lovergirl───cedric diggory

23 | andromeda

As Aimee ventured deeper into the labyrinth, her senses were heightened with a creeping sensation of being watched. With each passing minute, the maze seemed to tighten its hold, darkness seeping into its very core as the sky overhead transformed into a sea of inky navy. Shadows danced upon the walls of the hedge, casting ominous shapes that sent shivers down her spine.

'Point me,' Aimee whispered to her wand as she reached another fork in the maze. She watched as it spun around to indicate the right path. Hope flickered within her chest as she followed the wand's lead, manoeuvring through the maze with cautious steps.

Suddenly, a crunch of leaves disturbed the silence behind her, causing Aimee to spin around with her wand drawn, ready to defend herself. Relief calmed her stuttering heart as her wandlight fell upon Fleur.

'Aimee?' she whispered, anxiety evident as her wand trembled within her grasp.

'Fleur, thank God.'

'I feel so anxious tonight,' Fleur said quietly. 'Like something bad's about to happen.'

Discomfort lingered in the shadows of the maze as the two witches pressed on, continuing on the same path.

As they turned the corner, an odd golden mist materialised, floating in their path. Aimee approached it cautiously, her wand's beam of light illuminating its aureate shimmer.

'Reducto!' she shouted, but the spell sailed through the mist, leaving it unscathed.

Aimee hesitated, turning to Fleur. 'Should we risk going through?'

Fleur looked apprehensive.

'Listen,' Aimee said. 'I'll go through, and if I'm okay, I'll yell for you to follow. But if I don't say anything, send up red sparks.'

Fleur's wariness lingered, her gaze filled with worry. 'Aimee, are you sure?'

Aimee nodded, her resolve unwavering, as she stepped into the mysterious mist that lay ahead.

Suddenly, the world twisted upon its axis, reality shattering around her. Aimee gasped as she dangled, her feet stuck to a grassy ceiling. The ground became a distant abyss, the sky beneath her an endless expanse of starry darkness. Panic gripped her as she fought against the gravitational pull, summoning every ounce of strength to pry her right foot away from the illusory ceiling. With a surge of relief, the world righted itself, and she crashed forward onto her knees onto solid ground.

'Fleur, you can come through –' she began to yell, but her words were shattered by a piercing scream that echoed beyond the mist. Her breath caught in her throat, 'Fleur?'

She stood on the precipice of uncertainty, her heart still racing. Panic consumed her as she attempted to retreat back through the mist, but an invisible barrier thwarted her efforts, leaving her trapped behind the swirling golden haze. Pressing her hands against the veil, she called out desperately, 'Fleur, Fleur, can you hear me?'

Silence draped the maze, shrouded in an unsettling stillness, and yet, Aimee swore she detected the fading echo of footsteps retreating into the distance. They were far too heavy to be Fleur's. Uncertainty gripped her throat, leaving her torn between proceeding and trying to find some way to get back to Fleur. In a final act of desperation, she launched a vibrant arc of red sparks into the boundless sky, flickering against the stillness of the night.

Aimee ventured forth, her steps guided thudding into the grass. She turned two more corners without running into any more obstacles, until she heard Cedric's voice resound through the hedges, laced with urgency and disbelief.