Eden was filled with dread from the moment she woke up.
The day of the third and final task had arrived before anyone had realized that the tournament was coming to an end. Ever since the chaos that followed the murder of Barty Crouch, everyone had been quite occupied with the whispers and rumors that followed the incident.
While she wished she could have been among the people that pushed it to the back of their minds, the young witch couldn't shake the feeling growing in her stomach as they day neared closer and closer. Her friends had noticed, asked her what was wrong, to which she just waved them off and insisted it was nothing.
She had only voiced her worries the night before when she asked Cedric to meet her in their usual greenhouse, "Edie," He said gently, placing his hands on her shoulders as he had done so many times before. But her shoulders felt heavier tonight, "I'm going to be just fine. I have been the last two tasks and this one will be the same." A smile grew on his kind features and she tried to let it ease her nerves like she had in the past but she couldn't bring herself to do so, "Honestly, the lack of faith you have in me is a little insulting."
She knew he was trying to joke with her to make her feel better but the worried grimace never left her young face, "Cedric, this is different," She insisted, "this is going to be the most dangerous one yet how can you be so calm? I have the most dreadful feeling-"
"And I appreciate you caring." He told her, almost as if he was soothing a child after a nightmare, "but you won't be able to get rid of me that easy."
Eden continued to argue with him, but it was no use. As the night grew later, he left her with the excuse that he had to go to bed and get a good night's sleep. She knew that was partially true but couldn't help but feel like he simply wanted to put her protests to rest.
Her arms shook as she pushed herself into a sitting position, feeling her muscles ache from her tossing and turning the night before once she had finally made it back to bed. She wasn't sure how much she had slept but it definitely wasn't long at all.
"Oh, Merlin, you look awful," Hannah remarks, coming back into their dorm from the bathrooms, scrunching her hair with a towel to dry it.
"Thanks, Han." Eden pulls her pale legs to her chest, rubbing her tired eyes with the heel of her palms.
"Are you worried about Cedric?" She asks softly, sitting on the foot of her own bed which was across from Eden's.
Eden nods simply. She couldn't properly voice her concerns. It wasn't like she had any real proof that something was going to happen but it was like a heavy rain cloud was hovering above her head ready to burst with rain and soak her at any moment.
"He's smart," Hannah stands up from her bed and moves to sit next to her friend, "he's going to make it out of this without a scratch," she places a comforting hand on Eden's back, "you'll see."
Eden doesn't look at her but feels her bed move in the absence of her friend. She knew she should take her words seriously but Eden couldn't help and shrug them off, she was destined to be worried about Cedric for the whole day.
Dragging herself out of bed, she grabbed her toiletries and clothes for the day, deciding that a hot shower would help to ease her sore muscles.
Making her way down the hall, her feet felt heavy with anxiety. Thankfully, due to her sleeping in, the bathrooms were empty and she could have her shower in peace. Even though it was technically against rules, Eden raises her wand and shuts the door with a simple wave, feeling some sense of relief as the lock clicks.
Her gold rings clatter against the counter as she slides them off one by one, feeling the cold air of the bathroom greet her skin as she strips down to nothing. She doesn't linger too long on her reflection-her wild bedhead, the dark circles under her eyes, her face puffy from the sleep she had been under just moments ago, her pale skin despite the redness of her cheeks that never seemed to fully go away.
She turns to the shower, turning the water on and forcing the nob all the way to the left so the water would burn her skin slightly, hopefully, it helps her feel something other than the dread.
While she wanted to stay in there the whole day, allowing the water to wash away her thoughts and the steam to feel her lungs, calming her shaky breath-the pounding on the door soon came and she knew she had to get out.
She quickly got dressed in her jeans and Hufflepuff sweatshirt, sliding her rings back on her fingers and not bothering to brush her hair before she opens the door, greeted by multiple frustrated girls, "Sorry," She mumbles halfheartedly, slipping past them and back to her dorm.
Hannah is gone when she gets there and she assumes she went down to breakfast. On a normal day, Eden would be cross she didn't wait for her, but her lack of appetite on this particular morning made that impossible.
Running her brush through her wet hair, she catches a familiar pair of eyes in the reflection of her mirror and she has to bite the inside of her cheek to keep tears from welling in her eyes.
"Good morning," Cedric smiles at her, his dimples making an appearance, "may I come in?" Eden swallows the lump in her throat and nods, turning to face him as he enters her room the rest of the way and comes to sit on the edge of her bed like he had so many times before when he was complaining about something his father said, or raving about how brilliant the Quidditch team looked in practice that day. He looks up at her from that spot he had occupied so many times and he looks sorrowful, "I wanted to apologize for how I acted last night, I was very quick to dismiss your feelings."
