Blood and Rose Petals

Blood and Rose Petals

Flora Winters

I do not own anything that has to do with Harry Potter.

Summary: He was infected and the killing curse only brought him over quicker. MM, Lang.

Chapter Two

You used to captivate me
By your resonating light
Now I’m bound by the life you left behind
Your face it haunts
My once pleasant dreams
Your voice it chased away
All the sanity in me

--EVANESCENCE


The wind was blowing ever so softly through the little park, picking off loose leafs on trees, and spinning them around in the air. A few red ones were blown around Harry’s feet where he was sitting on a lonely swing. It was creaking as he rocked back and forth in it. He was looking up at the slowly darkening sky with a blank expression on his really pale face.

“Harry?” Hermione asked, stepping up to him with a smile on her face. “It’s starting to get dark. Don’t you think it’s time we start to head back?”

He looked at her with empty green eyes that had once sparkled with such vibrant emerald radiance. The wind blew through his smoky black locks and he shook his head. “I want to see the stars.”

She looked at him with such sadness. He was slowly starting to loose touch with everything that was going on around him. All he did was walk around in the shadows like he was looking for something…or someone who would never be there.

“We can watch them back at Grimmauld Place, Harry,” she told him in a gentle tone. “You know Sirius said that it’s not safe to be out past dark.”

“The stars tell us everything,” he said, looking away from her and back up at the sky. “They try to tell us so much, but, we never listen to them.”

A dog started to howl in the distance, soon followed by a few more. It was quite apparent that something was really upsetting them.

“I’m sure Ron’s mom has a nice dinner waiting for us, Harry,” she told him, pulling her cloak around her shoulders tighter. “Aren’t you getting a little hungry?”

“Do you think Cedric’s up there somewhere?” He asked, pointing up beyond the rolling clouds that were moving across the pale crescent that would soon be filled with brilliant silver light. “Do you think he’s up there shining in that vast sea of stars?”

She gave him a happy grin, but it pained her to do so. One minute he knew that Cedric was gone and the next he was calling out his name like he expected an answer. He was starting to not eat as well. He was getting too thin to be healthy.

“Come on, Harry,” she said, holding out her hand for him to take. “We need to get back or we’ll get in trouble. You know what Sirius told you.”

“I miss him,” he said, putting his quivering hand in hers. “Why can’t I see him?”

“He loved you, Harry,” she told him, closing her hand over his, gently pulling him to his feet. “And love is all that really matters, right?”

He smiled and a single tear slid from the corner of his left eye, trailing down his milky white cheek. “The moon is so pretty. Do you think there is a princess that lives on it?”

Hermione put on a thoughtful look. “What do you think?”

“Cedric thinks there is,” he told her, pointing up at it. “And that she lives in a palace made of crystal starlight and plays with a fluffy white bunny.”

“A bunny?” Hermione asked.

Harry nodded, hopping a few steps beside her. “The two of them play tag in their garden of moonbeams.”

“It sounds like a very pretty story, Harry,” she told him, squeezing his hand.

“Yeah,” he smiled, picking a piece of leaf from her frizzy hair. “Cedric tells the best stories.”

“Really?” She asked.

He nodded. “They all have such happy endings.”

“Well,” she said, looking across the street. “You’ll have to share some of them with me.”

That made him grin and it broke her heart all over again. Her best friend’s happy ending had been shattered like the moonbeams which sparkled on broken glass.

“Voices,” Harry whispered, looking around with her. “The stars talk a lot.”

Hermione nodded. “Well, there are a lot of them up there.”

Harry laughed and it hurt to hear him do so. It was so empty and more lifeless than a dead planet.

The dogs were barking their yipping heads off and then the creeping night fell very silent. It was as if someone had pressed the mute button on a television remote. It caused Hermione to stop dead in her tracks and pull out her wand. There was something following them. Well, it actually felt more like something was stalking them.

“I’m cold,” Harry said with a shiver, and Hermione saw that she could now see their breaths. “I don’t like the cold.”

She suddenly began to panic when she looked down. The puddle at their feet was slowly freezing as if Jack Frost was breathing on it. She jumped when a shrill shriek echoed above and all around them.

“Come on!” She yelled, pulling on Harry’s hand, having him follow her.

It was a Dementor. Why was there a Dementor here? Wasn’t they supposed to stay at Azkaban unless ordered by the Ministry to do otherwise?

The shrill shrieks followed after them like stalking wolves.

