Amy Abbot let out a squeal of excitement. "Really? Where was he?
Is he okay? Can I see him?" When Dumbledore didn't answer, Amy said, a
bit hysterically, "Is he okay?"
Dumbledore looked at her. "Amy, I'm sorry. He is alive, but he is in St. Mungo's. We aren't sure exactly what is wrong with him yet."
"What do you mean? Is my baby okay?" Mrs. Diggory said in a shrill voice.
"That's why I called James and Lily here. I would like both of you to inform the school tonight of Cedric's return, and I will accompany the three of you to St. Mungo's to visit Cedric." Dumbledore explained.
Just then, a head popped up in Professor Dumbledore's fireplace. It was a portly women wearing a lime green robe. "Professor Dumbledore?" she asked into the room.
"Healer Marter. Do you have news of Mr. Diggory's condition?"
"Yes, I do. Would you like to come in, or would you prefer I tell you here?" she asked, looking around the room hesitantly.
"Here is fine. These are his parents," Dumbledore said, indicating to Mr. and Mrs. Diggory.
"It's a pleasure," Healer Marter said. "Currently, Cedric is stabilized, but from the tests we've conducted, he has been subjected to the Cruciatus curse, many times."
Mrs. Diggory let out a gasp of horror and exclaimed, "My poor baby!" and began to sob into Mr. Diggory's chest.
Healer Marter let out a sigh. "That's not all, is it Marie?" Dumbledore asked somberly.
She nodded her head. "Mr. Diggory has also appeared to lost all mobility from his chest down. Currently, he is a comatose state. We don't dare try anything on him while he is unaware."
All of the females in the room had tears streaming down their faces. Mr. Diggory looked shocked.
"Is he going to wake up?" Amy asked in a shaky voice.
"We believe so, but we don't know his mental state," Healer Marter said. "Since he is stabilized, he can have visitors. I'm going to check on him again. Visiting hours are over at 9 PM, feel free to come by any time." With that, the Healer's face disappeared.
Mrs. Diggory stood up. "Let's go see my poor baby," she said tearfully. She walked over to the fireplace and before anyone could stop her, took a handful of Floo powder, threw it into the grate, stepped in and proclaimed, "St. Mungo's Hospital!" She was swept up into the fireplace with a whoosh of green flames.
Amy stood up and followed the suit, shortly thereafter followed by Mr. Diggory. Dumbledore, James and Lily were the only three left in the room.
"Would you two like to see your fellow classmate?" Dumbledore asked them.
James nodded somberly, and Lily took a handful of Floo Powder and followed Amy's suit by not saying anything. James went next, followed by Dumbledore.
They had entered the Floo room at the hospital and exited into the waiting room. Mrs. Diggory and Amy were already gone, but Mr. Diggory was waiting for Dumbledore at the reception desk.
"I need to contact Amos, but I thought I'd tell you that Cedric is on the fourth floor. We'll both be up shortly."
Dumbledore nodded and Mr. Diggory apparated away. The three of them walked up to the fourth floor and saw Healer Marter in person.
"Hello Marie. Which room is Mr. Diggory's?" Dumbledore asked.
""Oh, hello Albus. Last door on the right. When you see him, please don't act surprised. We resorted to muggle methods. There is something else wrong, but we can't pinpoint it."
Dumbledore nodded and motioned for Lily and James to walk ahead of him. When they reached the room, James pushed open the door.
Lily let out a gasp of surprise. Cedric was hooked up to countless muggle machines. She recognized one as a muggle life support system. One was a cardio monitor and he had two IV's injected into his arm. His head was heavily bandaged. What made Lily gasp however, was the body cast that went from his chest, all the way down to his feet.
"She wasn't kidding when she said this was bad," James muttered to no one in particular.
Mrs. Diggory was sobbing again, and Amy was sitting on the bed, prodding Cedric, trying to wake him up.
Lily gasped again and dashed out of the room. James went after her.
She was sitting a few doors down, in a chair for guests to sit in while they wait. She was sobbing. James walked over to her and wordlessly put an arm around her shoulders.
Lily leaned into his embrace and sobbed into his chest. After a few minutes, she pulled away and said, "I can't believe people would willingly do that to another human being. Cedric- He was a pureblood! And now he's just-" she trailed off uncertainly and dissolved in another wave of sobs.
"Lily, don't worry. He's going to wake up and he'll be okay. We'll destroy Voldemort and everything will be like it was before," James said in a soothing voice.
"He needs to be stopped. I'll do anything I can to stop him," Lily said with new resolve.
Just then, Mr. Diggory and Amos Diggory, Cedric's older brother entered the hall.
James pointed to the room that everyone was in and Mr. Diggory waved to them in thanks.
"Lily, let's go back to Hogwarts. We don't need to be here," James suggested.
Lily nodded and stood up. "Should we tell Dumbledore?"
"No, he'll know," James said as he shook his head. "We need to go back downstairs and use the fireplace." Lily nodded mutely and followed after him, not paying attention to where she was going.
She was in a daze. She still couldn't believe that someone would inflict that type of pain upon someone as nice as Cedric.
