Chapter 12: The Plot Thickens

                                    

                                          
Notes: Sorry about this update being a day late, guys! I came up with this awesome fic idea, and I've just been writing non-stop at it for the past four days, and I completely forgot I needed to upload yesterday. Here you go, though. Enjoy!
                          
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As it turned out, it took a good half an hour to reassure Draco that everything was fine, that he was just making headway in getting friendly with three of the five other champions. When he explained everything that had happened, Draco had a question. "Where did Cedric go? One moment in your story, he was standing near Viktor, but he didn't say anything about that Bernard girl insulting you, which is unlike him, since he likes us enough to defend us from getting detentions for any pranks he knows about, even when he knows that we're behind them, and then he just up and disappears as soon as the instructions are over? Where did he go?"
                          
Thinking back on it, Cedric had been rather quiet during the whole thing; he hadn't even waved to his friends after he'd been chosen as he made his way up to the dais. Yes, the situation was fairly uncharacteristic of him, which was concerning. So, the next day after breakfast, Harry, Draco, and Neville caught up with him just as he made to go down to the Hufflepuff common room. "Hey, Cedric!" said Harry. "I missed you after the rules were finished. Viktor, Miro, Fleur, and I talked for a bit, but you just left so quickly."
                          
"You talked to them?" Cedric asked, then continued in an oddly hollow tone. "What did you talk about?"
                          
Harry furrowed his brow in confusion. "Er... just about how it sucked to have lots of pressure or prejudice focussed on us because of various things, like mine and Viktor's fame, or Fleur's Veela heritage. Why?"
                          
"No reason," said Cedric, his voice even more hollow. "I must be going. I have Defence Against the Dark Arts now, and I need to arrive early."
                          
Cedric was being quite creepy now, since not only had Cedric actually fully said 'Defence Against the Dark Arts' instead of just 'Defence' or 'Dah-dah', like he was prone to saying, but Harry had suddenly noticed that Cedric's eyes had a slightly glazed look to them.
                          
"It's the weekend, though," said Neville slowly. "Saturday, remember?"
                          
"No. I have Defence Against the Dark Arts now. I have to go." Cedric made to push past them, but Draco and Neville both grabbed an arm and anchored down so he couldn't move as much.
                          
Harry scrambled for his mirror, knowing Sirius was at the school in a teaching role, so he could help them quickly. "Sirius!" he exclaimed at the mirror, which misted over for a split second, then cleared to show Sirius' face. Sirius was about to say something, but Harry butted in. "We think Cedric has been Imperiused! We're just off the Entrance Hall on the way to the Hufflepuff common room; come quick!"
                          
Sirius' eyes widened in shock before he stood up from where he'd been sitting and ran for the door as he answered, "Okay, pup. Be right there, I'm on my way. Just try to prevent him from doing whatever he's been ordered to do, but be careful-sometimes they can be programmed to respond violently to someone doing that. Use a spell that will contain him, whichever one you're better at."
                          
Harry agreed and disconnected the call, then turned to Draco and Neville, who were now slowly being dragged behind Cedric as he attempted to get closer to the stairs that would lead him back to the Entrance Hall. "I mus-t go!" shouted Cedric. "Let-m-e leave! I-have-cl-as-s!" Cedric's words were getting more and more disjointed, which showed that he was able to fight the spell to a certain extent, but not well enough to either stop doing anything or break the curse entirely.
                          
"Sorry, Cedric," said Harry. "Petrificus Totalus!"
                          
Cedric instantly became stiff as a board and fell forwards onto his face. Neville stood and helped Draco stand up as well. "Phew! That was hard! Thanks, Harry."