Thin Skin

The month of June was a busy one at Hogwarts School that year. The whole school was looking forward to watching the third task, which was scheduled for the twenty-fourth of the month. The fifth year students sat for their O.W.L. examinations during the first two weeks. The seventh years sat for their N.E.W.T.s at this time as well. Marietta was surprised by how easy the tests seemed, how her fears had been so much worse than the reality, how she found confidence in herself and her abilities as she performed the spells and created potions for the examiners. Cho was not as confidant, worrying she had spent too much time with Cedric and had not studied enough. Cedric and Marietta would tell her to stop worrying, that they were both positive she had done well.

Everyone agreed that the best part of the O.W.L.s was that they were over and they could all look forward to watching the final task of the tournament in peace.

While both of the Hogwarts champions were tied for first place, most of the school expected Cedric to win the tournament. Cho and Marietta sat with his parents in the stands, looking at the maze which had been grown on the Quidditch field. The maze was thick and the only areas the spectators could see were the entrance of the maze and its center, where the Tri-Wizard Cup stood.

"Well, now, we'll see how that upstart Potter does in this, won't we?" Mr. Diggory said to no one in particular. Mrs. Diggory looked uncomfortable and quickly changed the subject.

"So you both are fifth year students?"

Cho and Marietta nodded.

"That's nice. I remember I met Amos during my fifth year. He was a seventh year and I was so concerned he would forget all about me when he left school," she smiled at Cho, "He has always been so impatient."

Mr. Diggory looked sheepish, "Those were two long years, but I learned that anything worth having is worth waiting for. Glad to see my son wasn't nearly as thick as his old man."

The third task began and all talking among the spectators ceased. Cedric and Harry entered the maze first, then Victor Krum, then Fleur Delacour. The professors were walking around the perimeter of the maze, in case any of the champions found they needed help. Every so often, they would see smoke appear from one section of the maze or another, but this was the only evidence of activity. Then they heard Fleur Delacour scream and Professor McGonagall entered the maze and returned with the stunned French girl. The Beaxbatons students in the crown all let out a sigh of disappointment. Then the crowd saw the red sparks, which the champions had been told to send up if they needed help. Hagrid entered the maze and returned with the unconscious body of Victor Krum.

"Cedric's still in there," Cho whispered to Marietta and grasped her hand.

"So is Harry," Marietta whispered back.

Although both girls wanted Cedric to win, they were loyal to their school and thought Harry Potter was not a bad kid. It seemed like an impossible dream come true that the two Hogwarts champions should be the last two in the maze.

Time passed and the Hogwarts students were beside themselves with excitement. The Gryffindors began to chant "Harry Potter," and the Hufflepuffs chanted "Cedric Diggory," in response, while the Slytherins chanted "Potter Stinks." The din got to such a loud level that Cornelius Fudge, the head of the Ministry of Magic, was forced to perform a silencing charm on all of them. Cho and Marietta were sitting in the section of the stands reserved for the champions' families and were not silenced.

"There's Cedric," Cho shouted, as he emerged near the center of the maze.

"He's holding Harry," said Hermione Granger (she was sitting with the Weasleys, who were the closest thing Harry had to a family, or so Marietta had heard.)

"Dammit boy, this is no time to be noble," Mr. Diggory shouted.

It did appear to Marietta that Harry was limping and using Cedric for support as they slowly moved to the Tri-Wizard Cup. It made sense that they should decide to win this together, for Cedric was a loyal Hufflepuff and Harry was a brave Gryffindor. Neither of the boys could win without the other. It would be a Hogwarts victory and, this way, everyone would be happy. As she watch them reach towards the cup, she whispered to Cho, "I think this is the best outcome, don't you?"

She never found out what Cho thought, for at the moment their hands touched the cup, the boys and the cup disappeared.

At first, it seemed as if this was part of the task.

"Where did they go?" Mrs. Diggory asked, calmly.

"Didn't realize the cup would be a Portkey," Ron Weasley said to his mother.

"I thought the maze was all they were supposed to do," Cho said quietly.

Marietta looked at the judges, saw the look on the face of Albus Dumbledore, their headmaster, and realized that this had not been planned.

"Something's wrong," she said to Cho.

