𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗻, cedric diggory

˗ˋ 68

CHAPTER SIXTY EIGHT
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-: sixth year :-

── IN WHICH SHE RETURNS TO THE HOSPITAL WING

. . .

Following Dumbledore's revelation of how Cedric could possibly, miraculously survive, he told her exactly what Harry had seen when he touched the cup, explaining how things had occured and lead to this disaster. 

"Despite the legalities of your actions being somewhat unclear, Miss Kersey, I must commend you for your actions. And Harry, you have shown bravery equal to those who died fighting Voldemort at the height of his powers. You have shouldered a grown wizard's burden and found yourself equal to it —and you have now given us all that we have a right to expect. You both will come with me to the hospital wing. I do not want either of you returning to the dormitory tonight. A Sleeping Potion, and some peace... Sirius, would you like to stay with him?"

Sirius nodded and stood up. He transformed into the black dog - Rosie stared in shock for several moments, before hurrying after him, Harry and Dumbledore, accompanying them down a flight of stairs to the hospital wing.

When they arrived, they would see Mrs Weasley, Bill, both twins, Ron, and Hermione grouped around a harassed looking Madam Pomfrey. Fleur and Viktor were no longer in there, and Rosie suspected they had been taken back to their schools' living arrangements. 

All of them whipped around as Rosie, Harry, Dumbledore, and the black dog entered, and Mrs. Weasley let out a kind of muffled scream. Upon seeing her, Fred and George were right by her side, squeezing her into a far too tight hug. 

It seemed, however, that Dumbledore was stopping Mrs Weasley from hugging Harry, explaining that he needed sleep and peace. "The same goes for Miss Kersey." Dumbledore turned around to look at the twins, who finally let her go. "If they wish for you to stay with them, you may." And then he continued talking about how they shouldn't be questioned, and Bill, Hermione, Ron and Mrs Weasley looked confused.

Of course, they knew why they shouldn't question Harry. But Rosie was another story. Fred and George both knew about the Felix Felicis, and would slowly but surely begin to piece it together. However, they were the only ones who did, and it left the others wondering why exactly Rosie was included in that. 

After questioning exactly what Sirius - in dog form of course - was doing there, Madam Pomfrey ushered Rosie back to the bed she was in previously, Harry being put in the one beside her. They were given seperate screens so that they could change - Madam Pomfrey commenting on Rosie's choice of a short summer dress and how things had turned out.

She didn't say anything about the small bloodstains that stained it. Cedric may have been killed by a spell, but he had been competing before, and whatever was in that maze had clearly injured him.

After changing into the pajamas, Madam Pomfrey moved the screens between the two beds, so that the whole Weasley clan could sit there. Rosie climbed into bed, Fred and George instantly sitting on either side of her, holding a hand each. 

Neither of them said anything, never the type for situations like this. They didn't know what had happened, just seen their best friend crying over Cedric's dead body. They didn't question anything, but both just sat there, holding a hand each. 

Rosie couldn't compare how she was feeling to how Harry was, she knew that of course. She felt awful for him, and wondered just why she was getting the same treatment. Sure, she felt numb, but Harry had experienced all of it, which was so much worse. 

"I'm all right," Harry told Bill, Ron, Hermione and Mrs Weasley, who were sat on the chairs besides his bed. "Just tired."

Madam Pomfrey, who had bustled off to her office, returned holding a small bottle of some purple potion and a goblet. "You'll need to drink all of this, Harry," she said. "It's a potion for dreamless sleep. Rosie, I'll be back with yours in a minute." She bustled off again, and Rosie watched as Harry drunk a few mouthfuls of the purple potion and fall asleep, exhausted. 

"How you feeling, Rosie-posie?" Fred mumured, Rosie shrugging slightly. She didn't know how she felt. There was just a mixture of feelings within her that she couldn't explain. 

The Kersey girl wanted to explain what Dumbledore had told her so badly, but she just couldn't. Rosie felt as if she were to speak, it would all come out jumbled up and make no sense. 

She still felt the numbness and the guilt from seeing Cedric laid there on the grass, not moving. But now, she had this hope, this carefree hope within her, that if human would dance around fields of wildflowers as the sunset. 

But she felt guilty for having that hope. She had seen Cedric dead, he was cold when she touched him. Her tears could have helped him if he was alive - that was for definite. 

There was seemingly no way that she could make sense of what Dumbledore was telling her. Cedric had been killed by the killing curse, what she had experienced in the fake-Moody's classroom at the start of the year. There was no coming back from that.

Unless a batch of Felix Felicis brewed by a sixth year could do anything. Or the weakened version of mermaid tears.

All Rosie could do was hold this carefree hope hostage, steal it away from it's fields of flowers and sunny days. Keep it from being so carefree that it left her completely. 

Because then, she would have no hope.

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