Chapter 18: Hermione learns she'll die soon
A few days later, Hermione fully recovered and she and Harry and Ron and Cedric were able to go back to Hogwarts. She was still unaware of her allergy and her illnesses.Hermione and Cedric emerged from the Gryffindor Common Room.
"Hermione. Can we talk?" Cedric asked.
Parvati, who heard him as he walked past, took a sharp intake of breath. She thought he was going to break up with her.
"Shove off Parvati." Hermione said. "Yeah, lets go to th lake, we can be alone there."
All of a sudden, a small, brown, tawny owl dropped a letter on her shoulder and it fell to the floor, the owl landing gracefully on a statue of a lion.
She picked up the letter and read the name on the envelope: "To our dearest daughter Hermione."
"It's from my parents." she said and ripped open the letter.
She scanned it, taking in what it said.
"What did it say, 'Mione?" Cedric asked.
Hermione paled and she grabbed onto the wall for support.
"H-here... You read it..." she stammered, dropping the letter.
Cedric picked it up again and held Hermione by the waist gently as he read it. It said:
Our precious little princess, though you aren't little anymore. We're sorry to have to tell you. Do you remember when you were seven, and you had a pain in your side that's still there every now and then where your kidneys are? And we took you for blood tests and scans last summer and the summer before. Do you emember that darling? Well ... We've found out yoy have a terrible kidney failure. We don't know what else is wrong with you. But the breathing problem that almost killed you as a baby, our worst fear has come back. Please don't die baby, I don't want to lost you again. Please don't die in the eighteen to twenty four months you have left. Please survive through it.
Lots of love, always and forever.
Mum and dad xxx
The paper blotched with dried tears from Hermione's mum and fresh ones from Hermione, who had turned into his embrace to re-read the letter.
That's one bit i haven't got to say. Cedric thought, forgetting Hermione could hear his thoughts.
"What else is there?" she asked sadly.
He looked at the girl in his arms. She was hurting because of her health and he was about to stick the knife in even more. He felt sick with guilt.
"I can't..." he managed to say.
"Cedric please. I'd rather hear it from you than anyone else."
Cedric sighed and said sadly with much difficulty. "You have lung failure and a magic allergy. Which is why you had such bad allergic symptoms a few months back." he looked to the floor.
Hermione raised her hand and stroked Cedric's cheek.
"You can die. I don't want you to. But unless someone donates you a lung and kidney, you'll die." he said, a tear trailing down his face.
"I won't die completely. I'll still be here." she said, wiping his tears then reaching up to wipe her own.
"What if I do it?" he asked, taking her hand away from her face and wiped away the tears himself.
"What's your blood type?"
"B negative I think." he said.
"I'm O negative. Suppose you're not the right type?" she said. "Perhaps I rejet it. My body rejects the tranplant I mean."
He shrugged. "Don't want to think about it." he whispered.
They stood in the cold corridor outside the Gryffindor Common Room, holding each other, savouring each other's embrace.
Cedric walked Hermione to the lake and they sat by their favourite tree, watching the evening sunset.
"I've always wanted to watch the sunrise, except I've never gotten up early enough because in the summer, it's already out, and in the winter, the sun's hardly ever out enough." Hermione said.
Cedric smiled. "If you want to watch the sunrise, darling. You'll see it." he promised.
"Cedric, you don't have to." she said, blushing.
"Yes I do. What my girl wants my girl gets." he said tickling her
She wriggled around in fits of giggles trying to escape his fingers.
If passers by saw them, they wouldn't see that they were two scared lovers, wondering how much longer each will live if the other dies.
The End.
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