Chapter Fifteen: "My Hero…"

However Harry, it seemed, could look after himself. Whenever Holly found him, he was looking up spells in the library or practicing them with Ron and Hermione. He seemed prepared enough.

On the day of the third task, the twenty-fourth of June, Holly received a letter from Remus she found peculiar.

Holly,

I want you to meet a friend of mine. At ten o'clock on June 24, I will be on the edge of the forest with him. Please don't tell anyone of this meeting, it's going to be a secret. It has something to do with your brother and is very important.

See you there,

Remus

Holly grinned. She hadn't seen Remus in ages! It would be wonderful to see him again. But why on earth did he want to meet her by the Forbidden Forest? And what was this friend of his he wanted her to meet? And why did he want to meet her, it seemed, right after the third task? Wouldn't it make more sense to warn her about further dangers to her brother before he went into the maze?

Holly shrugged it off. It was Remus, and one never knew what he was up to.

She was in for a surprise…

"Hermione, what are you doing?" Holly asked the bushy-haired third year in the library.

"Looking up things on animagi… Ah ha! I knew it!"

"Knew what?" Holly was confused. Hermione beamed up at her.
"We've got her! I'm sure of it! I just need to find a way to…" Hermione bit her lip, than had another idea. "Ah ha! But will that hold her… Unbreakable glass, then she couldn't…" Hermione walked off muttering. Holly had to laugh. She looked at her watch and realized she was about to be late for her Transfiguration exam.

"Oh hell!" she cried as she dashed out of the library, remembering Dumbledore's orders to look after Harry and his friends was the reason she had been in there in the first place.

When she went to lunch that day, she felt as if red was the newest 'in' color to dye your hair as she saw nearly the whole Weasley family surrounding Harry and Hermione.

"What's going on?" she whispered into Fred's ear.
"Mum and Bill came to watch the task," he informed her.

"Holly!" Mrs. Weasley beamed. "You haven't been by in ages! Why didn't you come to the World Cup with us? Fred and George were so disappointed! I mean, really, they were moping for days afterward because they didn't see you there!" Holly frowned, about to say she had attended the Quidditch World Cup, but George leaned in close to her and whispered something in her ear.

"That was our explanation for being upset when we realized Bagman cheated us out of our money."
"I'm flattered you thought of me," Holly hissed with a sarcastic smile. "How's that going by the way?"
"Later," said Fred, feeling his mother's gaze.

"My mother didn't want me to go," Holly replied, deciding to make up her own sob story. "Ever since my father died—" Mrs. Weasley's eyes welled with tears. Holly knew how emotional she got whenever Holly mentioned her father. She continued. "—Well, she doesn't really like Quidditch any more and… It just reminds her of him."
"Oh you poor dear!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed while Fred and George chortled knowingly behind her back. Holly spotted Hermione.

"Hey Hermione, what were you on about in the —" But Hermione gave her a warning look and she cut off instantly. Harry and Ron looked at them, curiously.

"Good to see you, Holly," Bill said, politely holding out his hand.
"And you too, Bill. It's been a while…"

"Not since school, eh?" He laughed. Holly nodded. She looked around at the familiar faces.

"Where's Percy?" she asked. "And Charlie? And your Dad?"
"Charlie couldn't get time off work," Bill informed her. "Neither could Dad, but… Percy, he's under some strain."
"Ah," Holly nodded, then frowned. "Why?"

"With Crouch's disappearance, it's been hard on him," Mrs. Weasley whispered. Holly nodded.

"Oh, yes, I see…" she looked past the Weasleys at the Hufflepuffs and noticed Cedric dining with his parents.
"If you would excuse me," she said politely, with a grin as she pushed past Mrs. Weasley and headed toward the Hufflepuff table. Cedric broke into a grin.
"Hey!" he cried as he gave her a friendly hug.
"Hey, thought I'd just come over and say hi!" she said, and nodded at his parents.

"Dad, Mum, this is Holly Phillips, she—"
"No relation to… Jason Phillips, is there?" Mr. Diggory interrupted.

"Um, yes, actually," Holly nodded. Mr. Diggory cringed.
"Oh that man was wild, wasn't he? Awful man, always arguing, never happy until he got his way…" Mrs. Diggory delicately touched her husband's arm.
"Amos, I recall you mentioning something about bravery in that man…" she said, softly. Mr. Diggory smiled at his wife.

"Of course, dear, I was just kidding! Would I ever speak ill of the deceased? He was a great man, Holly. I was lucky to work with him."

