Cedric Diggory

[HermionesTwin_FromOz]

I hope this is all right to ask questions about characters here... I'm not 100% sure, but I will start a discussion about Cedric anyway!

First of all I need to know, VERY SOON, what colour Cedric's eyes are? I need it for a class task. I think they're grey, but not too sure.

OK, so. Discussion.

Cedric appears in only two books, so there isn't a lot known about him, except that he's a model student, great Quidditch player, starts to go out with Cho etc. Of course, he dies at only seventeen. (Or about that age).

My question?

What do you think would have happened if Cedric had lived? Would he have come back in DH, or something like that?

Discuss, people!

~Caitlin~

[untitlednine]

I think Cedric would have definetly come back in DH to fight. He was that kind of guy - fair, loyal, etc.

I think he did have grey eyes....The lexicon says he does...

Hope this helped.

[cmwinters]

What do you think would have happened if Cedric had lived? Would he have come back in DH, or something like that?

That's actually kind of a loaded question. Let's not forget that of all the students that tried to be selected for the Tri-Wizard tournament, Cedric was the ONE singled out to represent Hogwarts (Harry was put in under a fake school name). That automatically makes him a fantastically powerful and talented wizard.

Now, we don't know what Cedric would have done with his life had he lived. Would he have gone to work at the Ministry, like his father? Would he have gone into business, like the twins? Would he have taken a position at St Mungo's? We don't know that, and that's a rather critical point, because as far as I remember, the only ones at the battle were Order members, students, and I *think* Aurors (I don't think there were other Ministry or St Mungo's personnel there, for example, and I really don't care to check). So if he were an Order member, or an Auror, absolutely he would have been at the battle, without any question.

And I can see easy justifcation for making Cedric an Order member, had he survived. So if you want to make it A/U, have him survive and come back to the battle, get him into the Order. Or make him be an Auror. Assuming he went into Auror training right out of school, he would have JUST completed his training or been right on the verge of it (it's 3 years of training, and the TWT was through Harry's fourth year).

Thanks to some uncharitable remarks by Draco Malfoy (and frankly, Hagrid), Hufflepuffs are frequently assumed to be talentless and spineless. But they are LOYAL and they are HARD WORKING, and if I recall correctly, every single Hufflepuff stayed back at the battle.

So yes, Cedric would have been there if you can make it even slightly plausible, which I think is easy enough to do with his character.

[Evester]

Hi all, I'm glad I found this thread! I am planning/writing a chaptered Cedric fic- so I'd love to toss in some ideas and see how plausible you think they are. I wanted to make a character thread for him, but as he's not an OC this'll have to do (?)

Kind of in response to the first question, in my story, Cedric wanted to be either a Healer, or some kind of academic, working with Ancient Runes or Arithmancy or Potions (I haven't decided- its not that he wants to do a combination of the three-haha) However, Amos (his father) wanted him to go into something closer to what he does- i.e. work for the ministry or be a wizard lawyer (do they have those??)

I see Cedric as a nice guy, really loyal and all- but this loyalty can have negative effects for his future. He might feel responsible for upholding his father's expectations, and therefore sacrifice what he really wanted to do with his life. Is this plausible?

I then see Cedric as entering the Triwizard both because his father wants him too, but also sort of as a means of getting his father off his back a little. Maybe if he won it, his father would be satisfied with his "bragging rights" and not push Cedric as much. Of course, that's not the OVERWHELMING reason he joins, just a little side twist.

I know this sounds terribly cliche but I am going to work on it a little, ok a LOT, and make sure his character gets fully fleshed out. I don't want an angsty, guilt-ridden, repressed Gary-Stu any more than you do!

Thoughts or help, anyone?

EDIT: I realize that this is not in the typical format for these types of character discussion, but focuses on MY opinion of Cedric- is that all right? If not, feel free to delete this post!!

[Striped_Candycane]

I thought that what Evestar said about Cedric not wanting to let down his father is very interesting. It makes me wonder if Cedric would be so involved with Quidditch (both Captain and Seeker), school (as a prefect with good grades), and the Triwizard Tournament if his father hadn't pressured him. Cedric really didn't seem the ambitious type at all, seeing as he was so quite and good-humoured, and he doesn't really seem to have a huge need for competition or glory that playing Quidditch and entering the Triwizard Tournament would imply. Surely his father gave him a considerable push towards all these activities, or at least made certain comments that lead Cedric to do all these things…

Agree? Disagree?

~The Candycanes from Oz

[cmwinters]

. . .

