Spring came and left quickly, making room for summer, which sprang on rather even quicker. I had managed to uplift my mood by a little, but as the time for summer break crept upon us I felt a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach. I'll have to return to my home one last time to take everything I want with me and settle in with the Weasleys, and my parents wouldn't be there to greet me. I felt myself ache at the thought of not coming home to my mothers warm hugs, or my the smell of fathers coffee and old books. They won't ever interrogate me about my grades and accomplishments like they usually did when I came home, and I'll never hear my mom's voice beam with pride while talking about me to her friends. Of course, not wanting to break Fred's excitement for the summer I didn't voice these concerns to him, but I knew he knew what I was feeling. I could feel it in every warm touch, and in every comforting look he gave me.

Fred and George tried to hang around me studying and much as possible, but I told them they didn't have to, so they spent a lot of time with Lee Jordan. Fred still came by to check on me every chance he could.

I buried my nose in my studies as much as possible, feeling as they provided a good distraction, but this distraction soon turned unhealthy as I lost more and more sleep pouring over textbooks at the speed that could rival Hermione. If my grades were amazing before, they now skyrocketed, if that was even possible of them. McGonagall often shot me kind smiles whenever I passed her, and I in turn would try my best to give her small smiles back.

"Ladies and gentlemen, in five minutes' time, I will be asking you to make your way down to the Quidditch field for the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Will the champions please follow Mr. Bagman down to the stadium now." Dumbledore's voice snapped me out of my thoughts.

Today was the final task of the Tri-Wizard tournament. Harry stood up and accompanies Fleur, Krum, and Cedric out of the dining hall.

"Who do you reckon will win?" Fred asked, draping his arm around me.

"I don't know Freddie, you tell me." I giggle, gently tapping his nose.

"Harry, I mean he's beaten you know who multiple times, what's a small wizarding competition to him?" Fred replied giddily.

After five minutes we began walking toward the stadium; the air was full of excited voices and the rumbling of feet as the hundreds of students filed into their seats. The sky was a deep, clear blue now, and the first stars were starting to appear. Hagrid, Professor Moody, Professor McGonagall, and Professor Flitwick came walking into the stadium and approached Bagman and the champions. They were wearing large, red, luminous stars on their hats, all except Hagrid, who had his on the back of his moleskin vest.

Fred and I nestled into front row seats, with the rest of the Weasley family sitting down right next to us.

"You look amazing by the way." Fred whispered in my ear, making me blush.

I looked down at my outfit. It wasn't anything extraordinary, just a button down shirt and shorts, but nonetheless, his compliment seemed sincere. I blushed, but before I could say anything else the announcers loud voice came over the speakers.

"Ladies and gentlemen, the third and final task of the Triwizard Tournament is about to begin! Let me remind you how the points currently stand! Tied in first place, with eighty-five points each - Mr. Cedric Diggory and Mr. Harry Potter, both of Hogwarts School!" The cheers and applause sent birds from the Forbidden Forest fluttering into the darkening sky. "In second place, with eighty points - Mr. Viktor Krum, of Durmstrang Institute!" More applause. "And in third place - Miss Fleur Delacour, of Beauxbatons Academy!"

I snaked my arm around Fred's waist, and press my cheek to his chest, observing the champions.

"So...on my whistle, Harry and Cedric!" said Bagman. "Three - two - one -"

He gave a short blast on his whistle, and Harry and Cedric hurried forward into the maze.

Shortly after the whistle was blown for Krum, and later for Fleur. We sat down as soon as the last champion was out of sight, Fred pulling me on his lap causing George and Lee Jordan start wolf whistling at us. I felt a tiredness overcome me, and my eyelids begin to droop, despite the restless crowd around us. I drifted into a light sleep.

I was awoken what felt like moments later by a loud cheering in the crowd. I drowsily looked up and saw Harry and Cedric tumbling on the grass in the center of the stadium. They made it! Fred and I jumped up in an instant and started whooping for the Hogwarts victors. Strangely, Cedric didn't move, and I noticed that in an instant and stopped cheering. Was he ok?

Dumbledore walked up to Harry, and Harry said something rather frantically. Cornelius Fudge rushed over to where Cedric was laying, and his face changed from that of pure joy to that of horror.

