➵ HEY BROTHER-AVICII
'what if i'm far from home? oh brother i will hear you call.'

As Rory did her laps around the pitch, everything was off her mind. All she was worried about was beating her flying record of the season.

She was neck-and-neck with Blaise as they flew around the large pitch. For practice, they usually finished it off with laps around the pitch. However, they always ended up becoming a race between the team to see who could beat their previous record.

The Slytherins didn't find out what team they were playing against until three days before the match, meaning that practice was trickier. When they knew who they were against, they could plan tactics. Each team had different patterns, you see.

Gryffindor seemed to rely on Harry because they knew how talented he was. The other plays got sloppy as the game went on. They started off with loads of energy but it burnt out quickly.

The Ravenclaw team were all very stamina-based. They were very fast. However, Chang wasn't the best seeker. It was the other players that put in most of the effort. Ravenclaw were probably Slytherin's easiest opponents.

Rory was hoping so hard that they wouldn't be playing against Hufflepuff for the first match. She didn't know how she'd cope. They would have to get the reserve seeker. Rory hadn't played against a different Hufflepuff seeker in her entire life. Even as a kid, she played against Cedric. It wouldn't feel right.

Rory shook off the thought of Cedric and got her head in the game. She picked up the pace and just about surpassed Blaise. "Yes!" she exclaimed as she completed her tenth lap before everyone else.

Blaise sighed with defeat and high-fived his friend, "Fair play, fair play." He muttered, out of breath. After everyone came back down, they made their way back to the changing rooms.

Rory was walking in between Lexi and Mattheo. Flint had stopped scowling at her every time she spoke, mainly out of pity. She didn't like it. She didn't want people to treat her differently just because her brother was dead. Rory wanted everything to be normal so she felt normal.

It was slightly awkward around Lexi & others that she wasn't as close friends with. They felt too bad mentioning anything happy so they stayed quiet. Rory was the one that had to start conversations most of the time, so that people would at least think she was okay.

In truth, Rory was at the lowest point of her life. She stayed up all night screaming and crying because every time she closed her eyes she saw his face. Enzo refused to let Rory sleep alone— and for that she was so grateful. He stayed with her when she got the nightmares. Rory was surprised he did, really. The constant sobbing must get annoying after a while.

After Rory showered, she met Blaise, Mattheo and Theo outside and they walked back to the common room. They left Hogwarts for half term after dinner tonight, meaning that everyone needed to pack.

Rory's friends could definitely tell that she wasn't okay. She noticed Mattheo and Draco frowning a lot as she bowed her head and toyed with her bracelet. They didn't dare mention it, unless she brought it up.

The thing with her group of friends was that people on the outside viewed Draco, Mattheo etc as bad people. People assumed they were bad influences and rude (which was partly true). However, they were the complete opposite. Rory knew them as funny, considerate people. It was a shame other people didn't see them as how they really were.

For example, Rory was currently fiddling with her locket, staring at her feet as the group walked. Mattheo noticed instantly and tried to cheer her up. "Did you see Snape this morning? He's had a bit of a hair cut, y'know." Mattheo grinned.

Rory weakly laughed, "Good on him, he needed one."

The others chuckled but Rory went back to toying with her jewellery in silence. When she got back to her dorm, Pansy was already in there and packing her trunk.

"You okay? How was practice?" Pansy asked.

"Brilliant, I beat my record." Rory shrugged.

She smiled, "That's amazing!"

Rory smiled slightly and transferred some of her clothes from her wardrobe to her brown trunk. She rummaged through the bottom of her wardrobe and her heart sunk when she spotted Cedric's Hufflepuff jumper. Earlier in the quidditch season, he took it off and asked Rory to leave it in her dorm until he remembered to come back and get it.

She sunk to her knees and lifted the jumper to her nose. It still smelt like him. Tears filled Rory's eyes as she clung it to her chest.

"Hey, you okay?" Pansy asked. Rory shook my head, the tears falling. "What's wrong?" She said softly, crouching down next to her best friend. Pansy saw the jumper and frowned, "Oh, rory."

