Evidence of Things Not Seen

vii.

"Tea, Mr. Diggory?"

Cedric accepted the proffered cup with a murmured thanks and sipped. Chamomile. Professor Sprout was in a good mood. He watched her as she drank her own tea, though with more enthusiasm. Her face was a mask of polite cordiality, but the sparkle in her eye gave the game away. She had some good news to share; he was sure of it. He wondered what it might be.

She waited until he had finished the last of his tea before speaking. "I received an owl from Amelia Bones yesterday. She had some very exciting news."

"Oh?" Cedric felt his skin prickle. Professor Sprout was not in the habit of name-dropping, and she knew better than anyone how much he wanted to join the Department of Magical Law Enforcement when he left Hogwarts. He leaned forward in his chair and held his breath.

"Yes. She's pushing for the Ministry to start a summer internship program. The Ministry's a bit reluctant to have students running around, so her department is going to serve as a guinea pig. She asked me if I knew any intelligent, serious-minded students who might be interested. Naturally, I wrote back and suggested you."

Cedric's eyes widened. A summer internship! He could see what the department was like from the inside, make sure it was what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. He could make contacts. Certainly, if he did his work well, it would be that much easier to get a job once out of school. "Thank you, professor!"

She held up a hand. "Don't get too excited just yet. Nothing will be official until May at the earliest, and you'll have to complete an application and several interviews." Then she gave him a conspiratorial smile. "Confidentially, I think you're almost certain to be chosen. You've impressed a lot of people with your performance in the tournament, including me. I wanted you to know that I'm proud of the gentlemanly way you've conducted yourself. You're a credit to Hufflepuff, and I am proud to be your head of house."

Cedric could only blush and smile.

An hour later, Cedric was still in a good mood. He walked towards the lake, enjoying the feel of the sun on his face. Birds chirped somewhere in the distance. There was nothing more beautiful, he decided, than Scotland in spring, especially after Scotland in winter. It was as if nature itself shared his joy.

He sighed contentedly. It was a good day for doing nothing. Ever since November, the Triwizard Tournament had seemed to occupy his every waking moment, first with dragons, then an egg, and, most recently, the lake. Finally, he had a respite. The third task would not even be revealed for more than six weeks. There were no puzzles to solve, no spells to master. He would be Hogwarts champion again in due time. Today, he was just a teenage boy enjoying the lovely weather while he contemplated a bright future.

He was not the only one who had chosen to spend the afternoon outside. Luna sat under a tree at the edge of the lake, seemingly entranced by the placid waters and oblivious to the other students who were talking and laughing nearby. She twirled a blade of grass absently with one finger. A battered sketchbook lay closed on the ground beside her. He walked as slowly and softly as he could, not wanting to disturb her.

"Good afternoon, Cedric," she said without turning around.

"One of these days I'm going to figure out how you do that."

"It sounded like you, that's all." She turned to look at him and smiled. "You seem very pleased about something."

"I am." He sat down beside her. "The Department of Magical Law Enforcement might be offering me an internship this summer."

"I didn't know you wanted to join the Ministry."

He nodded. "I've wanted to be a barrister ever since I can remember. I think I could do some good. The Ministry needs reform. They break too many rules too easily. Like that business with Sirius Black, it's a tragedy what happened to him."

"Oh, I quite agree. Dad's doing some research for an article proving that he's actually Stubby Boardman and innocent."

Cedric started to ask who Stubby Boardman was but thought better of it. "I mean it's a tragedy the way he was locked up in Azkaban for life without a chance to defend himself. Every bit of due process was tossed out the window because people were angry and scared. Even traitorous scum like Black deserves a trial."

Luna regarded him carefully. He had trained himself not to flinch under her scrutiny, but it still made him uncomfortable. "That's very admirable of you," she said softly after a long moment, "but I don't think you should join the Ministry."

"Why not?" He half-expected to hear a tale of how the Ministry and candy makers were plotting to take over the world by giving everyone bad acne.

"You're too good."

"What?"

"You're probably the noblest person at Hogwarts. The Ministry doesn't think much of nobility. Look at Fudge. He's always hanging about Lucius Malfoy." She wrinkled her nose as if she had smelled something vile. "That's what you'd have to do if you wanted to get anything done. 'You want to change the world, but the Ministry changes you instead.' At least that's what my mother always said. She used to be an Unspeakable, you know. She left when the department refused funding for research on how to reverse the effects of the Dementors' Kiss. She did research on her own. That's what she was working on when she died."

