TW: mentions of blood, mentions of spirits (idk if that's triggering but just in case), mentions of food and lack of appetite
"I don't know she's lost too much blood can you bleed out from your nose mum?", Fred's faint voice echoed through her ears.
"I don't think so dear but it looks like she's waking up now" Molly said, her hand still pressing a handkerchief on her nose.
Her eyes shot open again and a gasp left her lips. She quickly stood up, not caring about the people that were trying to prevent her from doing so. "Moody has him, he's not Moody" was the only thing she said before she fled the scene.
She ran like she had never done before, Molly's blood stained handkerchief was still pressed on her nose, trying to stop her blood from leaking any further. She reached the castle and didn't bother to catch her breath, even though her insides felt like they were on fire. The only thing keeping her body functioning was the adrenaline that was now being pumped through her blood stream.
She arrived at Moody's office and with a flick of her wand the door flung open. Harry was sitting on a small stool, and fake Moody was waiting by the door. Harry looked at her absolutely terrified, trying to warn her but there was no use when she was pushed to the floor. She was too weak to get up, she tried and tried but every time her arms gave up on her. They were both helpless now.
"I was expecting you to arrive Archambeau, apparently you have the same god savior complex your father had" Moody growled and closed the door again.
"The Dark Lord's plan would have been successful if it wasn't for little Madeleine right here. I had it all planned out, but it didn't occur to me that the two of you would become so close. I followed the plan exactly like he had told me. Went to the French auror, get the information and kill him; but I should have known he was never going to break. Philippe Archambeau was trained by the best after all, but I never imagined that dear old Cressida would come back. Oh how I desired her when I was just a boy. The Dark Lord had risen again and all your intents were futile" he said darkly, his voice tone not resembling the one she had heard for the entire year. But the voice indeed, was the one who haunted her dreams for months.
She could only stare at him, her vision became blurry from the loss of blood and she was exhausted. The floor was so cold in comparison to her body and all she wanted was to close her eyes and let go. She knew what would happen now, she would meet the same fate her father met during the summer. The blinding green light would hit her and it would all be over.
She felt ready for it, 'at least I saved him' she thought but when the Headmaster's familiar voice yelled the disarming spell a weight lifted off her chest. She opened her eyes slowly and saw Professor McGonagall kneeling next to her. Harry was now standing up next to Snape and Dumbledore, wands pointed at the impostor as he revealed the truth under the influence of Veritaserum.
Barty Crouch Jr revealed everything from his master's plan to return to life. He went over in how he had done it step by step, how Philippe played a part on it and how Madeleine had messed it up by interfering with tonight's events, but she was way too drowsy to pay attention to every single detail. The last thing she heard before passing out again, was Dumbledore's request for her to be taken down to the hospital wing.
*****
Professor McGonagall levitated me to the hospital wing and let's just say that it was an interesting journey switching from consciousness to unconsciousness until we reached our destination. When we arrived my mother was waiting in the room talking to Madam Pomfrey and Mrs Weasley. Bill, the twins and my brother were conversing about something while Lee, Alicia and Lizzie were murmoring quietly in a corner opposite from where Ron, Hermione and Clo were pacing anxiously.
I was feeling very cold and my head was spinning and oddly I felt as if I were drunk and high at the same time. I was giggling and every figure in the room seemed blurry. Madam Pomfrey layed me down on a bed and asked Lizzie to change my clothes for me. All my chest was covered in blood and the metallic taste lingered in my mouth, not going away. After the matron managed to stop the bleeding with multiple spells, she allowed mum and Tim to talk to me.
"Chérie what happened? What did you do Madeleine?" she asked me worriedly.
"I called them and I screwed up, I don't think they're all very happy that I disturbed them" I yawned as the dreamless draught took its toll on me.
"Timothée send an owl to Mamie immediately and tell her to get here as soon as she can" my mother muttered to Tim and he nodded, leaving to the Owlery.
"I'm really tired so don't talk to me until tomorrow Cressida" I mumbled drunkenly and fell into a deep sleep.
