Diggory Is A Loser

35- Saying Goodbye

The next morning all the students at Hogwarts would be leaving for the summer holidays, and all the foreign students would be going home to their own countries.
Celia knew this was her last chance to see her friends, so she decided to say goodbye to them, as she felt that they deserved that.
Unfortunately this meant entering the courtyard, where the rest of the students were also saying goodbye to their friends. And since Celia had been ignoring large crowds, she looked at the courtyard in fear.
But before she could back out and head straight to the trainstation, Viktor saw her and immediately began heading towards her.

"Hi" mumbled Celia awkwardly.
"Me and Fleur have been looking vor you" admitted Viktor.
"This is the first time I've been out in public really. I shut myself away, after Ced- after what happened" replied Celia, who couldn't bring herself to say her brother's name out loud.
"Cedric vos alvays nice and polite to me, even though I vos from Durmstrang. He vos a good person, and I'm sorry he is gone"
"There was nothing anyone could have done to save him. If either of us had been there, we would have been killed too, and my brother wouldn't have wanted that".

"He wouldn't have vanted you to hide away from the vorld either" admitted Viktor.
"Well, since he's not here to tell me what he wants me to do, I can do what I like" snapped Celia.
"You should live vor the both of you, and have a great life" replied Viktor.
"This is why I've been locking myself away. I can't deal with the whole world telling me how to grieve, and how to get over my brother's death"
"I'm sorry if I upset you, I just want you to be happy"
"I don't think I'll ever be happy again. How can I be, when Cedric... when Cedric is dead?".

Viktor sighed and looked back to his classmates, who were beginning to head towards the Durmstrang ship.
"I should go" he mumbled.
"Yes, you should... Maybe I'll see you again at the next Quidditch World Cup" replied Celia.
"That's 4 years away" reminded Viktor.
"I know. But I can't exactly pop to Bulgaria at the weekend, can I?".
Viktor placed his hand inside his coat and pulled out a small piece of parchment, which he then handed to Celia.
"This is my address. Write to me when I return home" said Viktor.
Celia nodded, "I will".

"Zhere you are!"
Celia spun around and saw Fleur running towards her.
"I was just talking to..." Celia faltered as she looked back around and saw that Viktor had disappeared into the crowds of people.
"I thought you were going to leave wihout zaying goodbye" admitted Fleur, when she reached Celia's side.
"I was going to. But I changed my mind this morning and decided to come down" admitted Celia.

"I have been looking for you, for days. I've been so worried about you" revealed Fleur.
"I'm fine" insisted Celia.
"Don't lie to be. I know you better zan zat" replied Fleur, as she glared at Celia.
"Tell me then, how should I be feeling?"
"You should be sad. But hiding yourself away is not good for you. You need to talk to your friends and allow zem to support you, through zis hard time"
"For your information, I have been spending time with Harry, so I haven't been entirely alone".

Fleur frowned, "Zen why have you been avoiding me and Viktor, when we want to help you as well?".
"Because I knew you would want me to talk and open up. Harry doesn't make me do either of those things. He was also there when Cedric was murdered, so being with Harry makes me feel close to Cedric" answered Celia.
Fleur's face softened, "I understand why you want to be around Potter. But I still wish you hadn't shut me out, especially now zat our time together has come to an end".

"I'll write to you, I promise. I have your address already, so I will write you letters. We will stay in contact" insisted Celia.
"Letters are not ze same as spending time together. But I am planning on getting a job in zis country to improve my English. So, maybe we will see each other again soon" replied Fleur.
"Yeah, maybe" mumbled Celia.
"Zhere is zomeone else who wants to talk to you before we leave"
"I know. But I'm not sure I'm strong enough to say goodbye to him"
"You have to face him. It would be cruel if you left without saying goodbye"
"I suppose you're right".

Once she had finished saying goodbye to Fleur, Celia made her way over to the corner of the courtyard, where Benjamin was stood by himself.
"I came to say goodbye" said Celia, announcing her arrival.
Benjamin looked up from his book, suprised to see her.
"I wasn't sure that you'd come here, since this isn't the kind of thing you like" admitted Benjamin, gesturing to the groups of people hugging and laughing with each other.
"It's not. But I had to say farewell to you, Fleur and Viktor" replied Celia.
"I'm glad you came. I wasn't sure if I'd ever see you again"
"Well, here I am".

"I know I planned on coming over to see you this summer, but after what has happened, I don't think that's a good idea. You need some space to get over Cedric's death. And the last thing you need is me putting any pressure on you to act a certain way" admitted Benjamin.
"So, you're not going to tell me to start being happy, or talk to people about how I'm feeling?" Questioned Celia.
"It's not my place to tell you how to feel. Although, I'm sure that talking to people might help you. However, since you're an introvert like me, I can't see you wanting to talk to people about your emotions"
"No, that's not me".

"I also think it would be good if we broke up. Long distance relationships never work. You need time, not an overbearing boyfriend. I still want to be your friend and I want us to exchange letters. But for the time being, I don't think we should be an item" informed Benjamin.
"I like you a lot. But I think that you're right. I need some space and I'm certainly not right in the head for a boyfriend at the moment" agreed Celia.
"I wanted to give you something to remember me by though" announced Benjamin.
"You already got me an anklet"
"I know, but I wanted you to have something that would make you think of me".

Benjamin bent down and began rummaging through his trunk until he found what he was looking for.
He then stood up and handed the book he had picked up, over to Celia.
"Romeo and Juliet" mumbled Celia, as she read the title.
"I told you it was my favourite Shakespeare, when we first met. This is my copy, and I want you to have it, so that everytime you read it, you will think about the day we first met" admitted Benjamin.
Celia smiled for the first time in days, and held the book close to her chest.
"Thank you Benjamin, this means a lot to me" she said quietly.

Benjamin placed his arms around her, and they hugged each other tight.
"Keep yourself safe" begged Benjamin.
"You too" replied Celia, as they drew apart.
"Well then, this is it. Goodbye Celia" sighed Benjamin.
"Goodbye Benjamin. Have a safe flight home"
"Our winged horses are well trained, they won't go off course or anything, so you don't have to worry about me"
"That's good... I am going to miss you"
"And I you... I look forward to reading your first letter"
"I'll make sure to send one as soon as I get home then, so that I don't keep you waiting"
"I can't wait".