At long last, the chapter I've been dreading to write. Thank you for everyone who have stuck with this fic for so long. Any passages or quotes taken from the Goblet of Fire belong to J K Rowling.
Chapter Twelve—Aftermath
On Bagman's whistle, Harry and Cedric charged into the maze. I watched Cedric's back until it vanished into the darkness, and Holly's grip on my hand tightened more than I thought it could have. I tried to reassure her with a tiny smile, but I realized at once that her fearful eyes couldn't see anything, save for the entrance to the maze.
Just as the cheers for the Hogwarts champions began to slow, Bagman blew his whistle for a second time, and Krum surged into the maze. Only one champion remained. I felt a small amount of panic when I thought about Fleur Delacour in that maze, more so than I felt for Cedric. Cedric was tough, skilled, and calm with determination. Fleur hadn't managed to get past the grindylows in the last task. The more I looked at her, too, the more nervous she looked to me.
Bagman's whistle blew for the last time, and as Fleur disappeared into the maze, the tension in the air increased. All we could do now was watch, watch and wait. Holly took a silent breath, and her fingers loosened some.
"He'll be fine," I whispered to her, smiling encouragingly, and she managed a weak smile in return.
"Do you think things will change after he's not the Hogwarts champion anymore?" she asked quietly.
I glanced at Fred and George, who both got the hint and blended into the crowd with the promise that they'd be back shortly. After a second, I heard them both calling for bets again and shook my head. Those boys of mine would never change.
"What are you going on about, Holly?" I asked, turning her to face me. Her head didn't turn with her body, though. She kept staring at the maze.
"When Cedric doesn't need us anymore, do you think he'll still want to be around us?"
I raised an eyebrow and grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at me. "You do realize you're his girlfriend, right?" I spoke slowly, willing her to understand every syllable. "Of course he'll still want to be around you, silly girl."
"He could just be using us for help and information! We could be friends of convenience! You're the smart one, I'm the cute one!" Her eyes were filling with tears, and I understood more than I wished I did. I pulled her into a hug, and she froze for a moment, stunned.
"Cedric is going to be fine, Holly. He'll be fine!"
Her shoulders shook, but she held in her tears like the hardy Hufflepuff she was. With a nod, she meekly smiled at me and took a breath, looking around for the twins. "Where did they go?"
"To get more bets, probably. Or attack Ludo Bagman." I hooked my arm with hers as we watched the maze for any sign of what might be going on in there. Vaguely, I wondered if we'd really done all we could to prepare Cedric. Wizard God only knew what was in there, waiting for them.
Before the third task, time had went so fast, but now that the task itself had started, time was taking forever to pass. Fred and George eventually returned, grinning at how many bets they had received, snickering ("I can't believe they bet on Fleur!" "Their loss!"). I shook my head at them, disappointed.
"You know, the night is still early. Fleur could quite possibly win."
Holly smacked me. "Don't say things like that! Cedric's going to win!"
"Yeah, Rehfate," Fred added righteously, also smacking me. "How could you forget?"
"Cedric's supposed to be your favorite to win!" George joined. "Secretly cheering for Delacour, are you?"
"Do you hide a hidden affection for the part-Veela from Beauxbatons?"
"Do I have more competition?" George gasped, horrified.
This caught Fred's attention, though. "More competition?"
"More." George solemnly nodded. "My girl here harbors a high regard for the one and only Snape, our resident Potions teacher."
Holly scrunched up her nose. "Crimmy, that's not even right."
"I swear, George, I'm going to hex you into next term if you don't cut it out!" I poked him a few times in the chest, glowering. "You should know better."
"You're right, I should. You'd never leave me for Snapey. I'm far better looking." George wrapped his arm around me and kissed my temple, grinning.
"You're lucky you're so bloody cute!" I grumbled, lips twitching.
"And don't I know it!"
Time droned on. Everyone in the stands were starting to get agitated, hungry for some kind of action. The twins had taken to throwing firecrackers in the air to liven things up, but after a bit, even they grew tired of that. Holly went from calm to panicky and back again as we waited, not bothering to hide her terror at what might be happening in the maze.
After a bit, red sparks shot into the sky, and the whole crowd began to murmur with excitement. Somebody was forfeiting. Holly clutched tightly at my arm, mumbling incessantly and intelligibly, but I didn't need to listen to know what she was saying. What if that was Cedric? What if something happened, and he was hurt? Fred and George had exchanged glances, probably thinking the same thing about the Potter boy. I myself was more than a little concerned about him.