"It still smells like him." Rory whispered before she started uncontrollably sobbing into Pansy's shoulder.

"It's okay, rory." Pansy whispered as Rory cried.

༻✦༺༻✦༺༻✦༺

"Nott, Parkinson, Zabini, Lupin-Diggory, Berkshire, Riddle, Malfoy." Hagrid muttered as he ticked off their names. "Yep." He added and the group made their way onto the train.

Mattheo raced ahead to get their usual carriage. They left extra early this time so they wouldn't get a small one. Rory sunk into the seat, feeling slightly nauseous. It felt odd getting on the train knowing that Cedric wasn't on it too.

She rested her head against the window as the train begun the journey, Enzo next to her and rubbing his thumb over her hand. "You okay?" He asked as everyone else spoke between themselves.

Rory nodded with a straight face, her hand going down to twist her bracelet. "You sure?" He asked, not convinced.

"Mhm." she muttered.

He tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "Talk to me, love."

"I'm fine, Enz."

He sighed and kept his gaze on his girlfriend for a little bit longer, a slight frown across his face. He knew damn well she was lying but he didn't want to push her any further. Enzo was probably the only one who really saw how much Cedric's death was affecting Rory. He was the one that comforted her after the nightmares, he was the one that had to make sure she had eaten and was okay. He grew up alongside Rory and Cedric— he knew how close they were, meaning that he understood how much she was grieving.

"Up for a game of chess, rors?" Theo offered.

Rory shook her head, "Maybe later," He frowned and put his chess set away. Rory couldn't help but feel guilty as he tucked it away. "Nevermind, one game can't hurt, right?" she shrugged.

His face lit up, "That's my girl."

༻✦༺༻✦༺༻✦༺

The group arrived back at King's Cross Station the next morning. Rory said her goodbyes to her friends, knowing that she probably wouldn't see them for another two or three weeks. Enzo pulled Rory aside, his grip on her hand. "Want me to come over at some point? I know the funeral is tomorrow and i'll see you then anyways but I don't like the idea of you sleeping alone."

Rory took a deep breath, "I'm going to try and sleep by myself tonight, see how it goes. After the funeral, you can stay over."

He nodded and kissed her forehead, pulling her into his chest. "As long as you're okay with it."

"Thank you, Enz."

"For what?"

"For not giving up on me. You've stayed with me every night, despite my crying and screaming. You have no idea how grateful I am for you."

He smiled and kissed Rory quickly, now looking into her eyes. "You know that I would do absolutely anything for you, love. I will never give up on you."

She smiled, "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah." He said quietly as Rory smiled and pulled away from him. However, when spotted Remus leant against a stone pillar, she sunk into his arms.

"Oh, sweetheart." Was all he managed to say, in a low voice. Her and Remus found the nearest fireplace, which was in the back of a dodgy pub.

"After you," He motioned to the fire and Rory took a deep breath.

"The cottage!" she exclaimed and transported through the air in a matter of seconds. When Rory landed in the living room of the cottage, she took a moment to stabilise herself. After she gathered her surroundings, somebody had brought her into a tight hug.

Rory relaxed when she recognised Sirius' long, black, messy hair. She hugged him back, her eyes welling up from a mixture of happiness and relief. She had missed him so much. "Oh, Rory. I've missed you so much." He said quietly.

Before Rory could reply, Remus had arrived via the fireplace. "Come on, get in here." she slightly laughed and dragged Remus into the hug.

"Well this is nice." Remus smiled.

"I quite agree," Sirius added. Rory laughed and hugged her dads tighter than ever. She felt so safe with them.

"Tea and toast, pup?" Sirius asked with a smile.

Rory smiled, "You know me too well,"

He winked and went into the kitchen. Rory and Remus followed behind and sat at the dining table. "I don't mean to bring the mood down but we're going to have to arrive at the funeral an hour and a half before everyone arrives— it's common courtesy for family members." Remus informed.

Rory nodded slowly, "Where exactly is the funeral?"

