‘Avada Kedavra!’

‘Avada Kedavra!’ Cedric heard the words but couldn’t see the hooded person who spoke them; the darkness of the night cloaked them from his eyes. But his ears worked perfectly and the sound carried across the shrouded tombstones. His world froze in that eternity between the sound of those words and the silence of night and right then, Cedric knew he was going to die.

The words said it all. He knew those two horrible sounding, shunned and forbidden words would be what ended his existence. He didn’t have time to be scared about what was coming; instead he was lost in a flash of green and a perversely flickering shadow on the tombstones. He relived his final days and moments of his life. It was strange, he had never given much thought as to what would happen when he was dead, it had always seemed so far away. He knew from his ‘Muggle Studies’ classes at Hogwart’s that some of the Muggles believed in a mythical figure that would grant them life again in a place called heaven, he had never put much stock in any Muggle beliefs & wasn’t about to start with superstition. He didn’t know what would happen but knew it would be something interesting or else he wouldn’t mind and that thought, strange as it was, gave him comfort. Instead of fear for the unknown future, he looked back at his past life.

He was proud of all he had accomplished in his short life: He was a prefect for the exclusive Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, one of the first chosen tri-wizard champions in decades, and co-winner of the tournament with the legendary Harry Potter. He was also the captain of his house’s Quidditch team and had always thought he would play for a professional team when he left Hogwart’s, that wish was obviously an impossibility now. But he didn’t mind for here was his greatest moment, his stand with Harry Potter against who was obviously he-who-must-not-be-named. It had always been a dream to fight in the wizard war as he thought of it & he knew there was no way else he would rather leave this life.

But he did have regrets that ate at him, as he knew what he was leaving behind, and the greatest was Cho, beautiful Cho. He relived that night of the Yule-Ball again and again, the way her smile seamed to brighten up the room as he spun her lightly in his hands in time with the music. He knew he was in love with her. She was the one thing he thought about above all else, and she interrupted his classes, pushing her way inside his mind with daydreams and visions of her perfection. He would miss her most of all when he left, but knew his parents would miss him more.

His parents would be devastated over the loss of their son, an only child he had always felt their love and devotion from a young age. There was such pride in his fathers voice as he told others of his sons accomplishments, from his entry to Hogwart’s, to his captaincy of Hufflepuff’s Quidditch team and most of all when he became a prefect. His father had always pushed Cedric hard, in both studies and Quidditch, it was as if he had wanted Cedric to be the very best at everything so he could take some small measure of those achievements for himself. Cedric knew now he didn’t mind this, and loved his parents for all their faults. He know without their pushing he would never have been the person he is today and while he would not even be here to die he would never have been with Cho either.

Cedric looked up to see the green flash upon him and smiled. He might be dying but he knew he wouldn’t of had it any other way, with his last strength he looked to Harry in time to see him flinching away and wished him strength in the trials he now knew lay before him…