*As a warning, there will be self-harm in this chapter*
Vanessa, Fred, and George had made up after the second task. She had found out that Fred hadn't told George about her feelings. She didn't want to spend any more time apart from them and thought it was best to keep her feelings between the two of them. On April 1st, she had a cake made for their seventeenth birthday, a cake that splattered them in green goo when they cut into it.
She was also spending more time with her brother, figuring out what his third and final task would be. She spent meals with Viktor as well, not wanting to lose out on their remaining time together. The time between tasks also saw a friendship develop between her and Fleur. She was still so grateful to her, for the kindness Vanessa had shown her sister before the second task.
The Beauxbatons champion also helped Vanessa realize something that she hadn't about herself. The few times they had spent talking and getting to know each other, Fleur quickly realized that Vanessa was very hard on herself, and aside from the ball, never really felt confident. But Fleur helped her realize otherwise. Granted, most of this was because the blonde would force her to stand in front of a mirror and list off the things she liked about herself. But it was a welcome change.
Hermione and Ginny didn't like her new friendship, but considering the two were younger than her, they came to terms with the fact that she would eventually want some girlfriends her age. Vanessa told them that no one would ever replace them though, making both girls very happy.
Time flew by. Vanessa turned seventeen on June 13th. She took and passed her Apparition test the Saturday after her birthday and spent that evening at the Three Broomsticks with her brother, the twins, Viktor, Fleur, Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Harry to celebrate. It was a perfect way to end a wonderful week.
The night before the last task, Professor Snape had come to retrieve Vanessa from the library, telling her that she was to go to the trophy room in the Great Hall. She arrived in the Hall during dinner time and made her way to the room, just beyond the door of the staff table.
She was immediately greeted by her mother, who hugged her tightly. "Vanessa, your brother has just been telling us of the second task. I can't believe you didn't write to me to tell me." She ushered her over to where her father was standing with Cedric.
"Hello dad," she said, giving him a hug, which he half-heartedly gave back, before turning back to talk to Cedric. Her brother unexpectedly turned on their father, rather annoyed.
"You need to stop treating her like a second class citizen. She's your daughter."
"Ced, now is not the time to talk about this." The other champions and their families had looked over at the Diggorys. Vanessa noticed Molly and Bill Weasley had come to be there for Harry.
Cedric leaned down and lowered his voice. "I'm tired of you treating her the way you do. Every time we're all together, you act like she's a piece of garbage. She's your flesh and blood."
"Don't worry about it, Ced. He's never going to change," Vanessa said. Viktor had waved Vanessa over to him, and she walked away from her family, not wanting to be around her father.
Viktor put his arm around her and introduced him proudly to his parents, his mother even going so far as to hug Vanessa. "Our son has told us much about you, Miss Diggory. You are every bit as beautiful as he mentioned in his letters.
Her cheeks turned a shade of red. He had talked about her to his parents too? It was flattering. As she spoke to his parents, her father came over to them, grabbing her roughly by the arm. "Come back to your brother now. You have no business talking to these people." He pulled her back to his wife and son, his arm still roughly gripping her.
"Amos, let her go now," her mother said, her tone angry and cold.
All eyes on the room were back on the Diggory family. Cedric and Mrs. Diggory looked furious.
"I refuse to have my daughter whoring around. It's bad enough Cedric had to share the mantle of champion with Potter. My daughter won't be sleeping around with his competition as well."
Cedric pushed his father, his hand finally leaving Vanessa's arm. She looked down at the handprint on her arm and then at her brother. She was shaking. She couldn't believe what he had just done. Mrs. Weasley came up to them, standing next to Mrs. Diggory and laying a hand on Vanessa's shoulder.
"What the bloody hell are you looking at Weasley? I see you're here to support that false champion."
Bill was at his mother's side a moment later, looking furious. "Don't you dare speak to my mother like that."
The Delacours and Krums had come over to see what had been going on, all of them looking disgusted at how Amos had talked to his daughter.
"Amos, I think you should leave." It was her mother who had spoken, her voice shaking.
