Redamancy (d.m)

Chapter thirty five-pigs blood

"Fucking hell thats cold" I shivered as Cedric wrapped a towel around my body, still coughing up lake water
"Come here" he said sitting down next to me and pulling me close to him, rubbing some warmth back into my freezing cold arms
"You did so well, Ced" I said, beaming at him with tumultuous cheering in the background
"Are you still cold?" He asked, concern in his grey eyes as he completely disregarded the words of praise from the crowds and his friends, "here, take my towel"
"Cedric, I'm fine" I assured, pushing his towel away, "where's the others?" I asked, looking around
"They're not back yet, except for Fleur, a grindylow got her" he answered, gesturing to the sullen blonde a few feet away, and seeing my worry, he added, "I saw Harry down there, he told me to free you and go, he seemed to be waiting for everyone to get out"
"What an idiot" I said sighing

Soon, shark-Viktor emerged from the depths of the water, carrying a waterlogged Hermione. Time passed, and Harry was nowhere to be seen. Hermione and Ron grew steadily impatient beside me, and I tightened my grip on Cedric's hand with worry, which made him occasionally squeeze my hand comfortingly. Finally, Harry's head popped up from the water's surface, spitting out mouthfuls of water and carrying both Ron and Gabrielle. Soon, Bagman's incandescent voice boomed through the crowd

"Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our decision. Merchief-tainess Murcus has told us exactly what happened at the bottom of the lake, and we have therefore decided to award marks out of fifty for each of the champions, as follows. . . ."

Fleur received twenty five points, to which I politely joined in the applause. Viktor was given fourth points, as well as a roar of applause. Cedric was awarded fourth seven points,putting him in the lead. And finally, Harry was given forty five points, tying with Cedric for first place.

The next day at the beginning of double potions with the Slytherins, my mood was sorely ruined, per usual, by Pansy Parkinson. I got a sick feeling in my stomach when I caught sight of her surrounded by her bitch-pack friends as well as Crabbe and Goyle, with Malfoy, who stood motionless behind them. When the crowd parted, I caught sight of a copy of Witch Weekly magazine clutched in her knobby fingers

"There she is!" One of her friends snarled maliciously, and Parkinson turned, shoving the magazine harshly into my hands before Professor Snape opened the door and the class shuffled in
"Might find something to interest you in there, Lestrange" Parkinson whispered from two tables down, and I flipped through the pages with a bored expression before catching sight of my name, sitting up abruptly
"What is it?" Hermione asked, but my eyes were frozen on the page, and the moving photo of myself above it

(Y/n) Lestrange's dark summer secret
The solemn tale of (y/n) Lestrange, famed pure blooded adoptive daughter of Bellatrix Lestrange, and her late lover, Noah Milton, is one that has been since made known to the public, but is it the whole story? New sources have surfaced that have provided exclusive details of the events that are likely to tilt readers' perception of the seemingly untouchable (y/n) Lestrange, Rita Skeeter writes. When reports were released of Milton's regrettable murder at the hands of his father, Gregory Milton (currently sentenced to life in Azkaban), Milton's death was painted as fully credited to his father, however, Gregory Milton is not the only individual to blame. (Y/n) Lestrange played an essential hand in the demise of her summer fling, her reckless behaviour influencing the inevitable discovery of their forbidden romance, and with it, Noah Milton's death. Were it not for Lestrange's unruly antics and desperate need to ignore rules, Noah Milton might still be breathing today

"You shouldn't have declined that interview she offered" Harry said, but I just laughed
"If this is the best she's got I am sorely disappointed" I said, throwing up a middle finger at Parkinson when Professor Snape turned his back, "Dunno how she found out about that, though. You, Ron, Hermione, and Cedric are the only people I've told"
"You told that git?" Ron asked, and I slapped his arm
"Don't call him that-and yes, the night of the Yule ball, outside in the garden-"
"Fascinating as your social life undoubtedly is, Miss Lestrange, I must ask you not to discuss it in my class" Professor Snape said icily, catching sight of the magazine under the desk and snatching it up, "ah...reading magazines under the table as well? Twenty poi-"

He stopped suddenly as her turned to the page displaying my smiling face, eyes running over the page before folding the magazine up neatly and handing it back to me, much to my surprise

"Should I ever catch your attention elsewhere in my class again, there will be points deducted" he said sternly, before resuming his lessons, ignoring the collective surprise from the class after he had passed up the chance to take points away from Gryffindor.

The next morning at breakfast, I was bombarded by a cascade of letters, pelting down one by one until a steady pile had built up.

"Blimey, (y/n), who wrote all that?" Ron said, grabbing a stack of letters. My hand ripped open the anonymously addressed scarlet red envelope, and it exploded with a loud bang, sending bucketloads of sticky red liquid all over me, seeping into my hair and dripping down my robes. With shaking hands, I wiped the thick liquid away from my eyes, spitting out the residue that had landed in my mouth. From the Slytherin table, Pansy and her Slytherin friends were cackling loudly, and every head in the great hall was fixated on me in horrified silence.

"It's pig's blood, Lestrange!" Parkinson jeered from across the room, to more laughter from her friends, "so you know what it feels like to be slaughtered just like you did to that Milton pig!"

I felt incredibly sick. I ran out of the hall as fast as I could, ignoring the calls of my friends. My vision was growing hazy, partially due to the drops of blood escaping off my eyelashes as I stumbled upon the girls bathroom, locking the door behind me as I looked into the mirror, placing my hands out onto the sink to steady myself. With great effort, I turned on the faucet, running cold water over my face, scrubbing harshly against my skin in desperation to rid myself of the excruciating stank. My robes were completely soaked, and I peeled them off quickly, sending pools of blood flying around the room as I dropped them hastily into the sink. The blood was partially dry in some spots, creating clumps of nauseating red staining on my white bra and shorts. My legs gave out, and I leaned my head against the cold bathroom wall, struggling to retain my breathing while pulling on my hair. I heard a frantic voice call from across the door, making me quiet my violent sobs. Nonetheless, the door was magically unlocked and in rushed Cedric , darting quickly to where I laid shaking uncontrollably. He quickly took off his clean robes and wrapped them around my exposed body. He crouched down across from me, hands on my legs as he said

"(Y/), (y/n), take a deep breath"
"I...I can't" I said, panicking as I felt my airways close up
"It's okay, you can" he whispered, taking my hands in his, "here, do it with me, we'll do it together okay?" I nodded weakly, "ready? Deep breathe in..."

he took a deep breath, and I tried my best to mimic his actions, taking in air through my nose before choking on it, shaking my head as I looked at him through tears. He cupped my face, saying

"No no, that was good, that was really really good, (y/n), well done, you've got it." He said encouragingly, and I fell into his chest, pacing my shallow breaths with his, focusing my mind solely on his fast moving heartbeat as he wrapped his arms around me comfortingly.

He never left me, carrying me wordlessly to the empty Hufflepuff common room, up the stairs and into his dormitory, where he waited patiently for me to shower off the blood and scrub my skin vigorously with soap, waving away my apologies for the faint red stains around his shower drain, handing me new clothes and turning away as I put them on. He sat down in a chair next the bed, watching me intently until I fell into an exhausted sleep.