But it turned out to be neither. Krum, stunned, had been pulled out of the maze, and as he was taken into the nurse's tent, I squinted at his face. Even though he'd been stunned (by one of the other champions, I wagered), there was no mistaking the dazed and far-off expression in his eyes. I thought back to Professor Moody showing us the Unforgivable Curses, to the spider that nearly jumped to her death, and considered for a moment that something about this task was very wrong.
Fleur Delacour had been found and rescued, also knocked out. So far, neither one of them had sustained any injuries from something in the maze, other than finding their tournament experience brought to an end by an untimely curse from a wand. What the bloody hell was going on in there? The champions certainly had bigger things to be worrying about in the maze; why turn on each other?
The foreboding feeling that something was incredibly wrong kept creeping back into my mind until it was the only thing that I could think about. The Quidditch field really was rather large in size, but this was taking far too long. Certainly one of them should have found the cup by now? What was taking so long?
I wasn't the only one recognizing that something was wrong. Numerous whispers started around us, asking for the time, wondering how long Cedric and Harry had been in there alone. Holly kept fiddling with her key, giving small answers or tiny smiles in response whenever one of us tried to interact with her. I had stopped encouraging her that Ced would be okay; she didn't believe me, anyways.
At long last, Potter and Cedric appeared at the edge of the maze, but something was wrong. Dumbledore and several others rushed over to the pair of them, and the crowd started trying to push for a better view of the champions. I stood up, peering closer as Harry threw the cup and clung to Cedric. Cedric, who wasn't moving, whose stark, staring face was frozen in a moment of surprise.
Oh, God. God, no…
"What's-what's happening? Why is Cedric just lying there like that?" Holly murmured, confused, in denial, but her whole form was shaking, and tears were pooling in her eyes. I could hardly see her through the blur over my own eyes. "Crim, Crimmy, what…why isn't he moving..?"
The news had reached us though, passed through whispers and screeches and shouts. "He's dead! Diggory's dead!"
I covered my mouth, my knees weakening, as the clamor around us broke out into sobs and screams of horror. George grabbed my shoulders, trying to turn me away from the scene, but I couldn't take my eyes off of Cedric's motionless form. It just couldn't be true! Not Cedric, tall and strong Cedric, who was humble and caring and loyal and true. He couldn't be dead. I kept waiting to awake from a horrible nightmare, to sit up in my bed in the Slytherin dorms or in my chair in the library and realize that it wasn't even June twenty-forth yet.
But I wouldn't be waking up because this was no dream, no nightmare to be shaken from. This was reality, and Cedric Diggory would never breathe again.
"No!" Holly shook her head, still refusing to believe that the scene in front of her was real. She kept watching Cedric, expecting him to get up in any second and show he was fine. "No, he's not dead! Tell them he's not dead! He's just tired, he's sleeping or something! He's-he's fine! Tell them, Crim! You know Ced, Crim, tell them he's just… He's not…" She turned to me, desperate for me to confirm her beliefs, but I couldn't even speak. I couldn't find the words to tell her, to voice on my own that he wasn't waking up.
"You…Crimmy…" Whatever she saw on my face did it, though. Any denial she might have had vanished, and she broke. I could only watch as my best friend crumbled beside me, her mouth open in a sob, but no sound came out. She grabbed her head, tears spilling as she watched, unable as I was to look away from Cedric's body.
Potter had been pulled off him now, and I could see Cedric's parents running over to his lifeless figure. I heard his father's weeping screams and couldn't take it anymore. I turned away from the scene, wrapping my arms around George and searching for solace in his chest. I tried to focus on the sound of his breathing and ignore the shaking, memorizing how he smelled of subtle gunpowder and candy and home. I turned my head to look at Holly, my grief not strong enough to overcome my concern for her.
She'd almost fallen to her knees, unable to support herself, but Fred had caught her. She clung to him, stifling her sobs in the sleeve of his sweater as he knelt with her, a stony and sick expression on his face. I reached out my hand and touched hers, and she clutched my fingers as though they were her lifeline. I didn't even mind how hard she gripped.
But what had happened? The rest of the year went by like a blur, almost surreal. A piece of me still couldn't fully come to terms with what had happened. I kept watching for Cedric at breakfast until it finally struck me that he wasn't going to walk through the grand doors to join us. Holly stayed uncommonly quiet and barely spoke even when she was in class. Snape took it easy on her, which surprised me as much as anyone. She refused to talk about Cedric. Any mention of him had her closing off into herself.
Fred had grown quiet as well, blaming himself for something that he refused to explain. I asked George one night, but he was just as much at a loss as I was when it came to his twin. Fred also quit looking Holly in the eye, choosing to stare at his plate whenever she was nearby. It wasn't until I cornered him a couple days at the end of the term that he told me.
