"Hey! You!? It's the Quidditch World Cup today, get up!" My foster brother hissed in my ear as I rolled over in bed, trying to studiously ignore him. "Fin, come on! We've got to go!"

"Ow, gerroff!" I grumbled as he shook my shoulder jarringly. Two in the bloody morning and he was already up to harass the hell out of me. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't miss the Quidditch World Cup for a sack full of galleons; but I'd wake myself up, thanks.

"Alright, but you asked for it." He laughed and walked to the other side of the bed, then opened his mouth and blew in my face. ARGH! "Morning breath!" He cried triumphantly.

"CEDRIC! You disgusting toad!" I shouted, leaping out of bed and tackling him. We crashed into the lamp and I grabbed my pillow and tried to clamp it over his face and suffocate him. He gave a muffled snort and fought me off, easily overpowering me. I whipped my wand out from under my bed and pointed at him, raising an eyebrow. He held the pillow up, ready to throw at me or use as a shield.

"You know the rules, Fin. No spells outside of school." His stupid grin was infectious and the corners of my lips curled into a reluctant smile. I tossed my willow wand from hand to hand, eyeing him.

"Yeah, but it doesn't count as a spell if I shove it as far up your left nostril as it will go." I pointed out, taking his hand and letting him pull me to my feet. It was so obvious I should have suspected the ploy, but it was too late. Cedric brought the pillow up and walloped me over the head with it.

"DAD!!" I roared, chasing my nemesis down the stairs at light speed. Amos wasn't my true father, and I had always secretly called him by his real name behind his back. Despite the fact that Amos was really the coolest dad anyone could ever have asked for. He adored us to the point of embarrassment. He bragged nonstop of Cedric's chivalrous deeds, of his courage and accomplishments. I was praised continuously for my spell work, excelling in Charms and Potions. I soaked this all up, enjoying the limelight. The only thing I disliked about it was the fact that the more stories Amos told, the more boys began to take notice, and the more suitors I had to fight off. All boys, as a standard rule, were completely immature. Take Cedric, for example.

With what I thought was a terrific battle-cry for four in the morning, I sprang from the second landing and sent us both tumbling down the stairs. We hit the ground laughing, both in such high spirits we didn't even mind the bruising.

"Oi! Enough horseplay! Five in the morning and you two are already up to your old tricks. You get along well enough you could actually be related." Amos Diggory called, ambling down the stairs and grinning his head off.

"Yuck." I said, cuffing Cedric over the ears before jumping up and brushing myself off. Cedric made a face off mock disgust and stuck his tongue out, wrinkling his nose.

"Aw, shush!" I shoved him, enjoying myself immensely. "He started it!"

"Did not." Cedric mocked in an obnoxious voice.

"Did too!" I called over my shoulder as I walked into the kitchen. I opened the fridge and searched for breakfast. The fridge door bumped lightly into my shoulder as Cedric faked slamming it shut. I stuck out my ankle and tripped him. Then, I saw it: The Last Chocolate Frog. It is a title worthy of its capital letters, trust me. Chocolate frogs were pure gold in this house. Unfortunately, Cedric noticed it at the same time I did.

"It's mine!" We cried in unison and lunged for it. I cracked my head hard against his elbow and my fingers scrabbled across the shelf until I caught a hold of the box.

"Ah ha!" I shouted triumphantly, one hand in Cedric's face as I tried to push him away from my chocolate. He caught my wrist and strained, snatching desperately. I stuck out my tongue and tried to lick the box, going on the standard rule that if it's covered in your saliva, it's yours.

"DAD!" Cedric called, finally serious as I was now employing the most unscrupulous of tactics. Amos pointed his wand at us and shouted something incoherent.

"Oh, hell." I grumbled angrily, frozen in place. Cedric started to laugh before trying to move, only to find himself similarly paralyzed.

"Haha!" I was triumphant as Amos shuffled around the table and plucked the chocolate frog from my grasp, holding it pinched between his thumb and forefinger, eyeing me suspiciously.

"You didn't lick this one, did you, Findabhair?" He was using my full name and I winced inwardly. I tried to shrug, only to realize I couldn't. Cedric snickered. "Did you?"

"No, of course I didn't." I muttered, put out that my valiantly defended frog had been lost.

"Right then," Amos said, down to business immediately. With a wave of his wand we were free and I shoved Cedric down as I stood up. We took our places at the kitchen table and Amos broke the chocolate in half and handed us each a piece. "Share."

I wrinkled my nose, I would not share. My pride was too important to me. I shoved my piece of still squiggling frog legs in Cedric's direction. The immaturity of fighting over the frog had fulfilled my quota for the day.

"Go ahead, I'm not hungry anymore." I replied, nudging the legs a little further towards Cedric.

"Are you kidding me?" Cedric asked me incredulously, shoving both pieces of chocolate towards me. "No way."

"Just eat the damned chocolate already!" I groaned and pushed it back towards him, thoroughly annoyed. He shifted them back towards me, a determined expression on his face.

