Matilda and Cedric slammed down on the grass again, but only one was alive.
She barely had consciousness stirring about her, her vision fuzzy and her breathing sharp and shallow. All she could feel was her arm slung over Cedric and her face sideways against the cool grass beneath them, along with her ears ringing slightly and sensing the sound of the rising band music that played before the start of the task.
Cheering flooded her ears as the ringing faded away, her vision cleared a bit, and she saw the face of Albus Dumbledore nearing her as she rolled over to be clutching Cedric's body.
"Matilda!" Dumbledore called, then crouched down as he approached and said, "Matilda, are you- what's happened?"
When he said that, it triggered something to crack inside the girl, everything seemed to break within her in that moment, all the emotion and utter realness of seeing Cedric's lifeless face before her.
Tears welled in her eyes as she lifted her head to look at Dumbledore, still breathing heavily as her body began to tremble.
"He's back..." she croaked, grasping Cedric's side, "...Voldemort is back... C-Cedric... he was k-killed... he asked me to... t-to bring his body back here..."
She could no longer speak, it was far too difficult to do so. Instead, she hung her head and let a sob pour from her lips, Dumbledore watching her closely with wide eyes.
Matilda, in the midst of her unraveling, heard the sound of the band's music die down and the crowd of students were muttering with confusion, all staring at Matilda and Cedric on the ground in the center...
"Dumbledore, what's happened? What's going on?" the voice of Cornelius Fudge came from above her.
Dumbledore had his hand on Matilda's back as she sobbed when he turned to the Minister, saying in a low voice, "the Dark Lord has returned, Cornelius."
Fudge merely stared at him for a moment, then stood, blank-faced, before hurrying back towards the sides of the stands to control the confused crowd that was once clapping and cheering only moments before.
Dumbledore did not move as more adults gathered around Matilda collapsed over Cedric's corpse, instead, he was holding the sides of her head and leaning in close to provide any sort of comfort in the midst of her breakdown.
The crowd had apparently heard of what happened, because more murmurs came and then the sound of a few girls sobbing hysterically, some crying out at the news, other standing in a stunned shock as Matilda seemed to block everything out as she bowed her head at Cedric's side.
"Let me through! Move! My son... what's happened to my... my son..."
Matilda lifted her head to see Cedric's father pushing through the distraught crowd, nearing them until he collapsed on his knees at his son's head, Cedric's eyes staring up, glazed over, lifeless.
Mr. Diggory let out a choked sob, his hands trembling as they pressed against the sides of Cedric's face.
"M-my son... my boy..."
Matilda was suddenly hoisted off the ground, pulled away from Cedric's body and the others and in the strong hold of someone behind her. It was a man, whose arm was wrapped over her shoulders as he leaned in to speak to her in a low voice.
"Easy now, Matlock..." the deep voice of Madeye Moody came in her ear as she choked on tears, "...let's get you out of here... c'mon, I've got you..."
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Matilda felt herself being guided back by the man, watching the scene of Cedric's father sobbing over his son, Dumbledore clutching the man's shoulder, Cornelius Fudge staring, stunned, at the dead boy, and the shocked yet heartbroken crowd behind them, grow further away.
YOU ARE READING
Matilda Matlock
Fanfiction"You're a witch, Matilda," Hagrid spoke. Matilda stared at him. Then, she began to laugh. With a large, furrowed brow, Hagrid asked, "did I say 'sum funny?" "I'm laughing at your joke!" Matilda wheezed with a hand pressed to her chest. "I do lov...
