TRAINING WHEELS—
THE LEAVING FEAST

039

Cedric is dead.

The words replayed around Amora's head like a broken record and all she wanted to do was rip off the needle or smash it to pieces. Anything to stop seeing her cousin's lifeless eyes staring back up at her whenever she blinked for more than a second.

It had been one hour. Everybody had been sent to their common rooms. Amora didn't know where Harry was, but he was probably answering questions. Amora had a lot for him, but right now, all she could do was mourn. The wound was fresh and bitter and filled her with sickening rage.

"Amora?" Professor Buckley's eyes were red too, but she was a lot better at covering her sadness up for the sake of her daughter and her brother. "Amora, do you want to talk to me about it?"

Amora clamped her mouth shut to prevent loud sobs from belting out and she shook her head, clenching her eyes shut. More tears fell, squeezing past her wet eyelashes and making her cheeks sore.

"Come here." There was a heavy sigh and then she was pulled into her mother's arms again. "I have to go and see Uncle Amos in a few minutes. Would you like to come?"

"No," Amora sobbed, shaking her head. "I can't."

She couldn't stand to see her uncle cry. She didn't want to hear the same wails that had echoed for what felt like hours on the Quidditch pitch. Amora just wanted to bury her head into her pillow and never leave it.

Eventually, Professor Buckley had managed to calm her down through a mixture of motherly caresses and gentle words. She left Amora sitting in the comfortable teacher's seat of the Muggle Studies classroom. She kissed her forehead and promised to return with something for her to eat and drink. Not that Amora believed she could stomach it.

Amora rubbed at her eyes with her palms. They ached and felt sore from all the crying she had been doing, and even then, she still felt like she could cry for hours longer. Her heart had never ached so badly in her life; she'd never experienced this sort of loss before.

The worst part was knowing that Cedric's death was obviously a permanent thing; she could wait all she wanted for him to come back, but he never would.

Amora stumbled from her seat, reaching for the door handle and twisting it open. It was June, but the corridor felt cold. She wandered down it aimlessly, small sniffles following every corner she turned, every staircase she wandered up.

It was silent. So silent until she bumped into him.

"Amora," Leon gasped, his hands steadying her. "Amora, are you okay?"

His hair was dishevelled and he appeared paler than usual, eyes slightly red and swollen. Amora was glad that she hadn't been shoved into the Hufflepuff common room with everybody else. Watching them cry over her cousin would only make it worse.

Amora swallowed thickly. "What do you think?" Her voice broke as if her record player was scratched beyond repair. 

Leon's face melted. "I know, I know. That was a stupid question, I'm sorry. I'm sorry about everything, Amora. I'm sorry about Cedric—"

"Don't say that," Amora cut him off, clenching her eyes shut. It made it feel so much more real.

The brunet shuffled awkwardly for a moment. He didn't know what to say, that much was obvious.

"Amora," Leon breathed, "Do you want a hug?"

"No," Amora said, Leon's face falling.

"Do you need me to walk you to the common room? I can get your mother for you, or—"

You don't need to hear this, Amora, Cedric's words echoed in her head loud and clear and added fury to her sadness.

"I told you what I wanted weeks ago, Leon," Amora replied desperately, tears streaming again. Her record was caught on replay. "I told you to never speak to me again. I told you that I hated you. A-And now you have a guilty conscience so you want to help me, but I don't want your help. You can't help me how I need!"

Because right now, truthfully, all she needed was Cedric to come back and tell her that this was all just some sick nightmare.

"Amora, please, would you just let me—"

"Are you completely deaf or just ignorant, Holloway?" Draco's voice snapped from behind Amora, causing her to turn.

Seeing Draco stood there, still dressed in his black blazer and turtleneck, made her want to throw her arms around him and beg him to hold her whilst she cried. Having him stand nearby was a relief-- like she could finally breathe a little again. Her heart thumped painfully in her chest.

Leon glared, clenching his jaw. "Fuck off, Malfoy. Amora doesn't need this right now."

"Right," Draco agreed harshly, marching closer and grabbing Amora's arm. "She needs to be with people that actually care about her."

Amora buried her face into the crook between Draco's chest and arm, feeling him wrap said arm around her body and hold her close. His eyes did not peel from Leon who appeared a mixture of enraged and confused, eyes bulging at the sight of Amora looking so comfortable with Draco Malfoy.

"W-What–"

"She needs to be with people who won't slip her Veritaserum," Draco cut off Leon's startled stammer. 

