Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Author's Note: To all my regular readers out there, I am extremely sorry I have not written in so long. In early March of this year, my beloved brother passed away after many complications of kidney problems. After much hardship, he had an infection that finally took his life. It has been a devastating time for our family, and I therefore did not feel the inspiration to write for awhile.

Then, when I finally began to feel it again, I found that my computer was giving me problems logging in. Now, however, I am able to again, and that makes me very happy.

I know many of my stories are angsty and sad, and this one is, too, in a way, but it is also about healing. I know my brother would want me to be happy, and I am trying my best to, in his honor. He was truly an inspiration and will always be so, every day of my life.

Please enjoy this story, and please review!

Letting Go

By: ChoCedric

She walks down the path she knows so well, plodding through the many graves to get to the one that holds the body of the one who was so dear to her. Even seven years later, she remembers the day he was taken as though it were yesterday. She carries a bunch of flowers in her hand, like she always does when she goes to visit him here. The sun is shining; it's a clear, blue day, and she almost feels as though God or Merlin or whoever controls Earth chose this day for her to do this.

She crouches by his grave, reading the name on it like she has done so many times before. "Cedric Amos Diggory," it reads. "Beloved son, loyal friend. You are home now."

She tenderly places the flowers down, and silently contemplates, reminiscing over all the times she had with the boy lying, eternally asleep, beneath her. She remembers gray eyes alight with love and laughter, stolen kisses between classes, a radiant smile as he asked her to dance. She tries desperately not to linger on his face the last time she saw him, his gray eyes lifeless, his face frozen with fear. Every time her mind wanders to that memory, she immediately replaces it with the image of his beaming face as he holds the Snitch in victory.

"Cedric," Cho Chang says softly, her eyes running over his gravestone again and again. "I needed to come here today ... I have to tell you something. I'm ... I'm getting married, Cedric." Gently, she brushes a few tears away from her deep, soulful eyes. "I ... I finally found someone. He's a Muggle, cedric, and he's amazing. His name's Bill, and he's ... he's everything to me. He understands me, and he says he'll take care of me, cedric. We're both going to take care of each other.

"Oh, Cedric," she says, tears streaming down her face faster than she can catch them now. "I told him all about you, about how much I loved you. He made me understand ... made me see that mourning you forever was not how you would want me to live my life. At first I worried, Cedric, when I started to fall for him, worried that it would be an insult to your memory to be happy again. But then I remembered you, remembered how you were always telling me to live, to cherish life, and how you would always want what was best for me. So I realize now, Cedric, that though we can't be together like we wanted to be, you'd want me to share my life with someone I love. So I'm doing this for you."

She smiles through her tears now, memories of love and embraces and kisses and sweet whispers filling her mind. "I always want you happy, Cho," she hears. "no tears. I love you." Even though it has been seven years since she's heard that voice, she recalls it clear as crystal.

"I will always cherish you, Cedric," she whispers as she bends down and kisses the gravestone. "No matter what happens, you will always be in my heart. I'll never forget you as long as I live. I never understood why you were taken away, but I guess ... I guess you were too good for this world. Heaven needed you, Cedric. And I know you'll be one of its eternal angels."

And with that, she wipes the last of her tears and heads out of the graveyard, looking back one last time at the grave of the first boy who ever captured her heart.

And up above, at that precise moment, that very boy is gazing at her, hoping she can feel the love he sends down. "Thank you, Cho," he whispers. "Thank you for giving me the greatest gift I could ask for. Your happiness. I'll see you soon, my love. Goodbye."