PRANKSTER [1] ↝ C. DIGGORY

fifty-one

"He's like ice," Madame Pomfrey said to one of the St. Mungo's workers as she felt Cedric's forehead with the back of her hand, much to Clary's horror as the words reverberated around in her head.

In the first few days since the tournament, Clary had hardly left Cedric's side, aside from the few times she'd been coaxed into showering, going to eat, or even attempting to catch a few hours of sleep in her dorm while either Vasantha, Newt, or Cedric's parents kept an eye on him. She couldn't say the sleeping portion had been incredibly successful, mostly resulting in Clary tossing and turning for an hour or two before slinking back to the Hospital Wing, fearing that, the longer she was gone, the higher the potential was for something to happen in her absence.

She knew deep down that if anything were to happen, she'd be informed right away. She knew that, in this case, the absence of news was the equivalent of good news, but she couldn't shake the sinking feeling that settled in the pit of her stomach whenever she wasn't in the vicinity to observe Cedric's condition herself.

Clary sat silently while Cedric's parents talked to the St. Mungo's Healers, asking them their usual questions whenever they came to check on the boy. How was he doing, were there any changes to his condition, etc. While, usually the answer to the second question was no, throughout the day, they'd noted changes in his body temperature, noticing that he was growing colder and colder, which they had taken to be a bad sign.

Now that almost a week had passed since the Third Task, with little improvement for Cedric, Clary's mind began to swim with the impossible, with the thoughts she'd fought so hard to keep out of her head. When Dumbledore had first told them back in the Transfiguration classroom that night that he was still alive, she'd been so relieved that she hadn't let the possibility of him never waking up cross her mind.

But now it was all she could think about.

They'd come too far for her to lose him now. Cedric hadn't survived the killing curse only to slip away into nothing a week later. Even Mad-Eye managed to be released from the Hospital Wing within a few days, retreating to his chambers to continue resting from his ordeal with Barty Crouch Jr.

How Clary longed for the days that Cedric had nearly hated her, the days where she pranked him for sport and relished in the detentions afterward, when the possibilities she faced now hadn't even been an inkling in their minds. The young girl who hexed the first year Hufflepuff boy with a raincloud on their first day of classes had no idea the mischief they'd get into together, or how she'd managed to fall so hard for him along the way.

"Well," Amos mused after Madame Pomfrey left with the St. Mungo's Healers, rising from his chair and giving Cedric a sad smile before turning to Anne and Clary. "I think I should go for a short walk. Why don't I get the three of us some lunch from the Great Hall? You ladies stay here, and I'll be right back."

Clary and Anne watched as Amos hurriedly left the room without another word, and his wife turned back to the young redhead sitting next to her, reaching a hand out to hers and giving it a soft squeeze.

"Cedric told us so much about you." Anne said warmly to Clary, her eyes still trained on her son. "When he'd first written us all those months ago to say he had a new girlfriend, we couldn't believe that it was Arthur and Molly's daughter, the same little girl we'd see at the Ministry on Bring Your Child to Work Day, or at the Christmas parties your parents would throw year after year.

"Of course, it's not that we hadn't already seen a picture of the two of you in the Daily Prophet first," Anne continued, causing Clary to sigh slightly, shaking her head and suppressing a small laugh. "With Rita Skeeter's article after the First Task and all. We received a letter from Cedric telling us two days later." she said with a fond smile, causing Clary to reminisce on the two of them watching the other champions try to retrieve their dragon eggs after she'd finally kissed the boy.

"It was a long time coming," Clary agreed. "and not something I had anticipated. I'll admit, we weren't always the best of friends, and I was a bit of a bully back in the day, with some of the pranks my brothers and I pulled on him over the years, but I really do care about your son. He's so kind, and he never fails to make me smile. You've raised a perfect gentleman, Anne."

"You make him so happy, Clary." Anne assured the young girl. "I can see the way his face lights up whenever you walk into the room. I can also tell how much you care for him, and as a mother, that's all I want for my son. Thank you for making my little boy so happy."

Anne embraced Clary then, hugging her tightly, and the two women just sat there for a moment, holding onto each other. She'd been so nervous to see Cedric's parents, scared they wouldn't think she was good enough to date their only son, their golden boy when he could have any other girl in the world, especially with the esteemed reputation the Diggory family had in the Wizarding World. But to Clary's surprise, Amos and Anne welcomed her into their family with open arms and accepted her instantly, and for that, she was forever grateful.

Anne and Clary were still hugging when Amos finally returned from his walk down to the Great Hall, arms weighed down with turkey sandwiches and bottles of pumpkin juice, giving one of each to Anne before passing another one of each to Clary, who accepted with a grateful smile.

"What have I missed?" Amos asked as he sat down, and Anne looked at Clary with a fond smile.

"Our son picked a good one here, Amos." Anne said, causing Clary to blush slightly.

"That he did," Amos agreed, unwrapping his sandwich and taking a bite. "That he did."