"The lake. He's being buried beside the lake."

Rory's eyes widened. "The lake? Our old lake?" Her voice came out raspier than intended.

"Yes, the one you spent your summers at." Remus confirmed her thoughts.

Rory didn't how how to feel about that. Remus was right— the Diggorys spent every summer there. It was the place Rory had most of her dreams about. It was where Cedric taught her how to swim, where Amos made her learn to ride a bike myself.

"I know this is a really big ask but I think you should do a speech. It's completely up to you though." He added.

"You really don't have to if you don't want to." Sirius added as he waited for the toast to finish.

Rory nodded, "No, I want to. Whether i'll be able to do it without sobbing is unknown but i'll try."

Remus smiled and squeezed his daughter's hand, "It's only close friends and family so don't feel pressured to be perfect. Everyone coming loves you."

Rory sighed with a slight smile, "Who's coming?"

Remus grabbed the piece of parchment with a list of names. He passed it to Rory and she began scanning the list. It read; Me, Rory, Remus, Sirius, Chris, Liz, Enzo, Rose & Atlas, Edward & his parents, Mum, The weasleys + Harry and Hermione, Pansy & her mother, Draco, Narcissa & Lucius, Theodore, Mattheo, Blaise. By the looks of it, Victoria had written it.

Rory nodded in approval, "Okay, okay."

"Vicky told me to check it with you before she sent the letters out." Remus shrugged.

Rory nodded, "Tell her that's fine."

"You sure? Not too many people?"

Rory shook her head, "No, it's okay. I'm glad my friends will be there. Just to make sure, Charlotte isn't coming?"

He nodded, "The one that you hexed?"

Rory nodded. "I don't want her anywhere near me. She keeps trying to speak to me at school and give her condolences."

"Isn't that a good thing?"

Rory laughed, "Charlotte completely ruined Cedric's mental health, there's no way i'm speaking to her."

Remus sighed, "Okay then."

Sirius came over with the buttered toast and tea. Rory smiled and thanked him. Her dad sat down opposite her, next to Remus. "How have you been? I know that's a ridiculous question and I don't expect you to give me a positive answer but I just generally want to know how you feel." Sirius sighed.

Rory took a deep breath, "I spend most of the time crying. I get the same sort of dreams every night about him. Enzo has to stay with me because I quite literally scream and cry all night. Everything I see that reminds me of him puts my mood down for the rest of the day." Remus and Sirius frowned with their eyebrows low.
"For example, when I was packing my trunk yesterday, I got the bottom of my wardrobe and saw Cedric's old Hufflepuff jumper. I completely broke down as Pansy held me." Rory sighed before continuing. "I hate feeling like this. Whenever people bring him up, I get this horrible heavy feeling in my chest. People talk about him in the past tense, which never fails to bring my mood down. It's times like this when all I need is a hug from my big brother."

"You understand that grief is completely normal, okay? Don't you dare beat yourself up for mourning your best friend. You have every right to cry all the time— in fact, it would be odd if you didn't." Sirius replied.

Rory nodded, "I know why I feel like this, I just don't know how to stop."

"You don't have to stop, rory." Remus added.

"You have no idea how I feel at the moment. I feel so alone. I know I'm not, and I'm so grateful for the people I have. But, I feel so lonely without Ced."

Remus frowned, "You're right, sweetheart. I have no idea how you feel at the moment, and perhaps I will never truly understand, but i want to help you get through this. We're here for you. Always."

Rory's head dropped down and she twisted her bracelet again, tears forming in her eyes. "I can't do it without him." she said, her voice breaking.

"Yes you can, pup. You are so strong. We won't let you fall apart." Sirius frowned.

Rory shook her head, "Cedric was strong, I'm not."

Remus sighed, "Yes, Cedric was strong. However, you're stronger. Who else has lost two of their closest family members, undergone multiple full moons as a werewolf and spent almost every day in the hospital wing?"

"If anything, that makes me weak."

"Are you even listening? The fact that you're even still here after going through all of that is proof that you're incredibly strong. Stop beating yourself up, rory." Sirius spat.

