Ginny turned to Hermione, who's face had turned whiter than she had ever seen her. Hermione whispered gravelly, "Something is wrong…something is very wrong." Ginny nodded and felt herself shaking before she whispered, "And we can't find out where they are!" Ron grimaced and whispered over the people talking around them, "I'm sure they'll be fine…wherever they are. They are champions after all." Ginny moved behind Hermione and hugged her brother tightly as she whispered, "I hope they're okay. If something happened to them…" she cut herself off as Professor Dumbledore turned to the stadium and amplified his voice, "Students, Professors and guests, please understand that the disappearance of the champions is indeed a mystery, and we are currently investigating their whereabouts. I suggest that eeveryone remain seated and calm until their return."
Ginny grimaced and Ron stroked her back calmingly as Fred and George appeared beside them, looking pretty white themselves, "I don't know what we're going to do. Nobody betted that it would be a tie…and now we don't even know where the champions have disappeared to. Ginny, did Harry or Cedric tell you this was planned to happen?" Ginny shook her head and stood up, trying to be strong, but meanwhile she felt like breaking down. She'd had a sick feeling in her stomach for the last week, and this must have been why. She knew something bad was going to happen. She just knew it! She had told Cedric at the very beginning that she felt like the tournament would be a nightmare, and now it was all coming true!
The teachers were all out searching for the two of them, but there was no way on earth they could possibly find them. The chances were so slim. Professor Dumbledore and amplified his voice and said, "Would Miss Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley and Cho Chang please come forward?" Ginny's eyes widened but she quickly made her way down to the ground. Professor Dumbledore looked at them each sternly; his voice now it's normal volume and asked, "Did any of you know that the champions were going to disappear from the arena? The reason I ask is because each of ou knows one of the champions very well and they may have been aware of this happening. Therefore they may have mentioned it to either one of you." Ginny, as well as each individual there, shook their heads and replied, "No, Professor." Dumbledore sighed and grimaced, "Alright. Thank you. You can all head back to your seats now."
As Ginny turned, Cho caught her arm and released it quickly before saying, "Ginny…I'm really sorry for the way I behaved towards you. I was jealous." Ginny nodded and whispered, "It's alright, Cho. That's not important now. I just want them back safe, the same as you." Cho nodded and smiled bleakly at her, before they both headed up the stands.
They waited for an hour and nothing happened. Ginny's nauseating feeling was ever increasing and she truly felt like she was going to be sick. Ron said to her calmly, "Gin…wait don't you sit down? You don't look too well." Ginny did as she was told, but just as she was about to sit, a "pop" echoed around the stadium, causing everyone to stand up and look below. Harry had landed, seemingly on top of Cedric and Ginny breathed an internal sigh of relief. Then he was lifted off Ced and her heart beat stopped. She felt herself screaming wildly and Harry looked up at her, grief ridden in his eyes. Cedric was dead, his body cold and lifeless on the ground. Harry was clinging to him as Dumbledore tried to speak to Harry. Harry cried through garbled words and tears, "He's back…Voldemort's back!" Ginny gasped, fear taking over her body and she ran down the stadium to get to both Harry and Cedric. She heard Harry's distraught voice saying, "Cedric told me to bring his body back. I couldn't leave him-not there!"
Ginny finally reached the ground and she hurtled towards the two of them, the sick feeling in her stomach had disappeared and now she felt empty. Lost. She got to Harry and wrapped her arms around him tightly. He didn't even more his spot as she stroked his messy hair and felt herself collapse into pieces. He held onto her as she sobbed and she looked at Cedric's lifeless face. Pain rippled through her and she shook violently and he squeezed her to him.
Dumbledore was conversing with Professor McGonagall, and suddenly Ginny felt Harry being tugged away from her. Moody told him softly, "This is not where you need to be right now." Harry struggled as he was pulled away and Ginny finally forced herself to look at Cedric as her body shook. Ced's father was there and crying screams of disbelief and anger.
Ginny couldn't believe it herself. Her mind kept screaming, 'NO! NO! NO!' as Cedric's father was yelling it out loud. Ginny couldn't take her eyes of Cedric's own dead ones. Cold filled her and then suddenly she felt empty, like she couldn't feel anything at all. She was waiting for Cedric to wake up, and hug her and kiss her and tell everyone that she was his girlfriend. She wanted to celebrate his winning with him and she wanted to be involved in every aspect of his life, but now that opportunity was gone forever.
Eventually, Hagrid was the one her pulled her up carefully and he said loudly to the crowd, "Right! Beauxbaton's and Durmstrang, would you kindly go back to your residing places. Professor Flitwick, please take the Ravenclaws back to their common rooms, Madame Pomfrey please take the Ravenclaws, Professor Sprout please take the Slytherin's and I'll take the Gryffindor's. Everybody please file down without pushing and shoving." Then he turned to Mr Diggory and said softly, "Sir, would ya mind coming along with me to Professor Dumbledore's office?" Mr Diggory seemed fixed on Cedric, tears falling down his face and Ginny couldn't blame him. He didn't respond and so Hagrid repeated himself. Ginny turned her attention back to the students filing down the stands. She caught sight of Cho, who had tears streaming down her face. Eventually Ron and Hermione reached her, and Hermione flew her hands around Ginny's waist, pulling her to her and stroking her hair, just as she had down with Harry.
Ginny walked mindlessly towards the common room, wondering where Harry was and why Mad-Eye had pulled him away. He'd needed her so much there and then, she could feel it. That's why she had run to him. She shook her head in confusion and Hermione asked, "What's wrong, Gin?" Ginny grimaced and replied, "I don't understand why Mad-Eye removed Harry from Dumbledore's side, if what Harry said about…about Riddle coming back is true. Being beside Dumbledore would be the safest place for him." A shiver ran through her and she looked at her friend with big, wide eyes. Hermione gasped and whispered softly, "I hope he's alright."
When they reached the common room, the three of them sat in silence around the fire and waited for Harry. Ginny cried silent tears and Ron and Hermione sat on either side and comforted her. She desperately needed to the comfort. She didn't tell them that they had agreed to be a couple. Ron didn't know how serious she was about Cedric. She was pretty sure he would flip his lid, even though Cedric was no longer with them.
They waited for hours in absolute silence for Harry to arrive. By eleven o clock, they were she only three students still awake. Ron and Hermione were playing chess when Harry walked through the portrait hole, limping on his leg. The second Ginny heard it open she ran the distance and embraced him tightly in her grasp. He seemed exhausted- ready to collapse on her shoulder. She pulled him to the couch and forced him to sit beside her.
Harry looked at her, eyes dull and exhausted and said, "Riddle's back," before he passed out on the couch.
Author's note: This is an unfortunate chapter to end the weekend off with and really hard to write. I didn't want to kill Cedric because I loved developing his relationship with Ginny. But J. did and for my story it is an essential part of the plot later on. I'm sorry to everyone who wanted it to work out between them, but there are reasons for it, I promise!
This chapter is for my dog, Chloe, who we had to put down two Fridays ago at the horribly young age of six. I am still missing her terribly and the emotions I described how Ginny is feeling is how I have been feeling these last two weeks. There's a hole in my life that can never be filled again, no matter what. That's very raw emotion I was describing. I hope I did a good job of it. Chloe, you are sorely missed my darling. This one's for you. You are irreplaceable.