Madame Pomfrey let me leave a few hours after I'd bathed and dressed, satisfied that she had pumped as many healing potions into me as was possible. Under threat that I'd be put right back into the hospital wing if I didn't strictly follow her instructions, she'd demanded that I eat and rest properly and be sure not to exert myself for the rest of term. I'd agreed and quickly exited into the corridors, where I began to wander aimlessly. Hoping to do anything in order to avoid being still, I felt as if I could walk around every inch of the castle without tiring. My pace gradually began to quicken as I sped through the halls, most of which were empty as most students were either studying for final exams or in class at this time of day. Pomfrey had told me that I wasn't expected to return to classes the following morning unless I felt up to it, which wasn't likely seeing as a memorial service was being held for Cedric tomorrow evening.
I moved past corridor after corridor, seeing little else but the floor I walked across as I hung my head low. I realized I hadn't been properly alone since the night of the last task. Hadn't had time to process what had happened or had a proper cry as everyone would expect me to. But I didn't feel anything besides a terrible loneliness as I walked, a yearning for someone I would never be able to replace; a feeling of nostalgia in a way. And then I thought of Sirius, how much pain he must be in at least partially because of me. I hadn't been strong enough to fight Voldemort off, to defeat him before he could come to power again. I'd only escaped by luck, with the help of the dead who'd appeared when I most needed them. All I'd done is survive, as Cedric had commanded me to.
His ghost had been the last to appear in the graveyard as I fought Voldemort, and for a fleeting moment, I'd thought he'd returned to me. But he was only an apparition, a haunting figure of the strong young man I knew he'd once been.
"Rose, keep fighting" he'd called "Don't let up, run for the portkey and we'll protect you for as long as we can."
At the sound of his voice, I'd felt my resolve wavering, my wand arm beginning to drop as grief at seeing him and my parents began to drag me down.
"Cedric, I'm sorry!" I'd cried, my face crumpling in agony as I looked up at his pale face.
"No Rose, don't stop yet! Keep fighting him, please do it for me! Don't give up now, you'll make it out of this I swear!"
Breathing heavily, trying to muster whatever strength I could find left within myself, I'd straightened up until I heard my mother's voice for the first time, telling me I must break the connection with Voldemort's wand. I'd sprinted faster than I thought possible to Cedric's body after that, thumping down next to him as I clasped his already cold hand within mine and summoned the Triwizard cup.
As my mind came back to the present I began to stumble, my eyes fogging with tears. I fell to my knees on the rug that lay beneath me. I was breathing heavily as sobs began to once again force their way through my throat. I curled into myself and lay on my side on the cold floor. My eyes rose to the ceiling and the stone walls seemed to be closing in around me as I began to hyperventilate. I knew I needed to escape and, becoming desperate, clumsily sprinted back the way I'd come from, stumbling into the walls and furniture as I tried to get away from the nightmare I found myself living in. But sprinting as I was wasn't enough, even though my still healing body was begging me to slow down. I didn't want to be weak anymore and making up my mind, I made my way outside the castle to a place where I knew I could clear my mind and be safe.
—
"So, you believe he is making progress then Albus?"
I sat opposite the headmaster, a magnificent wooden desk, and Fawkes between us. We had just returned from Grimmauld Place where we'd been caring for Sirius and Tonks, leaving them in the care of other Order members so we could return to Hogwarts to rest.
"Yes, I do. Slowly, but he is most definitely healing now. Clever of you, thinking to try the Tactu Sanitatem potion, Severus. It will probably save his life."
I nodded my head in acknowledgment at his statement, relieved that Black was finally healing now.
"Nonetheless, I will still send Poppy to him and Tonks. It will be weeks before either of them will be completely out of danger I think, and I would feel better having her with them. You and I can handle any injuries the students manage to sustain before they go home on Friday."
"Yes, I think it would be wise for Poppy to stay with them in Grimmauld Place for as long as possible," I replied.
We sat in silence for a minute before Dumbledore began to rise from his chair.
"Odd, isn't it? Your sworn enemy now owes you his life, Severus. Quite strange considering you've wanted him dead for most of your life." Eyes twinkling as he smiled, I drew breath to reply but then my eye was drawn to one of the high windows in the headmaster's office. A small figure astride a broom, obviously a student, was flying in the Quidditch pitch.
Dumbledore noticed my distraction, obvious surprise on his face as he caught view of the figure outside his window.
