Drabbles, part 3

[shimotsuki]

Um, anyone remember that drabble meme a bunch of folks were doing, a couple of weeks ago? I'm embarrassed to report that I still have a couple of drabbles to go, this long afterward. But at least here's one of them...

duck_or_rabbit, I'm sorry it took me so long to finish, but thanks for prompting me to write a character I'd never tried before. I had a lot of fun with this!

[For duck_or_rabbit — Harry Potter: Cedric, Harry, and dally. 100 words. PG.]

Decision
Cedric watched Harry clinging shakily to the hedge.

No competition, said his father's voice in his head. The boy can't even stand.

Behind him, the Cup shone silently.

Cho would cheer for him—maybe she would even kiss him, in front of everyone. And Hufflepuff House would be heroes. For once.

Three steps from glory.

Harry's eyes were invisible behind his glasses.

That should have been Cedric, stained with blood and spider venom. But Harry had warned him—again.

Stop dallying, son! Take it!

"No," Cedric whispered, turning resolutely away from the golden glow. "I am not you, Dad."

.

Comments

[merryb87.livejournal.com]

This was great, I like the tugging back and forth of Cedric which leads him to do what he did. I like how you went into the mind of Cedric who we didn't get to know all that well shows a lot of bravery. It would have been much easier go into Harry's mind...but we already what lead him to that...but you know.

You pulled it off so well and this is so amazingly done! Great work.

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Aw, thanks! One of my favorite things about fanfic is that it gives us a chance to imagine what other characters are thinking about during Harry's adventures. I'm glad you liked this attempt at Cedric. :)

[duck-or-rabbit.livejournal.com]

Oh, Cedric, turn and run, please. Don't take the cup!

Following Cedric's thoughts here is heartbreaking because his sense of sportsmanship and fair play ring true yet, despite his intentions for sharing the cup with Harry, or perhaps no one will claim the cup at all which is an honorable gesture, his death will come soon.

What I love about these 100 words are the 100+ other words it implies: the conflict with Amos, his romance with Cho, pride in his Hogwarts house are all unsettled here. Like good fiction should, this drabble leaves me wanting more, leaves with more questions than answers.

Thank YOU for this!! :D :D

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Oh, I'm so glad you liked this! Thank you!

I spent yesterday evening reading all the Cedric-relevant scenes that I could remember in GoF, and what stood out to me more than it ever had before was how clearly Cedric disapproves of his father's attempts to lionize him. Once, he even goes so far as to tell Harry not to listen to Amos. But given Cedric's personality (and just plain human nature!), I imagine there's a part of him that wants to make his father proud. So that conflict was the inspiration for this drabble. Also, this is a choice between "what is right and what is easy," as in Dumbledore's eulogy -- I considered making the title refer to that line, but I couldn't do it without it sounding stupid. ("What Is Right?" Bleccch.)

[bratanimus.livejournal.com]

(Sorry, this was the only Cedric icon I had, lol!)

Oh, this is heartbreaking. I adore how you've given him his moment of clarity so close to his death, that it's NOW, when he can make the most important stand to date, he HAS the strength to do it. I love the elements - his father's voice in his head, his desire to bring glory to his House, the need to impress his girl ... and yet his conscience overrides all of that. I like how you imply that he's looking from Harry to the cup, over and over again - the physical action imitates the mental decision process.

And for your first time with Cedric, you've done a smashing job. I really like him. And not just because he looks like Robert Pattinson, lol. Well done! :)

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Aw, thank you so much! I think Cedric is probably tempted a lot of the time, because a lot of the time he does do what's right, and that can't be easy (especially growing up with a father like his!). But the Cup must have been a huge temptation -- even oblivious!Harry notices how badly Cedric wants to win before he turns away and tries to concede.

Researching for this drabble made me appreciate Cedric more than I had before. :( Poor kid. Maybe I should go read "The Diggory Papers" (never have!) and get my snark on.

(I haven't got a Cedric icon at all, LOL.)

[tegdoh.livejournal.com]

This is a great look into Cedric's character, and it really helps round out that whole scene in GoF to see what the other Tri-Wizard champion in thinking at that pivotal moment. Thanks for giving us another reason to love Cedric. And I am in awe of your ability to write true 100-word drabbles that convey so much.

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the kind words! I read up on Cedric in GoF before attempting this, and it really made me appreciate him more (especially since I've recently concluded I'd be a Hufflepuff, heh). It's a strong teenager who can stand up to a father's attempts to praise him too highly.

I've decided drabbles are like conference abstracts ;) -- it takes just as much time to write the short version as the long one! But I've been enjoying the challenge of hitting 100 words exactly.

[katyscarlett76.livejournal.com]

I liked this a lot, I liked the sense of how torn Cedric is in that moment, between what he thinks is right and making his father proud as well as getting some well-deserved glory for himself and his house (and I'm definitely a Hufflepuff myself and we're totally underrated!) And so hard to know what he should have done, as if he'd have taken it himself then he would have been killed anyway, but if he let Hary take alone then there's that sense of failure and letting people down...I love how fanfiction can give you such a new insight into things : )

By the way, you're not the only one to still be working on the drabbles, due to various things I still have some outstanding myself, hopefully I'll get them up in the next week otherwise that really will be getting ridiculous!

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Thanks -- I'm happy to hear you liked it! I was thinking along the same lines, that there's a real poignancy in knowing that the factors Cedric is weighing aren't the only factors at play here. Rrgh.

And I'm glad I have company in my still-drabbling state. ;)

[gilpin25.livejournal.com]

I like this very much.

There's so many reasons for Cedric to take that silently shining cup (I loved that description, and also the golden glow for the golden boy?), which is clearly calling to him as forcibly as his father's voice and all the other visions he can imagine. Temptation indeed, and how heart-wrenching it is to see him do the right thing because he obviously has personal ambition to match that of Amos' for him. All the more to his credit, then, and all the more sadness for us, knowing what's to come...

Many layers in this, just like the best of cakes and drabbles. :)

P.S Am currently on chapter three of a book called Shards of Honor...

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

I've had this flagged to respond to for a week now, but somehow time has kept getting away from me -- sorry to be so late, but I really appreciate the comments.

I can definitely see Cedric chafing at the "bunch of duffers" image and wanting glory for himself and his house -- and I'm completely intrigued by his relationship with his father, because the conflict between them stood out vividly when I was paging through GoF for Cedric-related scenes.

P.S Am currently on chapter three of a book called Shards of Honor...

I'm glad you've given it a try! I've seen that you're well beyond chapter three by now, but when I first read your comment I was going to say that you must have just about hit The Smile, which is one of my favorite little moments in that book.

[gilpin25.livejournal.com]

I was going to say that you must have just about hit The Smile, which is one of my favorite little moments in that book.

I did enjoy that, also the walk in the woods. ;) I finished it yesterday and definitely a thumbs-up. Am thinking the next one would be ideal for taking on holiday in September (very light for the rucksack and carrying around), so I have the perfect excuse reason to order it.

[shimotsuki.livejournal.com]

Hooray for thumbs up! And I agree that these make excellent holiday reads. Nice and compact. ;)