Disclaimer: I own nothing except Chloe, Emma, Filip and Gregory and anything that you don't recognize.
Hey guys! So, here's the one shot that I promised. Just a little bit of warning, you'll probably cry. Enjoy!
My Guardian Angel
Fleur and Krum had been pulled from the maze leaving only two more people in there; Cedric and Harry. I hoped they came out soon. I was getting really anxious. I kept looking into the sky for red sparks.
"Chloe, would you please calm down?" Emma begged.
"No, I'm worried." I replied.
"Well, stop worrying. He's going to be fine." I rolled my eyes. She wouldn't understand. She had a mere crush. I was in love. So, so in love. Emma sighed. "Oh, Chloe," she put her arm around me. "Do you think Cedric would want you worrying about him as much as you are?"
"Maybe," couldn't help it. Emma chuckled.
"And I'm supposed to be the annoying one,"
"You are," I mumbled. Nothing happened for a while and I was getting more and more anxious. It was driving me nuts. Had something happened to him? Please say he was still safe. I wouldn't be able to go on without him.
Finally, Harry appeared out of no where in the middle of the pitch. The music and cheering started immediately. I sighed and clapped. Where was Cedric? Was he still in there? Was he dead?! Oh please say he wasn't, please say he was still alive and well. That's when I heard it-well, everyone heard it, actually-a scream from the pitch below. You know what they say, curiosity killed the cat and curiosity killed me, in a sense. I took off towards the pitch and was greeted with a sight I really didn't want to see. There he was, just lying there on the ground, his eyes unfocused, staring at nothing. I collapsed on the ground, my hands balling into fists around the grass. No, he couldn't be dead, he just couldn't be. In a few seconds he was going to jump up and yell 'got 'cha' and I'm going to be mad for five seconds before kissing him.
"Keep everyone in their seats; a boy's just been killed." That was a stab to the heart and my eyes stung. Maybe it was someone else and I was just mistaking him for Cedric.
"That's my boy!" Amos Diggory yelled. "That's my son," I couldn't stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks or the sobs that were suddenly ripping from my chest. No, no he wasn't dead. I didn't want to accept it. His arms would be around me in 3, 2, 1. Nothing happened. I cried harder. He was dead, there was no running from that and all this would not make him come back. I took a shaky breath and crawled towards his limp body, pulling the grass I clutched tightly in my hands with me. I was unaware of the arms trying to hold me back or the voices telling me to stay. I didn't even hear or feel them. I was too numb to notice anything.
I stopped once I was beside him and let go of the grass. The message seemed to transfer from my brain to my hands much more slowly then I expected. I wrapped my arms and his torso and lifted him onto my lap. His head dangled in the process. I could barely see anything now, I was crying so hard.
"Please, Cedric, come back," I begged, hoping it would do some good. "You can't just leave me here. Come back please, Cedric, please." I started crying into his chest. "Cedric," I was expecting his arms to wind around me and his soothing whispers to shush me and telling me that it was okay and that he was here. But he wasn't, it was just his body. He was gone, dead, never coming back. I cried harder. I think everyone in the Quidditch pitch could hear my sobs. I didn't care though. I was too heartbroken to care.
As shut off as I was from everything happening around me, I was well aware of things that pertained to me leaving Cedric.
"Ms. Jenkins, can you take Ms. Baker back to the Hufflepuff dorm?" That was Dumbledore. He couldn't make me leave Cedric. I wouldn't, I couldn't.
"Yes sir," how could Emma go along with it? I couldn't leave Cedric! "Come on, Chloe, let's go." Her hands were on my arms, trying to pry them off Cedric.
"No," I freed myself from her grasp.
"Chloe, he's gone," oh yeah, plunge another knife into my heart and dig it in deep why don't you?
"No, he's not," I sobbed. She didn't say anything more and I wondered if she'd given up. I hoped she did, I wasn't going to leave him.
I suddenly felt a muscled pair of arms come around me. They weren't Cedric's.
"No," I sobbed, struggling to stay on the ground with Cedric.
"Come on Chloe, we have to go," Filip? How could he?!
