When we returned to Professor McGonagall's office, a look of confusion came over Cedric's face, "I guess some things have to change." He muttered wearily, I gave him a look of sympathy. It must have been a shock, everything happening all at once, well finding out all that had happend at once.
Professor McGonagall threw a handful of a dusty black powder into the blazing fire, before a face appeared and McGonagall had a very rapid conversation with someone. McGonagall spoke quickly and with a fierce tongue, in a way that I couldn't understand. A few brief minutes after the swift conversation, my dad appeared in the grate. Apparently, he could understand the professor quite well.
"Dad, I suppose I didn't need to write after all." I said happily. "However, as the term has just begun I really haven't gotten a story for you, aside from meeting the gentleman standing beside me." I told him sarcasm dripping from my every word, remembering the words my dad had spoken to me on the platform. Now I know in truth that my father isn't frightened easily, dueling with Voldermort countless times must of stripped him of that.
My Father was Harry Potter, who may of left the fight nursing wounds or his pride, but I had never seen him go so pale with shock as he did when he saw Cedric Diggory standing before him.
"H-H- what?" my father stuttered, clearly unaware of how to address the situation, his face, however said more than he could.
"Hello," Cedric murmured, his expression suggesting a slight awkwardness. The great Harry Potter just stared at the young man, stuck for words. His bright green eyes looked as is they would fall out of their sockets, before this could happen his hand went to his forehead and my father looked a little faint.
"Do you mind if I have a drink Minerva?" my dad asked addressing Professor McGonagall, he didn't wait for a reply, but summoned a house elf from the kitchens and requested a bottle of fire whiskey. The Elf immediately obliged and apparated back, barely a minute later with the requested alcohol and a glass. The dark haired man, poured a bit of the whiskey into the small glass, and promptly handed it to McGonagall before he began drinking from the bottle.
"Why don't we sit down?" I asked in an attempt to ease the tension that seemed to be radiating from the group. Everyone nodded in agreement, The Professor moved to take her rightful place behind her yew desk. My father however took the plush seat facing her. The seat to the left of my father became the only remaining seat in the perimeter of the desk.
"You should sit down," I told Cedric, my tone light and kind sounding, he though gave me a look that I'm sure was meant to question my sanity.
"No, you are a lady, therefore it would be rude of me to take the seat," I was about to object when Cedric continued, "Besides Lily, out of the four of us I am the lone person who has yet to pale at the sight of someone today." When Cedric finished a miniscule smile pulled at the corners of his mouth, while he gradually pushed me gently towards the plush red chair. I nodded in defeat, as I reluctantly took my place in the chair.
"Thank You," I said meekly, feeling as though everybody's eyes were upon me, which they almost certainly were.
"Ok, now that we are all settled let us get down to business." the headmistress said, her normality returning to her, apparently caused by the stiff drink she had earlier consumed. "We have to discuss how this, incident has occurred," she said to no one in particular, without mentioning what we were actually discussing. Most likely, she assumed that if she actually uttered today's goings-ons then she would quickly loose her grip onto reality. My Father and I nodded slowly in agreement, he looking as if he once again felt like a student, the only difference being he still had a half diminished bottle of fire whiskey residing comfortably in his hand.
"Is he a ghost?" my Dad asked suddenly, looking for an explanation, the headmistress just shook her head.
"I touched him earlier, he seemed pretty solid." her thin eyebrows furrowed inward. "Maybe he is a poltergeist.," she suggested her mind searching for any way to explain what had happened.
"No," I answered with such conviction her eyebrows seemed to become suddenly lost in her greying hairline. "A Poltergeist is a ghost that manifests itself by noises and the creation of disorder, thus he cannot be a Poltergeist" I said loudly, I had known this from the time when my brother James told me about Peeves, I researched them, and I had remembered the fact from that moment on. It truly is amazing with that definition that Peeves is still here.
"Hmm... A vampire? Or Zombie" was the next suggestion. From there suggestions flew wild at the reasoning of Cedric's appearance, and each time a reason was summoned on why it couldn't be fact. After about two hours, Cedric sat down on the cold stone floor, and began leaning on my chair. His body heat radiated onto my leg which brought about inappropriate thoughts again into my mind. I then decided to speak up in Cedric's defence.
"Why can't we just accept that he is alive?" I asked the two people who had the most control over me apprehensively. Both of the adults looked at me their expressions ones of surprise I smiled meekly, "Everything we have suggested implies he is still dead. Maybe he is alive and that is all there is too it." I said, sounding more confident than I felt.
"Miss Potter, people, animals, things don't just come back to life!" the headmistress informed gazing at me through her wire-rimmed spectacles as though I was an imbecile. I felt my intelligence level drop when I met her stare nervously, that was until Cedric finally spoke.
"She could be right. I may have- I may be here" Cedric said, obviously having difficulty saying that he was in all known terms dead, "But us discussing what I am or am not isn't going to help the situation." He placed his hand on top of mine for a brief moment, and I felt electricity run through my fingers; this made me feel slightly better. I looked towards him and when our eyes made contact, I smiled momentarily.
"Cedric, surely you wish to know as much as we do." My dad exclaimed clearly not believing what was just said. Cedric just nodded his head.
"Maybe this isn't going to determine why I am here, maybe we have to work that out as we go along." He said as though life had just made sense to him. We all sat in complete silence for a long while.
"Ok as you wish, you will be enrolled back in Hogwarts, and expected to attend all exams and classes." My father said, he appeared relieved of his fright, most likely that might have something to do with the large amount of alcohol working his way through his system. "We will have to discuss where you shall stay during the holidays and such but we will see what we can do. I will also have a word with the head of the Department of Mysteries, perhaps they will know something I don't"
"Go to your dormitory and I will announce to the school that Cedric is head boy in the morning." The Headmistress informed us still clearly shaken. "I will also inform the school not to harass him as will probably be the case."
