Diggory Is A Loser

33- The Dark Lord's Return

**this chapter discusses the topic of suicide. If you think this may be triggering for you, please stop reading after the asterisks, about halfway through**

Celia stayed hidden the owlery all day. And even though her stomach growled for food, she refused to head down to the great hall to get something to eat.
Several people entered the tower that day, but no one saw Celia sitting in her hiding place.
All of them spoke about Cedric and his mysterious death.
Apparently Dumbledore had given a speech that morning, instructing everyone to leave Harry alone and not to ask him any questions about what had happened in the maze. This meant that everyone was coming up with their own crazy theories about what had happened.

Harry eventually sought Celia out that evening, and joined her in her solitude.
"How's the leg?" Asked Celia, as Harry sat down beside her.
"It's fine. Madam Pomfrey healed me easily" answered Harry.
"How did it happen?" Questioned Celia.
"I got bitten by an Acromantula in the maze... Me and Cedric ended up fighting it off together"
"Are you going to tell me how my brother really died?"
"Yes, you are the only person I want to talk to about Cedric. You're his sister afterall, so I feel guiltiest when around you. You deserve to know the truth".

"Dumbledore said you wanted to tell me yourself, which is why he didn't tell me how Cedric died, when he found me this morning" admitted Celia.
"I hope you don't mind that I told him where to find you" replied Harry.
"It's fine. As long as you don't tell everyone where I like to hide, I have no objection to you telling some of the teachers... Come on now, it's time you told me how Cedric died" encouraged Celia.

Harry nodded and took a deep breath before starting his story, "We bumped into each other in the maze and reached the cup at the same time. Since we had both saved each other numerous times during the tournament, neither of us wanted to take the cup. In the end I forced Cedric to touch the cup at the same time as me, so that we could both be crowned Triwizard winners. So it's my fault Cedric died, because I made him come with me".
"Cedric was noble, so he never would have wanted to win if he was in your debt. You did the right thing by asking him to join you as a winner" replied Celia.

"When we touched the cup, it became a Portkey that took us to a graveyard. After we arrived a man named Peter Pettigrew appeared, but he wasn't alone... Pettigrew was carrying the weak form of Lord Voldemort. Voldemort ordered Pettigrew to kill Cedric, since he was only interested in me. Pettigrew did as he was told and murdered Cedric, before either of us could stop him. Pettigrew then performed a complicated spell, using my blood, to give Voldemort a new body. Once he had been resurrected, Voldemort summoned his death eaters to his side. He then duelled me, intent on killing me. But our wands share a core, so we cannot kill each other" revealed Harry.

"You wand has a brother wand that belongs to you-know-who?" Frowned Celia.
"Yes. We share a phoenix tail feather" answered Harry.
"Well, a wand will never work properly against its brother, which explains how you were able to escape from such a powerful and evil wizard" admitted Celia.
"When we fired our spells, our wands connected, and the reverse spell effect, occurred"
"Priori Incantatem?"
"Yes. When this happened, all of Voldemort's previous victims appeared in spirit form around us".

"You saw Cedric again?" Questioned Celia.
"Yes. He asked me to bring his body back and not leave it in the graveyard. I haven't told anyone else this, but he also told me to tell you, that he was sorry for all the things you've suffered because of him. And he hopes that you will forgive him" revealed Harry.
A tear rolled down Celia's face, "I had already forgiven him, but I guess I didn't make that clear to him, while he was still alive... You did as he asked though, Harry. You brought his body home".
"Fudge didn't believe me when I told him that Voldemort was back, or that he'd had Cedric killed" admitted Harry.
"Cornelius Fudge is the Minister for Magic, and everyone knows that politians are not to be trusted... I'm glad that you've told me what really happened to my brother".

**
Celia got up and headed over to the large open window, where the owls flew in through.
"But because Rita Skeeter released an article yesterday saying that I'm dangerous and unstable, everyone thinks I killed Cedric in the maze. So, I recieved some very nasty glares as I walked through the school today" informed Harry.
"We know the truth though. And I don't think Cedric's death is your fault. If anyone is to blame, it's me" admitted Celia.
"How do you work that one out?" Questioned Harry, as he stood up and made his way over to her.

"Me and Cedric argued a lot this past year, and I once told him that I wished I didn't have a brother" revealed Celia.
"I'm sure he knew that you didn't mean it" replied Harry.
"That's not all. I once said to him that I hoped he died on his quest to become the tournament winner. I've been thinking about it all day, and I've realised that my wish was granted. Cedric is dead because I was a jealous fool, who wanted her life to go back to normal" admitted Celia, as she took a step closer to edge of the tower.

Harry noticed how close she was to stepping over the edge, and he began to worry that in her current condition, she was not thinking clearly.
"Celia, your brother's death is not your fault. You didn't have him murdered" reminded Harry, as he cautiously began to step closer to Celia, hoping to reach her before she took any drastic actions.
"How can you say it's not my fault, when I once wished that my brother died in one of the tasks?" Asked Celia, as tears began streaming down her face.
"I'm sure that Cedric doesn't blame you in any way for his death. And he certainly wouldn't want you to end your life, because you felt guilty. The only person at fault here, is Voldemort. He's the reason Cedric is dead" replied Harry.

"No, I'm sure it's my fault. I asked for this. I made this happen" sobbed Celia.
"You said something stupid out of anger, you didn't mean it. Everyone knows that deep down you didn't want any harm to come to your brother. You loved him. And even though you didn't always show it, everyone knows that you cared about him" insisted Harry.
"How can I go on living, knowing that I killed my brother?" Questioned Celia.
"Cedric is dead, and the last thing he would want is for you to join him. He would want you to live a long and happy life, and you know it, because he always wanted what was best for you" admitted Harry, before lunging forward and taking hold of Celia's hand.

Harry then began pulling Celia away from the edge, so that she wouldn't be tempted to try and jump.
"It wasn't your fault" continued Harry.
Celia threw her arms around Harry and melted into his arms, as she cried.
Once the tears had started she couldn't seem to stop them coming. And she was crying so much that she was finding it hard to breathe.
Harry tried comforting her, but since he was just as broken and distraught about Cedric's death, this was no easy task.

In the end, they both ended up crying for several minutes, until eventually they ran out of tears.
"I want you to know, that you are never alone. Even though this tournament is over, I still want you to be my friend" informed Harry.
"Thank you. That's probably the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. You really are the best friend that I have ever had" admitted Celia.
"You're welcome" replied Harry.