When they reached the main floor, James thrust a handful of Floo powder into Lily's hand and pushed her into the fireplace. Lily threw down the powder, shouted, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," and was sucked into the chimney.
Dumbledore looked at her. "Amy, I'm sorry. He is alive, but he is in St. Mungo's. We aren't sure exactly what is wrong with him yet."
"What do you mean? Is my baby okay?" Mrs. Diggory said in a shrill voice.
"That's why I called James and Lily here. I would like both of you to inform the school tonight of Cedric's return, and I will accompany the three of you to St. Mungo's to visit Cedric." Dumbledore explained.
Just then, a head popped up in Professor Dumbledore's fireplace. It was a portly women wearing a lime green robe. "Professor Dumbledore?" she asked into the room.
"Healer Marter. Do you have news of Mr. Diggory's condition?"
"Yes, I do. Would you like to come in, or would you prefer I tell you here?" she asked, looking around the room hesitantly.
"Here is fine. These are his parents," Dumbledore said, indicating to Mr. and Mrs. Diggory.
"It's a pleasure," Healer Marter said. "Currently, Cedric is stabilized, but from the tests we've conducted, he has been subjected to the Cruciatus curse, many times."
Mrs. Diggory let out a gasp of horror and exclaimed, "My poor baby!" and began to sob into Mr. Diggory's chest.
Healer Marter let out a sigh. "That's not all, is it Marie?" Dumbledore asked somberly.
She nodded her head. "Mr. Diggory has also appeared to lost all mobility from his chest down. Currently, he is a comatose state. We don't dare try anything on him while he is unaware."
All of the females in the room had tears streaming down their faces. Mr. Diggory looked shocked.
"Is he going to wake up?" Amy asked in a shaky voice.
"We believe so, but we don't know his mental state," Healer Marter said. "Since he is stabilized, he can have visitors. I'm going to check on him again. Visiting hours are over at 9 PM, feel free to come by any time." With that, the Healer's face disappeared.
Mrs. Diggory stood up. "Let's go see my poor baby," she said tearfully. She walked over to the fireplace and before anyone could stop her, took a handful of Floo powder, threw it into the grate, stepped in and proclaimed, "St. Mungo's Hospital!" She was swept up into the fireplace with a whoosh of green flames.
Amy stood up and followed the suit, shortly thereafter followed by Mr. Diggory. Dumbledore, James and Lily were the only three left in the room.
"Would you two like to see your fellow classmate?" Dumbledore asked them.
James nodded somberly, and Lily took a handful of Floo Powder and followed Amy's suit by not saying anything. James went next, followed by Dumbledore.
They had entered the Floo room at the hospital and exited into the waiting room. Mrs. Diggory and Amy were already gone, but Mr. Diggory was waiting for Dumbledore at the reception desk.
"I need to contact Amos, but I thought I'd tell you that Cedric is on the fourth floor. We'll both be up shortly."
Dumbledore nodded and Mr. Diggory apparated away. The three of them walked up to the fourth floor and saw Healer Marter in person.
"Hello Marie. Which room is Mr. Diggory's?" Dumbledore asked.
""Oh, hello Albus. Last door on the right. When you see him, please don't act surprised. We resorted to muggle methods. There is something else wrong, but we can't pinpoint it."
Dumbledore nodded and motioned for Lily and James to walk ahead of him. When they reached the room, James pushed open the door.
Lily let out a gasp of surprise. Cedric was hooked up to countless muggle machines. She recognized one as a muggle life support system. One was a cardio monitor and he had two IV's injected into his arm. His head was heavily bandaged. What made Lily gasp however, was the body cast that went from his chest, all the way down to his feet.
"She wasn't kidding when she said this was bad," James muttered to no one in particular.
Mrs. Diggory was sobbing again, and Amy was sitting on the bed, prodding Cedric, trying to wake him up.
Lily gasped again and dashed out of the room. James went after her.
She was sitting a few doors down, in a chair for guests to sit in while they wait. She was sobbing. James walked over to her and wordlessly put an arm around her shoulders.
Lily leaned into his embrace and sobbed into his chest. After a few minutes, she pulled away and said, "I can't believe people would willingly do that to another human being. Cedric- He was a pureblood! And now he's just-" she trailed off uncertainly and dissolved in another wave of sobs.
"Lily, don't worry. He's going to wake up and he'll be okay. We'll destroy Voldemort and everything will be like it was before," James said in a soothing voice.
"He needs to be stopped. I'll do anything I can to stop him," Lily said with new resolve.
Just then, Mr. Diggory and Amos Diggory, Cedric's older brother entered the hall.
James pointed to the room that everyone was in and Mr. Diggory waved to them in thanks.
"Lily, let's go back to Hogwarts. We don't need to be here," James suggested.
Lily nodded and stood up. "Should we tell Dumbledore?"
"No, he'll know," James said as he shook his head. "We need to go back downstairs and use the fireplace." Lily nodded mutely and followed after him, not paying attention to where she was going.
She was in a daze. She still couldn't believe that someone would inflict that type of pain upon someone as nice as Cedric.
When they reached the main floor, James thrust a handful of Floo powder into Lily's hand and pushed her into the fireplace. Lily threw down the powder, shouted, "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," and was sucked into the chimney.