Him - A Harry Potter Love Story

Chapter Eighteen

A/N This chapter skips over a lot of parts and is shorter than most but oh well🤷‍♀️ But hey, it's the last chapter of book four!

"Promise me you'll be careful," I said, hugging Harry. He pulled me close to him, his arms wrapped tightly around me.

"Of course, Cassie. You have nothing to worry about."

I knew that he was nervous. I knew that he wasn't sure if he would be safe in the maze.

I also knew I couldn't stop him from competing. No one could.

I gave him one last peck on the lips and let him go into the classroom that the four champions would wait in, then headed off to find Hermione and Ron so we could get seats together.

••••••••••

A strangled gasp escaped my throat when I saw him.

He appeared with the cup, Cedric Diggory laying motionless on the ground. I stood, both Ron and Hermione grabbing my arms and holding me back from running to him. Harry was yelling, tears streaming down his face, which was covered in dirt and blood. One of his sleeves was ripped, blood gushing out of his arm.

"Harry!" I screamed, several heads turning my way. Hermione yanked me back into my seat, wrapping both arms around me to keep me from moving.

"Cassie, Cassie, he's alright!" she kept telling me, but I wasn't listening. I could only watch in terror as Harry was taken inside, Cedric's father sobbing as he threw himself over his son's dead body.

••••••••••

"Harry," I breathed out, standing up. I had been waiting on a bench by the entrance to the common room for over an hour. It was late, but McGonagall had passed by and knew why I was still out.

Without saying anything, he walked into my arms. We sat down, holding each other.

"I'm so sorry, Harry. About Cedric."

"It was Voldemort."

I felt a chill travel down my spine, and I pulled away from him. "What?"

"The cup was a portkey. It took us to this graveyard...Peter Pettigrew was there. He brought Voldemort back."

His voice was cold and filled with hatred - I didn't blame him, after all those two had done to him.

"He's back?" I asked weakly, and he nodded.

Harry then proceeded to tell me what had happened; how You-Know-Who had shot the killing curse at him while he tried to disarm him, the two spells connecting in the middle. He saw people who had died, people who had bravely risked their life for him or others.

"And...Cassie, I don't know how to say this," he said, his voice lowering. I frowned as he reached in his pocket, pulling out a small photo, crumpled but still intact. "I saw your father."

I placed a hand over my mouth as he handed me the photo. I examined it; there was a man, a woman, and a baby, wrapped in a light pink blanket, giggling as her parents made funny faces at her. The picture was magic, so you could see the couple swaying the child back and forth gently.

"Who-who are these people?" I asked, looking up. I furrowed my eyebrows, confused. "Did my dad give you this?"

"He did, and...well, the baby is you," he said, averting his eyes from mine. I continued to stare at him, my eyes widening. I knew what he was about to say.

"And the couple?"

"Those...those are your parents."

I didn't respond right away. I looked back down in the picture, trying to swallow the lump in my throat.

"I don't understand," I whispered.

"What he said to me, was... 'Give this to Cassie. She needs to know who her real parents are.'"

"But...but..."

Harry wrapped his fingers around my hand. "I'll help you find them if it's the last thing I do."

••••••••••

I wanted desperately to go talk to Dumbledore; he would know what this was. The fact that the people I had grown up with weren't my parents...it was just as painful as when my...my fake mother started beating me.

We had gotten off the train, and I had said bye to Ron and Hermione. I had moved over to Harry, glad to not have my 'mother' there at the moment.

"Be careful, okay? Write me as much as you can," Harry said, pushing my hair back from my face.

"Of course. And you need to write me back," I said, smiling softly. He nodded, touching his lips to mine.

I wrapped my arms around him, his hands on my face. I didn't care who was looking, and I didn't care who was thinking how annoying it was when couples showed affection like this in public. I only cared that this was the last kiss I'd share with him all summer...and I wanted to make it last.

Although nothing could ever compare to our first kiss, as we pulled away, I knew that it would be one of the kisses I thought about for the next week.

"Tell me if she hurts you more. I'll even have you come to the Dursley's if you need to leave," he said, taking my hands.

"Thank you, Harry. For everything this year," I said, wiping a tear that had escaped from my eye. "I-I don't know why I feel like I won't be seeing you ever again, it's only a few months."

"It's okay. We'll see each other soon," he chuckled. He glanced over my shoulder and frowned. "There's my uncle."

I turned around to see Vernon, a scowl forming on his face when he saw us.

"Is your mother here?" Harry asked, looking around.

"No, not yet," I sighed. "It's okay, though. You can go."

He smiled a little, nodding. We hugged, the embrace lasting for a few long moments.

"Bye, Cassie. I'll see you in a few months," he called out as he walked away. I smiled, waving.

"See you."