Chapter 26 – Wishing to Wake From A Nightmare

"Where did they go?"

"I don't know, Ron... I don't remember there being anything like this being mentioned by Bagman," Bill said as he, Ron, and Hermione stared at the spot where Cedric and Harry had just been.

"Mum!" Hermione turned to see Ginny looked horrified as Mrs. Weasley fainted. Ron and Bill struggled to keep her in her seat as Hermione felt the bottom of her stomach drop out. Where were they?

Meanwhile, Cedric and Harry were flying forward, colors swirling around them, and a whistling sound in their ears. Suddenly, they stopped, Harry and Cedric both collapsing to the ground.

"Where are we?"

Cedric couldn't find the breath to speak so he simply shook his head as he got up and then pulled Harry to his feet as they examined their surroundings. This hadn't been mentioned in the task. Where were they?

They were standing in a dark and overgrown graveyard. There was a small church to the right with a large yew tree next to it. On their left was a hill with a fine looking mansion on its side. Cedric couldn't quite figure out what was going on as he looked from the Cup to Harry.

"Did anyone tell you the cup was a Portkey?"

"Nope," Harry replied. "Is this supposed to be part of the task?"

"I dunno," Cedric said nervously. "Wands out, d'you reckon?"

"Yeah," Harry said at once as both he and Cedric drew out their wands. "Someone's coming."

Cedric squinted into the darkness, Harry still at his side, as they watched a strange figure drawing nearer to them. For a moment, Cedric and Harry exchanged quizzical glances before turning back to the figure which was hooded and seemed to be carrying something in its arms in a bundle of robes.

The figure stopped and Cedric's grip tightened on his wand. He was about to whisper to Harry when Harry's wand fell to the ground as his hands flew up to his face. Cedric heard Harry groan as though in great, agonizing pain as he dropped to his knees on the ground. Cedric wasn't sure what to do. Should he help Harry, or was it even safe to turn away from this person who had brought such pain in Harry?

Cedric kept glancing nervously from Harry to the person, his heart pounding ever louder. 'Be brave, be brave' he chanted in his head. 'Help Harry... for Hermione... He's her friend, help him.' Cedric reached out a hand and was about to touch Harry's shoulder when he heard a high pitched and cold voice that made him shiver slightly.

"Kill the spare," it hissed.

Cedric had no time to register what was going on. One moment, he was about to touch Harry's shoulder, and the other, he was trying to raise his wand in defense as the Killing Curse was shouted.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Cedric never had a chance. Green light erupted from the figure's wand and whizzed through the air at lightning speed, faster than Cedric could make his mind work. He felt the curse seize his body. His eyes froze in an unblinking way, his body stiffened, and he only just realized that he was falling toward the ground. He cried out inwardly, cried out to Hermione. 'I LOVE YOU, HERMIONE!'

Those words were his dying thoughts. Those words were the last signs of life that left him, though unspoken, meaningful all the same. He was dead now, never to see Hermione again. He would never be able to hold her again. Never caress her cheek with his fingertips, touch her skin, savor the sweet smell of her perfume. He would never be able to tell her that he did in fact love her. That he loved her so much that she had been his dying thought.

Hermione sat in the stands, her mind not registering anything but a blank. They had been waiting for what felt like forever for a sign of Harry or Cedric, but nothing turned up. Dumbledore had went down onto the pitch and was telling everyone to remain calm.

Remain calm? Hermione didn't even know what those two words meant at the moment. She just wanted to see Harry and Cedric and if panicking was going to get them back to her, she was going to do it.

Meanwhile, Harry was fighting a newly risen Voldemort, both of them risen into the air as their wands locked. Harry seemed to be in shock as he and Voldemort came to rest on the ground once more, away from Death Eaters and tombstones. Suddenly, the golden light that was locking Voldemort and Harry's wands branched like lightning, still holding the wands as it created a dome around them.