"No way, I hate the head."

"I hate the legs." I replied, grabbing the head in sudden realization. Cedric reached over and shook my hand across the table.

"Done." We said together, shoving our consecutive chocolate pieces into our mouths. Amos stared at us out of the corner his eye, muttering something about 'teenagers'. We ate our quick breakfast with as little incident as possible, the one small-scale squabble being that Cedric had managed to somehow sneak all the toast.

We were not true siblings, and we'd spent nearly our entire lives explaining that fact. When people met us, the customary greeting went something along the lines of: Hello, my name is Findabhair and this boy I'm fighting with is not my brother. Perhaps I'm exaggerating a little, but it seemed that way. Maybe it was the fact that we were so sociable with each other that made people think we were siblings. Which didn't make any sense at all; true siblings were always at each other's throats, tooth and nail. Fine, fighting over the chocolate frog wasn't exactly friendly behavior, but it wasn't outright war, either. Besides the fact we didn't look a thing alike: Cedric is tall and handsome, with that slightly ruffled, mouse brown hair (he hated it when I called it mouse brown, which is really the only reason I still say it.) his jaw is too square and too much like his fathers. I, on the other hand, am about 5'7 with honey blonde hair, more aquiline features then any of the Diggory's, and I'm freakishly pale; even for an European. My eyes were an unexciting sage green, nothing like the silver hazel of Cedric's. We couldn't have looked more different if we'd tried.

Besides, there was a horrible reminder, more potent then looks and surname alone, that told me I was not a Diggory. My fingers brushed the silver bangles on my wrist absently. They hid the Dark Mark. It had been bestowed upon me at birth, sometime before my parents death. It wasn't special, didn't make me different from any other Death Eater children; I'd just been marked young. Which is exactly what it signified: A young follower of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. The Diggory's, despite this horrible omen, had welcomed me into their family. There were other things, too. Things that even the Diggory's didn't know about, things that I'd kept hidden even from Cedric. I shuddered and forced myself to think of something else.

"That was my toast." I complained quietly as we trekked along behind Amos.

"Come on now, you don't need any more toast." He teased maliciously. I smacked him over the head and glared. I was perfectly thin, thank you very much!

"You should watch that figure of yours; you wouldn't want to disappoint your fan club." I smirked at the good comeback. Instead of saying something like 'At least I have one.' he surprised me by replying:

"What about your fan club? Was it just last year that Malfoy finally came to grips with his infatuation with you? And Seamus finally stopped harassing you?" I made a noise of disgust at his question. Yuck, yuck, yuck. I didn't care how attractive most girls found Malfoy, he was a devious little cretin. And Seamus Finnigan…well, Seamus was Seamus. That was enough.

"Too young! Malfoy looks like a basilisk and has the attitude of an annoyed Hippogriff." I argued, "And his compatriots, the witless goons Crabbe and Goyle, have faces like bags of ugly frogs. I mean how can I compete with them?" That made him laugh all the way to the oak tree where we were meeting the Weasley's.

The Weasley's were a pretty awesome family, friends wise. Neither Ced nor I saw much of the Weasley clan during school, even though I had casually befriended Hermione Granger(We'd taken the same Ancient Runes class together last year). It was plain to see that Granger was in utter love with the Weasley boy Ron. I smiled; it was a great thing to see two people besotted with each other who didn't even know it yet themselves. Cedric grinned and gave me a playful punch in the shoulder, forgetting he did so with bruising strength.

"Hey! Easy, you great galumphing twit! You'll break my arm." I swatted at him and he ducked the swipe, laughing. He stepped back to my side and continued where the fan club question had left off.

"So, the Weasley twin's?" He asked, grabbing a hold of the lowest tree branch of a large oak and swinging up onto a thick bough. "They flirt with you."

"They flirt with everything that has a pulse, Ced. Besides, I don't like them. They're still put out that Hufflepuff beat them last year. And you really only did it by accident…even if it was brilliant."

"Seamus-"

"Is hideous." I finished for him, leaning back against the tree and looking up at him. He tweaked a leafy branch and it splattered me with water droplets.

"They wouldn't all be so hideous if you weren't so picky, Fin."

"Yeah, like I'm going to take the advice of somebody who can't even go up to talk to Cho Chang without being surrounded by friends. You should just talk to her Cedric; she's honestly not as awe inspiring as you think." I grumbled, trying to conceal my loathing for the girl.

"Here they come." He whispered suddenly, standing up to peer through the fog at the approaching gingers.

"Game face." He slapped me a high-five. We were good at this stuff. We might act like a pair of kids at home, but once we saw real people: game face. It made Amos all the more proud of us. We behaved well, we were good students, and we did pretty much everything he asked of us. Plus, we were a crackerjack pair of Quidditch players. A lot of it was just acting like responsible young adults. Only Cedric and I and a few friends knew what we were really thinking.

I watched the red heads weave through the trees and Cedric leapt out of the oak, landing on his feet and standing in a lithe movement. Amos was already gabbing away to Mr. Weasley, their conversation in full swing.