"I wanted something to happen to Ced," he muttered sullenly. "Something to get her to realize he wasn't as amazing as she thought he was. Or at least for them to argue and break up or something, Crim! I never thought he'd go and die like that. Now she's…and I feel that much worse."
"It's not your fault, Freddie," I reminded gently, reaching out to take his hand, but he shoved it into his pocket before I could touch him. "You didn't kill Cedric Diggory."
"Then who the bloody hell did?"
That was the question, too. The official statement was that his death had been a tragic accident, but we all knew better. Something had happened in that maze that night, and I wanted to know what it was. Karkaroff, the Durmstrang headmaster, had fled that night, and I couldn't help but wonder if he'd been involved or something. Something had certainly spooked him into running away from his students. Thankfully, our headmaster was Albus Dumbledore, and he had a few ideas of his own. On the night of the Leaving Feast, when the hall was decorated in black to respect the boy we had lost, Dumbledore made his announcement. I sat at the Hufflepuff table with Holly at the Hufflepuff table, unable to leave her. She'd hardly touched her food.
Dumbledore looked around at all of us solemnly. "The end of another year." He looked over at the Hufflepuff table, the saddest, quietest table of the night. I myself kept glancing to the spot beside Holly, the spot she had saved needlessly, where Cedric surely would have been sitting had fate been kinder.
"There is much I would like to say to you all tonight, but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person who should be sitting here," Dumbledore gestured to the Hufflepuffs, "enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory."
We stood and raised our goblets, murmuring Cedric's name quietly and respectfully. Holly's eyes brimmed with tears.
Dumbledore continued, "Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff House. 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.
"Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort."
I felt like a cold potion had dripped down my throat and into my stomach as ice spread throughout my body. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named? Kill Cedric? But that could only mean one thing, a thing too terrible and horrifying to even consider. Holly, panicking, reached over and took my hand, while her other palm covered her mouth. Tears spilled over her fingers.
"The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so—either because they will not believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you, so young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of an accident, or some blunder of his own, is an insult to his memory." Dumbledore commanded the attention of every student in the hall, all of us watching him and listening intently.
"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Cedric's death. I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter.
"Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort. He risked his own life to return Cedric's body back to Hogwarts. He showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honor him." Dumbledore raised his goblet gravely, and we all followed suit. I felt a surge of respect for the young boy that I hadn't felt before. He brought Cedric's body back from wherever it was, at the risk of his own life, and a quiet pity soured my mind. A boy so young had already seen so much; how difficult it must be for him to find peace.
Dumbledore pressed on as soon as everyone had returned to their seats. "The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened—of Lord Voldemort's return—such ties are more important than ever before." He gazed around at the Beauxbatons and the Durmstrang students, eyes lingering on the latter. "Every guest in this Hall will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once gain—in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open.
"It is my belief—and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken—that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst.
"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."
Never before had Dumbledore spoken something that stuck with me as that did. Even days later, months even, his voice would still ring in my ears, urging me like no other could. Reminding me, all the world fell to chaos and denial around me, to remain strong and brave, as Cedric had in the face of death. Reminding me to remember my friend, to honor him, and to trust that what Harry Potter claimed was true. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back, and there was already one casualty.
I sat with Holly on the train ride home, both of us quiet and unable to find the words to convey what we were feeling. Fred and George stopped by for a bit, but they were far too energetic for our subdued and thoughtful cabin, so they left, George promising to find me before they left the station.
The Ministry was already trying to cover up what Dumbledore had told us about You-Know-Who, but I couldn't shake the feeling that he was telling the truth. He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named was back, and he had killed our friend. I stared out the window, my mind racing.
"We're going to have to fight," I murmured, almost silently. "If he's back like Potter says he is, which I do believe, this will just be like before. A war is coming."
Slowly, Holly nodded, staring at her lap. She bit her lip, her big eyes rising to my face. "You think so, Crim? You really think You-Know-Who is back? That h-he's the one who…"
"I do, yes. Dumbledore would never have told us that if it wasn't true. He has my trust implicitly. And when the time comes, I will fight. For Cedric."
She was quiet for a moment, debating. Then, with a weak smile, she reached her hand over and placed it on top of mine, her determination unmistakable though her tears. "For Cedric."
Nothing was ever going to be the same again.
It's not over yet. Let me know if you enjoyed it. Or if I made you cry . I'll try to update soon. Thank you again for reading. RIP Cedric.
