The code in the last chapter is actual code and can be cracked. First person who cracks it and can prove it will get a character named after them OR a sketch of the character of their choice. I reveal the answer in chapter 36.
Now, more than ever, Cedric didn't want to return to school. He was sorely tempted to cut his losses and see about going to his future employer and explaining his situation to see if there was anything that could be done. He'd do anything. Even start as an intern and just work two jobs to support himself.
He was worried that Umbridge would find a way to ban him from selling his radios, so he had contacted the Department of the Adaptation of Non-Magical Artifacts at the East Asian Ministry to ask if he could transfer the ownership of the patent on the condition that he receive a fair percentage of the profits the radios would bring, especially if reproduced on a larger scale than a one-man workshop. He also requested that he would be able to adapt radios if requested specifically as well as perform maintenance and be a consultant on the adaptation of similar products. However, all refunds, returns, and exchanges would henceforth be referred to them. On his second to last day in Dominicana, he received a response that his conditions seemed fair and a contract would be drawn up.
Hana agreed to help with the correspondence and have mail directed to Hermione so she could send it to him through their IMNs as it was likely Umbridge would find a way to steal the information or, at least, withhold it from him despite the fact that tampering or withholding government sensitive mail carried punishments harsher than the satisfaction of making an eighteen-year-old boy slightly more miserable than he already was.
At least if he had a steady stream of income now without fear of losing it, it might bring him some sense of peace.
"You going to be all right?" Hermione asked him.
"As much as I can be," he said. "It'll go by fast as long as I keep busy."
"I should be there for you," she fretted.
Cedric pulled her into his arms and held her tightly as if it would be the last time. He inhaled the scent of her hair and tried with all his might to memorize her warmth and the love that enveloped him. He wouldn't get to feel this way for a while, he was certain of it.
"Stay where you are," he said. "Research, study, stay safe."
She looked up at him with her mismatched eyes, the brown one glossy with unshed tears. She kissed him thrice, keeping them light and sweet, especially since they were in the presence of her parents. She pushed good, encouraging thoughts and they actually helped a little. Maybe not for long, but it did make it slightly easier to let her go and board the plane.
Upon returning to England, Cedric said his goodbyes to the Grangers and went to Grimmauld Place with several homemade meals in tow. The Sanchezes had made meals and sides including plantain casserole, pasteles, and asopao that would stretch for days for Mrs. Weasley and any Order members that came by and had packed it all neatly in a single picnic basket with an extension charm. They had even included several jugs with passion fruit juice and morir soñando (which had a special chilling charm to keep it cold). He let himself in and went downstairs to the kitchen where everyone was gathered.
"Hello," he said.
"Oh, Cedric," Mrs. Weasley abandoned the boiling over soup pot to give him a hug. "I didn't realize you were coming today. Er, I'm sorry, dinner is ruined."
"Not to worry," said Cedric, placing the basket on the table. "I brought dinner. Courtesy of the Sanchezes."
"Oh, how kind of them," said Mrs. Weasley, taking a seat.
"They also sent gifts," he continued, taking the packages out of his backpack.
"Oh." Mrs. Weasley placed a hand on her cheek. "We never opened presents. Oh, I am so sorry my dears."
"It's okay, Mum," said Ginny.
"We didn't feel like celebrating Christmas anyway," said Ron.
"No, no, no." She knocked her chair back as she stood and opened the cupboard where she had hidden the gifts. "We need to celebrate. I don't want you going back feeling—feeling as-as if we d-d-don't care!"
Her last word ended on a wail and the Weasleys looked down as their mum hid her face. It seemed they weren't sure what to do. One of the worst things in the world was seeing someone you loved in anguish. Especially the person in your family who seemed the strongest.
"Have a seat, Molly," said Tonks, patting the chair. "Go on, Cedric. Show us what you've got."
Cedric nodded, set up the table with some food, and swished his wand to bring out the goblets. He poured everyone a glass of morir soñando.
"It's still cold," said Ginny as she picked up her glass.
Cedric passed the basket to Sirius so he could put the rest of the food away and then handed out the presents.
"They're all commissioned from Hermione," he said. "She did some work for her family to pay for them. She misses all of you. Yes, even you, Ron."
Ron blushed and Cedric furrowed his brow. Interesting… seemed his feelings were more complex than initially thought.
With something to distract the grieving family, the mood in the room lightened. They managed to swap some stories and anecdotes. Reminiscing funny stories from Christmases past. Even stories that included their dad. After serving the magically warmed food, Cedric took a seat next to Sirius.