Then, in a shining sound of hope, a phoenix, though unseen by them, broke into song. They began to duel for absolute power over the other, forcing beads of powerful light toward each other's wand tip. Suddenly though, gray smoke erupted from Voldemort's wand. A hand came out slowly, followed by Cedric Diggory in a ghostly gray form.

"Hold on, Harry," Cedric told him. More people began emerging from Voldemort's wand. An elderly man.

"He was a real wizard, then? Killed me," the old man said, "that one did... You fight him, boy..." Next, Bertha Jorkins came out of the wand tip.

"Don't let go, now! Don't let him get you, Harry-," Bertha cried, "don't let go!" But this wasn't the last to emerge. Lily Evans tumbled out and began to speak as well.

"Your father's coming... Hold on for your father...," Lily soothed, "it will be all right... hold on..." And just as she said, James Potter came out of the wand tip just like the others had done.

"When the connection is broken," James began, "we will linger for only moments... but we will give you time... you must get to the Portkey, it will return you to Hogwarts... do you understand, Harry?"

"Yes," Harry replied, half in fright, half in awe.

"Harry...," Cedric whispered, "take my body back, will you? Take my body back to my parents... And tell Hermione I love her... she'll understand."

"I will," Harry grunted as he struggled to keep his hold on his wand.

"Do it now," instructed James, "be ready to run... do it now..."

"NOW!" Harry broke apart with Voldemort and made a run. Cedric's lingering gray figure distracted Voldemort as everyone in the graveyard watched Harry run for Cedric's body.

"Go, Harry," Cedric said very softly as his gray smoke version disappeared as Voldemort ordered his Death Eaters upon Harry, but they were too late, Harry was on his way back to Hogwarts with the Cup and Cedric's body.

There were sudden gasps and people began jumping up in the stands as they pointed down onto the pitch were the entrance to the maze was. Hermione jumped up and wondered what everyone was pointing at. She tried to use the Ominoculars, but someone bumped into her and she dropped them, breaking a dial and a lens.

She pulled out her wand, crouched, and repaired them quickly as people around here began to scream about someone being dead. She worried that it was Harry, or even worse, Cedric. She put the Ominoculars to her eyes and tried to see, but she could only see the crowd of people around Harry and Cedric.

Suddenly more panic overtook her as she heard something that she feared more than anything in that moment.

"Cedric Diggory! He's dead!" Those words echoed horribly in her ears and she struggled against them within her head. 'No, no he's not' she told herself as she tried to see with the Ominoculars.

It wasn't the crowd that kept her from seeing this time, but tears that were stinging her eyes. She wiped at them furiously and tried to see, but the lenses were smeared with her tears. She cleaned them hastily on her sleeve and wiped her eyes once more as she put the Ominoculars back up to her face. That's when she saw him. Cedric.

He was laying spread-eagle upon the ground next to the Triwizard Cup. He wasn't moving and upon his face was a look of terror. His wand was clutched in his lifeless hand and his father had just dropped to his side in hysterics. Professor Sprout was standing there too at Cedric's feet, she was dabbing her eyes on her sleeves and looking very remorseful. Mrs. Diggory came into sight now.

She was being supported by someone Hermione could not recognize though it was surprising Hermione could recognize even Mrs. Diggory because her tears were now flowing so freely that it seemed they would never stop.

"Hermione," said Ron softly as Bill supported Mrs. Weasley out of the stands, Ginny behind them with tears in her eyes.

Hermione couldn't speak. She looked at Cedric one last time, his pale body laying next to the glistening Triwizard Cup as his parents and friends wept over him. Hermione lowered the Ominoculars and let Ron lead her from the stands as she began to sob silently.

"Poppy... I just want to know where Harry is," Mrs. Weasley demanded.

"Please," Bill added, "he's like one of the family... And I'm sure he would agree that we are the closest thing to family that we have!"

