The Black Lake was the finest of mirrors, never showing exactly what was above, but converting it to an image so beautifully smudged and broken. The whomping willow, the cascading mountains, all become a Monet – all free for the looking. It was transient, changing by the day, but that's what made it all the more precious.
Anna Diggory sat at the lakeshore, with her toes dangling in the chilled water. As her feet sent ripples through the aquamarine simulacrum, the reflection of the scenery around her pulsated and flowed. The picture shifting, ever so slightly.
Beside her, Cedric chattered on to his eager father about the secrets beneath the surface of the lake. Anna hummed her acknowledgments throughout his story of the second task, though her mind wandered to the last time she had sat in that spot.
It felt like a lifetime ago since she had sat on that shoreline. Her mind drifted away, and memories flooded back to her. To desperate times, times where she spent hours begging friends not to sacrifice their lives to war. To tearful farewells to friends who would be forced into hiding simply for who their parents were.
Anna listened with partial attention as her husband continued to quip about Cedric's plans after Hogwarts. Even with minimal effort, Anna could hear the annoyance growing in her son's voice as he disregarded his father's remarks. While father and son grew more irritated with each other, a smile kept on Anna's lips.
"What's that, mum?" Cedric asked, his eyebrow perked in his mother's direction. Effectively dispelling Amos from continuing his agenda.
"I'm just admiring the reflection in the water," she said as a coy smile rested on her lips.
The lake's portrait of the landscape had changed very little over the years. But so much in the world had changed since then. And Anna knew, Cedric and Fiona's lives would not mirror her own.
"Oh!" The three Diggorys turned toward the castle to the voice. Professor Sprout was quickly shuffling towards them. Her hat, which normally fell slightly askew on her wild and curly graying hair, was clutched in her hand. "I'm so glad I found you!"
Amos stood up instantly as a wide smile made its way to his face. "Pomona!" He said with a chuckle. Anna smiled at the witch approaching them.
"Hello, Pomona," Anna greeted warmly. Sprout smiled at the group, but the smile did not seem to reach her eyes. Her brows were arched, and her tight jaw served as a warning to Anna.
"I was wondering when you'd come around! Began to think you've forgotten about me," Amos teased with a cheeky grin.
"Oft" Sprout scoffed as her deliberate pace towards them slowed. "I could never forget little Amy Diggory." At the mention of his childhood nickname, Amos's face blushed into a deep shade of red that Anna had not seen in nearly a decade. Cedric turned to his father with a mile-wide grin.
"Amy?"
"What can we help you with?" Amos asked quickly, his brows knitted downward, as his eyes avoided Cedric. "They don't already need the Champions, do they?" He asked as his hand fell on Cedric's shoulder.
Sprout's lips pursed. "No. There's been an incident — with Fiona."
"What's happened?!" Amos quickly blurted, any semblance of annoyance had vanished.
"Is she alright?" Anna quickly added as a wave of vulnerability rushed over her. Cedric was quick to parrot his parent's concerns.
"She's alright, Poppy is making sure of that," Sprout quickly assured the worried family. She gestured towards the castle and beckoned the family to follow. "I'll explain on the way."
Anna Diggory wanted to sprint through the castle at the speed of a Zouwus. She needed to be by her daughter's side. She needed to help her. Trapped by the excruciatingly slow speed that Sprout's short legs would allow.
By the time they reached the fourth-floor Sprout had informed the family of the events that had occurred. Fiona had begun convulsing during her exam, ultimately passing out onto the stone floor.
Once the doors to the hospital wing were in sight, Anna sprinted away from her family and Sprout. As she rushed into the hospital wing her eyes found Fiona immediately. She was sitting upright on the furthest cot in the room. Her skin had gone as white as the sheets of the cot, save for a rather large and protruding red lump on her forehead.
In the chair beside Fiona, a tall and willowy man sat. His hands were clasped together as he intently listened to each word that spewed out of Fiona's mouth.
"You're here," Madam Pomfrey intercepted Anna before she could reach Fiona. Cedric and Amos were soon at her side, followed closely by Sprout. "She refused to take any potions until she spoke with the Headmaster," Madam Pomfrey said in a huff. Her eyes narrowed as they fell on Fiona at the other end of the room.
"That's not like her," Amos muttered slowly. Fiona, to his knowledge, had never been one to rebel against authority and the news that she had held her health hostage seemed unbelievable to him.
Cedric, however, appeared more uneasy than shocked. His lips slowly turned downward as he watched his sister whispering to Professor Dumbledore. "Do you know why this happened?"
"Exhaustion, I'd assume," Madam Pomfrey said with a sigh. "It's not uncommon during N.E.W.Ts exams."
