In Between Two Worlds (HP/PJO Crossover)

Chapter 154: The Beginning.

When I looked back, even a month later, I found I had only scattered memories of the next few days. It was as though I had been through too much to take in any more. The recollections I did have were very painful. The worst, perhaps, was the meeting with the Diggory's that took place the following morning.

They did not blame Harry or myself for what had happened; on the contrary, both thanked us for returning Cedric's body to them. Mr. Diggory sobbed through most of the interview. Mrs. Diggory's grief seemed to be beyond tears.

"He suffered very little then," she said, when we had told her how Cedric had died. "And after all, Amos...he died just when he'd won the tournament. He must have been happy."

When they got to their feet, she looked down at Harry and me and said, "You look after yourself, now."

I seized the sack of gold on the bedside table.

"You take this," I muttered to her. "It should've been Cedric's, he got there first, you take it -"

But she backed away from us.

"Oh no, it's yours, dear, I couldn't...you keep it."

We returned to Gryffindor Tower the following evening. From what the Weasleys, Hermione, and Bailey told us, Dumbledore had spoken to the school that morning at breakfast. He had merely requested that they leave Harry and me alone, that nobody ask us questions or badger us to tell the story of what had happened in the maze. Most people, I noticed, were skirting us in the corridors, avoiding our eyes. Some whispered behind their hands as we passed. I guessed that many of them had believed Rita Skeeter's article about how disturbed and possibly dangerous we were. Perhaps they were formulating their own theories about how Cedric had died. I found I didn't care very much. I liked it best when I was with the Weasleys, Bailey, Harry and Hermione and we were talking about other things, or else letting me sit in silence while they played chess or something. I felt as though all of us had reached an understanding we didn't need to put into words; that each was waiting for some sign, some word, of what was going on outside Hogwarts - and that it was useless to speculate about what might be coming until we knew anything for certain.

The only person apart from the Weasleys, Bailey, Harry and Hermione that I felt able to talk to was Hagrid. As there was no longer a Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, we had those lessons free. We used the one on Thursday afternoon to go down and visit Hagrid in his cabin. It was a bright and sunny day; Fang bounded out of the open door as we approached, barking and wagging his tail madly.

"Who's that?" called Hagrid, coming to the door. "Harry! Karlee!"

He strode out to meet them, pulled Harry and I into a one-armed hug, ruffled our hair, and said, "Good ter see yeh. Good ter see yeh."

We saw two bucket-size cups and saucers on the wooden table in front of the fireplace when we entered Hagrid's cabin.

"Bin havin' a cuppa with Olympe," Hagrid said. "She's jus' left."

"Who?" said Bailey curiously.

"Madame Maxime, o' course!" said Hagrid.

"You two made up, have you?" said Ron.

"Dunno what yeh're talkin' about," said Hagrid airily, fetching more cups from the dresser. When he had made tea and offered around a plate of doughy cookies, he leaned back in his chair and surveyed Harry and I closely through his beetle-black eyes.

"You all righ'?" he said gruffly

"Yeah," we said.

"No, yeh're not," said Hagrid. "Course yeh're not. But yeh will be."