Time Is Life

final goodbye

Harry lets go of the Cup and Cedric, but the Hufflepuff only grips on tightly, shocking Harry, who briefly looks at Cedric then back to Dumbledore. He raises his free hand and seized the old headmaster’s wrist.

"He’s back," Harry whispers completely distraught. "He’s back. Voldemort."

  "What's going on? What's happened?"

Cornelius Fudge appears and frowns at Harry and Cedric and the cup next to them.

"Did – did the both of you grab it?!" He sounds appalled and Harry feels the urge to laugh again, this time that deranged low laugh. Honestly, two champions were the least of his problem.

"That should be the least of your problems, minister. Voldemort is back whether you like it or not. You can choose to be a coward and do nothing about him and let him take over the ministry or choose to act now and prevent another war. It is solely up to you." Harry's voice is void of any warmth, eyes steely but green again, as he is Harry Potter now and not Harry Lupin.

Blue eyes then take in Harry’s haggard appearance; how his arm has a bleeding cut (self-inflicted, of course, to keep up the pretence of not helping out with the resurrection of Tom or Voldemort) and he is shaking both from exhaustion and from being tortured. Dumbledore regards Cedric and how he still has Harry’s cloak in his hand and then the Cup. "Someone take these two to the hospital wing," then he turns to Fudge, "Minister you can still question these two later."

And then Harry is hoisted to his feet by Cedric's strong arms. He looks into those stormy grey eyes with eternal love and devotion, no words are needed to communicate. Cedric smiles and then frowns at the sight of Harry's leg. Just as he's about to take a step forward he himself crumples and they get caught by Dumbledore. Cedric shakes as his nose starts bleeding again. He feels like he's drowning in those emotions that make no sense to him. Most of them ranging from disbelief to worry to joy. A terrible combination if you ask him.

"Take them now!" Dumbledore barks.

Harry winces at the Volume and Cedric flinches at all the movement around him.

"Why did you lie?" Harry sounds disappointed and Cedric glares at him.

"It's not like you were any more honest with me! You kept from me the fact that your magic is almost spent! You know how dangerous that is!"

"Alright, alright. I'm sorry...please...I don't want to fight again. I love you and I'm not in the mood for another argument."

Cedric sighs and nods, then everything passes like a blur and him and Harry get shipped to the infirmary. His ears feel like their about to explode with all the noise inside and around. He leans heavier onto the person, whoever they are. He can't get himself to walk on his own, he feels too weak and all the noise isn't helping him. It's painful and too much to perceive all at once. The blood keeps gushing out and a soft hand presses into his arm and just like that it's pleasantly silent. He blinks and looks at Harry.

"It seems as though you have to will the silence on yourself when we touch, otherwise you will still experience the emotions around you."

Cedric nods and then his head starts spinning, he's suddenly reminded of the events preceding the graveyard and feels himself getting sick. The last task has definitely been the worst and he's glad that everything is over now.

They enter the hospital wing and are lead to separate beds but Cedric refuses to let go of Harry.

"No!"

Harry smiles and then glares at the matron. Can she know? She's a neutral party."

Cedric nods, "Anything just to stay in peace and silence!"