Here it is, the final chapter. Thanks everyone who reviewed, or even just read it and didn't revied. I really hope you all enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. And I'm really proud of my final chapter, so if you must slam it, please dont slam it too hard. :)
Chapter 11
The ceiling of the Great Hall was gray with clouds and rain, reflecting the dull skies outside. Cedric had become ominously quiet the past few days. The third and final task loomed closer. It was tomorrow in fact. All the champions knew was that they were facing a maze full of dangerous creatures and enchantments.
"Don't worry Ced," Mack clapped him on the back. "You'll do fine! Although, you might want to work on your sense of direction….it was never that good." He received full glares from the rest of us. The task of cheering Cedric was left to me, but even I was unable to fulfill it.
"He just refuses to be happy," I whined to Jules at dinner on the night before the third task.
"He has a right to be nervous and worried," she shrugged. "This task is all or nothing. And Potter's been doing really well." I nodded, glancing over at the Gryffindor table. Potter looked the same, if not worse as Cedric. Krum also had a gloomy expression on his face, but he looked like that most days. The only one who didn't seem to be brooding was Fleur, who was chatting up some Ravenclaw 7th year. Unfortunately, all my warts had cleared off her face. They really had been a wonderful addition to her complexion. Or so I and the rest of the females in Hogwarts thought. Cedric went straight to bed after dinner without even so much as a good night. I tried not to let it bother me, knowing his situation, but it still itched under my skin. I gave a dramatic sigh and gave in to studying with Jules and Mack for exams.
"Studying will relax you," Mack said, his face contorting when the realization of what he had said hit him. "Never mind. It will however use your brain and keep it from thoughts of Cedric." The school was buzzing with excitement the following day and Cedric refused to eat anything.
"Cedric Diggory, if you don't eat you'll faint and have no chance what so ever of winning this competition! Is that what you want?" I scolded. He shook his head and ate a small portion of potatoes. The champions were called to the maze an hour before everyone else was allowed on the Quidditch Grounds. I walked Cedric to the Entrance Hall. We stopped at the door, and he pulled me into a hug.
"I wouldn't have been able to get through any of this with out you Lark," he whispered.
I held him close, refusing to let go. A strange feeling was pulsing through my blood, as though this would be the last time I would ever see him or touch him. Something told me to cling to him, to not let him go down to the fields or enter that maze. But I ignored it and pulled back. He took my face in his hands and kissed me gently. The feeling of urgency to keep him here inside the castle returned, but I let him walk away, waving my farewell. I shivered as I watched his retreating back, even though it was hot and the air was sticky with summer heat. Goosebumps appeared all along my arms and legs and sadness engulfed my heart. It felt like a premonition, but I wasn't psychic and had never received feelings quite like this. I opened my mouth to yell at Cedric to come back, but now words came out. Part of me believed this feeling and part of me knew I was being stupid. I was just nervous for him, what with Potter and all. I slumped against the door frame and waited until he had veered off the main path and I could no longer see him. I stood there for a moment more before turning around and heading back to the Great Hall. Jules gave me a strange look as I seated myself across from her.
"You're as pale as the ghosts," she said. "What's wrong?" I debated whether to share my feelings with her, but decided against it.
"Nothing," I replied, spooning food onto my plate. "I'm just nervous for him is all." I knew she didn't believe me but she let it slide. Forty Five minutes later the entire school, plus the foreigners, headed out to the Quidditch Pitch.
"Bloody hell," Mack swore, his mouth gaping. "What did they do to our field?"
"Looks like they grew a maze on it," Jules answered. Mack looked ready to strangle her. We found seats third row up by the entrances. The champions hadn't appeared yet. I assumed they were in the locker rooms.
"I've got my sign ready," Jules waved her wand, and her 'Go Cedric!' sign appeared in her left hand. "We need to do our make up Lark." I cocked an eyebrow. It seemed to me she already had her usual make up on, including thick eyeliner and perfectly pout lips. She shuffled through her bag and pulled our her yellow and black face paint markers, which were weather and sweat proof due to magic. She set to work on my face as I feared for my life. The gruesome faces Mack was pulling behind her back didn't help any either.
"Nice heart," he grinned when she pulled away, smiling with accomplishment.
"Shut up," I snapped, taking the markers from Jules and equally decorating her face with Cedric support.
