Dangerously Close

"Is she awake?"

My head pounded, throbbing in pain. All I could see was black, and all I could hear were voices. I tried to scream, but no sound escaped my lips.

"I don't think she's awake. What if she's not even alive?"

I attempted once more to part my lips open and send out a cry to whomever's voices were ringing in my ears. There was no use as I remained motionless, alone with my terrified thoughts. What was going on?

"I think I just saw her open her mouth slightly! Madam Pomfrey! Quickly!"

I desperately began trying to speak again. No words came out, but I felt the movement and slight tingle.

I could feel control slowly returning to me as my fingertips curled onto a soft and fluffy fabric. Was I on a bed?

My eyes made slow blinks and I could hear a hitched breath or two. They slowly began to flutter open, and I felt relieved to have escaped the darkness as my eyes adjusted. The room was bright and luminous, full of white everywhere. The first thing I noticed were the figures hovering over my now-awakening body. Their irises glistened as they met mine. I was finally able to put names on the faces. Neville, Rayne, Ruby, Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, and Harry.

Harry.

I jumped up immediately, latching my arms onto my brother’s neck as I yanked him into a tight embrace, tears beginning to well. The rush of the moment seemed to surprise him, but he returned the hug almost immediately.

“Rosalie,” he breathed. “I-I thought you were dead!”

I pulled away, sniffling as I wiped the salty liquid off my cheeks. “I’m okay, but Harry - the graveyard, I...what happened?”

Madam Pomfrey clapped her hands, scurrying into the room. “Oh dear! You’re awake,” she beamed. “How do you feel? We should check you right away.”

I nodded. “I feel fine, but do you mind if I have a bit before we do any check-ups?”

She tutted. “I don’t recommend it, but if you wish. Your friends have waited a long while, they deserve it.”

I furrowed my brows. “Long while? How long was I out?”

“A day or so. Luckily you woke up a mere hours before Diggory’s memorial!” She frowned suddenly, putting a hand over her heart in sympathy. “Such a handsome boy, very charming as well. Too young to have gone.”

I pulled my bottom lip between my teeth. No crying. Not now.

When my eyes flickered towards Rayne, she gave me an I’m-so-sorry-I-can’t-imagine-how-you-feel look. I just gave her a small smile in return.

After Madam Pomfrey’s exit, I looked back to my group of friends. “How long have you guys been waiting?”

Ruby shrugged. “Me, Neville, and the twins got here three hours ago. Harry went with Moody after returning, but two hours later he was running to the common room. Rayne and him rushed here as soon as possible and stayed the night - but none of us have really left your sight ever since.”

Rayne nodded, frowning. “We were all worried sick about you, Rose.”

“You guys didn’t have to wait for me here,” I mumbled, a warm and loving feeling filling me.

“Don’t be silly, we care way too much about you to just leave you here dying,” George replied, crossing his arms.

“You don’t expect us to not show up for our best friend,” Ron matter-of-factly asked.

I smiled wholeheartedly. “Thank you, really. It means a lot.”

“We’re always here for you, Rosalie,” Hermione assured. “Through thick and thin.”

“In sickness and in health,” I joked.

Fred put a hand over his chest, pretending to dab at his eyes with his other free hand. “Oh, Georgey! Hermione and Rosalie’s vows - too much! They grow up so fast!”

I scoffed at him, and Rayne burst out laughing, slapping his arm.

“Oh shut up, you bloke. Come on, guys, we should leave her and her brother to talk.”

“Not that I don’t appreciate your company, but it’d be great.”

Neville, finally speaking up, nodded. “Of course.”

George shook his head. “Tsk, tsk. Absolutely rude. Where are your manners?”

“She doesn’t love us any more, George.”

Ruby threw her hands up in the air. “For God’s sake! Out, now!” She shot me a thumbs up and a wink as I mouthed a thank you to her. Soon, everyone was evacuating the Hospital Wing - all except for Harry.

His bright eyes seemed to soften more - if possible - as he moved to the edge of the bed, plopping down on it. “Where should I begin?”

I let out a sigh. “First, why am I all bandaged up? I don’t remember anything after you grabbed the Cup.”

He bit his lip. “Well, you got hit. With a spell, or something. I dunno what it was - I swear all I remember seeing was a bright flash, but you’re alive. So Unforgivable Curse is out the way.”

I put a hand up. "Okay, let's just keep it at I got hit by a random curse that knocked me out cold. Because I don't really want to think about any of those possibilities at the moment."

