Trigger Warning: Intense imagery that could be disturbing for some readers, proceed with caution. This chapter is an overlap from the previous chapter.
"Get out of my way, Wolf."
"No."
People on Umbridge's side never called him by his name anymore. "Wolf" was the most popular. Honestly, if it didn't come from a place of bigotry and hatred "Wolf" would have been a very cool nickname. Now it was just a way to dehumanize him. The bullies could enact harm now without any consequences. They targeted those whom they deemed weak. Cedric made it his mission to protect those people. It wasn't forever. It was just until Umbridge was removed.
He kept telling himself that.
It wasn't forever.
April was nearly over. Soon it would be May and then everyone would be consumed by exams and then he could hide away until the last day of school.
Umbridge was being held together by a few strings. The house-elves had stopped cleaning entirely, having bolstered themselves up over the spring holiday and, except for feeding the students, they usually stood in the Entrance Hall with their protest signs. They couldn't use their magic against passing wixen that tried to attack them, but they could still show off how powerful they were by blocking the offending spells and then making the person's life inconvenient by misplacing their items and throwing their shoes over archways. A great deal of pink left shoes had found their way into Moaning Myrtle's toilets.
Nothing was going like she had planned. For every rule she instated, students and teachers alike fought back with malicious compliance. And yet, she was still going mad with power. Everything was falling apart.
"I said move," Atwood snarled. "Gender-confused goth freak!"
Cedric stood his ground between Atwood and Winnifred. A group of students were watching this exchange, yet there were no teachers to be seen.
"What has Winnifred done?" he demanded.
"She's late on her homework."
"Well, of course she is. Umbridge got rid of the study hall Harry and I ran and the lack of structure is very upsetting. Hardly anyone is able to turn in homework on time."
"Are you sassing me?"
"Yes."
"Fifty points from Hufflepuff for your cheek," Atwood growled. "You better start showing me some proper respect, Wolf."
"I'm giving you all the respect you deserve," he retorted and looked at the others. "Someone take Winnifred to Professor Flitwick. Make sure she gets help."
"Winnifred," Harjot whispered and held out his hand.
The young girl dove for her friend and the mass of students closed around them, leaving Cedric alone to face the Inquisitorial Squad.
"Obstructing justice is against the rules," said Aiden coldly. With Cedric out of the way, he had been deemed the new Seventh Year prefect and lorded his position over everyone. "That's detention."
"Ooh, yeah, I'm afraid all my detention slots are full since I violated Educational Decree No. 118 by listing every curse word known to man in front of the first years," said Cedric. "Not allowed to Quidditch games, Hogsmeade privileges revoked. I suppose you're welcome to assign them to me during the full moon, but I'm pretty busy during those nights. Chasing my tail, dragging my butt across the floor, barking at nothing, I'm booked."
"Then I guess the only option is to dole out the punishment now," said Atwood.
"Bite me." Cedric tucked his head in as the first spell blasted him off his feet and sent him sliding across the stone floor. The crowd moved out of the way and did nothing to stop what was coming for him. Each one was hoping somebody else would jump in. Whoever said it was easy to be brave in a crowd was a liar.
Cedric curled up to protect his vital organs and covered his face with his hands as the Inquisitorial Squad descended upon him like… well… wolves were more human than this. They often killed their prey before tearing into them. What creature gained pleasure from harming something alive that could not fight back?
Humans.
They descended upon him like humans. Some stashed their wands away in favor of using feet and hands. Two held his arms down so the rest could get better access to the rest of him.
The I.S. did this every other day. Soon they'd get bored and move on to harassing other students. With their violence quota fulfilled they would just talk big and flaunt their flimsy power. It wouldn't last. It wasn't much longer now. He could make it.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
His assailants froze in place. Professor Flitwick pushed through the crowd, eyes burning with anger. He knelt down over Cedric who had started to wheeze. They always went for the throat. Professor Flitwick didn't get angry often, but his expression was fierce.
"How can all of you just stand by and do nothing?" he snapped and the students' faces lined with shame. "Go to your Common Rooms. Now. Miss St. Vincent, help me take Cedric to the hospital wing. You did the right thing calling me here."
Tabatha glared at the Inquisitorial Squad and knocked them over into a pile. Professor Flitwick began to yell at them for besmirching the good name of Hogwarts and other such things.
"I think they broke my hand," Cedric rasped.
His friend inspected his flesh hand. "It doesn't look broken."
"No, my other one."