"I think you came at the right time," Sirius whispered. "This is the liveliest I've seen them in weeks."
"I wouldn't have made it if I didn't have someone there for me," Cedric replied. "They're in for some rough days ahead, but all they can do is allow themselves to be sad without letting it consume them, and keep moving forward."
"Ronald, swallow before you speak!" Mrs. Weasley scolded.
"Sorry, Mum." Ron swallowed. "Pass more of that orange juice?"
"By the way," said Cedric. "Harry, have you been working on your Occlumency?"
"Well, I was," he said. "But Dumbledore made Snape try to take over."
"He did not!" Cedric gasped, becoming angry. "He does know that Snape hates you, right?"
"I don't even know why he hates me."
Cedric placed a hand on Harry's shoulder. "I do. It's because he and your father were rivals. I'm sorry to tell you this, but your dad was a bit of a tosser as a kid."
"Yeah, he was," said Sirius, unabashed.
"But, he grew up," Remus interjected quickly upon seeing Harry's crushed expression. "He looked inside and realized what kind of person he was turning into, so he changed. The man he became was the person Lily fell in love with. He had great capacity for good, but sometimes he couldn't explain his bad feelings towards another person and often went towards the extreme in expressing his dislike."
"Snape won't move on," said Cedric. "He takes his past bitterness out on children.
Harry sighed. "I think Snape did something."
"He did," said Cedric. "He blew your channels wide open."
"Cedric, we're eating," said Ginny.
"Were you able to stop him?"
"Yes, but not after… well, I saw something. I remember it from a dream, but this time it was clearer."
"May I see?"
Harry didn't hesitate before nodding.
"It's so polite of you to ask before going through people's heads," said Professor Lupin. "I don't mean that sarcastically."
"It's not easy," Cedric admitted. "Some people just think loudly, but it's not like I go digging for secrets. Okay, Harry, bring the vision to the forefront of your mind. It's okay if you can't remember every detail, I'll pick them up."
Cedric put his hand against the side of Harry's head, pressing his thumb between his eyebrows and stepped into the memory. He looked around the black-tiled corridor, stepped through the door, through several rooms filled with phantasmagorical experiments, and eventually found himself inside the Prophecy records of the Ministry. He'd never been there but Amos had told him about it once. He saw the exact row and number that Voldemort wanted and stored it in his own memory before smudging it from Harry's. He structured several mind traps and backed out.
"Okay," he said. "To tell apart false memories from real ones, it will look… off. Like, the light is weird, either too vivid or too desaturated from it, and there will be slight gaps or even deja vu. Sometimes, it is overly sharp whereas actual visions are blurry. Either way it's going to look off. We'll start from scratch on protecting your mind tonight, but I set up a few protections that should last for a little bit with the help of your amulet and guardians, okay?"
"Alright," said Harry. "Thanks, Cedric."
"No problem. Oh, and Hermione will be here for Christmas next year. The family all agreed that rotating between Hawaii, D.R., and England would be best. I imagine Roger and Beatrice will be moving to a larger home to accommodate."
"Will she be here this summer?" Ron asked hopefully.
"Are you still hung up on her?" Ginny asked. "She's dating Cedric, you know."
Ron turned beet red and scowled and Cedric let it go.
"I don't think so, honestly," he said. "Besides, I'm moving to Japan this summer and we'll probably explore the area together. Plus, she'll want to spend time in Hawaii and D.R. I think it would take something big to bring her back here, to be honest."
"Or the author messed up," said Fred.
George shushed his brother.
After a dessert of habichuelas con dulce, they moved on to opening presents. Cedric made a mental note to give Luna the colorful patchwork leather shoes Esperanza made for her when he got back to school.
"Here, Cedric," said Sirius. "It was mine when I was your age. Couldn't play it worth a damn."
Cedric tore back the wrapping and ran a hand over the electric guitar strings. He saw one similar in Mr. Maestro's music shop.
"Oh, this is brilliant," he said.
"You don't need an amp," said Sirius. "You just turn it up and play."
Cedric scooted away from the table and held the guitar across his lap so he could strum a few chords.
"We tried to have a band," said Professor Lupin with a fond smile. "Peter and I were the only ones who could actually play. James was tone-deaf."
"He scared the cat when he sang," said Sirius. "Harry constantly put his pacifiers in his mouth."
