Some Bar in England, December 17
It had been eighteen days since the Dementors. It had been eighteen days since his group had been separated, torn asunder and scattered across the area like marbles. Cedric didn't know who was dead, who was alive or who...had suffered a fate even worse than that.
He was out of contact with Harry, out of contact with everyone.
He just knew he was alive. Tired, weary but alive. And, of course, Cedric was celebrating that fact by downing some bitter tasting alcoholic beverage in a dank bar. They hadn't asked for ID and he'd overpaid just to keep questions from being asked.
Not that he think anyone would look for him here. Voldemort wasn't known for his enjoyment of bars with damp chairs. And Voldemort wasn't looking for him anyway. Harry was the prize. Cedric was just...there.
Typical.
He missed Quidditch.
He wondered if things like the Quidditch World Cup were still going on, if the world was still turning even as a war raged on in forests, in the skies, in dark, dark places.
Cedric thought about Viktor Krum. Wondered where he was. If Viktor had been smart, he'd still be playing Quidditch and avoiding all this.
Cedric knew better. Viktor wouldn't be shying away from something like this. Viktor would be right in the middle.
If he wasn't dead.
Cedric took another long swallow from his bottle. Not too much. He didn't need to end up drunk and passed out on the floor. He needed legs to get back to his tent. He needed to make sure no one took his sword.
He missed Jack. It'd be easy to take his broom, fly off and go find him. Never come back to England and never think about this again.
That thought just made the alcohol taste even more bitter. And it made Cedric hate that little part of himself.
He wondered why the Dementors hadn't killed him. He was fast but he wasn't that fast. In the days after, he found himself wondering if they'd let him go. He hoped not.
So lost in his own thoughts of self pity, he didn't hear the door of the bar open. Didn't see the cloaked figure walk toward him and didn't realize there was someone looming over him until the figure spoke.
"You look old," the familiar voice said.
Cedric blinked and looked up, eyes widening and speech disappearing...
[NFB, NFI, OOC AOK.]
He was out of contact with Harry, out of contact with everyone.
He just knew he was alive. Tired, weary but alive. And, of course, Cedric was celebrating that fact by downing some bitter tasting alcoholic beverage in a dank bar. They hadn't asked for ID and he'd overpaid just to keep questions from being asked.
Not that he think anyone would look for him here. Voldemort wasn't known for his enjoyment of bars with damp chairs. And Voldemort wasn't looking for him anyway. Harry was the prize. Cedric was just...there.
Typical.
He missed Quidditch.
He wondered if things like the Quidditch World Cup were still going on, if the world was still turning even as a war raged on in forests, in the skies, in dark, dark places.
Cedric thought about Viktor Krum. Wondered where he was. If Viktor had been smart, he'd still be playing Quidditch and avoiding all this.
Cedric knew better. Viktor wouldn't be shying away from something like this. Viktor would be right in the middle.
If he wasn't dead.
Cedric took another long swallow from his bottle. Not too much. He didn't need to end up drunk and passed out on the floor. He needed legs to get back to his tent. He needed to make sure no one took his sword.
He missed Jack. It'd be easy to take his broom, fly off and go find him. Never come back to England and never think about this again.
That thought just made the alcohol taste even more bitter. And it made Cedric hate that little part of himself.
He wondered why the Dementors hadn't killed him. He was fast but he wasn't that fast. In the days after, he found himself wondering if they'd let him go. He hoped not.
So lost in his own thoughts of self pity, he didn't hear the door of the bar open. Didn't see the cloaked figure walk toward him and didn't realize there was someone looming over him until the figure spoke.
"You look old," the familiar voice said.
Cedric blinked and looked up, eyes widening and speech disappearing...
[NFB, NFI, OOC AOK.]