Warning/Disclaimer: slash, death, I do own the ideas which spun this tale. That's all. Oh, quick note. This was a challenge from Senorita Sassybuns. I am NOT a Charlie/Cedric shipper.
Missing You
There resides an empty hole within me still. A hole which can never be filled. At times the bitterness consumes me so much I cannot bare to look at the young man who escaped that death where as the one who mattered most to me is dead. On his birthday and the anniversary of his death, the pain is almost too much. Cedric, I miss you so much.
I remember when I finally met you. We were four years apart, so I had seen you in school, but you were far too young. From what I had seen you were always there for friends and schoolmates alike, always the model student who everyone loved. Your perfection oozed from you. But like I said, you were young and only thirteen to my seventeen. Four years later I finally met you face to face. The resurrection of the Tri-Wizard Tournament brought me back to Hogwarts.
Walking through the halls and caught in memories, I literally ran into you.
"Oh, I'm sorry," I tell you as I begin to finally see who exactly I ran into.
"It's no problem. I wasn't watching where I was going." Your gray eyes sparkling with a joyous mirth.
Call it cliché, but the attraction was almost instantaneous. The hours that followed had us talking and laughing together like old friends. It was a gutsy move on my part, but being a half-cocked Weasley, I couldn't stop myself. I pressed a chaste kiss to your lips before having to receive the dragons for the first task.
I watched as you completed the first task, fear and worry present and rushing through my veins, causing my adrenaline levels to spike. Luckily you made it out alive. We spent that night together and unofficially got together. It was all clandestine seeing as you were still a student and I was 21. Completely frowned upon in general. Our secrecy almost made it more fun.
Of course, I had to leave right after the first task, but I was kept up to date on the tournament from Ron's letters home to Mum. In the letters between Cedric and myself, we hardly talked about the tournament and focused on each other more. This blossoming relationship was on fire and we grew closer and closer. At some point I decided I had to go see Cedric as he finished the last task and hopefully came out the victor.
My decision to go to Hogwarts for the final task proved the worst decision in my life. The nervous anticipation built into a crescendo and the other champions were already out. All except Cedric and Harry Potter. We all felt the tension as they still failed to return from the maze. Surely Dumbledore wouldn't let anything happen to them. Just as I was about to see if we could go look for them, Harry appeared, cup in hand and Cedric laying next to him, immobile. We all cheered and rushed down, but something was amiss and it tugged at my gut. Harry was shouting and crying. Cedric still hadn't moved. Then a scream. My world began spinning dangerously and my head felt light. I managed to make out this sentence: He's back and he's killed Cedric!
I left immediately, taking off to try and apparate while I could still keep a solid grip on myself. I went to the first place I could think of and went straight to my childhood home. Dad was at the school being a Ministry official and all, and Mum was surprised to see me enter so abruptly. She didn't get a word in as I bee lined to my room and shut myself in for days. I didn't come out to eat, shower, or anything. All I did was sift through our letters and stare at a small picture of you. The reality of you being gone stung too much and I felt in a limbo of sorts. A small part of me died along with you.
It's been several years since your death and luckily the bastard who killed you is also gone. That still won't bring you back. That still won't take away my lingering bitterness towards my youngest brother's best friend for living, or the sadness which hangs like a shadow over my heart. Someday we will see each other again though. Someday I may be able to move on from this and let you go. I never had a chance to tell you, but just know, Cedric, a part of me did love you.