"Wake up girl" screeched my great mamie's voice. 'It can't be she's been dead for way too long' I thought but opened my eyes back again. The three of them were surrounding my bed; dad, Papie and grand Mamie.
"Can't I just get a break for just a little bit?" I rolled my eyes. "We can talk in the morning, I'm tired".
"You don't have time to be tired girl, you did what I told you not to do and opened a type of door, they can talk to you now" she said in the thick accent I remembered. I was about to turn to my father when they disappeared.
I rubbed my eyes and slowly sat on the bed, 'it was just a dream' I thought. My five friends were sleeping scattered around the floor near to my bed. I looked to the side and Harry was there too, he was still asleep and a sleeping Sirius was next to him, on his Animagus form of course.
Professor McGonagall looked very angry as she was talking to the Minister of Magic, Mrs Weasley and Dumbledore, but I caught their conversation just in time when the transfiguration professor mentioned that because of Fudge's negligence, a dementor had given Barty Crouch Jr the kiss while on the castle.
"Very well deserved kiss if you ask me, I'm feeling a bit bummed out that I couldn't be there to watch it. But I think I may have to show some gratitude to the dementor who avenged my dad, do you reckon a fruit basket will suffice?" I said sarcastically to the adults but only Fred and George laughed quietly since they woke up minutes after I did.
"What? Too harsh or too straightforward?" I fake smiled and layed back down again. I patted my bed, motioning dog Sirius to get on it. Harry was barely awakening when the discussion between the Minister and Dumbledore got louder. I was biting my tongue to not let any inappropriate comments escape from my mouth. Cornelius Fudge finally left the hospital wing, slamming the door in the process.
"Mr Jordan, Miss Spinnet and Miss Bennet; I request you to go back to your dormitories and have some proper sleep. You all lost a dear classmate and sleeping on the floor won't be of any help" the headmaster said to them and they reluctantly nodded and left.
It had slipped my mind for a while that Cedric was gone and I felt guilt wash all over my body. He was a good friend, he was kind and supportive and way too good for this cruel world. He didn't deserve that, he deserved better and now he was gone. I laid on the bed, going over and over again through the memories I had with my Hufflepuff friend. Every conversation, every piece of advice he ever gave me but his words kept replaying in my head and they wouldn't stop. He was gone, and I couldn't do anything to change that.
Dumbledore asked Padfoot to transform back into his human form which caused a loud shriek erupt from Molly. After talking quietly with Sirius, Snape and Molly, Dumbledore left as well, but I wasn't paying much attention to what they had said.
"That was wicked" Fred and George beamed to Sirius and he chuckled. Molly approached my bed and sat next to me.
"Oh good dear, your mother she had to tend to some business" she said pitifully.
"Of course she had to, she's Head of department now so I suppose she's trying to clean this mess up" I shrugged.
"I am sorry dear, she is trying her best" she patted my back and hugged me again.
*****
The castle was quiet, a gloomy grieving ambience flowing around like the oxygen that kept us breathing. There was no laughter, there were no smiles, there was just silence. One week had gone by, but the events were still fresh in everyone's minds. Harry hadn't talked to me which made my chest hurt, but he needed time. We all needed time. The night of the leaving feast, I was in my dorm packing with Ali and Liz when Professor McGonagall entered the room.
"Maddie, I need you to come with me to see Professor Dumbledore" she said and I nodded. I followed her quietly until we reached the statue guarding it. When she opened the door, Dumbledore and Snape were already inside. The headmaster motioned me to take a seat in front of his desk, McGonagall and Snape standing beside him.
"I am very sorry but I'm feeling particularly intimidated right now" I said to the three Professors who were standing in front of me.
"No need to be Miss Arch-" Dumbledore smiled but I interrupted him.
"Just Maddie, please professor. I know why I'm here so we should skip the formalities"
"Very well then Maddie, the night of the final task you performed something that I have never seen before, so I must ask you, what exactly did you do?"
"Are you familiarized with veela magic professors?" I sighed and they remained silent.