“NO!” Harry cried out, tripping on the pavement, falling to the ground with a thud.

“Harry!” Hermione cried out, turning around, racing back to him. “Get up!”

He was curled up on his side in a tight ball, shivering, and holding his hands over his ears. Tears were streaming from his eyes and he began to scream in horror.

It scared Hermione to death.

“Stop it!” He cried, shaking his head. “I don’t want to hear it! DON’T MAKE ME SEE!”

“Snap out of it, Harry!” She cried, trying to pull him up, suddenly spinning around to see the Dementor floating just yards away from them in hissing darkness. The cold began to creep into her bones like sharp daggers of ice. She almost dropped her wand.

“Cedric!” Harry screamed, reaching out for something that she couldn’t see. “Don’t kill Cedric! Don’t take him away from me! Stop it! Please, don’t do this! CEDRIC!”

Hermione stood in front of him, terrified out of her mind. She didn’t know what the hell to do. The Dementor was coming right at them and she felt helpless.

The Dementor shrieked and she spun away, throwing herself over Harry, only for a beam of shimmering silver light to go whizzing past her in sparkling brilliance. It looked just like a shooting star.

The Dementor hissed in outrage, taking to the sky with the shooting beam of silver light chasing after it. The dark creature turned and spun around in the air, snarling with vicious hisses until it was out of sight.

“Harry!” A loud voice shouted from a distance. “Hermione! Are you okay?”

Hermione raised her head, blowing her bangs out of her eyes to see that it was Professor Lupin and Sirius. They were running as fast as their legs could carry them. Well, Sirius was running on all fours.

The big black dog pounced on Harry, licking his face.

“Are you all right, Harry?” Remus asked him.

“Puppy!” Harry cried, throwing his arms around its neck in joy.

“What the hell was that thing doing here?’ Remus snarled, helping Hermione to her trembling feet.

She shook her head. “It was going to get us…”

“Come on,” he said, telling Harry to follow the pretty puppy. “I need to inform Dumbledore about this.”

Hermione nodded, reaching behind to take Harry’s hand. She didn’t want him to wonder off.

“Puppy,” Harry ordered. “Jump!”

Sirius did so with a bark.

It made Harry smile.

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“Harry?” Ron asked, looking at him from across the dining table. “Are you not hungry?”

Harry was just sitting there, looking at his food with a blank expression. The very smell of it was turning his stomach. He didn’t want to eat it. He just wanted to go out and look at the pretty stars.

“You need to eat something, Harry,” Sirius told him, gesturing at all the food Mrs. Weasley had prepared that was spread out on the table. “Just pick one little thing and eat it.”

Harry wrinkled his nose and turned away with a pout. He didn’t want to do it. It was all just so nasty looking and it smelled terrible.

“Ah,” a voice said from the doorway. “I see I have arrived just in time for some wonderful food, Sirius.”

“Dumbledore,” Sirius said, rising to his feet. “I take it that Remus has told you everything.”

The old wizard nodded his head in a very sage like motion. “Indeed he has and I am quite concerned about it, too. The Ministry is up in arms about it.”

That translated to Hermione that the Ministry didn’t give a damn. They were probably sorry that the damned thing hadn’t sucked out their souls.

“Hello, Harry,” Dumbledore said, smiling at the young man. “That is a really big plate of food you have there.”

Harry looked at him with dead eyes and the old wizard turned to Sirius. “Is he still not eating?”

Sirius shook his head. “He barely touches anything, Dumbledore. I think I saw him have a bite from an apple yesterday. He used to like the big red ones, but, he just tossed it away and went to go read a book.”

Dumbledore stroked his long white beard, turning back to Harry with a sad expression on his wizened face. “I guess he leaves us with no choice then.”

“What do you mean?” Sirius asked.

“I can’t have him starve himself to death over what has happened to him,” he said, reaching into his robes for his wand.

Ron and Hermione looked at each other and Sirius told them to take their plates and go into the sitting room and eat their meal. The two of them gawked at him, but they did as they were told.

“Can I go see the stars now?” Harry asked, pushing away from the table.

“Not just yet, Harry,” Dumbledore said.

Harry sighed. “Well, when can I then?”

“Once you get done eating your food,” Dumbledore told him. “Mrs. Weasley might not be here right now, but she went through an awful lot of trouble to fix this fine meal.”

“I’m not hungry,” Harry told him, feeling like he wanted to break something, and then run away. “I just want…”

Dumbledore pointed his wand at the teen. “Imperio!”

