The fog was thick as the stench of death clung stubbornly to the air. Pain was searing through Amora's body as she desperately choked to breathe, but no air was coming. A cold sweat broke out on her forehead as a cloaked black figure emerged from the fog. She was back in the graveyard and so was He. Voldemort raised his wand again and the pain began almost immediately. Amora cried out loud as thousands of hot knives pressed into her pale skin, only for her to realize there was nothing there. Her blood boiled as she writhed in the agony that seemed endless and unbearable. Why didn't he just end her here? Why wouldn't he just get it over with?
She felt a tight vice grip her throat as a snake wrapped around her neck. This was it, this was where it ended.
"Amora! Help!" she heard someone shout. She desperately tried to pry the snake off of her but the more she tried the more that came and wrapped themselves around her.
"Cedric? Cedric!" she screamed. The young boy with flushed cheeks and chestnut brown hair had nothing but fear in those grey eyes of his. He emerged from the fog still in his TriWizard tournament uniform and saw her wrapped in snakes. He ran over and tried to get the snakes away but nothing was helping. Amora smiled softly, just glad that he was here with her in what seemed to be her last moments.
"Avada Kedavra!" a cold voice hissed as if they had said those words many times before. A bright green light enveloped his body and before she could scream, the spell blinded her.
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Amora jolted awake and screamed, "The snakes! Cedric? Cedric!"
Cedric was fast asleep beside her but woke up, startled, and drew his wand immediately. He raised it at the door and glanced at a teary eyed Amora. They were fast asleep in the Hufflepuff dorms but all of the guys had left to get ready for the morning. The sunlight peeked through the cracks of the window behind the curtains and Amora shakily raised her hand to her face.
It wasn't real. It's just a nightmare. She had to keep reminding herself of this more often. What made it easier was when Cedric would wrap his arms around her and coax her back to sleep, but it didn't help exactly improve the whole trauma situation.
"Was it the graveyard one again?" Cedric asked softly, wrapping his hands around Amora's to prevent her from possible ripping her hair off from stress. Amora softly nodded her head, teeth chattering. Cedric wrapped his woolen yellow Hufflepuff blanket around her, trying his best to calm her nerves.
"Where is everyone?" he asked quietly.
"Here," she replied, her voice quavering.
"And what are they?" he asked once more, wrapping her tighter in the blanket.!
"Safe," she whispered.
Cedric rested his hand in her raven hair for a moment, brushing it to the side before planting a soft kiss on her forehead.
"See, everything's alright. You're just scared, but recovery is a process. You just need to be brave enough to heal yourself, even when it hurts," Cedric murmured, wrapping her in a hug. Amora melted into the embrace and Cedric tucked his chin over her head.
"Now, sunshine, let's get ready for the last day at Hogwarts!" he cheered merrily.
"You call me sunshine one more time I'll hex you faster than you can say Quidditch," she groaned.
"Alright then, sunshine."
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The Great Hall was bustling with life as students from all three schools gave one another fond farewells and exchanged phone numbers. Practically no one noticed when Cedric and Amora entered the hall for breakfast, but they didn't mind. She slid next to Belle at the Hufflepuff table to wrapped her in a warm hug.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, locking eyes with her.
"I'm doing fine," Amora smiled quietly, but Belle could easily tell when her best friend was lying.
"Ned, if you keep stuffing your face like that I won't by you anything on the train!" Rey scolded as she took her napkin and whacked him across the head with it.
"Huh?" Ned asked, emerging from his pile of pancakes he was scarfing down.
"You're going to get fat," Aaron chucked as he took a bite out of the bacon that had been on Ned's plate.
"I'm not fat! I have abs! Look!" Ned whined as he lifted his shirt. Now Belle was the one to whack Ned as she gave him her infamous stink eye.
"Bloody hell woman! What was that for?" he groaned, rubbing his head.
"I'm your girlfriend, I'm the only one that can see your abs," she argued. Ned smiled warmly and Belle rolled her eyes, knowing there was no way in hell that she could be mad at that smile.
"Well, we have to go pack up," Rey explained as she stood up and grabbed Aaron's hand. Aaron looked confused as she dragged him from the hallway and Cedric shook his head knowingly.
"No funny business!" Amora called after them and Aaron gave her a wide grin and a thumbs up. It was a great breakfast and Amora felt like for once in her life, things were back to normal. Cedric patiently waited for her to drain the rest of her Pumpkin Juice before they both excused themselves, leaving Belle and Ned behind.
"Hey! Guys! Wait up!" a shrill voice called behind them. Amora recognized the voice and before her eyes could roll to the back of her head out of annoyance, she plastered a fake smile and turned around.
