The Diggory Sister || Draco Malfoy

23 - The Poor Diggory Sister

I opened my eyes. I shut them again.

Bright sunshine. Too much.

Numbness. Why do I have this heavy feeling?

And then I remembered.

"Aurora, it's okay, I'm here, I'm here."

Arms tightened around me. I realised I had been calling out his name. And Cedric's.

I opened my eyes again, this time looking up at Draco's tired face, his pale features pinched in worry.

"Cedric - where's Cedric? I need to see him."

He just looked at me, his grey eyes full of sadness. "Aurora, he's-"

"Please don't say it," I whispered, my heart aching in my chest. "Please don't say the words."

Cedric wasn't here. He never would be again. It was not okay.

Tears started spilling from my eyes. I wanted Ced. I wanted my highly embarrassing but hopelessly caring big brother.

Draco held me tight, kissing the top of my head whilst I sobbed uncontrollably into his chest, soaking his shirt with my tears.

He stroked my hair until my sobs subsided. We lay there in silence, cradled in each other's arms, listening to the sounds of the birds outside singing in the new day.

A day that Cedric would never see.

A fresh wave of tears hit me. I squeezed my eyes shut tight, trying to ignore the horrific pain in my chest. The feeling that I was carrying heavy lead inside making it difficult for me to breathe.

Draco held me. Never let me go. Never complained. Even when I thought the tears would never stop.

"Morning, dears!"

Too cheery. I kept my face against Draco's chest, inhaling his scent, drawing strength from his mere presence. I couldn't face anyone yet. I couldn't imagine I ever would. Only Draco.

Draco just grunted in response to our visitor.

"Move aside, boy, I need to examine Miss Diggory."

My heart pounded in alarm. I didn't want to be examined. And I didn't want Draco to let me go.

"I'll be right here, Aurora," he murmured in my ear, sensing my panic. "I'm not going anywhere."

Reluctantly I let him extricate himself from me, and slide off the bed, taking the chair under the window.

I could see just how exhausted he looked, his white-blond hair a tousled mess on his head and clothes crumpled and tired. I wondered if he had even slept since- since the...

I couldn't even think it.

Madam Pomfrey bustled around me, checking my pupils, temperature and blood pressure, before shoving a piece of chocolate in my mouth.

"Shock, dear. It'll take a while to pass. You've suffered a major loss. Time is all you need. And chocolate."

She left, telling me I was free to go when I was ready.

But go where? I didn't have anywhere I wanted to be. The thought of leaving this calming, white spartan room suddenly filled me with a horrifying panic.

"Dad. Where's my dad?" I whispered, after I swallowed the chocolate. It made me feel sick.

"I heard he was taken to St Mungo's," Draco said gently, sitting on the bed and taking my hand in his. "He- he needed to be sedated."

I retched, as the memory of my father's screams came roaring into my head.

MY BOY! MY BOY!

"Draco, I think I'm going to be sick."

Draco grabbed a bowl that was by the side of the bed and held it out whilst holding my hair back with his other hand. The chocolate I just ate splattered to the bottom as I heaved violently over and over again.

Tears coursed down my cheeks. I was terrified. I was so very afraid I would never feel okay again. Because how could I live in a world where my brother was dead?

Because that is what he was. Dead.

"Why did he have to die?!" I cried, sobbing uncontrollably over the bowl, tears splashing into the chocolate sick.

"Aurora," Draco said soothingly, removing the bowl and gathering me in his arms.

"You mean he hasn't told you?"

I felt Draco stiffen.

Harry's voice.

Slowly, I looked up. Harry was standing next to the bed, wearing a hospital gown. He looked dreadful. He looked angry.

"Leave it Potter, she's been through enough." Draco spat, hatred dripping in every syllable.

"Oh, and you think I haven't?" Harry sneered, looking at Draco in what I could only call revulsion. "Why don't you pop home and ask your father about my little adventure last night?"

My heart started hammering. I realised I had no idea how Cedric was killed. No one had told me. And I couldn't bring myself to ask. But now, here was Harry, the last person to see him alive, talking about Draco's father.

"Draco?" I asked, looking up at him in confusion, hoping with just one look he could assure me it wasn't what I was thinking.

But he just looked back at me wordlessly, his mouth gaping open as Harry gave a low sardonic bark of laughter.

"Your brother went the same way as your mother, Aurora," Harry continued. "Killed on Voldemort's orders. Killed by his father."

Harry jabbed a finger in Draco's face, shaking in fury. Draco immediately stood up, a pink tinge rising to his normally pale cheeks.

"I'm warning you, Potter," he hissed, taking a menacing step towards an unflinching Harry, "you need to shut up right now."

"Or you'll what?" Harry snarled, his lip curling in evident disgust. "Have daddy tell on me to his boss? Well, the thing is, Malfoy, I've come up against him more than once and I'm still standing, so forgive me for not being terrified of your pathetic attempts to threaten me."

I let out a strangled cry, my heart twisting horribly at Harry's words. He was talking as though I had not just heard about my brother being killed.

Both Harry and Draco's heads snapped round to look at me, their eyes both widening in alarm, as if they had forgotten I was sat there.

Harry's face immediately fell when he registered my distress. "Shit, Aurora, I'm sorry. But you need to know who it is exactly that is comforting you. Cedric shouldn't have died last night. But that didn't matter to them. He was disposable. He was-"

But I didn't want to hear anymore. A great roaring noise started up in my head, deafening me from his words. I jumped up, pushing past him as I ran to the door, Draco swearing angrily behind me.

I couldn't be here. I couldn't hear this. My brother was not disposable. He was beautiful, he was kind, he was everything. He was.

I ran. I didn't stop. I didn't know where I was running to. I just needed to get away from Harry, away from the horrific accusations.

People stared at me, moving aside to let me pass, their faces a mixture of curiosity and pity. No one stopped me. No one asked if I was okay or wondered what was wrong.

I guess they all knew.

I was the poor Diggory sister.

The sister with the dead brother.