Cedric Diggory: the Hogwarts Champion Who Died

He is the only Triwizard champion who never loses his dignity. Cedric Diggory is the best example of what Hufflepuff means, and his death is the blow that marks the rest of the series.

Who he is

Cedric is Hufflepuff's Seeker and captain, a prefect, a good student and well loved at school. He is the son of Amos Diggory, who works at the Ministry, and the champion Hogwarts hoped for. When the Goblet of Fire picks him, his house greets him like a hero (Goblet of Fire, ch. 16).

He is kind to everyone, even those who could be rivals. He doesn't show off and has nothing to prove to anyone.

Key moments

• Prisoner of Azkaban, ch. 9: Hufflepuff wins the match against Gryffindor while the Dementors make Harry fall. Cedric offers to replay it, because he doesn't want to win that way.
• Goblet of Fire, ch. 20: in the first task he transfigures a rock into a dog to distract the Swedish Short-Snout.
• Goblet of Fire, ch. 25: he tells Harry to take a bath with the egg in the prefects' bathroom and gives him the password.
• Goblet of Fire, ch. 31: in the maze, Harry and Cedric reach the Cup together. Harry insists Cedric should take it, and Cedric agrees to touch it at the same time.
• Goblet of Fire, ch. 32: in the graveyard, Voldemort orders the "spare" killed. Cedric dies without time to understand what happened.

Relationships

With Cho Chang he had a lovely relationship, and his death leaves her broken (Order of the Phoenix, ch. 25). With Harry there was no rivalry, only respect and favors in both directions. With his father, Amos, there was clear affection, and watching the father receive the body is one of the hardest scenes in the book.

What almost nobody notices

Cedric had no reason to help Harry with the egg. He did it because Harry had warned him about the dragons earlier, and he wanted to be even. In a tournament where every champion was on their own, that gesture says a lot about how he was raised.

When Dumbledore speaks about him in front of the whole school, he asks them to remember: "Remember Cedric Diggory" (Goblet of Fire, ch. 37).

If Hufflepuff sounds like too little to you, read Hufflepuff House: The Most Underrated House at Hogwarts.