EVERYONE AWAITED PATIENTLY. Barty Junior was caught and Moody was finally free and drinking a normal cup of tea as he sat together with everyone else. Fleur was back and Krum seemed to have come back on his own. Wendy held tight to Michael's hand, trying not to recall the how the story went to end.
"I'm sorry," Michael said almost on the verge of crying, "I--I tried to look... for t--the cup but I couldn't find it."
"There is nothing to be sorry for," Wendy held her older brother into a hug patting his back, "you did your best."
Every time she closed her eyes the image of Cedric being hit by the killing curse played before her eyes. The Boggart from her previous year replayed before her eyes. Voldemort's return was inevitable and, at that point, she just wished she could have at least stopped Cedric's death. She was unable to do anything physically so she hoped the boys listened for her words.
Sometimes the hardest thing to do is to do nothing.
Her own words repeated in her ear, like an annoying echo playing in the air.
"Hey," a hand held her shoulder.
She looked up as Draco was sitting down beside her.
"Hey," she greeted the boy.
"Don't worry," Draco put his hand on the top of her head and ruffled her hair with a smirk, "they're though ones, they'll make it."
Wendy's frown disappeared and a little chuckle filled Draco's ears with a welcomed tingle in his chest. Wendy took a deep breath in, if even Draco was sure about the two's capacities of staying alive, there was no doubt. For him those words were not just simple words of encouragement, but pure words of praise. She was about to thank him when a girl's voice interrupted her from it.
"They're back!"
Little to say, she ran towards them and the worst of her fears appeared with the cup.
Both Harry and Cedric on the ground. Cedric layed down on the grass holding the cup in his hand, with Harry beside him holding his wrist. Him too, unconscious and eyes closed. Wendy felt her breath leave her chest and fear filling in instead. Like a sack of big rocks being pushed down her throat. Everything that could have went wrong passed by her head.
"Make space," Dumbledore told everyone.
The students gave space and studied the lifeless-like bodies.
Wendy on the floor leaning over the two bodies. She wasn't sure how fast things were going. She didn't feel the people tapping her shoulder and even less she could hear the people calling out for medics.
"That's my boy!" A cry called from among the crowd.
"No!" Hermione screamed and tears beginning to fall down her eyes.
Both of them? Was all going through Wendy's mind.
Draco looked over at the girl, an uneasy feeling filling up in his stomach. He has never seen anyone so distraught and still at the same time. Unable to push it down, he stepped forward and kneeled down to the two. He didn't care of everyone watching, he just cared to stop Wendy's expression.
He knew that he couldn't have possibly do anything with his limited experience, but the gift Wendy gave him wasn't going for granted.
Wendy's mind was blurred and chaotic, nothing registered in her brain. But she could see Draco holding out his hands out for the boys' wrists, studying their heartbeats. An action Wendy has seen thousands of times in movies and series. She was unsure of what to do, her hands were shaking and she could feel them, an infinite tingle of ants rushing through her face and to her chest.
After an agonizing minute, he looked up at the girl. She couldn't hear anything, her own brain tuning out every noise. She could only hear a long ring in her ear. So when she saw Draco mutter some faded words she blinked and shook her head, trying to clear everything out, somehow.
Draco sighed, knowing that the girl was not in her right senses. He looked up at Michael, who has been standing right there with them the whole time and said some others words that, once again, Wendy couldn't comprehend.
Giving up on trying to understand Draco's words she looked down at Harry and Cedric. Her best friend and her boyfriend.
Boyfriend and best friend.
She never called them with such terms and the thought of never having the chance to call them again at all was unbearable.
She felt a hand placed on her shoulder and once again she saw Draco's lips move. She gave him a nod, not really understanding anything, but followed him nonetheless. She knew that she couldn't be of any help for the two boys anyways, as medics pulled them away to get to the Hospital wing.
Everyone dispersed. Harry and Cedric were brought away with Dumbledore and Mr. Diggory following them. Hermione and Ron walked back with Neville and Ginny. Wendy was following after them, with Draco by her side. He wasn't really assisting her on anything, she walked on her own, but he was scared she would fall at any moment.
When they reached the Gryffindor dormitory, he knew he couldn't go any further. He waited by the corner for Wendy to go follow her friends by she stayed behind, with him. With a sigh he brought his hand to her chin, softly forcing her to look up. He didn't know what to expect to see, but the sight of her red eyes on the verge of tears hit him harder than a Bludger in Quidditch.
He always thought he could get everything he wanted, but the mere touch of her made him feel guilty. Like she was supposed to be held in a glass to praise and appreciate, and never to taint with anyone's filthy hands.