Cedric forced a laugh and Holly heard him utter to his father, "Dad, sometimes your jokes aren't funny!" Mr. Diggory grunted and gave his son a stern, but proud look. He then turned to Holly.

"Of course, we're very proud of our Cedric, making it into the competition… Shame Harry Potter had to come in and steal the limelight yet again…"

"Dad…" Cedric muttered, warningly.

"Of course, we all know Cedric will show them all in the end. Cedric's tied with him, you know. In the lead. He's going to get to that cup before Harry is, aren't you, Cedric?" Mr. Diggory playfully punched the boy.

"Dad…" Cedric said again, this time slightly embarrassed. Holly saw the color rising in his cheeks.

"He's a good son, and we all know who deserves that cup, don't we?" Holly forced a laugh.

"Um, yeah, I'm really proud of Cedric too…"
"Dad, did I mention Harry Potter is one of Holly's best friends?" Mr. Diggory looked taken aback.
"Surely that's not true! You aren't a friend of his?" Holly nodded, slowly. Mr. Diggory took up his proud stance again, however. "Well then, I'm sorry, but the truth must be heard! Did you know Cedric beat him in that Quidditch match last hear?"

"Dad, it was unfair, Harry fell off his broom—"
"But you didn't know that until after you caught the Snitch, isn't that right?" Mr. Diggory grinned. "Therefore, it's not cheating!"
"I never said it was cheating, I said it was an unfair victory," Cedric said though gritted teeth. "And besides, Gryffindor ended up winning the Quidditch Cup anyway." Mr. Diggory grunted.

"Do they always have to take the glory away from the truly wonderful house? Hufflepuff deserved that victory, they haven't had a victory in years!" Holly instantly drew her black robes closer around her and tried to hide any crimson and gold she was wearing.

"Dad," Cedric muttered. "Holly's in Gryffindor."
"Oh, well then, I apologize, but again, the truth can hurt sometimes!"

"Amos…" His wife warned. Mr. Diggory subsided.
"Well, it was nice to meet you, Holly. Any relative of Jason's is a friend of mine. Your father was a good man."
"Thank you, Mr. Diggory," Holly smiled, politely, than looked urgently at Cedric.

"Um, Mum, Dad? Me and Holly will be right back, OK?"

As they exited the castle onto the grounds, Holly was in fits of laughter.

"What's so funny?" Cedric demanded.

"Your father!" she cried. "He's great!"

"He's not great… He always has to make me live up to his standards… Do you know how hard that is?"
"Relax!" Holly cried. "It can't be that bad."

"Well it is," he said with a sigh. "Don't you have an exam next?"

"No, I don't have a class next." Holly grinned as an idea occurred to her. She reached down and picked up a twig from the grass.
"What are you doing?" Cedric asked, suspiciously.

"Showing you what you once showed me," she replied as she transfigured the stick into a soft white rose. He smiled.

"Thanks…" he said, taking the rose. "I'll keep this one."
"I bet you will. Every time your father annoys you, just look at that rose and remember you can always complain about him to me. But also remember, he probably just wants what's best for you."
"Where'd you get that kind of wisdom, Holly?" Cedric laughed.

"I don't know… It's poetic, kind of, though, isn't it?" They both chuckled and approached the lake.

"It's a beautiful day for the Third Task, isn't it?" she commented.

"Yeah, it is," Cedric replied, looking up at the blue sky. "The lake is calm today." Holly nodded as she approached its edge. There was silence for a moment.

"I'm sorry I got mad at you, Holly," Cedric said, finally, staring out across the lake so as not to meet Holly's eyes.
"Sorry?" Holly said, confused.

"When you… Back in the hall. I should have understood, but I… I just couldn't. The way you were acting and that kiss… I could have sworn… I thought we were meant for each other, I really did." There was another moment of silence.

"I still do," Holly finally said. Cedric looked at her and frowned. It was her turn to stare out across the lake.

"What?"

"I know how you feel now, Cedric," she said in a whisper. "Loving someone who doesn't love you back…" Cedric took her by the shoulders with a crazy smile.
"But Holly!" he cried. "I… I do love you back! I've never stopped!" Holly stared at him, aghast.

"But… But what about Cho!"
"I… I love her too…" Cedric muttered, looking at the grass. "She's always been there for me. And… And I think I really do love her… She stood by me when you… you rejected me and she consoled me. My other friends just gave me room. I asked for solitude but Cho wouldn't let me have it. She knew, despite what I said, that I needed a friend, even before I knew it. And she's so gentle and caring and… beautiful…" Holly nodded, pulling away from his grip on her shoulders.

"I understand," she said, looking down into the depths of the dark lake.