Amos nodded knowingly. He tended to fall violently ill during his N.E.W.Ts exams. Anna, however, seemed unconvinced. "Can...can we see her?" She asked the matron. Madam Pomfrey nodded and gestured towards the cot. She stayed behind, speaking quietly to Sprout as the Diggory family approached Fiona and Dumbledore.
"It's in a graveyard. They needed someone's bones..." Fiona was explaining. Her blank gaze fixated ahead, as her lips curled in concentration. Dumbledore hummed his understanding.
"Fiona?" Anna meekly said as she approached her side. Fiona's steady concentration washed away at the sound of her mother's voice.
"Mum?" She asked as her head turned to face the sound of her mother's voice.
"Dad and Cedric are here too, sweetie," Anna said as she took a step closer to Fiona.
"Professor Dumbledore," Amos nodded towards the Headmaster. Dumbledore smiled at the family as they tepidly approached Fiona.
"You alright, Fee?" Cedric asked. Fiona's eyes began to water at the sound of Cedric's voice.
"Please, professor," Fiona whimpered. "You can't let him compete tonight," she said through heavy sobs.
Amos smiled sympathetically at Fiona. "No need to worry, Fiona, Cedric will be just fine tonight."
Fiona quickly shook her head as tears spilled from the corner of her eyes. "No!" She barked. "He's going to kill him!" As she shouted her body began to tremble, shaking the thin bars that held the cot together.
"What? Who?" Amos asked, there was a carefree tone to his voice, a defense to the scene before him.
Fiona tried to speak, but the words seemed to be lost, trapped from escaping. Cedric bit his lip as he watched his sister struggle. Each time she came close to speaking, more tears seemed to well in her eyes.
"You-Know-Who?" He finally asked. Fiona nodded as she choked out a sob.
With wide eyes Anna spun to face Cedric, he looked uncomfortable, as if he had just cussed. Anna then turned to Amos, the fear she was feeling radiating throughout her body. Amos's features tightened as he silently shook his head at Anna.
"You're just exhausted, Madam Pomfrey explained it all to us," Amos said in a reassuring tone. He slowly and gently placed a hand on Fiona's shoulder. Her face twisted in disgust as she shook her head to disagree.
"No! These dreams have been happening all year, this isn't just stress or exhaustion!" She proclaimed.
Anna's hand clapped against her open mouth as her eyes grew even wider. Amos turned to Dumbledore, seeking assistance.
"As you two know," Dumbledore began, his attention shifting between Anna and Amos. "During the second task, Fiona awoke after a rather alarming dream."
"It wasn't a dream!" Fiona adamantly asserted.
"It seems to have occurred again," he continued as if Fiona hadn't spoken at all.
"It's been happening all year!" Fiona's body continued to shake, though now, it seemed the trembles were due to frustration.
"All year?" Anna could hardly get the words out, and when they finally left her lips they seemed nothing more than the ghost of sound.
Fiona folded her arms across her chest as a loud and dramatic huff erupted from her chest.
Dumbledore then turned to Cedric, his blue eyes peering over his golden half-moon glasses. "Cedric when you entered your name into the goblet you signed a magically binding contract. Even if you wanted to, you would not be able to revoke your championship tonight."
Cedric nodded as he stood stoic at the end of the hospital cot.
"While I do not believe this is any cause for alarm, I dare say, Alastor has been rubbing off on me," Dumbledore said with a light smile. "It never hurts to remain vigilant. Fiona, if you could, please continue from where we left off."
Fiona took a deep breath, but before she speak, her father cut her off.
"Is this necessary? I'm sure you have more important things to attend to today," Amos said. Anna turned to him in disbelief. She had never forgotten the seers warning all those years ago, and she could never forget the measures she had gone to prevent that fate. But Amos had never known what she had done, and what powers had possibly been given to one of their children. Anna was reminded of the cost every day.
"I-it couldn't hurt to hear her out," Anna said before taking a deep breath to attempt to ease her concerns.
"No," Dumbledore said kindly. "It could not hurt. Information, is power, after all. I trust the deputy headmistress is more than capable of handling my duties in my absence." Dumbledore's eyes lingered on Anna for a moment before returning to Fiona.
"Fiona," He began, and her head shifted towards the direction of his voice. "Do you know how Cedric and Harry found themselves in the graveyard?"
Fiona was silent as her mind raced through her dreams. They had just appeared, there was never a warning of their arrival. She finally shook her head in defeat.
"I see," Dumbledore said as he nodded. Throughout the entire conversation, his hands remained tightly clasped together. "A graveyard is a rather peculiar place. Do you have any idea why that is where this all occurs?"
