Call Me Em

A Letter a Ring and a Goodbye

Chapter Twenty-Four: A Letter, a Ring, and a Goodbye
***Embry's POV***

I haven't stopped crying since last night, all that went through my mind was that it should have been me. Cedric had so much more going for him than I did yet he was dead now, as if he'd never been born. After a while Cedric's friend Ernie had pulled me away from the Quidditch pitch and instead of taking me back to Gryffindor Tower he'd brought me to the Hufflepuff dorms and tucked me into Cedric's bed. I hadn't been here since I'd told Cedric about me being Sirius's daughter last year. The whole night I'd cried into Cedric's pillow, it smelt like him.

Now it was almost ten o'clock, a little after ten Dumbledore was holding a memorial in the Great Hall in Cedric's honor. I looked around Cedric's dorm and spotted a dirty shirt. I quickly took off my shirt and pulled his own and sniffed it. It smelt of him: parchment, the lemony soap he used, and the smell of broom polish. It's my favorite scent in the world. I also found a pair of his sweatpants and switched them with my own pants. As I did this a letter fell out of the pocket, the one Cedric had given me before the task. The one he'd told me not to open until after the task, when we were together again. I opened the envelope carefully as I sat back down on his bed. I unfolded the parchment inside, it read:

Embry,

If you're reading this then it means everything in the final task went okay, or it could mean that I'm dead and you're reading this letter anyways. Let's hope for the former, okay?

The first time I saw you was the day you came to Hogwarts and were sorted into Gryffindor. Before you were even sorted I couldn't take my eyes off you. You looked so beautiful in your plain robes with your long black hair falling in front of your face. To be honest I'd been silently pleading with the Sorting Hat to place you in Hufflepuff so I could get to know you better.

After that day I was always trying to figure out how to start a conversation with you, it was strange how nervous you made me (You were the first person to ever do so). When I saw you that day in Lupin's office with your hair and eyes red with anger I couldn't do anything but follow you. It was as if you were part Veela, I was already in love with you and we hadn't even shared a word. When you told me about your life that day and what the Malfoy's did to you it was like a piece of me broke. I hated to even imagine you being hurt like that and it killed me. No one deserves what you went through, and you certainly don't.

Remember what I said that night in the Room of Requirement? That you're perfect and beautiful? Both of those are true, even if you're too thick at times to believe me. Your scars are part of your past, they made you who you are today and I love who you are. You look at your scars as if they're something that you need to hide but they're not. You shouldn't have to hide them, they show that you've survived. Embry Irina Black you are perfect and I hope that you see that one day, I'll make sure you do.

When I was little my mother and I were always bound at the hip, she was my best friend. I felt as though part of me died when she did and that I'd never be whole again. I never was, I just always put on a brave face for my dad because I knew he was broken without her too. Over the years we've barely spoken of her because it brings both of us pain but when we do it also numbs our pain too. At those moments it's like she's still here with us, just out of reach. My dad's told me about how when he first saw her he knew that she was the one and they were meant to be together. He told me that it was as though she owned him from the moment they met and even in death she still owns his heart. They had true love.

The way my father describes their relationship makes me think of ours and how strong its become in just this past year. I feel like my life revolves around you and I never want that to change. You make me feel alive and help me forget the pain that has haunted me since my mother's death. I love you Embry Irina Black and I want to spend forever proving that to you. I want you to be the first thing that I see when I wake up and the last thing I see before I go to bed. I want to spend my life trying to make you laugh and smile. I want to be the only one that makes your hair go pink and see you try to hide in it when you blush. I know that we're still young and have another year here at Hogwarts but I love you with all my heart.

Now turn around :)

Love,

Cedric

I knew he wasn't there but I still found myself turning around as if he were. I was surprised though to see Amos standing there watching me, his tear filled eyes trained on the letter in my hands. He looked so much older than he had just yesterday when he'd been telling me how proud he was of Cedric. Now his son was gone, the last of his family had been taken from him. First his wife and now his son.

"Cedric sent me and owl not long after the second task." His voice sounded strained as he entered the room and sat down next to me on Cedric's bed. "He wrote me saying how much he loved you and how you were the best thing to ever happen to him."

"He was the best thing to happen to me too." I choked out as more tears flooded my eyes and blurring my vision. I started to sob again and didn't even pay attention as Amos wrapped an arm around me and rubbed my back while he silently cried too. We must have stayed like that for a while because when we broke apart I glanced at the large grandfather clock in the corner and saw that it read ten o'clock. We needed to be heading down to the Great Hall now. I went to stand up but was stopped by Amos's hand on my shoulder.

"He asked me for this, saying that he knew it was you." He placed something in my palm and wrapped my fingers around it. Before I could say anything else he left me sitting there alone on the bed. I looked back down at my hand and uncurled my fingers to see what was in my palm. Sitting there was a small ring with a beautiful stone on it that sparkled in the sunlight breaking in through the window. I looked at the ring and then at Cedric's letter and I knew what it meant.

"Forever." I whispered as I slipped the ring onto my hand and held the letter close to my chest. My forever was gone.

***

The Great Hall was quiet when I reached it and instead of the colorful house flags hanging from the ceiling there were black Hufflepuff ones. At the front there were two large pictures of a smiling Cedric that watched over everyone. Everyone was wearing their house robes, everyone except for me. I was still dressed in Cedric's shirt, sweatpants, and scarf with the letter tucked into my pocket and the ring on my finger.

When I entered the hall everyone turned and looked at me. I could see the pity clear in their eyes as they took in my night black hair and matching black eyes. I tried to ignore their pitiful looks as I found an empty seat in the back, away from everyone else. I kept my eyes trained on the ring on my finger as I tried my best not to start sobbing loudly. I couldn't stop the tears that were already streaming down my face but I could try and stay quiet.

"Today we acknowledge a really terrible loss." Dumbledore's voice echoed through the quiet hall but I still kept my head down. "Cedric Diggory was as you all know, exceptionally hard working, infinitely fair-minded and most importantly a fierce, fierce friend. Now I think therefore you have the right to know exactly how he died. You see, Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort. The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this, but not to do so I think would be an insult to his memory."

"We'll celebrate a boy who was, kind and honest, and brave, and true right to the very end." He continued as people started to quietly whisper about Voldemort. I shook with silent sobs as I continued to listen to him. "Remember, if the time should come, when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."

"I love you Cedric." I whispered as I held my head in my hands. I could hear people getting up and leaving the hall and was thankful when no one stopped to talk to me. They all knew that I needed to be alone, along with Cedric.

"Lu?" A familiar voice whispered as I felt someone sit down in the chair next to me. I glanced up to see Fred and Ginny sitting on either side of me with George, Ron, Hermione, and Harry standing around. They all had sad expressions and Ginny looked as though she'd been crying too.

"He's gone," I choked out as more sobs ripped through me. Fred didn't hesitate in pulling me into his arms while I continued to cry. Having him hold me only hurt though, just this time yesterday I'd been crying in Cedric's arms and now he was dead. I just kept crying as Fred lifted me in his arms and stared to carry me out of the hall with the others. I peeked my head up and looked over his shoulder at Cedric's smiling photo.

"I love you Cedric," I thought in my head as his picture grew further away. "Goodbye."