Leon's eyes looked like they were going to come out of their sockets. Amora felt breathless, knowing Draco had just given away everything to her old friend. Leon began to stutter as he staggered backwards a step, putting two and two together. That he hadn't been able to find Amora that day because Draco had been protecting her, because it was also his secret to hide.

Amora clenched her eyes shut, willing for the thoughts of Cedric to leave. She barely heard Leon turn and leave, all she knew next was that she was in an empty classroom and Draco had his arms around her. They sat against the teacher's desk, her back against his chest as he held her.

He let Amora cry into him from where she was twisted in his open legs, his large hands smoothing her out and his eyes holding pain and sympathy. He'd tried to get to her as soon as he heard her cries on the field and realised what had happened, but, like everyone else, he'd been pushed back to his common room. Draco had only just been able to escape unnoticed.

For Amora. Right now, he didn't care if anybody saw them or saw him caring for her. She needed him more than ever. It intimidated him greatly, seeing as he wasn't the best at comforting people and Amora had always been the talker between the two, but he was going to try his best. For Amora.

Draco had no clue what to say. He didn't want to say sorry; it was cheesy and it wouldn't help Amora who had just had her first-ever friend and only cousin tugged away so violently from her.

Draco began to hum as he brushed her hair. It was a song that he'd heard Amora sing a couple of times whilst they did homework together, and she instantly recognised it.

Her sobs quietened and she resorted to sniffles and small whimpers, trying to listen to Draco. His hums vibrated in his chest and moved through Amora from where she had her back to him. His hands caressed her arms before one moved up to push some hair out of her swollen eyes.

Amora found herself growing tired. Tired of thinking about Cedric, tired of crying and screaming. Draco could feel her dozing off in his arms, her heartbeat finally matching his. Draco began to hum quietly.

D.M + A.B

When Amora woke, she was nestled in the covers of her own bed and the sun filtered blindingly through the high windows near the ceilings. For a fleeting moment, Amora had no recollection of what had happened the day before, until she realised how badly her eyes stung and how sore her cheeks were. Her heart practically collapsed in her chest. It was like seeing Cedric's dead body for the first time all over again.

Amora remained staring up at her four-poster for what felt like years. Her body felt heavy like it was sinking deeper and deeper into the mattress below. Nothing felt real; it still felt like if she were to push open the door and walk into the common room, she would find Cedric sat on one of the couches laughing with all of his friends.

She seemingly had no tears left to cry. Amora realised this when she stood beneath the shower after forcing herself from the bed, her body shaking and her throat retching but no tears forming in her eyes. The effort she put into washing her hair and her body was minimal, only faint strokes of a luffa, the aroma of berries not bringing her its usual comfort.

Amora shook even as she brushed her teeth. When she looked in the mirror, her eyes appeared empty. Not the mahogany brown she was used to, but a colour much duller than that, and the skin that had been soaking beneath the sun for the last few months was paler than parchment.

She tugged on her school uniform, leaving her robe on her bed, and drifted out into the common room. Nobody was there, just like how nobody had been in the dorms. Amora went to the Muggle Studies classroom, ready to push open the door when she saw it was filled with students. Her mother was teaching a lesson.

It was bizarre because, whilst the world certainly felt as though it had stopped for Amora, it was still continuing to spin for everybody else, although a sombre feeling remained in the air.

Amora found herself outside the Hospital Wing next. She thought Harry might be there, and she was right. He sat surrounded by Ron, Hermione, Molly Weasley, another tall man with ginger hair, who Amora knew had to be one of Ron's brothers, and a black dog. Harry glanced up when he heard Amora's footsteps quietly moving towards him, but neither of them smiled at one another like usual.

"Hi, Harry," Amora spoke for the first time since she'd seen Leon last night, her voice coming out painfully scratchy and she saw Ron wince.

"Amora," Harry swallowed.

Molly was suddenly moving forward, wrapping her arms around Amora who flinched slightly but then melted into the woman's kind gesture. She made a tutting noise as she smoothed out Amora's hair before pulling away. Amora had never really spoken to Molly Weasley before, but she knew that their parents had been friends during the first war, and they always exchanged polite smiles at King's Cross.

"You poor thing," she muttered, patting Amora's shoulder and blinking back a few sympathetic tears of her own. "We will let you speak with Harry alone for a bit."

"Thanks," Amora croaked, watching as Hermione sent her a gentle smile and dragged Ron away, the other Weasley following them with a solemn expression of his own.