"Molly," Poppy sighed for the umpteenth time. "I told you that I don't know where he is. You're best bet would be to-"

But Madam Pomfrey was cut off there as the doors to the hospital wing opened and Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Hermione, and Ron all turned to see Dumbledore and Harry walking in with a great, bear-like, shaggy black dog.

"Harry! Oh Harry!" Mrs. Weasley's shriek made Hermione jump a little, but she didn't stir from her place behind everyone. Mrs. Weasley made to run forward, but Dumbledore stopped her as he held up his hand and spoke.

"Molly," he began, "please listen to me for a moment. Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him, you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening."

Personally, Hermione was glad that Dumbledore had banned everyone from asking about the events of that night, because she didn't think that she could bare to hear what exactly had happened to Cedric. She sniffled and shivered as she recalled how he looked through the Ominoculars. Laying stiff and pale upon the grassy Quidditch pitch. Tears burned her eyes like salt on a wound while she tried to shake that image from her head.

Hermione looked up and realized that Mrs. Weasley had been speaking to her and the two red head boys next to her, but she felt that whatever she had just missed wasn't of that much importance anyways. Hermione sighed, sniffled once more, and felt her knees buckle. She jumped a little bit as something rubbed against her hand. Something furry and warm.

She looked down and saw the great black dog that she knew was Sirius. He nuzzled his head under her arm and she felt the warmth radiate off his body as her leg became buried in the black shaggy hair on his side. He sat next to her in a comforting way, but his movement seemed to have attracted Madam Pomfrey's attention to him.

"Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey said in a slightly fearful way as she stared at Sirius's dog form, "may I ask what-?"

"This dog will be remaining with Harry for a while," Dumbledore replied with a calm air of finality. "I assure you, he is extremely well trained. Harry – I will wait while you get into bed."

Hermione watched Dumbledore walk to the edge of the ward and wait for Harry to get on one of the dressing gowns and get into bed. Hermione stood back with Sirius still at her side, a strange comfort coming from the large, but cuddly dog.

Once Harry was settled in bed and Dumbledore had left, Madam Pomfrey told Ron, Hermione, Bill, and Mrs. Weasley that it was okay for them to come in. They went around the curtain that surrounded his bed, sat down on chairs, and stared at him. Hermione sat there with Sirius at her side still as she stared at Harry and wondered if he tried to save Cedric.

"I'm all right," Harry said. Hermione figured that she had a horribly worried look on her face as he looked from her to Ron and tried to force a smile to convince them. "Just tired," he continued.

Hermione sat and watched as harry took his potion and fell asleep immediately. They had been sitting around the bed whispering, Hermione more listening to Bill and Mrs. Weasley as Ron kept sighing and looking from Sirius to Harry then to Hermione and then back to his mother and brother. There had been nothing but silence that was in harmony with the buzzing of whispers for so long, that it took Hermione was soon snoozing.

Ron nudged her and she jumped as she turned to look at him with heavy eyelids and a cramped neck. She rubbed some sleep from her bloodshot eyes and looked to Sirius who was curled up on the floor at her feet. She sighed heavily as she saw Harry in the bed. She had hoped to wake and find that it had all been some horrible nightmare, but it wasn't.

"I'll be back," Hermione breathed as she stood up with a small stretch and left the hospital wing to go wash her face in the bathroom.

She splashed cold water upon her face and gripped the sink as she let it drip off her. She stood there for a few minutes, her face about dry, but her chin was still dripping, though not with water. Tears were once more flowing freely from her bloodshot eyes, down her splotched cheeks, and falling from her chin into the sink. She sniffed and looked up into the cracked and grimy mirror before her.

She splashed her face again, grabbed some soap and began to scrub away at the tightened paths of skin that her tears had created. She sighed heavily as she splashed more water on her face and grabbed some paper towels. She dabbed her face, the water soaking in the towel and leaving cold patches upon her cheeks and forehead. She was staring in the mirror once more, contemplating what she was without Cedric, when she heard voices outside yelling.

