Golden Girl II: By Your Side (Reader x Cedric x Draco)

♡ 05 | Rescues and Rewards

Thunder cracks, its booming echo resonating through the night sky, but it's not the sound of nature's fury. Green and red lightning clash, illuminating the darkness with their lethal dance. Then, a scream pierces the air.

"Cedric!!!"

"Avada Kedavra!!!"

Cedric is hurled backward, thrown into the air, his body crashing against a nearby gravestone. He lands in a broken, crumpled heap. His face is pallid, sweat-drenched, eyes empty and staring into oblivion. There's no movement, no sign of life. Cedric Diggory is dead.

Voldemort looms over his body, his foot on Cedric's chest. He is back. Thin and slimy. Dressed in dark ropes with glowing red eyes with slits for a nose, his wand raised. And then he is not just standing on Cedric's corpse, but on a pile of bloody corpses: Lily Potter, James Potter, Myrtle Warren, Hepzibah Smith, Florean Fortescue, Bertha Jorkins, Frank Bryce and the Riddle Family.

Eyes snap open and Harry sits upright in his bed, soaked in cold sweat, panting.

Harry's heart races like a Hippogriff caught in a storm, pounding against his chest as if trying to escape the nightmare's grip. He blinks away the remnants of sleep, the images of Cedric's lifeless body and Voldemort's sinister presence still haunting him.

 As his eyes adjust to the dim light of his room, a figure stands in the doorway, holding a small light that casts a soft glow. The blurry silhouette resolves into Cedric, his golden aura a beacon of comfort amidst the lingering shadows of Harry's dream.

"Cedric!!!" Harry's voice cracks with emotion as he lunges from his bed, his body moving on instinct alone. He wraps his arms around Cedric in a tight embrace, relief flooding through him like a rushing river. "You're alive, Cedric, you're alive!!!"

Cedric's laughter fills the room, warm and reassuring, as he gently extricates himself from Harry's fervent grip. "Well, I should hope so..." His gaze softens as he takes in Harry's disheveled appearance, the telltale signs of a restless night etched on his face. "Nightmares?"

"Nightmares," Harry confirms with a nod, his voice barely above a whisper.

Cedric's expression shifts, his features mirroring the empathy and understanding that Harry has come to rely on. Without hesitation, he pulls Harry into a tight embrace, offering solace in the warmth of his arms. "Don't worry... You're safe now," he murmurs softly, his voice a soothing balm to Harry's troubled mind.

Harry clings to Cedric's embrace, the tension draining from his body as he allows himself to be enveloped by Cedric's comforting presence. For a moment, he forgets about the horrors of his nightmares, the weight of the world lifted from his shoulders by Cedric's reassuring words.

Eventually, Harry pulls back slightly, meeting Cedric's gaze with a mixture of gratitude and exhaustion. "Thank you," he says softly, his voice hoarse from the lingering fear of his dreams. He blinks as his eyes settle onto Cedric's perfectly chilled face. "W-Wait. What are you doing here all alone?"

"All alone?" Cedric chuckles, looking over his shoulder. Harry does too, to see Nymphadora Tonks, Mad-Eye Moody, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Remus Lupin all squashed together in the Dursleys' hall, each holding their wands with glowing tips.

"What are you lot doing here!?!" Harry exclaims, grinning from ear to ear as he embraces Remus Lupin as tight as he possibly could.

"Why, rescuing, of course!" Cedric says brightly, patting Harry on the back. "You've had enough of a break, Potter. It's time to come back to the Wizarding world!"

Harry looks up at him, starry-eyed and face flushed. "Finally!!!"

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