Sirius’s eyes widened. “What the hell, Dumbledore?”

“I told you,” the old wizard said. “I will not let him die.”

Sad blue eyes burned into Harry’s blank emerald jewels.

Eat the food that is on your plate like you usually do, Harry.

Sirius watched with stunned eyes as Harry picked up his fork and began to eat the food that was on his plate.

“This is illegal,” Sirius said. “You can get into trouble for this.”

“I informed the Ministry of the situation and the Minister agreed with me.” Dumbledore said. “If this is the only way to make sure Harry eats, then so be it.”

That translated to Hermione who was listening from around the corner that the old wizard must have used his wiles to get what he wanted from the Ministry like he always did. She couldn’t believe this. They now had to resort to a forbidden curse in order to get Harry to eat. This was really bad. It was just more proof that Harry was letting himself fade away so he could be with Cedric.

“Even like this,” Dumbledore said, keeping his wand on Harry. “He is still very willful.”

She turned to look at Ron. He had a look of outrage on his face, even though he was stuffing his mouth with a roll.

When Harry had finished the food that was on his plate, Dumbledore lifted the curse from him. Emerald eyes just gazed around and they looked really confused.

“You can go watch the stars now, Harry,” Dumbledore told him with a smile.

The confused and bewildered teen got to his feet and slowly exited the room, rubbing his tummy. Why did he feel so full? Where had all the food on his plate gone?

“If he refuses to eat,” Dumbledore said, turning back to Sirius. “Just use this and tell him to do so.”

Sirius nodded. It was the only thing they could do. They just couldn’t force feed him. That would probably wind up hurting him if they did that.

He watched Dumbledore fix himself up a large plate of food and waved the old wizard off. That man was like a constant whirlwind. You never knew where you were going to wind up at.

He leaned back in his chair and sighed. Harry must have really loved that young man.

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Harry was standing in his bedroom, looking out his window. He made sure that it was unlocked for some reason. It was like a distant voice was telling him to do these little things for it.

The stars had been so pretty. He had looked up at them, wondering what it would be like to dance among them.

The crescent moon was shining right outside his window, too. He pictured the princess and her bunny running around in a garden filled with trees that were covered in glowing moonstones. It was such a pretty picture that Cedric had painted for him. He could almost hear their laughter. Of course, the bunny could talk.

He took his shirt off, climbed onto the bed, got under the covers, and pulled them up to his chin. All he wanted to do was sleep and stay lost in dreams. That was all he wanted to do. Was that so wrong? He was happier in his dreams…for the most part.

He closed his eyes, rolling over onto his side.

“Goodnight, Cedric…”

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Pale silver mist seemed to dance in the air as he walked among the old looking tombstones. Some looked to be ancient and others looked relatively new. The mist danced around him like spinning phantoms that were singing the Night’s mysteries to him.

Flowing red silk billowed around his slender frame and fanned out like wings behind him as he turned this way and that. The rose scented air ruffled his dark smoky locks and he heard a gentle growl from behind him.

Harry spun around, seeing that there was a beautiful white wolf standing there, looking up at him with big gray eyes. It was the most stunning and proud creature he had ever seen. A wave of mist danced over it and it was gone in a blur of white light.

“Harry…”

Rose petals were falling from the sky like snow and landing at his pale white feet. The scent of them filled the air and they were so intoxicating.

He looked around with big green eyes, following the enchanting voice through the silver mist. It wasn’t very soon until the whole ground was covered in blood red petals.

“Come to me, Harry.”

His molten emerald orbs widened when he was standing in front of a white marble tomb with a big black gate barring him entrance. He was looking at the name that was written in script above it.

DIGGORY

“No,” Harry gasped, looking at it in horror. “I don’t want to be here.”

Blinding white pain filled him and he fell to his knees in a hiss of silk and fluttering red petals. He clawed the earth, shredding rose petals, and crying out in agony.

“Harry? Please don’t cry, Harry.”

“Shut up!” He yelled, scrambling to his feet in billowing folds of radiant red silk, slamming himself against the gate. “You left me all alone!”

He banged his fists against the cold metal, screaming at the top of his lungs.

“How could you leave me?” He cried, scratching at it, hissing with anger. “I HATE YOU!”

The tears streamed from his eyes like molten silver flames as he banged his palms against the metal bars.

“How could you leave me all alone?” He screamed in heart-shattering agony, feeling like it was going to explode in his chest from the pain. “How could you do this to me? How could you make me love you with all my soul and then leave me here?”

