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Devastation came as soon as her eyes opened or closed, so essentially, every second of every day.
She had just opened her eyes from another nightmare, except this time, she was watching Harry Potter die before her. Not Cedric. That was yesterday's nightmare.
Guilt and fear had become a second nature to her, it was like a disease creeping into her bloodstream, poisoning every thought. There was no antidote or cure—just dread.
She could end it all by telling Cedric what she knew about the tournament and Harry's visions, including the guilty feeling she had that something absolutely terrible was going to happen.
Instead, she told herself it was her terrible anxiety that had been looming all these years. She was being ridiculous and paranoid; Cedric didn't need that in his life.
He was a confident person, and he was strong; she knew he could handle the news. Yet, this huge part of her told her that she couldn't be the one to ruin that. If she were to tell him, he'd be drowning in the same pool of paranoia that she was.
Rather, she insisted on watching Cedric like a hawk every moment that she wasn't with him. It might've been the guilt eating her from the inside, but subliminally, she couldn't stop. She had to protect him the ways she could.
Her plan was in full force: protect him at all costs, watch his every move, and help him prepare for the tournament in every way she could. It was going extremely well until Cedric caught on.
"Darling?" He said through nervous lips, watching her intently as she went through another book about dark magic. His voice was gentle yet full of concern.
"Hm?" She hummed unfazed, taking every word in as if her own life relied on it. Cedric didn't say anything for a moment but instead watched and then placed his hand over her book.
She looked up at him with a confused expression, almost moving his hand, but allowing her brain to take a quick pause.
"Are you alright?" He spoke softly and slowly, making sure to look into every part of her eyes that he could.
At first, she was baffled. Why wouldn't she be alright? Then, it hit her, and the long answer was extremely complicated.
So, she settled for another one. "Yes, why do you ask?" She hadn't been anywhere close to being sane for days now, but she thought she was doing a good job of keeping that a secret.
Cedric's lips formed into a grin before he took the book in her hands and set it to the side, then grabbed her free hands.
"Willow," He was beginning to freak her out, did he know? Did he find out? "I know you like I know myself, okay? Something's wrong. You've just been high strung recently, you know?"
