Courage

-58-

Book: Courage
Chapter 58
Word Count: 4686

All Layla could hear was a dull ringing in her ears as she pushed past many applauding people; she was yelled at. She didn't care.

She could hear her heart thumping loudly in her chest. Hermione and Ginny were shouting after her, Ron had rushed forward to try and hold her back, but Layla needed to get down there.

Shoving Ron away from her, Layla pushed past teachers and came to Harry's side. But her eyes weren't on Harry. They were on the body laying motionless beside him.

Layla didn't pay the slightest bit attention to the distraught Harry. Her eyes were solely on Cedric. It seemed as if everyone in the crowd was either sobbing over Cedric or watching Layla, awaiting her reaction.

But Layla didn't know how to feel, or say, or think. It was as if everything just paused around her. Before she knew what was happening, her knees had given way beneath her and she fell right beside Cedric's body, placing a hand on his pale cheek. It was ice cold.

"Ced?" Layla whispered. Her heart ached painfully in her chest. "Ced, this isn't funny. S-stop messing around, please. Talk to me."

"Layla—" Harry whispered, his green eyes glistening with tears as he tried to lay a hand on Layla's shoulder, but she shrugged his hand off, her eyes still glued to Cedric.

"Ced, talk to me! Please!" Her body began to shake as the deep, dark reality set in and sobs wracked her body. "Please... you can't be dead! Y-you were supposed to win this thing, remember? You can't be dead! Just get up! Please! I won't be mad. J-just get up and tell me that I shouldn't worry and that you're fine!" But Cedric didn't move. Layla's cries echoed around the completely silent room, her sobs being the only noise as everybody just watched her with pity. Even Dumbledore, who had moved forward to take Cedric's body out of the room, had frozen in his spot and was staring pitifully at Layla.

"Layla, please..." Hermione had walked down towards them. "You have to move away from him. Let Dumbledore look after him."

"No!" Layla snapped, her face wet with tears. "I won't leave him!" She turned back to Cedric's body. "Ced, you promised me a future! Y-you can't bail on me. Please... please just talk to me..."

"My son!" came a wailing voice. Amos had sprinted through the crowd in hopes of congratulating his son on the win... "No! That's my boy!" Amos knelt down beside Layla, wailing loudly over Cedric's body.

"Amos, I'm so sorry..." whispered Layla, already looking like a mess. Amos glanced at her, tears glistening in his own eyes, and he lunged towards the girl, hugging her tightly as they cried.

"No, I'm sorry, my dear. It never should have been like this."

"I know," said Layla, feeling as if her heart no longer worked and had decayed in her chest. Like her organs had failed her from the emotional pain that flooded her body.

As Layla allowed her boyfriend's dad to cry into her shoulder, she refused to look over at Cedric's body, knowing that he wouldn't gaze back at her ever again with that familiar lovable spark in his eyes.

Layla remembered their last encounter and the thought of it only made her heart hurt more.

"I love you, Layla. I will love you until the end of time."

"I love you more every second, Ced. I love you endlessly."

It wasn't until McGonagall walked over to distract Layla that Dumbledore and Snape were finally able to take Cedric's body out of the room. Of course, when Layla saw that Cedric's body wasn't there, she had a fit and claimed that she wasn't done talking to Cedric.