"No!" I struggled some more but he only held me tighter and lifted me away. "No, Cedric," I wailed as we walked from his body. I looked around Filip and caught saw of his body, just lying sprawled on the ground. "Cedric!" I cried. He got farther. "Cedric," I whimpered, watching as his body disappeared, closely followed by Quidditch pitch. I sobbed on Filip's shoulder as we walked back and muttered Cedric's name over and over again, as if it would bring him back. The trip back to the common room seemed to take decades, time was moving so slowly but we made it. The common room seemed oddly empty, despite the fact that practically all the Hufflepuff students were sitting there, with sorrowful looks. Well, except one and that was probably it. We were missing one person, one very important person who we all cared about. I didn't look at anyone for too long, I didn't want to look at their expressions of sorrow. It just made the pain worse. I climbed out of Filip's arms-still sobbing-and ran up to the girls dormitory. I jumped on my bed and cried into my pillow. I longed for his arms around me, his lips on mine, his hand in mine, the sound of his voice whispering soothing things in my ear to calm me down but I knew that was never going to happen. I was never going to get any of those things again. I cried harder, if that were even possible, as I thought of the things I was going to miss. His beautiful grey eyes that I always swam in, his hair, his sweet, sweet voice, the feel of his lips as they moved with mine, the tingles I got whenever we touched, the security I felt whenever he held me tight, but, most of all, I was going to miss him.
I don't know when I fell asleep that night, but I know that I did. It was a sweet, dreamless sleep, but the pain of the previous night was always present. When I woke up, it took only a few milliseconds for me to start crying. All the girls tried to calm me down and to stop crying. I just told them to go away and leave me alone and they did, Emma hesitating a little before leaving me to drown in my tears that I thought had dried, but apparently not.
I didn't even touch my breakfast that morning. I was too sad to eat. The great hall was unusually quiet today, save the sobs that escaped my throat. Yes, I was still crying but I just couldn't stop. It hurt too much.
I just wished I could die. For one, I didn't want to cry anymore and there would be a memorial service for him and that would only bring the most tears since he…I didn't even want to think it. Another thing, I would be with him, together forever. But I knew that wouldn't happen. I couldn't do that to my parents, besides, he wouldn't want me to do that. I'd make it through. I just had to be inattentive during the whole thing. But I knew that was going to be difficult from the moment I walked into the great hall for the service. The atmosphere was just heavy with sorrow and sadness. Emma looked at me, sadness apparent on her face, and put her arm around me. I started crying again as she pulled me to a spot. It was in the third row. Why Emma, oh why?
The Great Hall gradually filled. It still held that eerie silence that it held at breakfast. Dumbledore was the only one sitting where the whole staff sat. He, to, looked sad. Filip soon came and sat on my free side, looking at me with an expression full of sadness. I looked away, I didn't need that, it didn't help.
Once the Great Hall was full, Dumbledore began.
"Today, we acknowledge a truly terrible loss," I started crying on Emma's shoulder and she wrapped her arms around me. Filip's hand started rubbing soothing circles on my back. I longed for a different set of arms and a different hand, the very same I knew I would never get again. "Cedric Diggory"-I winced at his name-"was, as you all know, exceptionally hard working, infinitely fair minded and, most importantly, a fierce, fierce friend." I thought back to all the times he'd been there for me this year and, as I thought about it, I realized he'd always been there, I'd just been to busy telling myself to hate him to notice. I started crying harder. How could I be so stupid? "Therefore I think you deserve to know how he died," Dumbledore continued. I buried my head into Emma's shoulder. "The ministry does not wish me to tell you this but not to do so, I think, would be an insult to his memory," this was probably going to make the daggers in my heart twist and turn and cause pain that would be pretty much unbearable. "You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered, by Lord Voldemort," I was right. There was immense pain and I started crying harder. How could Voldemort-I didn't even care about saying his name or not anymore-do that? Didn't he think that the person he killed had a family? Or friends? Or someone waiting for him to come out of that maze alive?! There was a small fury that ignited in my chest. But it was drown out by all the pain I felt. It would probably grow in time. "Now the pain we all feel, reminds me, reminds us, that well we may come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one," I looked up at Emma for a second. It was nearly impossible to see her face through my eyes, all filled with tears, but I think I saw a couple tears running down her cheeks. "In light of recent events, the bonds of friendship you made this year will be more important then ever," I looked at Filip but I couldn't make out his face. I practically could see anything. I turned my face back into Emma's shoulder. "Remember that and Cedric Diggory would not have died in vain." I looked up at Dumbledore, barley making out his frame, it was so blurry. "You remember that, and we'll celebrate a boy who was kind and honest and brave and true, right to the very end," no, Cedric Diggory was no boy. He was a man, the very man who had stolen my heart and taken it with him.