He laid his hand on top of hers. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you." She smiled slightly. "You're as close to a knight in shining armor as I've ever seen, Cedric Diggory. I just want you to stay that way."

"I will." Despite his confident air, he wondered. His father was both an honest man and a Ministry employee, but he wasn't a high-ranking official. Would there come a day when he would have to sacrifice one of his principles to achieve some cherished goal? He had always been fortunate enough to be both honest and successful, but that was not necessarily always going to be the case. He prayed he would have the courage to make the right choice when the time came.

Suddenly, Cedric didn't want to discuss his career plans any longer. He glanced about, hoping to find something -- anything -- else to talk about. His eyes fell on the sketchbook. "I didn't know that you were an artist."

She nodded. "Ever since I was a little girl. Most people don't think much of my drawings since they don't move, but I quite like them."

"May I see them?"

She considered it for a long moment, then nodded. Cedric took the sketchbook and balanced it gently on his knees. The drawings appeared to be mostly sketches of scenes around Hogwarts As Luna had said, they were still as any Muggle work of art, but they seemed curiously alive. He could almost hear the hooting of the owls in the Owlery and smell the food in the kitchens. At last, he came to a picture of skeletal winged horses that looked as if they had escaped from the nightmares of some demented genius. He shivered. What was this? All of the other drawings had been simple scenes of Hogwarts life, but he had never seen anything this grotesque at school.

Then he understood. "So that's what a Thestral looks like," he breathed.

"Yes. It took ages for them to trust me enough to let me get close enough to sketch them. Lots of raw meat, too."

"Well, your persistence paid off. I think it's a brilliant drawing. Macabre, but brilliant."

He resumed looking over the sketches. Luna would occasionally interject with a comment about how the available light had affected a drawing, the shading effect she had used, or some other artistic term that he only half understood. He wished he understood more about art, if only to share her obvious enthusiasm. He could only listen as she expounded on shape, line, and form with an energy rivaled only by Oliver Wood discussing Quidditch.

The last drawing appeared to be of a Quidditch game. The Seeker hunched over his broom, reaching for a Snitch that was just out of his grasp. He stared. Wait a moment, he was the Seeker. "When did you do this one?"

"Last year. It's one of your practices."

"I never saw you."

She shrugged. "I was in the upper part of the stands so no one would notice me. I didn't want anyone to think I was spying for Ravenclaw."

The idea of Luna doing anything as underhanded as spying was so comical that Cedric couldn't help but chuckle. "Next time you want to watch the team practice, feel free to come closer. I'm sure the others would be flattered, even if you are a Ravenclaw."

"I might just do that. I was never very happy with that drawing. Now I know why. I got you all wrong."

"It looks fine to me."

She tapped the picture with one finger. "No, your eyes are too close together, and your nose is a bit off. Now that I can see you up close, I can see a lot of little things I got wrong."

Cedric still thought it was a perfectly good likeness, but Luna was looking back and forth between him and the drawing, as if cataloging all the flaws in her work. "Yes, I must really do another portrait of you and do you justice." She clapped her hands in glee. "Oh, I've just had a brilliant idea. Why don't I do one now? That is, if you'd be willing to sit for me?"

Why not? "What do I have to do?"

Luna's expression grew suddenly businesslike. She took the sketchbook from him and shifted so that she was facing a tall elm near the water's edge. "Sit under that tree, if you please."

"This one?" She nodded and he sat down.

"Now, move your head a little to the left. No, too much. Down a little bit. Good. Bring your left knee up to your chest. Your other left, Cedric! Stop laughing!" After a seemingly endless parade of similar instructions, Luna seemed at last satisfied. She flipped her sketchbook to a fresh page and dug a thin yellow stick out of her bag.

"Is that a pencil?"

"You like it? Arthur Weasley gave me a whole box of them for Christmas. They draw much better than a quill." The serious expression returned. "I need you to be quiet now."

"Sorry." Cedric had never been very good at sitting still without something to occupy him, so he settled for watching Luna as she worked. She looked... different. He winced inwardly. That sounded clichéd, even to him. Yet, there was no other word for it. It wasn't like the fairytales where the poor but virtuous witch drank the Scintillating Solution and won the heart of the handsome warlock. Luna was not a conventional beauty, and he doubted she ever would be. There was a confidence in her movements as her pencil ranged over the paper, though. Her eyes shone with some private ecstasy. It was as if her passion for her art was radiating outwards and infecting him.