"Your turn Mack," Jules smiled sweetly, turning towards her love interest. She wouldn't let us call him her boyfriend, because all they'd done is have "friendly conversations involving actions of the lips" as she put it. Jules took Mack captive with her markers while I waited for the champions to appear. I was still shivering despite the heat, and the strange feeling from before grew ominously heavy. The band started to play and Dumbledore came out of the locker rooms, followed by the other headmasters and the champions. Jules and I screamed for Cedric who immediately found us and burst out laughing when he saw me.
"What exactly did you do to me?" I questioned Jules. She smiled innocently.
"I merely expressed your love for Cedric," was the reply. Dumbledore started speaking and the crowd quieted.
"Welcome to the Third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament!" his voice boomed throughout the stadium. "Our champions will enter this maze and try to find the Triwizard Cup while facing many obstacles. First to reach the cup will receive full marks and the marks will go down in points from there. Our current first place champions, Mr. Potter and Mr. Diggory, will enter the maze first, followed by Mr. Krum and then Miss Delacour." Jules and I exchanged smug expressions. Dumbledore called the champions to him and they huddled around him as he spoke to them.
"Remember," Dumbledore spoke to everyone again. "It does not matter who wins. You should each be proud of your champions."
Jules, Mack and I cheered for Cedric. He and Harry positioned themselves at the entrance of the maze. The whistle blew and they entered the maze. Cedric looked back at me, grinning, with a sparkle in his eye. All I could do was stare. My body froze and I felt the wind whipping around me. In my mind's eye, I saw Cedric lying spread eagled on the ground, unmoving. I gasped for breath, coming back to reality. Cedric and Harry had already disappeared. The feeling was stronger than ever and I knew. I knew this was the last time I would ever see Cedric alive. Silent tears poured down my face as the rest of the spectators cheered for their respective champion. No one noticed me leave the stands and run, as fast as I could away from the Quidditch Pitch. I collapsed at the edge of the Forbidden Forest and sobbed until I could hardly breathe. I walked to the edge of the Black Lake, staring down at my reflection. I could hear a distant rumble of chatter coming from the Quidditch Pitch, but I couldn't make myself go back. I sat down on a large boulder, pulling my knees up to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. I had never been able to predict the future before, but this premonition was undeniable. What was I going to do with out Cedric? My heart felt like it had burst, and I was surprised I was still alive. I wondered if Jules and Mack had noticed yet that I had disappeared. This task wasn't as exciting as the first two, because there wasn't anything to watch. I hadn't seen the last one though, and I didn't care who won the Tournament. All I cared about was that my Cedric would be lost to me forever. I wondered if he was already dead, but my heart told me he was still alive and working his way through the maze. He was probably dreaming about emerging first, trophy in hand, with me there to congratulate him. It's certainly what I had dreamed of. The lake rippled gently, breaking into foamy splashes as it hit the beach. The wind was gently blowing and crickets were singing. I was still cold, despite the perspiration that was slowly dripping from my forehead. I knew I would never be warm again, that my heart would never be whole again. I thought about Cedric's parents. They were down near the entrance of the maze, cheering on their son, expecting him to emerge from the maze alive, and hopefully first. I buried my head in the crook of my elbows, staring down into the darkness where my stomach was. I sighed, lifting my head and jumping down from the boulder. I wanted to be there when everyone discovered…I just had to see it with my own eyes. I was probably wrong, right? And then when Cedric came out of that maze with the trophy we could laugh about what I'd thought and how I'd reacted. But I knew I wasn't wrong. Cedric was never coming back. Not to me or to his parents.
After a walk around the lake and a quick check of my reflection to make sure all evidence had disappeared, I returned to the stadium. I slid into the space next to Jules, was conversing with Mack.
"Where have you been?" Mack demanded. Jules turned to look at me.
"What's going on Lark? I didn't press the matter before, but I know it's not just nerves," she said, studying me carefully.
"It's not something I want to talk about," I answered truthfully.
"Did you have a fight with Cedric?" She continued.
"Everything between me and Cedric is fine Jules," I replied. She continued studying me until Mack drew her attention back to him. I remained quiet the rest of the evening, waiting for the champions to return. I spotted Fleur and Krum sitting with their families.
"What are they doing back?" I asked Jules.
"They had trouble in the maze and sent up red sparks," she answered, then went back to talking with Mack. I looked around at the stretch of sky above the maze, praying for Cedric to send up red sparks also. There was a flash of light and two people appeared. I closed my eyes, knowing exactly who those people would be.