Emma and I walked back to Hufflepuff common room together to finish our packing. I was holding myself, looking down at my feet, still crying.
"Y'know Chloe, I don't think Cedric-"
"I don't want to talk about Cedric right now, okay?" I cut her off, looking up at her. It hurt more then I thought to say his name. Emma looked a little shocked at first but her features soon softened and she nodded.
"Okay, I leave you alone," I was actually grateful for that. I gave her a small smile before looking back down at my feet as Emma shuffled away. Why did I let him put his name in the goblet? I was there, I watched him do it! He even talked to me about it! Why didn't I just tell him about I really feel about it? Uh, I was so stupid! I should've just stopped him from putting his name in! He would still be here! That made me cry even harder, the thought of him being here. He'd probably hold me in his arms and shush me. But, then again, I wouldn't be crying if he were still here. There wouldn't be a reason to. Urgh, Chloe you're so stupid! You just watched him put his name in the goblet. You didn't even make a move to stop him! You idiot! I didn't even disagree with myself. Every one of those things were true, every one of them.
I walked into the common room. Few people were there and there were no sounds, save the crackling of the fireplace and whispered the whispered conversations people were having. I just stomped up to the girls' dormitory, where pretty much all the girls were packing. I just ignored them and stomped up to my bed, the anger pulsing through me as I did so.
"Urgh!" I screamed with anger as I ripped the drapes off the top of my bed. I fell to the floor, at the foot at my bed, drapes in my hand, sobbing. I was angry at myself for letting him enter the stupid tournament. I was angry at him for entering the stupid tournament. And I was angry at Voldemort for killing him. But I felt it was mostly my fault. I shouldn't have just watched him as he let the flames of the goblet engulf his name. I shouldn't have harbored hate for him for six years. Just think, if I hadn't hated him for so long, we might've had more time together. I cried harder.
The door of the girls' dormitory opened. I didn't even look up to see who it was.
"Excuse me; I'd like a word with Ms. Baker alone please," that was Dumbledore. What was he doing in here? I quickly started calming down and wiping the tears from my eyes. I couldn't let the headmaster see me like this!
All the other girls shuffled out of the room, closing the door behind them. Dumbledore walked towards me.
"I see you've had your way with these drapes," he said. I didn't respond. Calming down was proving a more difficult task then I thought. He crouched down beside me.
"Chloe," I looked at him. I had never heard him use my name before. "I know this is hard for you, but crying isn't going to help." Oh great, the teachers noticed how we act-I mean acted-around each other. It took me a few moments for find my voice but I found it.
"It-it just h-hurts," I sobbed.
"I know," and it looked like he truly did know what it was like to lose someone you cared about very much. But not what it was like to lose the person you love with all your heart. "You have friends here, let them help you." I didn't respond to that. I didn't know what to say. Dumbledore seemed to notice and continued.
"He'll always be with you, Chloe," he said. I looked up at him. "He'll always be watching over you." I smiled. That comforted me, to know that he would always be with me.
"Do you know that you're the best headmaster this schools ever seen?" I asked, my voice was still sounded thick with tears and broken. He smiled at me. He most certainly was the best headmaster this schools ever seen.
"Take care of yourself this summer, Chloe," he said, getting up. Apparently, his work here was done.
"You to, sir," I replied, as he walked out. I sighed. The pain was still there, but it was dulled. It wasn't nearly as bad. There was also warmness around me, like someone was holding me. I sighed again, content. I looked towards the window, where the blue sky was clearly visible. I looked at the sky, where he was watching over me, like a Guardian Angel. My Guardian Angel.
Okay, so there it is. I hope you liked it! Also, as I was writing this, I was listening to some songs and I decided that I would write some more one-shots on how Chloe's life would be after Cedric died. Most of them will be song-fics. It'll be called my 'If He Died' series because he obviously didn't die in Thoughts of You and he's not going to die in the sequels to follow that. I don't know when the first one will be up, but I'll let you know when I do. Anyways, R&R!