"Ah, so this strapping young lad must be Cedric? Marvelous!" Mr. Weasley held out a hand to Ced and he shook it, smirking as though he owned the world. Once again: game face. I hung back a little bit, shouldering my bag and brushing my long hair out of my eyes, smiling politely."Sir." He answered respectfully. Mr. Weasley turned to me and grinned enthusiastically.

"And this must be F-" Mr. Weasley frowned suddenly, stumbling on my name. "Um, er…"

"Findabhair, pleasure." I shook his hand and his smile returned. Stupid, Gaelic name. Cedric snorted very quietly, managing to cover it with a short cough.

"Off we go then." Amos called, and we started off at a brisk pace. However, no pace was quite brisk enough to escape the Twins from hell.

"Hello, Foxy Fin, our dearest Bludgermeister." Fred and George cried, setting an arm each around my shoulders.

"Piss off." I muttered, a little less forcefully then I'd been going for. I saw Cedric glance back at me from where he was exchanging polite small talk with Mr. Weasley and Amos and shoot me a cheeky grin.

"Long time, no see. When was the last time we spoke to her, George?"

"I think it was the fifth Quidditch game of last year. We congratulated her on knocking that big Slytherin girl off her broom." George replied, brushing his bangs out of his eyes. The Weasley twins were too boyish looking for my taste, and badly needed a haircut.

"Congratulated? The both of you sandwich hugged me and kissed my cheek, it was revolting. It was not congratulations, it was torture." They each laughed uproariously at this and I groaned.

"Why are they all hanging around that manky old boot?" Asked Harry Potter, the kid prodigy. I turned my head slightly to eye him. Tall, gangly, just entering his awkward teenager phase. Glasses and bright green eyes, his trademark scar cutting a jagged lightning bolt line down the middle of his forehead. He blinked and looked at me and I averted my gaze, annoyed that I'd been caught staring.

"Ced's talked all about you, of course," Amos said, beaming with pride. "Told us all about playing against you last year…I said to him, I said--Ced, that'll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will…You beat Harry Potter!" Oh no, I groaned and glanced at Harry's carefully neutral expression.

"Harry fell off his broom, Dad," Cedric muttered, looking embarrassed. "I told you…it was an accident…"

"Right, but you didn't. Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman…" Oh Merlin, here we go again. Cedric hung his head in shame as Amos thumped him so hard on the back he nearly fell over.

"It doesn't take a genius to see who's the better flier-" Amos was ready to continue his proud rant when I cleared my throat, feigning a hurt expression.

"Yeah, but Dad…" Okay, I'd tried to catch a Bludger. It wasn't falling off, but it was as close as I'd come to it.

"Yes, Foxy Fin?" He asked, not quite over the high he got from boasting about Cedric's accomplishments. I winced at the use of a nickname that should not have been popular with my foster father but continued doggedly over Fred and George's barely controlled laughter.

"I've come off my broom before, and I'm certainly not a bad flier. Right?" I murmured, biting my lip and widening my eyes in a hurt expression. Cedric flashed me a grin as I watched Amos's face fall. I hated to do that to him, but sometimes-"Oh yes, dear, you certainly are a fine flier." And he turned to the portkey without another word, I grinned and winked at Harry.

"Must be about time…yes, it's a minute off. Are we waiting for anyone else?" Mr. Weasley asked, looking around.

"No, the Lovegoods have been there for a week and the Fawcett's couldn't get tickets." Amos answered, picking up the portkey and setting it between us.

"Harry, that's a portkey." George answered belatedly, coming to stand beside me.

"What's a Portkey?" Harry asked stupidly, staring at the boot. Oh, honestly! I should have kept my big mouth shut, but if there's one thing that a Ravenclaw cant stand, it's ignorance.

"It's an object that's used to transport wizards and/or witches from one spot to another at a prearranged time. Usually, portkeys just look like bits of rubbish, it discourages muggles from messing about with them. For example, this manky old boot." I took it from Amos and set it on the ground gently. When Harry continued to stare blankly at it, I sighed and continued. "Just touch it…a finger will do."

"Always the clever one, our Findabhair. She got thirteen O.W.L's, all O's and-" Amos began, working up to another accomplishment rant.

"We'd better get ready." Mr. Weasley said loudly and we all took our positions around the boot. Cedric knelt next to me, elbowing me in the side and grinning.

"Shush, it's not funny!" I hissed at him under my breath as he kept mouthing 'Thirteen O.W.L's!' at me and faking an amazed expression.

"'scuse me, chum. You wouldn't mind if I took a place next to your truly lovely sister, would you?" Fred asked offhandedly, not really looking at Cedric. He would have stood beside me anyway, silly twit.

"Be my guest." Cedric replied with a amused look, allowing Fred to squeeze in on my left.

"You know how I hate sore losers, boys, don't you?" I taunted, looking from Fred to George and smiling.

"Findabhair O'Brien , you're the most dreadful tease." George groaned.