Rory looked him in the eye with a frown & eyes filled to the brim with tears. "I just need my brother, dad."

༻✦༺༻✦༺༻✦༺

Rory's stomach dropped as they arrived by the lake. Everything looked the exact same. The droopy birch trees swayed in the wind, along with the dull grass blades. Roughly, the breeze danced over the large lake, resulting in lots of different ripples in the water. The gut wrenching horror of finding out he was gone flooded back to Rory as she recalled her childhood summers spent there.

Something was missing, though. Someone was missing. Rory detached from her dads and went down to the water. She curled up on the grass and looked at her reflection.

About seven or so years ago, Rory's reflection was full of life. She was beaming with happiness with her brother at her side in the middle of summer. Her freckles had come out and her hair was plaited with daisies in. Rory giggled as Cedric blew raspberries at her.

Seven years later, Rory was staring at her pale reflection, her eyes extremely heavy. On the day of her big brothers funeral, she was lifeless and exhausted. Rory was wearing an all black dress with a black bow in my hair. The colour had completely drained from her face and she couldn't feel more alone.

"Hey pickle," Victoria said softly, sitting next to Rory.

"Oh, hi." she replied.

"Do you remember the summers we spent here? All the times you and Ced would swim out here until sunset, and when we used to play loads of games on the grass." Victoria smiled, looking into the water.

Rory smiled, bowing her head. "Of course I do. I dream about the memories from here every night."

"You do?"

"Yeah. Whether it's swimming with Ced or teaching him how to do a cartwheel, it's almost always here."

"I think we've made the right decision of burying him here. It's what he would've wanted."

Rory nodded in agreement, "I completely agree."

Victoria squeezed Rory's shoulder, "C'mon, the guests will be arriving soon."

Her and Victoria joined Remus and Sirius, who were talking to the funeral services operatives on the large area of grass. It had a beautiful black and white flower archway above the dark wooden stage. The chairs were laid out in an orderly fashion in rows. There was a faint aroma of freshly cut grass filling Rory's nose.

"Who are the pallbearers?" Rory whispered to Victoria whilst her dads were mid-conversation with the other people.

"This was what I was going to ask you, how would you feel about being at the front? It's completely okay if you don't want to." Victoria answered.

Rory was a bit thrown back by her question, unsure of what to say. "Who else is doing it?"

"Edward—he'll also be at the front, Chris, Lorenzo, Atlas, and Remus."

"I'll do it."

"Really? You don't have to if you don't want to."

Rory shook her head, "No, I want to do it."

"If you're sure, pickle." Victoria sighed and put an arm around Rory's shoulder, pulling her into a side-hug. A few minutes before the guests were set to arrive, Rory paced around the venue, her heart racing and hands shaking. She really didn't know how she was going to make it through today.

She heard a loud commotion by the place of portkey. She closed her eyes and her head fell back. Rory took a deep breath and shook her hands. Come on, you can do this she kept repeating in her head, as if it would help.

She braced myself and begun making her way over to the crowd. One look at them and Rory knew it was the Weasley's. She put on a fake-smile and hugged most of them. Molly and Arthur conversed with Rory's dads as the Weasleys detached.

Harry spotted Rory instantly and pulled her into a hug. "How are you?" He asked.

"Spectacular."

He frowned and pulled away, "That was a stupid question, sorry."

Rory laughed and shook her head, "It's fine, I have a feeling i'm going to get a lot of 'how are you''s today."

He frowned again, "You don't owe anyone anything."

"Thank you for coming, Haz. I know it can't be easy coming to the funeral of a friend you watched die before your own eyes."

He bowed his head, "I was so close to not coming. I felt so guilty and I couldn't bare to see the look on your face when you saw his coffin. To be honest, you're the only reason I came. I wanted to be here for you, rory."

Rory frowned and pulled him in for another hug, a smile appearing on her face. "What have I told you about blaming yourself?"

He laughed, "I know, I know. I'm sorry."

"I'm banning that word from you today. You aren't allowed to say Sorry at all."

