It was the last day of school. We were at our tables having the Feast, as always. But today's feast was slightly different. At least for me, it was. I looked at the empty seat that Cedric used to occupy at the Hufflepuff table. Sadness began to overwhelm me again, but I struggled to control my tears. I didn't want to dampen everyone's spirit more. The atmosphere was already dark, with black draped around the whole Great Hall. It was a mark of respect for Cedric. Up till now, I still don't know how he died. I just know that he died somewhere, somehow, in the Triwizard Tournament. And that his death concerned Harry Potter, and some Portkey of some sort.

"The end," said Dumbledore, "of another year."

He looked at the sad Hufflepuff table. I looked there too. Cedric...where are you? That table will never be complete, now that you're gone.

I couldn't stop the tears anymore. They rolled down my cheeks silently.

Professor Dumbledore said some more things which I didn't quite hear, due to the fact I was crying and thinking of Cedric. But I did hear him asking us to raise our glasses to him. Cedric Diggory. My best friend. Everyone stood and raised their goblets and muttered the name, "Cedric Diggory."

The headmaster talked more about Cedric, praising his many qualities, about him being a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, and that he valued fair play. He even said that all of us would be affected by his death, whether we knew him or not. And he was going to tell us how he died.

Yes, the Professor had described Cedric so aptly. He was really a good friend. And I was really affected by his death. The tears wouldn't stop. Why wouldn't the tears stop?

"Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort."

Shocked, I looked at Dumbledore at disbelief. What? Cedric? Killed by the Dark Lord? How can that be true? Cedric had been so nice, so harmless...it was impossible for the Dark Lord to even find fault with him. But yes, You- Know-Who had always killed many innocents. And Cedric was another sacrifice in the war. He was just another innocent who got into the way of You-Know- Who.

Dumbledore talked more about the Ministry, and that any attempt to pretend Cedric died due to an accident or anything else was an insult to his memory.

I really didn't want to listen anymore. I had this urge to get away from the crowd, to run to one of the more secluded areas of the school and think things through. Cedric, murdered by You-Know-Who...and Harry Potter actually tried to battle the Dark Lord to bring Cedric's body back. For that, I was grateful. This whole thing was just so...unbelievable. But Cedric had died a brave death. And for this, I was proud of him.

The speech ended. I wiped away my tears.

It was time for everyone to start eating, but I realised that I had no appetite. I was too upset and bothered to even think about eating. Excusing myself, I went to one of the quiet places Oliver and I used to go together, when we wanted to avoid being seen. To my surprise, Oliver was there too.

"Cho? What're you doing here?" he asked, looking at me with a puzzled look.

"I could ask you the same thing," I said.

"You've been crying, Cho. I know you're upset. We all are."

Once again, I let myself get pulled into his arms.

"I'm sorry Oliver. I've been such a crybaby lately..." I said.

"Cho, if I were you I would cry even more," he responded.

He kissed me. "Let's get back to the feast. Everyone will be wondering where we are."

I nodded. Holding Oliver's hand, we walked back towards the Great Hall.