"I'm going to take that as a no. Well, veelas are not just pretty faces you see, we have some of the most impressive magical abilities in the community, we just learn from a young age not to reveal them. There is nothing veelas protect more than their secrets.
"When a child is a result from a veela and wizard union, two things can happen. Number one, the child might be born with the magic of their wizard parent and just the beauty and the charm that being part veela conveys.
"Number two, the child's veela powers can unify with the wizard ones to create a kind of stronger magic, more manageable if the proper training is received. This second type is rare and it doesn't occur often but it happened with me.
"The mind control abilities that I own, passed down onto me by my great grandmother. Since I was a small child, she trained me until her death to control these powers, that is how I can make cerebral connections with those I care about. When I met Harry and told him about our relationship, I accidentally made a connection with his brain".
"So you mean you are like a Legilimens Madeleine?" McGonagall chimed in.
"Not quite professor, I can not read another person's thought. I can implant and remove memories, I can create false memories and if my charm is activated I can make them do basically whatever I please. It can be in a way compared to the Imperius curse but it's not the same thing.
"Veelas can't really use spells as you may all know, but we can control our magic through these specific chants. My great grandmother taught me these chants because the magic I possess is entirely different from the one of my siblings. But the one thing she always warned me not to do was disturb them. That is something else, it is an older and darker type of veela magic that should not be meddled with. But that night I knew it was the only thing that could help him get out, so I disturbed the spirits and I assume they are not very happy with me at the moment".
"How exactly did you use this connection Madeleine?" Snape asked in his monotone voice.
"I used the link I have with Harry, I saw what was happening through his eyes when I felt that something was wrong. I muttered the chants and then contacted them. The mixture of Priori Incantatem, yes i know what it is, and my intervention is what got him out of there. The only problem is, I called upon those who were murdered directly by You-Know-Who and-"
"Many of these spirits have loose ends" Dumbledore nodded.
"Correct. I am very aware of what I did, believe me, but I was not going to leave him there to die. Whatever the consequences are, I will accept them".
"I had no idea that veelas were so powerful Madeleine, you saved the boy's life at a great cost of your personal well being" McGonagall said sadly.
"We like to keep our secrets very well hidden Professor, my mamie would probably have my head, and he is family. I would do it again without hesitation. I would also appreciate this conversation being kept discretely, I just revealed centuries of secrets of the veela community and I wouldn't like them being spread around like common gossip".
"Don't worry Madeleine, your secrets are safe with us. You can go now to the leaving feast" Dumbledore smiled and I left the office. I walked to the great hall and sat between Fred and Harry. The decorations around the magnificent hall were black and dark gray, the floating candles were inexistent and even though it was mid June it felt as if it was the coldest the castle had ever been. No one really had an appetite, I at least didn't feel like eating.
"Today we acknowledge a really terrible loss. Cedric Diggory was, as you all know exceptionally hard-working, infinitely fair minded, and most importantly...a fierce, fierce friend" Dumbledore said pacing.
I was biting my knuckles hard as I felt a wave of laughter wash over me, if I hadn't pressed my face against Fred's chest on time I am sure the entire great hall would have heard me laugh as Dumbledore stated how Cedric really died. I couldn't control myself, my laughter was muffled my Fred's chest but I knew it would grow louder if I stayed there.
"Get me out of here" I snickered and he wrapped his arm around my waist, leading me out of the hall but pressing my head onto him so my laughter wouldn't echo all over. Once we had our fair distance from the great hall he let me go and I laughed louder than I ever had.
I pressed my back against a cold wall and slid down to the floor, tears streaming from my eyes because of laughing so hard. I looked back at him as I wiped a few tears and he was in shock. His expression was a mixture of amusement and confusion. "Frenchie what the bloody hell was that all about?" he asked.
"I'm sorry I just can never stay serious at funerals or things like this" I giggled trying to recover my breath. "The only funeral I've attended that I haven't laughed was my father's but I was way too shocked to even speak".
"You're that person"
"What person?" I asked between fits of laughter.
"You're the giggle of the funeral, in every funeral there is always one person who is giggling" he chuckled and sat next to me.
