PRANKSTER [1] ↝ C. DIGGORY

alternate ending

They say time heals all wounds. Clary was never quite sure who "they" were, or how long it took them to come to that conclusion, but she was still waiting. Years passed, but Clary never forgot the pain of losing the young boy she considered to be her first love.

Clary never forgot the fact that, in the year following the Triwizard Tournament, everywhere she looked she saw his face. Sometimes he was smiling, and sometimes Cedric was simply watching her, as if daring her to make her next move. Her seventh year was full of sleepless nights, waiting for a boy who never came home.

Clary never forgot the Battle of Hogwarts, where she'd initially chosen to fight for Cedric's honor, and halfway through the night had added one of her twin brothers to that list, after a collapsing wall had claimed Fred's life and nearly her own after she'd been standing too close. The Weasley family was never quite the same following the loss of one of their heart and soul, though they clung together tighter than ever, never wanting to let go.

Clary never forgot when, three years after the war was over, Newt asked if she was available that Friday night.

A Firewhiskey at the Leaky Cauldron had turned into two or three, and before they knew it, two years had gone by, and Newt was down on one knee. No one had loved Cedric like his best friend had, and they both knew that, if he had to choose any man to care for Clary and make her happy, Newt was the way to go. The two were married in a small ceremony on Newt's grandfather's land, with only their families and Newt I's marvelous magical creatures in attendance, much to the delight of Clary's older brother Charlie.

How a simple nickname of Mrs. Scamander back in their school years had turned into a lifelong title, Clary couldn't quite be sure, but as Newt and Clary stood on Platform 9 3/4 on the morning of September 1st, hands gripped tightly in one another's, she was sure of only one thing.

Cedric Arthur Scamander held the same charisma and other qualities of his namesake, though he was just as mischievous as his mother, standing next to his parents that morning with a confident grin that Clary had seen on another young boy with the same name so many times before in the past. The eleven year old boy had been up nearly all the night before, badgering his parents with as many questions about Hogwarts as he could think of, ranging from basic rules of the castle and what house they thought he might end up in to stories about their own experiences back when they had been students, of which Newt could only laugh as he prayed that Cedric wouldn't have gotten into half the trouble his mother and uncles did when they were his age.

As the train's first whistle of the morning sounded, a young girl with braided pigtails bounded up to Cedric, giving the boy an excited smile. Born on the same day as her cousin, Helen Weasley, named for Newt and Vasantha's mother, was just as mischievous as Cedric, both of the young children having learned from the best over the years. George and Vasantha were quick to follow, their son Fred already having found his spot on the train, ready for his fourth year at school to begin.

"Alright," Clary said, kneeling down to straighten out Cedric's jacket. "Have a great time and don't forget to write, love." her voice lowered then, out of her husband's earshot so only her son could hear. "And you've got the Belch Powder I packed in your trunk, right?"

"I sure do," he agreed, a mischievous grin crossing his features.

"Good," she said, "And remember, just a little goes a long way."

"Alright, alright, let's not keep them waiting any longer than they have to." George said, eyeing how the two eleven year olds seemed to be bouncing up and down on the balls of their feet, excited to get on the train and experience their first taste of Hogwarts, and he leaned down, pulling his daughter in for a tight hug. "Just remember, if you haven't gotten a detention before your first week's up, your father's going to be very disappointed."

"George!" Vasantha scolded, elbowing the man though she herself tried her hardest to keep from chuckling. "Behave, the both of you."

"We will!" the kids chorused, hugging their parents one final time before they disappeared onto the train, and Newt sighed in relief, leaning over and kissing Clary on the cheek.

"He's going to do great." Newt reassured Clary, who nodded in response, smiling as Cedric's face appeared in one of the train windows where he and Helen had managed to find their seats.

"I know," she agreed. "And who knows? One day he may even become a prefect."