"No, I am here for my son. I'm not leaving."
A sinister voice spoke from the corner of the room. "Mr. Diggory, I agree with your wife. It is time for you to leave. Please do not bother coming back tomorrow."
Everyone in the room turned around, seeing Snape standing there. Harry looked stunned that the man who was normally so cruel would step up for someone the way he was.
Mr. Diggory started to speak, but Snape put up his hand. "Mr. Diggory, you'll come with me now, or I'll be getting the Headmaster."
Amos looked at his wife and son before staring daggers at Vanessa. "You are no daughter of mine, you whore."
She snapped. Amos was sent flying across the room where he was slammed hard against the wall. He fell to the floor in a heap. Everyone in the room was looking at her now.
She heard Fleur and Viktor's parents speak of magic they had never seen before. Molly and Bill looked at her like she was a completely different person than the one they had known all these years. Snape looked at her with what seemed like pride. Harry, Fleur, and Viktor just stood there looking at her in shock.
Her mother was crying. Mrs. Weasley had a comforting arm around her. Cedric moved to his sister and held her in his arms. "I'm sorry Ness. I never expected him to do something like that, to say what he said to you. I'll never forgive him." She felt tears rolling down her cheeks, not realizing she had even started to cry.
Dumbledore had entered the room, surveying the scene around him. Snape had told the headmaster what happened. The Headmaster and Snape walked over to the heap that was Amos Diggory and awoke him, Snape dragging him out of the room moments later.
The Headmaster turned to the families. "I am sorry to all of you for having to witness that. Please feel free to join the feast in the Great Hall." He swept through the door without another word. The Delacours and Krums followed him, Viktor looking over his shoulder at Vanessa as he went.
Bill and Harry followed, but Mrs. Weasley remained, holding on tight to her friend.
"We should get to the Great Hall," Mrs. Diggory spoke after several minutes of crying. "Tonight is about Cedric, not about Amos."
Mrs. Weasley took out her wand and waved it in Mrs. Diggory's face. She hadn't looked like she had been crying. "Come on dear; we'll walk out together."
Cedric looked back down at Vanessa, wiping the tears from her cheek. "'I'm so sorry. I knew it was bad, but I never knew it was that bad. I figured things were better after the Quidditch World Cup this summer, but I was wrong."
She hugged her brother tighter. If you asked anyone, Vanessa would tell you that Cedric has been more of a father figure to her, even though he was less than a year older than her. "I love you Ced."
"I love you too Ness."
The pair walked out of the trophy room and into the Great Hall. It appeared most of the school had heard the commotion from the other side of the door. Vanessa had started to walk towards the Slytherin table, but her brother took her hand and pulled her toward the Hufflepuff table. "Champions families sit with them tonight," Cedric said, sitting between Vanessa and their mother.
They ate in silence, as rumors about what had happened in the trophy room circulated the Great Hall. Most of the school had seen Mr. Diggory being escorted out of the castle, leading to so much speculation as to what happened.
"I need to get out of here." She looked over at her brother and mother, both of whom understood. She leaned over to hug Cedric, before standing up and moving to kiss her mother on the cheek. She walked quickly out of the Great Hall and out of the castle, heading down to the Black Lake.
Unbeknownst to anyone, Vanessa had dealt with depression from a very young age. While her mother tried to help her with various potions, it had never helped. The constant hate she would receive from her father drove her over the edge. He made her feel worthless, and after tonight, she felt that more than ever.
Fred and George both watched her leave. "Mum, I'm sorry, but we need to go," said George. They had been told of the horrible things Mr. Diggory had said to her and were livid.
Before their mother could protest, they were headed out of the Great Hall after Vanessa. She was already so far ahead of them. They looked around, unsure where she was heading before seeing her take off towards the Black Lake. As they proceeded to watch her, they realized she wasn't heading to her usual spot along the lake; no, she was heading into the lake itself.
They watched as she slowly walked into the depths of the lake and disappeared beneath the surface. She wasn't coming up. Both boys ran to the edge of the lake and kicked off their shoes, and threw their shirts on the grass as they went into the lake after her.
