It was Alastriona, Darcy and Finn's final night in Lothbeg before they left for London and the family was sitting down for dinner in Sloane and Maeve's picturesque cottage.
Sloane poured himself another gin and another one for Maeve and Finn, too.
"I think it's bloody grand that yer've got the roll of Prefect!" He called out to the table, Alastriona's fork full of scotch pie stopped halfway to her mouth.
Darcy, across the table from her, glanced anxiously at Alastriona and gave her a reassuring smile.
Alastriona forced a tight lipped smile on her face, "Thanks, grandpa."
Her nana hummed in agreement. "Yes, it is! Elliot was a Prefect in his day, it was a good stepping stone to Head Boy too." She said, her voice tinged with sadness but she was smiling brightly. Maeve looked to Darcy, "What big things will happen this year, Darcy? It's been so long since Elliot's days at Hogwarts, it can be hard to remember." She was lying, she remembered every single thing Elliot had told her about Hogwarts but she could see her granddaughter needed a moment to recover and, even though Maeve wasn't sure why, she was happy to give her the time.
Darcy smiled at the older woman from across the table. "We'll be taking our O.W.Ls, which help to narrow down which classes will be suited for us in our sixth year, if we don't pass then we usually wouldn't be accepted into N.E.W.T classes. And Dawn told us that we'd be getting career counselling, too."
Finn's nose scrunched up at that. "You're a bit young, don't you think?" He said gruffly. He didn't want to think of his kids out in the world just yet, they hadn't turned sixteen yet.
Darcy chuckled and shook her head, "I think so too but it's really so they can let us know what classes we absolutely need to take to get on the right path." She reassured him easily.
"Have you thought about what you'd like to do, Darcy?" Sloane asked, sitting back in his chair and sipping his gin.
Alastriona looked up from her plate and gave her full attention to Darcy.
Darcy felt a bit awkward, being put on the spot but smiled back at Sloane. "I think I'd like to work closely with Muggles. It was really strange suddenly finding out I was a witch, slightly overwhelming you could say, and I think there should be a better process for helping out Muggle-born witches and wizards adjust to the Wizarding World."
Sloane nodded at her answer. "Very respectable, Darcy, and a grand idea too! It was a massive bloody shock when Maeve and I found out about Elliot, would've been nice to have some inside knowledge." He agreed with Darcy wholeheartedly. "What about yerself, Alastriona?" He asked his granddaughter.
Alastriona's mouth opened, then close and she blinked rapidly before answering. "I haven't really thought about it, grandpa."
Alastriona was being hugged by her grandpa and in his large, warm arms she considered the possibility of not returning to Hogwarts. Maybe she could stay with her Uncle Finn and her grandparents, they could live in the tiny village of Lothbeg and make fresh jams and chutney's every day.
Arwen's dignified 'hoot' ripped Alastriona from her thoughts and she smiled as the beautiful barn owl attempted to avoid the cage she needed to go in.
"Lassie, look at me," Sloane said softly and his large hand brushed away Alastriona's uncontrollable locks from her face, "if ye need anything, all ye have to do is ask. Loss is never easy, ye know as much already and there's nothing wrong with asking for help. All right?" He waited for her to nod before he placed a kiss on her forehead.
Alastriona was pulled into the inviting arms belonging to her nanna.
"I'm going to miss ye so much, dear!" She cried out. Maeve despised how little she got to see her grandchild. "Write as much as possible and don't leave anything out!"
When Alastriona was let go she smiled up at her grandmother, "I'll write every week, nanna, I promise." She vowed.
Finn hugged both of his parents after they'd wrapped up their goodbyes to both Alastriona and Darcy.
"We'll see ye both at Christmas!" Maeve called desperately, waving goodbye as they hopped into Finn's work van, "And bring yer friends as well!"
Alastriona and Darcy stuck their heads out the window and waved until Sloane and Maeve could no longer be seen.
Darcy had never seen Alastriona so stressed. The red head was pacing the length of the lounge room and pulled at the ends of her hair. She didn't want to do this, it was clear, but Darcy didn't know why and most of all she didn't know why she was insisting on going.
Alastriona had organised to see Cedric's parents today. She was going to travel by floo and she was beyond nervous.
How was she going to sit there for a whole afternoon knowing she had lied to them?
Cedric's final words to her often played in a loop, over and over again her head and no matter what she couldn't stop hearing them.
'I'll wait for you, Red, I'd wait for you forever and a day.'
She hated that she'd lied to his parents. But what was she to do? Cedric's final words to her were him declaring his love for her... and she hadn't said it back. Maybe it was selfish of her to keep the words to herself, or maybe it was best that she had, maybe Amos and Beatrice Diggory would hate to hear of her silence at their sons words.
Alastriona swallowed the lump in her throat and picked up the book sitting on the couch. She went into the fireplace and closed her eyes as she dropped the powder, not wanting to see the pity on Darcy's face as she stared after her friend.
Alastriona arrived in the Diggory household's fireplace and stepped out into an empty lounge room.
Her breath hitched as she saw the mantle now behind her, moving photos of Cedric and his parents were placed all along the two metre mantel above the fireplace. Pictures of Cedric at Hogwarts, Cedric playing quidditch, Cedric as a baby, Cedric with his parents. All she could see was Cedric.
"Alastriona?" Alastriona's head snapped around and she found Beatrice Diggory staring at her. It took the woman a second to react any further but eventually she smiled and came over to embrace Alastriona. "It's good to see you, dear!" She said lovingly.
Alastriona took a moment to compose herself as she was hugged by Cedric's mother.
"It's good to see you too, Mrs--"
"Beatrice, I insist, Alastriona."
