Chapter 11: Girl Meets Time Warp: Part 2
"I get up in the morning and you're already up. I go to sleep, you're still up. There's food on the table. Clean clothes. You take us where we need to go. You have a job and you still make time to take care of me and Auggie. And I know now that may not be so easy. So if I forgotten to say thank you, I'm saying it now. Thank you. Oh and you too, dad." - Riley Matthews, Girl Meets Forgotten, Girl Meets World
I swam next to Albus as I hear Ludo Bagman call out: "Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I give you – the greatest – the fabulous – the one – the only TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT! If you're from Hogwarts. Give me a cheer." I hear a loud cheer. We continued to descend through the water with ease. "If you're from Durmstrang – give me a cheer." There's another loud cheer. "AND IF YOU'RE FROM BEAUXBATONS GIVE ME A CHEER." There's a slightly less limp cheer. "The French are getting into this. And they're off… Viktor's a shark, of course he is, Fleur looks remarkable, ever plucky Harry is using Gillyweed, clever Harry, very clever – and Cedric – well Cedric, what a treat ladies and gentlemen, Cedric is using a Bubble Charm to cruise through the lake."
I see Cedric Diggory approach us through the water, a bubble over his head. We raise our wands together and fire an Engorgement Charm through the water. He turns at us and looks confused at us. The look on his face hits him like a ton of bricks – the water grows gold and he starts growing bigger. He looks at himself – entirely panicked and we watch as Cedric ascends helplessly through the water.
"But no, what's this… Cedric Diggory is ascending out of the water and seemingly out of the competition. Oh, ladies and gentlemen, we don't have our winner but we certainly have or loser. Cedric Diggory is turning into a balloon and this balloon wants to fly. Fly, ladies and gentlemen, fly. Fly out of the task and out of the tournament and – oh my, it gets wilder still, around Cedric fireworks explode declaiming – 'Ron loves Hermione' – and the crowd love that – oh, ladies and gentlemen, the look on Cedric's face. It's quite some picture, it's quite some sight, it's quite some tragedy. This is a humiliation, there's no other word for it."
I see Albus smile wildly as he swims over to high-five Scorpius and I, but I then notice that Cedric had become the laughing stock as people laugh as they see him ascend. The world becomes dark – almost black even. There's a flash and a bang and the Time-Turner ticks to a stop. We are back in the present but I found this world almost dark. I emerge from the lake as we are triumphant. "Woooo-hoooo!" Scorpius cheers. I look around, surprised. Where did Albus go? He was right beside me.
"Scorpius," I said. "We have to find Albus, Scorpius," I said to Scorpius as we made our way back into the lake. The lake was freezing as I started swimming trying to find Albus. That's when I figured out that Albus never existed. Hogwarts felt different.
"Scorpius Malfoy," someone calls out. "Riley Matthews. Get out of the lake. Get out of the lake. Right now." The pink woman pulls me out of the lake.
"Miss, I need help," I said. "Please, Miss."
"Miss?" the woman says. "I'm Professor Umbridge, the Headmistress of your school, I'm no Miss."
"You're headmistress?" I said. "But I…"
"I am the Headmistress and however important your family may be – it doesn't give you an excuse to dilly-dally, to mess about," she says.
"There was a boy in this lake," I said. "You need to get help. We are looking for our friend, Miss. Professor. Headmaster. One of Hogwarts's students, Miss. I'm looking for Albus Potter."
"Potter? Albus Potter," she says. "There's no such student. In fact, there hasn't been a Potter at Hogwarts for years and that boy didn't turn out so well. Not so much rest in peace, Harry Potter, more rest in perpetual despair. Total troublemaker."
"Harry Potter is dead?" I asked, aloud. I suddenly felt cold. Like the life was suck out of me. Dementors emerges everywhere sucking the life out of me. Wind blows everywhere.
"Have you two swallowed something funny in there? Because a Mudblood without any of us noticing? Harry Potter died over twenty years ago as part of that failed coup of the school – he was one of those Dumbledore terrorists we bravely overthrew at the Battle of Hogwarts. Now come along – I don't know what game you're playing but you're upsetting the Dementors and entirely ruining Voldemort day."
"Voldemort Day?" Scorpius and I asked, looking confused, but we both know that this wasn't the world that we were supposed to live in.
Sorry guys for such a short chapter, but here is another chapter. Thank you all for reading this fanfiction so far. I only got about fifteen chapters to go before heading writing the fifth year - which will have more interaction between Riley and Albus as their friendship (and relationship) grows. Remember to Fav and Review.