It was George who emerged moments later, their best friend lifeless in his arms. "Fred, get to the castle now. She's not breathing." He placed her down on the grass and looked down at her. "Come on Ness, not like this. I can't lose you before I've even had the chance to tell you I love you."
Fred came out of the water behind him, grabbing his shirt from the grass and running as fast as he could up to the castle. He returned several minutes later with McGonagall, Snape, and Madam Pomfrey. Beyond them, Cedric, Mrs. Diggory, Mrs. Weasley, and Bill were running towards them.
Snape knelt down next to her and took out his wand, silently muttering incantations.
"Poppy, go get a bed ready for her," McGonagall said.
Fred leaned down next to George, who was still clutching her hand like his life depended on it.
"What the hell happened?" Cedric asked, looking over at the twins with fury in his eyes.
"We saw her walking into the lake when we came out after her. But she didn't come out," George said, tears pouring down his face.
"We went in after her. George got to her first. She wasn't breathing," Fred finished before looking at Snape. "Professor, please tell us she's going to be okay."
Snape finished his incantations and looked up at the group around them. "She'll be fine. Miss Diggory is nothing if not resilient. She'll need to spend the night in the hospital wing."
Mrs. Diggory was crying again, Cedric holding her in his arms. Snape went to pick Vanessa up, but George had beaten him to it. "I'll carry her."
Snape nodded, standing from his spot and leading the twins back into the castle, followed by Cedric and Mrs. Diggory. Mrs. Weasley and Bill made their way back to the rest of their family to inform them of what had happened. Ginny then informed Viktor, who was ready to go to the hospital wing, until Ginny told him that it was best if he waited until the morning.
Vanessa woke in the middle of the night, feeling a heavy weight upon her chest, causing her to panic and scream out. She sat bolt upright, looking around. "Where am I?" she asked breathlessly.
A familiar hand squeezed hers as she found George sitting next to her, his eyes red. To her left, another hand grabbed hers. It was her mother.
"Oh, thank goodness you're awake." Her mother was on her feet, wrapping her daughter in her arms and kissing the top of her head. "I was so worried."
"What happened?"
"You tried to drown yourself in the lake." Fred had spoken up. He was sitting next to George.
She looked at him, and then his brother, who nodded his head.
"Thankfully, these two ran after you and saved you." Cedric had moved from the seat next to his mother to sit on the edge of her bed.
"Well, I can only take credit for the running after you part. George was the one who grabbed you and pulled you out."
She squeezed George's hand, silently thanking him. "I'm sorry Ced. You shouldn't be here right now. You should be sleeping. Tomorrow is a big day."
"You're my sister, and you mean more to me than this tournament. I'm going to kill Dad next time I see him though."
"Cedric, go to bed now. I'll be fine. And don't go killing anyone. You should get some sleep too Mum. Are you staying in the village?"
"No, Professor McGonagall set up a room for me next to her office. But I want to stay with you."
Madam Pomfrey had come out of her room and walked over to the bed. "Actually, Miss Diggory really should be left alone. I have more potions that I need to administer. She needs her rest if she wants to attempt to attend the third task tomorrow."
Cedric held his arm out for her mother, and the two took off. Madam Pomfrey then turned to the twins. George's hand hadn't left her's the entire time she had been in the hospital wing. "I know you two don't want to leave, but I must insist." They both leaned down and kissed her cheek before taking off.
Madam Pomfrey proceeded to administer the potions and asked the young Slytherin if she needed to worry about her causing any further harm to herself. When Vanessa assured her that she was fine, she drifted off back to sleep, ready to forget the past day ever happened.
She awoke the next morning, Madam Pomfrey attending to her right away. "Your mother and brother have been to see you this morning. I had only allowed them in. Mrs. Weasley, and three of her sons, her daughter, Miss Granger, and Mr. Krum were also trying to see you. Mr. Krum and the twins are still waiting outside."
"Can they come in?"
"That will be fine. But only three visitors at a time. Besides, an hour after you take this last potion, you'll be free to leave."