His prosthetic was moving strangely. The fingers were in odd directions and twitched of their own accord.
"Let's just get to the hospital wing," she said, moving his flesh arm around her shoulders.
Every single one of his muscles screamed and throbbed. He swallowed back the bile that threatened to rise in his throat. It was slow-going getting to the hospital wing. There were several students there already, most of them there from stress-induced illness surrounding the upcoming exams.
"Evening, Poppy," he slurred. "Is my bed still open?"
"Back again, Mr. Diggory?"
"What can I say? Can't stand the thought of first-years being used as punching bags."
Tabatha helped him onto the bed.
"I'm gonna go make sure they don't seek out Winnifred," she said.
"Thanks. See you around."
Cedric settled back on the bed and checked over his hand. The joints were bent and some of the runes had been scuffed, which is probably why it wasn't moving properly. There wasn't much he could do about it now, this wasn't his area of expertise. Wincing as he moved, he brought out his IMN and found a pen in his pocket.
Hermione, do you think Noa would be willing to walk me through fixing my arm? There was an accident.
Sure, she replied five minutes later which was accompanied by glitter.
She didn't ask what exactly happened to it. Perhaps she figured that he wasn't going to tell her anything. Or maybe she already knew what was going on. While he waited for Madam Pomfrey to tend to his injuries, he indulged in a fantasy of Hermione storming into the castle and carrying him away. He'd pretend to argue, saying that he needed to stay and finish his exams and she'd respond that she looked it up and he could actually take his N.E.W.T.s off-campus if he received a grant to do so. She'd strong-arm the school board into granting him this and then carry him home.
Maybe that would happen if he asked.
Looking back down at his IMN, he tapped his pen against the blank line. Could he do it? Just… leave? Look out for his own self-interest? Would the people he defended be alright if he weren't there?
Farm Boy, are you alright?
It was crazy how on the fence he was about this. He should just be able to make a decision, but either direction felt like a path to ruin. Stay and get beat to the point of death. Leave and lose the opportunity of a lifetime.
Cedric moved his pen to his right hand, closed his eyes, and let it twitch and spasm over the paper. It was an odd choice, like flipping a coin, but he hoped that his true desire would overtake his indecisiveness. When he opened his eyes, he saw he had written in scribbly font: SAVE ME.
Okay. I'm calling the family now. Hang in there. I love you.
Relief flooded his chest and the burden he hadn't realized he was carrying lifted. He closed the notebook and stashed it away as Madam Pomfrey came over to tend to him. She gave him a potion for the pain, healed his split lip, regrew the teeth that had been knocked out, and mended his fractured bones. She marked down his injuries in a notebook she kept hidden in a secret compartment of her desk. She didn't know that he knew, but she had been secretly documenting the abuse the students were taking at the hands of Umbridge, Filch, and the Inquisitorial Squad. He had his own file.
On his way back to his dorm, he fetched his video camera, which he had been using to record everything he could. Maybe with visible proof, the ICW would be willing to step in and do something about the blatant corruption that was taking place here.
One could only dream.
Cedric went to his dorm and opened his trunk, tossing all of his belongings inside. Belle meowed from her spot on the table and rolled over.
"Hey, Belle, what'chu got there?" he asked and tugged the papers out from under her. The one on top was a drawing of a stylized badger done in many colors. He recognized Bailey's style. He'd been favoring geometrics lately. He smiled and looked at the other page which appeared to be a letter.
Dear Cedric,
I know you've done your best to help me and all the rest of us stuck on the Island of Misfit Toys and I appreciate all you've done. You never failed to be kind to me. I think you're the big brother I had always wanted. I think you're the first person to really look at me and actually care about me.
My parents are going to pull me from school. They sent a letter asking for updates on me and Umbridge answered them instead of Professor Sprout. I can't live with them. I can't lose my magic.
I can't do this anymore.
Thank you for believing in me and please don't forget me.
Bailey
"Shit." Cedric bolted from his room and burst into the Third Year dorm. Half the boys were gathered around playing a card game and jumped sky high when he came in. "When was the last time you saw Bailey Todd?"
Theodore Fisher shrugged. "Um, he was here about twenty minutes ago. He looked upset about something."
Twenty-minutes, maybe there was still time.
"I need all of you to split up and look for Professor Sprout," he said. "Bailey's going to try to kill himself."
"W-what?" Isaac Miller whispered.