He fell to his knees with a scream, pulling at his hair. “Please, come back to me! I LOVE YOU!”

The sound of metal suddenly clicked and the gates gently swung inwards. Rose petals fluttered into the darkness in blood red spirals of scented gloom.

“Come to me, Harry…”

He slowly crawled to his feet, cocking his head to the side.

“Cedric?”

A warm chuckle seemed to chase away the cold that had seeped into his bones.

“Please, Harry,” the voice echoed in need. “Come and set me free.”

Harry wiped the tears from his eyes and felt the cold marble floor under his bare feet as they carried him into the sweet scented darkness. He was surrounded in nothing but blackness only for twin torches to burst into flame on either side of a silver coated coffin.

“Cedric?”

“Let me out, Harry.” The voice called to him with such need, with such want, witch such passion. “Please, let me hold you.”

Harry trembled. “How?”

“Love me?” The voice asked, filled with such sadness.

“I do love you.” Harry said, stepping up to the coffin that had his boyfriends name carved into it. “I love you more than anything.”

“Touch it,” the voice said. “Touch it.”

Harry reached out with a pale hand that was trembling. He gently placed it where there was an impression of a palm.

A silver flash filled the room and Harry jumped back. He watched with wide eyes as the lid to the coffin began to rise up into the air and gently float over to land in the floor.

He slowly walked back up to it and took a deep breath before peering inside. He couldn’t believe it. The damn thing was filled up to the rim with shimmering red rose petals.

A warm wind began to blow in the chamber and the rose petals began to spiral up into the air where they flew around in circles. Harry put his hands over his mouth in stunned shock.

It was Cedric.

There he was, lying in his coffin, looking ever so beautiful.

“Wake me up, Harry,” the voice echoed all around him. “Bring me to life with your kiss.”

Harry trembled and tears fell from his eyes. He was shaking and he couldn’t stop.

“I’m not gone, Harry,” the voice told him. “I’m right here. All you have to do is wake me up.”

Harry leaned over the coffin, gently touching a smooth alabaster cheek, feeling how soft and cool it felt. He ran his trembling fingers over those blood red lips that seemed to glow like rubies. He watched how the wind was making those golden locks shimmer in the torchlight.

He closed his eyes, and gently pressed his mouth down on those sensual lips he knew so well. His eyes snapped open when he felt a powerful hand grip his wrist. He was staring into the most beautiful eyes in the world.

He pulled his lips away, gasping.

“I knew you’d come,” Cedric smiled with really white teeth, his handsome face blinding him. “I love you so much, Harry.”

“Hold me,” Harry said, voice just a faint whisper. “Don’t ever let me go again.”

Cedric sat up and Harry noticed the pale pink sheet falling away from his naked chest. Sculpted alabaster arms wrapped themselves around him, pulling him into the coffin beside him.

“Let me stay with you,” Harry whispered, holding onto him with all his might. “Don’t let me leave this place. I want to stay with you right here for forever.”

“Why would you want to stay here?” Cedric asked, nuzzling his cheek, planting cool kisses along his throat. “We can go anywhere we want to, Harry.”

Harry shivered when Cedric snarled against his throat like some large cat of prey. He could feel those pearly white teeth grazing along the surface of his skin.

“Red looks so good on you, Harry,” Cedric cooed, licking the spot where the vein was pulsing away under that pale flesh with crimson goodness. “You smell so wonderful.”

Harry moaned when he felt Cedric gently sink his teeth into his neck. It was like every atom of his being was basking in a silver star.

“Don’t let me go!” Harry cried, digging his fingers into Cedric’s broad back, feeling his cock twitch, ready to fire. “Don’t ever let me go!”

Cedric pulled his mouth away, licking his fangs that were sharper than moonbeams with a fiery red tongue. He kissed the twin puncture marks, causing Harry to tremble and release. He snarled against his beautiful man’s gorgeous flesh, kissing his smooth jaw line.

“I love you so much, Harry.” He said, holding him tight. “I’ll never let you go. I’ll never let anything keep us apart again. Not even Death can keep me from you.”

Harry smiled, drifting off into his comforting embrace. He listened to Cedric sing a fairytale to him and smelled the roses.

TBC…

Please review and tell me what you think. Thank you all so much for reading and reviewing this story. I’m so sorry that it has taken me forever to update. I just didn’t know where to go with it. I was too busy working on Deathly Scream. Please tell me what you all think.

Flora.