Where is it written that Hufflepuffs aren't ambitious? Y'all're making it sound like they sit around all day in a recliner eating frosting straight from the can with their fingers!

Tonks was a Hufflepuff and she made it through Auror training, which isn't easy, and doesn't exactly exemplify the "typical" Hufflepuff trait of being "loyal" (or a "duffer", for that matter).

Nothing anywhere says Hufflepuffs aren't ambitious, can't be ambitious, and must be pressured from the outside to excel. Me personally, I kind of got that Cedric was quite talented and dedicated in his own right. Amos seems to have been delighted with him and supported him completely, but Cedric was the Hufflepuff Seeker and Quidditch captain, and you don't get that on parental pressure alone. You have to have talent and your own interest as well. And since the position for school champion was such a hotly contested one, there was nothing at all preventing Cedric from either just not applying in the first place or making it *look* like he was applying (but for example, putting in a blank piece of paper), since it's not like his father was there staring over his shoulder.

Further, the Cup chose the Champions (with the exception of Harry but that's another matter entirely, as Harry didn't even apply for himself and was put under a false school name), and I don't think the Cup would have chosen unwilling candidates from a given school when there were so many others who genuinely wanted to compete.

[HermionesTwin_FromOz]

Hee, I started this thread, and it's come alive!

I think that Cedric is pressured by his father a bit, but the choices are still mostly his. I think the most important point is that Cedric is very modest, and dosen't like being in the spotlight all the time. When his father mentions on the way to the QWC (in GoF) how Cedric beat Harry in PoA in Qudditch, he shows how humble he his, wanting his father to understand what really happened that day.

He might come accross as meek and loyal to his father, but I think it's more modesty that is his shining trait.

I think his father may even have wanted to push him to greater heights, like being a Quidditch player for England (eventually), rather than following in his footsteps. I think Amos was pushing Cedric a bit because, and tell me if you disagree, Amos was wishing he'd used his talents, if any, to become something notable.

If Cedric wanted to be a Healer, for example, Amos might support that because it can be a very tricky occupation, not to mention one that is respected. I think he would actually be disappointed if Cedric followed in his footsteps, taking up an office job at the ministry, unless, of course, it was him becoming the Minister of Magic.

Hope this helped! Good luck with your fic!

~Caitlin of the Candycanes From Oz~

[Striped_Candycane]

Further, the Cup chose the Champions (with the exception of Harry but that's another matter entirely, as Harry didn't even apply for himself and was put under a false school name), and I don't think the Cup would have chosen unwilling candidates from a given school when there were so many others who genuinely wanted to compete.

I've got to agree with you there. In fact, since the Goblet chose Fleur's name, the Trio should have realised that she wasn't as shallow as she looked from the beginning...but when do they ever do that?

I really don't think 'Puffs aren't ambitious...I'm sure they can be just as ambitious as people in the other Houses. It was just an impression I got with Cedric, not Hufflepuffs in general.

[leahsm2]

Hee, I started this thread, and it's come alive!

I think that Cedric is pressured by his father a bit, but the choices are still mostly his. I think the most important point is that Cedric is very modest, and dosen't like being in the spotlight all the time. When his father mentions on the way to the QWC (in GoF) how Cedric beat Harry in PoA in Qudditch, he shows how humble he his, wanting his father to understand what really happened that day.

He might come accross as meek and loyal to his father, but I think it's more modesty that is his shining trait.

I don't think his father is pushing him, so much as basking in the phenomenal success that Cedric has had. I see him as being his own man, and quite frankly stronger than his father, who comes across as a little foolish, in my opinion. But Cedric is so hard for me to write because he dies only because he is considered irrelevant by Voldemort, and he feels important, even heroic to me. That was the most wrenching moment to me simply because it seems so harsh. But having said that, keeping Cedric "3-D" is daunting, too!

[cmwinters]

I think Cedric was modest and humble (remember, he *demanded* a rematch when Harry got knocked off his brooms by the Dementors coming onto the Quidditch Pitch), but talented and capable.

But I think his parents were over the moon about him, too; I think they really wanted a kid, and they doted on him.

Whether by choice or by an accident of years of inbreeding, most of the Purebloods are not reproducing at a sustainable rate. (I *think* Cedric was a Pureblood, but I wouldn't swear to it). However, assuming for the moment he was, it may have been that the Diggorys wanted other children, but couldn't have any, and devoted all their considerable adoration to the son they had (because we have no reason to believe Cedric had any surviving siblings).

I think Cedric does a fantastic job of being the "cherished child born late in life" that Jo wanted James to be, without being such an obnoxious, arrogant, spoilt git.