"But luckily, your charming brother is willing to give us a chance." The boys burst into peals of laughter and I glared, mouthing a very rude word at Ced and earning a cuff on the head from Amos.

"Ow, Dad." I groaned, rubbing my head.

"On the count of three- One…two-"

"Harry!"

"Three." There was a jerking feeling and the world whooshed by in a myriad of colours. I had traveled so much by portkey it no longer phased me in the least. Cedric actually got a kick out of it, and had begged since he was little to be able to portkey himself around the house. Some of those portkey's still existed, much to my chagrin. It was annoying to have finally found one's hair brush under the couch and to pick it up and suddenly find oneself in the farthest, darkest reaches of the cellar. What had possessed Amos to enchant a portkey to the cellar for Cedric I'll never be able to understand.

"Let go, kids!" Arthur Weasley cried, grinning at the obvious joke of making them let go a little too prematurely. I snickered as they dropped out of the air, arms wind milling wildly. The rest of us slowly drifted to the ground, already walking as we touched down lightly.

"That'll clear out your sinuses, eh?" Amos laughed as Cedric held out a hand to Harry to help him up. I sauntered over to where Fred and George were slowly getting up, wincing and rubbing their bum's from impact.

"I must say you two fly beautifully. However, your landing could do with a little work." I laughed, holding out a hand to Ginny and Hermione each and pulling them to their feet.

"Thanks." Ginny smiled at me shyly and I winked at her. We forged on ahead into the surging crowds, everything noise and a wild mess of excited commotion.

"We're off to find our tent, see you about, Arthur!"

"Bye, Cedric!"

"Goodbye, oh lady love, parting is such sweet sorrow!" Fred and George called, blowing me a kiss. I glared at them and turned my back, shoving Cedric when he laughed too long at their joke.

"Well, here we are!" Amos opened the tent flap and gestured that I should go first. I ducked inside and marched into the living room, and started to search for my broom. It was a Nimbus 2000, the best broom I'd ever owned. However, it still didn't stop me from drooling over Harry's Firebolt, though. What a gorgeous broom!

"Don't be out too long, and remember to fly low, Findabhair. Watch out for the muggles."

"Got it." I shouted over my shoulder, racing for the door.

"Hey, Fin!" Cedric called, catching my arm. His eyes were bright, the excitement having finally gotten to him. "If you see Ernie-"

"I'll tell him your around." I promised, ducking out of the tent and mounting my broom. I kicked off from the ground and shot into the air, speeding away straight up. If I had my way, I would spend the majority of my life on a broom. There's truly nothing so exhilarating. And the speed! I'd often wondered how muggles felt driving cars, if it was anything like riding a broom. It couldn't be. There were too many things to hit while driving a car.

I leaned my weight forward as I hit the apex of my ascent and dove, speeding towards the ground. This was why I was a good chaser. No chaser dared drop so close to the ground as I did. It was actually all about diving, really. The Quidditch balls naturally loved the lower regions of the field, but so many players simply refused to dive. It was too frightening for them. I dropped like a stone and pulled out of the dive at about sixteen feet from the ground, zigzagging over the heads of the crowd and searching for one of Cedric's best friends: Ernie Macmillan. I swooped and dodged, ignoring the shouts of indignation I was getting from people.

"Macmillan?" I called, searching the Irish supporters. Ah ha! I poured on the speed and whipped by him, bringing my broom around to hover beside him, my toes touching the ground lightly.

"Bloody hell, Findabhair! Are you trying to take my head off!?" He laughed, in too much of a good mood to be mad at me for long. "Where's Ced?"

"He's around…" I admitted, shrugging my shoulders apathetically. I steered my broom in a couple of small figures of eight, biting my lip and pretending to think. Ernie glared at me and sighed impatiently.

"Probably over by the tent, or searching for Cho."

"Some help you are." He snorted, going to walk away. I floated along beside him and he spoke out of the corner of his mouth. "Look, you better watch out, Fin. The Malfoy's are camped somewhere around here and Draco's looking for you. Try and stay out of the adder's nest for once, will you? I can't bail you out like I did last year…" I grimaced at the memory of Draco's persistent obsession. Ernie went to turn a corner and I blocked his escape with the tail end of my broom.

"No goodbye?" I asked innocently, teasing him and trying to keep the atmosphere light.

"Goodbye. Am I allowed to go now?" He rolled his eyes.

"After you." I took off, whipping him in the face with the back of the broom.

~*~

Cedric sat on the edge of his seat beside me, itching for the match to begin. My eyelids were starting to droop as I listened to him ramble on about Victor Krum, the Bulgarian Seeker. That's all it was, seeker this and seeker that. Chasers never got the credit they deserved. Lets face the facts here: I'd taken two bludger's for Cho Chang just so she could get the snitch. I'd broken my bloody arm and nearly all the bones in my left hand so we could beat Hufflepuff! Guess who got credit for the win? Cho Chang. However, there had been a great sense of elicit glee to watch Cedric take the beater's club and wallop Alex and Elie with it for their maliciously aimed bludgers.

