Emma felt like she had taken several steps forward, but at least a hundred steps back. Even weeks later, Emma wasn't sure how she managed to get herself to June and to the end of the school year. If how her classmates treated had been treating her was of any indication, they more or less felt the same.
The days back home in the cottage before the full moon were as normal as they could have been. When Emma set foot back home after being in the Ministry all morning, she went upstairs to her room, tucked the box from Elara in a hidden corner, and pretended nothing was wrong. She promptly changed into her comfiest clothes, walked back downstairs, settled herself on the couch, and turned on the television.
Emma refused to move from her spot on the couch except to brew the Wolfsbane Potion and only spoke when spoken to. Remus kept conversation light, just enough to make sure that Emma would respond though she didn't want to. Emma felt like he was watching her closer than ever, but she understood. He didn't want her to slip so easily back into old habits. A part of her wished that he would let her.
Being home during the full moon felt both foreign and familiar at the same time. While she had spent months in their pseudo-cottage in the castle during the moons, it was her first time truly being home. Gone were the days of not knowing when she would return – she always had a place to go. Emma wasn't sure how she felt about it.
Remus was instructed to spend the next few full moons at the Ministry, leaving Lyall to spend the full moon night with Emma. Emma was still angry at Greyson and refused to allow him to spend the night with her. Instead, she huddled herself in her bed, panting from the pain she felt and covered in a cold sweat that left her itchy. If she had heard a howl outside her window, she would have run to it. Just like all of the other moons, she thought anything would have been better than how she felt. Lyall could only do so much. After several pain relief potions that she burned through quickly, Emma couldn't do it anymore. She yelled at him in a way that she had never yelled at him before. All she wanted was to be left alone.
Emma wasn't entirely sure if she had fallen asleep from her pain or if it was from exhaustion. When she woke up the following day, the sun creeping in behind her curtains, she was only half surprised to find Greyson reading silently at her desk. What Emma didn't expect was how his presence seemed to shatter every wall that she purposely kept up.
It took one shared look between them before Greyson climbed into her bed beside her, and Emma clung to him tightly. Her entire body shook with great, heaving sobs that left her breathless and sicker than she felt before she fell asleep. The last time she had cried that hard…Emma couldn't let herself be reminded of her mother. If she dared think of Margaret, it only made her think of how betrayed and confused she felt, and then her thoughts would wander. She still didn't entirely understand and couldn't process everything when her thoughts kept wandering to Elara.
Greyson became a near-permanent fixture in the cottage during the last of the Easter holiday. Most days, Greyson would be there by himself, but every so often, his parents would join him. Those were the days Emma hated most. They were overly kind, and it reminded her of what Greyson had said in Saint Mungo's.
She felt particularly haunted by what he had implied, bothered that he would dare mention the life that she never wanted. The way he phrased it felt almost like a weapon to her. It wasn't as though she had much choice; her time with Fenrir and in the children's home was all she had ever known. Emma didn't understand why Greyson couldn't find it in himself to understand.
Emma's desire to return to Hogwarts was very short-lived. If she thought that she was watched closely at home, nothing compared to within the castle walls.
It was immediately evident that Remus had decided to go in the direction of early intervention. She had just barely stepped into the entrance hall when Professor Sprout sought her amongst the returning students. The short woman called out for her from one of the nearby hallways with a sweet smile that put Emma on edge. She was very quick to inform Emma that her long since concluded therapy lessons would be resuming at the end of the week. Emma was startled to find out that she was also expected to work with Pomfrey or herself at least once a week. The only response Emma could find in herself was to give Sprout a half-hearted thanks and head into the dorms. She was relieved to find that Figaro was waiting on her bed for her as if she knew that Aurora wasn't a suitable companion for the past week and a half.
The professors seemed to always be on alert with her. The pointed looks and cursory scans each time they saw her were beyond telling. McGonagall frequently made sure to sneak Emma a biscuit or two during classes. Flitwick's praise was more glowing than usual, and even Snape kept his insults to a minimum. Emma found Moody's behavior the most annoying.
Their first class back in Defense was awkward as she forced Ernie to move from his seat next to Justin just so that she didn't even have to look at Persephone. Just like the end of their third year, Persephone had faded into the background, except this time she offered no explanation. There were no apologies, no sympathetic looks – nothing. It was like they were never friends in the first place, but Emma couldn't find it in herself to care.
