Just Like Magic (Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger Fan fiction)

Chapter 28: Vain

But as he reached the ground and sprinted towards the dais, Lupin grabbed Harry around the chest, holding him back. "There's nothing you can do, Harry -"

"Get him, save him; he's only just gone through!"

"-is's too late Harry."

"We can still reach him-" Harry struggled hard and viciously, but Lupin would not let go...

"There's nothing you can do Harry... nothing... he's gone."

Harry turned towards me hurt filling his glassy eyes. "Save him, Hermione! Save him!"
------------------------
I woke up with a jolt. I was already tired and sore from the evening's activities and to have the image of the Department of Mysteries battle fresh in my mind I was exhausted. Harry didn't know what I was up to but yet I still felt like he was relying on me. What if we never found a way to get Sirius out? Would I still tell Harry I tried?

A hand caressed my shoulder and I turned and nestled into Cedric's chest. He whispered in the quiet room, "Bad dream?"

I nodded. We would have a rough day ahead of us. This was where our search ended. If we lost Georgina now there would be no hope. She wouldn't remain here long and with the knowledge that Death Eaters were fresh on her tail we couldn't let them know the secrets of the arch before us.

Cedric placed his chin on my head and looked towards the clock. "It's 5 o'clock. What do you say we get an early start?"

"Works for me." I released a loaded breath and squeezed him tightly before I released him and climbed off the bed.

We showered and got dressed before grabbing out stuff and heading into town. Our first stop was to be a realtor's office to check out recent purchases before heading to the library to search through the archives. The day was hot and warm yet a light breeze wafted through the thick air. The realtor seemed unable to give us the information needed due to law restrictions but as Cedric tried to reason with her our urgency I enjoyed the pictures of the beautiful beach front properties within the building. As expected, the Smyth family homes were not public information-much like the rest of the wizarding families.

Together we made our way to the Public Library where a nice old woman brought us down to the basement and directed us towards old yearbooks and newspapers. She left stating that if we had any questions we needed only to ask.

Dumbledore had provided us with the most recent picture of Georgina that he could find and one from her first year at Hogwarts. It was apparent that any information in the archives would be prior to her receiving her letter. This place had to be a family residence and that meant there would be history.

I looked upon the piles of books that lay on the table. "Let's get to work."

Cedric slammed the yearbook on the wood table. "This is hopeless."
------------------------
My head fell into my hands when I realized I was beginning to agree with him. I started to run my fingers through my hair and my elbow knocked over a yearbook that had been dangerously close to the edge. Releasing a huff, I bent and picked it up when I noticed exactly what page it had landed on.

"Cedric!" I yelled enthusiastically. "I found her!"

"What?"

He rushed towards me and hovered over the book where a very young looking Georgina Smyth was playing in front of a beach front property with two other girls. The caption read, "Minerva McGonagall, Rose Hunt, and Georgina Young playing on the beach." Hope swelled from deep within in me as the house surfaced to the front of my memory.

"I know where that house is, Cedric. The realtor had a picture of it in her office. It's at the very edge of town."

A smile lit up his face before confusion surfaced. "If that's McGonagall in the picture why didn't Dumbledore send us here first?"