When the day of the final task finally arrived, the entire castle was abuzz. Harry was hugged and patted on the back by the entire Gryffindor house as he made his way through the common room. Breakfast was even rowdier as all houses, even the Slytherins, were all getting excited at the prospect of a Hogwarts win.
When Cedric spotted Bella making her way onto the field later that day he smiled brightly and gestured her towards him. She crossed the space quickly and wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, pulling him down to her height; Cedric chuckled lightly in her ear and stood to his full height, pulling her up into his arms as her legs dangled off the ground.
"Please, be careful Cedric." Bella whispered.
Cedric said nothing as he returned her feet to the ground and stepped back to look at her, a look of amazement flittered across his face before his expression grew serious.
"I will." He said, nodding his head softly.
"You better come back to us." She said, pointing her finger animatedly at him.
"I'll see you on the other side, Bella." Cedric smiled his cheery smile, reaching out to ruffle her hair before his father gathered him up in one of his many bear hugs of the afternoon.
Bella turned away, giving the family their privacy. She saw Harry, surrounded by Ron and the others, Dumbledore hovering slightly behind them. Harry's smile brightened as she approached him, wrapping him up tightly in her arms and squeezing the life out of him.
"Bella, you'll break my glasses." He groaned from somewhere within her robes.
"Sorry, Harry." She smiled sheepishly as she pulled back from him. "I just love you so much."
"I love you too." Harry replied, squeezing her arm affectionately. A few minutes later and Dumbledore had called for everyone to take their seats.
From up in the stands, Bella waved down at both Harry and Cedric as they took their places at the entrance to the maze. Dumbledore began addressing the crowd but Bella wasn't listening - she could hear the beat of her heart in her ears hammering so loudly that she thought she might go deaf. She felt Ron reach out and take her hand in his. He squeezed lightly and she held his hand in both of hers on her lap. She watched as, one after the other, Cedric, Harry and the other Champions all entered the maze, the entryway sealing itself behind them.
There was a tension filled silence in the stands as the collective audience held their breath. It felt like seconds, but really had been minutes, when a blood-curdling scream split the air. The Hogwarts and Ministry staff on the field rushed towards the sound as a shock of bright red light burst into the air from within the maze. Seconds later, Fleur Delacour was pulled from the maze completely immobile. Bella watched as Fleur was levitated and taken away to the Hospital Wing.
"Aw Ron," Bella said, burying her head in his shoulder. "I don't think I can do this!"
Ron let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Harry and Cedric will be fine. They're both more than capable." Bella only nodded in response.
There was nothing anyone could do but sit and wait patiently. The wind whistled through the leaves of the hedge maze, leaving an eerie silence in it's wake. Things were silent for a long time and just when Bella thought the anxiety would eat her alive, there was a flash of white light and a something landed on the ground with a thud. Bella stood from her seat to get a better glimpse of what was happening down on the quidditch pitch.
Her stomach dropped to her toes and she felt bile rising in her throat as she registered what was happening on the pitch below. Cedric was laying flat on his back, Harry bent over his chest sobbing uncontrollably and gripping Cedric's vest in his hands. Dumbledore was trying to ease Harry away from Cedric but Harry refused to let go.
Bella stumbled backwards as everything buzzed around her. This couldn't be real. Cedric was just stunned - he was okay. But he wasn't moving, why wasn't he moving? She clutched her chest as her heart constricted, a sob catching in her throat. Bella tripped as she pushed her way along the row of people and down the stairs to the ground, she heard Ron calling her name but she couldn't stop, wouldn't stop until she was far, far away.
Her feet carried her up to the castle as her mind was miles away - she was trying to process what she had just seen but any time she tried her chest throbbed and she thought she might be sick. Her breathing was stunted as she forced the air out of her lungs, taking deep breaths to calm the drumming in her ears.
Her muscle memory guided her through the castle when her mind was wrapped in a cloud of fog and she managed to make it to the seventh floor before she collapsed to her knees, her legs not strong enough to hold her up anymore. Her knees ached from where she had fallen on them but the pain there was nothing compared to the pain in her heart - it felt as though it was about to beat right out of her chest. She began to take deep, gasping breaths, trying to bring air back in to her lungs. When this didn't work she began to panic, shaking all over.
"Hey, hey Bella - it's okay, you're okay." A soft voice said beside her.
A flash of platinum blond hair was the only thing that registered in her brain before she threw herself into his arms, letting her fear and anxiety and pain all come flooding out of her in gut-wrenching sobs that had Draco's heart constricting, listening to the pain and anguish she was feeling.
It felt as though she had been in his embrace for hours and by the time Bella had cried all of the tears that she could, she noticed that Draco had moved them from the middle of the corridor into one of the small hidden cupboards; the same one they had been locked in together three years previously.
"I'm so sorry, Bella." Draco whispered, running his fingers through her hair. "I know how much he meant to you."
"I just can't believe he's gone, Draco." Bella said tearfully, gripping Draco's cloak in her hand.
"And Harry!" She cried, pulling out of his embrace sharply. "Oh Merlin, poor Harry." She brought her hands up to her face and began to cry. Draco guided her backwards under his arm again, her head resting against his shoulder.
There were no more words spoken between the pair after that; Draco didn't know what to say that would make her feel better and Bella didn't know how to put into words the thousands of thoughts swimming around in her head.
Eventually, Bella's eyes grew heavy and her head began to fall forward as she fought to stay awake. Draco unwrapped his cloak from around his shoulders and draped it over her as she began to mumble sleepily how sorry she was to have gotten tears all over him. Draco only chuckled under his breath as Bella rolled tighter into his side, burying her head in the crook of his neck and snoring ever so slightly.
The image of Cedric and Harry on the pitch played in her mind over and over, not even sleep could erase it from her mind. As she dreamt, memories that she and Cedric had together were playing behind her eyes like a montage, only serving to make the hours that she slept just as painful as when she was awake.