He kept his eyes trained on her until she was finished. "Would you like to see?"

He sat beside her once more. She was right; this portrait was better. He moved his fingers over the drawing, half-expecting this Cedric to match his movements and the tree to sway in the breeze. "Wow," he said.

"Thank you."

They stood together. "I should be going," he said. "I meant what I said earlier. Promise me that you'll sit where I can see you if you come to one of my practices next year."

"Only if you promise me something first."

"What?"

Her mouth twitched with suppressed laughter. "Promise me that if you ever make Minister of Magic, you'll let me do the official portrait. And try not to get burned while you do all that dragon slaying at the Ministry."

He gave her an exaggerated bow. "But of course, milady."

viii.

"Who can tell me the function of a Patronus Charm?" Every hand in the room shot up. Cedric watched as Moody scanned the room before his magical eye settled on Roger. "Mr. Davies."

"The Patronus Charm is most often used to repel Dementors. It is also the only known defense against the Lethifold."

"Correct. And taken word-for-word from the textbook. Knowledge won't do you any good if all you can do is spit it back out. You have to make it your own and, above all, use it!" Roger, whose chest had puffed out a moment before, slid down in his chair and seemed to be doing his best to disappear. "I'm going to teach you how to produce a Patronus."

The class broke into a low murmur. A Patronus Charm was a very advanced bit of magic. Many adult wizards couldn't produce a Patronus; any student who could do it was gifted indeed. Cedric doubted it was on the NEWT exam. The Ministry was unlikely to encourage people to learn to resist the creatures who guarded Azkaban. No, Moody had his own reasons for teaching them this spell. He wondered what they were.

Moody saved him the trouble of asking. "Some people will tell you that this is a useless spell. The Dementors are our allies, and we don't need to protect ourselves against our allies." He slammed his hand down onto his desk. "I tell you that's rubbish! The Dementors are filthy, disgusting things that only guard Azkaban because the prisoners are an easy snack. The moment someone comes along and offers them more fear and despair to feed off, they'll turn on you faster than you can say 'dinner.' You need to be prepared!"

He spent the next few minutes explaining how to perform the spell, though Cedric noticed that he did not demonstrate it. "All right, then. Time to see what you've learned. Who wants to try it first? How about you, Diggory? If anyone here can manage a Patronus, it's you."

Cedric felt his face warm, but he made his way obediently to the front of the class. He readied his wand and took a deep breath. Moody had singled him out. He had to succeed. A happy memory, he needed a happy memory. He remembered the moment Dumbledore had announced that he was the Hogwarts champion, the pride, excitement, and pure, wild joy he had felt at being chosen. "Expecto Patronum!" he shouted.

A silvery mist shot from the wand. It coalesced into a blurry, four-legged creature that Cedric couldn't identify. He let out the breath he had been holding. Whatever that thing was supposed to be, it wasn't a corporeal Patronus. Moody clapped him on the shoulder. "You almost had it, lad. An impressive effort. You'll get it eventually."

Cedric walked back to his seat, dejected. Despite the fact that he knew the spell was difficult, he had allowed himself to believe that he could cast it. He had almost had it, and that was worse than if nothing had come out of his wand at all. It was one thing to fail miserably, quite another to have success close enough to touch only to fail at the last moment. Almost, but not quite; good, but not good enough. However close he had come, he had failed in the end. He watched as, one by one, the others tried and failed to produce a Patronus. None of them produced more than a silvery wisp. The knowledge made him feel no better.

Dinner didn't improve his mood." Want to play a game of Exploding Snap when we get back to the common room?" Clive asked between bites.

"Can't. I'm meeting Luna for training after dinner."

"Training, right. If you're running off for assignations with Luna, just tell me. She's a bit young for my taste, but she's your girlfriend."

Cedric choked on his drink. Clive thought that he... that Luna... that he was seeing Luna? Where had he gotten that idea? Granted, he and Luna spent a lot of time together alone. He thought this was perfectly natural. People who liked one another usually spent time together. He liked talking with her or just sitting by the lake doing nothing. He liked going to Zonko's with her to help her pick out a deck of self-shuffling playing cards. He liked her. If Clive wanted to jump to conclusions, that was his problem. He opened his mouth to tell him so, but what came out was: "I don't have time for a girlfriend. The final task is to two weeks away." He needed to change the subject. "What kind of word is assignations, anyway?"