Moody, however, found the change fascinating. He commented on Emma's changed seat almost immediately and making everyone look between the two curiously. Even worse, it felt as though Moody wanted to torture her with his sudden need for partner work.
It was the only interactions that they shared with Persephone's spell work lackluster and weak and Emma's overpowered by her anger. Moody loved it, and each time he would have an overly beaming smile, Persephone would shoot him a look as if she knew something no one else did.
That wasn't all that Moody did, though. He seemed to find some strange desire to educate Emma further – providing her books on darker and darker magic. He would try to engage her in conversation every time he saw her and frequently asked if she ever browsed through the book on magical diseases. Emma would tell him that she did and would leave as quickly as possible each and every time. She could never figure out what was so important about the book and resolved to keep it tucked somewhere in her trunk.
The actions of her classmates were mixed, and nothing seemed to travel faster than the rumor mill at Hogwarts. Elara's situation was discussed heavily in the Daily Prophet for a few weeks. Emma's stomach turned each time she would see a snippet of it in the paper at meals. It was the first time Emma had ever seen such a discourse on werewolf laws in her life, but the support was too little, too late. A few people who knew of Elara's relation to her would offer their sympathies, but many others would say they felt she deserved it. Elara's trial overshadowed Emma's custody, leaving only a tiny snippet to be found on one of the later pages without much detail. However, most of her classmate's parents worked in the Ministry. Even if the Daily Prophet didn't report her legal name, many of her classmates knew. The good news was it seemed so outlandish that not many seemed to believe it.
On the third day into the new term, the fourth year Pure-blood Slytherins finally felt brave enough to approach her. She had noticed that they had taken to immediately huddling into a group whenever they saw her, talking hurriedly amongst themselves. They would eye her curiously, shake their heads, continue their conversation for a few moments more, and then leave.
It didn't take Emma long to realize that one of them had to know for sure that she was a Black. After avoiding anyone knowing the truth for months and having been able to dodge the curious questions at the beginning of the year, it was impossible. Her records at the Ministry would always provide the truth, and there was no way of getting around it any longer. It was a surprise to Emma when Draco decided to be brave enough to talk to her first. Then again, he had to always stick his nose into everyone else's business.
Emma watched as Draco left the group of Slytherins whispering fiercely to each other in the library. Their voices had started to rise to a level that Emma swore would draw Madame Pince out from her desk. She was silently relieved when their whispers were silenced and inwardly rolled her eyes when Draco strolled over to where she was sitting.
"I heard from my father that it's been discovered that I've been going to school with another one of my cousins," Draco said slowly. He crossed his arms over his chest, staring down his nose at Emma. "When I asked him about it, why did he tell me that it was you? We're not related."
"Funny that, really," Emma said, already bored by their conversation. "Makes last year a bit awkward, no?"
"What do you mean? We're not related. You can't be a Black. There hasn't been another Black for years."
"Hmm," Emma hummed to herself. "Well, I found out that it was your mummy and her sister who confirmed that I am indeed a Black."
"Her sister? But that makes you…." Draco studied Emma closely, taking in the state of her clothes. She could see Draco trying to compare the quality of her clothes to that of Remus's. His lips pulled back slightly into a sneer, and he shook his head. "Prove it."
Emma snorted and reached into her bag at her side. She had figured early on that the Slytherins were trying to figure out the truth and had prepared for it. With an overdramatic flourish, she pulled out the box that contained the Black family ring. With a heavy sigh, she pulled the ring out of the box and placed it on her index finger, and showed it to Draco.
"Proof enough, cousin? Your mum made sure to give it to me, actually."
Draco looked between the ring on Emma's finger, her face, and her clothes. He still looked doubtful, and Emma removed the ring from her finger, grabbed Draco's hand, and placed the ring in his palm.
"Go investigate with the others if you don't believe me," Emma said. "I'm sure one of you will be able to figure it out. And oh – don't worry about losing it. I can afford another one."
"I've seen the clothes your father wears; I doubt it," Draco scoffed, wrapping his fingers tightly around the ring and returning to the Slytherins. They gathered quickly around Draco to investigate the ring, and an almost smug smile crossed Emma's face when there was a sudden hush. One by one, the Slytherins turned to look at Emma with matching looks of confusion.
