No second chances| Book Two

I love him more

Hermione, Fred and I still stood at the edge of the dock, waiting for Harry to show up.

"It's almost been an hour." I sighed, touching my mouth.

"He'll be okay. You said he made it to Ron. Maybe he just lost his way back." Hermione assured.

"Hermione, all he has to do is go up." I replied, feeling my voice crack as I spoke.

"Marely!" Someone called, I turned and saw Cedric pushing through the crowd, cho following behind him. He came up to me and gave me a hug tightly.

"I'm sorry, I must've lost track of time." He sighed. I couldn't even try to care about the situation with him right now.

"Harry is still down there." I mumbled, the tears finally leaving my eyes. Cedric gave me a sad smile before trying to pull me in a hug.

I simply turned around back to the water.

A sharp pain pinched my neck, causing me to hiss.

"Mar?" Fred asked, looking at me carefully.

"I'm fine." I said. Suddenly, people jumped out of the water and I sighed in relief. However, when I looked closer, I only saw Ron and Fleur's sister.

"That's it, I'm going in there." I ripped off my robe quickly, ignoring the calls from everyone. But, right before I was about to jump in, another shot went through my body.

Only this time, I was a lot worse than the last. I cried out in pain and instantly fell to my knees.

"Marley!" Fred and Hermione called.

"Someone go in and get ha-" another shot made me completely fall on the floor with a scream.

This caught the attention of Dumbledore as he rushed over and knelt by my side.

"What's happening?" Fred asked fearfully, Dumbledore didn't reply and simply searched my body for something.

I coughed harshly, water spewing from my throat in heaps of water. I couldn't seem to get it out. As my body burned, the water filled my lungs, preventing me from breathing.

Dumbledore was still searching as Fred sat me up and roughly patted my back, trying to get the water from my body.

"Professor Dumbledore!" Fred called again, trying to be louder than my cries of pain and my fits of water puke.

A loud noise erupted from the water. The breathe that I had been cleaning to reentered my body and I gasped in relief.

"Go!" I said, pushing Dumbledore away so he could grab Harry. Everyone rushed to him with blankets and towels, making sure he was okay.

I sighed in relief, no longer feeling any pain but the slight burns on my body. I turned and laid into Fred's chest on the dock floor.

I saw Dumbledore again, only this time he was holding onto harry. I cried out in happiness and held my arms out for the small boy.

Harry's eyes gushed with water as well as he came down and brought me into a hug.

"I'm so sorry, I should've made sure you were okay before I came up." I whimpered, holding his head tightly to me.

"It was those stupid Grindylows." Harry chuckled. Dumbledore looked at us with a look I didn't recognize. I moved my arm from Harry's head and revealed the mark on my arm.

"Looking for this?" I asked, out of breath from the events. Dumbledore simply turned around and walked away, going to Crouch.

Everyone was cheering loudly before Dumbledore yelled at them.

"Attention! The winner is... Miss Rowen!" I smiled brightly and heard the loud chorus of cheers around me. Harry moved to sit next to me, both of us finding it hard to stand.

"-who should initiate use of the bubblehead charm period." My face grew red as everyone cheered my name but I kept rubbing the blankets on Harry's arms, hoping to warm him.

"However, seeing as Mr. Potter would've finished first had it not been for his determination to rescue not only Mr Weasley, but the others as well, we've agreed to award him second place!" I cheered loudly and ruffled Harry's wet hair.

"-For outstanding moral fibre!"

Everyone had settled down and we had all decided to hold a little party in the Gryffindor common room before going out for a well deserved sleep.

As everyone got off the boats, we couldn't stop smiling.

"All that moral fibre, huh?" Fred teased.

"Yeah, moral fibre." George added in. I laughed and playfully pushed Harry.

"Blimey, even when you go wrong, it turns out right." Ron laughed.

"Must've gotten it from his sister." I boasted, lifting my head high. Fred snickered and pushed my head down.

"Who's the one who claimed that Dumbledore would never put students down there in the water, huh? Wasn't me." Fred argued.

I rolled my eyes playfully and saw Cedric come up beside me.

"Can I talk to you?" I gave a small smile to the others and tailed back slightly with Cedric.

It was silent as we walked. I could only hear our shoes crunch on the leaves as we walked through the woods.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there today." He said finally.

"Where were you? I mean, everyone but you has an explanation. They were otherwise occupied." I scoffed.

"Marley." Cedric said sternly, stopping me.

"Look, I'm not the bad guy, all right. I overheard McGonagall talking before the match. She said that you were saving Fred today and I don't know I guess I just got-"

"Jealous? You're mad that your life wasn't risked in the water today?" I questioned, not really understanding his logic.

He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose tensely.

"No, Marley. They took the people you love the most and put them in the water today. I just realized that I wasn't one of those people...."

"Cedric." I sighed, stepping forward so now I had to move my head to look at him.

"I love you. You know I do. Fred is my best friend. No offense but yeah, I'm going to love him more. But I love him as a friend, okay? We've been through a lot together. You and I haven't been together very long but they could have easily put you in there as him. They just knew he was my best friend." Cedric sighed once again and looked between my eyes.

"I'm sorry. I should've been there." Cedric said. I smiled before leaning up and kissing his lips gently.

"I forgive you."