He chuckled and shook his head, "Whatever you want, rors."

"Rory!" Rory heard Enzo shout over the crowd.

He stood there in his all-black suit, searching through the hubbub to find his girlfriend. Rory squeezed Harry's arm, "I'll speak to you later, okay?" He nodded and Rory strolled over to Enzo. His gaze softened as he saw her approaching.

Instead of saying anything, she simply melted into his touch. He put a hand on the back of her head and kissed her cheek. "How're you holding up?" He asked, pulling away but still holding her hands at her side.

Rory shrugged, "I haven't cried yet. Teared up once or twice but no tears."

He slightly smiled and sighed, "Do you want me to stay with you?"

"Please. I don't know how I would cope without you."

He smiled and kissed her forehead, "Not too overwhelming so far?"

"Nah, I've proof-read the guest list and it's all people I know and love."

He nodded, "Is the whole group coming?"

"Yeah, Mattheo, Theo and Blaise are coming with Draco and his parents. Pansy is coming with her mum."

"I'm guessing Victoria asked you about lifting the coffin?"

Rory lowered her head, "Yeah. I said yes."

"I'll be right behind you, love."

Rory smiled but it soon turned into a frown as she watched Eddie walked into the venue with his parents, his face dropping. "I'll be two seconds." she said to Enzo and quickly found Edward.

His shoulders relaxed when he saw Rory, she motioned away from the hubbub and he followed her. "How've you been? I know that's a very stupid question, I've been asked it about a million times. But I genuinely care how you feel." Rory asked.

He sighed, "If I'm going to be honest, not great."

Rory frowned, "I know exactly how you feel, Eddie."

"I still can't believe he's gone, mini-diggs."

"I know, I know. But, he would want us to stay strong for him. I reckon me and you were the two people he cared about the most, he wouldn't want us to be miserable."

"It's not that easy though, is it?"

Rory sighed. "I know." she replied, her voice coming out in an unintentional whisper.

He wrapped his arms around Rory's and she rested her head on his shoulder. "We're going to get through this together, mini-diggs." He said quietly.

༻✦༺༻✦༺༻✦༺

Sirius stood next to Rory as they begun lifting the coffin. Her heart physically dropped down to her stomach as she got ahold of it. A tear fell down Rory's cheek and she turned to face Eddie. His eyes were glued completely shut.

"I'm here, love." Enzo whispered behind Rory, which comforted her slightly. Out of nowhere, the intro of With or Without you by U2 begun playing faintly.

Rory looked at Sirius, her hands shaking. "I love you." He mouthed before they began walking.

Rory drew out a deep breath and closed her eyes as her legs shook. She took a few steps in sync with the other pall bearers. Tears were rapidly streaming down her face. She tried so hard to keep it together as she watched everyone's faces. All of Rory's friends welled up as they studied her face. She could hear Enzo sniffling behind her, triggering more tears of her own.

They reached the end of the aisle and Rory gently put the coffin down on the stands, her heart breaking more and more every second. The funeral officiant stood on a podium about two metres away from Cedric's coffin. Rory rubbed a hand over her wet eyes and stood to the side.

She completely zoned out as the officiant spoke, her gaze locked on the coffin. Rory's dead brother was in there. His lifeless body would never see daylight again.

Enzo slipped his fingers through Rory's and squeezed her hand. Her hands were shaking a concerning amount as her throat closed in on me. She couldn't breathe as she stared at the dark casket.

"Rory." Enzo whispered, his head motioning to Victoria stepping up to the podium. Rory cleared her throat and turned her attention to Victoria.

"I am so grateful to be able to say that I was Cedric's mother. I watched and taught him how to be the best possible person he could be. On Halloween 1981, I lost two of my best friends, and the other got sent to prison for something he didn't do. My life practically fell apart within the span of an hour. However, Cedric and Rory were the only things keeping me going. At the time, Cedric was only four years old. Once, He walked in on me bawling my eyes out in the bathroom and gave me some daisies which he picked himself from the garden. He told me to stop crying because it made him sad to see his mummy upset." Victoria smiled, recalling the memory. "That was the day I knew that Cedric was going to grow up to be the most loving, considerate boy alive. It hurts my heart to know that I won't get to see him in his adult years— which i'm sure he would've done great things in." She paused and turned to look Rory in the eye.