Rather than Draco returning with her ring, Pansy walked over, holding the ring back out to Emma.
"I never would have guessed," Pansy said, a slight frown crossing her face as she watched Emma place the ring back in its box and shoved it back in her bag. "You're actually a Black. That makes you a part of –"
"One of the most wealthiest families in the country?" Emma questioned. One corner of her lips quirked into a smile at Pansy's nod. "Bet none of you would have suspected that one, eh?"
"Well, of course not," Pansy replied. "You being a werewolf and a Black? The family motto is 'Toujours pur' for God's sake. It doesn't even make sense."
"Depends on how you want to look at it," Emma said, scrunching up her nose. "Not many can say that they've had four magical parents. It's not impossible, but it's still odd. Very complicated, really."
"Four? What do you mean four?"
"Like I said…it's complicated."
Pansy still looked somewhat unconvinced as she studied Emma closely as if something about her appearance would jump out at her. She searched Emma's face the closest, her eyes inspecting every one of her features with an intensity that made Emma squirm.
"Well, I suppose you do look like a Black," Pansy muttered. "But it's subtle. Then again, you've never looked entirely the same, have you?"
"Not exactly," Emma grumbled. "But I look how I'm supposed to now. Everything is the way it should be."
Pansy nodded, starting to turn around to return to the others. Emma let out a sigh of relief and returned to reading the book in front of her, only to feel Pansy's eyes back on her. Pansy had paused halfway into her turn to give Emma another a look.
"You said you had four magical parents," Pansy said. "You've said your mum was meant to be a surrogate. For who? Lupin, obviously, but for a Black? Which one?"
Emma begrudgingly lifted her gaze from the book to meet Pansy's eyes. She wasn't sure she wanted to answer that question when it was still the one piece of information she had to herself, but it didn't matter. If there was one thing Emma could do, it was trust that the Slytherins present wouldn't dare divulge that information to others. It would be one of the many little secrets they would keep to themselves and lord over their classmates that they knew something the others didn't know.
"Sirius Black," Emma finally answered. "My true parents are Remus Lupin and Sirius Black."
Pansy's face shifted from shock to confusion, and then she settled on surprised.
"Sirius Black?" Pansy questioned. "The one that's still on the run?" Pansy suddenly dove back into the spot next to Emma, her eyes glittering with excitement. "Does that mean you've seen him, then? Do you know where Sirius is right now?"
"Not sure," Emma said with a shrug. She wasn't about to admit that she had seen Sirius on their first day back at the castle and sobbed into his shoulder within the confines of the Forbidden Forest. "Haven't seen nor heard from him since last year. He's on the run, you know."
Pansy looked disappointed by that bit of information and her lips pursed together. No longer having anything else to say, Pansy returned to the others to give them the information she had gathered.
Emma couldn't help but notice that the Slytherins had become much kinder to her from that point on.
The days were always considerably more manageable than the nights for Emma. As if she had gone back in time, she found that her nightmares had returned. They had twisted and warped into strange multi-layered worlds that brought her deeper and deeper into a world she didn't want to be in. There were many nights where Emma was forcefully woken up by Justin or Cedric or sometimes both.
She would wake up covered in a cold sweat and immediately latch onto whoever was closest and burst into tears. They would stay with her until she finally relaxed enough to fall back asleep, but often she would cry herself out, half laying on whoever stayed with her. On the more difficult nights, either one of the boys would drag Emma into the common room and stay with her. Cedric would run his fingers through her hair until she fell back into a fitful and restless sleep, and Justin would make sure he stayed close by.
After a few weeks of Emma struggling, some of their other classmates joined in on making sure that Emma didn't slip too far back. The fourth year girls slowly started to bring Emma back into their get-togethers, and Ernie seemed to find it in himself to have some sympathy for her situation. Finley would try her best to pull Emma out onto the grounds to practice spells and have her catch up with Raewyn and Brennan. Even when Emma wasn't feeling her best, she was always pleased to see that the three were still getting on well together. She knew just how important it was to have a good support system, and she was grateful that she had her own. Even having her weekly appointments with Dr. Wheeler was welcome in a way that she didn't expect.