"GET PROFESSOR SPROUT NOW!" he bellowed, scaring them all into action. He took out the Marauder's Map and activated it. He scoured it for Bailey's name and found him in the showers.
He ran into the Common Room where Michael Baxter had come in with Professor Sprout. She had thankfully already been on her way for unrelated reasons.
"Mr. Diggory, what's going on?" she demanded.
"There's no time," he said. "Come on! Hurry!"
He led her downstairs to the showers and smelled blood. No, it wasn't too late. It couldn't be too late. The showers were running and Bailey was lying on the ground with his silver potion knife gripped in his hand. Professor Sprout released a horrified wail. Cedric collapsed to his knees and pressed his fingers to Bailey's neck.
"I think he's still breathing," he said shakily and brought his robes around to staunch the bleeding. "He's going to be okay. Right?" He looked up at Professor Sprout. "You said you were going to help me!"
"I know, Cedric," she said and knelt down next to him. "I am so sorry. I cannot express how sorry I am."
"Yeah… me too."
~o0o~
News spread like wildfire of what happened to Bailey. Cedric gave the suicide note to Luna for safe-keeping. Bailey was afraid of being forgotten so he asked her to run a nice obituary page for him that people would remember. He didn't trust Bailey's parents to give him a proper burial, so he campaigned to let the boy be buried on campus. It had never been done, but Cedric believed in being laid to rest near home. He made a petition and had sought out every favor from every person he had ever helped and blackmailed the rest. The school board couldn't ignore a petition signed by every single person in the school including the majority of the teachers.
Umbridge tried to reject it and was met with threats from the journalism club that they would print her heartlessness and spread it to every magazine and newspaper they knew of.
She quickly changed her tune.
Cedric walked the grounds one day and chose a place between the greenhouses and the forest. Kids would see it on the carriage ride to Hogwarts, so they would ask about who was buried here and what his name was and he wouldn't be forgotten. And the teachers wouldn't forget to pay attention to their students.
"I'll make sure he receives flowers every week," said Luna. "Is Hermione coming?"
"No. She knows what's going on and she's upset, but I asked her to hold off until I get this all settled," he replied. "She was going on about some gyrosphere that would get her here from the Hearthstone, but I convinced her to return to school. Cecilia is going to pick me up after the funeral and… I'll figure it out after that."
"Hogwarts said Umbridge won't last."
"I can't wait that long."
"I understand." Luna hugged him tightly. "We've seen too many funerals, cousin."
"I know." Cedric rested his chin on top of her head. "I imagine that we'll see a great deal more. Bailey's roommates saw him, you know. Will you talk to them about Thestrals? Just in case."
"Consider it done."
He squeezed her once and went on to finish arrangements for the funeral with Professor Sprout. Bailey's parents hadn't even responded to the news of their son's death as far as he knew, so he took out his savings to pay for a nice burial and service.
Bailey didn't think he had a lot of friends, but he definitely had people who noticed him and would notice his absence. His roommates attended and so did Harjot, Winnifred, Gracie, and Artemis. The art club had shown up with drawings and paintings of him. The D.A. was also there to pay their respects despite the fact that Bailey wasn't a member.
When Harry found out what Bailey's home life was like, he realized that he could have easily felt as lost and hopeless if things had turned differently.
Cedric wished he would have done something, anything.
What else could he have done?
Bailey took the only way out he saw. He, Cedric, sometimes felt like that was the only way out, too. But if he wanted to respect his friend's memory then he would just have to keep on living and encourage others to do the same even when all hope seemed lost.
The elves tidied up the reception room and laid out a nice spread for the wake.
"How you holding up, mate?" asked George, patting his shoulder.
"Okay, I guess," he said. "I'm having a little trouble processing the passage of time."
"Wolf!" Filch hobbled into the reception room.
"He has a name," Tabatha snapped.
"It's okay, Tabatha," Cedric said and looked at Filch. "What is it this time?"
"The headmistress wants to see you," he said. "Hurry up."
Cedric sighed and gripped onto the left strap of his backpack. He still hadn't had a chance to fix his arm, but there would be time for that later. He followed Filch to Umbridge's office, which had been outfitted with a golden plaque that read: Headmistress. Because Hogwarts was spiteful and the gargoyle would never step aside for the embodiment of evil. The pink room with its many kittens made him feel horribly ill. His Velozmente hung on the wall like a prized deer head. He reached into his pocket and started his recorder. He'd put a fresh tape in that morning.
