The Mudblood

Chapter 52 : Year 3

I didn't talk to anyone the next morning, and I skipped breakfast to return my library books. As I was walking though the entrance hall, however, the Diggorys were just leaving the Great Hall, and they spotted me immediately. The moment I made eye contact with Amos, I wanted to turn and dart the other way, but before I could move, he ran up to me and wrapped his arms around me, sobbing heavy tears into my small shoulder as I tried not to drop my library books on his feet.

"Oh—you were the one! The one he cared about so much—he'd always talk about you—always—always—" Amos wailed, gaining the attention of many passing students. I glanced awkwardly in Cedric's mother's direction, and she gave me a warm smile.

"He always spoke very highly of you, Lainey," she told me in a soft, kind tone.

I bit my lip, my eyes darting between Cedric's mourning parents. "Yeah, well, that's not really what I want to hear right now—but—er—thanks... I'm...sorry—about your loss..."

She put a gentle hand on her husband's shoulder, and he reluctantly pulled away from me, wiping tears from his red eyes.

"S-sorry," he stuttered unable to look at me. "Hope to see you again..."

With another warm smile from Mrs. Diggory, the two of them walked away to leave Hogwarts. To leave the place where they had seen their only son dead.

Struggling to ignore the scratching in my throat, I trekked up to the library, where I would return the large pile of books that I was wielding. Since the term was over, the library was mostly vacant except for Madam Pince, the librarian who stood behind the front desk.

"Hi," I croaked as I placed the large pile of books onto the desk. I cleared my throat and forced a smile as she slowly looked up at me.

"Returning books, are you?" she asked in a tone much kinder than usual.

"Um—yeah," I managed to say as I quickly averted my gaze from hers.

Sighing, she took each book and logged it in her records with a magical quill.

"Woes of Werewolves, Defensive Spells, Jelly Jinxes..." she muttered, reading off each title as she went. Finally she got to the last book: "Quidditch Through the Ages."

As she stared down at her record log, her eyes widened and she looked up at me. "Cedric checked out this book."

I glanced up timidly, looking between her and the book. "Yeah—er—he gave it to me..."

She pursed her lips, eyeing me with sympathy before pushing the book back toward me. "You can keep it then, dear."

My mouth parted as I stared down at the book. I wanted to take it—to have something that would remind me of Cedric—but then...what did I really want to remember about Cedric? How he played me on? How he let his friends mock me, but then tried to kiss me in a cupboard? How he nearly cheated on his girlfriend with me, but then got mad at me when she found out about his feelings for me?

"That—that's okay," I stammered, shaking my head. "I don't want it."

Before she could say another word, I hurried out of the library, ignoring everyone I saw in the corridors. For the first time since Cedric's death, I knew I was actually going to cry. The tears were finally about to come—finally about to flood my face—but then, as I was walking down the stairs to the second floor when someone stepped in my way and wouldn't let me by. Blinking back the water in my eyes, I looked up at his face to find it was not at all whom I'd expected.