NARRATOR POV
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As George walks to the field with the others, his worry for Hela didn't went away. He felt that something about this evening is... off. He kept looking back at the way to the castle, hoping Hela bright blue hair might pop up and walk to the entrance of the field but she never showed up.
He waits for more 10 minutes to see if she's just pranking him and she might be somewhere in the crowd, but there was no sigh of a blue haired girl.
"Georgie, is everything alright?" Fred nudges his twin's side as he sees the worriedness on his face.
"Have you seen Hela anywhere?" George says, not hearing the question that Fred asked as he scans around the field carefully for the fifth time, "I'm can't find her anywhere." he sighs, dropping his tensed shoulders.
"She must be around here somewhere." Fred's brotherly protectiveness rises up as he pushes people apart in front of him to get a better view down the stands, "She said she wanted to use the loo, is that right? Maybe she needed some more time." he jokes but seeing that George didn't laugh or smile, he changed his expression and turns around to look for any Hela's movement.
Seeing that his twin wasn't much of a help in this situation, he made a decision and try to slip out of the field without anyone knowing. He looks around at every entrances of the field but there were Professors and Ministry staffs all around, guarding them from no one going in and out, and getting themselves lost at a night time like this.
He quickly realized that there was no way he can go back to castle.
He blamed himself for not just staying with her and come here together in the first place. The task has already started, and about to reach to end as both Fleur and Victor were already being saved by the Ministry staffs.
"Shit, I really fucked up this time." George sighs under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose.
He knows better than another that for sure, he's not gonna worry more people with Hela being missing and ruin their fun for his own mistake. And even if he begs the staffs to let him go back and find his girlfriend, he knows that they are not gonna let him go back.
But he found himself that he's not the only one worrying about Hela.
Marie was too.
She knew something was wrong the whole five minutes before the task even happened because she couldn't find Hela anywhere. She knew that something was bond to happen as soon as she knew something was off about that new Professor.
She looks around the field to find whichever Professor was already here, and to her correct suspicion, Moody wasn't here yet. But when he finally came to field, looking worry as ever, she knew something was up. She tries to read into his mind to see what is going with him but there is always some layer covering, stopping her to go between into his mind.
Sometimes it works when he let his guard down but, it's not always something he does.
She finally gives up and starts her own search for Hela but she begins to get more anxious when she couldn't still find her even after whole 30 minutes into the task. She knew that something bad was going to happen when she couldn't sense her anywhere near the castle, or outside the castle.
She knew that she couldn't go out and find her either, with all the staffs guarding, which she just realized when she remembered to look at entrance rather than outside of the field. She asked Pansy, Daphne, Theo, Blaise, Fred, even their parents, and Draco, who wasn't speaking to Hela at the moment but she didn't know about it and she didn't care.
Every response she got was the same.
"No, I thought she was with you."
"She went to the loo," George explains in panic, his hands flying around as he did, "and I asked her if I wait for her but she insist that I go first and she'll follow." he grunts.
The panic in Marie that immediately turned into anger, can be clearly seen in her eyes as they glows red when George looks at her but he couldn't dare stare into them for long.
"Tsk, George." Marie groans, with a slap on George's chest, "You should just followed her. Where did your protectiveness go?" she yells at him with her hands in her hair, making George looks down in guilt.
She was afraid that she broke the promise that she made with Hela's mother, that she would protect her no matter how dangerous it is.
She promised she would.
As Marie and George were panicking, trying to find Hela on the stands; having no idea that she was being held captive in a small dark room, back at the castle with only a small light that she enchanted from her wand just to see what's around her that can help getting her out of it.
"God dammit!" Hela grunts loudly, kicking the hard wooden door for the past 20 minutes while yelling out - 'Is someone there?' 'Help me!' 'Can anyone hear me?' 'Please! Is anyone there?!'.
"Ahhh!" she groans out loud in pain when she felt her toes starting to get sore under her shoes after she gave the door a last kick.