The fourth year Hufflepuffs made sure that Emma was eating and would inspect her carefully to ensure they weren't missing something. Emma would roll her eyes during Potions when a few of her classmates would hold her breath as she would pick up a knife.
One day she made the joke that if she were to try and off herself, she certainly wasn't going to do it in the Potion's classroom again. It was one of the first times she had ever seen Justin be furious at her, and she felt guilty remembering his reaction when he found out what she'd done their second year. Justin always harbored guilt over being unable to do anything after being petrified by the Basilisk.
May's full moon went by as awkwardly as Emma expected it would. She still hadn't entirely forgiven Greyson, and the shared energy between them was different. They would typically spend hours talking to each other and catching up, but Emma didn't want to do that. The moment they were together, Emma just to go to sleep. It was easier than trying to confront the discussion they needed to have, and she had been putting it off. Greyson wasn't stupid and knew that Emma was bothered, but she wasn't ready to talk about it. She just wanted to get through to the end of the year so she could have time to think.
Having to study for end-of-term exams and prepare for June's full moon was precisely the distraction Emma needed. Her schedule was fuller than it had ever been in her life. Between revising, impromptu Quidditch matches, her weekly ballet lessons with Beauxbatons, and everything else she was expected to do, she had no time to think. She would sneak off to see Sirius whenever she had a moment, but she had very little time to herself. The very moment she would lay her head down on her pillow, she would fall asleep, and the cycle continued.
Emma wasn't entirely thrilled with June's full moon falling at the start of the week just before exams began, but she was given a wonderful surprise. She went through the usual movements of her day and went down to her usual room for the night. She wasn't looking forward to seeing Greyson, but that wasn't what awaited her.
Waiting on the couch was none other than her father, with a massive black dog resting his head on his lap. Emma stood rooted to the spot once she closed the door behind her, looking at Remus curiously. She wasn't entirely sure that her brain wasn't playing tricks on her as she watched Padfoot's tail swishing lazily.
"Dumbledore convinced the Ministry that I didn't have to spend another month there to transform," Remus said in explanation. He ran a hand through the fur at the back of Padfoot's neck. "And I thought you could use the surprise."
Emma immediately launched herself at Remus, happy tears streaming down her face. It was the exact surprise she needed, and though her heart ached with the absence of an essential part of their pack, she didn't feel so alone.
All too soon, exams were finished, and the night before the third task arrived. Emma had every intention of going to sleep early, but Justin always convinced her to stay longer.
The common room was decorated with yellow and black streamers hanging from the ceiling, magical balloons that seemed to do different things when you were near, and plenty of party poppers. Confetti was strewn everywhere on the floor, and even more seemed to be continually floating in the air. It was possibly the loudest the Hufflepuff dorms had ever become. The entirety of their house had decided to celebrate, and even the nervous first years seemed to be enjoying themselves. Music was blaring loudly, laughter, food, and drink were plentiful, and Cedric seemed to be enjoying himself. His smile was beaming as their housemates would wish him luck or discuss what the next task would entail.
As the night went on, the common room began to clear out. Some of their housemates found themselves asleep in random places of the room, either too tired or too drunk to make it to their beds. A lone first year was curled up in one of the squashy armchairs near the fire, snoring loudly and making some of the nearby occupants of the room giggle. Emma watched from her own chair further away with one eye cracked open and a soft smile on her face as someone draped a blanket over the top of the girl. Emma could only imagine how tired the poor thing was.
Emma sat up and straightened herself out with a long stretch. The girls in her year had already all gone to bed, but the boys still lingered. She watched Roger and Wayne talking to Ernie and Justin over Butterbeer. After several hours of partying, they had all moved onto drinks with less alcohol. Emma realized that she probably should have done the same as her head was swimming.
She was surprised to see that Cedric was sitting by himself on the couch across from the fire. He looked pensive, staring into the flickering flames lost in thought while holding a glass of whatever drink he had in his hand. Emma couldn't figure out what he was drinking and figured it had to be one of the strange concoctions the older years created. She was sure that Cedric needed liquid courage – she knew she certainly would in his situation.
With a groan, Emma stood up from her chair and made her way over to the couch. The entire room seemed to be spinning, but she couldn't go to sleep without talking to Cedric for a moment. She was sure that he wanted to be alone, but it felt funny to not say anything. Especially when he had broken up with Cho a few weeks prior and had been spending more and more time with her to make up for what he deemed "lost time."