Everything was too silent. Someone must have remembered the silencing charm and reversed it, because Marietta remembered hearing the students' concerned voices return suddenly, like a wave crashing. She was holding Cho's hand and thought her hand might break if Cho squeezed any harder.

Mrs. Weasley reached forward and took hold of Mrs. Diggory's hand and was began speaking calmly to Cedric's mother. "I am sure the boys are fine. You know Dumbledore wouldn't allow anything to happen to them," Marietta heard her say.

Then the boys appeared at the center of the maze. Harry was holding the Tri-Wizard Cup in one hand and Cedric was lying next to him. Cho jumped up, still holding onto Marietta and began to run down to the Quidditch field, dragging Marietta with her. They arrived at the field and in the confusion, no one noticed the two girls amid all the judges and professors. Marietta looked back at the stunned people in the stands and wondered how they could all just sit there. She saw Cornelius Fudge whispering to Dumbledore and watched them attempt to get Harry to let go of Cedric. They heard someone scream, "He's dead! Cedric Diggory! Dead!"

Marietta caught Cho as she fell, having fainted from the shock of what they had just heard. Then Marietta heard the screams, as the spectators seemed to realize what was happening. Heard Cornelius Fudge shout out, "He'll need to go to the hospital wing! He's ill, he's injured." She wanted so much to believe he was telling the truth, but she saw the fear in his eyes and knew he was lying, playing the politician in a moment of crisis. She saw Cedric's father running towards them, saw Dumbledore speaking with Professor Moody, then turning to speak with Mr. Diggory, saw Professor Moody helping Harry walk towards the castle, saw Dumbledore turn around and notice Harry was missing. Then Dumbledore saw her, holding the unconscious body of her best friend.

"Marietta, did you see where Professor Moody took Harry?" he asked.

"They were - walking back to the castle," she said, struggling to hold up Cho.

"Thank you," he looked at her, looked at Cho. "Stay with her. It will be hard going for her when she comes round. She will need you."

Then Marietta saw him go to Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape and run, literally run, towards the castle.

The Quidditch field was filled with students and professors. Marietta saw Professor Sprout leading the Diggorys off the field. The headmistress of Beauxbatons led her students back to their coach while the Durmstrang students looked confused, asking if anyone had seen their headmaster. The prefects from the various houses managed to get most of the students off of the field.

Soon, Marietta found herself virtually alone with Cho next to the maze. She knew she needed to get Cho back to the castle, but she couldn't carry her and couldn't remember any spells. "What is the purpose of studying so hard and knowing so much if you can't remember anything in a crisis?" she asked herself as she put her friend's body on the grass. She put Cho on the ground and was about to start dragging her through the grass when a very attractive man, whom she had seen with Mrs. Weasley, came up to her.

"You look like you need some help," he said to her. "Are you Marietta?"

"Yes."

"I'm Bill Weasley. Dumbledore sent me down here, to make sure you were alright." He extended his hand and took her hand, shook it, then waved his wand and said (to Cho) "Ennervate."

Cho opened her eyes and looked at Marietta, "Where are we? What happened? Where's Cedric?"

Marietta was silent. She didn't know what to say, didn't know how to tell Cho what had happened, but luckily, Bill Weasley began to speak, "There'll be time enough for that later on. First, we need to get you back to the castle. Can you walk?"

Cho stood up and the three began to walk, silently, across the school grounds. When they entered the school, the two girls started to walk towards their common room.

Marietta looked at Bill. "You weren't in Ravenclaw, were you?" she asked, figuring out the answer already, for all the Weasleys were in Griffindor.

Bill smiled, "No, I was not. But I know where your dormitory is and I have been instructed to safely return you to it."

Marietta noticed that he was really attractive, wondered why his younger brothers weren't as attractive. Then she felt disgusted with herself, that she should notice something like that at such a time. She blushed red and looked down as she walked. She walked right into Professor Flitwick, who was standing outside their dormitory, the portrait hole open.

"There you girls are. We were so worried about you. Bill, thank you for bringing them back. I imagine you will be wanting to get back to the infirmary now."

Bill said good-bye to Cho and Marietta and walked away towards the hospital wing as Professor Flitwick ushered the girls into the empty common room.

