Chapter 30 – The Necklace
I stirred a little before my eyes fluttered open. I heard voices near me whisper in hushed tones and noticed that both of my hands were clasped into someone else's. I tilted my head a little, but it hurt, and I winced. Then the two people who were holding my hands, appeared in my view. George and Cedric looked at me with worried eyes.
"Are you okay?" Cedric asked.
"You were the one who almost died." I tried to smile as they helped me sit up. I saw the two boys share a look. "What?"
"We better wait until Dumbledore gets here."
"I'll go get him." George kissed my forehead softly. "I'll be right back."
"Yeah." I said weakly as he slipped out of my hand. "Are you okay?" I turned to look at Cedric.
"I need some more healing, but I'll be fine." He said next to me, I craned my neck a little further and saw that he was lying on his own hospital bed, that was pushed against mine. I took our clasped hands and placed them on my lap.
"I thought I lost you." The tears starting to roll down.
"I know, I'm so sorry." He said as he wiped a tear away that rolled down my cheek. "I thought I lost you too."
"What-" I frowned in confusion, but I couldn't finish my sentence as George walked back in the room, followed by Dumbledore, Pomfrey and Sprout. George retook his seat next to me, while the professors and Pomfrey stood at the end of my bed. "Can someone tell me what's going on?" I huffed as no one spoke.
"Miss Northon, can you tell me about this." Dumbledore asked, holding out my necklace.
"Cedric gave it to me on my birthday, why?" I frowned at the headmaster.
"And you gave it to Cedric before the task, is that correct?"
"I-" I glanced to Cedric and back to the headmaster. "I did."
"And what -" The headmaster stepped closer to my bed. "Did you do with it?"
I bit my lip, and twirled with my fingers, looking down. Cedric leaned his head forward as he looked at me. "Winnie?"
"I charmed it." I said to Cedric, not the headmaster.
"What did you use?" The headmaster inquired.
"What does it matter?!" I shouted, throwing my hands in the air which hurt like hell. Madam Pomfrey noticed my pain and came over with a potion. I smiled politely at the healer and drank it, feeling the effects in an instant. "He almost died anyway!" I snarled at the professor.
"If it weren't for this, if it weren't for you." Professor Sprout said. "Cedric would have died."
"What?" I squeaked and my hands started to tremble. Cedric took both my hands in his, while George wrapped his arm round my shoulders.
"The cup was a portkey." Cedric started, getting my attention. "Harry and I grabbed it at the same time, and we were transported to a graveyard."
"A graveyard?"
"You-know- Voldemort." Cedric breathed in deeply. "Was there. His follower, Peter Pettigrew, aimed the killing curse at me." My hands tightened around his as I started to shake. "Without this." He said as Sprout handed the necklace back. "I would have died." It was silent for a moment as I glanced from the necklace to Cedric.
"I believe it was largely because of the necklace and part of the fact that Pettigrew was never a strong wizard. If it would've been Voldemort himself..." The room went quiet as they all understood what would've happened. "So, the spell nearly killed him. If it wasn't for your quick thinking and how miss Granger explains it, muggle CPR, Cedric would not be sitting here."
"But why am I in the hospital? Why do I feel so... drained?"
"That's another part of the story." Dumbledore pointed out as he conjured chairs for him and Sprout, as Pomfrey was back in her office. "The CPR you did wasn't magical but the force field you put around you and mister Diggory was powerful, really powerful. I didn't manage to get through, none of the teachers or aurors were. And with every breath you gave to young mister Diggory, you gave him a piece of your magic to get him back. It is my believe it has to do with the necklace."
"This is a lot to take in." I breathed in sharply, trying to wrap my head around it. "How's Harry?"
"He has a few bumps and scraps, but he will be alright." I nodded my head at the headmaster distracted. "So, the necklace."
"It was something -" I started before I went dizzy.
"Guinevere?" George asked worried. "Love, are you okay?"
"I don't feel so good." My eyes drifted to the back of my head as I fell unconscious again. The last thing I heard was Pomfrey yelling at the headmaster.
"That's enough, Albus! She's been through enough!"
I woke up again, now the hospital wing was dark. George was gone, but Cedric was still in his bed next to me, asleep. I pushed myself up and felt better than I did the last time. As Cedric's bed was still pushed against mine, it was an easy transition in his bed. I laid my head on his chest and listened to his heartbeat.
"Hey, you." He whispered as he wrapped his arm around my waist.
"Sorry." I said putting my chin on his chest and looked to him. "Didn't meant to wake you."
"You can always wake me up." He smiled, and I noticed he looked better than before. "How are you feeling?"
"Better now. How long was I out?"
"The first time or the second time." He asked with a raised eyebrow. I pushed myself up on his chest. "The first time, you were out for three days. Now almost two days."
"So, everyone's gone home?" I asked as I did the calculations and figured out school was out.
