A Change in Fate || Cedric Diggory [1]

Chapter 43: A Holiday to Remember

A/N: This hasn't been proofread or edited yet, but I hope y'all enjoy this chapter!! :>

"Leigh! Wake up, it's urgent!"

Analeigh awoke with a start, blinking around in confusion. The first thing she saw was Hermione looking down at her with a worried expression.

"Wha — what?" said Analeigh, still half-asleep. She let her eyes adjust to the darkness until they landed on a small beam of light coming from someone's wand — Professor McGonagall's wand. She was dressed in a nightgown and her hair wasn't pulled back into a tight bun like it usually was. Only now realizing that something must be wrong, Analeigh quickly sat up and swung her legs to the side of her four-poster bed to stand up next to Hermione.

"I'm sorry to wake you at this hour, but we have some bad news," McGonagall said gravely. "Arthur Weasley's been attacked."

"Attacked? Where, how?" Hermione struggled for the right words.

"Do Ron and Harry know?" Analeigh asked, fear flooding her veins. McGonagall glanced around the room, noticing that the girls' roommates — Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil — were beginning to stir from their sleep at the commotion they were making. Not wanting them to wake up and overhear the details, McGonagall motioned for Analeigh and Hermione to follow her.

"I'll explain downstairs," she said. Analeigh and Hermione made their way out the door, down the staircase, and into the Gryffindor common room after the woman. Once McGonagall was sure that they were alone, she began explaining just what had happened.

"You see, Mr. Potter had a dream earlier tonight of Arthur getting attacked by a snake," she said in a low voice. "We brought him to Headmaster Dumbledore immediately. We don't know exactly how or why, but everything in that dream was true. Fortunately, the mediwizards and healers arrived to tend to Mr. Weasley on time because of that."

"How is he now, Professor? Will he be alright?" Hermione said. McGonagall pursed her lips for a moment before replying.

"He is in critical condition, Miss Granger. Mr. Potter and the Weasleys left for St. Mungo's around an hour ago, and their belongings have also been transported. You girls and Mr. Diggory will still take the train back to Platform 9 3/4 once the break officially begins — only then will you return to the Order's headquarters."

The next thirty-six hours were filled with nerves and anxiety for them. For a while, there were no updates on Mr. Weasley's condition. Then, Analeigh's father thankfully sent them a letter to update them; he said that Arthur had lost a lot of blood, but he was becoming stable and was expected to make a full recovery. That eased their worries, and they were able to ride the Hogwarts Express back to the station a bit more comfortably on the 20th of December.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place was surprisingly warmer and livelier that time around. Molly Weasley, Grace Heart, and even Mrs. Diggory all made it a point to make it as homey as possible even if it was still the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. For the first few days, though, the Weasleys were barely around because they were all occupied with visiting and taking care of Mr. Weasley at the hospital. But On Christmas Day, he was discharged and finally allowed to come home.

Of course, Mrs. Weasley didn't want him to return without a celebration. Aside from the Christmas decors scattered throughout the house, she also prepared other party favors and practically cooked an entire feast for the special occasion. Most of the other Order members were either busy with their own families or would be dropping by later on after their respective duties, so it was just Analeigh, Hermione, Cedric, and the Weasley kids gathered around the dining table that day. Harry hadn't come down yet, but they were all hoping he would very soon so that he wouldn't miss out on the festivities. He hadn't been in the best mood recently — actually, he had been pretty moody the entire school year so far, but his scarily accurate vision of Arthur Weasley's attack seemed to have given him even more reason to brood.