DISCLAIMER: I don't own Harry Potter.
CHAPTER 29
Bella stood on the stands near the maze. Hermione was allowed to meet Edward and Harry below, before entering the maze. She saw her pulled the boys to a hug.
"Please, take care of each other," said Hermione emotionally.
"Love, don't be sad," comforted Edward.
Hermione's eyes were filled with worry. She turned to Harry with a pleading look. "Can you uh, give us a moment?"
Harry smiled and nodded. Hermione pulled Edward to one corner, partly hidden from the crowd and stood on her tip toes to give him a kiss. It wasn't a chaste kiss but similar to the one she gave her inside the tent during the First Task. She was expressing her worry, anxiety and fear through a kiss.
Edward rested his hands on her waist and responded to the kiss eagerly. It seemed that none of them wanted to pull away. But they were cut off by the Hogwarts headmaster's voice, calling the champions.
"Please, please be careful," she said in a pained voice.
Edward kissed her brow. "I will be careful and I'll watch out for Harry. I have to go. I love you so much, my Hermione."
"I love you too, my Ced."
Bella watched Hermione silently wiped her tears as Edward stepped away to join the other champions. Hermione went to the stands and sat beside Ginny and Mrs. Diggory. The woman squeezed her hand in a motherly way. They tried to cheer as Edward's name was called and he waved to the crowd before he entered the maze.
The scene faded but Bella found herself on the same spot. Harry and Edward appeared into the thin air. Edward landed on his back and Harry landed in top of him, holding the cup and crying. "HE'S BACK! HE KILLED HIM!" cried Harry.
Bella already knew that this was the moment Edward died as Cedric Diggory, but she couldn't help herself from crying as well. She saw Hermione and Mrs. Diggory looked at Edward's figure with widened eyes. They rushed and made it down the stands, near the maze where Edward landed. Bella decided not to follow them. She just didn't want to see a dead person. Besides, she knew that Edward was alive.
"No, no, no... Love, please wake up!" she heard Hermione said anxiously. "Harry, this is not funny! Why isn't he waking up?"
"Hermione," said Harry weakly. "Voldemort is back. Peter Pettigrew killed him with the Killing Curse. He... Cedric tried to protect me. He shielded me with his body."
Hermione shook her head violently. "No!"
Mrs. Diggory was crying as well and was being held by her husband. The couple were crying over their only son's dead body. Ginny came beside Hermione to hold her, but Hermione cried so hard and she just fainted.
Bella silently wiped her tears. She felt sorry for Hermione, but she would never tell her that. The grounds and stands were replaced by hospital walls and beds. Harry and Hermione were lying on the beds next to each other. A group of redheads were surrounding them, and a black, shabby dog.
Hermione stirred and Ginny instantly came to her side. "Mione?" she called gently.
"Cedric," she mumbled while looking to Ginny's eyes. Chocolate brown eyes met honey ones.
Ginny bit her lower lip and shook her head. Hermione cried again. Silently, this time. Her eyes darted to the black dog. "Snuffles," she called affectionately.
The dog leapt to its feet and went to Hermione's side. Hermione patted the dog's head. "Gin, leave us, please," she asked politely.
Ginny nodded and squeezed Hermione's hand before pulling down the curtains around her bed.
The black dog turned to a good looking man with long, curly hair and wearing black robes. Hermione sat on her bed and leaned her back on the headboard. The man sat on the edge of the bed, looking at Hermione like a loving father.
Hermione reached for her wand on the bedside table and placed Silencing Charms around her bed. "Sirius," she called gently after putting her wand back on the table.
"Hermione." Sirius reached for her hand and squeezed it. "I'm so sorry for what happened."
"How's Harry?" she asked weakly.
"Not good. I was actually angry at Dumbledore for asking Harry to tell what happened in the maze instead of bringing him straight here to rest. He was just brought here less than an hour ago. Turns out, the Cup was a Portkey. Harry and Cedric decided to take the Cup together, for Hogwarts' glory. But they were transported to a graveyard where Voldemort and Wormtail were waiting. Cedric spotted them and stepped in, hiding Harry behind him. But Voldemort, who looked like a baby, ordered Wormtail to 'kill the spare'. With a ritual, he gained a new body, according to Harry. And he has the same power."