"Don't get me wrong," he said, looking across it once more into the Forbidden Forest. "Once someone stumbles into that hole in the heart that people call love, I don't think they can ever climb out again, not even after the person they fell in love with is gone. Not even after they both die. It's one of the few things in life that always lasts, I think, and sometimes that's a good thing and sometimes it isn't. But Holly, you were the first person I ever truly loved and I will never forget that. Never. I'll always be in love with you, Holly, but I know now that it was never meant to be."
"How do you know?" Holly demanded, her eyes imploring. "We never even tried."
"If it was meant to be, it would have happened," Cedric replied, looking very distant. "Cho loves me, and I love her, and I am not about to break her heart just because you realized you were in love with me. Remember what I told you about you not being the center of the universe? Maybe it's better this way."
"But you said it yourself! You're in love with me too! Why can't we just—"

"Holly!" Cedric finally turned to her, a painful, yet determined expression in his eyes. "I don't know how to explain it. I will always love you, Holly, and I will always remember that kiss… I'll never forget it. But I am with Cho now, and that is where I intend on staying." Holly nodded, finally accepting it.

"I understand…" she said, her heart feeling very heavy in her chest. They both stared out at the lake for a second. Holly was about to turn around and return to the castle when her foot slipped. Something reached up and grabbed it. She yelped as she fell backwards into the water. When she surfaced again, she screamed. She seemed to be floating farther out into the lake.
"HOLLY!" Cedric screamed, and he shed his robes and jumped in after her.

The water was like ice around her, even in the warm summer June day. She couldn't feel anything, she couldn't see anything but black. She felt as if cold bony fingers were clenching her lungs and squeezing all the air out of her. She tried to scream, but there was no breath left in her to do so as the murky water engulfed her. She felt a slimy tentacle around her angle and struggled to free herself.

A hand grabbed onto her wrist swiftly, but she pulled away from it.
"NO!" she tried to say, but she couldn't. The hand made for her flailing wrist again and whoever it was pulled her up, away from the tentacle that was still squeezing her ankle. She opened her eyes to see the strong body of Cedric Diggory pulling her up to the surface. She felt as if her lungs were on fire. She couldn't breathe; she felt as if her ribs were crushing her lungs.

"Cedric…" she muttered as her head began to feel extremely light. It lolled back and she fell unconscious.

Cedric pulled at Holly's arm, trying desperately to bring her to the surface, but she was heavier than he thought. He couldn't go up for air, for fear of loosing Holly. He tried hard to heave her limp body up. As his head broke the surface, he screamed.

"HELP!" he cried, as loud as he could before he went under again. Something was pulling her down, he was sure of it. He swam down to Holly's foot and yanked at the slimy tentacle that had wound itself up her calf. He tore at it furiously. For a moment, he was terrified. Was Holly dead? Had he lost her forever?

The thought struck him and he froze, the tentacle in hand. He tried to look up at Holly and her head lolling on her shoulders as she fell deeper into the water, her hair waving about her in the water independently. He then turned back to the tentacle and remembered for the first time after diving in the lake that he had magic. He tore out is wand and blasted a spell at the strong tentacle. It drew back and let go of Holly's leg.

The young girl fell through the water like a rag doll. Cedric immediately grabbed her under her elbows and pulled her up, kicking furiously with his legs.

When he reached the surface once more, Holly felt heavier than ever.
"HELP!" he shrieked once more. This one, he noticed three figures in the distance that started running towards him. He and Holly went under once more, but this time only briefly as Cedric gave a powerful kick to push them up once more. With his free hand, he helped his legs tread water. As they came nearer, Cedric could identify the figures.
"Harry!" he screamed, pulling Holly up. "Holly—She was pulled in!"

"WHAT?!" He heard Harry scream and pick up the pace. When he arrived, he too dove into the lake and swam out to retrieve the girl. With one of Holly's arms draped over Cedric and the other over Harry, the two young men pulled Holly to the shore, where Bill and Mrs. Weasley were waiting anxiously. They pulled Holly out and Cedric started pushing on her chest to try and get the water out.

"Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation!" Harry cried. The three conscious people looked at him, silently asking 'What?'

"It's a Muggle thing…" Harry muttered. "I panicked." Cedric pulled out his wand again and muttered something and the misty spell seemed to enter through Holly's mouth. There was a few seconds of silence while everyone waited, on edge. Finally, there was a sharp intake of breath from the victim and she began to cough up water. Cedric beamed at her and she opened her eyes briefly and smiled up at him.

"My hero…" she muttered, before falling unconscious once more.