Light year || cedric diggory

twenty seven

"It's near Nicodemius." Father reminds me over supper. The food barely makes its way down my throat. Malfoy and I exchange stares. He keeps quiet knowing what little words could aggravate the angers of our fathers. "I'm going back to Hogwarts tomorrow." I say, Mother gives me a disapproving look.

"You don't need to go back to that pathetic school. We all should be preparing. Bellatrix says that Potter broke into Gringotts Bank and have taken one of the Horcuxes." Fathers words echo into the walls. It seems Harry Potter has already started taking possessions of You-Know-Who's Horcruxes and is looking for ways to destroy them.

"We must be the ones to find them. It will earn us recognition from the Dark Lord." Uncle Lucius continues. I head back upstairs, debating to myself whether I return to Hogwarts tonight.

"You're going aren't you?" I ask Draco. "Azra.." His pupils wander, seemingly desperate to get his one love out of there. After all in a few nights we'd be coming there, not as students but as... his people, you-know-who's puppets.

"Will you get Cedric out of there?" I plead him. I haven't got the courage to face Cedric.. to face him as what I really am, a product of an evil family destroying the school I always treated as my safe space.

"You have to do it yourself." Malfoy's eyes search into mine. I shake my head no. "Nico.... deep down we always knew this day would come." His voice hushed,

"I wish the wars of our fathers are not ours to bear."  Deep within me I really wished.

I swallow the lump in my throat. Draco was right. I have to talk to Cedric to tell him anything that would keep him safe, anything to keep him away from me.

-

I was walking through the great hall, taking it all in, knowing in a few days... when Harry comes to collect the Horcrux in Hogwarts, everything here, everyone, will be put at stake.

Cedric notices me, standing up from his crowd he rushes to me. "Are you alright?" His eyes searching my face for anything, a bruise, a wound, an emotion, an answer.

"Can we talk?" I ask him, the chill in my voice is unrecognizable from the warmth our words used to share. He nods, taking us away from there.

The sound of his feet on the snow and my throbbing heart were the only noise to reach my ears while we walk to the lake. Somehow seeing the lake almost brought tears to my eyes. I wish everything was less complicated like before.

Cedric brushes the snow of the ladder we used to sit on, during the nights spent here. He gestures me to sit, I shake my head to refuse.

"What's wrong? What did they do to you?" His warm hands take mine. My breath hitched at his touch, a lump forming in my throat.

"Diggory," His eyes falter. "Babe," He corrects me. "Diggory," I say once more, somehow addressing him this way, calling his name wrings my heart. What's wrong? I never disliked his name before. Cedric Diggory, the most beautiful name my ears have heard.

"Diggory, This has to come to an end." Every word like acid through my throat. His hands wrap tighter. "I'm not sure what you mean, babe." His voice depicting the torment within him.

"Diggory-" "Stop calling me like that!" I stood startled by his voice. 

"I don't like it Nicodemius, I don't want you calling me like that, that tone... that voice, It kills me." His eyes shut tightly.

"Babe please." His head buries itself into my shoulders. "Let's end this Diggory." His head shakes no, his breaths brush my ears,

"I don't want to be with you anymore Cedric! Don't you understand?"  My voice shaking from the cold and the pain.

My shoulders damped by the cold quiet cries of Cedric. I push him away from me. 

"I don't want you Cedric, In fact I don't want to even see you right now. If you really love me as you say, stay away from me, stay away from Hogwarts. Give me a few days away from you. Get away from Hogwarts. Go far where I can't see you... Seeing you in Hogwarts, I  only remember how stupid I was to think I'd actually love someone like you." These words keep coming out of my mouth. I can't even hear myself anymore. The pain, the cold, It's deafening me.

I actually was stupid  for loving someone like him. Someone with a beautiful soul, someone who warms my heart up, yeah Nicodemius you're Idiotic, you should've known.

"You stand there, and say that... like it's the surest thing you have in your life," Cedric was bewildered at the words coming out of my mouth.

"like you don't actually love me Nicodemius." Cedric's eyes depict his wary soul.

"I never did Cedric. I thought I did." He pulls me in his arms.

"Stop kidding me now babe, If you go further... I might actually start believing you." He lets out a chuckle which turns into a sob.

"I don't love you Cedric." My voice hard and cold as steel

"I'm starting to think that I never actually had you." He cries into the hug. He faces me searching for anything in my eyes.

"I never loved you Cedric Diggory." I voice out one last time.

He slowly walks away from me.

"You're not thinking straight." His eyes meet mine for the last time.

"Give me my space. Promise me you'll stay away from here." His back faces me, his head down, but he nods as agreement, "If that's what you want Sly."