The Courtyard
A startled scream flew through his lips, jolting awake and immediately springing to his feet with his wand poised at the ready, preparing to face the attacker. Adrenaline surged through his veins with every beat of his racing heart.
After the initial spike of epinephrine wore off, he was able to take note of his surroundings. Only then did he realize that he was completely and utterly alone in the middle of the Quidditch field.
What happened to the maze? To the graveyard? To the disheveled man who was standing before him? What happened to Elliana and Harry? Where are they?
Elliana.
Fear wrapped around his heart like a vice. His breathing picked up, struggling not to panic.
Where is she?! She was literally just standing nearly ten feet away from him, towering over Harry, who was writhing in pain, and now she's gone?
Oh, no...
He was no longer able to keep the panic at bay. His breathing was ragged and labored as he ran a hand through his hair, several strands sticking to his forehead that was damp with sweat as his head swiveled in all directions, desperate to collect himself to do the task at hand— Find Elliana.
His entire body felt like lead, as though at any second he was going to crumble beneath his own weight. His mind was in a fog, thoughts coming in hazy and sluggish. It took him a moment to collect himself enough to remember the most recent events, and when he did, he couldn't stop himself from full-on sobbing.
The last thing he remembered was the grotesque man lifting his wand and pointing it at his defenseless best friend before uttering the killing curse.
Avada Kadavra.
He recalled seeing the green spark emitting from the wand. The horror-stricken look on Elliana's face was burned into his memory as he replayed the tragic scene.
Elliana, with her piercing green eyes wide with fear as she gave him one last heartfelt glance. The brave young wizard had acted on pure instinct, not even so much as blinking before he apparated in front of the girl who had been his closest and dearest friend to him for six long years.
The last thing he thought as he stood in front of her, absorbing the killing curse on her behalf was, 'Not her'.
...But had something gone wrong? Did he touch the port key before he was able to save his best friend from her demise? The thought of her lying lifeless in the middle of the eerie graveyard caused him to drop to his knees and sob uncontrollably.
For just a moment, the moon pierced through the dark veil of clouds hanging in the sky, acting like a spotlight as it shone down on the courtyard.
With newfound resilience, he sprung to his feet, desperate to find his friend. He uttered 'Lumos', causing a light to emit from the tip of his wand as he took off at a sprint towards the school. His lungs burned due to the exertion as he ran as fast as his wobbly legs could take him. He felt so.. weak. Drained. As though at any second he was going to collapse to the ground and sleep for a week.
Still, he somehow managed to find the stamina to push forward. The only thing on his mind was ensuring Elliana's safety. Had it all been a terrible dream? A vivid nightmare? Nothing made sense.
"Where do ye think yer going?" The sound of Hagrid's deep voice came from a little way behind him, causing the exhausted boy to turn and face the towering man.
When Hagrid caught sight of him, his face paled.
"...C-Cedric?" He asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper, sounding apprehensive and.. fearful?
The muggle saying 'you look like you've seen a ghost' sprung to Cedric's mind, Hagrid looking exactly like he had seen a ghost, though that was nothing out of the ordinary at the magical school.
A frown pulled down Hagrid's usual jolly features before he ran a hand through his beard and shook his head. "Ay, I must be having that weird dream again," he humbled to himself. "That's what I get fer drinking milk before bed.."
The bewildered boy looked up at him in confusion, staring at him for the briefest second before he finally spoke.
"..Where's Elliana? What's going on?" His words ran together, giving away just how panicked he was. "What's happened?! Where is she?!"
The large man's jaw went slack, his eyes growing to the size of saucers as his mind swirled with impossible possibilities.
"...Cedric?" He repeated in a low, gruff voice. "...Is that you, boy?"
Cedric's brows knitted together in confusion, the grip on his wand tightening with worry.
"What?" He shook his head, squeezing his eyes shut. "Where's Elliana, Hagrid? Please. We— I— She— There.. G-Graveyard.. P-Portkey..." His head started spinning as a wave of dizziness engulfed him, his body swaying like a leaf in the wind before everything faded to black.