his shoelace, it would make him turn ghostly pale, getting flashbacks to the moment he could’ve lost his life.

Despite what he went through, he kept exceptional grades and still had his friends. For him, maintaining his grades wasn’t a surprise. Not only were his professors very understanding, but studying was one of the few things he could do without ever having to think about what happened that day. He was much more surprised to discover that his friends still loved him, and that he was still as popular as always. He thought his friends would be disappointed in him, but like the incredible friends they were, they adored him just as much, and respected him for the hardship he went through. More than anything, he was glad you still loved him, even if he would never be exactly the same.

However, attention and popularity were no longer what made him feel whole. When people circled him to talk to him, it often scared him. After what happened in the maze, Cedric had intense claustrophobia, and even standing in a crowded room could set him off.

After every dark thing that happened, the only real thing he could find solace in was you, his beloved support system. You knew this, and made it a point to check on him daily, especially if he didn’t talk to you for a day. That’s how you knew when it was a dreadful day for him.

Today was different. Classes were over for the day, and you hadn’t seen him once. You thought maybe it was just a coincidence you didn’t see him in the halls, but when he didn’t show up to your shared History of Magic class, you grew worried. You’d asked around about him for what felt like hours, and eventually one of his friends told you they’d seen Cedric go to his dormitory.

You contemplated what could’ve happened as you entered the Hufflepuff common room. The smell of sweets wafted through the air, and the syrupy scent filled your nose. Usually, you loved to admire the soft yellow furniture and warm lighting, but today you went straight for the boys' dorm. You pushed open the ancient creaky oak door to Cedric’s dorm, and the scene felt all too familiar to you. Before the tournament, Cedric often invited you over, but that was becoming rare as time went on. You knew he still loved you, but it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to reach out to anyone, even just to chat.

You opened the door to find Cedric on the wood floor, sitting next to his bed, with his knees to his chest. You rushed over, quickly closed the door behind you, and sat with him.

For a while, he didn’t say anything, he just softly cried. His cheeks were red, and his breathing was shallow. His favorite gold Hufflepuff sweater had droplets of water across the front from his salty tears. You wanted to engulf him in your arms, but you knew he needed his space.

“I can’t believe what I did,” he finally said, breaking the silence. The tears in his throat were audible and heartbreaking. “A group of people tried talking to me, and I just snapped,” he’s barely able to choke out the words as he begins to sob into your shoulder.

“I know Ced, it’s okay,” you say as you brush your fingers through his soft overgrown honey hair.

“I just snapped,” he says between sobs. “They were all standing so close, and I couldn’t breathe, and all I could think about was that stupid maze.” The words leave his mouth in a quick spiral, and once they’re out he grabs you like if he doesn’t, you’ll vanish. “I shouted at them,” he says, sounding dejected. Even if those students never remembered it, he was too sweet not to blame himself.

“Cedric Diggory,” you say in a strong, but concerned tone, “no one is mad at you. The people here are considerate enough to understand what you went through, and if they can’t understand it, then maybe they deserve to be yelled at.” He doesn’t respond to you, but he holds on to you a little tighter, and presses his face into your neck. His warm, soft lips meet your skin and plant a small kiss on you, and you can feel his wet, tear-stained cheeks brush against you. “Why don’t we get you some food? You’ll feel much better,” you earnestly suggest. He moves away from your neck, keeping a firm grip on your body. Despite his disheveled appearance, he sends you a grin that makes you feel like the sun has just come out after a long winter. He nods his head in agreement and stands up with you. You watch as he fixes his hair, and changes his clothes to go down to the great hall with you. When his shirt is off, you see his sculpted, toned body, and you can’t help but giggle. He blushes, and a soft shade of pink takes over his face. He sends you a wink and quickly puts on another shirt. It seemed like Hufflepuff’s golden boy was making a return.

Once you’re out of the Hufflepuff common room he takes you by the hand and twirls you around, pulling you into him with a soft smile. Your hands connect, as if they were made to hold each other, and he traces his thumb in circles on your hand.

“You are the light of my life,” he whispers into your ear, and it’s like you can hear the smile in his voice.

Happy birthday. You are missed.

The Potions Storeroom as seen in the Goblet of Fire and Hogwarts Legacy.

I despise fanfiction where Barty is written an a dumb blonde. This is the man who managed to trick Dumbledore and half the ministry for almost a year.

I am convinced that actor Robert Pattinson is trying (and succeeding) to act in every major fandom

ron weasley is literally transfem by the way. she's a girl

POV: you're dumbledore and you wanted to talk to literally any of the DADATs

people don't talk enough about how unhinged book hermione was!!

like she literally kidnapped a grown woman and kept her in a jar😭😭 AND physically deformed someone's face because they snitched on dumbledore's army!

Harry Potter Rewatch | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

“ Dark times lie ahead of us and there will be a time when we must choose between what is easy and what is right.”

Speaking of the Riddle murder, I have something to say about it. In Morfin's memory we hear his conversation with Tom and he doesn't seem to know where his father lives. If this were indeed the case, this would mean that Tom impulsively decided to kill the Riddles. Another thing I wonder is whether Tom decided to go to the Riddles with the firm intention of killing them or whether this decision was the result of, perhaps a conversation. Did Tom and his father speak before the latter's death? I always ask myself this and I can't give myself a precise answer, because little Tom with Dumbledore seemed eager to meet his father, but after all those years and after discovering that he is a muggle, would he still have been so inclined to meet him?

Barty was the second best DADA teacher Hogwarts had tbh

It’s time to watch Harry Potter again!

me when i watch the goblet of fire for the 5th time and cedric’s fate remains unchanged and he still dies at the end 💔💔

Barty decided to get all of his O.W.L.'s because he thought that maybe that would be his out, his escape from his father. In the end, plan A was a fail, what everyone else didn't know, was that plan B was always going to be the Dark Lord.

And what people didn't know either, was that plan B failed too. After being trapped via Imperius for years upon years, Barty figured out that death was really the only way out. And maybe that was why he was suddenly being less careful with how he handled being a teacher at Hogwarts, even though he had always dreamed of teaching. Maybe he knew that this would be his way out.

In the end, Plan C was the only one that worked.

barty crouch jr was such a good teacher of the dark arts because he was a literal death eater and knew what he was talking about.

somewhere, severus snape is screaming into the void.