"Hazel, it's so not good to see you!" Amora smiled sweetly. Cedric's face had no emotion but Amora kind of wished it did. Maybe it was just an awkward situation for him, but she could care less.
"I just wanted to say that I'm really sorry about everything that happened this year," the blonde Hufflepuff girl said, her eyes beginning to tear up.
"Sorry about making out with my boyfriend or sorry about kidnapping me from the Hospital Wing?" Amora asked with sarcasm dripping off of every word.
"Listen, if I had known Roger was such a shitty person and did all of that awful stuff to you I would never have done anything but... I really needed the money," Hazel explained, lowering her head in embarrassment. That caught Amora and Cedric off guard as they looked at the Hufflepuff again, confused.
"Money? For what, a new broom?" Amora scoffed.
"My mum, she's in Saint Mungo's. She em... she was a part of this order that was fighting against Voldemort during the Dark Days and then she got hit by a very powerful Cruciatus Curse. She hasn't been the same since and I can't afford her treatments for too much longer," Hazel told them, her eyes welling up with tears. Amora did something she never imagined she would do in hundreds, maybe thousands of years. She grabbed Hazel firmly by the shoulders before pulling her in for a tight hug. Hazel flinched at the contact, either scared or simply surprised, before returning the warm gesture.
"Give me a second to talk with Ceddy here," she whispered to Hazel. Amora then grabbed Cedric by the ear and dragged him over to the far end of the hallway.
"I feel awful," Cedric murmured as he glanced at Hazel.
"I mean, her mom was in a freaking order! That's so badass, but yeah, we need to help," Amora said.
"The TriWizard Tournament galleons," Cedric whispered and Amora's eyes widened.
"Are you sure Cedric?" she asked quietly, glancing at him.
"Yes, what teenage boy needs that much money? She clearly needs it more," he muttered and once Amora nodded her head in agreement, they walked back over.
"Hazel, we want you to have the TriWizard galleons," Cedric told her and Hazel burst into tears.
"No, I really can't. You earned them, you keep them. I'll be fine," she mumbled.
"Hazel, don't let your damn pride get in the way and take the blasted galleons," Amora snapped, a smile dancing on her eyes. Hazel gave her a teary eyed smile before wrapping them both in a hug.
"I think you may have just changed my life."
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"So, what order was your mum in?" Amora asked as her and Hazel walked to the Hogwarts Express, luggage in tow.
"I dunno, but Mum has a little locked that says OOTP. I feel like it has to mean something, I'm just not sure," Hazel explained as they boarded the train. Amora's brows furrowed as she remembered Ned's pocket knife with the same letters engraved. Her thoughts were cut short when Amora dodged out of the way as first years chased one another down a hallway.
"This train is insane," Amora muttered. Hazel nodded her head as she ducked down so a screech owl wouldn't hit her in the head.
"My owl!" a panicked third year Ravenclaw shouted as she chased her owl down the train hallway.
"Amora! Hazel! Over here!" Cedric's voice called. They both turned around and smiled at the Hufflepuff who had his head poking out of the doors. The girls exchanged an excited glance before dashing down the hallway and bursting into the compartment.
"Hey losers," Hazel announced and Aaron rolled his eyes.
"Hey princess," he muttered back as he wrapped his arm around Rey who was fast asleep on his chest.
"She can't fall asleep already, the ride hasn't even started!" Ned whined. He then reached his hand out to poke Rey but Aaron swatted it away.
"Please don't poke my girlfriend, she's a nightmare when she's cranky. I've experienced it firsthand," Aaron shuddered as his eyes floated with fear from the past.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Rey groggily snapped as her eyes opened weakly. Aaron's back stiffened and his eyes went wide.
"How much of that did you hear?" he asked.
"Enough," she hissed and Aaron's eyes went wide with fear.
"I've never seen Aaron this scared before," Belle snickered as she rested her head in the crook of Ned's neck.
"She's even worse when she's on her-" Aaron started but Rey shot him a deadly glance that shut him up immediately.
Amora sat down next to Cedric as the rest of the compartment engaged in a somewhat lively conversation. Her fingers laced with his as they did so many times but the second they touched the train began moving. Amora sighed as she stared longingly out the window, something she had done many times. Another year was already over and now she only had one year left. Next train ride from Hogwarts was going to be her last one. Cedric layed his head down on her lap and Amora smiled softly. The type of peace she felt with him was inexplicable. The world seemed to slow down and fade away until all that was left was them. It was a type of comfort that Amora had longed for, and this was the first time she realized that she found it in someone. In a person. In Cedric Amos Diggory, and that made her giddy with joy.
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A/N: Another long chapter (at least for me) My brain currently feels like it's been put thru a deep fryer (twice) but enjoy!