after potter's death - cedric diggory

chapter 14: hollow silence

Christmas was quite eventful considering Sarah, as usual was invited to celebrate at the Diggory house. When the train left Hogwarts for the holidays, Cedric still hadn't come back from his trip with Dumbledore. Eve had tried to convince Sarah that things wouldn't be weird if Cedric came back in time for christmas, but she didn't even fool herself with that statement.

But alas, nobody would ever know what would've happened if Cedric had been there for christmas, because he never showed up. At dinner on christmas day an owl arrived sent to Mrs. and Mr. Diggory. And after opening it, they both sighed of relief.

"Dumbledore says they're back at school, and that he's safe." Amos Diggory explained and Sarah felt like a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders. He was alive.
"He says they think it's the last one." Mrs. Diggory gasped.

Happiness now surrounded the dinner table, but Sarah knew, everyone knew that even if the last horcrux was destroyed this wasn't the end. Voldemort was still out there. Although nobody spoke of it, not that evening or even the rest of the holidays.

Not until on the train back to Hogwarts Eve and Sarah talked about it.
"Do you think about it too?" Eve asked Sarah. And without mentioning what she meant, Sarah understand and responded with a simple nod. Then they were interrupted when the door to their compartment was opened.

There stood Draco Malfoy, looking lost with his luggage.
"Everywhere else is full, can I sit here?" he asked and looked at Sarah.
"Uhum... yeah? Sure?" she replied and then he entered and closed the door behind him.

He sat down next to Sarah and smiled to Eve. The silence that followed was hollow and unbearable.
"So Draco, how was your christmas?" Sarah eventually said to break the silence.
"Oh, it was alright. The usual, lots of relatives and lots of... death eaters." he replied.

This response made the atmosphere even more unbearable.
"Excuse me, I'm going to the bathroom." Eve said and hurried out of there. Then, the silence that had been there before came back, until Sarah decided to break it.
"Draco that was so not the right thing to say." Sarah implied.
"What?" he asked.

"The death eater comment."
"Well I didn't say I enjoyed it or that I'm one of them, Did I? How could I? I was in love with Harry fucking Potter and you know it."
"Well she doesn't. And her brother was with him when he died." Sarah said
"Your boooyfriend." Draco teased.

"Not anymore. And don't change the subject!"
"What?! You broke up?"
"Don't change the subject I said! And try to not make things awkward with Eve, cause she's coming back now." Sarah said, just as Eve opened the door and came back into the compartment.

"Welcome back." Sarah smiled at her.
"Un so... Diggory how was your christmas?" Draco tried.
"Yeah it was alright, the usual." she replied. The rest of the trip Draco did his best to be decent towards Eve, which included very many failed attempts.

When they got to the platform in Hogsmeade Cherry stood there, waiting for them. The four of them together started making their way to the castle and when they had made it to the great entrance Eve and Cherry began walking toward the great hall for dinner.
"I'm just gonna go the dormitory and get changed first." Sarah explained, and then said goodbye and walked in the other direction.

Draco too, wanted to go back to the Slytherin house before dinner, so they still were in each other's company when they got to the common room.
"So... honestly Peters, how are you?" he asked before they headed toward their different dormitories. Sarah, slightly annoyed, looked at Draco.

"Not here." she muttered. "We can only all about it, but can we go somewhere else?"
"Uhm yeah sure." Draco responded and nodded towards the boy's dormitories. Sarah nodded, and instead followed Draco the opposite direction from where she first was heading and she felt how the other students in the Slytherin common room were watching them.