"But, as far as chasers go, just look at Mullet! She's a magnificent flier, cuts effortlessly through the air! And Lynch…well Lynch is-" Cedric stopped suddenly and abruptly, catching his breath and exhaling in a hiss. I opened one eye, there was very little that could stop Cedric in the middle of his Lynch rant.

"Hello, Amos. Fancy meeting you here." I jerked awake, my entire body tense like a coiled spring. Cedric's face was carefully impassive and I swallowed with trepidation. Oh no. I knew that voice, it's rich and sickly sweet tones were unmistakable.

"Hello, Lucius." Amos plastered on a fake and nervous grin. Lucius Malfoy and his devil spawned son, Draco, stood in the aisle beside us. So much for stirring up the adder's nest, the adder's had come looking for us.

"Cedric." Lucius dipped his head politely and Cedric nodded curtly. His gaze fell upon me and his smile was far too predatory for me too feel comfortable. You might ask why I didn't just stand up and tell the pair of them to just shove off. It was more complicated then that. Lucius Malfoy's opinions(or should I say his money?) were held in high regard by the Ministry. Amos had worked happily there for years because Cedric and I kept our judgments on the Malfoy's to ourselves. Lucius held out his hand for mine and I allowed him to take it and place a kiss on my knuckles. In what he thought was a discreet movement, he brushed his fingers along the bangles and made them jingle lightly.

"Ah, Findabhair O'Brien. My, how you've grown into a beautiful young witch." Draco watched my reaction to his father's words. I smiled politely and slowly took my hand back, trying to discreetly rub it on the side of my seat. "Draco's been so eager to see you, it's such a shame that you couldn't join us this summer." I'd been invited at the end of last year to the Malfoy Manor, and it had taken every ounce of self-control not to spit at Mr. Malfoy's feet and tell him I'd rather die then be anywhere near him or his son.

"Yes, such a shame." Amos spoke, articulating carefully and keeping the smile on his lips as though he'd frozen it there.

"Perhaps you'd care to join us in the Minister's box, my dear? Narcissa's already seated and she'd be so glad to meet you, I'm sure she'd enjoy the company and a chance to talk about old times." Lucius cocked his head to smile in what I'm sure he thought was a reassuring look. I waited for his forked tongue to dart out of his mouth. Old times. I felt myself tense, I couldn't help it. Cedric found my hand and gave it a quick squeeze. My parents had known the Malfoy's intimately before their untimely deaths. I felt sick to my stomach but somehow managed to keep my smile.

"I wouldn't want to intrude-" I began.

"Not at all, you would be our guest." Lucius inclined his head and held out a hand to help me out of my seat. Ugh. Pushy.

"I'm afraid I'll have to decline, the heights of the Minister's box don't agree my head." Lucius began to laugh as though I'd told an excellent joke and smiled at me, showing his teeth. I saw Cedric wince slightly and Draco's expression lit up.

"The heights? Draco tells me you're one of Ravenclaw's most accomplished chasers, I've actually had the pleasure of watching you play once. A very high flier with a tendency towards steep dives. And besides, my dear, the Minister's box is two rows below this one." Oh no. I'd just painted myself into a corner with my last comment. Damn, damn, damn. I had nothing to say that could get me out of this one. Several comebacks raced through my head, but I decided it was best not to reply by apologizing and explaining that I didn't speak parseltongue . Besides, I wanted to avoid lying.

"Father?" I turned toward Amos, pleading with my eyes. "May I?"

"You know, Lucius, perhaps it's just me being a fusspot; but I think it's probably best if she stayed here. All sorts of things can happen at these matches, dangerous things. If something happened I wouldn't want you to feel responsible for-"

"Very well. Come, Draco." Lucius's stony glare was only for Amos as he turned away. I felt immediately guilty. Looking for a way to save the situation, I put on an apologetic face and called after them.

"Goodbye, Draco. Maybe we'll see each other on the train?" I winced inwardly at his ecstatic expression and Lucius's wolf-like smirk.

"Will we?" He asked, binding me in place with those two words.

"Sure." I tried not to sound depressed.

"See you there." And with that parting phrase, the Malfoy's turned on their heel and marched back down the steps. I collapsed into my seat and groaned, slapping a hand over my forehead.

"Um…Fin?" Cedric asked, his voice sounding strained. "Your hurting me."

"Oh." I let go of his hand. "Sorry, Ced."

"That's okay, I can't really blame you. Slime." He spat in the direction of the stairs. I slumped back into my seat, trying to relax.

"Hey, Dad?" I called back. "You know I love you, right?"

"You two love me too much. Sometimes I just wish you would both tell Mr. Malfoy exactly what you think of him and save me all the effort of keeping up that charade. Talk about old times, honestly. I'd like to hex him for even mentioning the 'old times'." Amos ranted quietly, scowling.

"Shush! That match is about to start!" Someone hissed from behind us and Amos calmed down.