"I suppose you want to know what happened?" Harry asked quietly after Amora had taken the seat beside him, her eyes shifting to the black dog that was sat by Harry rather protectively.

She moved her hand to pet its head, but Harry interrupted her. "Amora, that's Sirius," he hissed in a whisper, and Amora tugged her hand back in a fright, her eyes wide. "He's an Animagus."

"Oh," Amora whispered, sending a small nod to Sirius and earning one back. "Did Dumbledore let him in?"

Harry had never told her much about Sirius, considering it was supposed to be a giant secret that Harry knew of his whereabouts, but considering he had left Amora beneath the Whomping Willow for his godfather, he decided it was only fair he told her a couple of things. She knew not to be afraid of Sirius Black.

"Dumbledore's been helping him all year," Harry replied in a hushed tone, careful of Madam Pomfrey who was minding her own business at the other end of the small hall. "And you were right, by the way."

Amora's brows furrowed. "About what?"

"About not being able to trust Moody," Harry admitted, his bottom lip nearly wobbling. "You were right and I should have listened to you."

"Moody killed Cedric?" Amora inhaled shakily, her eyes wide with horror.

She wasn't too sure she could listen to this.

"No, not directly," Harry said, his hand shaking so badly that Amora found herself reaching forward and grabbing it without thinking. She squeezed his hand and Harry returned the favour, the two of them silently saying that they would be there for one another.

"What happened, Harry?" Amora whispered, her eyes managing to fill with tears once again as she thought about how undeserving Cedric had been of his premature doom. "Please."

The dog-- or Sirius, rather-- nudged Harry with his nose as if to tell him that he shouldn't speak, or that he didn't have to if he didn't want to. Amora realised how traumatised Harry must be, having actually witnessed Cedric's death. She was about to withdraw her question and turn to somebody else for answers instead, but Harry shook his head at Sirius.

"It's okay," he said, "I want to let Amora know. She deserves to know."

"Harry--"

"It was Voldemort," Harry cut her off, and Amora sucked in a large amount of air at the sound of his name, her hand trembling in Harry's even more. "He had gotten Barty Crouch Jr to disguise as Moody using Polyjuice Potion, and he turned the cup into a Portkey."

Amora recalled Snape grabbing Leon and mentioning something about somebody stealing Polyjuice Potion from him. Her eyes widened in disbelief.

"Cedric and I, we grabbed it together, at the same time," Harry swallowed, a few tears trickling down his cheeks, mirroring Amora. "He'd saved me from a huge spider, and I hurt my leg-- bad. I told him he deserved the Cup, but he insisted. He wanted us both to win."

"Oh, Cedric," Amora sobbed, hiding her face in her hands. "Harry, I don't know if I can listen anymore. I'm sorry. I'm so, so sorry that this happened to both of you."

Harry cried silently as Amora shifted to bury her face into his neck, hugging him tightly. He wrapped his arms around her, both mourning over the painful loss of Cedric Diggory.

"What-- what actually happened to him?" Amora's desire to understand contradicted her previous emotional words.

"Wormtail performed the Killing Curse on him," Harry recalled shakily, "It was over quickly, Amora. I don't think he felt any pain at all. In fact, he'd been so happy right before-- before it happened. He won, Amora. And the- the last thing he said was--" Harry sucked a breath in and Sirius nudged him once more.

Amora released a smaller sob, cutting Harry off. She supposed that was meant to help her feel more at peace, but somehow, it didn't. Cedric hadn't even stood a chance. She wished she had stuck to her gut feeling about Moody; she wished she had tried to convince Harry harder. Then Cedric wouldn't be dead.

"So-- So You-Know-Who... he's back?" Amora whispered after a moment or two. She didn't want to talk about Cedric anymore.

Harry nodded. "He is. Fudge doesn't believe me or Dumbledore. But Dumbledore's getting people to help, Amora. It's going to be okay."

"Something bad is happening, isn't it?" Amora whispered shakily, wiping her tears away with the back of her hand. "Cedric won't be the last, will he?"

Harry said nothing.

D.M + A.B

The Leaving Feast was quite bittersweet every single year, knowing it could be two months before you saw all of your friends again, however, this year, it was just downright depressing. Usually, the Great Hall was decorated with the winner of the Inter-House Championship, but today, black drapes hung in respect for Cedric Diggory.

Amora hadn't been into the Great Hall since before the third task. Normally, she'd hide in the Muggle Studies classroom and have her mother bring her her lunch, too scared to go and sit alone at the Hufflepuff table, or to see the empty space between Cedric's friends that he should be sitting in. On Wednesday, Draco had brought Amora food and they'd eaten alone down the bottom of the field, watching the sun go down.