"The bones. They needed the bones for the potion to...to..." Fiona hesitated. Despite how strongly she believed in the visions she had, she feared speaking them would give them the power to become reality. "To bring him back."
"Do you recall anything else, in regards to the potion?"
Fiona nodded. "Flesh...an arm...his servent's arm."
Dumbledore nodded again and hummed for the benefit of Fiona alone.
"And blood," she finished.
"Cedric's blood?" Dumbledore pried. His voice remained steady and level throughout his questioning.
Fiona shook her head quickly. "No...no they just..." Her voice hitched as the image of her brother sprawled out on the cold ground filled her mind. "They just left him there," she breathed bitterly. Anna flinched at this statement.
"Who's blood, Fiona?"
"Harry's blood."
For the first time since arriving in the hospital wing, Dumbledore's hands fell apart from each other. The news did not illicit a nod or a hum from the Headmaster, his eyes trained on Fiona in a way they had not before.
"Were those all of the ingredients for the potion?" He finally asked. Fiona noticed a subtle edge to his voice as he spoke.
"That was it. Bone, flesh, and blood."
"I will speak to Professor Snape about this potion in your dream," Dumbledore announced as he slowly stood from the chair beside Fiona's cot. As Fiona listened to the shuffle of his robes her eyes grew wide.
"That's it?!" She hissed in his direction.
"Certainly not," Dumbledore said. "There will be additional patrol stationed throughout the maze to ensure the task goes exactly as planned. I do believe Professor Moody will have a suggestion or two as well."
Fiona's jaw hung agape as she listened to Dumbledore. The precautions he planned on putting in place did little to ease her racing and worried mind. "I can assure you, Miss Diggory, tonight will go exactly as planned."
Without much else to say, Dumbledore departed the hospital wing. He paused for a moment to speak with Madam Pomfrey and then left with Professor Sprout at his side.
The Diggory family sat in awkward silence while they waited for the potion Madam Pomfrey had thrust into Fiona's hand to take effect. The symptoms of her concussion were quickly alleviated after she drank the red liquid.
As the four left the hospital wing Cedric shared apprehensive looks with his parents. "Well, that's one way to get out of your exam," Cedric finally said with a forced chuckle. Fiona simply scowled at his remark. Though she wasn't showing it, she was livid that the people around her were not taking her warnings more seriously.
"Not to worry, I'm sure Alastor will let you retake the exam after the task," Amos chuffed, assisting Cedric in dispelling the tension that loomed over the family. "Owes me a favor, he does."
The Diggory family spent the remainder of the day strolling around the castle, at Amos's request. Fiona hung close to her brother's side, constantly reminding him to be careful during the task. Cedric responded each time with assurance and empathy, though there was nothing he could truly say that would ease her mind.
Though Anna attempted to hide her worries, she felt as fearful for the task as Fiona. Her silence throughout the day was only noticed by Fiona. Resigned and deliberate silence was so unlike her mother. Anna mostly only spoke to remind her son of defensive spells.
As the family began to meander their way towards the Great Hall for the feasts, they were interrupted by an exacerbated and huffing redhead.
"Oi!" He shouted. "I've been looking everywhere for you! You weren't in the hospital wing when I finished my exam!" He grunted through heavy breathing. Cedric glanced towards his father as Fred Weasley approached them. A mischievous grin fell onto his lips.
"Why were you looking for her?" Amos gritted as he studied the Gryffindor before them. Cedric's smile grew slightly. "You had something to do with putting her in the hospital wing! You did!"
Fred stammered back for a moment as his eyes flicked from Fiona to her father. Amos was standing with his best posture, though even then, he had to look up to meet Fred's gaze. His chest was ever so slightly puffed out as he addressed Fred.
"No, well," Fred began, a slight grin making its way to his face. "Not this time, at least."
Amos looked as if he had forgotten how to breathe as his face became as red as the trimming of Fred's robes.
Fiona's face twisted to a scowl.
"Had to make sure you were okay, didn't I?" Fred said as his attention turned back to Fiona. Amos stepped between his daughter and Fred. It was no secret that among all of the Weasleys, Fred and George had always remained his least favorite of the lot.
"Well, I'm fine, happy?" Fiona grumbled from behind her father. Watching the interaction, Cedric couldn't help but roll his eyes. He wasn't exactly sure how he expected Fiona to react when their father found out about their relationship, but in his mind, this was a bit much, even for her.
"Happy?" Fred gawked, he stepped to the side, avoiding eye contact with Amos to Find Fiona. "No. Fiona, you were not fine in Defense."
