Authors Note: One-shot two, wahey! This one is for Grief. I was going to write a Fred/George fic for this, but decided against it. Instead I'm using Hannah Abbott and Cedric Diggory, and it's set straight after the events of The Goblet of Fire. Straight after they get out of the maze and everybody realises that Cedric is dead. I'm still not sure if this is what Alarice is looking for with these, but I'm writing them anyway. Enjoy. I wasn't sure what to call it, so I plucked a title off the top of my head.
2. A Life Extinguished
"Cedric Diggory is dead!"
Hannah could barely register the words as they hit her ears. The words were repeated over and over as it spread through the audience, but she didn't understand. Dead? How could he be dead? Cedric was a talented wizard; he could handle anything the maze threw at him. Yet people were screaming, wailing, she couldn't see what was happening at the maze entrance, but she could see the fear and shock in the eyes and body language of those who could. She spotted Harry Potter being dragged away by Professor Moody, and he was very much alive. But Cedric was dead. She could hear his father sobbing over the sounds of the audience.
Hannah flopped back onto the bench, her legs had turned to jelly, her head was swirling, and her stomach had clenched itself in knots. There was a lump in her throat, the sounds around her faded until they sounded far away. She wasn't even sure why she was so upset, she knew Cedric well enough, he was a nice guy, he had helped her with her homework a few times, but they weren't close friends. Maybe it was because she wasn't the only one upset. She looked around herself dimly, noting peoples reactions. The atmosphere had changed in seconds, people who had been chattering and cheering excitedly a few minutes ago were now sobbing, some were babbling, some looked shocked, and some were just sitting, looking blank, empty. It occurred to her that she was no better, sitting on one of the many benches, limp and feeling helpless, staring around blankly and not really registering what was going on. There was a blank, hollow feeling in her chest, her stomach felt slightly sick, and she didn't even realise that there were tears dripping down her face.
She choked on a sob, coughing as it caught in her throat, and looked down at her lap, letting her tears drip down the front of her jumper. She didn't know what had happened in the maze, no one did, all she knew was that a bright, vibrant, kind young wizard had entered the maze, and now his lifeless shell was being carried away from it. She couldn't form enough coherent thought to speculate what had happened in the maze, nor was she sure if she wanted to. She was too blank, too empty, the tears that spilled down her face clouded her vision, and sobs wracked her body.