"Madame Pomfrey has given me this sleeping potion for you girls to drink," he handed each of them a mug, "I know you must have many things you wish to ask, but I must beg you to please take this potion and go to sleep. The Headmaster will speak with you in the morning. Will you do this?" The girls nodded. "Thank you. I know it has been a terrible evening for you, terrible for us all, really, but I promise, sleep will help you heal. I know you will not believe me now, but time will prove me right. The worst thing people do in times of tragedy is stay awake when there is nothing they can do. Once you get some sleep, you can begin to put your life back together, and you can begin to move forward."

Marietta and Cho went up to their dormitory in silence and drank the potion they had been given. Marietta wanted so much to talk to Cho about what had happened that night, but didn't know where to begin. As they lay in their beds, Marietta looked over at her best friend and said, "I'm really sorry. If there were anything I could do to change this, I would."

Cho was almost asleep and mumbled, "I know." Then they were asleep.

When they awoke the next morning, Cho started to ask Marietta what had happened the night before, after she passed out, but before Marietta could speak, an Owl appeared at the window. It had a note for Cho, requesting she visit Dumbledore's office immediately. Marietta waited for Cho to return to their dormitory, but when she did, she wouldn't tell Marietta what had been said or how she was feeling. All Marietta knew was that Cedric had died. At the end of the year feast, Dumbledore told the whole school Cedric had been killed by You Know Who, which was too horrible to consider.

"Remember," Dumbledore told them, "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."

Marietta wished Cho would talk to her about Cedric. Marietta knew that it would be good if they just talked about what happened, but Cho refused to say anything. She would occasionally bring up Cedric's name and start to cry, but would not answer any of Marietta's questions about what she, Cho, was feeling.

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The school year ended and the summer began. Marietta sent Cho a letter every day, but Cho rarely responded. Marietta kept telling herself that things would improve once they began sixth year, but found that Cho seemed more distant and less interested in talking about anything but the most frivolous of things. At first, Marietta attempted to ask her, but gradually grew confused and shy when faced with Cho's silence.

That summer, Marietta's mother began insisting that Harry Potter was unstable and that Marietta should stay away from him. The fact that Marietta had next to no contact with Harry did not seem to calm her down. To make matters worse, whenever Marietta tried to talk about Cedric with her mother, Mrs. Edgecombe would change the subject. It was as if everyone was pretending that Cedric had never been alive, because that would mean that he had not died.

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"People don't want me to talk about it, they tell me to grieve in silence," Cho cried, "My parents wouldn't care if I shagged all the boys at Hogwarts, so long as I don't talk about Cedric."

"I care. I have been telling you to talk to me all year. Why won't you let me in? Tell me what you are going through, I don't care what our parents tell us we ought to do."

"Oh, Marietta," Cho broke down, "I just loved him so much. I dream of him every night, that we are grown up and married, and have babies, and then, I wake up, and I have this split second where I think the dreams are real, think that he is still alive and that everything is alright. Then I remember and it all comes crashing down on me, I remember seeing his dead body and I know he isn't coming back. Why did he have to die? I loved him so much. I'll never love anyone that much ever again. I'm so afraid of being alone, so afraid that he is the only person who will ever love me like that."

Marietta hugged her best friend. There wasn't anything she could say, but she knew that Cho didn't really need her to say anything. She just stood in the bathroom holding her sobbing friend.

After some time, Cho's tears subsided. She tried to smile at Marietta, "Thanks. You've been a really good friend to me."

"I have not," Marietta mumbled, ashamed of herself.

"Yes, you have," Cho insisted, "You have always been there for me when I needed you. Even when I pushed you away."

"Cho, the word SNEAK is spelled across my face in acne. That wouldn't be there if I really were a good friend."

"I know. But I haven't been a good friend to you this year. You kept asking me how I was doing and I just avoided you. And I knew your parents were riding you pretty hard about Umbridge, but I didn't say anything. I was so busy trying to date Harry Potter, thinking about myself, I didn't even think about you. I'm sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for. It isn't your fault I snitched to Umbridge. It isn't my parents' fault either. I made the decision to tell Umbridge about the DA all by myself. I deserved what I got."

As Cho opened her mouth to protest, the door to the bathroom rattled. Then the girls heard a female voice saying the word "Alohomora" and watched as the door unlocked itself and opened. Standing in the entrance was Hermione Granger.