"It's Potter with the cup!" Jules squealed. "Cedric's with him!" I refused to open my eyes. I couldn't face the harsh reality.
"Cedric must have been knocked out, he's just lying there," Mack said. "All quiet like."
"Stop it Mack," I said softly, but loud enough for him to hear me.
"What are you on about?" he asked.
"He's not unconscious," I answered. "He's-"
"Dead!" I heard Mrs. Diggory scream. "Noo! Not my son!" Jules gripped my arm.
"No," she whispered. I opened my eyes and saw an image that would forever haunt my dreams. Cedric was lying there on his back, eyes wide open, body unmoving. No tears came to my eyes now that I was seeing the real thing. My heart shattered and I couldn't tear my eyes away. News of his death rippled through the crowd and all the teachers rushed forward to see for themselves. Potter was crying and said something about Cedric wanting him to bring him back and that You Know Who had done it. If I had felt anything except the coldness inside, I would have realized that Jules had let go of my arm was sobbing into Mack's shoulder. Potter was taken away and all that remained was Cedric's body. The students were ushered back to the castle. The teachers left me there with Cedric and his family, or at least I think they did. I couldn't hear any thing, it was like all noise was just a buzz, and all the other people were a blur. Mr. Diggory placed a strong hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of my trance.
"At least I know he had love in his life," he choked, a demented smile on his lips and tears in his eyes. Mrs. Diggory was still sobbing and merely nodded.
"This has to be as hard on you as it is on us," Mr. Diggory continued. "so please, stay with us." I stayed with them all night, unable to cry again.
The next few days fled past in a blur of people crying around me and saying how sorry they were for my loss. Girls who had sent me hate mail were giving me chocolates. Jules and Mack didn't say anything to me about Cedric. Nothing helped because no one had glue to fix my broken heart. The only person who could make things better was Cedric, but he was no longer here. Three days after Cedric's funeral and two days before we were headed home, I found myself out on the giant boulder by the lake. The school took this as a sign that I wanted to be left alone and no one bothered me. The only noise was the lapping of the lake water since everyone was inside and leaving me in my silence. I heard a crunch on the rocks and knew some one had joined me. I slowly looked up and saw Potter standing in front of me. He didn't say anything, but just looked at me, the same pain in his eyes that I held in my heart.
"What happened Harry?" I asked softly. I hadn't used my voice in days and it came out hoarse.
"Everyone keeps asking me that," he replied, sitting down next to me. "I've been reluctant to talk about it."
"Well since you appeared with his body," I said. "Everyone assumes you know." Harry picked up a rock and threw into the lake. It make a loud plunking sound and the giant squid threw it back.
"Voldemort killed him Lark," Harry finally spoke. "The cup was a portkey. Voldemort was reborn and he killed Cedric." As crazy as it sounded I believed him.
"Can I believe that he died heroically then?" I asked.
"He did," Harry assured me. "Voldemort and I got into a duel and our wands connected. Dumbledore said it was prior incantatum, whatever that means. But the last people he killed came out of his wand as kind of…shadows. Including Cedric." Harry and I both were staring out at the lake.
"He asked me to take his body back with me," Harry continued. "And he asked me to tell you that he loves you. He also wanted me to give you this." I looked down. Harry held out his hand and in it was Cedric's lucky necklace that his mother had given him when he was six. Cedric had told me he'd never taken it off and it had brought him luck through everything. I reached out slowly and took the necklace. It had a simple black cord and a golden snitch hanging from it. His mum had always been a lover of Quidditch. I smiled, looking back at Harry who was studying me.
"Thank you," I said.
He nodded then turned and left. I ran my thumb over the coarse cord, imagining around Cedric's neck. I pulled it over my head and let it drop down, vowing to never remove it. I stared back out at the lake, as thunder rumbled in the distance and fat drops of rain began to fall from the sky. I tilted my head up, opening my mouth and allowing drops to land on my tongue. A line from a poem that Cedric had once read to me out here ran through my mind as more thunder rumbled.
Don't close you eyes
When we say goodbye
I don't care if you cry
But please, my love
Don't close your eyes
I cracked a huge smile and kept my eyes open, letting the drops fall where they chose. I don't know how long I stood there, staring up at the heavens, but a sense of peace fell over me. I knew Cedric was still with me and that he always would be. Grasping the charm of the necklace in my hand, I spun around until I was so dizzy I collapsed. There, on the sand by the lake, soaking wet from the rain, I laughed so hard I cried.
