Official Description:

The-Boy-Who-Almost-Died has to figure out what it means that he didn’t. Harry’s tumultuous 5th year at Hogwarts is Cedric’s 7th and final. Bound together by shared trauma, both boys fall under Ministry suspicion … Who is Cedric Diggory? Cedric!Lives AU

Word Count: 352,724

Don’t miss the sequel, Dulce et Decorum Est, and the outtakes: Yellow Plastic and A Dance in December.

Note: Minisinoo has provided multiple formats to download all of her stories here.

First of all, I want you to know that if you are shocked that I am the one writing up this review, I’m right there with you–I’m shocked that I read an hpfic, let alone am getting ready to beg you to read it.

I promise, it really is me.

Before I tell you about this amazing story, I have to tell you how I got here. I don’t read anything other than Twilight Fanfiction. Before I found Twilight, though, I was obsessed with Harry Potter. I read and read and reread over and over again. I couldn’t get enough. But I never wanted to read hpfic–I felt like the books gave me enough. There were of course things that I wanted more of–or expansions, but I never thought that anyone could accurately give that to me, except JK Rowling. Somehow, I don’t think she’s interested in writing hpfic.

Anyway, I digress. I don’t remember the circumstances that surrounded this, but some time ago, Sue from SYTYCW basically forced me to agreeing that I would give this story a chance. I whined about it, Fictionees. I didn’t want to read Harry Potter fanfiction, even after knowing that WhatsMyNomdePlume lists this as her favorite fic of all time. Lots of other people love it. Finally, I gave in, and this past week, I read it.

And now, all I can say is I want more.

If you follow me on twitter or tumblr, you know that I love Ron. I mean, I really love him. I didn’t think that I could deal with reading Hermione with someone else. So, if you are a Ron/Hermione shipper, I am going to ask you to put that aside for just a little while. He’s not unhappy in this fic. I know that this could be a hard limit for some of you (like I would be about Edward with anybody else), but if you can do it, it’s totally worth it.

Now imagine this. What if Cedric hadn’t died? What if he came back from the maze–not unscathed, but alive? How would that alter the course of events?

Here’s the trailer for this story:

Okay, so what’s this story about? Cedric didn’t die in the maze. He was hit by a terrible curse that will eventually paralyze him, but during the time of Finding Himself, he’s on crutches or confined to a wheelchair. Hermione goes to visit him at St. Mungo’s (at first for Harry) and realizes that there’s more to Cedric Diggory than being Hogwart’s golden boy.

She glared at him – because he was making her think, not just accepting what she’d said. “Biases are unreasoned expectations.”

“Ah – there you go. Everybody has biases, Granger. We just need to figure out what they are, so they don’t trip us up, you know?”

And in that moment, Hermione realized she could fall quite completely for Cedric Diggory . . . which wasn’t a good idea, as he had a girlfriend – whom she happened to like – and he wasn’t interested in her. But the boy had a brain, and he wasn’t afraid to use it. She found that terribly attractive.

Turns out, they are exactly what each other needs. They challenge each other. Their relationship totally and completely makes sense, and that’s one of the things that I love the most about this story. I love that he’s a “man” and doesn’t take her bossing him around. And I love that she challenges him.

“Girls talk. Boys don’t.” The words startled him as much as they startled her. He hadn’t really meant to explain anything.

She lifted an eyebrow. “They might feel better if they did talk.”

“They might,” he agreed. “But we’re silly and stubborn that way. It’s a pride thing.”

“I know,” she said, smirking. “Silly boys and their pride.”

“I’m not angry with you,” he said, repeating what he’d told her at breakfast.

She just nodded, returning to her book. “I know. I just . . . wish I could make you feel better.”

“You do, poppet. Just being with you makes me feel better.”

She rolled her eyes. “Flattery will get you everywhere, Mr. Diggory.”

Grinning suddenly despite everything, he bent over the table. “Even a bit of snogging in the broom cupboard on the third floor?”

Every time he calls her “poppet,” I die. For real.

You know how much I love high-school fics, and this story deals with some of the issues that many high schools have. Catty girls. Double standards. Making out in a broom cupboard.

I also love how close to canon it is. Finding Himself is parallel canon- meaning that only things that, because of this one change, are altered. Umbridge still happens. S.P.E.W. still happens. The DA is still formed. There’s just another player involved. And he falls in love with Hermione.

“Lighten up, Granger. Sometimes you have to break rules to do the right thing – and I know you know it. You, Potter and Weasley aren’t exactly famous for following rules. In fact, I thought you a bit of a troublemaker last year, at first.”

“Me!” Her face was indignant.

“Yes, you. Sneaking into the Champion’s Tent like that before the Dragon Task.”

“Well, I needed to see Harry, to, you know . . . I just needed to see how he was.” Looking up at him, she caught his grin. “You’re teasing me.”

“You fall for it so easily, you make it hard not to.” Reaching out, he ran a thumb over her cheek and she closed her eyes, her expression almost . . . transported. Inside his chest, something uncurled, fluttering like moth wings. “You’re so beautiful,” he said even more softly. Her eyes opened, surprised. “And truth? When you came to the tent last year, looking so focused and worried for Harry, I was jealous. I wanted a friend as loyal as you; I never expected to get you myself.”

She smiled faintly. “Fate’s a funny thing, Diggory.”

There are so many things that I love about this story, I can’t even begin to explain them all. Besides Cedric and Hermione and their love story. There are components that are unexplained in the books, like magical paintings, and underexplained, like the real significance of Hufflepuff and how it makes total and complete sense that the Hogwarts Champion came from that house.

If we stand together, they can’t break us. We’re badgers. We hold on.

There are lemons. And omg if you had seen some of the things I texted to my friend while reading, you’d think that’s all I cared about. It isn’t. The lemons have technical terms, which I don’t love, but it works for them. They’re hot, and you can tell how much they love each other. And that makes it even hotter.

If you haven’t read Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I think that you will have a hard time keeping up with the significance of everything. You could still read this and appreciate it, but Minisinoo doesn’t go into great detail with things that happened in the book that aren’t significant to the plot of Finding Himself, like the Educational Decrees or the sacking of Trelawney. They’re in here, just not explained.

As far as the sequel, Dulce et Decorum Est, goes, I have read it and love it. The author did not complete it, but gave a summary of what would happen in the last couple of chapters.

This story is about growing up, and becoming who you are meant to become, even in the face of adversity. It’s about standing up for who you believe in, even when it’s hard. It’s amazing, and I hope that you will read it.

Just don’t blame me when you want more and can’t find it. Blame Sue, because really, it’s all her fault.

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