Eden opens her mouth and he knows she's about to insist that he doesn't have to apologize, "No, you were only caring about me and I invalidated it." She's standing next to him, looking down at this boy she has come to call her best friend. He takes her hand and holds it in his gently but gives it a firm squeeze before he speaks, "I'm going to tell you something and I need you to promise me that it won't make you freak out even more."
Eden knows that's nearly impossible to promise but she nods her head anyway, "I promise.' She takes a seat next to him and he doesn't let go of her hand.
Cedric takes a deep breath, examining the rings on her fingers in an attempt to gather his thoughts, "If something is to happen to me tonight, I need you to know how highly I think of you." The familiar lump in her throat returns and she swallows hard as he looks into her eyes, "Eden, you are the best person I know-possibly the best person I have ever known. You have helped me in so many ways, other than Herbology." He lets out a chuckle and Eden can't help but laugh with him, her throat thick with the wetness of her unshed tears. "You are so unbelievably kind, regardless of how people treat you. You have every right to be cruel and bitter and yet here you are, treating anyone and everyone with the kindness that you never knew."
He grabs her face so that his next point is so drilled into her that she won't forget his next words for as long as she lives, "No matter what happens tonight, you have to promise me that you will stay this way, Eden. Do not let this world taint you. You are too good-too purely good for this world and everyone needs you so that there is constantly something as wonderful as you or I think everything would implode on itself."
Eden sniffs, not being able to help the tears that now leaked out of her eyes and down her cheeks, "I'm only what you say because I've had you, Cedric."
The boy in front of her shakes his head with a knowing smile, "Never giving yourself enough credit, Eden," He says gently, "You're my best friend, Eden Haywood, and I love you dearly. Never forget that."
"Oh, Cedric," Eden can't help it anymore, She lets out a choked sob and wraps her arms around his neck, hugging him to her body tightly. "I love you." She whispers. While weeks ago she would have wished he meant the words in a different way, right now she was grateful that she was able to tell him at all, "Thank you for everything." She whispers, pulling back from their embrace to look him in the eyes, "without you I would have felt like I was walking this world alone and I don't think I would have made it this far if that were the case."
Cedric smiles at her with so much admiration, one that could only come from the purest form of love, "We'll be okay." He wipes away the tears on her cheeks, "Everything will be alright."
She wanted to believe him. With every ounce of hope inside of her, Eden wanted to believe Cedric's words. And, for a short amount of time that day, she did. But, as the hours ticked on and she felt the task drawing nearer and nearer, the dread and anxiety returned to her like a train zooming by at high speed.
It wasn't until the entire student body and then some were all gathered for the final task that Eden felt as though she was going to explode with worry.
"Eden, are you coming?" Justin asks as he and Hannah are about to make their way into the stands.
Eden was looking into the large maze, seeing Cedric not too far inside with his father, waiting to make his grand entrance, "You guys go ahead and save me a seat, I'm just going to wish Cedric good luck," she smiles weakly at her friends and they give her a knowing smile before making their way into the stands.
She can hear Mr. Diggory whispering frantically to his son as she approaches and Cedric catches her eyes over his father's shoulder, "Sorry to interrupt," She says gently as she approaches the pair.
"Oh, Miss Haywood, it's a pleasure to see you." Mr. Diggory turns to smile at the young girl and she returns it. There's a moment of awkward silence before Cedric clears his throat.
"Dad, can you give us a moment?" Amos looks hesitant but eventually nods his head, leaving the two teenagers alone in the maze.
Eden can feel the magic coursing through the large walls of greenery and a shiver runs up her spine, "I just wanted to wish you good luck one more time," She musters a smile and looks up at him, "and to give you this." she slides one of the rings off of her finger, one with a large red gem in the middle and an intricate gold band, "It was my dad's, he gave it to me for my birthday last year." She swallows, "It's supposed to bring you luck, so I want you to wear it."
Cedric runs his finger over the ring, his eyes wide in surprise, "Eden...are you sure?" He asks, looking back at her.
"Yeah, of course,' She says quickly, "it will do you more good than me and," she sighs, flicking her hair over her shoulder in a joking manner, "besides, it totally clashes with my outfit." she jokes.
Cedric chuckles lightly and slides the ring onto his finger, "I'll bring it back safely." He promises, pulling her in for a hug and pressing a kiss to the top of her head.
"You better." She mutters against his chest, wrapping her arms around his torso and squeezing him tightly, one last time before she pulls away, "Give 'em hell, Diggory."
A hand is placed on her back and she looks over her shoulder to see Amos has returned, "It's time, son."
The words strike her gut like a sharp knife and she nods slowly, "I'll be up there cheering you on." She smiles at him again before walking backward out of the maze, not taking her eyes off of him until she's forced to in order to walk up the steps of the stands, finding Justin and Hannah sitting behind a certain group of Slytherins.