"So, tomorrow's it," Emma said, sitting down next to Cedric. She gently nudged his arm with her shoulder. "You ready?"
"Hmm," Cedric hummed, swirling whatever strange concoction was in his glass and wrinkling his nose. He looked over at Emma with a smile. "As ready as I'll ever be."
"You're going to do brilliant, Cedric."
"I don't know that I will," Cedric admitted. "At least the other two tasks I knew what to expect. But this one? It's too –"
"Vague?" Emma asked, smiling in understanding at the look of concern that crossed Cedric's face. "I learned very early on that we can't fear the unknown. At least not too much."
Cedric set his glass down on the table in front of him and turned himself to look at Emma better. "Are you aware of just how much you sounded like your dad there?" he asked, grinning at the face Emma pulled.
"Knowing me, I probably heard it from him," Emma sighed. "But it's the truth. Besides, use your fear to your advantage. Stronger emotions always produce stronger spells."
"Emma Lupin," Cedric breathed out, shaking his head, "the next Defense Against the Dark Arts professor in the making."
"Ugh," Emma said, poking Cedric's side. "Almost glad my dad isn't here to hear you say that. He would find himself far too happy to hear someone say that." Emma stood back up, shooting Cedric a good-natured look of feigned offense. "Besides, where's the fun in becoming a professor, anyway? Dad already took the title of Hogwarts first werewolf professor. Get some sleep, Cedric. You're going to need it."
If the energy in the common room from the night before was infectious, nothing compared to the buzzing energy in the Great Hall. Each table seemed to share their own nervous energy – Gryffindor for Harry, Slytherin for Krum, Ravenclaw for Fleur, and Hufflepuff for Cedric. The room was loud and noisy, and overwhelming.
There was a minor ruckus that was made from that morning's Daily Prophet arriving. It had gotten to a point where Emma ignored the paper whenever it came, but even she couldn't stop herself from being curious. There, on the front page, was a photo of Harry and the headline: HARRY POTTER "DISTURBED AND DANGEROUS." She blanched considerably at a quote taken directly from Draco and his mention of werewolves. It wasn't the sort of thing she needed to read that morning, and she pulled her attention away to focus on Cedric.
He looked pale and nervous, barely touching his plate. Sprout came walking up to him with a bright, proud smile on her face and stopped next to him. Being too far away, Emma wasn't sure what was said, but Cedric perked up considerably.
"What did she just say?" Emma asked Justin, who was smiling as well.
"His parents are here," Justin replied.
Emma gave Justin a knowing smile – nothing made her happier than when Remus could visit her. Cedric having his parents arrive early in the day to spend time with him had to feel amazing.
She wasn't expecting to wind up meeting seeing parents, but when she returned to the Great Hall after being outside all day, they were sitting at the table. Cedric's already wide smile grew when he saw her, and he waved Emma over. She tried to gesture that she was fine and made to sit next to Finley, but Justin, who was behind her, shoved her in their direction. She felt it was better for Cedric to spend time with his parents alone, but the others didn't appear to think so.
"Hi," Emma said shyly, sitting next to Cedric.
"Em, you've met my dad already," Cedric said, throwing an arm around her shoulder and looking proudly at his mother. "But you haven't met my mum yet!"
Within a few minutes of talking to the woman, Emma had to agree with her suspicions that Cedric was a lot like her. She was soft-spoken and kind, and if Emma remembered correctly, she had been a Hufflepuff herself. Emma wasn't entirely sure how she wound up with someone like Amos Diggory, but then again, Emma couldn't say much when she was with Greyson.
They traded polite small talk over sandwiches, but Emma found her chest tightening painfully. She watched Cedric, and his mother interact with a sense of longing that she didn't expect to have. For weeks Emma tried to ignore every little thing she still hadn't entirely processed and sitting there watching the two of them hurt. She couldn't begrudge Cedric in the least and would never, but it would always be a sore spot for her.
"Hey, I'm going to go head back to the dorms," Emma said, standing up and giving his parents a sheepish look. "It was very good to see you again, Mr. Diggory, and it was very nice meeting you, Mrs. Diggory."
The smallest of smiles crossed her face as she heard Mrs. Diggory tell Cedric that she found her kind, but it fell when Amos turned it completely.
