DARK SOULS ☽ 𝚍𝚛𝚊𝚌𝚘 𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚏𝚘𝚢

𝔵𝔵𝔦𝔦 | fourth year

The Triwizard Tournament comes to a close with the final task. I sit in the stands with Aurora, Daphne, and Blaise, anticipating seeing the finale.

However, I'll admit I'm a little scared to see how dangerous this final task will be, especially because of the previous two and how they've both ended with interesting twists that were completely unexpected.

My recoveries from my injuries went quickly, though I still walk with a crutch from my burn. Draco has decided he doesn't care about me anymore, and we have barely even seen each other since I last spotted him sneaking around the hospital wing.

I hate to admit I'm falling for his tricks, ignoring me, then deciding that he wants to pester me again. His words have changed from how he used to talk to me.

I wonder if he cares about me too.

He sits a couple rows in front of me, with Crabbe, Goyle, and a couple other Slytherin boys and girls. He has not been around Pansy since the incident at the Black Lake.

The band begins playing upbeat music as Dumbledore and the champions walk onto a patch of grass. Behind them looms a gigantic, dark hedge maze. It's quite terrifying.

Dumbledore announces the task, "Our champions will be sent into the maze behind me to attempt to find the Triwizard Cup. Since Potter and Diggory are tied for first, they will enter the maze a minute early, followed by Mr. Krum, and Ms. Delacour." He pauses, looking to Harry, "The first champion to touch the cup will be our winner. At the sound of the cannon-"

Once again he is interrupted by the cannon's boom and Cedric and Harry slowly wander into the maze. Harry turns around, looking into the crowd. He looks scared. The maze closes itself, the vines moving to cover the entrance behind them.

The crowd watches in suspense as Krum, and then Fleur follow the two Hogwarts boys into the maze, using separate entrances.

I wonder what awaits them inside.

Time passes slowly, and the band plays the same upbeat chant they've been playing since the beginning. Soon, a red spark is shot into the air, the warning sign that someone is in danger.

A team of professors run to the right, probably going in some secret entrance to collect the champion that wishes to be saved.

Soon after, both Fleur and Krum are brought out. Krum looks completely out of it, and Fleur seems to be passed out and two Beauxbatons professors hold her up, her arms on their shoulders.

I cover my mouth, hoping the girl is okay. They lay her down and Madam Pomfrey hurries to her side.

She wakes up after a while and seems to be fine after the initial shock, sitting next to Krum and putting on her jacket.

Even more time passes before a sudden pulse of energy vibrates through the stadium. Everyone lets out a gasp, wondering what it came from.

We find out minutes later, when Harry Potter appears, Portkeying to the grass patch in front of the maze, Cedric in his arms.

The band begins to play, suddenly lively again. But Fleur screams.

Time seems to stop as everyone realizes what happened. Why was the Cup a Portkey? And why isn't Cedric getting up?

The band goes quiet, and more people let out their fear in screams. Draco turns around to look at me, concern in his eyes, making sure that I'm still there.

Cedric Diggory lies there, dead, as Harry sobs over his body. Mr. Diggory runs out of the crowd, "My boy, my boy!" He screams, falling onto his son, tears streaming down his face.

The world seems to crumble around me. I can't even comprehend what's going on.

Fear courses through me.

❂

It feels as if time moved in fast forward since the moment Harry and Cedric hit the ground in that final moment of the Tournament.

As I sit, surrounded by silence, in the great hall, my thoughts even feel too loud to process. Tears sting in my eyes.

Dumbledore speaks, but it sounds muddled in my head with confusion and upset. Though I had only met Cedric on one occasion, he was always older than me, and we watched each other grow up.

I watched him on the Quidditch pitch, laughing with his friends in the halls, even looking genuinely proud of himself after the Triwizard tasks.

"You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort. The ministry of magic does not wish me to tell you this. But not to do so I think would be an insult to his memory." Dumbledore says, and the room erupts in gasps and low conversations, breaking the horrifying silence, "Remember that and Cedric Diggory will not have died in vain, you remember that. And we'll celebrate a boy who was kind and honest and brave and true right to the very end."

I can't look at anyone. I can't feel anything but anger. It's a blur.

❂

Reuniting with my parents isn't the same as it was last year, I just run into their arms and they hold me as tight as they can. We barely exchange a couple words and in the car ride home, we sit in silence.

The worst part is that the only person on my mind is Draco and the only thing that matters is how he feels.