Kassandra Bauer and the Goblet of Fire (Book 4)

Chapter 29: Veritaserum.

Both Harry and I fell hard to the ground. I layed up at the stars. Unable to move. Frightened. Twitching. That whole ordeal I had just gone through. And the aftermath of the Shadow Spell that launched at me had taken its toll. I breathed in rapidly, trying to absorb all that happened. Voldemort was back. Cedric was dead. I felt like I was in a living nightmare and I couldn't wake from it. 

My hand was on Cedric the whole time, and I dared not let go of him. I was shaking all up and down. What I had predicted had come true. And now Cedric was dead, I should've fought harder, I should've insisted that Cedric not compete. Why couldn't I have done more to save him? I just kept sobbing. Everything else had become deaf. I couldn't hear anything else in that moment. 

Soon everyone would be on us. I saw Harry push himself off the grass. And forced himself to his feet. But he didn't move. And then a muffled voice screaming.

"Kassie! Kassie!" I saw Ethan run over to me. "Keep those Vultures back!" He ordered Jacob.

"Everyone stay back!" Jacob yelled.

Ethan's face was full of worry now as he ran over. "Kassie! What happened?! You didn't-" And then he stopped when he looked at me.

"E-Ethan!" I sobbed. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" 

Ethan tried to take me, but I dare not move from Cedric. "NO! NO!" I screamed.

"Cedric?" Ethan asked looking at the dead face of Cedric and horrified. But then he noticed some dark magic wounds on my chest. "Shadow Magic..." He realized.

"Harry! Kassandra!" I didn't even notice Dumbledore, presence, as he turned to Harry. 

"Goddammit, Kassie! What happened?!" Ethan demanded.

I quickly fell into his arms. "He's back! He's back! Voldemort's Back!" I cried out. 

"What?" Ethan asked horror struck. "Who's back?" 

"Voldemort's back!" I repeated. "This whole thing was trap!" I was getting frantic in my voice now. "And Snyde! He's out of Azkaban! Voldemort broke him out!" 

"Snyde?" Ethan asked confused.

Damnit. I must've not done a good job of explaining myself. But it was just too much. 

"What's going on? What's happened?" 

The face of Fudge appeared, standing over us, and looking appalled and with a pale face. 

"My God- Diggory!" He said. "Dumbledore- he's dead!" 

And those words were repeated in the shadowy pressing in on us, gasping it frantically. And then others started shouting it- screeching it into the night. "He's dead! He's dead! Cedric Diggory! Dead!" 

I also heard a scream from another girl. It might've been Danielle, but I couldn't really tell in that moment.

I looked at Cedric to realize how true that statement was. And I also heard the thundering steps of Beatrice arrive. "Cedric!" She screamed out as Fudge tried to hold her back. Fat chance. She ran over to us and looked at Cedric. 

"What happened?!" Beatrice asked in horror.

"He's dead." I answered looking down. "Voldemort came back, and Fletcher Snyde killed him! He broke out of Azkaban!" 

"Fletcher Snyde?" Beatrice asked looking at Cedric. "Cedric! Cedric! Cedric! Cedric!" She yelled frantically. "Come on! Wake up! Wake up!"

Ethan looked now at Cedric. He pounded his fist on the ground. And yelled out in anger. 

"Cedric... no." Beatrice started to cry now. "No! No! This wasn't supposed to happen!" 

"Beatrice..." Ethan started to say.