Thank you for reading! I don't own any of Harry Potter! Please let me know if you enjoy! Updates every Saturday!
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Severus kept Lily in his thoughts as his world collapsed into chaos over the next hour.
With Dumbledore and the Minister for Magic's assistance, who arrived far too late, the trio managed to discover Cedric's body.
At the crime scene, they found only the doomed student's corpse.
Voldemort, Nagini, and Peter were nowhere to be seen.
"My goodness, Albus!" The Minister for Magic gasped as the three men frowned down at Cedric, "What on earth happened to the poor boy?!"
Dumbledore glanced at the nearby, elaborate tombstone and the names it bore before he gave his reply to the Minister, "I believe, Cornelius, that this was in fact, Tom's work."
The Minister's eyes widened as he gasped, "Y-Y-Y-You mean.....? You mean.....?!"
"Minister, I believe the headmaster is correct. However, the boy's last memory should still be viable, if you deem such an examination appropriate." Severus drawled.
The Minister for Magic gaped at Severus.
"........Regardless, given the nature of the crime and its location, it seems almost undeniably likely Mr. Diggory was indeed......killed by the Dark Lord." Severus concluded.
As Severus helped Dumbledore return Cedric's body, the Minister for Magic shielded himself from the startling news by clinging to disbelief as he hurled question after question at them both.
His own fear blinded him to the moment's grief.
Neither Severus nor Dumbledore wanted to answer any questions as they both silently mourned the terrible tragedy that had taken place.
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The gut-wrenching wails that tore from Amos's throat shattered Severus's heart.
He held Lily closely against him, who sobbed into his chest while every person in the stands watched the morose scene unfold.
Cedric was respectfully covered by a sheet, then uncovered by his sobbing father.
Three professors attempted to restrain Amos as he clawed at the body, but the inconsolable man's strength was admirable as he fought them all off to clutch his dead son.
As Lily glanced up, through her teary eyes, she saw Severus biting back his own sobs.
"It's not your fault, sweetheart!" She whispered as she gave him a gentle shake until he met her gaze.
"Severus!" Lily repeated as she sniffed, "It's not your fault, alright?!.......You tried! You went into the maze! You-"
"-And yet, my efforts proved to be inadequate." Severus interrupted.
"Sweetheart!" Lily whispered as she held him close and rubbed his chest as he enveloped her in his black cloak, "Oh, sweetheart!"
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Peter had cleverly managed to resume his human form for a mere three seconds once he had gained enough of a head start on Nagini.
Just as she spotted him, he gave her a silly little wave while a self-satisfied smirk spread across his lips the second before he apparated away.
Instead of unleashing his anger on his loyal servant, Voldemort chose to flee with Nagini and return to Malfoy Manor where he could begin planning his next strategy.
The two remaining, living Marauders panted for breath as they completed their search of the castle's third floor, without encountering so much as a trace of Harriet.
"Where could she be, Sirius?" Remus groaned as he leaned against the wall with a hand over his heart, "We've looked everywhere!"
"Nearly, but not quite." Sirius swallowed thickly, "Suppose we were too late......Didn't you hear the commotion outside a moment ago? Suppose she's been hurt?"
Remus blinked at Sirius briefly before both men resumed their race and dashed upstairs towards the Hospital Wing.
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Whispers.
Shadows.
While Harriet slowly returned to consciousness, whispers and shadows were all she sensed of the world.
Slowly, her eyelids fluttered open.
She gradually realized that she lay in a bed, staring up at the ceiling of the Hospital Wing before she dared turn her gaze towards the direction of the sounds.
Draco sat in a nearby chair while he spoke with Madam Pomfrey.
The redness around his eyes and nose offered evidence he had been weeping.
As her emerald gaze wandered, the calm expression on Madam Pomfrey's face brought her comfort.
".........Malfoy?" Harriet managed to gasp.
Draco instantly looked over.
He was unable to hide the sincere smile of gladness that danced across his features as he saw Harriet awake.
"Are you feeling any better?" He asked without hesitation.
"..........Weak." Harriet blinked.
"Well, that's to be expected given how much blood you've lost, Miss Snape!" Madam Pomfrey quipped, "Don't worry, it may take a day or two, but we'll have you righted soon enough. Another fifteen minutes and I'll administer your next potion cocktail. Since you're awake, it should be easier for both of us this time, now that you can swallow."
Draco frowned.
Harriet sighed while she tried to understand, "What......What happened?"
Draco blanched in mortification before Madam Pomfrey cut in, "Most girls don't struggle quite this much with their first menstrual cycle, though a twisted ovary can make the affair a nasty business. Thankfully, our world rectifies such an issue easily."
Harriet's grogginess plagued her, "......Our world?"
"In the muggle realm, I've been told 'surgery' is the required treatment for a problem like this." Madam Pomfrey nodded.
"What does that mean?" Draco frowned, "......'Surgery'?"
"It's a process that involves cutting the body open, Mr. Malfoy, and arranging the insides using fingers and metal instruments." Madam Pomfrey explained.
Harriet cracked a gentle smile as she watched Draco turn a sickly green colour while he contemplated Madam Pomfrey's macabre explanation.
"Are you alright, Malfoy?" Harriet laughed weakly.