"I think he was starting to grow on you, you know," Amora murmured, tearing up the bread Draco had handed her into small pieces and making no attempt to put any of it in her mouth.

Draco craned his neck to glance at her, swallowing the mouthful of soup he'd been consuming as his eyes softened. She hadn't mentioned Cedric to him yet and he'd been too afraid to say anything, although he could see her slowly deteriorating in front of him. She had lilac bags beneath her brown orbs and her skin was pale, her body thinner as if all of the happiness had been sucked out of her.

"You think so?" Draco murmured, watching her nod without looking back at him. "Well, I don't blame him. I'm quite the charmer."

And then, Draco watched the corners of Amora's lips twitch up for the first time since before Cedric had died.

Now, he was forced to watch her from across the Hall. He sat surrounded by his friends, but she didn't bother sitting by hers. Amora had secluded herself from the rest of the fourth years, her eyes burning into the bowl in front of her whilst everybody else spoke and made arrangements for the summer holidays.

Draco had asked her to sit with him for the Leaving Feast, but Amora had insisted that she would be okay by herself. Part of him thought that maybe she felt closer to Cedric over there. But it still looked like it was tearing her apart.

"The end," Dumbledore began from the front of the room where he sat in his seat. "Of another year."

Everybody went silent. Dumbledore looked over to the Hufflepuff table where not a single person looked excited to be going home. They were all mourning the loss of one of their most loved members.

"Today, we acknowledge a really terrible loss," the headmaster continued and Amora felt eyes bore into her, but she didn't give them the satisfaction of looking back. "Cedric Diggory was, as you all know, exceptionally hard-working, infinitely fair-minded, and most importantly, a fierce, fierce friend."

Amora had to swallow harshly to stop her heart coming out of her throat. Every word that left Dumbledore's lips made it hurt even more, because everything he was saying was true. She hoped every single person in the Great Hall knew it.

"Now, I think, therefore, you have the right to know exactly how he died," Dumbledore went on. "You see..." He walked up to his podium. "Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort."

Gasps and whispers rippled across the Great Hall and Amora saw some girls crying, just like she was. She wiped hers away quickly.

"The Ministry of Magic does not wish me to tell you this," the Headmaster continued, "but not to do so, I think, would be an insult to his memory. Now, the pain we all feel at this dreadful loss reminds me, and reminds us, that while we may come from different places and speak in different tongues, our hearts beat as one.

"In light of recent events, the bonds of friendship we've made this year will be more important than ever. Remember that, and Cedric Diggory will not have died in vain. You remember that, and we'll celebrate a boy who was kind and honest and brave and true, right to the very end."

D.M + A.B

Neither Draco nor Amora were excited to go home. From their spot up on the Astronomy Tower, they watched as their classmates bid each other farewells and said their goodbyes to all of the Beauxbatons and Durmstrangs, yet neither attempted to go down there and give their own hugs and words.

Over time, Draco had managed to bring Amora closer to the edge of the tower, and over time, Amora trusted Draco more. He had one hand on the railing and the other was wrapped around Amora as she leaned her head on his shoulder, his Slytherin robe and her Hufflepuff robe fluttering slightly in the warm wind. He felt her nuzzle her head closer to him and his grip tightened.

"Will you write to me?" Draco asked quietly as they watched the Durmstrang boat drift out.

Amora chewed down on her lip. "If you write back."

"Of course," Draco replied sincerely, "Your letters will most likely be the highlight of my summer holidays."

"They'll definitely be the highlight of mine," Amora managed to smile wearily. "And I will miss you, Draco."

"I'll miss you too, Amora," Draco said, his words feeling unfamiliar on his tongue. "Imagine saying that this time last year."

Amora exhaled through her nose with a small laugh. "I believe I remember telling you that the day I liked you was the day that I lost my mind. That was, what? Ten months ago now?"

Draco grinned cockily with a small shrug. "You must have really lost your mind, then."

More than you know, Draco.

...

the goblet of fire is finished!! i cant wait to write the order of the phoenix, its my fave film and one of my fave books soo :))

also the song that draco was humming/singing to amora was 'the shining' by the neighbourhood and i thought the lyrics suited them quite nicely. also obviously i know that the neighbourhood wasn't around in 1995 lmaoo but let fiction be fiction pls

hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

dyiansobrien <333