author_by_night | Spectators: What the Ministry Doesn't Want You to Know

Flight from Death

Fleur felt hollow as the full impact of Dumbledore's words hit her.

Flight-From-Death. That was what his name meant in her language, and what they'd always called him. There was no "You Know Who." But then again, Voldemort had never reached French shores.

They were who had killed Cedric. And yet the Ministry dared deny it. How could they let someone as great as him die in vain?

Fleur looked over at Viktor; he sat miserably as several Slytherins jeered right in front of him. The nerve of that lot.

Fleur wondered whether she should really come back now. She knew what Maman and Papa would say - no; absolutely not. Gabrielle would be terrified.

But wouldn't turning away from something she wanted be playing into their hands? They'd love knowing a "half-breed" like her was afraid of them. Besides, maybe almost losing Gabrielle to the Grindylows had been a test. Perhaps she'd been meant to meet that handsome man with the earring, meant to be here now, and maybe she was meant to come back and do whatever it was she could.

Fleur would be back as soon as possible. Of that she had no doubt whatsoever.

Crushed

The Hufflepuffs had been communing in the Common Room ever since Cedric died. But now, they were divided.

"I just Floo'd my Mum from Sprout's office," Zacaharias announced. "She said he must be lying."

"Sprout let you in her office?" Megan asked.

Zacharias laughed. "'course not, I snuck in. But if she's lying to us too, and I think she might believe him-"

"-then he's right, because Sprout's never lied to us," Susan finished.

Zacharias's eyes narrowed. "So you believe him?"

Bronson laughed wryly, and so much rage filled Megan, she turned quickly and said angrily, "what's so funny?"

"Don't you just love that we've lost one of our best mates, and now Dumbledore's come up with some contrived way to make it worse than it already is?"

"It's an insult to his memory," Megan said firmly.

"You never really cared about him," Bronson retorted. "You had an idiot crush on him and were all sad because you knew he never gave you the time of day."

A year ago, this would have silenced Megan straight away. But while tears weren't far off, she managed to smile and look Bronson straight in the eye.

"You're wrong," Megan told him. "I've learned who Cedric really is... was. He was everything Dumbledore said, and more. He was kind to me the night of the Yule Ball - loyal to his girlfriend, but kind and fair to me. He told us to be nice to the other Champions. He never acted proud of himself, only confident and determined. Because that's the kind of person he was. It wasn't just an idiot crush. He was my friend. Your friend. Our friend. So no, I'm not going to settle with the idea that he just dropped dead, no matter what the Ministry of Magic says."

Megan ignored several voices calling her name, only paying attention to the running feet she knew belonged to Susan. She let her friend put her arm around her, and together they walked back to the dormitories.