"He's back, he's back! Voldemort's back. Cedric, he asked me to bring his body back. I couldn't leave him, not there." Harry screamed, and suddenly it felt like the world around me began to spin.

Cedric was dead, and Voldemort claimed another life. I could hear Mr. Diggory's heart wrenching screams grow fuzzy. I felt my knees give in under me, and everything went black.

~~~~

"The end," said Dumbledore, looking around at every student gathered in the dining hall, "of another year."

He paused, and his eyes fell upon the Hufflepuff table. Theirs had been the most subdued table before he had gotten to his feet, and theirs were still the saddest and palest faces in the Hall. I felt a pang of sorrow hit me. He didn't deserve to die.

"There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight," said Dumbledore, "but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be sitting here," he gestured toward the Hufflepuffs, "enjoying our feast with us. I would like you all, please, to stand, and raise your glasses, to Cedric Diggory."

We did it, all of us; the benches scraped as everyone in the Hall stood, and raised their goblets, and echoed, in one loud, low, rumbling voice, "Cedric Diggory."

"Cedric was a person who exemplified many of the qualities that distinguish Hufflepuff house," Dumbledore continued. "He was a good and loyal friend, a hard worker, he valued fair play. His death has affected you all, whether you knew him well or not. I think that you have the right, therefore, to know exactly how it came about."

I felt Fred link his arm through mine, and give my hand a tight squeeze.

"Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort." I felt myself go limp before regaining composure again, not wanting to faint again on the last day of school.

A panicked whisper swept the Great Hall. People were staring at Dumbledore in disbelief, in horror. He looked perfectly calm as he watched them mutter themselves into silence.

"The Ministry of Magic," Dumbledore continued, "does not wish me to tell you this. It is possible that some of your parents will be horrified that I have done so - either because they will not believe that Lord Voldemort has returned, or because they think I should not tell you so, young as you are. It is my belief, however, that the truth is generally preferable to lies, and that any attempt to pretend that Cedric died as the result of an accident, or some sort of blunder of his own, is an insult to his memory."

I feel myself clutch Fred's hand harder.

"There is somebody else who must be mentioned in connection with Cedric's death," Dumbledore went on. "I am talking, of course, about Harry Potter."

A kind of ripple crossed the Great Hall as a few heads turned in Harry's direction before flicking back to face Dumbledore.

"Harry Potter managed to escape Lord Voldemort," said Dumbledore. "He risked his own life to return Cedric's body to Hogwarts. He showed, in every respect, the sort of bravery that few wizards have ever shown in facing Lord Voldemort, and for this, I honor him."

Dumbledore turned gravely to Harry and raised his goblet once more. Nearly everyone in the Great Hall followed suit. They murmured his name, as they had murmured Cedric's, and drank to him. But through a gap in the standing figures. I saw that Malfoy, Crabbe, Goyle, and many of the other Slytherins had remained defiantly in their seats, their goblets untouched. Dumbledore, who after all possessed no magical eye, did not see them. I felt disgusted with my house mates, at the blatant disrespect they showed.

When everyone had once again resumed their seats, Dumbledore continued, "The Triwizard Tournament's aim was to further and promote magical understanding. In the light of what has happened - of Lord Voldemort's return - such ties are more important than ever before."

Dumbledore looked from Madame Maxime and Hagrid, to Fleur Delacour and her fellow Beauxbatons students, to Viktor Krum and the Durmstrangs at the Slytherin table. Krum, I saw, looked wary, almost frightened, as though he expected Dumbledore to say something harsh.

"Every guest in this Hall," said Dumbledore, and his eyes lingered upon the Durmstrang students, "will be welcomed back here at any time, should they wish to come. I say to you all, once again - in the light of Lord Voldemort's return, we are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided. Lord Voldemort's gift for spreading discord and enmity is very great. We can fight it only by showing an equally strong bond of friendship and trust. Differences of habit and language are nothing at all if our aims are identical and our hearts are open. It is my belief- and never have I so hoped that I am mistaken - that we are all facing dark and difficult times. Some of you in this Hall have already suffered directly at the hands of Lord Voldemort. Many of your families have been torn asunder. A week ago, a student was taken from our midst. Remember Cedric. Remember, if the time should come when you have to make a choice between what is right and what is easy, remember what happened to a boy who was good, and kind, and brave, because he strayed across the path of Lord Voldemort. Remember Cedric Diggory."