She clicks her tongue loudly in annoyance when she tries to use her power but nothing seems to be working. She bangs on the door again to make sure if someone can hear her from the other side, but the results were the same as before, when she was banging on it 30 minutes ago.
Her legs gave in from standing as the weight of the pain and tiredness wash over her. With tears running down her eyes, she looks down at her hand to see that her nails have been completely chipped off and they were bleeding endlessly but with the adrenaline still rushing through her body, she didn't felt any pain... but it comes and goes.
She hisses under her breath as she softly wipes the blood running down her forearm from her fingertips on her robes as she gets up from the floor and once again decides to use her power again... against her will.
Sensing that the door probably might have worn down after much needed attempts of breaking it down, she puts both of her hands against the door with force. She slowly breathed in and out deeply a few times before she slowly builds up her power to her arms. And to her surprise, she still have enough strength and energy left in her body.
Hela scoffs as she grins, thinking about what she's going to do to that Barty Crouch Jr when she finally gets to lay a hand on him after she gets out of here. And with that, the usage of her powers starts to feed on the excitement and energy.
Finally, the door broke from its heavy metal hinges, flying across the narrow hallway with the impact that came from the strength of her force and hits the wall, breaking into small pieces.
Hela picks up her wand, muttering a spell to put out the light that was coming out from it as she walks out the room, limping as she did...
While Hela was struggling with all her might, on the other side of the hill where the task that was being held has came to an end when Harry Potter comes out of the maze.
While everyone in the whole pitch erupted with loud cheers and claps, Marie can't help but feel more distress to sense that Harry was sobbing while holding onto Cedric's body, which was not moving.
At all.
She was the first to notice and sense that he didn't came back alive.
Fleur who was standing traumatized after getting out of the maze and in the field with her other friends, screamed in fear. And with the distress of Hela still missing, mixed with the fear of Cedric being actually gone make Marie's legs immediately run down from the top of the stands. Pushing people out of the way with force to get to her wizard to where everyone is now surrounding him.
And when she gets a closer look at Cedric's lifeless body, she died.
Everything slow down around her as panic spreads through her body like a fever the moment she sees him, and she falls to her knees in screaming agony, knocking everyone around her to the ground. She didn't care that everyone saw her using her powers.
She couldn't, because at this moment of her life; the love of her life, her white horse, her best friend, her soul mate, the reason she's excited to get out of bed every day, the only person that can make her smile without effort, the only person that makes her feel butterflies, that make her weak to the core whenever he held her in his chest when they hug, the one she was so sure to marry, her home... is gone.
"No, no, no, no, no." she repeats, kneeling beside him and pushes his hair out of the way of his face, "Ced! Ced, no. Ge- get up." her tears flowing like a sea onto his shirt from her delicate eyes as she cups his face in her hands.
She felt her soul left her body as she begs and cries for him to wake up, putting him on her lap. She caresses his cheeks with a gentle embrace in one hand and holds his hand tight in the other as she sobs, so violently that no noise comes out of her mouth but some deep breaths that she's trying her best to keep herself alive.
"Please, ge- get up, Cedric." she chokes out between muffled cries and wiping the dirt of his face with the sleeve of her sweater that once belonged to the person who is now laying on her lap. "Please, get up. Don't leave me like this. Please. Please." she begs, taming his hair which is not soft anymore like she always felt it.
She couldn't breathe and she's now hysterically crying. Her tears spill onto his shirt, which was clean and tidy before she let him go into the field, but blood, sweat, dirt, and now her tears have stained it. She can still smell a hint of citrus from his cologne as she places her forehead onto his.
She didn't want to let go of him even when she felt fingers trying to pry for her to let go of him, but she wouldn't let go. She wants his body to just carve into her so she can feel him one last time before she can fully accept that he's not here with her anymore.
"He wanted me to bring him back." Harry mutters beside her, "He wanted me to bring him back to his parents and you."