With his other hand he derailed the course of her first tear from her cheek to his hand. They were warm against his cold hands and her red cheeks were hot flame against his fingers.
Wendy didn't even notice the tear falling down until she saw it on the tip of his finger, and just like a trigger, the rest followed like a train wreck.
"Wendy," he managed to whisper her name.
Her name so soft and felt just right against his lips. It was his first time calling her name and it made his heart flutter like he expected it to do. She never needed to do anything to make him feel like that. His body reacted on its own. Like it knew things his mind didn't.
But at that time, he knew that he had to choose his head over his heart. Like every time before and like he will have to do each and every time after that. He'll never pick himself over her. He'll never cave in in his weaknesses to satisfy his manly needs. He will never, in the right mind, choose to break her heart just to be happy himself.
He just couldn't.
With a sigh, he gave her the best smile he could. He knew there wasn't anything he could do for her. He could have simply called for Neville to assist her to go back inside the dormitory. But before he would, he allowed himself to reach out and pull her in. One and the only time he will allow himself to do this.
She was so small his chin rested on the crown of her head and he could smell the jasmine-like smell of her scent, stronger than he'd ever smelled. Stronger than that last New Years with the Weasley's pink fireworks.
He could feel her shiver against him. Her little body wrapped in that big warm jacket, and yet she shivered in her tears.
He held her tighter, almost trying to absorb her sadness. He was never good with words. He never could communicate his feelings clearly. Not with his parents nor friends. His words always hurt or stung everyone, but never Wendy.
He could never.
He held her against his chest, not minding the fact that they were in the middle of the hallway. People were passing by and he tried his best to hide her sadness from the rest of the world. Because no one should see the painful expression she was holding right there and then. No one deserved to see such tragedy happen, not even the worst of the enemies. He wasn't sure himself how he was holding it up together but he never stopped her. He allowed her to let it out, to finally cry on someone's shoulder.
He knew that that girl held the worst burdens on her shoulders, and never bothered to complain. But he was done hiding and stopping himself from helping her. He was there then and he wasn't going anywhere.
Wendy cried. Her ears clogging up and her voice cracking at the few breaths she was able to take. She held onto Draco's shirt where she screamed her frustration at. Draco, willingly, accepted them all. Like he didn't have to hide anymore, so did she.
He wasn't sure how long they were there and how long she's been crying for. But he knew that it was time to let go. He ran his fingers through the few loose strands of hair one last time before he gently pushed her away, catching a last breath of her scent.
He studied her face. She was looking away, on the floor, as she sniffled her tears away. Her whole face redder than before and eyes tired from crying. A last few drops of tears that he cleared away with the sleeves of his shirt.
Wendy could finally hear everything. The ringing in her ear gone and she had Draco to thank for it. Her sobbings calmed down and her mind decided to tune down. Not that it was easy, but she did her best to not let her brain burst out of her skull. She could still feel her heart pulsating through her chest and both her temples, a big headache fighting against it.
Draco brought his hand on her head and followed one of her braids until the very end, where a emerald green ribbon tied it down.
He loved that colour, but it didn't match her eyes.
With a smile, he could finally say the words he wanted her to hear since the start.
Words that could never reach her, but finally free to say.
"They're fine, Wendy," he said, "they're alive."
notes:
The scene was playing in my mind so beautifully I literally wrote this in 5 minutes. So at the end I decided to let this chapter be all about him and his suppressed feelings.
I feel like it's a good time to finally understand where Draco stands, if he is aware of his feelings and if he does have them.
I feel like Draco is the kind of person that doesn't know how to express his feelings clearly and so just expresses them with actions. In this chapter he finally shares his deep feelings for Wendy with the most loving and selfless act of all, letting her go.
I need to explain this because I JUST NEED TO.
Draco isn't entirely giving up on Wendy, in the contrary, he's finally taking up his feelings and accepting them. But he WILLINGLY DECIDES that it's just not the time for him to do anything other than letting her feel safe and happy first.
He tried telling her they were alive from the start, but seeing that she wasn't in her right mind, he waited for her to calm down before telling her about Harry and Cedric.
You know how easy it was for him to just take advantage of the moment and steal a kiss from her???? BUT HE DIDNT BECAUSE HES SO SWEET
SORRY IM JUST LETTING MY EMOTIONS OUT NOW AND RANTING BUT I REALLY CANNOT
this is pretty much my favourite chapter so far, and as much as i wanted to edit it out before posting, i wanted to keep it fresh.
so let me know if i should edit it or keep it like this, cause idk myself ahahha thank you for reading and leaving comments!