His nausea vanished as he frowned at Harriet and snapped, "I should be asking you that instead, Snape. I can't believe you fainted......I mean, you actually fainted!" He laughed with a mocking sneer.
"........Do you not have anything better to do with your time than sit here?" Harriet rudely ignored his taunt.
Draco's haughty smirk melted into a melancholy frown as Madam Pomfrey quietly walked away to let the two converse.
"As we've discussed before, Snape." Draco whispered, "You are my future wife by order of.......well, you know. When I found you flopping around on the lavatory floor like a puking fish, leaving you behind would have been a violation of-"
Draco didn't get to finish his desperate attempt to hide his true motivation before a cry rang out.
"Harriet!.......HARRIET! MY DARLING!"
Harriet and Draco both looked over to see Lily running towards them with Severus following closely behind.
"Mum! Dad!" Harriet exclaimed as her parents arrived at her bedside.
Draco pushed his chair back to let Lily embrace her daughter with tears of remorseful relief streaming down her cheeks.
Severus threw Draco a questioning look.
"I.....I found her on the lavatory floor." He quickly explained, "......And I brought her straight here. Madam Pomfrey can give you the full details, but she's supposed to recover in a day or two."
A high-pitched cry left Lily's lips as she clung to Harriet while Severus placed a supportive hand on his wife's shoulder.
"Oh, my darling......Oh, my darling......" Lily whispered, "It's awful! It's awful! I....I......It wasn't you, Harriet! It wasn't you! It's selfish of me, but I'm glad! I'm so glad it wasn't you, sweetheart!"
Severus's expression conveyed solemn resignation as he continued to silently comfort his wife.
Although he shared Lily's joy that Harriet's life had been spared, the crushing guilt he bore about Cedric's murder nearly overwhelmed him.
".......Professor?" Draco asked as he narrowed his eyes at Severus, "What's she talking about?"
Severus breathed a silent sigh as he turned to Draco and revealed in a low tone that rang with utter misery, "..........Tonight.....unfortunately.....a tournament champion was killed."
Draco's gray eyes widened as his mouth fell open.
Harriet gasped as she heard her father's startling announcement.
While Severus explained the night's events to Draco and Harriet, Remus and Sirius peered inside the Hospital Wing's open door from their secret position in the hallway's shadows.
"We found her." Remus whispered.
"That we did." Sirius nodded.
"Perhaps we should have focused our efforts elsewhere." Remus sighed.
"How would we have known, Remus?" Sirius asked.
"Should we go in?" Remus questioned.
"No, Lily is with the girl, now......and she's in the hands of Madam Pomfrey too. Our work is done for the night......She's safe." Sirius sighed tiredly as they both turned and walked away, "I'm not in the mood to battle Severus."
They hadn't quite made it down the corridor yet before Harriet's anguished cry of grief rang out as she learned about Voldemort's latest victim.
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With Amos's permission, Cedric's final memory was extracted and examined.
Cornelius Fudge was infuriated by the evidence that showed the real threat Britain's wizaridng world clearly faced.
No more rumors, no more speculation, only pure confirmation in the form of replayable, captured footage.
Lord Voldemort was alive, active, and more dangerous than ever.
As Harriet completed her recovery, Dumbledore engaged in a very heated battle of words with the Minister before wizarding Britain's leader left the castle in a furious huff.
Madam Pomfrey released her patient from the Hospital Wing the morning of Cedric's memorial service, which was held in the Great Hall.
The day was cloudy as if the weather grieved along with the castle's inhabitants.
Students and staff members wept quietly while they sat under large, billowing flags that bore Cedric's name and house crest.
Dumbledore sat in his high-backed chair as he looked out over the crowd and contemplated how best to begin.
"Today.......is no ordinary spring day. Today, let us not delight in the song of birds or the company of friends. Today, let us spend the hours in contemplative remembrance for what has been cruelly taken from us." He ordered with a sigh.
In the crowd of students, there was one particular listener whose frown came from not only grief and rage, but confusion about her recent betrayal.
Harriet's entrance into womanhood had brought with it a crippling realization about her and her parents'...........friend.
She had intended to capture the boy who wanted to destroy her family, not kill him.
Cedric was not that boy, but the Dark Lord had mercilessly robbed him of his life without a care.
What kind of monster killed people, innocent people?
"As you are all aware, Cedric Diggory was killed in the Triwizard Tournament's final task." Dumbledore continued as he stood.
At the High Table, Severus reached for Lily's hand when he heard his wife sniffle.
He clutched her fingers while Dumbledore went on, "The Minister for Magic wishes me to tell you his death was an accident caused by the task itself, but that's not what happened!" Dumbledore roared, "Each of you knew Cedric, studied with him! Went to class with him! Ate with him!........Befriended him! As headmaster of Hogwarts, I refuse to lie to a fallen students' friends! You all have a right to know the truth, to understand the truth and the truth is.....that Cedric was murdered by the man who now calls himself Lord Voldemort!"
Gasps rang out at the ugly revelation.
Ron and Hermione exchanged startled glances, but Harriet stared straight at Dumbledore.
His words were haunting as he urged everyone, "On this day, let us remember Cedric Diggory for who he was.......a kind-hearted, strong, and noble boy who left this world far too soon."
A single tear slipped down Lily's fair face as Severus gave her hand a gentle squeeze under the table.
His woeful expression betrayed his own tortured shame.