"After all, he had his little sister to protect. On the days when I had zero energy and Amos was at work, Cedric would take care of Rory. He would run her bath for her and stay with her in case she somehow drowned. The year after the Potters died, I almost gave up. Cedric saw that and helped me out in every way possible. I love him more than he'll ever know." She added, her voice breaking.

Rory was now uncontrollably sobbing, the tears sprinting down her cheeks like it was a race. Everyone facing the podium had tears filling their eyes to the brim. Sirius caught Rory's eye and smiled for reassurance. Victoria stepped away from the front and came to her side, "You ready, pickle?"

Rory nodded, bringing herself together. She took a deep breath and swallowed deeply as she stepped towards the podium. "On the night of April fourteenth, I lost my best friend. Everyone here knows how and why he was killed, but nobody really knows how close I was to Cedric. This may sound ridiculous but he was genuinely my bestest friend. He knew me better than I knew myself.
  And now that he's gone, it's the most daunting thing I've ever had to experience. Sending a message on my bracelet and not getting a response is a pain like no other. It physically hurts. I get this horrible knot in my stomach when someone mentions his name. My heart shatters when someone speaks about him in the past-tense. Like Victoria just said, he had his little sister to protect." Rory sighed.

"And that he did. My whole life, he has been as protective as he possibly could without crossing boundaries. He always knew how to cheer me up, because in truth, he knew me better than anyone did. I have so much to thank him for. For example, he was the one that introduced me to Quidditch— the very sport that has become my absolute passion. He believed in me when maybe other people didn't. And that was all I needed. All I needed was my big brother." Rory's voice shook and her eyes teared up as she said the last sentence.

"I still do. There is nothing I need more than a hug from my best friend at the moment. I will love you forever, Ceddy. Life or death, you are my bestest friend." Rory's legs almost gave out from how much they were shaking. Enzo held her waist as she walked off the podium and away from the crowd.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

Rory nodded, the tears falling again. "I miss him so much, Enz."

He nodded, also tearing up. "I know you do, baby." He pulled Rory into his grasp and she sighed. A part of her was scared to love Enzo too much. What if she lost him? Rory couldn't lose somebody else. What if she got too attached and he died, just like Cedric did? "Please don't leave me." she whispered.

"You know I would never." He whispered back.

༻✦༺༻✦༺༻✦༺

They were getting ready to leave the venue, all of the guests completely gone. It was just Rory, Remus, Sirius, Victoria, Enzo, her friends and their parents. "Please can they stay over? You know I need this," Rory pleaded to her dads.

"Of course," Sirius answered instantly.

"Really?" she smiled.

"As long as you get some sleep," Remus added.

Rory nodded, "I will."

"We'll go speak to the Malfoy's." Sirius said, his jaw tensing at the word 'Malfoy's.'

"I'll be back in a second," Rory muttered.

Rory wrapped Enzo's suit jacket even tighter around her shoulders and made her way towards Cedric's grave. He had a beautiful headstone which read;
Cedric Amos Diggory
- .... . / -... . ... - / -... .. --. / -... .-. --- - .... . .-.
(meaning 'The best big brother')
1977-1994
with a daisy engraved below it.

Rory curled up against the piece of stone and rested her head against it. "You have no idea how much I miss you, Ced." she whispered. "I need you now more than ever. I hope you're looking down at me right now, because I have been trying so hard to keep it together today. I know crowds are usually my thing but today was completely different. Speaking to the people in front of me was like speaking to a blank wall. I just wanted to break down there and then. But I did it, Ced. I stayed strong for you." Rory added, a tear escaping. She looked down to her bracelet and spelt out 'I love you.'

"I still reckon I'm a better seeker than you," she laughed through the tears. "Goodnight, Ced."