Aurora | Harry Potter

chapter eighty-one

"It's me," Cedric replies, continuing to smile at me with his kind, somehow warm eyes. He himself floats forward a little more and raises his own hand, placing it practically on my cheek; despite not being able to feel anything completely solid, I still feel something there. "You look lovely," he comments, and I feel like I slightly scoff at his compliment. There has been way too much on my mind that overwhelms any thought in my appearance, of course, so I definitely do not feel like I look lovely in any way.

"And don't deny it," Cedric interjects, as if he can understand my thoughts, "you've looked lovely, since the day you were born." A sad chuckle leaves my lips as I turn my head to the side slightly, my eyes clouding with tears. "God, I've missed you Ced, more than you'll ever know," I reply, wishing to just have a moment to talk with him, "and I've been through so much without you, so so much..."

He nods his head, listening to me intently. "I know," he says which makes me look at him with confusion. "Aurora, I'm always with you. I always have been, and I always will be." I gasp at Cedric's comment and watch as his hand points at my scarred arm, which is covered by my green and brown tartan shirt. After I slowly roll it up, I see the three large scarred sentences across my arm: LIAR, TRAITOR, WORTHLESS. Whilst they seem to have healed, they are still just as harsh and red as they were the day Bellatrix etched them into my skin. 

"I'm so sorry you've gone through so much pain," he continues, his voice growing softer and more emotional, "and I know that you know the pain is not over yet, but you are so close to the end. I believe in you. And if you ever need me, I'll always be here in the castle." I nod my head relentlessly, but I can't help but sob slightly. When he asks why I'm crying, I try to wipe my tears away before I answer. 

"This is more than I could have ever wished for, just speaking to you again, but I want nothing more than to just hug you," I reveal, my hand covering my mouth from releasing horrendous sobbing noises. Cedric's mouth falls into a small smile, and I swear that I can see tears in his eyes too. "I want that too," he replies in a sad tone, slightly pouting at me. As more tears start to fall from my eyes, memories of Cedric's death start pouring back into my mind; the image of his stone-cold, emotionless face, the blood on his cheeks, Harry bawling over his body and refusing to let go.

"You were too young," I sob, unable to contain my emotions any further, "you were only seventeen, you had your whole life ahead of you! And now, I'm the same age as you were when you died, soon I'll be older and I'll have outlived you! That's not right!" Cedric just listens to me cry and solemnly nods his head at my comments, but then his head looks up above me and he smiles. I turn around to see Harry in the entrance, his eyes wide with shock. 

"Cedric," he whispers as he walks over, his eyes flitting from him to me. Cedric chuckles slightly, waving at Harry. "It's been a long time," he responds by the time Harry has reached me, and after he kneels down to sit beside me, he looks up at my brother with deep sorrow in my eyes. "It shouldn't have been you," he mumbles, clutching onto my arm, "you shouldn't have died that night."

Cedric nods, but then places his hands on either of our shoulders, sending a little cold chill down them. "It's okay, it's been far too long for either of you to hold any guilt or regret." He turns to me and moves his hand from my shoulder to my cheek, a look in his eyes that tells me he wishes he could provide physical comfort. "Aurora, you have grown into such a beautiful and strong witch. You have been through far too much for someone of your age, but you have done it all and pulled through. I am so proud of you, and my love for you has never changed."

A choked sob leaves my lips, as I tell Cedric how much I love him. After he nods in acknowledgement, he turns to Harry. "Harry, thank you for protecting and loving my sister the way you have done. You have been an incredible partner and best friend for her, and I have seen the amount of adoration you have for her." Harry tries his best to hold back his tears, but I see one or two fall down his cheeks. 

"Now you two have a war to win, and I know you can do it," Cedric continues, talking to both of us now, "so I'll say goodbye." He turns around and starts to fade away, but I jump up and call his name aloud, which makes him turn around sharply. "Thank you, Ced," I say, all my tears and sobs fading away too, "I love you." He blows me a kiss before he fades into a small ball of white light, which then completely disappears through the cobblestone wall. 

When I turn back to Harry, I can't hold myself back from pulling him into a tight embrace, holding him as close as possible. "I can't believe it, I got to see and talk to him again," I whisper, as Harry clutches onto my shirt, holding me tightly. "He looks exactly the same, I got to talk to him," I continue and after Harry lets out a little chuckle, we let go and pull out of the embrace.

"So, did you find out anything from Row--" I start, but Harry's lips interrupt my speech as he presses them against my own, his kiss warm and passionate. After we pull away, Harry reveals that he thinks he knows where the lost diadem is, due to a clue that Rowena gave him: the Room of Requirement. "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go," I respond as I take his hand in mine, determination flooding through my veins. With one final confident smile from Harry, we start sprinting towards the Room of Requirement.