Hermione stared on the curtain and tears were falling from her eyes. "Cedric. He died with the Killing Curse. Do you think he suffered?"
Sirius smoothed Hermione's hair like a loving father. For a moment, Bella tried to recall when Charlie ever did that gesture to her.
I don't think I ever allowed him, she reminded herself.
"It was quick," replied Sirius. "It was like being stunned and being put to sleep at the same time. Peter quickly follows orders. He doesn't play, unlike Bella. She's insane. She's a monster. Had she been the one assisting Voldemort, she would surely play with your boyfriend before taking her master's order to kill him."
Bella froze. Bella Who? Is this the reason why Granger would always call me 'Isabella' or 'Miss Swan'? Because there's a woman out there whose nickname is Bella and she's insane.
"Bella?" asked Hermione with a frown.
"You've heard about her. My cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, wife of Rodulphus Lestrange in papers only, but she is madly, crazy in love with Voldemort. I believe, she was his mistress," replied Sirius. "She was named as the Dark Lord most loyal servant. She would do anything for him. She's obsessed."
Hermione frowned. "But why? Was Voldemort ever good looking?"
Sirius nodded. "He was very handsome before his downfall, very intelligent. Everyone expected him to work at the ministry after graduation, but little did they know that he had other plans. He became very powerful and Bella thought he's perfect. She met him when she was fourteen, during one of the tea parties my mother hosted. At that time, he was silently recruiting. Well, my parents weren't Death Eaters, but they completely agreed with his plans."
"But why did Bellatrix marry another person if she was in love with Voldemort?"
"Voldemort believed that he would never need a heir, so he wasn't in need of a Dark Lady. Bella followed her parents' orders. She married Lestrange, but every night, she would appear to Voldemort's side. Harry saw Dumbledore's memories of her trial. She sat on her chair during her trial like it was her throne. She never denied her loyalty and yelled at everyone in the courtroom that her Lord will come back and she will be rewarded. I knew it, she was really insane."
At first, Hermione didn't say anything. She hugged her knees and stared at the curtain. "So, Ced didn't feel any pain," she said after a few moments, her tears falling down her cheeks.
Sirius sat beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Hermione rested her head on his shoulder. "Harry's father was your best friend, right? You were like brothers. Madam Rosmerta said once that you were inseparable."
"Uhm," replied Sirius.
"How did you feel when James Potter died? How does it feel to lose your best friend?"
"Incomplete. It felt like, my heart will never be whole again. There will always be one piece that's missing."
"How did you accept that he's gone?"
"Harry. I kept on thinking that he died protecting his son and wife. He didn't die like a coward. He fought for his family until the very end. I don't know what exactly happened, but that's how I picture James' death. He stood against Voldemort and shielded his family. It was hard accepting that he's gone, while I was in Azkaban, and I thought I'd lose my sanity. But James is the kind of person who would sacrifice himself for his loved one. I always knew that he would die for his family."
"He's not just my boyfriend, you know? Cedric. He was my best friend. My first friend ever. And Voldemort got rid of him like he was some dirt on his shoes," she said angrily, ignoring the tears on her eyes and cheeks. "I'm going to fight with Harry. We're going to fight him! I will do everything I can to get rid of him. No one would die of illegal curses, ever again. One day, you, Harry and I will live in a Voldemort-free world. I swear, Sirius!" she said indignantly, her face turned red.
Sirius' hold tightened and he kissed her forehead. "That's my girl!"
Hermione buried her head to Sirius' chest and allowed silence to envelope them. Hermione sighed and closed her eyes until the nurse called outside the curtain. Sirius turned back to a black dog and Hermione waved her wand to open the curtains. Hermione allowed the nurse to work and check her. Ginny and this time, Ron and Harry, came to her side. When the nurse left, Hermione drew back the curtains and the dog transformed again and Sirius sat beside her. He chatted with Ginny, Harry and Ron about the recent events.
"Snuffles?" Hermione called when the trio left them.
"Yes, kitten?" he asked in a fatherly manner.
"How come you smell like soap?"
Sirius chuckled. "I took a bath in the headmaster's quarters, knowing that I would have to comfort my pup and kitten in the hospital wing."
Hermione forced a smile and allowed Sirius to hold her to sleep.