"They shouldn't be flying in this thunderstorm, Severus…" he trailed off as the flyer began to weave and swerve between the goal posts, and we both gasped as the hood of the rider feel to reveal an unmistakable mass of curly, red hair.
"What on Earth does she think she's doing?" I thundered, quickly pulling my traveling cloak around myself once again as I made for the door.
"Bring her back to the hospital wing, Severus. I'll go down there now to tell Poppy about our plan."
I nodded curtly, rushing down the steps as I moved towards the pitch. Idiot girl! What was she thinking, going out in the cold rain in her state! No doubt she'd catch cold from this little excursion of hers at the very least, her immune system and magical core had already been so weakened!
Anger rippling off of me, I flung the door before me out of the way and was meet with a lashing storm of rain.
—
The wind rippled through me, forming almost a cocoon of air around my body as I soared around the Quidditch pitch. I'd never pushed by Firebolt to go so fast before, not even in a match but I was holding nothing back now. I zoomed as fast as I could from one edge of the stadium to another, letting my broom fall until it grazed the grass below me before pulling it up to an almost 180-degree rise, gripping the handle as hard as I could so I didn't slip off the end. It had been so long since I'd flown, all my attention had been directed on the tournament and not on Quidditch this year. I wondered how far up I could go before I had to stop?
I continued to rise until I felt raindrops begin to fall. I pulled into a stop and the rain fell across my face as I turned my eyes upwards to view the dark clouds overhead. Occasionally a bolt of lightning would flash across the sky and I smiled at how free I finally felt. I soon went back down to the pitch and began weaving exercises through the goal posts, laughing giddily when I barely nicked by one of the curves. Cedric and I had raced like this one sunny afternoon and he had smiled indulgently at me when I'd beaten him.
"It's a good thing I'm leaving school this year, there's no way I can keep up with you anymore" He'd said as we landed back on the pitch.
I'd laughed and walked over to him, putting my arm around his waist and pulling him into a side hug as I smiled.
"Honestly Rose, you're going to the pros if you keep going at this rate."
"Oh please, you've already given me more compliments than I deserve for today" I'd replied, but his words secretly thrilled me.
"I'm being serious, Rose. After the tournament, you could start training more if you want, use the summer for practice and you'd be unstoppable!"
I'd rolled my eyes and sarcastically replied: "Stop, now you're really going to make me blush."
He'd turned me to face him then, his earnest hazel eyes meeting mine as he tucked my wayward hair behind my ears.
"I know that you…that you don't like to talk about living with your Aunt and Uncle, and the term is ending soon." I'd looked down at my feet then, the smile falling slowly from my face as I waited for him to continue.
"We just have the last tournament and then we'll be home for the summer, so I just thought…when I don't have Auror training I could come visit you? I know you have to go back home for a little while at least, but once you're at the Weasleys? We could train together then if you'd like, I just don't want you to think because I'm leaving school we can't stay together Rose. I want more than anything to be with you…" he'd trailed off and let out a long breath as he rested his forehead against mine.
His speech had taken me off guard and I could never have imagined Cedric looking so vulnerable as he did then if I hadn't known him better. Everyone, mostly Ron, thought he was too arrogant but I knew then that it wasn't true.
I lifted my head and smiled, feeling absolutely smitten with him as I softly said "Of course you can, I'd honestly be offended if you didn't! Maybe Auror training will whip you into shape and you can actually beat me for once when we train this summer."
He'd thrown his head back and laughed in relief, swinging me around in his arms before our lips met.
My throat tightened at the sweetness of the still raw memory, but any more daydreaming of mine was cut short as someone shouted up at me from the field. I could barely make out the figure below me through the relentless rain, but I flew down and landed all the same.
Snape quickly emerged from the foggy field in front of me and his anger was nearly tangible as he strode towards me.
He pulled my broom roughly from my hands before pointing towards the castle behind him, "Inside, right now!" he said as his face twisted with rage.
"But sir, my broom!" I cried out, worried over why he'd taken it from me in the first place.
"You will be lucky if you ever see this broom again in your lifetime, Miss Potter!" He threatened.
"Now get inside before you become hypothermic!"
I glared at him through the pouring rain, but I could tell Snape was determined. Plus, the cold and my jogging excursion from earlier were beginning to catch up with me so I pushed past him in annoyance as I moved back up towards the castle, wondering whether my punishment would be as terrible as it usually was when I'd pissed off Snape.