Clive looked sheepish. "Sorry. My mum got me one of those Muggle word of the day calendars for Christmas. I guess it's rubbed off on me." He spent the rest of the meal rattling off a list of the words he'd learned and didn't mention Luna again.

Which did nothing to banish her from his thoughts. Luna would make someone a fine girlfriend. She was funny and intelligent and kind. People who were put off by her eccentric dress and interest in unusual creatures were fools. They would never know what a talented artist she was or that she loved horses both magical and mundane or that her favorite color was aquamarine. It was a pity that he did not have time for a girlfriend. A fellow could do much worse than Luna Lovegood.

Where had that come from? Luna was his friend. She didn't fancy him. She'd told him herself that she had a crush on Ron Weasley. Never mind that when he was fourteen, his crushes had never lasted long. Luna might be the same way. The tournament would be over before he knew it. He'd have all the time in the world to take Luna anywhere she liked.

He shook his head. The stress of the tournament was getting to him. That had to be it. He resolved to take some time off from training -- right after tonight's session. It wouldn't do to disappoint Luna.

He and Luna had chosen a grassy patch near the Quidditch pitch as a training area. Cedric liked the place. They were unlikely to be disturbed, and he could see the maze in the distance. Nothing like having the ultimate goal in sight to motivate training. It was also not very far from the woods where they had found her bracelet all those months ago, though neither of them had ever mentioned that.

As usual, Luna was there first. She smiled at him. "Good evening. Are you ready to begin?"

He nodded. For the last few days, he had been practicing his Shield Charm with her. She would attempt to hex or jinx him, and he would block the spell. It wasn't very difficult --Luna, for all her cleverness, was three years behind him -- but it kept his reflexes sharp and gave her a chance to hone her skill at Defense Against the Dark Arts. He turned and walked until he was ten paces away from her. "Ready," he said. "Protego!"

Things progressed quickly after that. Luna shouted something that he didn't quite catch. He felt his legs go wobbly; it was as if all his bones had disappeared. He reached out to steady himself but to no avail. Cedric Diggory, the Seeker for Hufflepuff and Hogwarts champion, fell unceremoniously to the ground.

This has not been my day. "A Jelly-Legs Jinx. You've been practicing."

Luna looked as if she was trying very hard not to laugh. "And you're distracted. You aren't hurt, are you?"

He rubbed his head and sat up. "No permanent damage, unless you count my ego. First chess, now this. Is there anything you can't beat me at?"

She chuckled. "I can't play Quidditch, if that helps." She extended her hand, and he used it to pull himself up. It was warmer and softer than he remembered. "You are distracted, though. What's wrong?"

"Moody wanted me to cast a Patronus. I couldn't do it." That was true as far as it went. His failure still rankled. It didn't bother him nearly as much as his newfound confusion over his love life, but he wasn't about to tell her that.

"That's a very difficult spell. I've never seen anyone cast it before. I wish I could do it." She sobered. "I don't like Dementors."

No, she wouldn't like Dementors. They drained hope and happiness from all they encountered but especially affected those who had some traumatic event in their past. He remembered the drawing of a thestral that she had shown him. After Mrs. Lovegood's death, there had been rumors that Luna had been alone in the house with her. If Luna had seen her mother die... Dementors would have forced her to relive that memory every time they came near. Last year would have been hell for her. "I'll teach it to you -- if I ever master it myself, that is."

"Would you like to try now? You might do better now that you don't have any pressure on you."

He shrugged. "Why not? I can't look any more ridiculous than I already have today."

"You never look ridiculous. Even if you did, there's no one here to see you but me."

This was not as comforting as Luna meant it to be, but he had already agreed to make the attempt. He closed his eyes, concentrating. He thought of the day during the summer before his fifth year when he had received the letter that announced he was to be both a prefect and Quidditch Captain. He had been so proud of himself than; surely that was a happy enough memory. "Expecto Patronum!"

The same blurry shape as before emerged from his wand. "I don't think that's a Patronus," said Luna.

"No, it's not." Cedric grimaced. "I'll get it, though. You'll see." He had never failed in his schoolwork before; he would not fail now. A small part of him wondered if he would be so adamant if he didn't have Luna for an audience. He pushed the thought away.

Cedric tried everything he could think of to cast a Patronus. He tried different inflections on each syllable of the incantation. He called up the memories of every Quidditch victory and every academic triumph, trying to find a memory sufficiently powerful to summon the Patronus. Nothing worked, not even the memory of being accepted into the internship program.