"Goodnight Professor, Harry." Cedric said, calling my father by his first name had taken me aback slightly, but it was then I remembered that they had attended school together, and that thought shocked me even more.
"Night. Dad I will see you at Christmas!" I said almost cheerfully, and left the room after hugging my dad as if for dear life, and he patted me on the back in response trying to comfort me as best he could.
Cedric and I walked back to our common room in silence. We were not comfortable with each other or the situation. The silence was beginning to get to me though. I had a feeling I should be able to trust Cedric with everything I had never trusted with anyone before, and I didn't want to believe my instinct was correct. I then recalled something that my dad always told me, "To follow my instinct" he only thought that because when he was my age, his was usually right.
"How long ago did Dumbledore die?" Cedric asked, apparently the young wizard was irritated by the deafening silence as well.
"About 29 years ago. According to the stories I have heard he died two years after the Triwizard tournament" I informed him quietly, we both knew that by the Triwizard tournament I meant his death but neither of us spoke of it.
"Wow that is a long time. Do you know what happened between then and now?" he asked me, eyes filled with worry and wonder. I nodded my head in acknowledgement of the question, but I didn't answer. It was, in my opinion, more pleasant to not have to explain the ins and outs of the war before bed.
"I know most things anyway, but sometimes it is better to not know. Let me say that Voldermort was defeated and leave it at that." I explained. I didn't want to talk about the war. My dad never told us everything that happened that night. He didn't want to "re-live it." I had heard it from everybody's point of view except him. I was content though, to not know it from my dad's point of view, at least for now.I expect he will tel lus at some point.
Cedric looked at me, questions amplifying to create a burning gaze from his eyes. It was obvious that he wanted to ask so many things, I smiled shyly at him, as I watched him just as shyly from beneath my eyelashes, "Can we do questions and answers on Friday?" I asked him, before telling the portrait the password and walking into the common room that we now shared as Head Boy and Girl.
"Why?" he queried, I looked at him, not wanting to take my eyes off him, I almost felt like I couldn't.
"I have a feeling you will be asking me questions all night. In addition, although I do not mind answering them, I am afraid I would not be very good company tomorrow as we have to awaken early and attend lessons, and honestly that is not something that I wish to after being deprived of my sleep. Tomorrow is Friday anyways and I am sure you can wait until then." I replied extensively, to his single syllable question.
Cedric nodded his head, yet he still appeared unsure, "I'm going to bed now, Sleep well Cedric Diggory." With those small words of goodbye, I left the small common room, and entered my cosy bedroom. Within the room was a four-poster bed that seemed nearly identical to the one that I had occupied in Gryffindor tower, a bureau that did not yet have anything residing in it, and another door that I assumed led to some sort of a bathroom. The most important part of the room however was my trunk, which was practically creaking from the effort of withholding everything I had packed.
The next morning I awoke early and wandered down to the common room to find Cedric nowhere to be found, "Where is he," I though to myself before shrugging off the question and heading off to breakfast.
When I arrived in the brightly lit Great Hall, I found most of the students had already found their way to breakfast this morning. I looked around curiously, before I took my seat. Just as I was about to pour, a glass of pumpkin juice Professor McGonagall stood.
"Students, if I may have your attention," The older witch began her wand rising to her throat as her voice suddenly amplified, "As you all know Lily Potter is our Head Girl, however I would like to announce our Head Boy," she continued, as a flurry of whispers flooded the Great Hall, "This years Head Boy will be Cedric Diggory," The Professor finished as almost every student in the room gasped simultaneously.
"Mr. Diggory, if you could please stand." Professor McGonagall said politely towards the Hufflepuff table where he was ducked over his food, eating quietly. Cedric obliged and stood, to the great pleasure of all the girls in a ten-kilometre radius that could all see his gorgeous face quite clearly. Cedric smiled and sat down to continue his meal.
"You all know I am sure what happened nearly thirty years ago, but I ask that you shall not request Cedric to remember any horrifying details. That is to say, do not under any circumstances ask him about his, death." McGonagall finished her speech with an apologetic smile in Cedric's direction before resuming her seat.
The rest of the day came without much incident, in every class I shared with Cedric odd stares where sent his way all throughout the period, and as he learned the names of his peers Cedric gradually became an even more popular subject of conversation than he already was.
During the half hour free period I had after lunch, I worked hard to finish every last assignment that was given out as homework, knowing fair well that there would be no time to do such things later that evening. Unfortunately for me the teachers seemed to layer on the homework as if they where making up for all of the assignments they could have given over summer break. I finished right before my next class began, which ran normally as did the one after it.
Potions, today, was the last class I had which was fortunate as it was my favourite. I loved the idea of mixing things to create something that could help someone else or even ruin them, the possibilities where endless. I finished my potion last as usual, but also as usual, it was the best. I smirked as I headed off to dinner, knowing fair well that not even my father had done as well as I had in potions. Not that it was difficult to be better than him in potions, it just made me feel good about the fact that I wa better than my dad at something.
When dinner ceased, Cedric cornered me, just outside the great hall, causing a great group of third year girls to giggle uncontrollably. I waved them on and drew my attention back to Cedric.
"It's time," Cedric whispered his hazel eyes flashing with excitement I nodded simply in response. Cedric gripped my hand tightly, which caused a swarm of vicious butterflies to flock my feeble stomach. Together, our hands intertwined we dashed to the common room, Cedric practically dragging me along.