Fiona's arms folded across her chest.
"That's none of your concern," Fiona waspishly retorted. Fred's hands dug into his robe pockets as he leaned back on his heels.
"Sorry love, don't exactly get a say in what I'm concerned about," Fred replied casually. Fiona's lips curled as his nose scrunched in displeasure.
"Fiona just talk to me," Fred said with a groan as his posture slumped. Fiona shook her head.
"You heard her," Amos stated, he shot an approving look at Fiona. Cedric chuckled into his palm. "What's so funny?" Amos demanded. Cedric let out a sigh.
"Just tell him, Fee," he said as he shook his head. Fiona remained silent, the scowl on her face never faltering.
"Tell me what?"
Fred had a pained look on his face as he watched Fiona.
"Dad they're dating. Have been for a bit now," Cedric said. Both Anna and Amos spun to face Fiona, both expressing very different emotions.
"Not anymore," Fiona grumbled. Cedric turned to Fred, who was giving him a pleading look. "Never should have started in the first place, really."
"Fiona," Fred sighed. His hand raked through his already messy hair. "Can we talk about this?"
Amos studied the expression on Fiona's face before placing a hand on her shoulder and guiding her into the Great Hall. "She's made herself clear," he snarled at Fred as they strolled past. Anna lingered behind for a moment, watching as Fred's face contorted to a grimace. She hesitated before following Amos and Fiona into the Great Hall.
She had wanted to assure Fred she would talk to her daughter, but decided against it. She had suddenly realized how little she had known about her daughter. So, silently, she followed after Amos and Fiona.
Cedric however remained behind. He shared a short conversation with Fred before trailing after his family, leaving Fred standing alone and dejected.
The feast that night was grander than any other before it, and though the food before them was delectable, Fiona found it very hard to eat anything. Throughout the feast she sat silent, resigned in her fears for what was to come.
Cedric had a difficult time enjoying the feast as well. wrecked with nerves, he managed only small nibbles, and only at his parent's request.
"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now." Dumbledore announced from the front of the hall.
The four champions began to stand from their tables. Fiona could feel the flutter of his robes as Cedric stood from the table. Instantly, Fiona shot up with him. "Cedric," she whimpered.
Cedric pulled her into a tight embrace, nestling his head in the crook of her neck. "I'll be okay," he whispered into her unmanaged hair. "I promised you. I'm not going anywhere. Yeah?"
Fiona tried to swallow the ball that had been forming in her throat, but it was persistent, and a wet sob made its way out. "Please Cedric," she sniffed into his chest.
"I love you, Fee," Cedric whispered, he held on for a moment longer.
"I love you too."
The twins broke apart and Cedric turned to hug his father, and then his mother. Anna held onto her son tightly. At that moment, she would have rather died than say goodbye to him. But as all of the champions began to congregate by Bagman she reluctantly released him.
They had left, and the hall erupted into excited chatter. Amos was eager to converse with anyone and everyone. He was beaming with pride. Anna and Fiona sat in silence as Anna reached to grab Fiona's hand. The two women held onto each other tightly as the students around them began to shuffle out of the hall.
Fiona felt sick on their walk to the quidditch pitch. What little contents were in her stomach were churning violently in her gut. The feeling remained even after Anna guided Fiona to a seat in the front of the pitch. She sat squished between both her parents as the noise of the crowd rushed over her like violent tidal waves from the ocean.
After what felt like an eternity, Bagman cleared his throat from the front of the stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each —Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!" Cheers erupted from every direction.
"In second place, with eighty points — Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" A much more conservative crowd cheered at this statement.
"And in third place — Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!" Again, an even more reserved expression of joy filled the stadium.
Fiona couldn't muster the effort to cheer for any of the four champions. Her head was spinning, as fear seemed to consume her entirely.
Fiona could feel her parents shake as they both waved encouragingly to Cedric.
"So...on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" said Bagman."Three — two — one —"
And as a sharp whistled reverberated throughout the crowd...they were gone.
Krum and Fleur were sent into the maze several minutes later. At first, the crowd was filled with chatter, but as each second passed at an excruciating rate, the whispers began to subside for most. Throughout the waiting, Amos hardly took a second to breathe between his constant talking.
The seconds ticked to minutes, and the minutes seemed to drip by like molasses, until finally, a red spark shot through the night sky. The crowd had been suddenly revived with excited chatters about who the spark belonged to.
Fiona prayed it was Cedric. She prayed he had surrendered.
But as Professor McGonagall emerged from the maze levitating an unconscious Fleur, Amos stood up to cheer, and Fiona's hope was extinguished.
A second spark flew through the air thirty minutes later, and the crowd waited with bated breath.