"Yeah, mum and dad are here, Bash too." His grip on my tightened when I went to jump up. "He's asleep in one of the private quarters on the third floor. The first time you woke up, he had just left to get something to eat, by the time he was back you fell unconscious again."
"Oh." I made myself comfortable again. "Why are you still here? I thought you said you're fine."
"I said I will be. I need healing for the rest of the summer."
"What?" I pushed myself up again and searched for any sign of injury. "What's wrong with you?"
"Some internal damages, nothing a couple times of healing won't fix."
"Cedric, it's nothing to come of lightly." I chastised him.
"I know, but I promise I'll be fine. You're the one who was out of it most of the time."
"I'm better now. I feel that my magic is back."
"You risked your life to safe me."
"You would do the same for me." I leaned my head against his.
"That I'd do."
I let my head rest against his chest again and breathed in deeply as we both drifted off to sleep.
The next few days was weird to say the least. Dumbledore insisted that Ced and I stay at the infirmary for the next three or four days, to be sure we recovered enough. But being in the castle when the others all went home was a little disturbing.
When Bash saw me after I woke up, he didn't let me go for at least an hour. After what happened he wanted to keep me close, but he also didn't want me to work with dragons that summer. At first, I didn't want to go, I wanted to stay at Cedric's side, wanted to make sure he was okay. But Cedric insisted I needed to go, so we made a deal. I would go to Romania at the end of the second week of the summer holidays and until the midst of august, then spend the rest of the holiday at the Diggory's. When Bash and I were alone in the hospital wing, I quickly explained in a whisper what I did with the charm, and he immediately knew what I was talking about. Dumbledore explained to me what happened after I passed out. That Voldemort was back, that the man named Pettigrew was still alive. Cedric had to give up his memory alongside Harry to prove Pettigrew was still alive. The next days the papers were filled as Sirius was exonerated from all charges and was now a free man.
I haven't seen George since school was out, I received a letter from him, stating that his mother took him home and asked how I was. We corresponded back and forth, trying to see when we could meet up. Odin and Lyra both send us letters asking if we were alright and if we needed anything, they're an owl away. It was now the day we both could leave the castle. Cedric informed him that he didn't accept the prizemoney and he and Harry had decided to give it to the twins, to help start their shop, because now that Voldemort was back, they could use a little cheer and laughter in life.
Cedric and I were finally released from the hospital wing, and we were allowed to go home, the house elves had packed our trunks and I was now standing in the headmaster's office with Bash, Cedric and his parents.
"Thank you again, for saving his life." Olive said as she pulled me into a hug. "I'll never be able to repay you."
"You don't need to Olive." I whispered in her hair as I squeezed her a little tighter.
"Write to us, okay?" She pulled back smiling, her eyes glistering with unshed tears. "And remember the last two weeks in august you are coming over to our house."
"I can't wait." I smiled, and she patted my cheek fondly.
"See you soon, Gwen." Amos hugged me. "Thank you." He said before he and his wife walked to in the fireplace and disappeared as they waved.
"Be safe, alright?" Cedric pulled me into his arms. "No battling any dragons, okay?"
"I'll try." I chuckled. "As long as you're in top shape when I'm back."
"It's a deal." He said as his chin rested on top of my head. "Here." He said and pulled back, placing the necklace back around my neck. "You still have to tell me what you did with it." He glanced over his shoulder to the headmaster and whispered. "I'm guessing he wants to know too."
"Hm." I hummed as I looked from the headmaster to Ced. "I'll tell you this summer. I'm going to miss you."
"I'll miss you too, my knight in shining armour." He grinned at me, and I slapped his chest softly. "I'll see you soon." He kissed my cheek, waved to Bash and stepped in the floo. With a last wink, he too, disappeared with green flames.
"Are you sure you are strong enough to use a portkey?" Bash asked, placing his hands on my shoulders, leaning in, searching my eyes.
"Honestly, Bash, I'm fine. How many times do I have to tell you?" I rolled my eyes.
"Until I believe it." He smiled half-heartedly. "It's not every day you drain your magic to safe someone you love. Even if said person is just your "friend." He added with a grin, and I punched his arm with pursed lips.
"I know, but I'm okay, I promise."
He stared at me for a moment before he nodded. He searched his pockets and pulled out a bright orange necktie with purple balloons on it; he tapped his wand on the necktie, and it started to vibrate. "Thanks again, Professor Dumbledore." He gave a nod to his old headmaster.
"Safe travels, mister Northon." He smiled. "See you in September, miss Northon." I didn't reply, I just nodded, there was a flicker in his eye that told me we were not done talking about it, just like Cedric said and I grabbed the other end of the necktie. Bash wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close and felt the familiar tug behind the navel and popped out of Dumbledore's office.
Hi, everyone. First I want to thank all of you for reading this and I really hope you enjoyed it so far.
This story will be split into four 'books'. This is the end of book 1. I'm nearly done writing the story and it will be between 80-85 chapters.