She looks up at Harry, but she couldn't see anything clearly due to her eyes watering but she can see that his arm is gushing with dark red liquid.
He also looks like his own life was almost taken out. He looks extremely pale, blood mixed with sweat rushing down from his head to the tip of his nose but the body that she was holding in her hand, didn't let her think more for anyone.
But when Hermione, Fred, and Ron held onto her body with strength, she gave up and let them pull her apart.
She finally grasps onto the part where she can't do anything. She can't bring him back to life. She stops thinking about the ways that -"What could she have said before he goes in, that would made him avoid death?"
She sits on the ground, staring at Cedric's body from afar. His lifeless eyes seems to be looking back into hers, as his parents tower over him and cry, while everyone asks her if she's okay. But she can't hear a single voice calling out to her, see anyone or feel anything.
Only the happy memories she had shared with him are now the only thing playing in her mind.
The words that they both shared at the Yule Ball, under their tree came flushing back.
"You look so beautiful tonight." Cedric whispered as he laid in her lap while she played with her soft golden brown hair.
They were sitting under the tree after they ran out of the castle to watch the Moon and stars while they danced in silence. He gave her his dress coat, seeing that she was starting to get cold from the air before sitting down.
She blushed before kissing his forehead, "Thank you."
"No, you do, like you always do." he smiled as he looked up at her and held her cheek in his hand, "You feel like a dream to me. I feel like I made you up." he looked into her brown eyes, which were sparkling with love, "You're the most perfect girl I've ever met. And you will always be the girl that I want to be with my whole life."
He finally sat up, facing her and held her soft hand in his, "I'll have to admit," he slightly chuckled, tilting his head to the side as he brushed his thumb over her hand, "you're the most amazing human being I've ever laid my eyes on. And if I had to wait a hundred years just to be with you, I would wait a million more."
Her eyes were now welding with tears, tears of joy and happiness.
"You're my witch and will always be my witch." he came closer to her face as he whispered those words as if someone might be listening to them.
"You're my wizard and will always be mine, only mine." she whispered those words the same as he did.
Not just because he said it to her. They said the exact same words to each other, so many times before. But at that moment, it has so much more meaning. That time, those words didn't just slip out of her mouth. That time, she stared into his grey-green eyes and she meant every one of those words like she always did.
Their faces were so close to each other, they could feel each other's breath on their chests with their foreheads touching each other. They both stayed in the position for a moment with their eyes closed, resting as they were reading each other's minds.
"I love you."
"I love you."
Their eyes opened back in shock but immediately... they kissed. As passionately as if they have never tasted each other. With so much love, they held each other's faces and wouldn't let go.
She tasted like candy to him, like heaven, so addicting that if he didn't taste her for one second, he wouldn't live. Her skin may be cold to others but she was warm like beaches to him. She was like a cold watermelon on a hot summer. Her smile will always be the death of him. Those small sharp fangs he sometime felt when kissing her or see when her lips widened into a toothy smile.
But slowly, the flash back fades away when she feels herself being settled down on a soft bed but she didn't move a single limp on her body but stayed in the position.
Everything has now become memories. Including him.
Her world had caved in. The turning pages have stopped and the book has shut closed. Her soul was gone. She wasn't ready to say goodbye. She would have hug him tighter before letting him go into the field, she thought she would see him again. She was never ready to say goodbye. She feels nothing but numb. Her happiness was sucked out by the world the moment she saw Cedric.
"This isn't fair for me." she thinks, "The world isn't fair to me."
Her mind refreshes Cedric's eyes looking into her own, what she felt it was sorrow and regret, without her doing and tears begins to overflows her eyelids as she hid her face between her knees, sobbing again. But after a while when she hears a familiar but strained, yet relieved voice, her head snaps up in an instant, and make out through unclear vision, a tall figure of her cousin came to view.
"Marie."