Harry slowly nodded. "Yeah, I get it. What else do you want to know? I'm not quite sure where to begin, myself."

"The graveyard. All of that...happened, right?"

He seemed to slump in a mix of devastation, defeat, and anger. "It did. All of it."

I chewed on my lip for a moment, kind of regretting bringing it up. "Just double-checking to make sure I didn't just dream or envision it."

"It's okay, it happened. There's really nothing we can do about the past."

An awkward silence filled the air as we both looked around. Harry rubbed his knee, not knowing what to say. This had never happened before, usually none of our conversations were this hard. It was evident it made me uncomfortable, and the sad lump in my throat I was attempting to swallow off wasn't helping. I couldn't stop thinking of the recent events.

"So Cedric really is dead, huh?"

He nodded, not really liking this topic change either. "If you didn't hear Madam Pomfrey, yes. His memorial is in a few hours."

I kept my eyes on the foot of the bed as a single tear streamed down my face. "I don't think I can go - I just can't..."

My brother sighed, wrapping his arms around me in a hug. "He would've wanted you to stay strong, Rosalie. We won this tournament for him - and it'd be wrong if someone he liked so much didn't show up."

"It's not that I don't want to," I complained with a sudden rise of my tone. I was crying more at this point. "It's that I can't! I'm not s-strong enough."

I hugged my knees tightly as I buried my head in between them, sobbing. My body trembled slightly.

"Don't say that," he defended. "You are the bravest, strongest girl I've ever met -"

"Harry, I don't want to argue about this. I can't do it, I'll just look like a fool breaking down, and Cho Chang will be there."

"I'll keep her from talking to y-"

"I am not going to some damn funeral to hear about how my good friend and fancy was murdered by a dark wizard I despise deeply," I snapped.

"He died, and we can't pretend he didn't get killed! The best you could do is mourn his death instead of ignoring it and letting it eat you up alive!"

He was slightly turning red, a sign I could tell that meant he was frustrated with me. But there was no absolute way.

"I'm not gonna go! Voldemort is back, we have to focus on that, and I can't bear to think about Ce-"

"ROSALIE POTTER, I SWEAR TO MERLIN IF YOU DON'T LISTEN!"

Harry stared at me with hardened eyes as I grew startled by his sudden tone.

"At the graveyard, when me and Voldemort's spells collided and had that effect, I saw mum and dad. I saw Cedric, too. They were there, talking to me. Do you know what they said to me?"

I shook my head slowly.

His arm wrapped around my shoulder as he took deep breaths. "Mum and dad - they're so proud of you. They wish they could talk to you, hug you, tell you themselves. To see you again. Cedric told me to remind you he'd always be there with you, no matter when, where, or what, even if you can't see him. That he wanted you to keep strong for him and to stop bringing yourself down. To keep fighting the war."

I sighed before nodding. "I'm so sorry," I mumbled with a sniff before meeting his eyes. All I could see was my mother. "You're right."

Harry smiled. "I always am."

I laughed, smacking his arm. "Stop being so cocky! Gees, you're like an adult now. But don't become Sirius!"

"Yay, she's cheered up," he exclaimed as he jumped up from the bed.

I laughed, enjoying the temporary rumble leaving my throat. "Not totally. You should go. I want to get checked so I can leave this bloody room - I'm itching to get these damn bandages off!"

"You could pass for a mummy," he teased.

I gasped, ready to throw a taunt at him, but before I could, he had waved and stepped out, and Madam Pomfrey had made her way towards me.

She wore a bright and concerned smile. "Do you feel better?"

I nodded. "In the maze my arm was kinda sore, but it's gone now. Did I get anything else on my face and neck that require these bandages?"

She nodded as she removed one from my forehead, passing a wet towel over it. She repeated with the side of my face. "You had a gash on your cheek and temple from Merlin knows what. As for your neck, it looked like a wound was starting to open up. My suspicion is the gillyweed you used last task - I hear there's a possibility it can make a nasty wound! But it doesn't look serious."

Well, great.

I shrugged. "Oh well."

Madam Pomfrey tugged at the end of the white cotton on my neck, letting it fall off. What I didn't expect was to hear something fall to the floor and a small scream.

"Is something wrong," I asked as my eyes widened in worry.

She fumbled to grasp the mirror on the side table before giving it to me. I peered through the glass at my neck. It took all my strength to not drop the mirror and fall unconscious again. Something that wasn't supposed to be there now sat on my skin in the very crook of my neck where I had been struck.

A lightning bolt scar.