Smile - Cedric Diggory

Twenty-Five

(Iris' P.O.V.)

By the time Madam Pomfrey had done all she could to treat Cedric, the teachers had already ushered Harry into the hospital wing, as well as a frail man she recognized as Professor Moody.

When Madam Pomfrey was done properly setting Harry's ankle and forcing both him and Moody to drink some awful looking potions, she finally noticed Iris sitting on the bed beside Cedric's.

"Iris, dear, why don't you sit down and rest? I can give you a potion if you would like. I think you need something for the shock of it all. You don't look like you're doing very well."

"No, I don't want anything. I'm just going to sit here next to Ced. Will he be okay, Madam Pomfrey?" Her voice shook slightly and she hoped she wasn't about to start crying.

"I don't know yet, Iris. His condition seems stable, but there's no saying what could happen during the night. Be sure to call me; I'm going to be checking on him every half hour."

She just nodded silently, not tearing her eyes off of her best friend.

After Madam Pomfrey left, she took a hold of Cedric's hand and didn't let go. She pulled her own bed closer and watched him carefully.

Every once in a while he would twitch or grimace. He must have been having nightmares about something, or perhaps he felt the pain on his face.

Several hours of watching over him as Madam Pomfrey came and went, he started screaming in his sleep.

He shouted about horrible things, but the worst were when he screamed her own name. It was clear that he believed she was dying.

She squeezed his hand tighter and started talking to him, just a jumble of words that didn't make much sense. "Cedric, oh Ced. There isn't anything to be scared of I'm not leaving ever. It's safe no one's going to hurt you. I love you, I love you, I love you."

Harry sat up in the bed across the way and Madam Pomfrey ran into the room. "Oh dear, he's bleeding again. We have to get him to stop thrashing."

They exchanged a glance and neither of them had any idea what they were going to do. Finally, realizing that she couldn't think of anything else, and he was going to die if they didn't settle him down, she lifted the covers and slid into the cramped bed beside him.

(Cedric's P.O.V.)

Everything was dark. The blackness was suffocating and he felt claustrophobia gripping him so tight he couldn't breathe.

Was this what death was like?

Then the screaming started. First it was Voldemort's own outraged scream when they had escaped the graveyard. Then it was the Death Eater who had saved his life, begging for mercy as he was subjected to the Cruciatus Curse. His parents were next, and he heard his mother crying as You-Know-Who laughed. A flash of light flickered through the dark room and he saw his parent's dead bodies lying in a pool of blood, and Harry Potter's wide empty eyes. It was pitch black again and then he heard a single voice.

"Ced?"

"No! Get out of here! He's here, he's here, he's here!"

"What are you talking about, Cedric? Who do you-ah!"

And then she was screaming bloody murder, and he yelled with her.

"Take me, not her! Don't hurt her, please. She. . .I love her, okay? LEAVE HER ALONE!" He bellowed.

Then a light shone into the room, making him throw his hands over his eyes. Someone was walking towards him, and the dead people were gone.

He was safe.

(Iris' P.O.V.)

Once she crawled in beside Cedric, he reached out for her and she placed his hand around her. She cuddled in despite the fact that there were people watching, only caring that he was okay. He sighed into her neck and relaxed.

"I'll just stop the bleeding and be back in half an hour." Madam Pomfrey amazingly didn't tell her off and simply fixed another bandage on the wound before leaving.

The hospital wing lapsed into silence once again, and although Cedric muttered a few times in his sleep he didn't stir again.

Moonlight flooded through the windows and fell on the stone floor. The great wooden doors at the end creaked open and then closed again quietly as Harry's two friends stealthily visited him for a while.

She gave no sign that she was awake when they looked over and started whispering about how it was You-Know-Who that did this to him.

Finally she closed her eyes and breathed in his scent, trying to assure herself that he was alright and that everything was going to be okay now.

(Cedric's P.O.V.)

He woke up and couldn't bring himself to open his eyes. The room was bright, and he felt a warm presence beside him.

Cedric's entire body ached at the stress and pain he had endured. His face felt hot and itchy, and he wanted to rip off the bandage he felt there.

He opened his right eye and looked down to see Iris sleeping peacefully beside him. Not wanting to wake her he closed his eye again and went back to sleep.

~~~

Several hours later he woke again, and Iris was now sitting next to him reading a book, although she didn't seem to be paying much attention to it.

"Ced?" She whispered as he opened his eye to look at her.

He tried to speak but his throat hurt too much so he just stared at her without answering.

"Madam Pomfrey? He's awake now."

The medical woman bustled over, bringing some nasty looking potions with her, and set to work changing his bandage. He couldn't open his left eye even when she took it off.

Once she had changed the bandage and forced several revolting potions down his throat she seemed pleased with his progress.

"What. . .what's wrong with me?" He croaked.

"It appears that by some miracle you're still alive. You really shouldn't be, Mr. Diggory. Some damage has been done by what Mr. Potter confirmed to be the Killing Curse."

Iris was reaching around to hold his hand and he was momentarily distracted by the thought of just kissing her right there.

"The left side of your face will unfortunately remain scarred for life, as any side effects of the curse cannot be cured by any known magic. You have lost your left ear, and it is unclear as to whether or not you can still hear out of it. Some of your hair on that side of your head is gone, but I believe it will grow back in time."

Iris clutched his hand tighter and he knew he wouldn't like whatever was next.

"And. . .your left eye is currently swollen shut. When the swelling goes down, I believe that you will be blind in that eye, unfortunately."