Alastriona smiled up at the lady, "It's good to see you too, Beatrice." Alastriona said.
Beatrice stepped back from the young red head, "Come outside, we've got tea set up." She invited and lead Alastriona through her house and out into the wide field that was their backyard.
Amos Diggory sat slumped in a chair at a small table outside, his eyes fixed on the miniature set of quidditch goals standing proud in the garden. His eyes, so much like Cedric's grey ones, seemed lost in thought. There were dark circles below them and his clothes were rumpled, he was nearly unrecognisable.
He sat up straighter when he saw Alastriona and managed a small smile. "Alastriona, how're you?" He asked gruffly.
Alastriona had instant regrets about accepting their offer. "I'm well, thank you, and you?" She hadn't wanted to ask but there was really no other option.
Amos nodded, "I'm as well as I can be, I suppose."
Beatrice must've sensed Alastriona's unease as she ushered the girl to take a seat and poured her a cup of tea.
This was going to be a long afternoon.
When Alastriona arrived home she raced straight from the fireplace and up the stairs, crashing into her room and shoving the book of photographs under her bed.
Darcy and Finn had been taking tea in the kitchen when they saw Alastriona rush past with no intention of stopping.
Finn was positively confused, and slightly scared, he'd hardly ever seen Alastriona so upset, even when he threatened to move her to another school and yet now she'd experienced a loss like no other and Finn had no idea how to help her. It seemed so stupid to him, being unable to help when he himself had lost so much, and yet every time he tried to talk to her about it he could feel his throat and tongue refusing to cooperate.
Finn took a hesitant step to go comfort his niece but Darcy patted his arm and jogged up the stairs, following Alastriona.
The guilt swarmed inside of Alastriona and when Darcy, on Finn's behalf, entered her room she backed herself up to her window and was taking deep breaths to try and control herself.
Darcy shut the door behind her and leaned against it.
"Alastriona, please, please tell me what's going on." She begged.
Alastriona bit her lip viciously and shook her head before drawing her hair into her hands and pulled, hard.
Darcy stepped towards her, to try and stop her from causing damage. The pain obvious on her face.
"He told me he loved me!" The words burst from her mouth and she couldn't stop them. "And I've been lying to his parents since he died! They-- they don't deserve it! But the truth is far worse than what I told them!" She claimed desperately.
Darcy had no idea what she was talking about. "Alastriona! Calm down, please, and just talk to me." She leaned on Alastriona's writing desk. "Who told you they loved you? Draco?"
Alastriona drew in a shaky breath and shook her head. "Cedric." Darcy let out an audible gasp. "Cedric told me he loved me." She tripped on her own words.
"What-- when? When?" Darcy stood up straight, demanding an answer.
"It was the last thing he said to me. Right before he left for the third task. At first I thought he was just saying it and so I told him I loved him too, but then he-- he actually said it... and I couldn't say it back." Darcy stayed silent and Alastriona hated it, she needed the silence to be filled.
"I loved him! I did! But not in that way, not in the way he wanted-- not that he put any pressure on me, he knew I was happy with Draco and he said as much, he said he'd wait for me and that the timing was off--" Alastriona shook her head again and tried to wipe away her tears but they just kept streaming, more and more as Darcy remained silent.
"And now he's dead! He's just gone! One moment he was telling me he loved me and he'd see me soon and then he was just gone! Killed! Harry said he was murdered and nothing has been done about it, no one is saying anything about Voldemort--" Darcy flinched at the name, "Not the papers, not the Ministry, nothing is happening and Cedric is still gone!" Alastriona was shouting now, unable to keep it in any longer.
There was a pause, a small one but enough so Darcy felt she could say something, "And Cedric's parents, you've been lying to them?" Darcy asked, her voice even as she tried to process all the new information.
Alastriona ran her hands through her hair and pulled. "They wanted to know what he told me. They saw him speaking to me just before he left and--"
Darcy took a few steps towards her friend. "What did you tell them, Alastriona?" She questioned.
"I couldn't tell them, Darcy... How could I? Their son confessed his love for me and hours later he died and I hadn't said it back! What if he'd been wondering, moments before his death, if I felt the same way?"
"Alastriona!" Darcy interrupted, "They deserve to know!"
Alastriona shook her head. "No! No, sometimes a lie easier than the truth--"
"For who?" Darcy asked, waving her hands in the air. "You?" She asked, she couldn't believe her best friend had lied like this. "Them? Because I think they would like to know that their son had found love in his lifetime, even if it wasn't reciprocated, maybe it would be comforting for them to know--"
Alastriona scoffed, "Comforting! Ha! You didn't see Amos' face today, Darcy. There is nothing in the world that could comfort him, not me, not any photograph and not even Cedric's real last words to me would ever help him, the only thing that he'd care for was his son still breathing and I can't change that!"
"Maybe not but that isn't your choice to make, Alastriona!" Darcy snapped at her.
Alastriona stood up straight, her decision resolute. "Yes, it is. His words were for me," the words came out in sobs, "he said them to me, I shouldn't have even told anyone--" This time her voice cracked and as it did she slid down until she was on the ground and pulled her knees into her chest.
"His words were for me." She repeated over and over again until she was overcome with sobs and nothing but broken cries could come out of her mouth.
Darcy wanted to convince Alastriona that it was wrong, that she shouldn't be keeping Cedric's final words to herself, she shouldn't have lied to Cedric's parents and she needed to come clean... but her best friend was sitting on the floor, curled up into a tiny ball and the only thing she could see was the wild untamed locks nearly touching the ground and all she could hear was the smothered breathing that was barely noticeable from the body-shaking sobs she was enduring.
The sight crushed Darcy and she found herself comforting Alastriona.