"Hey," I leaned over and whispered in Cedric's ear.

"What?!" He grumbled, already in Quidditch mode. I rolled my eyes.

"Who are you supporting?"

"Bulgaria, of course." He murmured, trying to see around me. His answer surprised me, Cedric idolized Aidan Lynch, the Irish seeker. There was some sort of pleasant music playing in the background, but I wasn't paying attention.

"Ced?" I waved my hand in his face, but he was gazing at something on the field. "What are you ogling at? Hello, Cedric-oh." A row of Veela were dancing along the field and I growled. The notoriously pretty women, singing like siren's, were the Bulgarian mascots.

"Keep your brother in his seat will, you?" Amos asked distractedly, also gazing avidly at the veela.

"My pleasure," I took my hand and cuffed Cedric on the back of his head as hard as I could. He cried out as the music stopped, sitting back to glare at me.

"What was that for?!"

"Don't look at me, it was all Dad's idea. Besides, who are you supporting?"

"Ireland."

"Despite all those fetching veela?"

"Veela? Where?"

"That's what I thought. Ten galleons on the Bulgarian's to win the match." I said quickly, holding out my hand. He grinned at me and slapped the flat of his palm against mine and bumped my fist.

"You're going to lose."

"Kiss my quaffle."

~*~

"YES!! HAHAHA!! In your face!! Those galleons are mine!!" I roared happily doing a victory wiggle in my seat at the amazing feint that Krum had just pulled out of nowhere. Cedric was gaping openmouthed, his face distraught.

"No…oh, you bloody idiot!" Cedric muttered, staring at Lynch's crumpled form. The medic's were now(unfortunately) reviving the Irish seeker.

"Wronski's!! Defensive feint!! Bloody brilliant!!" I laughed, leaning over the bars and clapping enthusiastically.

"He's up!" Cedric cried triumphantly as Lynch mounted his broom, My face fell and I slumped back in my seat, oh bloody hell! Within minutes, the Irish were leading by a hundred to ten. Cedric kept punching the air with his fists, laughing and shouting.

"Come on!" I roared, "BULGARIA!!"

"Stinks!!" Cedric finished my sentence, grinning smugly. Suddenly, there was a cobbing made by the Bulgarian Keeper, Zograf. I winced and sat back, I'd been cobbed before by a keeper, it wasn't pleasant. Especially when that keeper was Flint, from Slytherin. The Leprechauns had leapt up and were forming the words HA HA HA in the air. The veela stood up and I took immediate action, slapping my hands over Cedric's ears."What's-oh, right, thanks…bloody hell, look at Mostafa!" He shouted, a little louder then necessary. I leaned over to see the referee trying to show off for the veela. I snorted with laughter, leaning against Ced's shoulder, tears leaking out of the corner of my eyes. However, the scene quickly took a nasty turn as the Bulgarian beaters landed and started to argue with the referee. Whistles were blown and penalties were awarded. I groaned and watched as the game took yet another vicious turn, Bulgaria was rising the bar for dangerous moves. The veela and leprechauns had launched into an all out battle, both Cedric and I arguing loudly with each other about the state of the game.

"ARGH!!" I roared as a bludger nailed Krum in the face, ignoring Cedric's shouts of encouragement.

"You git!! Mostafa!! He's hit, look at him, forget your stupid broom!" I bellowed, ignoring the rational fact that the tail of the referee's broom had indeed caught an errant fireball from one of the veela. That wasn't important, the only thing that was important now was the fact that Krum was--Lynch!!

"He's seen it!!" Cedric cried excitedly, "Lynch has got it!! He's got the snitch, I tell you!!"

"NO!!" I wailed in despair as Krum dove. "He'll make it!! I know he'll get it…"

"Don't kid yourself…they're going to crash!!"

"No!" Lynch slammed into the ground for the second time and Krum soared, straight up, his hand out and clutching the snitch.

"YES!! YES!! YES!!" I jumped up and down, laughing and dancing. Amos caught my shoulder and pointed to the scoreboard, his expression alight with glee.

"You can yes all you like, love, but have a look at the scoreboard first." I glanced toward the scoreboard and my heart sank. Cedric hugged me to his chest, suffocating me.

"We win!" He sang, picking me up and shaking me. "We win!"

"Yes, you win." I muttered into his shoulder, too excited to be very angry with him. There was something about Ced when he smiled like that…you just couldn't be mad with him. My lungs screamed from lack of oxygen and I shoved him off me. "Cedric! I can't breathe!"

"Ten galleons." He reminded me, laughing all the way back to the tent.

~*~

It must have been early in the morning when I felt someone shaking me, hard. I mumbled something and rolled over, sticking a hand in the offenders face to ward them off. That was the second time in two days that I'd been unceremoniously woken up and I wasn't having it. They literally dragged me out of bed, shouting something all but incoherently in my ear.

"FIN!! YOU HAVE TO GET UP!! Come on!"

"It's too early-" I complained lamely, trying to crawl out of the arms of whoever was holding me.

