**Disclaimer** I do not claim to own anything that's not mine (J.K. Rowling wrote these amazing things before I could even dream of them). I do claim my main character, Dee.
I awoke in a private bed chamber. Dark curtains were pulled over the window and it was very dark inside. I reached for my wand from my ankle harness but found it gone. I sat up slowly and suddenly a dark figure in the corner moved. The person illuminated the light in the room and I was then looking at a very alive, and suddenly I realized also very handsome, Cedric Diggory. We stared at each other silently for a few moments before either of us spoke.
"Where am I?" I asked quietly. He smiled grimly and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"We are at my family's house." He answered. I shook my head in confusion and in denial. How did I get here?
"No. I need to be at Hogwarts. Why am I here and not there?" I demanded.
"Well, seeing how as school is out for the summer, you don't need to be there. Oh and also the whole, you don't exist and I'm still dead and Professor Dumbledore being furious with you… They figured it was easiest and safest to just hide us both here." He explained, with a false cheer and amusement. I didn't say anything in reply. He came over to the bed and set down at the edge. His eyes found mine and they intensely searched mine for the true answers to unstated questions.
"How are you feeling?" He asked cautiously, his eyes still searching mine.
"My whole body aches and I feel drowsy but other than that, I'm okay." I answered before asking my own question. "How long have I been here for?" He bit his lip before casually shrugging his shoulders and raising an eyebrow.
"Well… Only a few weeks." He mumbled casually, trying not to make it seem like a big deal. My mouth slacked open in shock. When I recovered, I started to ask more questions.
"So, how is it to be alive again?" He gave me a look that said, Seriously? But he gave me a small crooked smile and replied.
"Kind of odd. I don't remember anything about being dead. I think the hardest part is having everyone tell me I WAS dead and then still having to let people still think I am dead." He said somberly.
"I hope you aren't mad at me." I said meekly. He looked at me sharply with a look of incredulity.
"Why would I be mad at you?" He asked. I shrugged. "If you think that having my life back but everyone else still thinking I'm dead would make me mad, you're mental." He scoffed quite seriously. "What you did for me was amazing, heroic, so selfless… I really don't know how to thank you enough. I'm sorry." He finished. I blushed. He still sat at the edge of my bed and he leaned towards me and pulled me to him. He hugged me so tightly I could barely breathe. I had to push him away so I could breathe again. "Sorry." He said with a small laugh and slight blush as he sat back. Standing up, he headed towards the door. He turned back to me once more, smiling before leaving quietly.
I propped myself up in the bed and pushed my way out from under the covers. I wore a simple yellow and blue flowered night dress. Where'd I get this from? And who dressed me? I walked to the full length mirror and looked at myself. I looked pale and skinny. Well, more so than usual. I lifted the night dress over and off, letting it fall to the floor. I stared, in shock, at my reflection.
When I had saved the baby bird, I had earned myself a small black scar on my hip. I now had another scar. This one, however, was not small. It was huge. It ran from over my left breast and down across my stomach to my right hip. It was very black and angry looking. Sheesh, no man is ever gonna wanna see ME naked. I look Hideous! I turned at a sudden noise behind me and stared at Cedric. He stared at my naked body, seeing the scar and stammered for something to say as I stood there, mortified. Shock cleared from my mind enough for me to finally think to invisify. He blinked hard and snapped his mouth closed before turning abruptly and going, quickly, back out the door.
B~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~B
The summer dragged on slowly, at first. I pretty much sulked at the fact that I was basically being held prisoner at the Diggory household. Da had only been to see me once since I regained consciousness.
He stared at me gravely from his seat on the sofa across from me.
"I'm sorry Da. I had to do it." I said softly, tears choking my voice. His silence bothered me more than the angry look in his eyes. His silence told me what hours of yelling or lecturing couldn't convey. I had scared him and he was hurt by the choice I had made.
"I am glad it at least worked. I just don't agree that you should have taken the risk. Your choices are yours though and I have to accept that. You are 17 now and I have to get used to you being an adult, no matter how many reckless decisions you make." He finally said. Instead of his words calming me though, they actually made me angry.
"WHAT? My decision was NOT reckless! I made a choice to give someone else a second chance at life, someone who had their first chance yanked unfairly way. If I could, I'd go back in time and do the same for my mother! I love her too, you know. I'm tired of not living. I at least want to give others a chance to live!" I ended my shouting, gasping in deep breaths. Da blinked hard, a single tear escaping his eye. He reached his hand across to me and caressed my cheek lovingly.
