Just Like Magic (Cedric Diggory and Hermione Granger Fan fiction)

Chapter 12: Expressions

Summer with the Diggory's was going better than I expected. They welcomed me right into the family the same way my parents had welcomed Cedric. I was acquainted with Ottery St. Catchpole because the Weasley's lived around here. It was a grassy area filled with summer breezes and distant land. Cedric's house was tall and smoke was constantly coming out of the chimney, and the house always smelt of home cooked meals. When Cedric wasn't with me, he was fishing with his father and the Weasley's and I was off learning how to make some of Cedric's favorite meals. He never talked about his mornings spent around Ron and I never asked. I would have to deal with the ramifications of our feelings soon enough.

Cedric had a slight enjoyment for climbing trees and many of our summer afternoons were spent climbing the large oak that was found in his backyard. He helped me up and showed me the many ways to get to the top that he had learned over the years. When we reached the top I could see and endless sky and it was beautiful.

It was easy here in this place to forget about the dangers lurking around us. At any moment our lives could be altered. I was well within the wizarding world now, and danger could be anywhere. It seemed that besides subtle clues, Voldermort was remaining under the radar. It wasn't until mid July that we got our first clue as to how bad it was.

We were all sitting in the family room enjoying a cup of tea. Mr. Diggory was on one of his Cedric rants and I couldn't help but laugh at the love he shared for his son. He would still boast about the fact that Cedric appeared in the clearing first, so he was the rightful champion. But Cedric would brush it off and quickly change the subject.

Suddenly an owl appeared from a nearby window and swooped in to drop a letter on the table. We all feared the worst. Someone we loved could be taken or worse-dead. Mr. Diggory leaned over and retrieved the letter but not before patting the owl on the head and sending it on its way. All of us waited with anxious breaths as he opened the parchment and turned to Mrs. Diggory.

"The Order of the Phoenix would like us to rejoin, love."

Mrs. Diggory's face fell. "Things must be worse than they appear. We knew it would eventually come to this."

"What's an Order of the Phoenix?" I asked.

Mrs. Diggory stood and walked towards and the fireplace. She waved her wand muttering a low incantation over one of the bricks and they all jostled to reveal a small gaping hole. She stuck her hand in a produced a tiny picture and placed it in my waiting palm for Cedric and I to look at. The picture was of a group of people all smiling at the camera. Some of the faces I recognized like Dumbledore, the Diggory's, the Weasley's, Sirius Black, Hagrid, Professor Lupin, Professor McGonagall, Professor Snape, and Mad Eye Moody. I also saw the smug face of Peter Pettigrew standing by a young man who looked an awful lot like Harry.

"The Order of the Phoenix is a secret organization Dumbledore created to fight He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named. That picture there is of all the members of the first order." Mrs. Diggory responded.

My thumb rubbed over the smiling face of the young man who reminded me of Harry. "Is this... Is this Harry's father?"

Mr. Diggory nodded. "And the pretty woman next to him is Lily, Harry's mother."

"Many of the members in that photo are no longer with us." Mrs. Diggory added. "The Prewetts, the Boneses, the McKinnons, and the mental loss of Frank and Alice Longbottom."

My gaze drifted to Cedric as Mrs. Diggory mentioned the Longbottoms. Their fate could've very well been Cedric's a month ago. As if sensing my distress his hand reached over and squeezed my knee. He was here. He was healthy.

"Why did you never tell me this?" Cedric asked.

The Diggory's exchanged a glance before Mr. Diggory answered. "We wanted to protect you. You were too young to truly remember how bad it was then."