"Oh, what a lovely pot," said Mrs. Weasley, running a hand along the side of the ceramic crock pot. It was large and decorated with bright yellow flowers. The stoneware inside was a startling blue.
"Oh, that," said Cedric. "With that, you'll never go hungry, Mrs. Weasley. When the Sanchezes cook, they pour food into their pot and it will appear in this one. Works a bit like a vanishing cabinet."
Mrs. Weasley teared up. "I'll have to send them thanks."
After presents, nearly everyone retired to their rooms in better spirits. Cedric and Harry sat in the parlor, criss-cross on the floor, with their hands folded in their laps.
"Close your eyes," said Cedric. "Clear your mind."
Harry did as he said.
"Breathe. Listen. Here comes a thought."
~o0o~
On Sunday, those still in school took the Knight Bus to Hogwarts, escorted by Tonks and Professor Lupin. Cedric could have easily apparated, but he was still rather tired from traveling and preferred to save his energy. The closer they got, the sicker he felt. He was terrified of what was to come. Of what Umbridge would put him through.
It was just six more months. Six months until he was free. Already, he wished he was holding Hermione's hand.
The Knight Bus deposited them in front of the Three Broomsticks and disappeared with a bang. Cedric sighed and looked inside the window of the pub, doing a brief double-take. Umbridge was in there and a wicked idea appeared in his head.
"You all go ahead to the castle," he said. "Harry, may I borrow your cloak?"
Harry nodded and dug out his invisibility cloak. Cedric put it on and snuck inside behind a squat wizard. While he was there, he plucked a hair from Umbridge's head.
"Ow!" she shrieked. "Who did that?"
"Who did what?" Madam Rosmerta asked, setting their drinks down.
"Someone pulled on my hair!"
"No one did no such thing," Professor McGonagall sighed. "If you will please get back to the meeting at hand."
"Right," said Professor Sprout. "I think we oughta change what sort of punishments students receive for late work. It seems counter-productive to keep giving them detention. If we keep giving them detention then they won't have time to complete the work."
"Agreed," said Professor Flitwick.
"What do you propose for an alternative?" Umbridge asked.
Cedric brushed against Professor Sprout and projected an idea.
"Mandatory study hall," she said, looking surprised with herself. "They won't be allowed to do anything except study and once their homework is done they're allowed to leave. Perhaps volunteer tutors could supervise and assist. I'm certain Mr. Diggory would be more than happy to lead."
"Mr. Diggory is lagging in his studies," said Umbridge in that fake sweet voice.
Cedric made a face at her.
"Cedric has full marks in my class," said Professor McGonagall.
"And mine," said Professor Sprout.
"And mine," Professor Flitwick echoed.
"Before he quit, Mr. Diggory showed unusual promise in potions," said Snape. It seemed his spite for Umbridge ran deeper than his hatred for werewolves. "It is a pity he dropped the class."
While they spoke, Cedric opened the panel to the jukebox and wove Umbridge's hair in with a new spell.
He closed the panel; as soon as he did, the track switched and Tom Jones' "What's New Pussycat" blared throughout the pub.
Cedric sat down, brought out the video camera he bought and adapted and filmed the scene as it unfurled. The first two times it played didn't get much reaction. The third time got the jukebox a few looks.
"Is that song just incredibly long or is the jukebox broken?" Professor McGonagall asked.
"Cedric would never make a defective jukebox!" said Professor Sprout defensively. "Someone must simply enjoy 'What's New Pussycat'."
After the seventh play of "What's New Pussycat", Tom Jones' "It's Not Unusual" played. As the song faded, Cedric leaned forward expectantly, rocking from foot to foot. There was silence as the jukebox switched tracks.
WHAT'S NEW PUSSYCAT?
Professor Flitwick cursed so filthily the air turned blue, Professor McGonagall shrieked, Professor Sprout banged her fist on the table, and Snape slammed his mug down so hard it shattered. Cedric watched this all gleefully.
"I will be right back," said Umbridge, not wanting to lose her cool in front of her colleagues. As soon as she left to the loo, the song abruptly switched to the one it was before.
"That was odd," Professor Sprout murmured.
"I much prefer this song," said Professor McGonagall. "Perhaps it was jinxed."
As soon as Umbridge returned "What's New Pussycat" began and the Heads of Houses lost their shit.
Cedric left and cackled gleefully to himself on the way to the castle. No doubt he would receive a complaint, but it was worth it to watch it all go down.
Humming to himself, he entered the castle and allowed himself to fantasize nicer things on his way to show Fred and George the chaos he just initiated.