Hela finally shows up to the infirmary after being attacked by a hard of teenagers as they came running back to the castle when she opened the doors of the entrance. She quickly picked up the information on Cedric's death from what they were saying and her mind immediately runs to Marie.
She hugs Marie her tight in her arms, with blood still streaming down on them.
"Hela!" Marie hugs her back tightly and screams into her chest as she cries, "He's gone. He's gone. HE'S GONE!" her voice starts to crack and Hela can feel it through her body.
Hela hugs her much tighter, with all the strength that was left in her body, her hair starting to turn silver-grey as she gently strokes Marie's hair while she goes on screaming, pouring every emotions out. And she couldn't help but slip a few tears, hearing her cries.
She couldn't handle when someone she loves cries out of pain, out of agony, out of hatred...
"THIS ISN'T FAIR! THIS ISN'T FAIR! TELL ME HE'S-" the vulnerable girl in her hands takes in a sharp breath, "TELL ME HE'S STILL-" she sobs again in Hela's chest, who couldn't do anything but just stands there and be there for her, "There's a possibility that he might be alive." her voice has gone quiet, almost hushed, "He can't be gone. He can't be. He promised to be with me forever." she sniffs again, now hitting Hela who didn't flinch but just bite her lips and closes her eyes, "We're too young for this. He's too young for this." she continues, screaming again.
"This isn't just real. Tell me this isn't real." she begs as her hits get softer, "Please."
George and Fred came running into the hospital wing with Draco, Pansy, Blaise, Theo, and Daphne as soon as George heard the news about Hela has been found by one of his friends, but Hela put out a hand between them before anyone came near her and Marie.
"I know, baby." Hela coos, her voice also cracking, "I know." one of her hands gently stroking Marie's hair while the other closes her mouth up from spilling hisses of pain or sniffs from the tears.
Hela can't say any more words than that, because she just doesn't know what more to say. She's at a loss for words. She only feels anger mixed with sadness and with both of their minds were not in the right place, she feels she would say something wrong. She couldn't let her cousin feel any more pain.
"Why?" Marie's voice stuffy as she asks, "Why him? Why me?" she lets go of Hela's waist and looks up at her, "Why?"
"I don't know, Moony." Hela whispers, looking back at her, "But I will find out why." she kissed her head before parting, not because Madam Pomfrey can give Marie a sleeping draught but because she wants to do it herself, "I'm sorry."
Hela puts both of her hands on Marie's head and uses her powers to make her asleep.
"No-"
But Marie wasn't given a chance to finish.
She was knocked into black abyss.
"She will not be awake until tomorrow." Hela wipes her tears multiple times with the sleeves of her shirt, but new tears after new tears spills as she explains to Madam Pomfrey who looks back at her in surprise. "She needs to rest. I can't let her feel anything anymore." she expresses as she bites her lips but more hot tears slip from her eyes and George comes and hugs her tight into his chest, "I can't." her cracked voice vibrates through George's body.
Malfoy stares from behind with numbness jealousy and envy but he pushes them all away, pretending he's not feeling anything for her. For himself even.
"I understand, darling." George whispers, combing her now silver hair with his fingers, "Don't worry, she will be alright. You did your best." he encourages, "You've done enough." kissing her head as he speaks, "Now, let Madam Pomfrey heal your fingers and tell us what happened."
Everyone sits down near her on the bed (George sitting the nearest with her while he kept apologizing for leaving her alone) or on Marie's bed while her fingers and palms were being healed. Moments later, Mrs. Weasley, Bill, Ron, and Hermione came into the hospital wing.
"Oh! My dear, Hela." Mrs. Weasley immediately pulls her into a tight hug, "Everyone was so worried about you." she kisses the top of her head, "George and Marie won't stop asking about you." she looks at Hela one more time and hugs her again while Hela smiles at George who blushed, rubbing the back of his neck while Fred (beside her left) looks so proud with his arms crossed over his chest.
This is exactly why she feels at home here. The motherly love that Molly Weasley has, who she just met this morning, friends who care for her, and now a loving boyfriend she unexpectedly has.