"So much like your mother… She had the same passion and drive to help others. Unfortunately, that led to her death. You want to live? I NEED you to live, because otherwise my heart would crumble to nothing. I have been selfishly holding you secret all these years, not just for myself, but also for you and for your mother. Your mother would not want to see her beloved daughter come to harm either. I am sorry if you feel you haven't lived. I have only had your safety in mind."
"MY SAFETY? YOU send me on scouting missions. I have even killed people, all on YOUR command! How is THAT, You keeping me Safe?" I shouted angrily back. He sighed deeply.
"You are right. I have taken advantage of your uniqueness and hoped that it, in itself, would keep you safe. I am sorry. For now on I'll let you make your own choices about who to reveal yourself to and I'll ask you if you want to do the missions instead of telling you to do them. Please, though, be cautious when revealing yourself. If the wrong person were to find out you're alive, you'll be in grave danger." Da said. A sob broke out of me and Da moved over onto the couch I was sitting on. He pulled me into his arms for a long hug. After a few moments, we broke away from each other. "Stay here, please, for the rest of the summer. Teach Cedric a few things about keeping secret and a low profile. Okay?" I nodded, agreeing.
I spent most of my time exploring the house and then holed up in the library. Here, I was happy to delve into a large selection of books. Today was no different.
I was curled up in a large orange cushy chair with a copy of a paranormal romance I'd found hidden on the shelf. It was about a family, of werewolf type people, and the sister's romance with a man from another 'pack'. It was pretty good so far. My soft yellow sun dress bunched up on my thighs and the sun streamed in through the window. Footsteps drew my attention from my book. Looking up, Cedric stood in the doorway. He smiled first, awkwardly. I smiled back.
"So, um, how's it going? You like it here?" He asked. I held my position in the chair with my book propped open, hoping it'd signal that I wasn't interested in a long conversation.
"It's going okay, boring to what I'm used to but at the same time, kind of like a vacation. This is a nice house and I'm totally sleeping like a baby in my soft cushy bed." I said with a laugh. He moved into the room then and sat himself down in a chair across from me. Great…signal not received… Come on, I'm trying to read here… I marked my book and set it aside, realizing he wasn't going to leave too soon.
"You don't normally sleep in a soft cushy bed?" He asked with a smile and raised eyebrows.
"No. Not normally. I usually would sleep wherever I could find a spot I didn't think I'd be found in." I replied.
"But aren't you Professor Dumbledore's daughter? That's what I guessed anyways from the shouting I overheard when he visited." He guessed, trying to pry into my life. I blushed at the reminder of the shouted argument.
"Yes…" I replied meekly. He grinned at me. Such a dazzling smile, so handsome… I frowned as the thought pushed into my head. An image of George frowning flashed through my mind. That bugged me, because I couldn't actually remember seeing him frown often.
"That is SO cool. So, tell me about yourself. Who are you exactly and why has Professor Dumbledore been keeping you hidden and What is up with you being able to disappear like you do?" His face and voice reminded me of an excited little boy and I couldn't help but to chuckle.
"Well, very few receive answers to questions such as those." I said matter-of-factly.
"Oh, come on. We are in the same boat now. We both have to keep hidden and secret. It'd be nice to have a friend with something in common like that… Plus, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in t his position anyways…" He tried to charm and guilt trip me.
"Oh, No you didn't! If it weren't for me, you'd be dead still. I risked my life for you. If anyone is to blame, it's Voldemort." I said sternly. He shivered at the name, Voldemort, but a look of abashment washed over his face.
"I'm sorry. I was just teasing. Don't worry. I'm very grateful. The whole ordeal was very frightening at first…" He started to apologize and continued on with a re-counting of what happened. "I woke up to you lying, as if dead, upon me. My dad was gaping at me as if I were some hideous creature. I only barely remembered that I'd been attacked and that I should be dead and then Professor Dumbledore stormed in…" He gulped. "Your Da is VERY protective of you. He loves you a lot." He finished.
"Ya. Your dad loves you a lot too. I had to fight with him to get near you." I said. An awkward silence followed.
"So… Since you can't tell me much, can you at least tell me your name?" He asked. I gave him a sweet smile and answered.
"Deirdra Nadine Kendra Rashell Dumbledore." I said proudly. "Long, I know… Runs in the family I guess." I added with a laugh. "But I usually go by Dee and my Da calls me, 'My Dear'." He chuckled slightly at the pun of my Da's nickname for me.
"Well, Very nice to meet you Deirdra." He smiled. How charming…
*** Well... Whatcha think? Don't hate me for creating this love triangle...it's not even fully developed...it's just possibilities, and isn't that what life's all about anyways? LOL. Hope you enjoyed. Thanks for Reading, Please Review! And I'll get another chapter typed up asap.