"I must look like a terrible human being now, I'm sorry but I can't stop laughing" I snorted, my glance fixed on the floor.
"Enjoying ourselves aren't we?" asked a voice I knew too well from in front of me.
"I don't blame you really, it all looks so different. I know what you must be thinking right now Mads, how can he be talking he's dead" he mocked and chortled. "Well I am dead you're talking to my spirit or at least that's what the old French lady said" he shrugged.
"It's impossible" I whispered.
"Well the French lady said it's really not, she said you opened a door and you need to close it"
"What's impossible, who are you talking to?" Fred asked me. I looked at him and back to the Cedric who still stood in front of me.
"No one, let's go" I muttered standing up and going back to the great hall with the redhead boy ignoring what just had happened.
"Now the pain we all feel in this dreadful loss reminds me, and reminds us that while we may come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one." Dumbledore said as we crept back into our seats.
"In light of recent events, the bonds of friendship we've made this year will be more important than ever. Remember that, and Cedric Diggory will not have died in vain. You remember that and we'll celebrate a boy who was kind and honest, brave and true, right to the very end" Dumbledore finished.
"Luckily I didn't die I virgin don't you think Mads, that would've definitely been embarassing" Cedric whispered in my ear.
"Leave me alone Ced, please" I said under my breath.
"No can do, your grandma said you need to close the door. Right now it's just me but others can come and won't be as nice" he shrugged and vanished again.
*****
The next morning we would all board the Hogwarts Express and go back to London. All of my things were packed and we were now waiting in the castle's entrance for the carriages to arrive. Hagrid and Madame Maxime were preparing the Abraxans for departure and the Durmstrang students were on their own since Karkaroff had fled the night of the final task.
I was talking to Liz, the twins and Lee while Alicia said goodbye to Niko, who she had spent the vast majority of the year with. Fleur approached us and embraced me into a tight hug. It took me a minute to realize what was happening but I chuckled and hugged her back.
"I will miss you so much Mad, thank you for everything" she said in her thick accent.
"I'll miss you too Delacour but don't grow soft on me now" I joked.
"Promise you will write, I will try to get a job here to improve my English so we can see each other more ofter" she smiled brightly.
"I'll write, have a safe trip" I beamed and kissed both of her cheeks. She hugged me again and kissed my cheeks, she said goodbye to the rest of my friends and got into the Beauxbatons carriage.
"Hey" said a voice behind me. I turned around and Nathan stood there accompanied by Clo and Tim.
"Hey" Inanswered hesitantly.
"I'm leaving now so I just came to say goodbye"
"Goodbye"
"I'm sorry, I really am for everything. Losing you was the worst thing that has happened to me but I know we can't turn back time. Is there a chance that you and I could be friends at least?"
"I accept your apology, but no. We are not good for each other not in a romantic way nor a friendly one. You have a relationship with my brother and my sister but that is it, it's better that way. Have a safe trip" I smiled at him and he left.
"You didn't have to break the poor bloke's heart again you know" Clo huffed.
"You will understand some day" I shrugged and walked over to the carriages. A short blonde girl who looked like a third year was gently petting one of the invisible horses that were in fact not invisible. I neared the girl and stood next to her, admiring the grayish looking creatures.
"They are called thestrals, I can see them too you know" the girl said in a dreamy voice making me smile.
"I'm Madelein-" I began saying but she interrupted me.
"I know, I'm Luna" she grinned.
"Luna, how come we can see them and no one else can?" I asked the younger girl.
"They can only be seen by those who have seen death in the eyes, I saw my mum die. That is why I can see them"
"Oh I'm sorry"
"No need to be, I sometimes miss her but she is in a better place"
"Can I?" I said stretching my hand slowly towards the creature.
"Of course you can pet them, they are very gentle you see but people can get scared because of"
"Their appereance I suppose" I said petting the thestral, "I find them quite beautiful actually, shame that one can only see them under these circumstances. It was great meeting you Luna, have a nice holiday" I smiled at her and left.
