in the dark | d malfoy

chapter nineteen

the third task approached quicker than ever, and i was tired. tired didn't begin to explain it. i was tired of avoiding draco, i was tired of studying. and however much i hated to admit it, i was tired of this school year. my brain was fried.

the morning of the tournament, the champions families arrived at the castle to watch them. i felt a soft smile appear on my face as i noticed cedric and his dad exchange a hug. when cedric and i were together, he never stopped talking about his dad. they were closer than anyone, and cedric loved him so much. i took a step closer. i wanted to fix things.

"hey." cedric turned, his smile fading as he saw me. "hey, kat. um..." he glanced back over at his dad. "what did you need?" i bit my lip, glancing back and forth between them. "i'm sorry to interrupt. it's just- can i steal you for a second, ced?" he paused, and nodded. "alright. i'll be right back, dad."

he followed me out of the room, and sighed. "what's up?" i stared at him, rubbing my shoulder. "i miss you, ced. i understand that you don't want to be with me, and i understand that what i did was horrible. but i support you with everything in me. i just wanted you to know i'm rooting for you, and... i hope we can be friends."

cedric stared at me for a second in shock before engulfing me in a hug. he lifted me slightly off my feet with it, and i felt a smile spread across my face.

"okay, kat. i'm sorry this had to happen. it just hurt so bad, and i couldn't be around you." cedric's eyes filled with tears. "i loved you, kat. and i know it was soon, but that night was so perfect..." a tear rolled down his cheek, and i felt my heart break.

"and i went to check on you, and suddenly you were there, kissing... him. and you looked like you were having the time of your life. you never kissed me like that," his voice dropped to a whisper, and he brushed the tear off his face. "i'm so sorry," i whispered, and he hugged me again, his arms wrapped tightly against me.

i craved this feeling the past few months. his arms around me. cedric had always reminded me of home, from his scent, and the comforting way he held me. and i missed him so much. "friends?" he breathed in my ear, and i nodded, sniffling lightly into his shoulder. "yes," i laughed, and he hugged me even tighter.

-

night fell as the last task approached, and i put on my warmest sweater. as i headed down towards the pitch, i heard someone yell my name. "kat! wait up!" a smile brimmed on my face as i turned to see cedric jogging towards me. "i know this is strange, but..."
he extended his sweater to me. "just like old times? will you wear it? and support me?" i grinned up at him. "my pleasure." i pulled the sweater over my shoulders, letting it fall down my body.

"hey-," cedric turned back towards me. "good luck tonight, ced. and... be careful." he nodded, with a grin. "i will. i'm gonna win tonight, you know."

"i know." and i gave him a sloppy grin back.

-

i took a seat in between alfie and jan for the tournament, and they exchanged a glance at my sweater. "uhhhh.... care to explain that?" alfie asked, and i smiled. "we made up. ced and i, i mean."

jan and alfie hugged each side of me. "i'm glad," jan said with a smile. i watched the champions enter the maze, and my heart pounded while i waited. i could tell everyone thought it would be more action packed, but we waited in absolute silence, our hearts pounding. half an hour in, a burst of sparks shot up from inside the maze, and my heart tightened.

that could be cedric, right now. he could be seriously hurt, or exhausted to the point of giving up. my eyes wandered the maze, my breath speeding up to the point of passing out. it seemed like a thousand hours had passed by before music burst out, the cup appearing into the middle of the stadium, two figures falling down along with it. harry... except he didn't look happy. i peered down, spotting cedric.

they won together? i managed a cheer, clapping my hands together, before harry moved, people were rushing towards him, and my heart stopped.

i didn't understand. no. i must be seeing things wrong. alfie and jan had abruptly stopped cheering next to me, and i swallowed, hard. my eyes were fading out of vision as screams echoed the stadium.

"cedric diggory! dead!"

"no," i whispered, but no tears leaked out of my eyes. i was too in shock. jan was clutching into my arm. "kat. kat. are you okay? kat. look at me."

my vision was blurred, my eyes rolling into the back of my head, my chest heaving. this gave me flashbacks to being in the hospital, before i found out my mother died.

i stared down at where amos diggory had collapsed next to his son's body, and harry being pulled away, the most terrified expression painted on his face.

my world was falling. all these months... all these months, without cedric speaking to me. i hurt him so bad, and i'd barely apologized. i clutched at his sweater, which was sticking tight to me in the rain that i didn't realize was falling. my hair was matting up, sticking to me, and the echoing screams faded out of my ears, all i could hear was cedric.

i loved you, kat.

i'm sorry, i thought, staring down at him, tears beginning to drop down my face. i'm so sorry, cedric. i'm sorry for everything.

and then i was thinking of my mother, the same thoughts flying through my head. there were so many things i'd wished i'd known. my mother being a slytherin. and the sorting hat thinking that's what i was destined to become. and snape. everyone was right, too. what i did to cedric. only a slytherin could have done something like that.

and before i knew what was happening, he was gone.

cedric diggory was dead before i could even breathe.

-

a/n

oh my god i'm so sorry

this chap was so hard to write lol