"It doesn't matter! We have to go-"

"Merlin damn it, Cedric! The bloody sky had better be falling or so help me-" I snarled, opening my eyes and reaching for his neck to throttle him.

"Deatheaters!" Cedric bellowed in my ear, and I was instantly awake. I looked and saw an orange glow rising faintly from the tent flap, screams permeating the night.

"Where's my wand!?" I cried franticly, scrambling around on the beside table desperately before my feet even hit the ground. I felt the smooth wood under my fingers and snatched it up. Grabbing my bangles from the table, I forced them on my wrist and we plunged out into the night.

"What about the Weasley's?!" Cedric asked, his silver hazel eyes fierce as a falcon's in the glowing fire light.

"There's no time!" Amos roared, "Kids! Head for the portkey!"

"Dad!" Cedric shouted, hand so tight on my wrist that the bangles dug tiny furrows in my skin. I pulled at his shoulder, trying to draw him away from the tent.

"I'm going out to help the ministry, I'll be alright." Amos Diggory dashed into the rising smoke from magical fires and I dragged Ced away. I could see the crowd of cloaked figures, laughing with glee at a family of muggles they had caught. They had suspended them fifty feet above the ground where, utterly helpless, they screamed.

"Come on! We have to find the others!" Cedric shouted and we tore off across the campsite, wands out.

"Amos will kill us." I told him, gradually calming the rapid beat of my heart. Ced had a commanding presence and always kept cool in a crisis. He always gave you something to do, a task that lessened the fear.

"What Dad doesn't know cant hurt him." He replied. "Now, where was Ernie camped?"

"Over by the…oh no." I stared in horror at the Irish sect, it's tents in flames.

"FIN!" Cedric grabbed my arm and pulled me behind a tent as a jet of red light tore through where I'd just been standing.

"Cedric!" I gasped, terrified. I was pureblood, I wasn't a target. But I could still get caught in the crossfire…

"No, Fin. It's alright, he got out. We should just keep-" A crowd of people thundered by us, terrified and heedless in their flight. We were suddenly running with them as fast as we could go.

"Don't stop! They'll trample us!!" Cedric shouted as we ran for our lives. People pushed and shoved and jostled and I nearly lost my grip on his hand when I tripped. Someone trod on my ankle and something cracked.

"OW!" I howled, pain lashing through my leg like a serpent. Cedric dragged me to my feet and I leaned heavily on his shoulder as we finally made it to safe cover under the trees.

"Let me see your leg-"

"It's fine." I muttered, leaning back against a tree and holding my broken ankle off the ground. The rush of adrenalin hadn't quite yet run it's course, so the pain was kept to a minimal.

"Fin, let me see it." Cedric demanded and crouched down to examine my injury; the gleam from the fires in the campsites shedding enough light to see by. I shrugged away and took out my wand. Cedric gripped either side of the break and straightened it, I muttered a charm, effectively freezing it in place.

"Thanks." I breathed, tentatively putting weight on it. The charm held and we took off into the woods, lighting our wands and searching for the others. I used his shoulder to balance myself and hobbled along, trying not to break the spell that held the broken bones in place. We'd barely gone a hundred yards when I spotted Cho Chang, stumbling through the wood with a pack of girls from Ravenclaw.

"Cedric!" She cried, and flung herself at him. She practically knocked him backwards with her enthusiasm and I abruptly lost my balance and fell. She was all over him, hugging herself tight to his chest.

"Hello." He mumbled, embarrassed by the greeting.

"Oh, sorry, Findabhair. I didn't see you." She spoke over her shoulder as I struggled to get up. Anger flared through me at her callous dismissal. I'd never really liked Cho Chang. She was so caught up in the enigma that was herself she barely spared a glance for other people. The only reason I paid her any attention at all was the fact that Cedric fancied her and she was the seeker for our Quidditch team. She was a pretty good player, too, when she wasn't eyeing her reflection in the goal post. The girl was as shallow as a teaspoon.

But she was beautiful, I couldn't hold a candle to her. Her raven dark hair was so black it was almost blue, smooth as silk and flowing down to her waist. Her skin was olive dark, her brilliant almond eyes slanted up slightly, and she was petite and delicate. She was the picture of perfection, a demigoddess.

She made me look…well, she made me feel plain.

"FINDABHAIR! Isn't this awesome!?" There was no mistaking that voice, or that attitude. I looked up into the face of my best friend, Valerie Stanley. Long, chocolate brown hair fell to her waist, sea green eyes glinting mischievously. Her muggle-outfit was impeccable(If somewhat too 80's) on her buxom figure, a result of her muggle-born heritage. She was the last person who should be thinking this was in any way awesome. But that was her, reacting the opposite of what you would expect. "Oh, what are you doing on the ground?"

"Valerie…what are you doing, hanging out with this lot?" I lowered my voice, glancing at the Ravenclaw girls. Some of them were alright, but this bunch were some of the most stuck up around. We didn't usually pal around with the Ravenclaw's most popular sect.