The journey to Hogsmeade station was quiet. I was sitting next to Fred and Ali and staring intetly at the window thinking of what was in store for me this summer. A year ago I was a complete different person than to who I was now. My life got flipped upside down and turned back over, but I managed to keep going. We boarded the train and in no time it started moving. The castle was now disappearing through tall trees and green foliage as the train gained speed. My thoughts were interrupted by Lizzie's voice calling me back to reality.
"Are you gonna write?"
"I'll try" I answered.
"Are you going back to France?" Lee asked.
"I don't know, most likely" I shrugged. "I'm gonna go check on Harry and Clo".
"We'll come with you" the twins said and stood up. We walked through the train's corridors looking in the compartments for the quartet when we heard my dear old cousin's voice.
"Too late now Potter! They'll be the first to go, now the Dark Lord's back! Mudbloods, Muggle-lovers and Half Breeds first! Well–second–Diggory was the f–" he said but the twins and I had hexed him and his goons before he could finish that sentence.
It was as if something had exploded because it turned out that Ron, Hermione and Harry had also thrown hexes to the three Slytherins who were now lying unconscious on the floor.
"Thought we'd see what those three were up to" Fred said stepping onto one of the larger boys and into the compartment, he stretched his hand to me and helped me pass through the three boys
"Such a gentleman Frederick, I didn't know you could do that" I nudged him playfully sitting down next to him. George sat next to us and poked Draco with his foot and laughed.
"Interesting effect" he said looking to the other large boy whose name I didn't know. "Who used the Furnunculus Curse?".
"Me" Harry beamed proudly.
"Odd, I used Jelly-Legs. Looks as though those two shouldn't be mixed. He seems to have sprouted little tentacles all over his face" George laughed.
"We should move them, I prefer a more classic type of decoration than three idiots lying around" I said and with a flick of my wrist the tree boys were pushed out of the compartment and onto the corridor.
"Exploding snap anyone?" Fred grinned taking a pack of cards out of his pocket. The four boys began playing as Hermione, Clo and I talked about books. Hermione told me how she found out about Rita Skeeter and pulled out the jar from her bag and handed it to me.
"See what happens to nosy lying bitches Skeeter? I hope you learned your lesson" I said to the beetle and shaked the jar making the beetle go everywhere. I handed it back to Hermione and my mood immediately lifted. "That was fun".
"You going to tell us then? Harry said to the twins, "Who you were blackmailing?".
"Oh, that" George said darkly.
"It doesn't matter, it wasn't anything important. Not now anyway" Fred shook his head.
"We've given up" George shrugged.
"It was a perfectly written letter but Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum decided to back out" I smirked.
"So you were a part of it?" Clo asked me.
"Who did you think wrote the letters?" I asked rhetorically, "every team needs a brain, yours is Hermione and I am ours".
"You're not the brain" Fred scoffed.
"She totally is" George laughed. The four of them kept insisting until Fred cracked.
"Alright , if you really want to know it was Ludo Bagman"
"Bagman? Are you saying-" Harry said but was interrupted by George.
"Nah, nothing like that. Stupid git wouldn't have the brains" he said gloomily. The twins proceeded to explain everything to them, from the initial misunderstanding to the darker aspects of Bagman's life which involved getting in trouble with the Goblins for gambling and betting on Harry to pay them back which didn't work out at all.
The rest of the trip went pleasantly, Clo and I fought because I noticed she was wearing my shoes, they boys kept playing exploding snap and Hermione's nose was buried in a book. The train stopped at platform 9 3/4 and Ron, Hermione and Clo left the compartment, struggling to move their trunks past the three boys who were still passed out on the corridor.
Harry asked Fred and George to wait before leaving the compartment and placed the sack of his Triwizard winnings on George's hand.
"Take it, I don't want it" he said to the twins who were in complete and utter shock. They tried arguing back but Harry stopped them.
"You take it and get inventing, it's for the joke shop"
"He's mental" Fred said to me and I shrugged, a smiled plastered on my face.
"I'm not mental, if you don;t take it I'm throwing it down the drain. I don't want it and I don't need it. But I could do with a few laughs. I've got a feeling we're going to need them more than usual before long".