Vanessa nodded as the matron went to let Viktor, Fred, and George in. The twins didn't look like they had slept at all.
Madam Pomfrey conjured chairs for the three of them around her bed, and they took their seats.
"How are you, Vanessa?" Viktor had spoken before either of the twins, leaving them both looking annoyed.
"I'm fine. But shouldn't you be getting ready for the third task?"
"I had to come to see you first. I was told not to come last night." He shot a glare over at the twins before smiling back down at her. "I'm so sorry about what happened yesterday. My parents were disgusted by your father's attitude."
"It doesn't matter. He's not a part of my life anymore, not after that. But please, you should go get ready. This is a big day."
Viktor stood up and leaned down to kiss her gently on the lips, leaning his head against hers for a moment before turning and heading out of the hospital wing.
She turned towards Fred and George, who were glaring after the Bulgarian. "Would you two stop?"
They turned their attention back to her, the glare not leaving their faces.
"What the bloody hell were you thinking, Nessa?" Fred's tone scared Vanessa slightly.
"Fred, calm down." George reached out to grab her hand, seeing her shaking.
"She tried to kill herself yesterday, and I'm supposed to calm down?"
The tears came before she could stop them. "I'm sorry," she got out between sobs. "You don't understand."
"What the bloody hell are you two doing?" Mrs. Weasley was storming up to Vanessa's bed. She looked down at Vanessa crying, and the look on Fred's face. "Both of you out, now."
"I didn't do anything Mum," George said in protest.
Mrs. Weasley gave him a stern look, and he dropped Vanessa's hand and got up. Fred followed his brother, and they both disappeared through the double doors.
"There there dear," Mrs. Weasley was wrapping Vanessa in her arms. "I'm sorry about my sons."
Vanessa let out a laugh as she wiped the tears from her eyes. "You've been saying that for as long as we've been friends."
"And I'm sure I'll be saying it for years to come."
Moments later, her mother and brother came through the doors. Cedric was carrying something in his arms.
"Thank you for coming to check on her Molly," her mother said to her friend. "Can I talk to you for a moment?"
Molly nodded and headed over to the door with Mrs. Diggory.
"I brought you a change of clothes for today." Cedric set down a pair of black jeans, boots, and his Hufflepuff Quidditch jersey. "Figured you would want to wear it after stealing my jumper for the first task. I want that back by the way."
"You'll never get it," she smiled up at him. "I'm sorry."
Cedric looked at her, a confused look on his face.
"You didn't need all that before today."
"I just wished you would have talked to me. I knew you were dealing with this, but I didn't know how bad it was. I'm always going to be here for you Vanessa, till we're old and grey."
She grabbed his hand and pulled him into a hug. "Promise?"
"Always."
He helped her out of bed, and she took the clothes he had brought her into the bathroom of the hospital wing. She showered quickly, spelled her hair dry before getting dressed, and heading back out to her family, Madam Pomfrey and Mrs. Weasley.
"I trust you'll take care of yourself, Miss Diggory. You're a very talented witch, and I don't want to see you back in here for something like this."
"Yes, Madam Pomfrey."
She walked back to her office, and the rest of them walked out of the hospital wing.
Everyone was murmuring as she entered the Great Hall, talking about what had happened to her the night before. She sat at the Hufflepuff table with her brother and mother. She was glad no one was mentioning her father.
Professor Dumbledore came to get the Diggorys, Harry, Molly, and Bill shortly after breakfast and told them all that they were to meet him at the Quidditch pitch in an hour for the final task.
They spent that hour contemplating what was awaiting the champions. An hour seemed to fly by, as they found themselves with the Krums, Delacours, Professor Karakaroff, Madame Maxime, and Professor Dumbledore. Many had wondered if the tournament should continue with the drama surrounding the now dead Barty Crouch. But Ludo Bagman and the Minister of Magic insisted.
"Well, now that you're all here, let's get going." Ludo Bagman led the group into a clearing. The whole pitch was now overgrown with hedges. Cheers erupted as the crowds looked down upon the champions from the stands. They weren't the normal Quidditch stands but were shorter, wider, and able to accommodate more people.