"She might be a Black, but she's a werewolf," she heard him say. "Such a shame."
Emma forced herself to push the comment from her mind. She was sure that it was a comment that was made amongst the people who knew the truth. It was easier to pretend that she didn't frequently have the same thought cross her mind.
Dinner felt like one of the holidays at Hogwarts. Multiple courses, an over-crowded and decorated Great Hall, and plenty of noise. Everyone was excited. Parents who normally visited were sitting with their children, happy to join in the festivities. The front tables were filled with teachers and Ministry workers alike.
As the enchanted ceiling dipped to a dusky purple, Dumbledore stood up from his seat, and the room fell into silence.
"Ladies and gentleman, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now."
Hufflepuff's table was arguably the loudest in the room. Cedric hugged his parents and shook the hands of those closest. The Hufflepuffs were so excited that it was almost impossible for Cedric to make his way out of the Great Hall. Even Emma couldn't resist stopping him before he joined the others.
"Good luck, Cedric," Emma said, giving Cedric a quick hug.
"Thank you," Cedric said, ruffling Emma's hair affectionately. "I'll see you at the end."
Just like the first task, Emma was amazed at how the grounds were transformed. The entirety of the Quidditch pitch had been turned into a maze with exceptionally tall hedges. The stands were filling quickly, and additional seating was placed on the ground to support the larger crowd.
Emma giggled as she heard a delighted bark, and a black dog ran circles around her. She moved off to the side and crouched down to pat Padfoot's head with a smile.
"Hey, you," she said happily. "Ready to go find us a spot? I'll go where you go."
The group surrounding her laughed as Padfoot let out another bright bark. It was nothing short of a miracle that his appearance no longer garnered too much extra attention. Hogwarts knew not to question Emma and her "pet dog." Emma could only imagine the sheer havoc that would occur if people knew he was Sirius Black.
Emma wasn't surprised when he chose a place in the stands that was somewhat secluded but at the highest point. It was still impossible to see into the maze from where they sat, but at least they could pretend. Padfoot settled himself next to her, sitting up straight with his tongue lolling out and looking happier than she had seen in ages. There was a hint of nervousness in his demeanor, but he looked more excited than anything.
Not too long after arriving, the stands erupted when Ludo Bagman began to speak into the night. He went over the scores, and it was hard to tell which house was cheering louder – Hufflepuff for Cedric or Gryffindor for Harry. Emma laughed when Padfoot barked happily for both, adding to the noise. Cedric looked out into the stands trying to find familiar faces. When he saw Emma, she let out a loud cheer and waved, grinning at his wide smile. She knew that he could do it.
With Bagman's whistle, Cedric and Harry disappeared into the maze. Shortly after, Bagman's whistle went off, and then once more until all four champions were hidden within the confines of the maze. All that was left to do was wait. Every so often, a loud noise could be heard in the maze, often inhuman and very creature-like. A piercing scream or a shout often followed, and the hedges would shake violently.
The crowd jumped when Fleur's scream broke through the chatter amongst the crowd. All anyone could do was speculate what was happening.
"What do you think is going on in there?" Emma asked Padfoot curiously. He gave a soft wuff in response, and Emma hummed her agreement. He was just as clueless as she was. "I'm going to go see what the others think, and I'll be back in a bit, okay? Come find me if you think I'm missing something important." Emma placed a kiss on top of Padfoot's furry head and moved along the stands to find her friends.
She talked excitedly with her classmates, speculating just how far everyone was. No red sparks appeared in the sky, but they could only wonder what happened with Fleur deep in the maze. There were great shouts from who they assumed was Cedric, but none of them were entirely sure.
"That sounded like Krum," Justin said, turning his head to listen to the shouts.
"But it could also be Cedric," Susan said nervously.
"Could have been both. Weren't there rumors that Hagrid's Skrewts were going to be in the maze?" Emma said, looking between everyone. "For all we know, one of those creepy little things got to them."
There was a collective murmur of agreement, and they fell back into their excited chatter. Eventually, red sparks flew up into the air, and Fleur was pulled from the maze and immediately brought to Madame Pomfrey. Not too long after Fleur was brought out, looking terrified and worn, another set of red sparks went up. There was a hush in the crowd as they waited to see who was pulled next and an uptick in noise when Krum was pulled out next. No one was too surprised to see that Krum looked dazed and confused, and the rumors began to fly. The moment everyone realized only Harry and Cedric were left, the entirety of Gryffindor and Hufflepuff cheered.
