Willow || Cedric Diggory

The First Task

His body was aching like hell and his eyes were extremely puffy. Yet despite his lethargy and slight inability to focus, his boyfriend's emotion of furry was not an easy one to miss. Not even when they were separated by hundreds of steps from each other or so.

"So... how do you feel?" Professor McGonagall fetched him a tea. The fragrant fume swiftly reached his nostrils, prompting Rey to ungracefully fetch one of the cup for himself.

"A wreck, actually." Rey sighed as he put the half-drank cuppa. The wizened witch did not push him to elaborate, but deep down he felt a bit wrong not doing so after creating such a fuss for her. Though deep down, Rey still wondering how on earth she on her 100+ years of age still managed to deal with all the kids and their shenanigans.

"Well... I was just going back to the tower when he ambushed me. I tried to evade but I could not. Like..." He glanced at McGonagall, "Literally... could not do anything, accordingly."

The myriad of expressions that crossed his teacher's face was worrying. The first one, was a blank expression that she put on. It was clear for Rey that she was trying to process what he just said. It was all calm until the rogue bludger of realization hit. Professor McGonagall gasped in shock, turning a shade paler, before turning furious at what he have just experienced. Though the fury was quickly replaced for the feeling of empathy and maternal care that were clearly being directed at him.

"That's vile." Her voice broke. "I only heard what was from Mr. Diggory's point of view." 

"Yeah... Did he mention that someone blew a wall to get through the warded door?"

"Yeah, he did, in both sense. That shocked me a little last night, but this revelation indeed made my heart skipped a few more." 

"Oh no..." Rey gave her a worried glance. He tried to non-verbally apologize towards the professor, but she beat him by the second.

"Oh don't you worry. I've accumulated enough stress from handling young children over my years at hogwarts, enough to live a long life." The professor smiled at him warmly.

It was true -and unlike what other believed,- that the professor have taught at Hogwarts ever since 1906. Being born in 1885, she had spend 90 something years teaching young children. All sorts of them. Rey could only wonder if there were any other trouble makers that matched the level of Fred and George. 

"Maybe we should check your wellbeing with Madam Pompfrey. Maybe I should cal-"

Professor McGonagall was cut off with a sudden opening of her door, prompting her and Rey both swiftly turned towards said door. Right there, they could see a rather annoyed Madam Pompfrey closing the door behind her, with her medicine bag ready in her hand. Yet despite her seething expression -like the one when Gilderoy Lockhart magically removed Harry's bone to 'fix' his broken arm, or whenever he or Cedric insisted to accompany each other in the Hospital wing-, Rey could detect some sort of satisfaction from within her very heart.

"Never, in my time at Hogwarts that a student dare to do such horrible thing." She slammed her heavy bag right next to Rey, causing him to scoot a few inches a way from her. 

Though ignoring his worried gesture, the matron turned to the two of them and shot her blinding smile. This couldn't be good.

"I heard from the Slytherin prefect and the other Durmstrang student what happened to that bloke. Of course I had to ask some questions when someone with a huge black eye and a cut lip brought over by two other students, right?"

"Yes, Poppy. Do go on, what did you do?"

"It's not like I turned him into a frog or something," The matron pulled up a vial of potion from her bag, "but let's just say that I accidentally fetched him an effective medicine that has a prolonged side effect. He won't be able to feel anything besides cramping pain for the next three hours."