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The stars were blurred tonight. Or maybe it was just the sting in Willow's eyes.
She stood at the edge of the Astronomy Tower, hands gripping the stone railing so tightly her knuckles had turned white.
The air was thick with summer heat, but she was frozen, the cold settling deep in her bones. It wasn't just nerves anymore. It was certainty.
Cedric was going to die.
She had been telling herself for weeks that she was being irrational. That her nightmares, her gut-wrenching fear, were just paranoia.
But she couldn't ignore the way her chest ached every time she looked at him. The way dread wrapped around her ribs.
She did card readings, read the tea leaves, tried her best to look into the crystal ball, fire omens, and even used a pendulum. Everything came out terrible in some sort of way.
She knew something was going to happen in that maze. She just didn't know how to stop it.
"Willow?" His voice was warm as always, but when she turned, she could see the concern behind his easy smile.
He must have known she'd be here. This was where she always went when she needed to breathe, when the walls of her own mind became too suffocating. He stepped closer, his brows furrowing at the look on her face.
"What's wrong?" He asked slowly and kindly, approaching her slowly as if she were a little lamb.
She stared at him for a second before responding, knowing what she was about to say would confuse him. But, she had to.
"Don't go." She swallowed, her throat full of feathers.
Cedric stopped, his eyebrows furrowing together. "What?"
"The maze tomorrow. Don't go." Her voice broke slightly, but she didn't care. She turned fully to face him, desperate for him to listen. "Please, Ced. Just, just don't go."
A harder crease formed between his brows. "Willow,"
"I'm serious." She reached for his hands, holding them tightly in hers. "I know this is insane, and I know you have to do it, but don't. Just don't."
Cedric exhaled through his nose, shoulders stiffening. He studied her face like a book, questioning the new expression she wore.