A bell tolled in the distance. Eight o'clock. Third years were only allowed out of their common rooms until 8:30. "You should go inside," he said. "I'll stay out here and work a little longer. I'm sorry you didn't get to see a Patronus."

"That's all right." She thought for a moment. "What kind of memories did you use?"

"Quidditch victories, good marks on exams, that sort of thing. Why?"

"I think I might know why you haven't been able to cast a proper Patronus."

"Yes?" he said, a little more eagerly than he meant to.

"You remember I told you that Mum was working on a way to reverse the effects of the Dementor's Kiss?" He nodded, and she continued. "Well, she was something of an expert on them, truth be told. She told me that there's nothing the Dementor's can't stand more than love. It's toxic to them. There's even a special room deep within the Department of Mysteries that contains love itself, or so she said. The Dementors made the Ministry lock it up when they agreed to guard Azkaban."

"That's really interesting, Luna, but what does that have to do with my Patronus?"

Her eyes were suddenly bright. "Everything! Don't you see? A Patronus drives away Dementors because it's everything good in your life in a concentrated form. If there's nothing a Dementor hate more than love, then concentrating on a time that you felt loved should produce a Patronus." She fixed him with her wide, silvery eyes, and he could not look away. "Try it once more. For my sake."

Well, he couldn't say no to that, could he? So, he needed a memory where he felt loved. He remembered of family picnic when his sixth birthday. All his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins had been there. His father had even taken the day off work to be with him. He concentrated on the contentment and peace he had felt that day. "Expecto Patronum," he said again, quietly but with conviction. If this Patronus was going to appear, it would. Shouting wouldn't help.

The four-legged blur returned. Only it wasn't staying a four-legged blur. Cedric watched with wide eyes as the shape solidified, revealing the form of a large Labrador. Cedric had never seen anything so beautiful in his life.

"I did it," he breathed. Then the full enormity of what he had accomplished began to sink in. He felt like dancing or laughing or singing or maybe all three at once. He settled for grabbing Luna in a one-armed hug. "Thank you."

She responded by leaning her head on his shoulder. He did not move away. One arm still around Luna, he directed the Labrador with his wand, moving it this way and that. On impulse, he made it glide forward and land at Luna's feet. She reached out one hand and barely touched the dog's head. "Feel this." She removed his hand from her shoulder and brought it forward, so that he too was "petting" the dog. It did not disappear. Instead, something warm raced up his fingertips and radiated through his whole body, leaving him happier than he had thought possible.

He looked at Luna once more. The pure joy that he had seen on the day she had sketched his portrait had returned. Cedric felt his throat go dry. He knew he was staring but couldn't find it in himself to care. Clive thought Luna was his girlfriend. He wondered what life would be like if that were true. He wondered what it would be like if he kissed her. There was no better time to find out. If she turned him down. He could always say he must have hit his head harder than he thought.

He dismissed the Patronus with a flick of his wand and brought his hand up to her cheek. She did not pull away. That was a good sign. He tilted his head to one side and brushed his lips against hers. Nothing happened, and Cedric was sure that the next thing he would feel was the sting of a very well-deserved slap. But then she was kissing him back and twining her fingers in his hair, and Cedric thought of nothing else for a long time.

When they broke apart, they were both breathing hard. Luna's cheeks were flushed. He was sure he was supposed to say something profound, but everything he came up with sounded stupid and overblown. Luna had no such constraints. "That was nice," she said.

"Yeah, it was." He put his arms around her, and she pillowed her head on his chest. "I wouldn't mind doing again."

"Neither would I."

He twirled a lock of her hair around his finger. "I heard a rumor that the champions are going to be allowed to celebrate in Hogsmeade after the last task is over. Suppose you and I were to sneak off for a celebratory dinner? We could go to Madame Puddifoot's, if that's what you want."

"No, I think I'd rather go to the Three Broomsticks. I could beat you at chess again."

He grinned at her. "Hey! I have two whole weeks to practice. I might surprise you."

She pecked him on the lips. "I don't think you can ever surprise me again, Cedric Diggory."

Cedric looked over the top of her head. He could just see the maze in the distance. Two more weeks of practicing -- well, mostly practicing -- with Luna before the final task. He intended to make the most of them. After that, Hogsmeade. And after Hogsmeade? He hardly dared guess, but he couldn't wait to find out. "I can try."