A Magic Stronger Than Darkness ~ Book 1: Perfect Opposites

Chapter 22 ~ Tournament Tragedy

The year was nearly over, but there was still one final task the champions had yet to face. I stood in the stands with Hermione, Ginny, Ron, and Neville watching as Harry and the others entered a massive maze that had been grown on the Quidditch pitch. Honestly, the twenty-five foot tall hedges looked spookier than the Forbidden Forest on its darkest night.

About an hour went by without any news, but soon a flare lit up the sky over the hedges and Fleur was the first to be rescued from the deadly vegetation and obstacles within. Then Krum was retrieved, his eyes glazed over and milky, as if he had become a zombie. Come to find out, he had been bewitched. While healers tended to Viktor, the rest of us watched the maze with bated breath. There was still no word from Harry or Cedric, no sign of distress, no call for help, no indication they were even still in the labyrinth. Anticipation grew among those of us in the stands. Hermione, Ginny, and I stood close together, sensing one another's anxiety as time continued to pass without incident.

Out of nowhere there was a blinding flash of light, and then Harry and Cedric appeared before the audience, landing flat upon the ground. The crowd burst into cheers, though the winner was not automatically known. As I observed the pair, I noticed Harry was sobbing, his shoulders trembling and fingers gripping Cedric's arms like a vice. On the other hand, Cedric wasn't moving at all, but his eyes were wide open and his face was frozen in a look just short of shock. My heart immediately sunk to my stomach, a massive wave of nausea making me lightheaded as the truth occurred to me. Cedric Diggory, the handsome and kind-hearted Hufflepuff that practically everyone adored, was dead...

Apparently, Dumbledore noticed this too, because he wouldn't let anyone but Cedric's dad come down from the seats. I exchanged a look with Hermione and Ginny, their faces reflecting my own sadness and disbelief. This didn't feel real. The crowd continued to shout excitedly until they heard the anguished cries of Cedric's father. "Oh no! My boy! My dear boy!" Amos collapsed to the ground, grief stricken. When Dumbledore attempted to pull Harry away from Cedric's body, my friend began yelling, "He's back! Voldemort is back!"

Gasps erupted all around me. Voldemort! How?! I looked across to the area where Draco was standing with the other Slytherins. His expression was just as disturbed as mine and his mouth had fallen open. Even from where I was standing, I could see my boyfriend was as speechless as I was.

The next moments were absolute chaos as students tried to abandon the stands, some trying to get a better look at what had happened, while others were moving to get out of the way. Teachers were attempting to organize the dismissal, but unfortunately, little instruction could be heard over the sounds of everyone yelling and practically trampling each other. I had never experienced anything so hectic. I couldn't see Neville, or Ginny, or even Draco amongst the ever shifting groups of students. Two Ravenclaw students fell into me in their haste to leave, knocking me over. I yelped in pain as my knee connected with one of the wooden benches. Deciding it was safer on the ground, I crawled forward until I could crouch under one of the benches and transform into my animagus without the prying eyes of my peers.

Now that I was smaller, I had an easier time making my way out of the stands without being run into. My feline reflexes helped keep me from getting hurt any further, since I could better dodge the stomping feet and crawl under the seats rather than attempt to cross the main walkways. After several harrowing moments of feeling as though my heart was caught in my throat, I had successfully charged down the steps and out of the Quidditch pitch. There were already professors and prefects herding students together to head back to the castle. The noise had only died down slightly, and people were still trying to speculate what had happened to Cedric. But I knew Harry was right. Voldemort had returned, and he had killed Cedric without mercy.

Shaking my head, I bounded away into the shade of a nearby tree, making sure that the darkness concealed me so that I could transform back into my usual form without being seen. Back to myself, I stepped out from the shadows and rejoined a nearby group of Gryffindors that included Seamus and Dean. With my back to the maze inside the Quidditch pitch, I walked away thinking about how no one, especially not someone as good as Cedric Diggory, deserved the fate of dying at Voldemort's hands.