You Know I Love You, Right? (Cedric Diggory x Reader)

Chapter 40

A/N: These next few chapters are going to be quite lengthy, and although it may seem like a good idea to skim through them/skip to the end, please read them if you want to understand the ending.  Also just because Cedric is not with us physically does not mean he disappears completely from the story.  This is still a Cedric x Reader, and he's mentioned a lot in the next few chapters.  Thanks so much!

Year 5

The following summer had been the most painful of my entire life.  I refused to speak to anyone, even my own family.  I shut myself out from the world for months.  Only leaving my room to use the loo or get something to eat.  Everyone respected my space.  It was a hard loss, the boy I loved and my childhood friend.

Every night I would try to go to sleep, but as I closed my eyes the only thing I could picture was his smiling face.  It was too much, I never wanted to sleep.  I grew thick eyebags as I spent most of my days awake at night, so I wouldn't have to see his face.

It seemed like summer had taken ages to end, and soon the day I dreaded most had arrived.

The first day of Hogwarts.

I just couldn't be at Hogwarts, not without him.  I couldn't see myself walking down the halls, eating lunch, hanging out in the common with anyone else.  I was going back to the place I loved most without the boy I loved most there.

I arrived at the Hogwarts express, everyone was back to their high spirits.  A part of me was angry with them, he had died and nobody cared anymore.  He was so much more important than they made him to be.  Although, if it had been anyone else I could see how it wouldn't affect me as well. But it wasn't anyone else, it was him.

The school had been placed under control of the Ministry.  Our newest Defense of the Dark Arts professor, Dolores Umbridge, made it very clear that the Ministry of Magic was going to do whatever it took to restore order to Hogwarts.  In her class, she began a lecture of how we would be using ministry issued textbooks in class, instead of actually practicing spells.  Students protested against this, but she shut them down each time.

"So we're not supposed to be prepared for what's waiting out there?"  Harry asked, visibly furious.

Professor Umbridge shot him an evil glare, "There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter."

"Oh yeah?"  Harry retorted.

"Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?"  Umbridge asked in her annoyingly high pitched voice.

"Hmm, let's think..."  Harry mocked, "Maybe, Lord Voldemort?"

Everyone cringed at the sound of his name, some students audibly gasped.  Neville fell off of his stool.

Umbridge took ten points from Gryffindor before continuing, "Now let's make a few things quite plain.  You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead-"

"He wasn't dead," Potter sneered, "But yeah, he's returned!"

"Mr. Potter, you have already lost your house ten points, do not make matters worse for yourself!"  Umbridge scolded, "As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again.  This is a lie."

Harry looked more angry than ever before, "This is not a lie!  I saw him, I fought him!"

Umbridge proceeded to give Harry detention, and the class yet another lecture as to how the Ministry of Magic guaranteed that You-Know-Who had not returned, and that Harry was a complete liar.

Detention did not seem to be enough to stop Harry, as he continued to argue, "So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his accord, did he?"