Rhapsody of a Veela

Part 23 - The Aftermath

Everything that happened after Dumbledore and Professor Snape entered the office to apprehend Professor Moody, was a blur. After Snape forcefully poured several drops of veritaserum into Moody's mouth, McGonagall appeared and immediately tended to you where you sat shaking on the floor across the room in shock. The interrogation, meanwhile, went rather quick as the Professors rushed to unlock an enormous metal chest, to reveal the true Alastor Moody trapped and imprisoned inside its magical depth.

If you were not traumatized enough already by the death of Cedric, you were now, as the man disguised as Moody melted into the shape of another. Professor McGonagall grabbed you quickly and tried to bring you out of the room, while the erratic looking man, whoever he was. kept screaming about how he was back, and that you, his heir could no longer hide. You broke into tears as she dragged you away towards the medical wing, having to support you most of the way as your legs felt so weak you could hardly walk.

Along the way she did not say anything other than that it was all over now, that you were safe. The repeating of it making it seem like she though it would be more believable if she kept stating it. When you arrived at the medical wing, she got help by Madam Pomfrey to bring you to a nearby bed. She handed you some sort of potion, probably something to calm you down but you could barely hold up the bottle to your lips with your shaking hands.

"I don't normally allow students who aren't of age to drink, but there's nothing quite like Firewhisky to calm nerves" Madam Pomfrey continued, as she handed you another bottle.

"Go on child, it'll only do you good after this night"

You gulped down its content feeling your throat burn, it was true it was calming. If anything, the burning sensation would temporarily distract you from everything else. The unbelievable amount of pain you felt, the numbness, the disbelief and horror that had struck your body. All you could think of was his eyes, gazing up at you so empty. And then there was Moody, or whoever it really was, who had claimed you were you-know-who's daughter, but he had to be lying. It could not possibly be true.

After finishing half a bottle of Firewhisky, along with the other mysterious potion Madam Pomfrey had made you gulp down, you were quickly knocked out in your bed. Thrown into a dreamless sleep, where nothing you had seen or heard that terrible night could possibly haunt you. If only it had lasted, it was still dark outside when you opened your swollen eyes. For one hopefull moment, you had thought that perhaps it all had really been just a bad dream. Maybe you had gotten drunk on your own accord after celebrating Cedric's win, maybe he was the one who held your hand closely when you woke up. But it was not him, when your vision could make out the face of the boy in front of you it was Fred, who immediately perched up in his seat where he saw you had awoken.

"Y/n!" he exclaimed, turning around to see if Madam Pomfrey was nearby, while silent tears fell down the sides of your eyes, re-living your loss.

"Madam Pomfrey, she's awake!" he called out, and you were thankful deep down, that he did not bombard you with any questions. That he knew right away how tired you was.You were quickly handed a potion yet again, and then the same bottle of Firewhisky for you to this time finish. Neither Fred nor Pomfrey asked you how you were feeling, because what was the point in asking when the answer was rather clear.

So you went back to sleep, pretending that the hand which held you so tightly, was Cedric's. That he was still there by your side.

When you woke up the next morning Fred still sat there by your side, awkwardly positioned in his chair where he had fallen asleep while sitting. His hand had slipped out of yours, and his neck looked like it would hurt if he did not reposition himself. You turned to get a look of the room, across it you saw Harry occupied another bed. By his side his girlfriend, Cho sat in a chair half asleep. She looked like she had been crying too, by the looks of her reddened cheeks and eyes.