𝗺𝗲𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗱 𝗹𝗮𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗻, cedric diggory

˗ˋ 42

CHAPTER FORTY TWO
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-: seventh year :-

── IN WHICH ROSIE RECOUNTS

. . .

It had taken Elora a little longer to get rid of Susie than she had anticipated, but when she finally did, it took her a short amount of time to gather up a plate of varying biscuits and two cups of tea before carrying them through to the conservatory. And it was fair to say that she hadn't expected to find both of them sat in silence.

"Cedric, darling." Elora greeted them as she pushed the door open. Rosie looked back and was on her feet in an instance, taking the cups of tea from her before she accidentally spilt them whilst trying to open the door. "Oh, thank you.. thank you Rosie." She reached forward and placed the biscuits down atop of a hardback muggle cookbook, whilst Rosie located several Hufflepuff-printed coasters. 

"No worries." The Kersey girl smiled, before sitting down. 

"I thought you two would have more to talk about. What were you doing.. reading?" Elora looked between them, Cedric nodding before brushing hair out of his eyes. "It's still long, haven't had it cut since right before the last task." The mother smiled down at her son. 

"What should we talk about?" Cedric questioned and Rosie swallowed, looking down at her lap. 

Elora's eyes flickered between them. "I suppose it isn't my thing to share. I'll be in the kitchen if either of you need anything." She said, pressing a kiss to the top of Cedric's head before disappearing back through the door, leaving a rather large potted plant keeping the door open. 

Cedric nodded, turning back to his book for a moment before stopping. "What does that mean?" He asked, closing the book again and turning towards her. "Rosie, how am I supposed to know you?" He asked, voice sweet despite the lack of warmth that actually came with the words. 

"Well.. I was wondering if you knew exactly how everything happened." She itched her knuckles until they were pink with irritation. "If you were.. caught up on what happened to you."

"I know some things." He nodded earnestly. "I was taking part in the tournament and.. me and Harry Potter took the trophy and it was a Portkey and then Voldemort tried to kill me. Well - he got pretty close.. and then I didn't wake up for months and here I am." 

"Do you know why you woke up though? Um, why you survived even though you were hit by the killing curse." Rosie didn't know exactly how to approach it, didn't know what Elora and Amos had told him and didn't even know if they had told him overall. 

"A potion. Liquid Luck.." Cedric paused, brows furrowing for just a moment. "Felix Felicis." He added after a moment. "Sometimes things are a little dotty, even if I should have known it before it all happened." 

"Right." Her fingers knitted together on her lap. "Just Felix Felicis?" She questioned. "Is that all?" She knew it wasn't - but if Cedric knew about the Felicis then it was could be general knowledge to him just how else he had survived.

"Mermaid tears." Cedric muttered, somewhat quiet. "A mermaid cried... and they're healing. The Felix Felicis stopped me from dying completely, and the mermaid tears brought me back." His gaze flickered over to her, watching for a moment as she sipped on her tea and stared out the conservatory window. "Rosie, was that you?" 

She didn't say anything for a moment, but the cup in her hand trembled and Cedric reached forward to take it from her, placing it back down on the coffee table. "It was." She confirmed. "At the beginning of the year we helped each other at the attack at the Quidditch World Cup final. When we came back to Hogwarts, we found out about the Tournament and seeing as we were both seventeen we were able to enter. We made a bet who would and you won it, and the terms of the bet meant that I was going to help you."

"And you did. You made the Felix Felicis." Cedric nodded. "Sorry - sorry. You can continue, I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's okay." She replied. "I.. um. In the first task I helped you with spells mostly, in the Room of Requirement. When it came to the actual task you used a Transfiguration spell I taught you, and you got the egg. The second task I helped with again - I came into the lake with you as a mermaid. And the third task I made potions for you. I was pretty upset when you came back and I cried and I guess I cried... on you." 

"I have you to thank then. My mum said there was someone - but I had no idea you were coming today." Cedric watched as she nodded slowly. "Rosie - really, thank you. You came to visit me, right? The Healer from St. Mungos told me that I had someone come a lot. That was you, wasn't it?"

"Yeah, it was." She confirmed. "I came as much as I could... I'm living in London for the moment, so it was pretty easy - but I passed the test for my Apparition licence so it didn't matter. I just wanted to check you were alright, you know? We'd gotten pretty close over the past year and it was hard to know that even though I'd managed to keep you alive.. you were in a coma."

"How close?"

"What?"

"How close?" Cedric repeated. He didn't know why that had caught his eye - but he knew for sure that he was confused as to why she wasn't looking at him. Instead she was actively avoiding looking his way. "Rosie..."

"Before the task, like right before," Rosie swallowed, "we were talking. You told me you liked me as more than a friend, told me to cheer you on, and that you wouldn't let me down." 

It was something that Rosie hadn't thought of a lot since it happened - it had just seemed so insignificant. But now she was seeing him, awake and alive, thinking about it just made her heart ache even more. 

Cedric didn't say anything for a moment, and just instead reached out and held her hand. "I'm sorry." He whispered. "I'm sorry I don't remember."

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