Umbridge was sitting at her desk wearing a smug grin. She removed a piece of paper from her desk drawer and placed it in front of herself. Filch was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Whatever you're about to do to me," said Cedric tiredly, staring down at his shoes. "Can we just… skip it? You've won. I'm leaving tonight. You'll never have to look at my face again."
"You're quite right about that," she said, glee rising into her voice. "I have won, you are leaving tonight, and I will never set eyes on you again. I'm calling the Werewolf Capture Unit on you, Mr. Diggory."
"What?! Why? I haven't done anything wrong!"
"Oh… haven't you?" she let out that stupid, girlish giggle. "The circumstances surrounding Mr. Todd's death are very suspicious. After all, you were found sitting over him with his blood on your hands and robes."
"I was trying to help him! Professor Sprout and Bailey's roommates saw that!"
"Do you really think the Ministry will care about the testimony of little boys and an old witch?" she stood up. "I have the Minister himself in my pocket! It is my word against yours. The world won't miss one werewolf. Now… what shall my story be?" She tapped her wand against her palm. "Oh, Minister! The wolf attacked me! He said he was going to turn more students for Greyback's pack at the next full moon, but I stopped him. He had gone quite feral, you see. Unfortunately, we had to have him Kissed."
"No…" Cedric backed up. "You don't have the authority to release dementors!"
Umbridge laughed. "Don't I? I released two to go after that Potter brat. Perhaps I'll try again after I finish you off. But first… I think we ought to let Filch try some of those punishments he's been wanting to instate. After all, we must test these things to their limits before approving them."
Filch clapped his hands gleefully.
"Incarcerous!"
Thick ropes wrapped around Cedric, binding his hand to his chest and twisting around his knees so he crashed to the floor. Filch hurried off to his own office to get what he wanted to use.
"No!" he cried. "Let me go! I didn't do anything wrong!"
"Liar!" said Umbridge. "You gave that poor boy some hope in this world and when that nonexistent hope was taken from him he ended his own life. It was all your fault and I will see that justice is served."
Cedric thought his heart might beat right out of his chest. His breathing quickened as panic set in. Her wand tip glowed red.
"Stop! Please!" he inhaled deeply and screamed. "HERMIONE HELP ME!"
Umbridge faltered only for a moment as if expecting her to actually burst in and laughed when no one came to his aid. She raised her wand over her head.
"I'm here, ma'am!" said Filch, kicking the door in ten minutes later, his arms laden with the torture supplies he had collected over the years. "He's not too battered is he? I thought we'd start with the whippin'. And after him I can do those Weasley twins that had been a thorn in my side for seven years. Oh, yes they will regret the day they ever decided to make mischief."
"Oh, we will, will we?" came two voices.
Filch's expression was frozen in shock as he crashed to the ground. Fred and George did not have their characteristic Cheshire cat grins. Instead, they looked at Umbridge coldly.
"Entumecerse."
The witch collapsed, fast asleep. The twins worked quickly, setting her up in her chair and casting the spell again to make her fall into a deeper sleep before helping Cedric. He couldn't stop the tears that rolled down his cheeks.
"Come on, mate," said George, helping him to his feet. "We're getting you out of here."
Cedric stopped the recording and took a deep shuddering breath as Fred and George helped him to their secret workroom on the fifth floor. Fred brought out a bottle of firewhiskey and placed it in front him.
"Here, this will calm your nerves," he said.
Cedric gratefully took several gulps straight from the bottle.
"Umbridge is going to pin Bailey's death on me," he said when he caught his breath. "When she wakes up, she will call the Werewolf Capture Unit on me and I'm as good as Kissed." The tears started up again. "I don't want to die, but sometimes I think it would have been better if Voldemort had killed me."
"You don't mean that."
"There are worse things than death."
"We'll protect you," said George. "You're a little brown, but I think if we dye your hair orange and keep you out of the sun you could be a Weasley. There are so many of us. You could be, uh, Leslie Weasley."
"Know what? Just leave me to the dementors."
"At least your humor is intact," said Fred.
The corner of Cedric's mouth twitched. He stared into the grooves and swirls of the wooden table.
"I shouldn't stay in Britain," he said.
"Alright," said Fred. "But if you need to get out of dodge, then we should leave now."
Cedric managed a smile. "How can we leave without putting on a display that they will remember for centuries?"
The twins grinned.
"What did you have in mind?"
"I know a sleep potion," said Cedric, getting to his feet. "I made several dozen in Hana's shop for pin money last summer. The fumes are insane and you have to wear a mask to make it."