Hermione and Ron hug her when Mrs. Weasley pulls apart.
"Is she gonna be alright?" Hermione acknowledges, sitting on the bed of Marie (throwing a dirty look at Malfoy who was sitting on the same bed), who was lying down on the left side of Hela, peacefully with no worries in the world.
Only if that was real for her.
Hela starts to tear up again looking back at her cousin but she quickly wipes it away when Malfoy looks at her with a frown on his face.
"I put her in a deep sleep." Hela sniffs as she explains, looking away from Marie, "She will wake up tomorrow. She has gone through enough."
Madam Pomfrey came back with Professor McGonagall who was steadying her wand on Moody, lying motionlessly on a floating stretcher before putting him down on a nearby bed, and immediately starts to treat him with potions and loads more. Hela didn't even notice that Madam Pomfrey left the infirmary.
Hela lies back down on the bed with George holding her now fully healed hand while the others quickly run and ask Madam Pomfrey where Harry's at, which annoyed her so much as she almost looks harassed.
But after a while, the hospital wing doors open, startling everyone in their seats and come in Harry Potter, Dumbledore, and the same dog that Hela saw while going to Hogsmeade in March. And immediately, Mrs. Weasley lets out a muffled scream.
"Harry! Oh, Harry!" she starts to hurry towards him but Dumbledore walks between them, holding a hand out.
"Molly, please listen to me for a moment." he exhales, "Harry has been through a terrible ordeal tonight. He has just had to relive it for me. What he needs now is sleep, and peace, and quiet. If he would like you all to stay with him," he added, looking around at everyone too, "you may do so. But I do not want you questioning him until he is ready to answer, and certainly not this evening.
Everyone nodded before going back to whatever they were doing and Hela laid down back in her bed and closed her eyes.
"I wish this day was over."
She thinks as she used her own powers on herself to make her fall asleep cause she knows that she won't be able to fall asleep even if she tries to.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The next day, Hela and Marie woke up earlier than anyone in the castle so they both walk out of the castle to the grounds.
To the tree.
Hela didn't want Marie to go there and torture herself but she insists everything will be fine and she won't break again.
Knowing that it won't go the way she said, Hela followed her anyways. And as soon as they both got there, Marie starts to cry.
Hela brings her closer to her as they both walk under the tree and sit to calm Marie down.
She became fragile; she was vulnerable as a little kid. She couldn't believe this is real, that she was alone... that he was gone.
He left.
After Marie finally pull herself back up, she starts to tell Hela about Cedric since they were just trying to get to know each other more, as cousins should be, and never got to tell her about Cedric.
Things like; the first time when they first started dating; he gave her his yellow scarf that she always wanted to know what it would smelled like, the exact moment where she knew he was the one for her when they first kissed after she read a book for him, the night when she realized in her head, "Oh my god, I think I'm in love with him." while he played the piano, their favorite instrument to play while she sang the song, the moments where she felt like they were the only people living on earth, that one point in her life where she knew his love for her was her turning page, those times when they would be watching sunsets on the Astronomy tower or at their tree and he would stared at her and she would caught him sometimes, those exact moments where she knew she had so much privilege of being his, the time where they went on a date this year; at the lake with a conjured boat where they both embraced their souls, surrounded by water lilies but that time, there were no mermaids to harm him nor to save her from but to just breathe and keep their souls alive, the dance they had at the Yule ball wasn't as special as the dances they had whenever she wanted to dance with him, no matter if it was raining or snowing, he will get up from his seat and taking her hand which she will always lead him whatever ground she wanted to dance on and the second those three words that left both of their mouths under their tree, how it made her feel giddy, how it made her feel so happy that she could have explode.
After she ended calling all the memories, she was already sobbing on Hela's shoulder.
Hela tried her best to not cry and be strong for her cousin and knowing that the press are going to come to Hogwarts with the Minister for interviews and all that shit that no one is excited to do.