Ludo positioned the champions at what looked to be four different entry points of the maze. Various professors, including McGonagall, Snape, Moody, and Hagrid were patrolling the maze's perimeter.
"Welcome to the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Hidden inside this maze is the Triwizard Cup. The first champion to find the cup will be crowned Triwizard champion and be awarded one-thousand galleons. The champions will enter based on current scores. Mr. Diggory and Mr. Potter are tied for first and will enter at the same time. Mr. Krum will follow five minutes afterwards, and Miss Delacour five minutes after Mr. Krum. If ever you find yourself in danger and would like to be removed from the tournament, just shoot warning sparks into the air. The tournament will begin in five minutes." Ludo removed his wand from this throat and nodded at the headmasters and headmistress, all of whom turned to their respective champions and their families.
"This maze is not as easy as it sounds. There will be various obstacles in your way. Find the cup if you can, but be careful. You might just lose yourself along the way."
At Dumbledore's words, Vanessa hugged Cedric. "You'll be okay?"
"I promise. I'll see you when all this is done, and I've won." He smiled down and kissed her forehead.
"I love you Ced."
"I love you too Ness."
"Always," they said in unison.
A loud bang erupted, signaling for Cedric and Harry to enter. Vanessa, her mother, Mrs. Weasley, and Bill all went to sit in the family section that had been roped off. The rest of the Weasleys and Hermione were already there waiting. Vanessa went to sit down next to the twins; Fred immediately apologizing for acting like a git. She assured him she had deserved it.
The bang occurred two more times after that, once for Viktor and then for Fleur. And then, everyone waited. No one knew what was happening in the maze. After a while, red sparks shot into the air, and Fleur exited the maze looking panicked. Red sparks shot out again shortly after that, Viktor next to come out of the maze, looking dazed. Both students were talking furiously with the heads of their respective schools.
Everyone in the stands was muttering curiously, wondering what was happening in the maze. Dumbledore, Ludo Bagman, and Cornelius Fudge had all been brought in at that point; still, no one knew what was happening. But it wasn't good.
A feeling came over Vanessa, one that she had only felt once before. At that time, her brother had been seriously injured during a Quidditch game. But this wasn't Quidditch; this was much worse. She just knew it. She looked over at the group of people still talking, at the scared look on Fleur and even Viktor's faces. His eyes met hers, and she knew.
"Something is wrong with Ced." She spoke so low that only the twins could hear her.
"He's fine, Nessa. Probably just ran into something in the maze," George said next to her.
"No, something is seriously wrong. I can feel it."
"Like when something happens to George, and I just know it happens?" She looked over at Fred and nodded. He looked at his twin over her head and then back at the maze.
That's when it happened. Harry and Cedric reappeared, holding the Triwizard Cup. The crowds around them burst into applause. He wasn't moving. Her brother wasn't moving. And Harry wasn't letting him go. She stood up, but the twins grabbed her to stop her from running down to her brother.
"Let me go." She was crying already.
"No. You shouldn't be down there." She wasn't sure which one spoke, but she knew she had to be with her brother. Maybe she could help him. She heard her mother scream next to Mrs. Weasley. Silence fell upon the crowd. Dumbledore moved to Harry and Cedric and called the professors who blocked the boys from view.
Vanessa cast a silent spell that heated her body and forced the twins to remove their hold from her. She ran down and pushed her way past the teachers. Moody had just taken Harry away. She fell to the ground next to her brother, her sobs intensifying.
"No, Ced, you promised. You promised me you were going to be fine. You promised me you wouldn't leave me." She took out her wand and muttered every healing spell she knew before tossing her wand aside and trying to use wandless magic. But none of it was working. "Please, Ced." She looked down at his pale face, his body cold.
"Miss Diggory. We should take you and your mother into the castle. We can bring your brother's body up with you so you can be alone."
But she couldn't move. She continued to look down at his lifeless body. This wasn't how it was supposed to happen.
