Red Roses {James Potter x OC} | Discontinued |

20

"You have one-hour. Less if you annoy any of us." Cedric chuckled, fiddling with a pebble between his fingers.

"No need to be so hostile, Jamesy... Tell me how did you get such a ridiculous nickname? I mean, Lily and Albus have such lovely nicknames, and then there's Jamesy. Completely ridiculous." Cedric began to laugh by himself.

James began to charge but Zoe held his hand to stop him and pulled him back towards her, resting her forehead against his shoulder.

"J. Don't." Cedric seemed to recognize the voice and immediately met Zoe's gaze.

"Hello, Z." James pushed her further behind him, already sensing Zoe begin to tremble.

"Don't talk to her." Cedric scoffed, tossing the pebble he was playing with towards the icy waters below.

"But that was the court agreement. I get an hour to speak with you all, in fact, you Potters can leave."

"Like hell we will." Cedric sighed, picking up another pebble.

"The only people I wanted to talk to where Zoe and Scorpious, but of course they would've rejected that. So I had to throw you three in the mix."

"Well, we're here. Talk already." Cedric switched his gaze to Scorpious' hardened expression, his smirk instead turning into a tender smile.

Like the one a father would give to a son.

"You look just like your father, little dragon." The words seemed to break Scorpious' cold façade and instead turned into full blown panic which made Cedric smirk again and turn to Zoe.

"Tell me, did you enjoy being inside his head? Or was it a little crowded in there?" Zoe didn't meet his gaze, opting for instead staring out into the horizon.

She knew if she met his eyes he'd just see right through her and take advantage of the absolute fear she felt for him. She already had the upper hand of playing a role in his arrest, she wasn't about to loose that advantage just for an audience he wanted.

She didn't know what he wanted to accomplish with meeting them, but she sure as hell wasn't going to play Cedric's game.

"Speaking in third person? How villainous of you." Cedric looked at Lily.

"Little innocent Lily, you remind me of your mother. Trying to act all tough and with abilities greater than you'll ever know, yet I know you're scared, you're terrified of me." Lily glared at him even harder, taking a small step to be closer to Scorpious.

"Leave her alone and just finish whatever villainous speech you have about how our parents didn't love you and cast you out so we can all get back to our days." Cedric's laughter bounced off the wall.

You'd think they were just sitting in some dark room casually drinking tea instead of the most secure prison in the Wizarding World by how Cedric was treating the whole ordeal.

"Oh Albus, I had my doubts about the Sorting Hat, but you are definitely a Slytherin. Bringing honour to the house I see." Albus rolled his eyes, he was more annoyed than anything.

He didn't see the point in wasting his time standing there talking to his alleged brother that he had only learnt the existence of a year prior.

He just wanted to go home.

"They tell me you're this aroma person."

"Aromantic." Cedric grinned.

"Right. What's it like? Not feeling love for anyone? Must be horrible to know everyone will find their purpose except-" Cedric didn't get to finish before Lily had already burst forward and punched him across the face, her hand beginning to sting.

"Leave my brother alone." Cedric raised his hands in surrender, slowly standing up while massaging his jaw.

"Haven't been attacked by such a muggle way in a while. Can't say I miss it." Cedric kept massaging his jaw while he walked closer to the edge of his cell, looking outwards to the bast sea.

"Have you told them, Z? What you found in his head?" James quirked an eyebrow at Zoe, but she just shrugged.

"What do you mean?" Cedric turned around his evil smirk back on his face.

"You haven't figured it out? Very well, then I'll be waiting here for when you do."

Zoe had just opened her mouth to further question him, when sudden screams cut her off, but they weren't the usual screams of Azkaban, more like dreams of panic.

The man that had brought them opened the cell door, making all of them jump.

"Audience's over, Potter. Everyone out." They didn't need to be told twice and immediately scrambled out of the cell, not one person looking back at Cedric.

All together they rushed down a couple of flights of stairs before they could finally understand what someone was screaming.

"Father! No!" The man opened the cell where the screams were coming from and rushed inside, just to have them all come face to face with a shocked Astoria and a nearly crying Draco by her feet next to another head of long silver hair.

Scorpious stumbled back tripping with his own feet until Lily and Albus caught him gently lowering him down towards the ground as the man rushed forwards and pressed his fingers against the body at Draco's feet.

The body's face was covered in dried blood that looked about a day's old, streaks of it came from the ears, mouth, eyes and even nose. It kind of reminded Zoe of when she had possessed Cedric and had come out with similar symptoms, only hers didn't dry up as bad.

Finally the man sighed and waved his wand over the body, a thin white sheet appearing and covering it from prying eyes.

"I'm sorry Mister Malfoy, it appears your father has passed."