As she sits down next to Hannah, the loud noises of the crowd flooding her ears, Hannah leans over with a sympathetic look, "Sorry, these were the only seats left."
Eden sighs, looking at the back of a familiar platinum blond, "I appreciate the concern, but that's honestly the least of my worries right now."
An offended gasp comes from the group in front of them and Theodore Nott turns to smirk at her, "I can't believe I'm so low on your list of priorities, Eden, I thought we had something."
Bash, who is sitting next to him, digs his elbow into the younger boy's ribs and turns to look at his sister, "How are you holding up?" He asks.
"Fine," She lies and he knows, but she doesn't care. Draco, who is sitting directly in front of her, turns to spare her a glance but as their eyes lock he simply looks away and turns back around.
He was worried for her, but as usual, he had no idea what to say to communicate that.
As the champions line up at their respective entrances to the maze, Dumbledore explains that the cup is hidden in the maze and their goal is to find it.
The sound of the cannon going off feels like it's going right through Eden's chest as she watches Cedric enter the maze and the green wall close up behind him.
…
"What does that mean?" Eden asks her friends frantically as red sparks fly up in the maze. She remembered Dumbledore mentioning something about red sparks but she couldn't for the life of her remember what he meant.
"Someone's hurt or something," Justin says, "They need to be taken out of the maze." Eden wrings her hands together nervously and waits for whoever it was to be brought out.
On one hand, she hoped to Merlin that it wasn't Cedric who was hurt, but on another hand, she thought that maybe it was him, and if he was well enough to send up the sparks that he wasn't too badly injured and he would be back to safety before too much longer.
But, as Fleur is the one brought out of the maze, Eden is forced to continue her consuming worry. Hannah's hand finds her own and gives it a firm squeeze, "I'm sure he's alright." But due to the amount of time there were all out there waiting, she could tell that even Hannah was starting to get worried.
Viktor Krum was now back, looking far too distraught for Eden's liking. There was only Harry and Cedric left and her hand began to sweat as she held Hannah's. She releases her friend's hand and wipes her palm on her thigh before tightly gripping it again, holding it to her chest as a form of comfort.
With a sudden flash of light and the appearance of two forms in the middle of the field, Hannah's hand falls from Eden's grasp. The crowd erupts in cheers and the band begins to play the Hogwarts march once again, a cheery and upbeat tune.
She sees Harry first, the red of his Gryffindor uniform catching her eyes and her brows furrow at the sight of him hunched over something.
Someone.
Eden jumps up from her seat immediately, before anyone else notices what's really going on. Fleur's scream is heard over the music and as Dumbledore and a few other professors make their way onto the field, it's almost like the world falls into slow motion around her.
"No…" The word falls past her lips in a breath and it's like it's the last breath she will ever take.
Harry was crouched over Cedric's limp body, attempting to be pulled off but he refused, sobbing and yelling in protest.
She had to get closer, she had to see for herself.
This can't be real. Wake up, wake up, wake up.
Sebastian pushes his way in front of the boys and his other sister, getting to the end of the row and preventing Eden from walking any further as she attempts to walk down the stands, "Eden, don't." He places his hands on her shoulders.
"What's happening?" She asks, her eyes darting from his face to try and look over his shoulder, "I have to go see him, he's hurt." Her tone is pleading and she tries to push past Bash but he wraps a firm arm around her waist, holding her in place, "Let go of me." She struggles against his grasp, clawing at his arm.
As they are finally able to pull Harry away from Cedric she is able to get a clearer view of her best friend, laying there in the grass before his father finally reaches him, falling to his knees next to his son.
"Cedric." Her panic breathing is constricted when her brother's arm tightens around her abdomen. "CEDRIC!" Her throat bleeds with the force of her scream and she is finally able to get her brother's grip off of her.
Amos Diggory's cries fall over the crowd as her feet stumble down the steps toward the awful scene.
Wake up, please wake up.
She wasn't sure if her panicked pleas were for Cedric to wake up there on the grass or for her to wake up from this awful nightmare.
Before her feet leave the last step, another firm grip is felt around her waist but it's different than that of her brother, "Let me go," She pleads once again, "I have to say goodbye." She begs, her voice failing her as the lump forms in her throat and she feels the tears fall down her cheeks, "Let me say goodbye."
"Not here, Eden," Draco's voice is gentle against her ear as he holds her against his chest and she feels herself go limp against him, forcing him to almost hold her up all on his own, "Don't do this here."
"He can't leave me," She sobs, allowing him to move to her side and wrap his arms around her from there in more of a hug versus holding her hostage, "He can't leave me." Draco places his hand on the back of her head as she buries her face in his chest, his long fingers stroking her hair comfortingly as she falls apart in his embrace.
Cedric Diggory was dead.
