by my side¹ - d. malfoy

Thirty-Two

THE NEXT couple of days were just scattered memories for Laura. Even a month later, when Laura was back in New York, she found herself trying to remember what had happened.

The memories she did remember were painful. It was reminiscent of her first year when she had to go through a similar situation. She had blocked most of those memories, so living through a similar experience caused her old memories to resurface.

Perhaps one of the most painful things was when she had to meet with the Diggorys with Harry, which took place the next morning.

The Diggorys were too kind, in Laura's opinion. They didn't blame her or Harry for what happened; on the contrary, both thanked them for returning Cedric's body to them. Mr. Diggory sobbed through most of the conversation, while Mrs. Diggory's grief seemed beyond tears.

"He suffered very little then," Mrs. Diggory said after Laura gently told them how Cedric had died. "And after all, Amos... Cedric died just when he'd won the tournament. He must have been happy."

The two of them got up. Mrs. Diggory looked down at Harry and Laura and said, "You two look after yourselves and each other."

However, before they left, Laura grabbed her winnings.

"Please, take this," Laura told Mrs. Diggory. "It should've been Cedric's, he got there first, you take it-"

She backed away from Laura.

"Oh no, it's yours, dear, I couldn't... You keep it."

No matter what Laura told her, she refused. So, Laura kept it, unsure what to do with it.

Draco accompanied Laura back to the Slytherin Dungeons that evening. He told her that Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning, requesting that everyone leave Laura and Harry alone. He also asked nobody to ask Laura what happened in the maze.

As he was telling her this, she could tell people were avoiding them, avoiding eye contact. Some even whispered behind their hands as they passed.

Laura stayed in her own bubble for the rest of the week. She would spend time with her friends, but Laura would mostly sit alone at the library, just reading and trying to get herself together.

Sometimes she would talk to Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Harry would be staying at her house that Summer, so they planned to do some fun, simple things together.

Classes were mundane after the third trial. Laura showed up and did the work. However, she couldn't put herself into the work.

Despite that, with a heavy heart, Laura packed up her trunk in her dorm the night before she would go spend a week at the Malfoys. Laura wasn't sure how she felt about the Leaving Feast; it should have been a happy occasion, but she wasn't sure it would be.

Laura had only gone to the Great Hall a few times since she had left the hospital wing. While Laura was no stranger to getting stares, the ones she was getting at that point, she didn't want. However, it was the Leaving Feast, and she would put up with it.

When she, Draco, Pansy, and Blaise entered the Great Hall, they immediately noticed the usual decorations were missing. Draco had explained to her before the feast that, typically, the Great Hall was decorated with the winning house's colors. Yet, that night, the drapes on the wall behind the teacher's table were black.

Cedric.

They were for Cedric.

Upon realizing this, Laura kept closer to Draco. He squeezed her hand.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked softly as they walked to their table. People were already staring at her.

"I'll be okay," Laura nodded as they sat down. "It'll be uncomfortable, but that's nothing new."