She was being helped up by Professor McGonagall moments later. Professor Sprout, Cedric's head of house, had conjured a blanket to cover his body.
"Pomona, Filius, inform the students that they are to go to their houses immediately. Minerva, Severus, please take the Diggorys to my office for privacy. Molly Weasley is welcome to join them. Don't try and stop the twins. They'll put up a fight to be there for Miss Diggory. I have to go find Harry."
They were in Dumbledore's office a while later. A table had been conjured for Cedric's body. Mrs. Diggory hadn't left his side since they arrived. Sure enough, Mrs. Weasley had come with them, followed closely by Fred and George. They found Vanessa sobbing in a corner of the office. They both moved to the floor to sit with her, and she cried onto George's shoulder while Fred took her hand.
Hours had gone by, and still nothing. Hagrid had come to get Snape and McGonagall, saying that Dumbledore needed them immediately and that he would wait outside the door.
Vanessa had finally stopped crying, but she hadn't moved from where she sat with the twins. The door burst open hours later. Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Sprout all came into the room. Professor Sprout went to talk to Mrs. Diggory as Dumbledore sat behind his desk and began to recount what he was told had happened that night in the maze.
He had also told them that Barty Crouch Jr., under the disguise of Mad-Eye Moody, had been the reason Fleur and Viktor had been disqualified from the tournament. The man had stunned Fleur and put the Imperius Curse on Viktor, forcing him to hit Cedric with the Cruciatus curse. Voldemort set it up for Harry to win so he could return to power that night.
Once he had finished, Vanessa was back on her feet before the twins realized she had moved, her wand clutched in her hand so hard her knuckles were turning white. "Where is he? I'll kill him."
Dumbledore sighed. "I'm sorry to say Miss Diggory, but the Minister has already seen to Barty Crouch Jr's demise."
There was a knock on the door a moment later. Harry had walked in. He looked from Vanessa to Mrs. Diggory, then back to Vanessa. His eyes were apologetic.
"Molly, Fred, George, while I know it is appreciated that you are here, I must ask you to wait outside for a few moments," Dumbledore said, nodding at Molly.
She nodded and took the twins out of the office, much to their protests. The Headmaster had Harry tell the complete story of what had happened, from the cup being a portkey to the return of Voldemort. Kill the spare, he had said. She wanted to kill Voldemort at that moment. It was the name of Peter Pettigrew that was now etched in her brain though. He was the one who killed her brother, and when the day came, she would be the one to kill him.
The night dragged on, Vanessa hardly paying attention to anything else that was being said. The school was going to have a memorial for Cedric on the last day of the term. Vanessa's mother was not going to stay, stating that she now had a funeral to plan, and she wanted to take her son's body. She and Molly walked out of the office as Harry turned to Vanessa.
"I want you to have this. It should have been Cedric's." He was holding out a bag, and it hit her, it was the winnings from the tournament.
She looked at the raven-haired boy who had been with her brother in his final moments. "I don't want it. You and Ced won the tournament together. You should keep it."
"I don't want it either."
An idea struck her, and she leaned toward him so no one else could hear them. "Give it to the twins. For their joke shop."
Harry nodded and looked at her. "I'm so sorry Vanessa. I tried to save him."
"I don't blame you, Harry. Did he suffer?"
"It happened so fast. I don't think he could have."
She nodded and turned to leave, but Professor Dumbledore called for her to stay. He dismissed everyone but she and Professor Snape.
"Normally, this would have been done under better circumstances. I had planned to give this to you at the end of the term feast." The Headmaster handed her a green and silver pin with the words Head Girl etched upon it. He also handed her a yellow and gold pin with the words Head Boy etched on it. "You and your brother were meant to be the Head Boy and Head Girl next year. While arrangements will now have to be made, I hope that you will still do us this great honor."
"I will, for my brother."
"Miss Diggory, before I dismiss you, I must implore something upon you. Please be careful with your magic. With Voldemort back in power, you would be considered a very valuable asset to have."
She nodded at the headmaster before taking her leave from his office. Her mother and Mrs. Weasley were gone, but the twins were still there. They were always there.