In Prisoner of Azkaban (1999), Cedric faces Harry Potter during a Quidditch tournament. Cedric catches the Golden Snitch after Harry faints in the presence of Dementors. In Goblet of Fire (2000), Cedric nominates himself for the Triwizard Tournament. He is chosen as the Hogwarts champion and is slated to compete against Fleur Delacour from Beauxbatons and Victor Krum from Durmstrang. After choosing the customary three champions, the Goblet of Fire unexpectedly selects Harry as a fourth Triwizard champion.
Before the first task of the tournament, Harry helps Cedric by informing him that the task involves dragons. Cedric's challenge is to retrieve a golden egg from a Swedish Short-Snout dragon. He achieves this by turning a rock into a dog, which distracts the dragon. Cedric then manages to snatch the egg, but is burned by the dragon's fire in the process. After the task, Cedric is encouraged by Barty Crouch, Jr (who is disguised as Professor Alastor Moody) to listen to the egg underwater. Cedric does this, and discovers that the second task will involve merpeople.
Cedric attends the Yule Ball with Cho Chang. Towards the end of the night, Cedric tells Harry to place his own egg underwater to learn about the upcoming task. During the second task, Cedric uses a Bubble-Head Charm to allow himself to breathe underwater and rescue Cho, who is being held captive by merpeople. When the task is over, Cedric and Harry are tied for first place in the Tournament standings. At the start of the third task, the champions enter a maze. Cedric is attacked by a bewitched Viktor Krum, who tries to use the Cruciatus Curse on him. He then faces a giant spider, but defeats it with Harry's help. Cedric and Harry then agree to take the Triwizard Cup together. When they touch it, however, the Cup transports them to a graveyard.
Upon their arrival, Voldemort's servant Peter Pettigrew kills Cedric. During Harry's subsequent duel with Voldemort, Cedric's spirit emerges from Voldemort's wand and asks Harry to take his body back to his parents. The Leaving Feast on the last day of school becomes a memorial service for Cedric. Against the wishes of the Ministry of Magic, Albus Dumbledore informs the students that Cedric was murdered by Voldemort.
Film adaptations
Cedric was first portrayed by Joe Livermore in the film adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban.[2] Because the character has a larger role in Goblet of Fire, the role was recast for that film. Henry Cavill auditioned for the part, but Robert Pattinson was ultimately selected.[4][5] Pattinson said his positive experience during the production of Goblet of Fire inspired him to keep acting.[6][7]
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
Cedric's death is a major plot point in the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (2016), in which Harry and Ginny Weasley's son Albus uses a Time-Turner and prevents Cedric's death. Due to his humiliation in the Triwizard Tournament, Cedric eventually becomes a Death Eater and kills Neville Longbottom. Due to Neville's death, the final Horcrux Nagini was never destroyed, and as a result Voldemort is never defeated, kills Harry and takes over the Wizarding World.[8][9][10][11]
Reception
Cedric's death was listed by Business Insider as the most heartbreaking death in the Harry Potter films.[12]CinemaBlend called Cedric an "underrated" character who "doesn't get enough credit".[13]
The character's fate in the alternate reality of The Cursed Child was controversial for fans of the series, especially considering that Cedric was an embodiment of good-natured and kind-heartedness. While the play and novelisation were controversial enough with fans of the series, the idea that Cedric's "heart of gold" would turn evil was a difficult idea to stomach for some readers, especially with the idea of him murdering another beloved character such as Neville Longbottom.[8][10][11]