Krum was revealed moments later.
The crowd was brought to life with the realization that the champion would be either Cedric or Harry, and regardless Hogwarts had won the tournament. The celebrations had already begun among the Hogwarts students. But even that excitement died out when the champion still did not emerge with the cup.
"He'll be okay," Anna whispered into the night. Fiona wasn't sure if she was saying it to her, or to herself.
The chilled air began to rattle the students as everyone began to wonder if something horrible had happened. Each second that passed without a red spark, or a winner weighed heavy on the crowd. Fiona most of all.
After an eternity, surrounded by hushed whispers, a flood of noice filled the stadium. Amos and Anna shot to their feet, bringing Fiona with them. "He's back!" Amos shouted into Fiona's ear. "And he's got the cup!"
He was back!
Fiona fell to her feet as she began to sob into the sleeves of her jumper. He was back!
"Let's go! He's a champion!" Amos pulled Fiona to her feet and rushed towards the front of the maze with Anna and Fiona dragged behind him. As they rushed through the celebrating students the tone suddenly shifted. The laughter quickly died out, replaced by shrieks.
Fiona pulled away from her father and froze in place. This was wrong.
"He's dead! He's dead!"
No.
He was back. He came back! This wasn't happening.
Without the support of her parents Fiona rushed forward through the panicked crowd of students. With one poor step Fiona catapulted towards the cold ground.
She remained on the ground. She didn't want to move. She wanted the earth to eat her up in that moment.
But someone pulled her to her feet and dragged her out of the crowd. Her nostrils tingled at the scent of gunpowder surrounded her as she was pulled to her parent's side. Her father wailed from the ground, tightly clutching Cedric's body. He shouted at Fudge as he attempted to console him and pull him from Cedric's lifeless body.
Anna crumbled to the ground, shrieking loudly into the night.
Fiona's brain kept sending messages of fear. Her thoughts became so scattered that normal functioning was an impossible task. She gasped for breath, but no air seemed able to reach her lungs. She was suffocating.
The person who pulled Fiona from the crowd pulled her into a tight embrace. "Breathe," he whispered into her ear. But she couldn't. Her chest was closing in. "Breathe," He said again while his hand cupped the crown of her head and held her tightly. Fiona felt the slow and steady rise and fall of Fred's breath as he held onto her, and slowly her own breath returned.
She tore away from Fred's embrace and fell to the floor beside her inconsolable father. She reached out the the body he held onto so tightly. She reached out to Cedric. He was gone.
Cedric was gone. And nothing was going to bring him back.
****
Hey guys. Thank you for reading this chapter, I know it took a long time to get here!
Could this have been broken into two chapter? Yes.
Should it have been? Probably.
I honestly just wanted to get it over with. Sorry about that.
Now the fun can begin.
Also, I'd like to address something that a lot of you may be upset about. Fiona did not regain her sight when Cedric died. I know a lot of you wanted that to happen, but I'm sorry to say that was never going to happen. Despite what Fiona believes, she is not broken because of her disability. It is not something that needs to be fixed.
Fiona, like all of you lovely readers are capable of so much, despite the challenges you face. In the real world we have to learn to overcome the challenges that are presented to us. There is no easy fix around them.
You are not invincible. But you are capable.
And I'd like to give a special thank you to iwishiwasginnysgirl for letting me bounce my ideas off of and giving me the inspiration to start this chapter from Anna's point of view. She also has a Cedric's twin story, and one of her chapters really inspired me.
and how could Dumbledore listen to Fiona's dream and do nothing to prevent it? He probably would have, if it wasn't for one small detail in the story. At the end of the day...."For the Greater Good" was dumbledore's M.O
what was it Dumbledore heard that convinced him to let the events unfold?
Because the blood thing is very subtle in the book, and (I believe) completely ignored in the movies...I'd like to include a passage from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire...so that my readers can see where Dumbledore's mind was at.
" "He said my blood would make him stronger than if he'd usedsomeone else's," Harry told Dumbledore. "He said the protectionmy — my mother left in me — he'd have it too. And he wasright — he could touch me without hurting himself, he touchedmy face."
For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something like triumph in Dumbledore's eyes. But next second, Harrywas sure he had imagined it, for when Dumbledore had returnedto his seat behind the desk, he looked as old and weary as Harryhad ever seen him. "
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Page 696.
For anyone not familiar with this little fact...it is Harrys blood in Voldemort that allowed Harry to live in the 7th book after being hit with the killing curse in the forest. The second Dumbledore realized Harrys blood was in Voldemort he realized Harry might not have to die when the horcrux in him is destroyed.