A/N: long story short, Espen and I are no longer speaking, and that killed a lot of my motivation for this story. This is a draft of Chapter 3 I found on my phone and edited lightly before posting here. I'm not sure if I can commit to regular updates, but I'll try my damnedest! Thanks for waiting everyone 3

Warning for mild swearing in this chapter.

Chapter Three: The Quidditch World Cup

Harry hit the ground with a resounding thump, followed by a less reassuring crack. He winced; he was not badly hurt, just shocked. His glasses had fallen off his nose slightly and were crooked, so Harry took a second to notice something dangling above him. It was a hand; Harry took it, and was pulled to his feet. After adjusting his glasses, the blurry world came into focus, and he spotted it was Cedric who pulled him up, and it was Cedric's hand he was still grasping. Almost wistfully, he relinquished his hold; Cedric's grip was warm and firm, and Harry cracked a grin at the older boy.

"Cheers!"

"Hey, no problem!"

Once more, a smile played on Cedric's face, briefly illuminating his features. Harry was dying to know what was on his mind, but he noticed figures approaching - the magic was broken.

"Well then Cedric! Off this way for us." Harry wanted to roll his eyes. Amos' voice was needlessly loud and booming, as if he was trying to show off. Strangely enough, Cedric looked like he was close to rolling his eyes too. However, Harry was not sad to see the back of Amos, even if it did mean leaving Cedric. Before turning to the Weasleys, Harry snatched a quick glance at his receding figure - but was interrupted.

"I suppose we'd better be off too." Arthur smiled, but Ron, tired, audibly groaned. "Come on Ron! It's not much further now." As the Weasleys fell into step, the conversation dried up, allowing Harry to lose himself in his thoughts. He was excited to see the Quidditch, that was true - but he couldn't shake this nagging feeling, similar to the one he experienced upon leaving Privet Drive. He frowned. What was wrong? A voice piped up in his head:

As if you don't know already.

Harry's mind clouded over, so much so that he did not initially notice when Ginny began speaking.

"Harry, I hope you don't think I was too harsh back there." Harry did not respond, letting her continue. "It's just... I don't like the way he spoke to you Harry! And I'm not just going to let it slide by!" She blushed, her cheeks burning the same red as her hair. Harry smirked at her act of defiance; it was endearing.

"Ginny, it was wonderful!" Her face lit up at the praise. "I'm glad someone is defending me whilst I'm too stunned to do it myself." Ginny's entire body seemed to slump slightly, as if she was on edge before.

"Oh, Harry, I was so worried - I thought you might think I was being rude - speaking on your behalf - and I was rather rude of course -" Harry cut her off.

"Ginny, relax. He had it coming." The corners of Ginny's lips rose, smiling as she responded.

"Yeah, I suppose he did." There was a slight lull in the conversation as Harry scrambled for a new topic, but Ginny got their first.

"Anyway, I think Fred wants me. See ya Harry - and sorry again!" Without waiting for a response, she tore off at a blazing speed, her red her glorious in the sunlight. Harry was bemused at her erratic behaviour; could she be more obvious? He would have to approach her eventually, but it could wait. They had almost arrived, and Harry didn't want to be at the back of the line.

After passing seemingly endless rows of tents, Harry was relieved to finally set up and get a chance to sit down. He would let the others do all the heaving lifting; he assumed he would merely get in the way. Hermione had taken charge (naturally), and Ginny was her loyal lieutenant. This left Ron Arthur, and the twins to be the grunts whilst Harry took a moment to reflect. He was absolutely buzzing for the game. It was bound to be amazing; Ron had been telling Harry all about the rivalries between the players and, most importantly, the Seeker Viktor Krum who appeared to be the darling of the Bulgarian team.

Once constructed, Harry took a peek inside the tent. It seemed to laugh in the face of the laws of physics but by this point he expected nothing less. He was to sleep in the same room as Ron, an arrangement that now felt natural. Hermione and Ginny were paired, and the twins were together too. Once the initial novelty wore off, Harry headed out, twitching, before being stopped by Ron.

"Ditching us already?" He asked, feigning hurt.

"Something like that, yeah." Harry grinned at his friend. "I'm getting a breath of fresh air." Ron's eyes widened as he spoke.

"But we had to walk halfway across the bloody country to get here! I'm bloody knackered! You can go by yourself mate." Harry failed to suppress a smirk.

"Must be my natural athleticism and good looks." He said, the corners of his mouth twitching. Ron replied with a derisive snort.

"Yeah whatever mate, piss off. Won't even miss you." Harry could not think of a response so merely laughed and left, with an exaggerated sarcastic wave as he did.

He wandered aimlessly for a while, taking in the sight of such a large number of (over-age) magic folk in one place. Superficially, it seemed like a normal, if somewhat eccentric, campsite, but if a Muggle somehow pierced the wards and the charms surrounding the area they wouldn't have far to go before noticing something amiss. The place was awash with activity; hurried Ministry officials rushed around, clearly swept off their feet. It was quite simply - magical.

It was to Harry's surprise then when he quite literally bumped into Cedric Diggory for the second time that day. He was not looking where he was going (and evidently neither was Cedric) and the pair collided, staggering away from each other. Cedric chuckled, thankfully seeing the funny side.

"Cor Harry, we aren't half a pair of idiots are we?" Harry was quick to retort.

"Well, speak for yourself," he said, which Cedric found hilarious, and began to guffaw. Harry was quite swept up in the infectious happiness of the scene and found himself laughing alongside Cedric.

Harry cut off his laughter when he noticed Cedric lean in closer, face somewhat clouded. He frowned, puzzled, as Cedric began to speak.

"Seriously though, I was looking for you Harry. I guess I just want to apologise about earlier; my dad - he was way out of order. He can be like that a lot." Harry let the older boy speak, not wishing to interrupt what seemed to be a sincere and painful apology - despite being on the behalf of another. "It's just my parents are both very proud people, and that can often manifest negatively, I guess. Just," he paused, "I'm sorry though."

Harry started; Cedric seemed to apologise profusely for a mistake that was not his. Still, Harry mumbled his assurances. "I'd honestly forgotten man; don't worry. Besides," Harry smiled, "Ginny had my back!"

Cedric's whole face seemed to perk up with Harry's words; he spoke, almost beaming. "Yeah, she sure did! I'll have to watch out for that one!" He added a wink, which only confused Harry. "Anyway, I should go find my seat; the game starts soon. Promise you'll sit by me?" Cedric spoke with earnest, and there was something inside Harry he couldn't deny. He replied immediately:

"Of course."

Cedric slapped his back and told him he'd see him there; a buzzing sensation lingered where he'd touched. Harry realised he should probably go to find a seat too, and after a moment, turned towards the stadium and made his way there. He was early, but the buzz of the people who had already arrived was not insignificant. Harry decided to honour his promise and looked around for Cedric, trying to find a seat.