Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Loss of Eternity

By: ChoCedric

"The end ... of another year."

As Albus Dumbledore spoke the first words of the speech of the leaving feast of 1995, tears streamed down Cho Chang's cheeks. It had been the best year of her life, but now it had turned into the worst. Without him by her side, she was wasting away. Perhaps it would have been better if she had never met him at all; she wouldn't be feeling this misery and loneliness if that were the case. The banners in the hall were black for memory, black in memory of her love, her Cedric. Her sweet, sweet Cedric, whose life had been snuffed out of him like it was worth nothing.

"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight," continued Dumbledore, and Marietta put an arm around Cho. "But I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here," he gestured toward the Hufflepuffs, "enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory."

Cho got to her feet and raised her glass with the other students, but her hand shook so much that the glass almost fell. "To Cedric Diggory," everyone said in a somber voice, and Cho couldn't help flashing back to that terrible scene on the Quidditch pitch, the body of her lifeless love just lying there, her soulmate's eyes staring, staring, staring blankly into nothingness, the screams of "Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!" echoing in her ears. Why did they all have to rub salt into the wound, to state the obvious, to scream it into the air like that?

"Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house," Dumbledore continued. "He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about."

Oh God, thought Cho. Finally. Now I get to know how his life was drained away so quickly. Only hours before that terrible moment he had been laughing and happy, his gray eyes filled with mischief as he teased her, and then he had gathered her in his arms and passionately kissed her. As soon as she'd seen how empty and lifeless his eyes had become, she knew instantly that it was murder. No one's eyes stared like that unless they'd been hit with the Avada Kedavra.

The thing that had angered Cho beyond belief was that no one had bothered to tell her a damned thing. Of course she'd heard the rumors about him being killed by You-Know-Who, but how could a wizard who'd been dead for thirteen years suddenly be back? And why her Cedric, of all people? Her Cedric, who'd promised to settle down with her and who had a long, healthy life to live? She could just picture them in their cozy house, out on their front porch holding hands. Tears bucketed down her face in rivulets as she realized this would never happen now. But why hadn't anyone told her anything? WHY? She was CEDRIC's GIRLFRIEND! Didn't she have the right to know how he had been taken from the world?

"Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore.

A whisper of panic went through the crowd, and Cho shuddered violently in Marietta's embrace. She didn't know what to think. How could You-Know-Who have done this? Had he come back from the dead just to smite Cedric? It wasn't fair!

Many people at her table were muttering amongst themselves, and Cho felt fury at all of them; none of them understood. Pretty much all the girls in her dorm except Marietta were so bloody superficial, only caring about school and looking cool. Didn't they realize there was more to life? They had never looked into the lifeless eyes of a soulmate before, staring, staring, staring at nothing. Cho knew for as long as she lived, she'd never get that bloody image out of her mind.

Cho drowned out the rest of the speech, all about how the Ministry of Magic didn't want the students to know about You-Know-Who's return, and all kinds of other garbage. But it was when Dumbledore asked the students to honor Harry Potter that she ran out of the Great Hall, not being able to take anymore. Luckily, no one seemed to notice. Of course, Marietta did, but Cho didn't pay her any attention. She was so furious with Harry for surviving when her love did not! She knew that she was being totally illogical, but if You-Know-Who had indeed been around, how had a fourteen-year-old lived through it and a perfect seventeen-year-old had not? And the love of Cho's life, to boot?

She ran to the Astronomy Tower and perched on top of it, the tears endless. She didn't think they'd ever stop. All her dreams for the future were broken, shattered. She'd never forget the last conversation she and Cedric had ever had up here. It had only taken place one day prior to his death, straight after the prom that took place every year at Hogwarts for all sixth and seventh-years. Since Cedric had been a sixth-year, he had taken her. After the dancing was over, he'd taken her up here to spend a night under the stars.

They had snuggled up together, her head on his chest and his arms protectively around her. He had held her and whispered comforting words in her ear as she'd drifted off to sleep, and it was the most safe she'd ever felt in her "whole life. She'd truly found the one, her true love, her soulmate. She'd been the luckiest girl in the world, to find him at such a young age. "I'll never leave you, sweetheart," he had whispered to her as he stroked her silky hair. "We'll spend eternity together. Eternity."

And as Cho sat at that same spot sobbing where only days earlier she had been wrapped up in the warmth of his love, her misery was overwhelming. She was so lost without him, how was she supposed to do this for the rest of her life? "WHERE's ETERNITY NOW, CEDRIC? DAMMIT, ANSWER ME!" she screamed into the sky. She remembered kissing him under the mistletoe at the Yule Ball, the scent of his cologne, them talking about their plans for the summer which were now dashed. And all because of Harry Potter and You-Know-Who. Why couldn't Harry save him? Didn't he care about him at all? did he like looking into the seventeen-year-old's lifeless gray eyes? she thought viciously. The eyes which used to be so warm and used to hold so much love, love for his family, love for his friends, love for life, love for her? It wasn't fair that he'd been snatched away.

The word "eternity" kept echoing through her head, and she realized, that's what I've lost. I've lost eternity. She was going to have to struggle without his love for the rest of her days. Struggle forever without his warm embrace, without his tender kisses, his arms wrapped around her protectively as they danced. She didn't care if she cried herself to sleep out here; no one was making her go back to the dorms now. Memories of Cedric littered her room; pictures of him smiling, laughing, dancing, his radiance shining, it was just too much!

And that's exactly what Cho did. With pictures of those cold, lifeless eyes and the screams of "Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead! Dead!" to guide her broken heart, she fell asleep to a freezing breeze rather than her boyfriend's warm arms. And that's how it would always be now, now that she'd lost eternity.