Torn Between Three Me's

23 - Feeling Small

A/N: Trigger Warning - mention of blood/injury (minimal - not gorey)

'Ced!' I screamed, running for the tree. He dangled in the tree. His head was bleeding, as well as his leg. His leg was bleeding rather profusely.

Luna walked over to the base of the tree and collected the car that'd fallen, slipping it into her coat pocket, then looked up at the tree at Cedric. 'Can you climb up and get him?' She asked.

'I don't know. I'm smaller than him. If he had trouble making the jumps, I probably will. And even if I do make it...how am I supposed to carry him down?'

'Know any spells?' She asked, shrugging.

'Oh, he didn't want me to,' I stressed. 'But it might be the only way.' I looked back up at his dangling body, as red blood dripped down onto the white snow below. 'Umm...what's scarier for a muggle to see? Harder to explain away? A floating body or a ladder out of nowhere?'

'Definitely the floating body. Go with the ladder,' Luna said.

'Right,' I said, looking around, and then after determining the coast was clear, I took my wand out. I cleared my throat, ready to cast a spell and then frowned. 'Uh...I don't know how to conjure a ladder. Do you know how to say ladder in latin?'

Luna shrugged.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, giving myself a chance to think of all the possible ways I could do this. I wasn't going to be able to carry him all the way back to the village, to dad. The muggles are not allowed to see the magic and therefore I could not wingardium leviosa or mobilicorpus him all the way there. What if they didn't see him at all?

My eyes shot open. 'I got it,' I said, walking towards the tree. 'I don't even know if this is totally going to work, but he's the smarter one.' I looked at Luna. 'Just...don't tell him I said that, please.'

She nodded in understanding. 'Will he be okay, though?'

'If everything works the way I want it to, yes.' I chuckled nervously. 'I just...uh...can't crush him.'

Luna's eyes widened in horror. 'You're kidding, right?'

'No,' I said flatly. Then I exhaled, holding up my wand. 'Ascendio.' My body rose into the air at my command. I was flying straight up. Flying! Without a broom! It was exciting and terrifying at the same time. I grabbed a hold of the branch Ced was on once I came up to it and swung my legs over to a sitting position.

Once I was fully situated and was comfortable enough to know I wasn't going to fall and the branch wasn't going to break with both our weights, I pointed my wand at Ced and put the other hand under his body. 'Reducio.' Cedric's body shrunk down to the size of a grape and now he laid in the palm of my hand.

'Okay, stand back. I'm coming down now,' I shouted down to Luna. She backed away from the tree, looking curiously up at me. I swung both my legs off to one side of the branch and then jumped off the side of the tree, frantically shouting, 'arresto momentum' as I fell. I started to slow down, then stopped inches from the ground, hovering there for a second, before dropping down after.

Luna rushed over to me. 'Are you alright? Are you hurt?' She asked, panicking.

'I'm fine,' I said tensely.

'You look like you're going to be sick,' she said hesitantly.

I suddenly realized how stiffly I was holding every muscle in my body besides my left hand, where Cedric was held. I exhaled, relaxing. 'No, no. I'm ok. Can you hold him for one second while I put my wand away please?' Luna nodded and I gently transferred Ced to her hands.