"Here for Cho's thing because my Mum didn't know how to get tickets, so I'm stuck with them." She murmured, changing the subject quickly when she saw my leg. "What happened to-"

"Got stepped on, don't worry about it. Hey, Ced-" I called, turning to eye the commotion that meant the ministry wizards had finally corralled the last of the death eaters. "I think we should get a little further into the woods, just in case a couple of them bolt for the portkeys instead of just disapparating."

I had barely finished speaking when a green flash lit up the sky, burning a mark into the night above us. My tattoo burned under the bangles and I yelped, scratching at it with my fingers. Cries went up all through the woods. The Dark Mark. I pretended I didn't see the other girl's casting curious glances to see why I was now furiously scrubbing at my wrist. Few people knew about the mark I had who weren't intimately involved in what had been the inner workings of Voldemort's following.

"Ow, bloody hell!" I swore as Valerie peered over my shoulder anxiously.

"The others are starting to stare, Fin." She whispered in my ear and I looked up. Cho Chang still had her arms around Cedric's neck, but she was staring at me like I'd grown fangs.

"Bug bite." I shrugged, brushing the bangles back over the mark hurriedly and trying to ignore the ghastly, itching burn that was traveling up my arm. "Calamexo." I whispered, tapping my forearm. OW! The burning feeling flared and I winced.

"CHO!? Hello!? Girls?!" A panicked voice issued from behind us and I turned, hopping slightly on my injured leg.

"We're over here, Mrs. Chang." Valerie called, rolling her eyes. The Chang's had traveled with a group of the Ravenclaw girls as a sort of 'girls night out' thing for Cho, I'd been invited but declined. A trip with the 'girls' meant an endless barrage of: "So, when are you and Malfoy going to announce your dating?" or "What do you think of the Weasley twins?" and, my personal favorite, always asked very casually, "How's Cedric?"

"Cho's with you?" Mrs. Chang called, and I saw the beam of light from her wand as she walked toward us. Cho quickly released Cedric like he'd burned her and ran gracefully to her mother. I snorted at Cedric's crestfallen expression.

"Oh…hello, Findabhair." Mrs. Chang smiled at me warmly, her eyes crinkling at the corners with genuine welcome. "Are you having fun?"

It seemed an out of place question to ask at the moment. Did I have fun? Yes, before the Deatheaters started burning tents, I was having the time of my life. Was I having fun now, surrounded by girls I didn't particularly get along well with, about to gnaw my own arm off to stop the burning pain that was driving me to distraction and standing on one leg like a post owl because some git had trampled me? Loads of fun, thanks. I was about to answer her when I heard a loud bang and someone shoved me.

The force of whatever spell had blasted through sent me sprawling, someone fell on top of me and the straightening charm on my ankle broke. Red spots dazzled my vision and I gasped in pain. Mrs. Chang was shouting and everyone was running again, scrambling out of the way as a five tall figures apparated and ran, holding their masks over their faces as they ran to the portkeys. Someone shoved my head down as they scrambled to get back up.

"OH, NO YOU DON'T!! THAT'S MY SON!!" Amos's voice was unmistakable as it boomed and a flash of red light illuminated the clearing. Cedric! I struggled to move out from whoever had fallen on top of me, ignoring the pain in my leg.

"Cedric!" I called, squirming.

"Yeah?" He asked, voice close to my ear. "Stop moving, you keep kicking my legs out from under me."

My voice changed abruptly from filled with panic to filled with exasperation.

"Cedric, get off me before I hex you!" He clambered off me apologetically and helped me up.

"Oh, there you are!" Amos had come running back to us, pushing past the others. Anticipating a warm greeting, I pushed off Cedric's shoulder so I could lean against a tree. Sure enough, Amos swept him up in to a bone crushing hug. I smiled as I watched Ced start to turn blue and struggle in his Dad's grasp. I was used to Amos's exuberance, he loved Ced more then anything else in the world. I played a comfortable second fiddle in the Diggory family. As an orphan, I was happy to be playing any instrument, frankly. Amos and Fiona didn't consciously notice it, so I never mentioned anything to them. They were too kind, and I'd never been one for showy emotional episodes.

"Findabhair!" My breath was forced from my lungs by Amos's hug. "Are you both alright?"

"Yeah…we're fine." Ced was still trying to catch his breath as he spoke, gasping a little. "Fin, she did something to her leg-" Amos had released me in an instant, and was fussing over my ankle.

"No, really, I'm okay." I grumbled, trying to make a couple of escape hops in the other direction.

"Stay still." Amos hissed and I felt like an owl again, holding out my leg obediently as he examined it. He pulled out his wand and muttered something and the pain disappeared.

"Did you catch any, Dad?" Cedric asked eagerly as I looked at my leg. The pain was gone but the breaks remained.

"We'll get you some potion from the medi-wizards for that." He told me, looking over at Cedric and shaking his head. "No, they just managed to get there in time. It's a wonder they didn't all just apparate. Come on, we're going straight home tomorrow, as early as possible."