Cedric felt his feet touch the ground as the floo flames of the fireplace went back to normal.
Cedric curses lightly, an onion falling out of the paper bag from his errands.
He followed the rolling onion as it bumped against the wall to pick it up. As he did so, he noticed something odd. Many of the things on the table of the drawing room looked, disheveled. He shrugged it off, sauntering to the kitchen of his and his husband's, Harry's, home.
He set the paper bag on the counter, exhaling lightly as he knew Harry would be around here. Though, he wasn't. Looking around, another thing looked odd. It was the table of photos and memento that related to many events in Cedric's and Harry's relationship. From their time of being highschool sweethearts all the way to their marriage.
Most of the photos were knocked over. Cedric wouldn't have found anything of it if not for the fact there were some that were on the floor. He picked one of them up. Dusting it off as he smiled softly. It was the photo taken during his and Harry's marriage. The moment it was official. Harry could be seen leaping into Cedric's arms and kissing him once the officiator, who was Hagrid, had finished the formality.
Harry had a habit of doing that. Kissing him suddenly. That was probably one of the many things why he fell for him.
Rearranging the table of memories, something catches Cedric's eye. It was something outside the window. A black, furry mass curled up under the sun.
There was a small beat of silence. Sure, it was already silent beforehand, but now it felt even more so. He put his hand behind his neck, sighing through his nose.
To many people, this would come off as Cedric being annoyed or even disappointed. No, he was just trying to find a way to go about this.
You see, Harry had found a way to cope a few years ago. To cope from everything that had happened until the war finally ended. During the period of time he had to himself before he went back to Hogwarts, he had obtained himself an animagus form.
It was a generic, black cat with the same verdant green eyes he had as a human. It was adorable, and Cedric thought it was a harmless form of magic that Harry achieved.
It did end up becoming harmful, but not in the way you would think it would be.
Harry would stay in that form for hours on end. He never ate too, he would always roam as his animagus, constantly hungry. What Harry saw as a way to cope was actually just him escaping reality and refusing to take care of himself. It was eating him alive.
But it had been years since that happened. Harry was able to get proper help and didn't touch that form ever since.
And if that's the case, then something must have happened. Something must have reminded him of the past and it made him relapse bad enough to use his form again.
Whatever happened, Cedric won't ask. For now, Harry needs him. He needs him silently.
Cedric walked to the door leading to their backyard. Before he could grasp the handle, he contemplated for a bit. He knew the best way to comfort him was doing it silently. So he might as well make it obvious to Harry that he won't speak at all.
Cedric retracted his arm and he started to shrink. What once was a man in front of the door was replaced with a honey gold retriever.
Cedric obtained this form for the sole purpose to help Harry out of his grief a few years ago. And now he would usually use it as a disguise in his work as an auror. But he shouldn't be thinking about that right now.
The door swung open with the dog's unspoken magic. The door clicked closed behind him as he watched over at the sleeping creature just a few steps away. He trotted through the grass towards the cat. If you could visualize the scene, it was obvious that this dog had a mission with every step he took. A mission to reassure that everything was going to be okay.
As he got there, he stood behind the slumbering feline. He looked peaceful, his black fur shining in the sunlight and his body motionless as he laid on his side. The only sense of motion is his ears twitching and his stomach going up and down as he breathed.
The dog whimpered lightly, trying to get the cat's attention. The sleeping creature merely opened his eyes. A black slit in pools of green. He didn't even move his head to acknowledge the concerned canine.
The cat only stretched out his legs and curled in on himself even more, returning to his rest, ignoring his husband turned dog.
The dog huffed lightly, the wind swaying around the both of them.
He plopped onto his side as well. His belly against the cat's back. He licked at the cat's head, reassuring that he wasn't going anywhere. The cat trilled very lightly, amusing the dog.
They stayed there for some time. The sun glimmering on their coats as the dog guarded over the cat. The dog will stay like this for as long as the cat needs to. Because at the end of the day, everything happened in the past. And he wanted to let him know that he will always love him.