Disclaimer: I own Ainsley and Jada. JK owns the rest.
I slowly opened my eyes to the sounds of sobs and the feeling of both my hands being held. I saw Harry to my left, holding tightly to my hand with his head down. I squeezed his hand gently.
"Harry." I whispered. I felt so awful. He jerked his head up.
"Oh dear God. What have I done?" I heard Cedric say. I turned my head and he was on my right, holding my other hand. His eyes were glistening. I let go of his hand and placed mine on the side of his face. All I could do was whisper slowly.
"Cedric. It's not your fault." A tear spilled from his eye and I rubbed it away with my thumb.
"Yes it is." He said. "I should have never gone off the way I did."
"No. You were protecting me. That means so much to me. Thank you. This doesn't hurt your chances of getting into the tournament does it?" it took a lot of strength out of me to say that.
"Shhh." He held my hand again. "Dumbledore says everything is fine."
I smiled and looked around. Everyone was there. Fred and George. Angelina, Katie, Cassie, and Hermione who were all crying. Ron was standing next to Harry, his face pale.
"Hi everyone." I said.
"How are you feeling?" Katie asked me.
"Like I've been run over." I tried to sit up and groaned. My head was killing me. Harry and Cedric stopped me. I reached up and felt my head. It was wrapped in a bandage. "Mmm. Attractive." I smiled weakly.
"Malfoy left a little while ago. Cedric had broken his jaw in two places. Madame Pomfrey said that if it wasn't required by law for her to fix him, she would have left him like that because he deserved it." Harry said as Madame Pomfrey came walking up. I looked at her and grinned. She smiled back.
"Okay everyone. I know you have classes in the morning. Off to bed now. All of you!" she said clapping her hands. Everyone groaned, but complied. I waved goodbye to them all and said thank you. Harry and Cedric were the last to leave.
"Don't hurt yourself please." Harry said hugging me goodnight and he left. Madame Pomfrey sensed that Cedric and I wanted a little time alone, so she walked out of the doors.
"I'm so sorry." He said to me again.
"Oh Cedric. There is nothing to be sorry for."
"I feel so awful. How can I make it up to you?"
"Well. You could kiss me goodnight." I smiled. He leaned down and kissed me gently. He still looked guilty. "Will you please stop blaming yourself? I'm going to be fine."
"I guess." He sighed and I squeezed his hand. "I'll come visit you after each class."
"Goodnight Cedric."
"Goodnight Ainsley." And he left. Madame Pomfrey came back in and walked over to my bed.
"Thank you so much Madame Pomfrey. You always take such good care of me." I smiled.
"It's my pleasure dear." She said placing her hand on mine. "You've got a good one there Ainsley, don't let him slip away."
"I wasn't planning on it anytime soon." I was telling her the truth. In the short hours that we had officially been together, I found myself falling for him. Hard.
"Good. Now you have been excused from all of your classes tomorrow and you should be well enough to go back to your dormitory tomorrow night." There was a knock at the door. "Ahh. That would be Miss Felton." Miss Felton? Jada? The door opened and Jada came running in.
"Thank you so much Madame Pomfrey for letting me visit her after everyone else had gone." She said panting.
"You are welcome sweetheart." And she went into her office.
"Jada. Thanks for coming to see me." I said.
"Are you okay? How are you feeling? Please tell me you are fine."
"I am fine."
"Really?"
"Really. Tell me everything that happened after I blacked out."
"Well I came around the corner and watched you fall, and I screamed. Fred and George got Crabbe and Goyle under control and Cedric ran over to you. He was freaking out and holding you, trying to get you to open your eyes. That's when Dumbledore and McGonagall came running in. They hurried you out of the library on a stretcher. Cedric had blood all over his hands and robes. Draco was brought here too. They only allowed Cedric and I to come in until Harry got there. I stayed with Draco and watched Cedric with you. Cedric cleaned himself off while Madame Pomfrey was working on you. He was shaking so bad. He looked as if he was scared to death! She breathed. I could feel my eyes stinging with tears and a lump rose in my throat.
"I..." I couldn't speak.
"It was what he did until Harry got there that made my stomach flip flop." She continued. "Madame Pomfrey explained that she didn't know what would happen to you until you woke up. If you woke up. She got him a chair and placed it next to your bed. Then she came over to fix Draco's jaw. Draco was being a baby as usual. He kept saying that he was going to bring his father into this. Madame Pomfrey said that if he did, she wouldn't help him ever again. He finally shut up and I could hear Cedric. I looked over at him and he was holding your hand and stroking your cheek. Like this." She reached out and cupped my face. "He was talking to you. Trying to get you to wake up. 'Wake up Ainsley. Please wake up.' He was saying. I thought I was going to cry. 'Please sweetheart. Come back to me. I need you here. I can't imagine my life without you. Please.' And then he got quiet. But I heard him whisper 'I love you'. That's when I started to cry. Draco asked me what was wrong with me and I told him it was because I didn't know how long it would be until we got to make out again. You know, something to make him happy."
I couldn't control myself any longer. My tears flowed freely down my face and I began to sob. He loves me? After only a few hours of us being together, he loves me?
"He told me tonight that he's wanted to be with me since my first year. That was five years ago!" I said between sobs. Jada started to cry too.
"I think this is destiny Ainsley. This is just like a romance novel!"
"What am I going to do?" I asked.
"Well Ainsley it's obvious isn't it? Do you love him?"
"I don't know."
"If Cedric were in that bed would you feel the same way he does?"
"I think I would."