After maybe more 30 minutes of Marie crying and Hela calming her down, the presses were already here. Hela and Marie immediately run off to the castle before they can do anything to overwhelmed Marie with questions and cameras in both of their faces.
She wasn't functioning well but yet she stands up on her feet to come and see his lifeless body, again. She deserves to be left alone from anything that will give her anxiety or make her more distressed.
Cedric's parents, Mrs. Diggory and Mr. Diggory, both sobbed through most of the interview, trying to find words but both of them just ended up crying and left.
But before they do, they told Marie that they will be holding the funeral after everything has been sorted out and would love to have her at their house any time. And also that Cedric left her some things and letters in his dorm that he was supposed to give her after the third task.
Marie politely nodded, trying her best not to sob again, and said goodbye to both of them before she also parted ways with Hela to go to Cedric's dorms to get his things, saying she will be staying there for a while before coming down the dinner.
Hela didn't want to leave her alone to torture herself more with his belongings but she returned to her Slytherin common room later that evening after a long sitting at the black lake, to see the group spread around the room waiting for her.
They immediately crushed her into a hug full of love and sympathy, even Malfoy hugged her and she didn't refused. They didn't ask questions or tell her anything. Even Blaise and Theo were not smiling or trying their best to cheer anyone up with their non-sense jokes but everyone just sit in silence while some played chess or cards.
Malfoy was nowhere near happy or sad. He wasn't feeling anything either. Astoria and him finally ended things after he gave her some excuses and reasons on how bad things will get after this and he doesn't want any relationship with anyone. And since then, Astoria was nowhere to be found near the group or Malfoy again.
~~~~~~~~~
The days seem to stretch so long to the end of this school year. With a heavy and not so excited heart, Hela packs her trunk with the girls in the dorm. No one spoke a word while they pack and Hela dreaded to go to the leaving feast.
Not everyone was thrilled to go to the feast, which was usually to celebrate who wins the house cup but when Hela and the group were there, everyone except for Hela noticed that the usual decorations were missing. Instead, there were black drapes on the wall behind the teachers' table and everyone knew instantly that they were there as a mark of respect to Cedric.
Marie, who has been coming apart everyday thread by thread, wanted to sit next to Hela for comfort rather than sit at her own house table because she used to always glance at the Hufflepuff table to find Cedric, who would always be smiling or smirking at her but now... there wasn't a familiar face for her to search anymore. And the memories of him would attack her again... and she wanted to stay strong for him.
But Hela finds her staring at an empty spot where Cedric would usually sit, next to Hannah Abbott.
The Hufflepuff table, when Hela's eyes landed on them, had been the most subdued table before she had gotten to sit down, and theirs were still the saddest and palest faces in the Hall.
George was only one of the best support she had this week.
He would leave her alone when she asked him to, would be there to hold her even if she didn't ask him to but he knows with the way she acted and even invited her to stay at the burrows with the family which he hesitated for a bit, thinking about - 'what ifs' and 'she won'ts'.
Marie laid her head on Hela's shoulder as she stares at the Hufflepuff table and weakly smiled at Susan Bones across the Hall who smiled back with no energy in her soul either.
The Great Hall, which in any case had been less noisy than it usually was at the Leaving Feast, became very quiet when Dumbledore stood up from the staff table to talk.
"The end of another year." he starts, his eyes falling upon the dim Hufflepuff table, "There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here," he gestured toward the Hufflepuffs, "enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory."
They did it, all of them including the Slytherin table; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stand, and raise their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, "Cedric Diggory."
Dumbledore goes on talking about Cedric, in about how brave of a boy he was, (followed by some sniffs and cries from Marie) and that he was murdered by Voldemort and of course, not everyone believes that he was murdered by him but by Harry. And that the ministry wanted Dumbledore to be quiet about this situation but it was insulting to his death that they wanted to do that in the first place.
"Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, kind, and brave because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
sorry...