Who would be their Hogwarts champion?
Time moved both slowly and quickly. Ten minutes passed, then twenty, then thirty, but no one had heard a thing. There was no movement, no sounds, just an eerie silence that extended out from the maze and seemed to dampen the noise in the stands.
Feeling terrible about leaving Padfoot on his own for so long, Emma crossed over to where he remained sitting. He was sitting straight up at attention, eyes focused on the maze. He glanced over at Emma when she returned, his tail giving a lazy swish at her arrival, but he kept his attention ahead.
"It's taking an awful long time, isn't it?" Emma said, reaching up the run her fingers through the soft scruff at Padfoot's neck. He made a snuffling noise in response, not relaxing under her touch. Emma peered at him curiously, wondering what he was seeing, and frowned.
"Is something wrong?" Emma dared to ask, her frown deepening when Padfoot turned his head slightly so that he could watch her and the maze. "It's not supposed to take this long, is it?"
The lack of response on Padfoot's part made Emma nervous. It was true that nothing had been seen or heard since Fleur and Krum were pulled from the maze, but what did that mean? It had to mean nothing – that perhaps Harry and Cedric were doing perfectly fine. The lack of noise meant they were just wandering; the hedges not moving suggested they hadn't run into any creatures. They were perfectly fine, Emma told herself.
Another 40 minutes passed by before anything new happened. Down on the ground, everyone was starting to look anxious. The professors looked nervous, but they could do nothing without a call for help or a definitive moment of the trophy being grabbed. The Ministry officials seemed almost bored and unconcerned. At least until there was a sudden flurry of motion.
Everything seemed to happen all at once. At first, there were cheers of excitement as Harry and Cedric appeared at the base of the maze. The third task was finally over, and while Harry was holding onto the cup, it wasn't clear who the winner was. Had they both won? No one was sure. All that mattered was both Hogwarts champions had returned, and Hogwarts had won the tournament. After being at odds with each other for months, Gryffindor and Hufflepuff were willing to be friendly with each other.
But the screams that followed the cheers came before the confused uproar that surged upward and outward into the crisp summer night. The more people stared down at the grounds in front of them, the more they realized something was wrong. Harry was sobbing profusely and clutching hard to Cedric. People rose from their seats, clamoring to get a closer look at what was happening; no one knew what to do.
It was hard for Emma to process exactly what she was looking at the base of the maze, but Padfoot's sudden stiffness at her side didn't bode well. She looked between Padfoot and over to the small mass that comprised of Harry and Cedric's unmoving body. Emma watched as Dumbledore tried to pull Harry away from Cedric and could hear bits of the conversations around her. Her blood ran cold, and her stomach did a funny turn as she picked up on the same word repeated over and over again as it traveled from the grounds and further up along the stands. Dead, dead, dead, dead, dead.
But that couldn't be, could it? Brilliant, vibrant, cheerful Cedric Diggory couldn't be dead, could he? It was impossible – it was a sick joke that someone decided to start all because he was unconscious.
Who knew what had happened within the confines of the maze's walls? It was likely that he had gotten hurt behind the hedges, and Harry had done the chivalrous thing and brought him back. It would be a very Harry thing to do, after all. If Emma squinted hard enough, she could swear that she could see Cedric breathing. All had to be well – she couldn't possibly lose another person in less than a few months, certainly not Cedric. But when she looked back over at Padfoot, he was on all fours looking both fearful and sad as he turned his head to look at her. He pressed his nose against her cheek in the softest of touches, and she wanted to ask why he would do such a thing, but then she understood why.
It was a shriek that would haunt Emma for the rest of her life. One that echoed out loudly into the night, bouncing off the trees and the stars and all of the universe, confirming all of her worst fears.
"He's dead! Cedric Diggory is dead!"
a/n: One more until the very end.
To my late night readers - please go to sleep.
For my afternoon readers - I hope you've had a wonderful day so far.
For my morning readers - Have a wonderful day!
I love you all~
Xoxo,
Cat
P.S. Join the discord and cry along with everyone else.
