The Sunrise of My Heart
Chapter Twenty-five: Answers and a Farewell
"Harry. Listen, I know you're worn out in every way possible, but please, I need to know what happened tonight." I'd found Harry silently wandering the halls at night, heading towards the Gryffindor common room. "Please."
"You really want to know? Voldemort returned, and he killed Cedric. He and all of his Death Eaters. And would you like to know who one of those Death Eaters was? Lucius Malfoy, which means Draco's probably going to follow in his footsteps soon enough! But you already knew that, didn't you?" he asked when he saw me simply lower my head.
Silently, I nodded. "I had a feeling Lucius would be. This was just the proof I needed."
"You knew his family was evil, and still you dated him? You two might be broken up, but I know you're not over him. How can you like someone so evil?"
"Look, he's different with me. He's--"
"I know, different. But just because he apparently has a sweet side doesn't mean he isn't evil. Or on his way to being evil."
"Harry, your parents were great. Had they lived, they would have influenced you to be just as great. Your aunt and uncle suck, but they haven't taught you to be like them, they've only convinced you that people like them are bad, so you don't want to be like them. But Draco's been raised his whole life to believe the things he does and think the way he does. It's almost like he was programmed like that, and it's nearly impossible to rewire your brain, especially if you don't completely realize there's a problem with it. But he does have a side of him that his family doesn't control, a side that very few people ever get to see, but one that is just as influential in his life as the other side of him. I know it's hard for you to understand because all you can see is his almost evil, jerky side. But there is a great amount of goodness in him."
"I hope you're right. But I doubt it. I'm going to bed. Good night," Harry said, standing up and starting to walk away.
"Harry, wait. Just one more thing." I reached out and grabbed his wrist to stop him.
"What?"
"There was nothing you could have done to save Cedric. No matter what people say or what you think, that's the truth. Nobody could have saved him."
"Yes, I could have. He was gonna let me win. He didn't have to grab the cup but I made him do it with me," he said bitterly.
"You can't blame yourself for that. He would have come up with the same idea eventually. There was no way to stop what was going to happen. And it was in no way your fault."
"Thanks," he said, but I knew he still blamed himself, at least a bit.
The rest of the night passed in a blur, and before I knew it, I was in bed and could finally digest everything. I realized the dreams returning must have been warnings of Cedric's death and Voldemort's return. As horrified as I was by the prospect of him coming back, I knew in my heart that it was true. I also knew that things would never be the same.
A few hours later, I woke up and crawled from my bed. It was only about 4:00 a.m., but I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep. Moving silently, I went to the Great Hall, which was empty and dark.
"Watch over us, Cedric," I whispered. "We're going to need all the protection we can find. Find peace, wherever it is that you are. Send my love to my father, if you see him." I felt a little weird talking to the empty air like that, but I decided it was worth a shot. If Cedric was listening from wherever it is that people go when they die, I wanted him to know we all loved him and would miss him. "Good-bye," I whispered.
"You really want to know? Voldemort returned, and he killed Cedric. He and all of his Death Eaters. And would you like to know who one of those Death Eaters was? Lucius Malfoy, which means Draco's probably going to follow in his footsteps soon enough! But you already knew that, didn't you?" he asked when he saw me simply lower my head.
Silently, I nodded. "I had a feeling Lucius would be. This was just the proof I needed."
"You knew his family was evil, and still you dated him? You two might be broken up, but I know you're not over him. How can you like someone so evil?"
"Look, he's different with me. He's--"
"I know, different. But just because he apparently has a sweet side doesn't mean he isn't evil. Or on his way to being evil."
"Harry, your parents were great. Had they lived, they would have influenced you to be just as great. Your aunt and uncle suck, but they haven't taught you to be like them, they've only convinced you that people like them are bad, so you don't want to be like them. But Draco's been raised his whole life to believe the things he does and think the way he does. It's almost like he was programmed like that, and it's nearly impossible to rewire your brain, especially if you don't completely realize there's a problem with it. But he does have a side of him that his family doesn't control, a side that very few people ever get to see, but one that is just as influential in his life as the other side of him. I know it's hard for you to understand because all you can see is his almost evil, jerky side. But there is a great amount of goodness in him."
"I hope you're right. But I doubt it. I'm going to bed. Good night," Harry said, standing up and starting to walk away.
"Harry, wait. Just one more thing." I reached out and grabbed his wrist to stop him.
"What?"
"There was nothing you could have done to save Cedric. No matter what people say or what you think, that's the truth. Nobody could have saved him."
"Yes, I could have. He was gonna let me win. He didn't have to grab the cup but I made him do it with me," he said bitterly.
"You can't blame yourself for that. He would have come up with the same idea eventually. There was no way to stop what was going to happen. And it was in no way your fault."
"Thanks," he said, but I knew he still blamed himself, at least a bit.
The rest of the night passed in a blur, and before I knew it, I was in bed and could finally digest everything. I realized the dreams returning must have been warnings of Cedric's death and Voldemort's return. As horrified as I was by the prospect of him coming back, I knew in my heart that it was true. I also knew that things would never be the same.
A few hours later, I woke up and crawled from my bed. It was only about 4:00 a.m., but I knew I wouldn't get back to sleep. Moving silently, I went to the Great Hall, which was empty and dark.
"Watch over us, Cedric," I whispered. "We're going to need all the protection we can find. Find peace, wherever it is that you are. Send my love to my father, if you see him." I felt a little weird talking to the empty air like that, but I decided it was worth a shot. If Cedric was listening from wherever it is that people go when they die, I wanted him to know we all loved him and would miss him. "Good-bye," I whispered.