The twins tried denying the gold from him but Harry pulled out his wand and threatened them. "Take it or I'll hex you, Maddie taught me some good ones. Just do me a favor and buy Ron some new dress robes and say they're from you" he said leaving the compartment with me.
I threw my arm around him while I levitated our trunks and Hedwig's cage with the other. "You are definitely my brother, threatening them like that was brilliant" I beamed.
"Learned from the best of course" he chuckled. The twins came down from the train still absolutely shocked. After I set our trunks down, I said goodbye to Alicia, Lizzie and Lee as they joined their families. I was talking with Harry happily as we crossed the barrier when the smiled on my face faded as I saw mamie standing next to my mother, siblings and Dora.
Mrs Weasley was talking quietly with mum and a large man with a purplish face was standing close to the redhead lady looking disgustingly at them. "That's uncle Vernon" Harry whispered to me as we approached the group. Fred and George had joined us now and I tried looking at anything to avoid mamie's deadly stare.
I walked over to Harry's uncle and narrowed my eyes at him. "Hello Dursley, I'm Madeleine and I'm Harry's sister. I want you to listen to me very, very carefully. You will not mistreat Harry this summer because if you do, I will find out and things will get nasty. Harry will be able to leave the house whenever he pleases, I will come to visit him and you have no buts in this. He will use his owl to send letters to his friends and if I find out that you are starving him because of your porky son's diet, I will release hell on you. Believe me, you don't want to find out what I can do with a snap of my fingers, unlike most wizards I don't really need a wand to perform magic. Have a nice one Dursley" I said to the man who looked visibly paler and turned to Harry.
"Write to me about everything alright, I'll see what I can do to take you with me for a while okay" I smiled at him and kissed both his cheeks. "Have a safe trip". He and his uncle left and then it was time to face the unevitable. I walked back to my family but the Weasleys were still there.
"That was badass you know" Fred whispered in my ear. I was about to laugh when I caught mamie's glance again, I swore that her head would turn into the harpy right about now.
"You know what thinking about it, I will accept your offer and I um, I will spend the entire summer with you" I said to Fred trying to walk away when Dora's grip stopped me.
"Not so fast young lady," said my mother sternly, "we will go home now and I will explain everything". She turned to Molly and muttered something in her ear.
"Time to say goodbye everyone" Mrs Weasley said to her children. "We will see each other very, very soon, be safe dear" she said to me and I nodded. The Weasleys left and I was left alone with my family.
"We will apparate to the cottage, Clo with me, and Mamie with Tim. Madeleine and Dora, you two are in charge of the trunks" mum rubbed her temples and disapparated.
"You and I will talk when we get home lady" mamie scowled and disappeared with Tim.
I turned to Dora who was trying to hold back a laugh. "If I ask you to kill me now can you make it look like an accident? I'm begging you to just push me down to the tracks and let a train run me over" I groaned.
"I have a feeling we will have a fun summer cous" she laughed louder and with a crack disappeared with Clo and Tim's trunks. I was about to disapparate with my trunk, Tim's owl and Clo's cat carrier when something caught me eye. I moved closer to the figure and almost dropped to my knees.
"Ça va chérie, it's been a while since we talked" his voice said disturbingly calm. He looked just like I remembered, from the dark hair down to the blue eyes. It wasn't really him, his body looked almost transparent, but to me it was him and that's what mattered.
"Hi dad" I whispered and disapparated back home.
AN: so we've reached the end of GoF and now we're onto OOTP (which is my fave). I have so many things planned and I'm so excited to start writing them! Btw I'm so sorry but I don't know if I'll be able to upload during the weekend or next week, I have a shit ton of homework and assignments for uni but I'll try my best to post something. I also wanted to thank you all for reading and for 1,48k reads. I love each and every single one of you, please stay safe and tpwk. Also I want to know your zodiac signs so leave it in the comments, I'm a Sagittarius :)
Ps: if you have some feedback about the story or my writing please leave in the comments so I can improve. Xx.