LOVE ISN'T EASY (but it sure is hard enough)

JUNE 26TH, 1995

After three days in the hospital wing, Cedric Diggory opened his eyes.

His parents cried tears of joy, Amos especially. He didn't know what he would have done if anything had happened to his boy.

Well... something had.

Dumbledore told him the story of Mad Eye Moody, of the man who had been impersonating him for a full year. The man who had set the trap that got his entire left arm blown off.

Obviously, he couldn't tell him every detail. Nobody knew what had really happened in the graveyard, nobody except Harry. But he told him that Madam Pomfrey had called in the best healers from St. Mungo's to keep him alive, it was far too dangerous to try and transport him in his state.

Cho and Olivia had taken turns camping outside the doors to the hospital wing, and then at his bedside when they were finally allowed inside.

Cho was the first person who came to visit him after Dumbledore had convinced Cedric's parents to get some proper rest, they were in the final few days of the school year and it wouldn't be long before he would board the Hogwarts Express for the last time. 

Really, Cedric was grateful to be able to board it at all.

Cho had burst into tears at the sight of him, peppering kisses all over his face before landing one on his lips. It tasted salty, which made Cedric realise that he was crying too. She stayed there for as long as they would let her, holding his hand and not letting go.

He fell asleep as she ran her fingertips lightly across his eyebrows, the bridge of his nose and his lips. One final kiss pressed on his hairline, and even in slumber he managed to mumble out an "I love you".

Harry, Ron and Hermione came next. Harry couldn't stop crying, apologising for dragging him into that mess. It was only Harry they had wanted, after all.

Harry had said that they had used curses that he had never heard before, and when he watched Cedric collapse from the pain everyone had assumed that he had died. But then, as he was duelling, he had seen him breathing. The moment he had the chance to escape, Harry grabbed both Cedric and the cup, and they were back on the pitch.

When he told him that Voldemort was back, Cedric didn't hesitate to believe him.

He didn't remember much after he touched the cup, everything seemed to have blurred together. There was only his eyes meeting Liv's through the sea of people in the stands, and the searing pain he felt when they fired the curse at him. And then, nothing.

They had stayed for a short while, delivering stacks of cards and presents from members of Gryffindor. After they left, it was like a never ending stream of people. Cedric knew he should feel grateful that everyone cared enough about him to make sure he was alright, but he honestly just wanted to tell the majority of them to fuck off and let him sleep. And besides, there was one person who still hadn't visited.

He had just finished breakfast when she turned up the next morning, blue eyes brimming with tears.

"Told you you weren't getting rid of me."

She laughed, pulling him into a tight hug. He felt his shoulder dampen, but he couldn't have cared less.

"I've been so worried about you. They wouldn't let me in for days, I really did try but I also wanted you to get some rest."

"I'm completely fine, Liv. They've been taking me on walks after hours to try and see everything before I go. Bittersweet, but at least I've been able to do it one last time"

He heard four more voices, turning to see Juno, Lee, Fred and George smiling at them.

"How you feeling?" Lee had asked him, the group making their way to the chairs that had been set up around his bed.