"-he's banned those creatures from this castle! Just wait until-"

"Minerva, it was in my best inter-"

"But you broke the Headmaster's rules," McGonagall shouted. "And I don't think it wise that you go barging into the infirmary without Dumble-"

"Now see here, Minerva, I am the Minister of Magic, I will go wherever I please with that old foo-"

"Don't you dare, Cornelius," McGonagall warned.

Hermione looked around and then ran to the door of the bathroom, her heart racing as she pushed the door open a crack and saw Fudge, Snape, and McGonagall standing stalk still just outside the bathroom. Fudge and McGonagall were glaring at each other as Snape watched the two, an evil smirk playing upon his greasy features.

"I don't care... I want to see Potter and Dumbledore and I have a feeling that's where they will be," Fudge said as he pointed off down the corridor toward the hospital, "and that's where I'm going."

With that, he turned, his bowler hat clutched angrily in his hand as he stalked off. McGonagall gave an exhausted and frustrated sigh as she sat off after the Minister, Snape at her heels like some travesty of a pet dog. Hermione looked up and down the hall, her eyes locking on their retreating backs as she came out of the bathroom and followed them.

They made it to the hospital wing, Fudge flinging open the doors and storming over toward Mrs. Weasley and Bill as Hermione sneaked in and saw Ron standing there with Sirius's dog form looking shocked. She made her way over to him and watched as McGonagall, Mrs. Weasley, and Fudge began to yell, but they were interrupted when Dumbledore entered.

"What has happened?" Dumbledore's tone was very serious, and he seemed to be angered slightly by Fudge's present rudeness. "Why are you disturbing these people? Minerva, I'm surprised at you – I asked you to stand guard over Barty Crouch-"

"There is no need to stand guard over him anymore, Dumbledore! The Minister had seen to that!"

What were they shouting about? What had the Minister done that was so terrible to make McGonagall scream and yell and respond to Dumbledore like that? And what was all this business about Barty Crouch?

"When we told Mr. Fudge that we had caught the Death Eater responsible for tonight's events," Snape spoke smoothly, "he seemed to feel his personal safety was in question. He insisted on summoning a dementor to accompany him into the castle. He brought it up to the office where Barty Crouch-"

"I told him you would not agree, Dumbledore! I told him you would never allow dementors to set foot inside the castle," McGonagall burst, "but-"

"My dear woman," Fudge bellowed angrily, "as Minister of Magic, it is my decision whether I wish to bring protection with me when interviewing a possibly dangerous-"

The moment that- that thing entered the room," McGonagall screeched, "it swooped down on Crouch and- and-"

There was a pause among all in the room. Hermione knew what had happened by the stunned yet slightly angered silence. Barty Crouch, Mr. Crouch's son, had suffered a fate worse than death. He had received the Dementor's Kiss, a horrible thing that caused one to lose their soul through it being sucked out of their mouth. Hermione shivered at the very thought. How could someone bare to watch such a horrific thing?

"But all accounts," Fudge hissed, "he is no loss! It seems he has been responsible for several deaths!"

"But he cannot now give testimony, Cornelius," Dumbledore said. "He cannot give evidence about why he killed those people."

"Why he killed them? Well, that's no mystery, is it? He was a raving lunatic! From what Minerva and Severus have told me," snapped Fudge, "he seems to have thought he was doing it all no You-Know-Who's instructions!"

"Lord Voldemort was giving him instructions, Cornelius," Dumbledore informed. "Those people's deaths were mere by-products of a plan to restore Voldemort to full strength again. The plan succeeded. Voldemort has been restored to his body."

Hermione felt fear course through her. Was Voldemort really back? She might have never been around for his first reign, but from what she heard about it from those who were, it was positively and absolutely awful. More than awful really. Had Voldemort been the reason Cedric returned dead? Was it he who had taken away her happiness like he had taken away Harry's when he killed Lily and James? She had to ask Harry, she just had to know if Voldemort had been Cedric's killer.