"I smell what you're stepping in," said Fred.
The three of them went to the Room of Things and got to work on the potion; the room provided gas masks straight from the first world war to protect them as they brewed and then they poured a cauldron onto each floor, the fumes causing everyone left awake to fall into a deep slumber. They got to work. Cedric had snagged some bath bombs from Hana's reject pile last summer and was dropping them in each bathroom and lavatory. He stopped and dropped two in the empty prefect bath.
"Myrtle, may I speak to you?" he called.
"Hello, Cedric," said Moaning Myrtle, floating out of the drain. "Come for a long bath? You haven't been around for a while and I was starting to get bored."
"Not today, Myr," he said. "I have a favor to ask you. In five hours, everyone is going to wake up from the sleeping potion. If I give you a signal, would you be able to burst every single pipe in the school?"
"What's in it for me?" she asked.
Cedric suppressed a sigh and gave her his most charming smile. "Ever had a first kiss?"
Myrtle's aura turned purple. "Deal! Pucker up, buttercup!"
Cedric didn't feel anything but a rush of air, but when he opened his eyes, Myrtle was beside herself with joy. She hid her face behind her hands and kicked her feet giddily.
"What's the signal?" she giggled.
"A song is going to play throughout the entire school," said Cedric. "When you hear it, unleash hell. Burst all the pipes and I mean all."
He left and went to Umbridge's office. The woman was still asleep and Cedric felt a surge of rage. He wanted to make her go insane and he knew just how to do it. It didn't take him long and within moments, a quiet version of "What's New Pussycat" played throughout the office just muffled enough to sound like it was coming from another room. He moved to her quarters and set up something similar except this was children's laughter, scratching, floorboards creaking, and squeaky hinges. It was a tape for haunted house ambience and Cedric got it for one pound at the music store during Easter Holiday. He set up the sound right behind her headboard and removed his other project from his bag.
"Hi!" he said in a sweet voice.
The little creature that looked like a cross between Gizmo and an owl shuddered. It had pink fur, a yellow beak, and startling blue eyes.
"Hi!" the creature replied, fluttering its eyes. "Are we gonna be friends?"
"Actually," said Cedric. "Your bestest friend in the whole world is right here. Her name is Dolores and your name is Dottie."
"Me da baby!" Dottie said in that frightening mechanical voice. He'd hardly had to mess with it to get it to work within Hogwarts and he felt the constant magic was doing something to it.
"Yes. You must never leave Dolores' side."
"Okay!" The furby curled up next to Umbridge and purred.
Cedric smiled and got his broom down from the wall above them.
"Oh, I missed you," he said, rubbing his thumb along the handle.
After that, he got spray paint from the Room of Requirement and went about marking the portraits of old racists, rapists, and fascists, as well as the walls with rebellious slogans and anarchy symbolism. The spray paint cans were pretty old but they worked just fine.
The last thing he did was pack up his room, hide Belle in his backpack, and rig glitter bombs in Aiden and Daven's trunks before going up to the Headmaster's Office. Fred and George rigged up glitter bombs in the trunks of everyone who was a member of the I.S.
All of this was slow going with only one arm, but he managed the best he could.
"Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious," he said and the gargoyle jumped aside.
"Whoa, it let you in," said Fred.
"Ready?"
They nodded and entered the office. As an extra measure, they turned all the portraits upside down then gathered at the wall where the alarm was raised about the Basilisk their fourth year.
"Everyone should be awake about now," said Cedric. "Ready?"
"Ready!" they replied.
Cedric flicked the switch.
"Sabah Alkhyr Jamieanaan!" he shouted, his voice echoing around campus. "Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey!"
"Nothing like a little wake-up call to get your blood pumping," said George.
"And your blood will be pumping!" Fred chimed.
Cedric pressed play on the boombox and Elton John's "Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)" blasted through the speakers.
"This is the time to go nuts, Hogwarts! Go fast, live free, and fuck anyone who tries to bring you down!"
Fred and George whooped.
The castle rumbled and within moments, foam exploded out the windows and the chaos ensued. Cedric stepped on the ledge with his broom and took off, George and Fred followed seconds after. They flew a ways and turned around to watch their masterpiece unfold. Students ran out in their pyjamas to see off the trio and screams could be heard inside.
"That is pure quality, mate," said George.
The three boys took off, laughing all the way and relishing the wind in their hair. Cedric felt relief more than anything, the more distance he put between himself and the castle he once called home.