A Hufflepuffs Love

Chapter 1: The Hospital Wing

Cedric's pov:

Cedric opened his eyes. He frowned.                                                                                     

That was odd. Why was his vision so blurry? Groaning slightly, he attempted to push himself into a sitting position. Almost instantly, he was met by a wave of nausea, forcing him back onto the pillow. 

He was aware of where he was now. The sanitary smell was nearly overwhelming. The hospital wing was quiet. There was no noise, besides the occasional squeak of shoes on polished floors. 

The light was filtering in, through the gap in the thick curtains that were drawn, to prevent unease and overheating of the patients.

Cedric sighed. He turned his head slightly to see his bedside table. Upon it lay multiple bottles of strange liquids and a pair of circular broken glasses. Cedric muffled a small gasp. He would recognize those glasses anywhere. 

They belonged to none other than the Chosen One himself. The fourteen-year-old that constantly threw himself into unnecessary danger. The Hufflepuff sat up abruptly, whipping his head around frantically, scanning all the symmetrical beds to check to see if Harry was lying in one. When there was no scarred teen to be found, he swung his legs out of the warm sheets, and stood, wobbling slightly. He hissed in pain as he took in a sharp breath. Cedric looked down at his body.

There were bandages, encasing his entire torso in a white cage. In some areas, the bandages were stained red.                                                                                                                                            

Blood red.

There was a yelp and the sound of something made of glass shattering. Under a second he was being pushed back towards the bed by the matron of the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey.

"Cedric Diggory! Why are you standing up like that? Do you know you could damage your lungs even more!" She tutted him as he was forced back into the white bed. She turned for a moment, grabbing a tablespoon of a clear syrup-like substance. Cedric frowned in discomfort as she forced the syrup down his throat. 

"Where is Harry?" He begged as he attempted to sift through his memories, searching for the answer. He remembered victoriously grabbing the glowing Triwizard cup with the short ravenette, only to be teleported to an old graveyard. Harry had begun to alert Cedric to the pain coming from his scar, with a trail of distressed hisses. Cedric had stupidly let down his guard and had gone to help him, only to be met with a face full of green light and a yell of 'Avada Kadava'.

Madame Pomfrey hesitated.                                                   

"He has been sent to a proper health facility. He is currently being cared for at St Mungo's," She sighed.

"What happened to him? My memories are a bit fuzzy..." Cedric whispered, allowing his eyes to fall to the full moon glasses.

"He pushed you out the way when the killing curse was about to hit you, and took it instead."

Cedric recoiled, feeling his blood turn cold. Harry? Dead? Kind, loyal Harry? He couldn't believe it. He wouldn't. He blinked furiously trying and failing to prevent tears from spilling down his cheeks. The matron's eyes widened, as she realized what was going through the Hufflepuff's head. 

"Oh darling, don't fret. It's not good for you. Harry is-" She was cut off as Cedric snapped. 

"SO WHAT IF IT'S NOT FUCKING GOOD FOR ME!" He screamed, causing Madame Pomfrey to sharply recoil. "HARRY IS FUCKING DEAD AND IT'S ALL MY FAULT!" He dissolved into a shuddering mess of tears and sorrow. "If only I had been quicker..."

Madame Pomfrey laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. His sobs slowly ceased. He looked up at her, from the bed, as she handed him a glass of pumpkin juice.

"I don't usually allow confectionary or juices in the hospital wing unless it's chocolate, but I am willing to make an exception, just this once," She coaxed as he took it and gave a weak smile.

She nearly fainted in relief.                                                                                                                                   

Cedric Diggory, the most caring student in the school, who, on Mother's Day, hand baked an entire box of biscuits for Minerva McGonagall, as apparently, she was the adoptive mother of the entire school, weeded the poisonous plant section in the greenhouses with Professor Sprout, as no-one else wanted too, and spent hours listening to the wild visions Professor Tralawney would screech, never raised his voice. If he did, then you knew something was drastically wrong.  

"As I was saying, Mr. Diggory, Mr. Potter is not dead. He is in stable condition, having recently awoken from a coma, and is going to be sent back here imminently," She explained, smiling at the look of sheer shock, and raw relief on the 17-year-old's face.

"When can I go to see him?" Cedric asked, causing a slight chuckle at how much he cared for the younger boy.

"When he gets back to Hogwarts, or when I say you have made a full recovery," She sternly told him, as he sank back into the pillows, grumbling softly to himself.

As she left, to go clean up the shattered glass on the floor, Cedric couldn't help but smile to himself. The adorable Gryffindor had survived again. 

And Cedric couldn't wait to see him.

(Well damn. That took way longer than expected. I hope that you enjoyed the first chapter, and I hope to see you at the next one!)

Word Count: 878