"Then there is your answer. You love him too." She sniffed.
I slowly opened my eyes to the sounds of sobs and the feeling of both my hands being held. I saw Harry to my left, holding tightly to my hand with his head down. I squeezed his hand gently.
"Harry." I whispered. I felt so awful. He jerked his head up.
"Oh dear God. What have I done?" I heard Cedric say. I turned my head and he was on my right, holding my other hand. His eyes were glistening. I let go of his hand and placed mine on the side of his face. All I could do was whisper slowly.
"Cedric. It's not your fault." A tear spilled from his eye and I rubbed it away with my thumb.
"Yes it is." He said. "I should have never gone off the way I did."
"No. You were protecting me. That means so much to me. Thank you. This doesn't hurt your chances of getting into the tournament does it?" it took a lot of strength out of me to say that.
"Shhh." He held my hand again. "Dumbledore says everything is fine."
I smiled and looked around. Everyone was there. Fred and George. Angelina, Katie, Cassie, and Hermione who were all crying. Ron was standing next to Harry, his face pale.
"Hi everyone." I said.
"How are you feeling?" Katie asked me.
"Like I've been run over." I tried to sit up and groaned. My head was killing me. Harry and Cedric stopped me. I reached up and felt my head. It was wrapped in a bandage. "Mmm. Attractive." I smiled weakly.
"Malfoy left a little while ago. Cedric had broken his jaw in two places. Madame Pomfrey said that if it wasn't required by law for her to fix him, she would have left him like that because he deserved it." Harry said as Madame Pomfrey came walking up. I looked at her and grinned. She smiled back.
"Okay everyone. I know you have classes in the morning. Off to bed now. All of you!" she said clapping her hands. Everyone groaned, but complied. I waved goodbye to them all and said thank you. Harry and Cedric were the last to leave.
"Don't hurt yourself please." Harry said hugging me goodnight and he left. Madame Pomfrey sensed that Cedric and I wanted a little time alone, so she walked out of the doors.
"I'm so sorry." He said to me again.
"Oh Cedric. There is nothing to be sorry for."
"I feel so awful. How can I make it up to you?"
"Well. You could kiss me goodnight." I smiled. He leaned down and kissed me gently. He still looked guilty. "Will you please stop blaming yourself? I'm going to be fine."
"I guess." He sighed and I squeezed his hand. "I'll come visit you after each class."
"Goodnight Cedric."
"Goodnight Ainsley." And he left. Madame Pomfrey came back in and walked over to my bed.
"Thank you so much Madame Pomfrey. You always take such good care of me." I smiled.
"It's my pleasure dear." She said placing her hand on mine. "You've got a good one there Ainsley, don't let him slip away."
"I wasn't planning on it anytime soon." I was telling her the truth. In the short hours that we had officially been together, I found myself falling for him. Hard.
"Good. Now you have been excused from all of your classes tomorrow and you should be well enough to go back to your dormitory tomorrow night." There was a knock at the door. "Ahh. That would be Miss Felton." Miss Felton? Jada? The door opened and Jada came running in.
"Thank you so much Madame Pomfrey for letting me visit her after everyone else had gone." She said panting.
"You are welcome sweetheart." And she went into her office.
"Jada. Thanks for coming to see me." I said.
"Are you okay? How are you feeling? Please tell me you are fine."
"I am fine."
"Really?"
"Really. Tell me everything that happened after I blacked out."
"Well I came around the corner and watched you fall, and I screamed. Fred and George got Crabbe and Goyle under control and Cedric ran over to you. He was freaking out and holding you, trying to get you to open your eyes. That's when Dumbledore and McGonagall came running in. They hurried you out of the library on a stretcher. Cedric had blood all over his hands and robes. Draco was brought here too. They only allowed Cedric and I to come in until Harry got there. I stayed with Draco and watched Cedric with you. Cedric cleaned himself off while Madame Pomfrey was working on you. He was shaking so bad. He looked as if he was scared to death! She breathed. I could feel my eyes stinging with tears and a lump rose in my throat.
"I..." I couldn't speak.
"It was what he did until Harry got there that made my stomach flip flop." She continued. "Madame Pomfrey explained that she didn't know what would happen to you until you woke up. If you woke up. She got him a chair and placed it next to your bed. Then she came over to fix Draco's jaw. Draco was being a baby as usual. He kept saying that he was going to bring his father into this. Madame Pomfrey said that if he did, she wouldn't help him ever again. He finally shut up and I could hear Cedric. I looked over at him and he was holding your hand and stroking your cheek. Like this." She reached out and cupped my face. "He was talking to you. Trying to get you to wake up. 'Wake up Ainsley. Please wake up.' He was saying. I thought I was going to cry. 'Please sweetheart. Come back to me. I need you here. I can't imagine my life without you. Please.' And then he got quiet. But I heard him whisper 'I love you'. That's when I started to cry. Draco asked me what was wrong with me and I told him it was because I didn't know how long it would be until we got to make out again. You know, something to make him happy."
I couldn't control myself any longer. My tears flowed freely down my face and I began to sob. He loves me? After only a few hours of us being together, he loves me?
"He told me tonight that he's wanted to be with me since my first year. That was five years ago!" I said between sobs. Jada started to cry too.
"I think this is destiny Ainsley. This is just like a romance novel!"
"What am I going to do?" I asked.
"Well Ainsley it's obvious isn't it? Do you love him?"
"I don't know."
"If Cedric were in that bed would you feel the same way he does?"
"I think I would."
"Then there is your answer. You love him too." She sniffed.